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UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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, THE

MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS

OF THE LATE

MR WILLIAM BRAIDWOOD,

ONE OF THE

PASTORS OF THE ORIGINAL BAPTIST CHURCH, EDINBURGH.

NOW FIRST COLLECTED INTO A VOLUME.

WITH A MEMOIR OF HIS LIFE, MINISTRY, AND WRITINGS.
BY WILLIAM JONES,. M. A.

EDINBURGH:
WILLIAM OLIPHANT AND SON,
G. GALLIE, GLASGOW; G. KING, ABERDEEN; W. M'COMB, BELFAST/
GEORGE WIGHTMAN, AND G. J. M'COMBIE, LONDON ;
AND W. CURRY & CO., DUBLIN.

MDCCCXXXVIII.

Mhd6 67*>j

EDINDUKGH : PRINTED BY J. RITCHIE & CO.

CONTENTS OF THE VOLUME.

Pago
Introductory Remarks, - - vii
I. Memoir of Mr Braidwood's Life, Ministry, and Writings, xiii
II. A Discourse on the Duty of Mutual Exhortation in the Churches
of Christ, - 1
III. Parental Duties Illustrated from the Word of God, &o. 31
IV. Purity of Christian Communion Recommended, in Three Discourses, 89
V. Loyalty Enforced from the Word of God, - 161
VI. Letters on a Variety of Subjects, 193
VII. Remarks on Dr Chalmers' Address to the Inhabitants of Kilmany, 289
*VIII. On the Scriptural Rule of Forbearance in Churches, &o. 367
MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
1. Remarks on a Sermon on Instructing Children, 403
2. Examination of Mr Fuller's Treatise on Faith, 430
3. Caution against Excess in using Intoxicating Liquors, 443
4. On being Filled with the Spirit, 457
5. On the Punishment of Death in Cases of Murder, 464
S. Influence of the Doctrine of Divine Grace, 473
7. On the Song of Solomon, 491
*8. On the Assurance of Hope, in a Letter to a Friend, 495
*9. Two Discourses on the Christian Salutation, 506

N.B. — The articles marked thus * are now for the first time printed.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

The friends of the late Ma William Braidwood, one of the
Pastors of the Original Baptist Church in Edinburgh, hav
ing resolved upon collecting his several scattered publica
tions into a volume, applied to me to afford them what little
assistance I could, in compiling a short Memoir of his Life
and Ministry to accompany it ; to which I readily gave my con
sent, having, at the moment, contemplated little more than the
writing of a dozen pages. But I had no sooner entered
upon the task assigned me, than I found the materials to ex
pand and ramify under my hands; and that, to do the subject
any thing like justice, a more detailed account would be ne
cessary than either they or myself had anticipated. Mr Braid-
wood's publications arose almost wholly and entirely out of the
peculiar circumstances of the churches with which he walked
in fellowship, and were intended by him either to lead them
forward in the good profession which they made of the faith
of Christ, and establish them in the true grace of God, or to
preserve them from the contaminating influence of the divers
and strange doctrines that were propagated, from time to time,
by men of corrupt minds. He was not one of those who wrote
for want of something else to employ him, or to eke out a
slender income for the support of his family; nor yet to acquire

V1U INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
fame and reputation as an author. With the exception of his
" Three Discourses on Parental Duties," the reader will find
nearly all his larger pieces to have a reference, either imme
diate or more remote, to the state of the churches in the
Scotch Baptist denomination, at the time of writing them.
But though I have occasionally touched upon matters connect
ed with these churches in the course of the Memoir, this subject
merits a more enlarged consideration than it has yet received
from me, and that will, I hope, plead my apology for intro
ducing in this place a few preliminary observations.
The principles on which the Scotch Baptist profession is
established, are so radically different from what currently ob
tains in the religious world, that the subject cannot be too often
or too prominently obtruded on the view of the public. Dis
senters in general, both in Scotland and England, profess to
take their stand on our Lord's good confession concerning his
kingdom, as an economy spiritual and heavenly, and of course
totally distinct from the kingdoms of this world. They can
quote this maxim with the utmost fluency, when it is necessary
to stop the mouths of the advocates of national establishments
of Christianity, pertinaciously insisting that Christ is the only
Head of the Church, the alone Lord, Lawgiver, and King in
Zion, to whose authority, revealed either in express command or
Apostolic example, they implicitly bow. The reader who has had
an opportunity of attending their ordination services, and the
openings of places of worship, cannot be ignorant of the truth of
what has now been stated. And, in fact, so common and habitual
has this language become among the Dissenting clergy, whether
Baptists or Paedobaptists, that they persuade themselves, and
would fain persuade others, that such is actually the case.
But let any disinterested person, who has read his New Tes
tament with a proper discrimination, only compare our mo
dern Dissenting churches with those plantedjby the Apostles

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. ix
of Christ in primitive times ; and if he do not discern the differ
ence which exists between them, in their constitution, order,
worship, and discipline, he can have read his Bible to little
profit indeed.
. Look at the materials of which our modern Dissenting
churches are mostly composed, and compare them with those
of the Apostolic churches. The latter consisted of persons
gathered out of the world by means of the preaching of the
doctrine of the cross, or of Jesus Christ and him crucified.
They " heard, believed, and were baptised," in the name of
the Son of the Highest, confessing their sins, and so were
added to the churches. These churches had all one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one common hope of their calling, one God
and Father who was over all, &c; and they loved one another
for the truth's sake which dwelt in each of them, even the
doctrine which the Apostles preached concerning Christ and
his salvation, which was the common centre of their hope and
joy. But look now at our modern Dissenting churches, and ex
amine them by this rule. In how many of them is the simple
Apostolic doctrine, concerning the person and work of Christ,
held forth ; and what is the bond of their union ? Persons are
received to baptism, and afterwards into church-fellowship, not
upon a confession of their faith in Jesus Christ as the true
Messiah, and their hope of salvation through his death and re
surrection, but upon the recitation of what is called their
experience, in other words, how they became serious or reli
gious ; and with this, the " one faith and hope" of the Gospel
has little to do. In general, the sum-total of this expe
rience may be summed up in these few words — " Thus and
thus I have felt ; and therefore I hope"
2. Look at the character and complexion of their lead
ers. In place of the Scriptural Elder, chosen from among
his brethren by his possessing, in some good measure, the

X INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
qualifications pointed out by the holy Apostles, Paul and
Peter, 1 Tim. iii., Titus i., and 1 Peter v., they, for the most
part, consist of young men who have had an academical educa
tion, obtained a smattering of systematic theology, and a little
human learning, which is generally regarded as a tolerable suc-
cedaneum for being "' mighty in the Scriptures." The chief
thing looked for is, their capability to collect a congre
gation, and "raise the interest," as the phrase goes; not
to build up the disciples in the faith, and hope, and obe
dience of the Gospel ; for that is one of the last things thought
of. And then they must be supported as gentlemen, that they
may not, as did the Apostles and primitive Elders, defile
their hands by working at a trade, (Acts xx. 33 — 35,) " to
minister to their own necessities" and those that depend upon
them, even though an Apostle has furnished them with an
example of so doing, in his own conduct ! And,
3. Mark the change which has come over our modern con
gregations in another particular. When the Apostles, under
the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, set in order the
first churches, they ordained them Elders (a plurality) in every
city, Titus i. 5, and in every church, Acts xiv. 23. ; whereas in
our day and country, except among a sect every where spoken
against, the one man system has almost universally supplanted
the order established by the wisdom of God. This is one of
the improvements {! ) which time and experience has intro
duced into the Scriptural order of the house of God. It is
found more convenient to have " one minister" than several
elders. He is, in almost every respect, a totally different cha
racter from the latter, whose praise was that they surpassed
their brethren, not only in their ability to teach others, but also
in the exercise of patience, self-denial, humility, meekness,
gentleness, and conformity to the example of their Divine
Master. The wisdom of God hath appointed that those

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. XI
who are called to take the oversight of their brethren in the
churches of the saints, should possess the qualifications now
mentioned, in order that they may be examples to the flock
in every Christian virtue. But is it so in our modern Dis
senting churches ? Alas, who ever thinks of making such
traits of character, as those which I have now mentioned, pre
requisites for the office of their minister ? He may be inflated
with pride, dogmatical, dictatorial, and self-willed ; it can all
be dispensed with, and overlooked, provided he can only make
a flourishing harangue, collect a crowded audience, and please
the people ! And now,
4. Look at the change which has taken place in our modern
Dissenting congregations as to their external order and social
practices. The primitive churches, when " set in order, with
their bishops and deacons," came together on every first-day of
the week " to breakbread," in commemoration of the dying love
and rising power of their God and Saviour, Acts xx. 7. But
our moderns, losing sight of the real design of the institution,
and more intent upon cultivating what they call " the devout ex
ercises of the heart," than of expressing their love of the Sa
viour and obedience to his command, finding that fits of affec
tion are apt to grow cold on too frequent returns, have almost
unanimously agreed to commemorate the Lord's death only
once a month. Hence it has come to pass, that the first Sab
bath in each month, being the day usually fixed upon for that
purpose, has obtained the high-sounding appellation of " the ordi
nance-day." Where, now, is the authority of Christ in this
innovation ?
But what I have now referred to, is not the only innovation
that has taken place in the instituted worship of God on the
Lord's day among our modern Dissenters. No one can read the
New Testament with understanding, and not perceive from it,
that in conducting public worship, though the cnurches had

XU INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
their rulers, overseers, and guides, yet that the duties of
prayer and of teaching were not restricted to them, but com
mon also to private brethren, on whom the glorified Head of
the Church had conferred gifts for the edification of his
mystical body ; see 1 Cor. xiv., and Eph. iv. But where
among the moderns shall we find these appointments of Christ's
house attended to, as of Divine authority ? And why are they
not ? The reason is obvious ; the pride of the clergy would be
hurt, the dignity of the priesthood insulted! To them it mat
ters not that the wisdom of God has wisely and graciously in
stituted these things as means of cultivating and improving the
gifts of the brethren, and fitting persons for the work of the
ministry, that the churches of Christ may be supplied with
pastors and teachers after his own heart, who should feed his
flock with knowledge and understanding. They (vainly) ima
gine that they have discovered a more excellent way of supply
ing the churches with office-bearers, than that which the all-
wise God has prescribed in his Holy Word ; but it has mani
festly been effected at the expense of secularizing, in no ordi
nary degree, the worship of the Most High, and preferring the
traditions of men to the laws of the King of Zion.
I might proceed to other alterations and innovations in the
instituted worship of the Apostolic churches ; but enough has
been said to prepare the reader for entering upon a perusal of
the contents of this volume with understanding and profit. The
Scotch Baptist Churches adhere tenaciously to the prescribed
order of the worship of Christ's house, so far as their minds
are enlightened into it, and, wherein they come short, it is their
prayer that God would be graciously pleased to reveal even
this unto them. W. J.
September 1, 1838,

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.

When the Elder of a Christian Church is removed by death, and especially
if he havo laboured long and acceptably in the Lord's vineyard, it is natu
ral for those who were favoured with his ministry to cherish his memory,
and, if possible, preserve a faithful record of their benefactor ; but if, in
addition to his personal services, he have contributed to enlighten the
world by his writings, the wish to possess a complete collection of his
printed works is not less natural. Both of these motives unite in
the case of the subject of this Memoir. Mr Braidwood was blessed with
talents and acquirements which in themselves were calculated to raise him
above the ordinary standard of mankind ; the grace of God bestowed upon
him, laid the foundation of his call to the office of a public teacher and
ruler in the house of God, during the long period of upwards of fifty years,
in which he served God in the ministry of his Son ; and while thus laud
ably occupied, we find him, from time to time, issuing, through the medium
of the press, a variety of treatises, mostly dictated by the circumstances of
the times in which his lot was cast, and more especially by the peculiar
exigencies of the Church of God to which his labours were devoted. A
collection of these into one volume became a desideratum among his sur
viving friends, and gave rise to the present publication, which it is hoped
may, under the blessing of the great Head of the Church, confer a per
manency on his labours, and extend their beneficial effects to future ages.
But no sooner was the resolution adopted of carrying this object into effect,
than the idea suggested itself of prefixing to the work some account of its
estimable author ; and there were important inducements to this. Mr
Braidwood may be safely quoted as one of the best examples of the
Scriptural elder which modern times can furnish. The late Dr Charles
Stuart, a physician of considerable eminence in Edinburgh, when review
ing one of his minor productions in the Quarterly Magazine, edited by
that gentleman, thus speaks of him : — " The author of this discourse is
well known as a sensible man, and a worthy and respectable citizen of
Edinburgh. For more than twenty years, he has also been known to reli
gious persons as a minister of the gospel, although never trained by any
long course of education * prescribed and held as necessary for the useful
and successful discharge of the Gospel ministry.' We question much,

XlV MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
however, if any of those so educated, has presented to the world a better
specimen of useful preaching than these pages contain, or than may be
seen in his former publications on ' Parental Duties,' and ' Purity of Com
munion.' If men will read this discourse with candour, they must allow,
that however useful, proper, and sanctified, education undoubtedly may be, to
improve the talents required in a pastor of a Christian Church, that yet it
is not indispensably necessary. Here is a writer who can reason well —
who can unfold the doctrines and duties of the Scriptures perspicuously —
who can defend them with ability, and apply them with force — who never
studied divinity (in the common sense of the phrase) for an hour."
This, now, is the discriminating point of view in which the character of
Mr Braidwood presents itself to us as claiming our notice and regard ; and
the reader is requested not to lose sight of it, while he candidly peruses
the following pages.
William Braidwood was a native of Edinburgh, born there on the
27th of February 1751. His father was a respectable tradesman, and,
by religious profession, belonged to the Church of Scotland. He seems
to have been held in much estimation for his Christian character, and
filled the office of elder, or more properly deacon, in one of the churches
of the City of Edinburgh. He also, for a number of years, gave his
gratuitous services to the Orphan Hospital, as Treasurer of that Institution.
At the usual time at which boys are generally put to some) employment,
he placed his son William as an apprentice with Mr Grant, an ironmonger,
who was also an elder (deacon) in one of the city churches — a man highly
respected for his decided piety and Christian principles. Of these, and of
his spirituality of mind, a very favourable view is left us, in a small volume
of Hymns and Poems, first published in 1784 — a second edition of which
was brought out in 1820, under the title of " Original Hymns and Poems,
written by a private Christian for his own use.'' Of Mr Grant, the sub
ject of this Memoir always spoke in the warmest terms of friendship and
esteem ; and, if the recollection of the present writer does not fail him,
he also took a lively interest in the republication of this little volume, to
which he contributed a short preface. At any rate, the writer has now be
fore him the 7th volume of the "New Evangelical Magazine," (anno 1821,)
from which he takes leave to lay before the^reader an extract from a let
ter written by Mr Braidwood to himself, then editor of that periodical ;
he thus writes : —
« Permit me to introduce to the notice of your readers, the second edi
tion of a small collection of ' Original Hymns and Poems, written by a
private Christian for his own use,' 72 pages 18mo, printed at Edinburgh,
and sold by Nisbet, London, price Is. 6d. We seldom read any interesting
publication without an earnest desire to know something of the author •
and in this I shall endeavour, in some respects, to gratify those who may
read with profit to themselves, this memorial of a worthy and much esteemed
citizen of Edinburgh. It is now upwards of fifty years since I obtained

MEMOIR OP THE AUTHOR. ' XV
the privilege of taking a manuscript copy of the Hymns, which I most
highly valued, particularly because I had reason to think, that in no other
instance the same permission had then been given.
" The venerable author was a merchant in Edinburgh, where he resided
all his lifetime. He uniformly sustained a most respectable character for
probity, punctuality, and benevolence. He was repeatedly in the magis
tracy, and served in the offices of Bailie, Dean of Guild, and Treasurer,
with much conscientious fidelity. And for those services, the city of Edin
burgh was indebted, not to any thing congenial in his dispositions and
habits, nor to a desire of pre-eminence or public fame, but solely to a con
viction that it was his duty to do something for the good of his native
city. " He always shunned a public bustling life, and was best known in his
private Christian character, in which his uniform, steady, and humble
walk and conversation, shone conspicuously. He was extremely regular
and methodical in parcelling out his time, not in his business only, but in
all his other avocations. Though of a weakly constitution, and labour
ing under serious complaints during the greater part of his long life, it
was his uniform practice to rise very early in the morning, in winter as
well as in summer, and his morning hours were devoted to private study,
meditation, and prayer. He occupied particular parts of each day in
reading, and frequently amused and edified himself by composing poetical
pieces, in which he took great delight. These were chiefly upon religious
subjects, relative to the state of his own mind, or to that of his friends and
correspondents. He was a constant hearer in the Tolbooth Church, and
long in habits of endearing intimacy with many eminent Christians, with
whom he is now associated in the mansions of the blessed, and joining with
the redeemed company in their everlasting song of praise. Some of those
were the following ministers, who are singled out because they are best
known to the public — Mr Riccalton of Hobkirk, Mr Davidson of Brain-
tree, Mr Plenderleath of Edinburgh, Mr Davidson of Galashiels, the
famous George Whitfield, &c. His free and intimate correspondence
with them, and their mutual Christian experiences, frequently afforded
subjects for his poetical effusions, which, though they certainly will not
procure him the reputation of an eminent poet, are yet sweet and melo
dious, full of solid Scriptural truth, and expressive of the breathings of a
mind exercised to godliness — the deeply rooted principles of one who
delighted not in mere theory, but in that which forms the substantial food
of the immortal soul."
Mr Braidwood appears to have been brought to the knowledge of the
truth at a very early age. This may not unreasonably be inferred from
the circumstance that, when he was only about eighteen years of age, at
which time, having lost his father, he occupied the position of the head
of the famiLy, in conducting the worship which had been regularly
observed by his deceased parent. We are farther told that when his mind

XVI MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
was first awakened to a sense of his sinfulness and guilt in the sight of
God, he was in a state of great distress, which was much increased by the
dark and perplexing views of faith which were then taught. And, as he him
self expressed it, he should have sunk into despair, had not the Lord the Spi
rit mercifully interposed, shining into his mind, and enabling him to lay
hold of some simple passages of his holy word, which served as a stay to
his thoughts and an anchor to his troubled mind, such as " God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life ; for God sent not his
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the^world through him
might be saved ;" and " it is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta
tion, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." But even
after he obtained some relief to his guilty conscience by believing the
record which God hath given of his Son, he had no distinct views of the
nature of the Kingdom of Christ, as an economy wholly spiritual and inca
pable of amalgamation with political institutions or the power of the civil
magistrate, for he attached himself to the national church, in the commu
nion of which he continued for some time.
At that period a practice was common in those churches, particularly
where there were Evangelical ministers, for the more serious part of the
congregation to meet together once a-week or oftener, in some private
house, or other convenient place, for worship, reading the Scriptures, and
exhortation. In these meetings all were expected to take a part, for none
were admitted among them in whom they had not all the fullest confidence
as to their Christian character, neither were any retained who did not walk
consistently with the profession they made of the name of Jesus. These
societies are known by the name of " Fellowship Meetings." With one
of these meetings Mr Braidwood was very early connected, the leading
person in which was a Mr Peebles, the teacher in the Orphan Hospital, at
that time a well-known character in the religious world, and greatly
esteemed for his sterling worth and primitive simplicity of manners. It
was no doubt in this meeting that Mr Braidwood was first called to exercise
those talents with which the great Head of the Church had endowed him,
and designed that he should occupy in a far more important sphere. How
far these little societies served to direct his mind to the New Testament
order of Christian worship and ordinances, cannot now be ascertained ;
although it is not improbable that such was their effect, as they exhibited
some of the most striking features of a Church of Christ, namely, in the
affectionate intercourse which was maintained among the members, and in
their watching over one another in love. For if any of their number should
seem to slacken in their Christian course, they dealt faithfully with them,
and in the event of not succeeding in their endeavours to bring them to a
proper state of mind, such persons were no longer considered as belong
ing to their number.
But whatever influence these things might have upon his mind, it is cer-

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. XVii
tain he was not long in finding out the Anti-Christian nature of the con
nexion he had formed, and of all national establishments of religion. He
consequently withdrew, and joined himself to a Congregational church in
Edinburgh, which had been formed there some time previous to 1773, and
of which Mr Robert Carmichael, and Mr John M'Lean, cloth merchant
in Edinburgh, were appointed pastors or elders.
The precise age of Mr Braidwood when he united with this second class
of Independents — for the Glasites took the precedency in separating from
the National Church — cannot be exactly ascertained, but he must have been
young. And with them he had been comparatively but a short time, when
he was called to take part in the pastoral office, previous to the year 1778,
in conjunction with Robert Cook, a person of considerable natural
talents, who retained the appointment till his death. Under their joint
care and labour, this church appears to have prospered for several years,
as a Congregational church, and a number of individuals seceded from the
Establishment and cast in their lot among them.
About this time, however, the question respecting the proper subjects
and mode of baptism began to be mooted in Scotland. Mr Archibald
M'Lean had answered Mr John Glas's Dissertation on Infant Baptism,
and given the quietus to that party. In 1776, he also published his Defence
of Believers' Baptism, in answer to an anonymous pamphlet which had
appeared at Glasgow, and this produced a considerable sensation. Enquiry
and discussion were now general amongst all classes of the religious com
munity ; and the result was, a number of the members of the church under
the care of Messrs W. Braidwood and John M'Lean, left them, in order
that they might obey the Saviour's command in being baptised on a
personal profession of their faith in the Son of God, and these joined
themselves to the Baptist church under the pastoral charge of Mr Archi
bald M'Lean. This took place about the close of the year 1777, and they
were about thirty in number, but Mr Braidwood was not one of them. He
continued his office as elder, and his connexion with that Paedobaptist
church till March 1778, when he left them, much to their grief, and
was baptised, and added to the church of which Mr Archibald M'Lean
was pastor, having then just completed his. 27th year.
The body of which Mr Braidwood was now a member, following out
the plan of the Apostolic churches, afforded abundant scope for the exer
cise of the gifts of the private brethren in exhortation and prayer, &c,
and consequently he had here an opportunity of ministering to the edifica
tion of his Christian brethren, in the way of teaching and admonishing
them, " speaking the truth in love." Nor was the church long in finding
out the value of his gifts, or appreciating their excellence ; on the con
trary, they held them in such estimation, that, connecting them with his
personal character, he was called unanimously by his brethren, about the close
of the same year, to take part with Mr M'Lean in the eldership, and was
accordingly ordained as his colleague, by fasting and prayer, early in the

XV1U MEM0IB OF THE AUTHOR.
year 1779. In this situation he laboured for nearly fifty years with Un
wearied assiduity and diligence, not only with the highest honour to him
self, but advantage to the church.
When Mr Braidwood had sustained the pastoral office, as the colleague
of Mr M'Lean, for about the space of seven or eight years, he ventured to
appear before the public in the capacity of an author, though his timidity
and diffidence induced him to withhold his name. The subject of his
pamphlet was, " A Discourse on the Duty of Mutual Exhortation in the
Churches of Christ, by one of the Pastors of the Baptist Church at
Edinburgh." Previous to the delivery and publication of this Discourse,
that branch of public worship, which in the apostolic churches evidently
presented a conspicuous feature, had "been thrust into a corner, by the
Congregational churches in Scotland, both Baptist and Pa?dobaptist. The
latter, with whom the primitive church order and discipline was revived
in that country, were in the practice of allotting a short portion of time
to this exercise in the afternoon of the Lord's Day, immediately Rafter the
taking of the Lord's Supper, which I believe is still their practice ; and
hitherto the Baptist church under the supervision of Messrs M'Lean,
Braidwood, and Inglis, had followed their example. But upon revising
their plan of public worship, it appeared to them that a duty of so much
importance was entitled to a greater prominency than was now given to
it in their order of worship, and it was determined to bring it forward im
mediately after the reading of the Holy Scriptures on the morning of the
Lord's Day, to which practice they still adhere, as do most of the churches
in their connexion.
"We need not a more convincing proof of the little regard which our
modern Dissenting churches, in England, pay to the apostolic order of
the House of God, than their total neglect of this institution. Instead of
" hearing what the Spirit saith unto the Churches" regarding this, mat
ter, they seem to have agreed, one and all, to turn a deaf ear to it, vainly
imagining, that they have found out a more excellent way ! This has been
not unaptly designated " the one man system." It consists in hiring an
individual who, generally speaking, has been trained up at an academy or
college, to conduct the public services of the Lord's Day, and who occu
pies nearly the whole of the time allotted for the services, in prayer, reading
the Scriptures, and preaching, to the utter exclusion of whatever gifts the
exalted Head of the Church may have conferred upon the body. Now,
any one that reads the New Testament with attention, may at once per
ceive that this is a total departure from the order of worship instituted by
the inspired apostles in the name of the ascended Saviour, in the primitive
churches. But it is, unhappily, not the only instance in which such de
parture is visible. This, however, is not the place for going at large into
that subject. When the Scotch Baptist churches commenced their pro
fession, they took the New Testament in their hands, determined to exa
mine, and find out the order of worship prescribed by the King of Zion,

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. xix
and exemplified by the churches which were first in Judca, tracing
out the footsteps of the flock, and, according to the light afforded them,
regulating all their affairs conformably to that Divine standard.
Mr Braidwood has insisted but sparingly in this Discourse on the subject-
matter of exhortation in the churches, nor has he gone into it contro
versially, but has confined himself chiefly to the manner of discharging the
duty. He considered it unnecessary, he tells us, to establish the point,
that it is the duty and privilege of brethren in Christian Churches to ex
hort one another, not only in private, but also when publicly assembled
together; and the reason which he assigns for this is, that " those who will
not be satisfied with a plain injunction, such as that contained in Heb.
x. 25, * Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, but exhort one
another,' will hardly be convinced by any argument, however plain,
forcible, and conclusive." And, in reference to his reason for dwelling
mostly throughout his Discourse on the manner of exhorting, he adds,
that it was not from any idea that our manner of speech is of greater im
portance than the truths we declare, or the duties we enjoin, but because
to him it appeared that much more depends on our manner of addressing
one another in relation to the things of God, than is generally imagined ; and
because this fact had been generally overlooked by many Congregational
churches, not a few of whom entertain a principle directly the reverse.
In this, his first essay as an author, Mr Braidwood gave a favourable
specimen of his ability to instruct through the medium of the press, nor
can any candid person peruse his Discourse without perceiving in it the
germ of excellence, the traces of an original thinker, a sound and discri
minating judgment, deep reverence for the Word of God, and the happy
talent of expressing his meaning with correctness, perspicuity, and force —
qualities of great importance, but of rare occurrence in a theological writer.
The rules which he lays down for conducting the manner of exhortation,
are few and simple, but they are such as must commend themselves to
every thinking mind. I will here recapitulate them, without going into
their illustrations. " Let all you say be directed to some end ; never
speak in a vague, loose, and unmeaning way. Speak the Word of God
with solemnity and reverence. Speak the "Word of God with humility.
Exhort with sincerity and simplicity. Exhort with affection, fervour, and
zeal." His remarks, also, on the distinction between exhortation and
preaching, evince the soundness of his judgment ; and it is much to be
lamented that they are not more attended to in the churches which make
conscience of attending to this duty. I will quote the passage : —
" Though you are earnestly entreated, in the following pages, to exer
cise any gifts which the Lord hath conferred upon you, for the edification
of your brethren, it is far from my intention to make you consider your
selves as teachers. This would be to affirm that all are teachers, which is
peremptorily denied by the Apostle Paul, 1 Cor. xii. 29 ; and that a so
ciety of Christians may lawfully be many masters, or teachers, opposite to

XX MrttfOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
an express injunction of the Apostle James, ch. iii. 1. It would confound
the distinction between teachers and taught, which is every where pre
served in the Word of God, and must, in the nature of the thing, exist.
It would confer upon all who have any gifts for speaking, that authority,
rule, and presidency, which is always connected with teaching, and belongs
only to those who are appointed by the churches of Christ to the office of
teachers. While, therefore, we give full scope to the modest, humble, and
zealous exercise of every gift in its proper place, agreeably to that beauti
ful representation of the body of Christ, 1 Cor. xii., we maintain as firmly
the Lord's appointment of pastors and teachers, who have the oversight of
the flock, and think it highly necessary to check the pride of those who
would take this office at their own hand, without the suffrage of their
brethren, or even aspire at the exercise of gifts which they do not really
possess. Neither is it our opinion that all are qualified for exhorting one
another, as private brethren in the church. We are persuaded that the
Lord hath bestowed talents of this kind upon some, and withheld them
from others. But it has seldom been necessary to prohibit any of this last
description from coming forward in a public manner, and thus to step out
of the place assigned them in the body ; we need rather to encourage than
to restrict."
Twenty years after the publication of this masterly discourse, Mr Braid
wood was called to resume the same subject, and even to defend the prac
tice of public exhortation by private brethren in the meetings of the church
on the Lord's day, as an institution of apostolic authority. It had been
impugned by several writers both in England and Scotland ; nor need we
marvel greatly at this. Attempts were made in England to introduce it
into churches unscripturally gathered, and formed on the old plan, with
one minister or elder ; and, as might be expected, the pride of the clergy
took fire, and some have been known even to quit their station rather than
submit to it ! " They would have no speaking in the church but by them
selves." Our author's strictures, however, were, in the present instance,
confined to a defence of the institution against some perverse things which
had been published by Mr Greville Ewing of Glasgow, in a volume pub
lished by the latter, under the title of " An Attempt towards a Statement
of the Doctrine of Scripture, on some disputed points respecting the Con
stitution of the Church of Christ." ,Mr Ewing, indeed, did not extend his
opposition so far as to scout the practice altogether ; he was ready to admit
the brethren to exhort one another in the week-day meetings of the church,
but was extremely averse to it on the Lord's day ; and there is scarcely
any part of the New Testament, upon which the practice can be founded,
which he did not controvert, and explain in another way. This apparent
perversion of the Scriptures from their original design, induced Mr Braid
wood to examine his positions and test his arguments, which he has done
in a very summary and convincing manner.* I quote a few sentences : 
* Sje Pp. 282—286 of this Volume.

MEMOIR OP THE AUTHOR. xx'l
'¦ " I proceed to justify public speaking in the churches by all who are
possessed of useful gifts, requesting I may be considered as extending the
obligation no farther. A man who has gifts may be unconscious of it, or
may excuse his negligence, or his timidity, by professing that he is not
qualified in this way to edify his brethren. But no man is called to occupy
talents which he does not really possess.
" It would seem, from Acts xiii. 15, that exhortation by those who sus
tained no official character, was a common thing in the Jewish synagogues,
after reading the Law and the Prophets ; for the rulers of the synagogue
sent to Paul and Barnabas, saying-, ' Men and brethren, if ye have any
word of exhortation for the people, say on.1 And any one who is willing
to take matters as they stand in the New Testament, may easily perceive
that the same- practice was instituted and followed in the churches of
Christ. Their union in the truth ; their desire of building up themselves
and one another in their most holy faith ; the necessity of men being thus
trained to become teachers ; and the impossibility of otherwise knowing
who were capable to feed the flock of God ; — all these naturally l«d the
first Christians to the practice of exhorting one another, and demonstrate
to us the propriety and usefulness of that duty.
" This duty is expressly commanded, in connexion with holding fast
our profession, and provoking one another to love and to good works,
Heb. x. 25, ' Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is : but exhorting one another : and so much the more, as
ye see the day approaching.' They were not to forsake the public assem
blies or church-meetings, especially on the Lord's day, as some had done.
And what was to be their employment when assembled ? The answer is,
' Exhorting one another,' under a deep impression of the danger which
awaited them ; for ' the great aud terrible day of the Lord,' when Jerusa
lem was to be destroyed, ' was approaching.' They saw it drawing nigh.
Both their assembling themselves, therefore, and their exhorting one an
other, are here recommended as antidotes against apostasy, and as God's
appointed means for strengthening their faith, and leading them to the
sure ground of everlasting consolation, amidst all the calamities which
could befall them.
" Even this express authority Mr Ewing has attempted to set aside,
alleging that the Apostle only requires brethren to exhort one another in
private to attend church-meetings ; and for this he produces Newcome's
translation : ' Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is, but exhorting to it.' If no church had ever allowed
private brethren to supersede the labours of the bishop for half-an-hour at
any of their public meetings, should we ever have heard of such a transla
tion ? The commandment to exhort is a general one ; and no person
would think of restricting it to one subject, unless he had a favourite
point to gain, and that seems to be, the honour of the officiating clergy
man. ,

XS1I MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
" Mr Ewing brings forward a great many prudential reasons for de
clining mutual exhortation on the first day of the week. But these, not
withstanding the ingenuity and acuteness displayed in them, require no
answer ; because, although Divine ordinances may be abused, yet they
are all salutary and useful in the highest degree when observed in the
true spirit of Christianity, which destroys every selfish principle, and ex
cludes all that is inconsistent with love to God and to the brethren. And
were some public teachers more under the influence of this spirit, they
would not think themselves affronted or displaced when the truth is spoken
in love by the body of which they are members, if it be a body capable of
such an exercise ; and if it be totally incapable of this, whatever may be its
just description, it is not the body of Christ, although some of its members
may belong to the general assembly and church of the first-born. "
I cannot dismiss this subject, without making one quotation more from
this masterly confutation : —
" Mr Ewing would do well to consider, that his plan in favour of one
man performing the whole of the duty on the Lord's day, in every church,
has led him not only to do injustice to particular texts of Scripture, but to
oppose the whole scope and spirit of the New Testament regarding Chris
tian fellowship ; for the sacred writers uniformly declare that the body of
Christ consists of many members— that not one, but a variety of these, are
the governing members — and that the church in general contribute their
share towards the welfare and prosperity of the body. Indeed, no other
system accords with the nature of their connexion as redeemed sinners,
• glorying in nothing save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which
they are crucified to the world, and loving one another as Christ hath loved
them*' To affirm that the want of the personal appearance of Apostles,
Prophets, and Evangelists, is better supplied by a single person learned in
all the wisdom of the universities, and in many cases loving to have the
pre-eminence, than by such a variety of gifts as the Lord is now pleased
to bestow, seems equally inconsistent with humility, and with every rational
view of that which tends to edification. In the great and infallible stan
dard of the churches, we never read of the bishop, or the office-bearer of
any description, except when the Apostle states the qualifications which
every bishop ought to possess. Of this Mr Ewing has taken an undue
advantage ; for he might as well have argued that the Apostle describes
one universal bishop, as that he restricts the number to one in any con
gregation, after he had commanded elders to be ordained in every city.
That which ought still more to convince him, is the weighty consideration,
that while no president of a church is, in any part of the sacred Scriptures,
termed the pastor or the bishop, these are designations appropriated to our
gracious and Almighty Lord, the Shepherd and Bishop of oun souls."
Mr Braidwood's second publication, and by far the most popular of all
his productions through the medium of the press, was entitled, " Parental
Duties illustrated from the Word of God, in Three Discourses " Edin-

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.

burgh, 1792. This excellent treatise, after going through three or four
editions, mostly circulated in Scotland, has recently been taken up by the
Religious Tract Society in the metropolis of England, by whom it will be
circulated to an amazing extent ; and it is in all respects worthy of it.
The sound good sense and excellent practical advice which characterise
every page, has justly entitled it to the rank of a standard book on the
subject. In proof of this, I may be allowed to mention a fact which fell
under my own knowledge, and for the truth of which I can vouch. Some
years ago, a copy of it fell accidentally into the hands of a very respect
able and well-informed Baptist minister,* who knew nothing of the author
personally, and therefore could not be influenced by motives of partiality
in his favourable judgment of it. But he read it, and was exceedingly
struck with its originality and merit ; and from that time it became the
topic of eulogy with him. He recommended it to all the heads of families
within the circle of his acquaintance, and writing to others at a distance,
he ventured to give his decided opinion of it in the following terse and
emphatic manner : — " It as far excels all that I have hitherto read on the
same subject, as a diamond surpasses a pebble." And not much inferior
to this seems to be the opinion of the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine,
who, in a recent notice of the Tract Society edition of the book, tells his
readers that " the work ought to find its way into the hands of every
parent." t
It may be mentioned, as an important feature in this publication, that
the author's views were not wholly theoretical. Doubtless he was indebted
for the most valuable of them to the Holy Scriptures, of which he was a
diligent student ; and his eye was ever kept steadily fixed on them, as the
" man of his counsel." But, in addition to this, he had the benefit of prac
tical experience in the bringing up of his own offspring. He had a nu
merous family of children, most of whom were taken away during their
minority j but two of his sons grew up to man's estate, and became mem
bers of the church under their father's pastoral care ; and, in their case,
he had an opportunity of witnessing the salutary effects of the rules and
regulations which he recommends to other parents in this volume. One
of those sons, indeed, fell a martyr to pulmonary consumption on the 25th
of January 1803, an event which deeply affected the bereaved parent ;
and he drew up a narrative of his son's life, not with the remotest view to
publication, but for the satisfaction of his own mind, and the benefit of
others of the family who might wish to peruse it. This manuscript now
lies before me ; and were it not that I find in the preface a prohibition
against " causing or permitting any part of it to be printed," I should
gladly have laid before the reader a few interesting extracts. Under exist
ing circumstances, however, I must forego that gratification. When this
* The late Mr Samuel Fisher of Norwich.
t Evangelical Magazine, No. 177- New Series, September 183?, p. 425.

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.

young man's health began to decline, which was in the summer of
1802, his anxious parent withdrew him to the more genial climate of Eng
land, by which I was favoured with an opportunity — the only one I ever en
joyed — of a personal interview with either or both of them. It took place
at Leeds, in Yorkshire, and there I passed a pleasant week with them. I
find that Mr Braidwood has recorded this incident in the margin of his
narrative ; and as it forms no part of the prohibited pages, I beg permis
sion to quote it, though it may subject me to the imputation of vanity from
the censorious :  " We were refreshed by a visit from a much esteemed
Christian brother, who came from Liverpool on purpose to see us."
Some of Mr Braidwood's own brethren have hesitated to accompany him
in the whole of his remarks and observations touching the encourage
ments which Christian parents have to train up their children in the nur
ture and admonition of the Lord. The reader will find the passage to
which allusion is now made, in pages 77 — 88 of the present volume. He
admits, in the most unqualified terms, the corruption of human nature, and
the propensity there is in every son and daughter of Adam to go astray
from the womb ; but he denies that any are born with a bias to parti
cular vices, (see p. 83,) and he resolves the whole into external cir
cumstances, such as education, company, opportunities, temptations, &e. ;
and that any become riotous or unruly, habitually wicked and ungovern
able, he resolves wholly into the parents' neglect. He cannot admit that
one man is born more wicked than another, that is, with stronger propen
sities to sin ; and the reason which he assigns is, that such assertion involves
in it this necessary consequence, that God is the author of sin. But does
not this objection equally militate against our admitting the corruption of
human nature in anv iegree ? It is no province of mine, however, to con
test the point with Mr Braidwood ; and I merely throw out the hint for
the reader's consideration. The subject is a very difficult one, and what
Mr Braidwood has said relating to it, merits serious attention.
Mr Braidwood's next publication was of a more elaborate cast. The
subject is, " Purity of Christian Communion recommended as an Antidote
against the Perils of the Latter Days ; in Three Discourses ; with an
Appendix. No. I. On the Weekly Celebration of the Lord's Supper.
No. II. On the Nature and Tendency of Human Standards in Religion."
Pp. 72 ; 8vo, 1796.
The discourses are founded on 2 Tim. iii. 1 — 5, " This know also, that
in the last days perilous times shall come," &c. — a passage evidently pro
phetical of the rise and reign of Antichrist. The publication owed its
origin to the passing events of the day. The recent Revolution in France
had occasioned a prodigious ferment in the minds of all classes of the com
munity, but more especially among the professors of religion, many of
whom calculated upon nothing less than the commencement of the millen
nial period. " The subjects treated of in this work,'' says the author,
" have lately occupied the attention of Christians of various denominations,

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. XXV
in a more than usual degree ; which induces the author to hope that it may
be acceptable and useful to some who are beginning to free themselves from
the shackles of human authority in matters of religion, and to search the
Scriptures with unbiassed minds ; and though it should meet with a very
opposite reception from others who are wedded to human systems of divi
nity, or interested in their support, he will not be greatly disappointed.
Such persons, and all who may be disposed, on whatever ground, to cen
sure the doctrine contained in these discourses, are requested to observe,
that it can only be refuted by the Word of God ; because it totally dis
avows every other standard. Any candid person, therefore, who may
attempt to disprove it, must reckon himself bound to show that it contra
dicts the doctrine of the New Testament, unless he fairly denies the Divine
authority of that book. The author considers the cause in which he is
engaged as the cause of the Most High, whatever imperfection there may
be in this attempt to defend it ; and to Him he commits this cause, in the
assured confidence that it will at last prevail over all opposition ; for ' the
kingdoms of this world,' the far greater part of whom are at present Anti-
christian worshippers or Pagan idolaters, will ' become the kingdom of
our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever,'
Rev. xi. 15."
After pointing out the danger of being mixed up in church-fellow
ship with false professors, Mr Braidwood takes a review of the corrup
tions of Christianity as introduced by the Man of Sin, and then enforces
the precept, " From such turn away." Such is the substance of the first
Discourse. In the second, he has furnished a very able illustration of the
Kingdom of Christ, the subjects of which are regenerated, or born from
above — such as believe the truth, and are led to love and obey it ; he de
scribes its immunities and privileges — the means of establishing, defend
ing, and promoting its interests, all of which show it to be a spiritual eco
nomy, and radically different from the kingdoms of this world ; and from
this he convincingly shows that the subjects of this kingdom ought to
separate themselves from the mass of the world in religious fellowship.
The third Discourse is devoted to the object of illustrating the benefits
resulting to the children of God from their union in the faith, hope, and
love of the truth. The whole of the second and third Discourses are of
the highest excellence, and, for richness of doctrinal sentiment, power of
illustration, and persuasive eloquence, will challenge a competition with
any thing on the same subject in the compass of our language,
In the Appendix to these three Sermons, the author has thrown in his
thoughts on two important points, viz  The weekly celebration of the
Lord's Supper, — and, On the nature and tendency of human standards
in religion. Though the former of these subjects is handled more fully
in another of his publications, hereafter to be noticed j yet I cannot deny
myself the pleasure of extracting a single page in this place, because it is

XXVI MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
so well said, and comprises all that can be said to purpose in so compen
dious a way, that it cannot too often meet the reader's eye.
" There k'fcoselearer example for keeping the first day of the week as the
Christian Sabbath, than for observing the ordinance of the Lord's Supper
on that day ; and it will be admitted that the authority of the former chiefly
depends on the approved example of the first Christians, which is recorded
for our imitation. I do not mean the setting apart of one day in seven
for the immediate service of God. The obligation of this duty is founded
on the original sanctification of the seventh day, on which God rested from
his work of creation, and. on the fourth commandment of the moral law,
delivered by Moses. The great and powerful motives that are presented
to us in the Gospel, enforce the observance of another day, for which this
additional reason is given, that Christ hath entered into his rest, having
ceased from his own works as God did from his, Heb. iv. 3 — 11. But the
disciples of Christ require satisfactory evidence, that the same authority
by which the seventh-day Sabbath was appointed, and then abrogated as
a part of the Jewish system, for in this view it was a shadow of things
to come, Col. ii. 16, 17, now obliges them to sanctify the Lord's day, and
to keep it holy. If the example of the first Christians, under the direction
of the inspired Apostles, is sufficient for this purpose, why should not the
example of their eating the Lord's Supper on that day be admitted
as equally binding on the Churches of Christ? There is not, in the
New Testament, any one specified instance of a church being assembled
for Divine worship on the first day of the week, which did not meet for
this, among other purposes, that they might commemorate the death of
Christ in the ordinance of the Supper. That authority, therefore, which
has distinguished one Christian Sabbath from another, and made some of
them, in comparison of the rest, high days, cannot plead the Word of God
for its foundation. Every Lord's day is a day of exultation and triumph
to those who enjoy the hope of eternal life through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead ; and it is fit, that on all such days they should
commemorate, in the appointed way, the grand foundation of this blessed
hope. Thus it is clearly established, that the Churches of Christ ought
to keep the ordinance of the Lord's Supper every first day of the week ;
and it is remarkable that all the arguments which have been used against
this practice, when they are duly considered, tend only to illustrate and
confirm the obligations which would render this the indispensable duty of
the people of God."
On the subject of " the tendency of human standards in religion," Mr
Braidwood properly remarks, that " human standards are not merely
useless ; they are also hurtful and dangerous. The Word of God is not
merely a rule, but the only rule by which the sentiments, inclinations,
and conduct of all men ought to be regulated, and by which they will be
judged at the last day. It contains the most awful threatenings against

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. XXVII
those who shall add to it, or take any thing away from it, Pro v. xxx. 6,
Rev. xxii. 18, 19 ; and far from delegating to any class of men a power to
form additional standards, there are few things against which it more fre
quently cautions us, than the danger of following any rule but itself, or
submitting to the authority of man in the things of God. Nay, it declares
that many would be seduced from the faith by corrupt and deceitful
teachers, who would arrogantly assume the power of making laws for
Christ. Indeed, if it be admitted that we have a Divine revelation at all,
it necessarily follows that no man or body of men, if they are not divinely
inspired, whatever may be their gifts, their knowledge of the Scriptures,
and their pretensions to sanctity, can be warranted in making any stand
ard in addition to that which it contains ; for it will be acknowledged by
all whom I now address, that Divine revelation ceased with the apostles.
" It is pleaded by those who favour human confessions of faith, that
they are founded on the Holy Scriptures, and are agreeable thereto. Nay,
some of their standards maintain, while they are in the very act of esta
blishing another rule, that ' the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament,
are the only rule of faith and manners ! ' The same formularies which
require the assent of probationers, ministers, and elders, to this grand and
incontrovertible truth, oblige them also to declare, that * they sincerely own
and believe the whole doctrine contained in the Confession of Faith,
Larger and Shorter Catechisms, compiled by the Assembly of Divines that
met at Westminster, to be founded on the Word of God ;' and that ' they
resolve, through Divine grace, firmly and constantly to adhere to it, and
to assert, maintain, and defend it to the utmost of their power, against all
errors and opinions contrary to it.' Could any words express a more un
qualified assent to a human rule of faith and manners, or impose a more
solemn obligation to maintain and defend it ? Yet men of sound principles
are not convinced that the whole of its doctrine is consonant to the Holy
Scriptures. And, at any rate, the indecency of requiring from Christian
teachers a solemn profession of their faith in the writings of fallible men,
might easily be discerned by all who venerate Divine revelation, and pay
a due" respect to the rights of conscience.
" If any human standards agree entirely with the Word of God, it is
evident that the same thing cannot be justly affirmed of the whole of them,
for they do not perfectly correspond with one another ; and all the inge
nuity of man is incapable of making it appear that the leaders in this busi
ness are fully persuaded of the sufficiency of the Scriptures. If the Word
of God be a perfect and infallible standard, it must for this very reason be
the exclusive one ; and when it is not really and consistently held as
the only rule of faith and practice, it is impossible that it can be considered
as completely sufficient, in all respects, for this purpose. Those who adopt
another rule must undoubtedly reckon it deficient, either with respect to
the matfer which it contains, the order in which its doctrine is delivered,
or the simplicity, clearness, and precision, with which it states that which

XXVlii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
is necessary to regulate the faith and practice of Christians. So far as any
person is satisfied with the Scriptures in all those particulars, in the same
proportion will he doubt the propriety of human standards, unless he be
resolved to maintain that it is needful to add something to that which is
perfect, a position so absurd, that it would be an affront to the human un
derstanding to offer any argument against it.
" It would require a volume to show the evils which arise from human
standards of religion. The Reformers in the sixteentli century did a most
essential service to mankind, when they were made the instruments in the
hands of God of bringing the Scriptures to light, and publishing them in
the different languages of the nations, after they had long been withheld
by the Man of Sin. But they prevented the full effect of that light which
might have been expected to proceed from the Word of God, by placing
human standards of doctrine between it and the people ; and their example
has been hitherto faithfully imitated by Protestants of almost all denomi
nations. These uninspired traditions of the fathers, are not, however, now
held in such high veneration as they formerly were. The light of Divine
truth is gradually dispelling the darkness and prejudices which they have
been the means of perpetuating to this day ; and all the exertions of their
most zealous defenders, can only procure them a feeble assent. Sooner or
later they must sink into obliviou ; but the Word of our God shall
stand for ever," Isaiah xl. 8.
It is now pretty generally known, that for the last ten years of the pre
ceding (the eighteenth) century, a considerable ferment possessed the minds
of our countrymen of all classes on political subjects. Nor was that all ;
a spirit of insubordination was but too manifest, and in not a few instances
a pointed resistance to the measures of Government prevailed. To coun
teract these evils, severe and sanguinary laws were enacted, which tended
still more to inflame the public mind. It was this state of matters that
induced Mr Braidwood, first to deliver in the church of which he was one
of the pastors, and afterwards to publish, a Sermon on Rom. xiii. 1  8,
" Let every soul be subject to the higher powers," &c. &c. The title of
the pamphlet ran,—" Loyalty enforced by arguments which are founded
upon just views of Civil Government as an ordinance of God, and essen
tial to the happiness of mankind,— the substance of a Sermon preached in
the Meeting-House, Richmond Court, Edinburgh, on Sabbath, August 4,
1799, to which is added, a Vindication of some Dissenting Congregations,
who have been charged with disloyalty by the late General Assembly of
the Church of Scotland." To the Sermon is prefixed the following Ad
vertisement : " Although the duties which we owe to the higher powers
have been explained in many publications, the author of the following
sermon does not recollect that he ever saw a Scriptural account, at any
length, of the reasons why subjection to lawful authority is so frequently
enjoined in the Word of God. The loyalty of many subjects proceeds

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. XXIX
from causes which are merely political. But persons who are truly reli
gious, will not be governed by such motives. The arguments which pre
vail with them, are those which ought to affect the conscience, and which
are neither the offspring of worldly wisdom nor of blind enthusiasm.
Such is the nature of the arguments proposed in this sermon."
Soon after it was issued from the press, a Review of it appeared in the
Edinburgh Quarterly Magazine, from the pen of the late Dr Charles
Stuart, of whom I have spoken in a preceding page, and who, after some
prefatory remarks on the author, which I have formerly quoted, thus
proceeds : —
"Amidst all the politico-religious sermons and essays, by the Esta
blished or Seceding clergymen, from the year 1790 to this date, we know
not, (and we have looked at most of them,) that there is one better calcu
lated, and few as well calculated, to suppress the spirit of sedition, and to
sooth the murmurs of discontent with civil government, as this now before
us. Every one who reads this performance, and enters into the sentiments
of the author, must feel high estimation of the British Government, and
sincere gratitude to God, on its account. He must have the love of inno
vation banished from his mind, if ever it prevailed there, and the desire of
reform, in the way in which those who call themselves the Friends of the
People, pursued it.
" Collective bodies cannot blush ; hut the individuals to whom the public
voice has ascribed the fabricating and propagating the misrepresentations
contained in the Pastoral Admonition, must feel a little sore if they should
chance to peruse this discourse, or the appendix, which we have reprinted,
p. 194 — 200. These gentlemen, however, will probably affect to despise
this lay-preacher's lucubrations ; but disinterested men, it is hoped, will
attend to his discourse, and they will learn that the liberty claimed by
Dissenters is no cloak for democracy or anarchy. The scope of this dis
course is not merely vindication ; it is to show that the passive obedience
enjoined on Christians toward civil government, is not an arbitrary pre
cept, but a wise and gracious injunction of Heaven, in which the happi
ness of men, and the welfare of Christ's Kingdom, are equally consulted
and materially interested.
" He does not state this sentiment in connexion with ' the right divine
of kings to govern wrong,' or with their hereditary and indefeisible title
to despotic authority, or with any of the topics of flattery and servility, by
which High-Churchmen, from Laud or Sacheverel, or their more modern
followers, have exposed it to merited prejudice and indignation. He shows
that government, though not any particular form of it, is the ordinance of
God : that it is not only intended to convey blessings to mankind, but that
this end of it is, in some degree, attained : that it is attained, not only in
a high degree by our own Government, (upon the whole, the best upon
earth,) but in some measure by every civil government, even the worst
and most degenerate. These, and a great variety of collateral points, the

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.

light of which is brought to bear upon his principal position with great
clearness and effect, are well supported by the Word of God, and by sound
reasoning. We would gladly give a specimen of his manner of writing ;
but the discourse itself is not a long one, and the space we can now allot
to any thing but religious intelligence, is so small, that we rather entreat
our readers to peruse it, and to judge for themselves.
" We cannot, however, conclude our notice of this excellent discourse,
without attending to a prejudice which we observe to prevail among some
professors of religion, respecting these and similar subjects. Some such
affect to call discourses of this kind preachings upon politics. They con
ceive that these are not to be treated by Christian ministers ; and it has
even been insinuated in print, that those who insist upon the duties of sub
jects, are influenced by prudential considerations, or other unworthy
motives. This certainly is a very great mistake, and such language
deserves severe reprehension. The Word of God dwells much, among
other relative duties, on the duties of Christians to civil government, and
no minister of Christ can be pure from the blood of all men, who shuns to
declare either this or any part of his counsel. The seditious spirit of the
present day, and the mistaken sentiments which prevail upon these heads
among not a few, render this publication peculiarly seasonable ; and we
most earnestly recommend it to all Christians, but especially to those who
are coming to see that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world."
Four or five years afterwards, Mr Braidwood resumed his pen on a col
lateral branch of the same subject ; but in which he found it necessary to
embody so much of the doctrine of the preceding sermon, that it has not
been deemed expedient to reprint it in the present collection of his pieces.
The title of this second tract was somewhat lengthy, but I may as well
quote it, as the pamphlet now lies before me : —
" Hints on the Lawfulness of Self-Defence, under the Limitations pre
scribed by the Christian Law ; containing Remarks on ' the Answer of a
Clergyman of the Church of England to some Passages in a Letter from
the Bishop of Rochester to the Clergy, (in 1798,) upon the Lawfulness of
Defensive War.' Printed by Darton and Harvey, London. " And an
Attempt to Remove other Scruples, and to Show that Non-Resistance
does not always promote Peace, and Accord with Mercy." By a Scotch
Dissenter. Edinburgh, 1804. Pp. 52 ; 12mo.
- A copy of this pamphlet being sent by some one to the ^Editor of the
Christian Observer — one of the very first of our London periodicals 
the following strictures upon it appeared in the Number for October of
that year, and in them the reviewer has contrived to embody the substance
of the whole pamphlet : —
" It has seldom fallen to our lot to review a Tract which has a fairer
claim to praise than the anonymous pamphlet now under consideration.
Its author, by whatever religious name he may be distinguished, shows

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. XXXI
himself a loyal subject, an able reasoner, and a sound divine ; and his
' Hints' bear evident marks of Christian candour and moderation, no less
than of just reflection and acute discrimination.
" The question which he undertakes to discuss, is one that can only be de
cided by the authority of Scripture — and it is to Scripture that our author
uniformly makes his appeal, while he combats the reasonings of those who
are so far carried away with specious appearances of philanthropy, and
of compassion towards enemies, as to maintain the unlawfulness, under
the New Testament dispensation, of bearing arms on any pretence what
ever ; or of resisting, by violent means, the attack either of the invaders
of their country, or of internal robbers and murderers. The advocates
for this doctrine of non-resistance, are apt to make a distinction between
the obligations of Christians and of men of the world, as if that might be
lawful and necessary for the latter, which is forbidden in the former. This,
however, is but a flimsy attempt to conceal the absurd consequences of
their system : for such a distinction is wholly unwarranted by the Word
of God. If any course of conduct be forbidden on account of its moral
turpitude, which is what is alleged in the present instance, it must be for
bidden universally. Every man to whom the Gospel is preached is obliged,
by the authority of God, to believe and obey it. If, then, it be morally
wrong in itself to kill a human being, whether in self-defence or in order
to punish or prevent crimes, the Divine law must prohibit it in every in
stance ; for, if we would not confound the distinctions between moral good
and evil, we must acknowledge that that conduct which, in its present
nature, is criminal, must be so in the case of unbelievers as well as of
Christians. If, therefore, every attempt to defend ourselves or our country
by violent means, is opposite to the merciful spirit of the Gospel, then
no one has a right to defend himself, or to secure the peace of society by
violent means ; for no one is at liberty to oppose the Gospel either in
word or deed.
" The profession of a soldier is unquestionably ill suited, in some respects,
to religious persons ; and offensive war involves, as must be allowed, a
very high degree of criminality. But yet it may admit of clear proof on
Scriptural principles that there are cases in which Christians, as well as
others, may lawfully defend themselves against their enemies. Those
who maintain the contrary position, have never produced any passage from
the Word of God which expressly forbids resistance to the lawless attacks
of invaders and plunderers. They argue chiefly from the nature of the
Christian dispensation, which, they allege, requires Christians, not only
when they are ' persecuted for righteousness' sake,' but upon all other
occasions, to yield to those, and even to load them with favours, who come
to enslave, to murder, and to exterminate. But can it be right thus to
encourage plunderers in their sanguinary schemes ?
" The expressions, ' resist not evil,' ' love your enemies,' &c, which
are so frequently quoted to prove that self-defence is unlawful, require,

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.

without doubt, that Christians should not use violent meaus for defending
themselves against persecuting magistrates ; and that they should never
show a litigious or resentful spirit. But do they require us to permit
our enemies, without resistance, to land upon our shores, to plunder and
massacre us at pleasure, and even to violate our wives and daughters ?
or that, instead of meeting them with the bayonet, we should receive them
with hospitality ; ' feed them and give them drink, that we may heap
coals of fire on their heads ?' Suppose that the house of one who thus
reasons were attacked by merciless robbers, would he use no means to
prevent their irruption ? Would he be an unresisting spectator of the
murder of his wife, children, and aged parents, though he knew that it was
in his power to save them, or would he think it his duty to show kind
ness to the ruffians in the very act of destruction ?
" It is certainly a great mistake in such cases to imagine that one who
resists or gives up to punishment the criminal aggressor, may not enter
tain towards him sentiments of kindness and forgiveness. In the case, for
instance, of a French army attempting to land on our shores, it appears to
us, that humanity and mercy, as well as justice, would approve of our re
sisting the attempt with all the power which God has given us. Such
conduct would not only be no violation of Christian love ; but, as we con
ceive, would be clearly required by the spirit of that precept which com
mands us to love onr neighbour as ourselves. For, if it would be a dere
liction of our duty to decline interfering to prevent the incendiary or the
assassin from destroying the property, or taking the life of our neighbour,
it would surely be a still more flagrant violation of our obligations as
Christians, to refuse our aid for the purpose of preventing the general
pillage, and the immense slaughter, to say nothing of other dreadful
effects, which must attend a successful invasion. Hatred, malice, and re
venge, indeed, are crimes which, in no ease, admit of excuse ; but to affirm
that resistance to lawless violence partakes in itself of the nature of these
crimes, would be to imply, that not only the profession of soldiers, but the
different offices of all concerned in criminal prosecutions, are in their na
ture unlawful, and opposed to the spirit of the Gospel.
" It is worthy of remark, that those who argue for non-resistance, in all
cases, do not entertain similar views with the Apostle Paul. He not only
pleaded his privilege as a Roman citizen, in order to point out to his ene
mies the danger of maltreating him ; but, on one occasion, he appealed to
Caesar. And, to go still farther, when his nephew detected a conspiracy
against his life, did the Apostle Paul reckon it a crime to resist assassins?
Or did he think the use of means inconsistent with dependence upon God '
No, he sent his nephew to the chief captain, in the hope that measures
would be taken to defeat the malice of his enemies. Nor was he disap
pointed. A powerful guard conducted him to Ctesarea ; and had the
confederated assassins attempted to execute their purpose, would not the
Apostle's guards have drawn the sword in his defence ?

MEMOIIt OF THE AUTHOR. XXX111
" Those who attempt to prove that military service is in all cases, and in
its own nature, contrary to the law of God, will find it difficult to evade the
force of several passages in the New Testament, which evidently lead to an
opposite conclusion. Referring our readers to a comment on these pas
sages in our Number for July, Pp. 401 and 402, we would only remark,
that the fair inference to be drawn from them, and it is an inference con
firmed by the practice of Christians in the first ages, seems to be, that a
soldier may be one who fears God ; that his situation does not preclude
him from glorifying God ; and that, therefore, he is not bound to resign
it as in itself an unlawful employment. A ' devout soldier,'' if military
employment be unlawful, would be as absurd an epithet as a devout
robber, or a devout murderer.
" But it has been alleged, that though civil rulers are required to defend
their subjects from those among themselves who would injure them, or
disturb the public peace; yet that they are never expressly enjoined in
the New Testament to defend their country against a foreign enemy. But
the former obligation necessarily involves the latter. It would be absurd
to suppose, that because those who attempt to injure us are foreigners,
they may, therefore, attack and plunder us with impunity. If the Apostle
Paul could conscientiously apply to a Roman commander for protection
against forty assassins, may not we lawfully desire that our rulers should
use every exertion to defend us against one or two hundred thousand, who
have resolved ' to cut us off from being a nation ?'
" If such be the duty of rulers, and if, as Christians, we are bound to
obey them in all lawful cases, then must we be ready at their call to as
sist in the defence of our country.
" It has likewise been argued, that war proceeds solely from the lusts of
men, and is altogether opposed to the spirit of the Gospel. We freely
admit that this is the case with respect to offensive wars, which, therefore,
cannot be reprobated in too strong terms, as utterly inconsistent with
Christianity, and the proper fruit of diabolical malice. We plead not for
these. We plead only for the right of self-defence, and to this right we
are more clearly entitled, in proportion as it can be made to appear, that
we have no right to invade others. It is plain that, if all nations were to
act merely on the defensive, there would be no war.
" In the present circumstances of this country, let it be remembered, the
question is not whether we shall make war for the purpose of revenge or
national aggrandizement, but whether we shall resist invaders. A peace
able man may be obliged to resist an assassin ; but does he thereby en
courage bloodshed ? Or is he therefore chargeable with the same bad
passions which influenced the attempt to murder him ? And were he to
deliver another person from the stroke of the assassin, even at the risk of
his own life, what would be our opinion of that person who should en
deavour to prove that such an action was opposite to the merciful spirit of
the Gospel ? Does, then, the Gospel forbid all mercy except towards the

XXXIV MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
enemies of the human race ? Or is no pity due to those whom they
threaten and oppress ?
" ' The kingdom of Christ is not of this world,' is a text which some
have frequently employed against the principle of self-defence. The king
dom of Christ is, indeed, heavenly and spiritual : and the subjects of that
kingdom are bound to show that they are not of this world, by their being
mainly occupied about obtaining eternal life; by their holding every
temporal enjoyment, however lawful, in a subserviency to that end ; by
their freedom from anxious care about even the most necessary objects ;
by their moderation and humility in. prosperous circumstances ; by their
cheerful resignation under adversity ; by their ready forgiveness of their
worst enemies ; in short, by their fixed determination rather * to suffer
the loss of all things' than to sin against God. But are we, therefore, to
conclude that Christians have nothing to do with the concerns of this life ?
The kingdom of heaven, indeed, is essentially different from the kingdoms
of this world ; it is erected and maintained by supernatural means ; and
its interests are, in no ease, to be promoted or defended by worldly wea
pons. But though this is explicitly affirmed by our Saviour, it does not
follow that self-defence is criminal. On the contrary, it seems to have
been our Lord's intention to show, that his kingdom could not be of this
world, because his servants were not permitted to use that violence in his
defence which would be lawful with respect to the subjects of an earthly
king. Certainly neither civil rulers, nor masters, nor parents, are be
reaved of their authority by the law of Christ ; and yet, our Lord forbids
his servants to assume pre-eminence over one another in his kingdom.
How then can it be denied that Christians have a different part to act in
the Church and in the world ; though in both they are to be governed by
the rules of the Gospel ? Rulers and magistrates, for example, must bear
the sword, and use it ' for the punishment of evil doers.' But in Christ's
kingdom, ' all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.'
How could even such ' as in meekness are to instruct those who oppose
themselves,' ' rule their own houses well,' without occasionally using
violence ? There appears no way of evading the force of this argument,
but by affirming that some things may be lawful for worldly men, which
are forbidden to the people of God. The absurdity of this supposition
has been already shown ; but even if it had not, will it be affirmed that
Christians are forbidden to fulfil the duties of magistrates, masters, and
fathers ?
" It is an observable circumstance in all the intemperate writings which
of late have issued from the press in favour of liberty, that their authors
seem less concerned for the quiet and peaceable part of mankind, than for
the lawless and criminal. They seldom demand a farther liberty to do
good, which would indeed be absurd in this country ; that liberty being
unbounded. Their sole object, generally, is to obtain for the turbulent
and unruly more freedom to do evil ; while those who may suffer thereby

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. XXXV
are little regarded. But what would be the effect of such a system were
it reduced to practice ? What but the general prevalence of plunder and
violence, of anarchy and mischief? If any thing like government re
mained, it would be but the misrule of traitors and assassins ; and the
lawless, after having exterminated the generation of the righteous, would
quarrel among themselves and depopulate the world. But he who ruleth
in the earth, will never permit this unrestrained dominion of the Prince of
Darkness — this complete establishment of his throne ; however such evils
may be inflicted for a season as signal marks of the Divine vengeance. To
conclude, every good man must deprecate the reproach to which Christi
anity would be exposed, should its friends admit that the law of Christ
obliges the oppressed, when they cannot escape, always to yield to their
oppressors ; that Christians are, in every case, forbidden to defend them
selves by violent means ; that magistrates, who fear God, must ' bear
the sword in vain ;' or that any man, however worldly, is warranted by
Divine authority to. act in opposition to the spirit of the Gospel, or to
do that which would be criminal in the most serious professor of the
Christian faith.
" The above is an imperfect sketch of the arguments employed by. the
anonymous author of this well-timed and judicious production, in support
of the lawfulness of self-defence ; and which we have been induced, by a sense
of their importance, thus to analyze. We recommend the work itself, in
an especial manner, to the perusal of such as still entertain doubts on this
interesting subject ; for we perfectly concur with our author in thinking,
that, ' in the event of the people being armed en masse, it would be a
lamentable circumstance if any of the fearers of God should expose them
selves to a severe punishment for resisting the supreme authority of this
country, while they cannot show that they are required to do any thing
opposite to the will of God.' — (P. 9.)
" The work which has called forth this able reply we have not seen. It
is stated to be the production of a clergyman of the Church of England.
But this clergyman, we suppose, must have taken advantage of Mr Fel
lows' rule of interpretation, (see p. 491,) otherwise he would scarcely
have so directly impugned one of those Articles, (the 37th,) which he must
have solemnly subscribed " — Christian Observer, October 1804 : Vol. iii.
p. 611—615.
Towards the end of the last century and the beginning of the present,
the Scotch Baptists rose rapidly in number both in Scotland and England.
Churches were multiplied, and the profession was more generally known,
by means of the writings of their elders, particularly Messrs M'Lean* and
Braidwood, and also by those of Mr H. D. Inglis, who laboured with them
* The last edition of Mr M'Lean's works was published in 1823, six vols. 8vo, with
a Memoir by Mr Wm. Jones of London,

XXXVI MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
in the eldership of the church for nearly twenty-two years.* Indeed, it has
often been observed as a very remarkable occurrence in the course of Di
vine Providence, that these three estimable persons, so eminently qualified
to fill the situation which they occupied in the church, should thus be
brought together so as to form, from their varied gifts and attainments,
one of the most complete presbyteries which we can well suppose. Their
views of the doctrine of Christ were the same, as were also their under
standing of the laws and ordinances of the kingdom of heaven, while they
were united in the closest bonds of brotherly affection.
* As Mr Inglis stands so intimately connected with Mr Braidwood as one of his
colleagues, and whose memory is still warmly cherished by his surviving Christian
brethren, (although they are rapidly reducing in number,) it cannot fail to be inte
resting shortly to advert to some particulars regarding him.
At an early age he discovered great brilliancy of parts, which, as he advanced in
years, were more fully developed, and gave promise that he should distinguish him
self in some of the learned professions. This induced his father to form the resolution
of training him for the bar, and accordingly he entered on a course of education pre
paratory to that object.
"While he was engaged in prosecuting his studies in the legal profession, it pleased
the Most High to awaken his mind to a deep concern regarding his state as a trans
gressor of the Divine law. His conscience, thus awakened to a sense of his guilt and
danger, happily soon found some measure of relief and peace in believing the record
which God hath given concerning his Son.
Not long after his mind had undergone this great change — which was strikingly
apparent to all who had formerly known him — he became earnestly desirous of being
a minister of the Gospel. "With that view lie commenced the study of divinity in the
University of Edinburgh. But the Lord had other work for him than to be employed
in building up any national establishment of religion, so that his connexion with the
University, as a student of divinity, was of short continuance.
It was at this time that Mr Stuart, then minister of the parish of Cramond, and
afterwards a physician in Edinburgh, was about to withdraw himself from the National
Church upon principle, and who was eventually baptised and added to the church
with Mr M'Lean. This gentleman was eminently serviceable in directing the mind
of Mr Inglis to more clear and scriptural views, not only of the Gospel itself, but also
of the nature of Christ's Kingdom, as taught by himself and his apostles. The light
having poured in upon his mind, he relinquished all connexion with the Divinity-
Hall and National Church, and united himself with the body of Independents, of
which mention has been already made. But finding, on farther inquiry, that they
were defective in their understanding of the ordinance of baptism, he withdrew from
them, and in 1777 was baptised by Mr M'Lean, and added to the church of which he
and Dr Walker, physician in Edinburgh, were then pastors.
In October 1784, he was, by the unanimous voice of the church, chosen to the pas
toral office, in conjunction with Mr M'Lean and Mr Braidwood.
Having at a subsequent.period resumed the study of the law, he passed as an advo
cate on the 22d February 1794.
Being a person of great energy of mind, and having his heart deeply imbued with
the love of the truth, he not only discharged the duties of the pastoral office in a faith
ful, efficient, and engaging manner, but zealously preached the Gospel in various places
of the country, and also in the more immediate vicinity of the city; while he likewise
in conjunction with his two colleagues, addressed the public more widely bv means of

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. XXXV11
Mr Inglis was succeeded in the eldership by Mr William Peddie, who
had been designed for the Secession connexion. He was baptised and
added to the church, September 1794 ; and four years after the death of
Mr Inglis, namely in 1810, was called to take part with Messrs M'Lean
and Braidwood in the eldership. He is not known as an author, but he
was a person of excellent character and gifts, highly esteemed and valued
by the church while living, and deservedly lamented when cut off, in the
midst of his days and of his usefulness, on the 23d of June 1830.
About the beginning of the present century, the two Messrs Haldane
also became Baptists, an event that contributed not a little to draw the
attention of the disciples of Christ to this much despised institution of the
kingdom of heaven in different parts of Scotland.
It was about this time, also, that a considerable stir was made in Ire
land. The writings of the Scottish Independents found their way into
Trinity College, Dublin, where they fell into the hands of the late Mr
John Walker, at that time one of the tutors in that seminary. Mr Walker
was a clergyman holding what are termed Evangelical sentiments, and,
from his talents and station, had attained to considerable popularity, as a
proof of which, he had preached one of the anniversary sermons before
the London Missionary Society ; but his views were not strictly in accord
ance with the New Testament, for he had never understood the Scriptural
import of our Lord's good confession before Pontius Pilate, concerning
his kingdom, John xviii. 35. But no sooner had these writings gained
his attention, than the fruits and effects became manifest. Mr Walker
resigned his station in the College, laid aside his gown, abandoned his con
nexion with the Ecclesiastical Establishment, in which his prospects were
most inviting, and cast his lot amongst the Dissenters, though he never
connected himself with the Scotch Baptists, or in fact with any other sect
or denomination, but raised a party of his own, and, by adopting one
whimsical thing after another, sought, and persuaded himself that he found,
sufficient reasons for keeping aloof from all of them. I am aware that
these remarks will not be very palatable to such of his friends as may
meet with them ; but it would be an easy task to justify them, were I
called upon to do so. It fell to my lot to have better occasions of know
ing Mr Walker, and of watching his march of sentiment, than most others
oh this side the Channel. As respects the ordinance of baptism, few
the press. And perhaps nothing of the kind was ever more extensively circulated,
than his interesting letters respecting the case of William Mills, a criminal who suf
fered death at Edinburgh- on the 21st of September 1785, in which the doctrine of
Divine grace is stated with great clearness, and strikingly exemplified in the case of
this person. He also published other pieces, among which we find his discourse en
titled, " A Call to the People of God to come out of Babylon." Thus was this zealous
servant of Christ engaged when he was called to enter into the joy of his Lord, on the
12th of May 1806, in the 49th year of his age. f

XXXV1U MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
opinions can be more whimsical— I might say absurd— than those which
he adopted. And better had it been if this were all ; but to turn the admi
nistration of the ordinance of believers' baptism into burlesque, by describ
ing it as "playing at Philip and the Eunuch," admits of no justification.
But let this, however, pass— he is gone to give in his account before a
higher tribunal !
Mr Walker's secession from the Establishment was followed or accom
panied by that of several of the students placed under his tuition ; and
these, mostly, exchanging the clerical for that of the medical profession,
or of law, now took him for their leader, and became members of churches
formed upon a new plan, under the denomination of Separatists. I need
not, in this place, detain the reader, by particularizing their distinguishing
sentiments and practices ; but it seemed necessary to advert to the subject,
in order to explain to the reader the grounds and occasion of the next
publication with which Mr Braidwood favoured the world. It is entitled,
" Letters on a Variety of Subjects, relating chiefly to Christian Fellow
ship and Church Order;" — first printed in the year 1808.
One of the tenets maintained by the Separatists, and many others who
chimed in with them on what is termed " The Marked Separation
Scheme," is this, that we cannot recognise any persons as Christians who
are not members of pure churches ; and the question is put with no incon
siderable consequence — " How can we distinguish the people of God from
the bulk of those Antichristian parties with whom they stand connected,
while they remain in full communion with them ? It is one thing to
admit the melancholy truth, that some of God's people are held captive in
spiritual Babylon ; but it is another thing to assume the authority of pro
nouncing and owning any particular persons as such, while they remain
in an Antichristian connexion ?"
To this Mr Braidwood replies as follows : — " No Divine ordinance has
been more corrupted, nor has there ever been contrived a more powerful
engine for maintaining and perpetuating the influence of the Man of Sin
in the nations called Christian, than that of introducing the infant seed of
those nations into what they call the visible church, and thus making
Christians of all who breathe ! Yet Sandemanians, or at least some
among them, although they are zealous advocates for infant baptism,
carry the matter so far as to pronounce all who deny the doctrine, self-
righteous, and ignorant of the Gospel ! Is this a crime consistent with
discipleship, only in one or two of those numerous classes into which the
professing disciples of Christ are divided ? Or is the profanation of the
Lord's Supper a stronger evidence of a false profession of Christianity
than the profanation of the ordinance of baptism ?
" Now here is a wonderful thing, which may check every disposition
to glorying in men— a class of people making the loudest possible cry
against the delusions of Antichrist, yet giving countenance to his most

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.- XXXIX
capital device for making whole nations false and nominal Christians, and
unchristianizing all who follow an opposite practice ! And some, while
they condemn the baptism of the nations, and are incapable of perceiving
one real Christian in spiritual Babylon, yet acknowledge as such those
who contend earnestly for the corruption of a Divine ordinance, which
perhaps, more than any thing else, supports the tottering throne of Anti
christ ! If one would be consistent in the principle with respect to visible
Christianity, he ought to acknowledge none as true believers except those
Who are perfectly agreed with himself, both in doctrine and in practice.
I am doubtful if many of us could stand to be tried by such a test. I
suppose that many of us neglect some things which Jesus Christ hath
commanded, and it becomes each of us narrowly to examine his own
heart and conduct, and then weshall be more cautious of judging others."
Although the sentiments and practices of the Separatists come in for a
considerable share of Mr Braidwood's notice in this volume, yet it is not
entirely restricted to that class of professors. His animadversions em
brace a wide range, and many of them are directed against certain
opinions which were taken up and industriously propagated by some
of the individuals who had recently joined the churches of the Scotch
Baptists. The principal of these new doctrines are, that two or three
believers constitute what the Scriptures call a church — that they are com
petent to do every thing without a pastor, elder, or official administrator,
which they can do with one — that there is no work or function peculiar
to the pastoral office — that the institution of the Lord's Supper is not to
be confined to a church or organized body, nor to the administration of a
pastor. These were, in a great measure, novel opinions among the Scotch
Baptists, as indeed they still are and ever have been among the great
body of Protestant Dissenters both in England and Scotland. They are
the product of rashness, inconsideration, and a zeal untempered by know
ledge. A very moderate degree of reflection may suffice to convince any
one, that when carried out in their legitimate consequences, they are sub
versive of all order in the House of God, tending to crumble the churches
of Christ into twos and threes, and to nullify the office of elder or pastor,
by making its duties competent to the private brethren. It is a virtual
impeachment of the wisdom of the King of Zion, in instituting an office
— the highest, too, in his Church — which may be dispensed with, accord
ing as times and circumstances require, and that without the slightest
interruption of visible church order. Yet, strange as it may appear, this
unscriptural, disorderly, and destructive principle was no sooner pro
pounded, than it was hailed with avidity by Messrs Walker, Haldane,
Ballantine, Carson, Dr Watt, and others, to the unsettling of churches,
and the introduction of strife and debate, confusion and incalculable evil
in many of the churches, which were rent by it into divisions and subdivi
sions.

Xl MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
" It was happy for the Scotch Baptist churches, and for that at Edin
burgh in particular, that the latter had for its overseers men of age and
experience, who were competent to take a calm and comprehensive survey
of this subject in all its bearings— to grapple with the theory, unravel the
sophisms of its abettors, and put the churches on their guard against
adopting so manifest an evil. Mr Braidwood was a person eminently
qualified to do this ; for, to a sagacious understanding and penetrating
judgment, there was combined in him a singular calmness and self-pos
session. He could reason logically and powerfully— he could chase the
subtle with persevering industry, without ever losing his temper in the
controversy, whilst he brought every sentiment and practice to the test of
Divine revelation. His treatise was very unpalatable to the abettors of
the new theory, but they never attempted to controvert its principles, and
it will go down to posterity a lasting monument of the author's love of
order, and deference to the authority of Christ as legislator in his own
kingdom. Mr Braidwood then proceeds to describe the scriptural characteristics
of the disciples of Christ, and to refute the position in question ; and
towards the close of the book, Mr Braidwood comes in contact with
Mr Greville Ewing of Glasgow, who had recently issued from the press a
volume on some of the subjects now taken up by Mr Braidwood. Mr
Ewing is an advocate for what has been denominated "the one man
system" — consequently, he impugns the necessity of a plurality of pas
tors in the same church — is opposed to the exhortations of the brethren
during the public worship of the Lord's-day — and some other matters
connected with church order. On this, Mr Braidwood, after quoting and
commenting on Heb. x. 25, " Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves
together, but exhorting one another," &c, proceeds thus : — "Even this
express authority, Mr Ewing has attempted to set aside, alleging that the
Apostle only requires brethren to exhort one another in private to attend
church meetings, and for this he produces Newcome's translation, " Not
forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is,
but exhorting to it." If no church had ever allowed private brethren to
supersede the labours of the bishop for half an hour at any of their public
meetings, should we ever have heard of such a translation ? The com
mand to exhort is a general one, and no person would think of restricting
it to one subject, unless he had a favourite point to gain, and that seems to
be the honour of the officiating clergyman.
" Mr Ewing would do well to consider that his plan in favour of one
man performing the whole of the public duty on the Lord's-day, in every
church, has led him not only to do injustice to particular texts of Scrip
ture, but to oppose the whole scope and spirit of the New Testament
regarding Christian fellowship ; for the sacred writers uniformly ..declare,
that the body of Christ consists of many members ; that not one, but a
variety of these are the governing members ; and that the Church in

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. xii
general contribute their share towards the welfare and prosperity of the
body. Indeed, no other system accords with the nature of their connexion,
as redeemed sinners, • glorying in nothing save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by which they are crucified to the world ; and loving one
another as Christ hath loved them.'
" To affirm that the want of the personal appearance of apostles, pro
phets, and evangelists, is better supplied by a single person, learned in all
the wisdom of the Universities, and in many cases loving to have the
pre-eminence, than by such a variety of gifts as the Lord is now pleased to
bestow, seems equally inconsistent with humility, and with every rational
view of that which tends to edification. In the great charter and infallible
standard of the churches, we never read of the bishop, or the office-bearer
of any description, except when the Apostle states the qualifications which
every bishop ought to possess. Of this Mr Ewing has taken an undue
advantage ; for he might as well have argued that the Apostle describes
one universal bishop, as that he restricts the number to one congregation,
after he had commanded elders to be ordained in every city."
Some years elapsed after this, before Mr Braidwood again appeared be
fore the public as an author, if we except an occasional paper in some
periodical. He had now quitted his shop and business as an ironmonger,
and undertaken the management and supervision of the Caledonian Fire
Office. In 1803, he was deprived of his youngest son Ebenezer, at the
age of seventeen, an event which deeply affected the father; but of this I
have already spoken.
Another painful bereavement came upon him in 1812, namely, the death
of his excellent colleague, Mr Archibald M'Lean, which took place on the
21st December, in his eightieth year. In a circular which he drew up on
the same day, addressed to the churches connected with that of Edinburgh,
he thus expresses his feelings on the occasion : —
" It has been the will of God to deprive us of a most eminent teacher.
That to depart and to be with Christ is to him unspeakable gain, and that
it is our duty to submit to the will of God, cannot be doubted. But surely
I may be permitted to bewail the loss of a servant of Christ, whose talents
were so remarkably distinguished, and employed for many years in the ser
vice of his Master with unremitting constancy and perseverance, and whose
conduct uniformly justified and adorned his profession. The stroke would
not have been so severe, had he been disabled and laid aside for any con
siderable time, which usually happens at an advanced period of life. But
his faculties were entire, and his bodily strength not much impaired till
the cleadly disease came suddenly upon him. Three days before that, he
delivered a lecture with all his usual acuteness and accuracy, and nearly
with as much spirit as he ever displayed in preaching the truth of God. I
am now deprived of his friendship, his experience, his counsels, and the
opportunities of instruction which I have long enjoyed, and have not suit
ably improved. What shall I say ? The Lord liveth, and he is able to

Xlii MEMOIR OFJTHE AUTHOR.
qualify and send forth other labourers, though at present I can see no reason
to expect any one equally qualified to edify and establish the Church of
God. Pray for me, and the Church here, who are all deeply afflicted."
In 1814, he was also deprived of his daughter Mrs Marr.
In 1816, Mr Braidwood published " Remarks on Dr Chalmers' Address
to the inhabitants of Kilmany, and on his general sentiments relative to
the Doctrine of Divine Grace ; in Six Letters to a Friend."
Dr Chalmers is now so well known, and his talents so generally appre
ciated as a popular declaimer, that it is needless to expatiate on the sub
ject in this place. When he first entered upon the Christian ministry, it
was in the humble capacity of a parish priest or presbyter, in the obscure
district of Kilmany, in the county of Fife, the population of which did not
exceed 800, and, if report tells true, he was at that time so remote from
•preaching the Gospel, that his creed bordered on scepticism. In process of
time, however, the light of Divine truth is said to have broke in upon
his mind, and given an entire new turn to his preaching : and from this
time his popularity rose apace. Adopting Calvinistic views, he boldly de
claimed on the total corruption of all men, without exception, who are not
converted by the power of God : he held forth the doctrine of free justifi
cation through the finished work of the Son of God, without the deeds of
the law : he also contended that every one to whom the word of salvation
is sent, is immediately called by the authority of God to believe the Gos
pel, and thus to obtain an interest in the Saviour, and all its inestimable
blessings, without money and without price : he also contended that all
who hear the Gospel are not only commanded to believe it, but are imme
diately called, at the same time, to purify their hearts and reform their
conduct : and he further maintained that the practical influence of the truth
on the hearts and lives of believers, is the means of strengthening and esta
blishing their faith. These are tenets which enter deeply into the system
of Christian doctrines, and all who understand and believe the primitive
apostolic Gospel, will readily acknowledge their truth and appreciate their
importance. They were admitted by Mr Braidwood, and formed the
basis of his own preaching. What then, it will be said, could he object to
in the preaching of Dr Chalmers, and what was the ground of his con
troversy with him ? The following quotation from the first of Mr Braid
wood's six letters, will furnish the reply : —
" I object merely against his calling upon any man to prepare himself
for the faith of the Gospel by performing good works, or to make any ex
ertion by which he may render himself more likely than others to attain
the righteousness which is by faith. Far from admitting that good works
pave the way for ultimately finding rest for the guilty conscience in the
Lord Jesus Christ, I am fully persuaded that they who, under any pretence
whatever, ' seek to attain justifying righteousness, as it were by the works
of the law,' are in a less hopeful state than others."
Mr Braidwood very justly considered this preparatory righteousness as
beclouding the doctrine of rich, free, and sovereign grace ; and therefore

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. xliii
his zeal for the latter led him to expose its evil tendency, and warn his
readers against it. " There are various methods of obscuring and darken
ing the revelation of the free mercy of God," Bays MrB., " to lost sin
ners, through the propitiation of his beloved Son, all of them, less or more,
savouring of the doctrine of the Pharisees. But the persons whom I have
chiefly in view are those who, though they readily admit that there is no
salvation without Christ, and maintain the pure doctrine of the Scriptures
with respect to the infinite_dignity of his person, the suitableness of his cha
racter and offices, and the perfection of his Divine atonement, yet render all
this of no avail by pleading for the necessity of some good thing being done
on the part of a sinner, before he can actually partake of the benefits which
the Son of God hath purchased. According to their doctrine, no person
can believe the testimony of God concerning Christ, and obtain forgiveness
and be accepted, guilty as he stands ; but he must have something in him
self to distinguish him from his fellow-sinners, without which he can have
no prospect of receiving a welcome, should he, as a lost sheep, think of
returning to Jesus the Shepherd and Bishop of souls."
Throughout the whole series of his letters, Mr Braidwood appears,
while writing them, to have entertained the most sanguine hopes that Dr
Chalmers, on being shown the inconsistency of his doctrine with the true
grace of God, would instantly abandon it, as though it were merely an
error of judgment. Hence, we find him saying — " Notwithstanding un
favourable appearances, I hope better things of Dr Chalmers, because he
does not seem to prohibit any one, on his first hearing the truth, from re
ceiving, by faith, all the blessings of the everlasting Gospel. On the con
trary, he frequently insists on the call of the Gospel being immediately
addressed to all who hear it, and shows that he considers every person,
without exception, as not merely warranted, but invited, besought, and com
manded to believe to the saving of the soul. There are, however, several
passages in the ' Address,' which seem expressly to limit the immediate
call of the Gospel to those who possess distinguishing qualities, and then
to throw an insurmountable bar in the way of all who ' have no hope, and
are without God in the world.' " And then he quotes a strange sentence
from the Doctor's Address, urging upon unbelievers works of righteous
ness in order to prepare them for the reception of the Gospel !
Mr Braidwood very convincingly shows how opposite all this is to the
doctrine of the Apostles, and then throws in an apology, or something akin
to it, for his opponent. " Dr Chalmers," says he, " must have some me
thod, which I cannot perceive, of reconciling in his own mind the prepa
ration for believing the Gospel, for which he contends, with the doctrine
of Divine grace, and the absolute freeness of salvation through Jesus
Christ alone, for which he also earnestly pleads. But his doctrine on this
head, which I hope he will not long continue to preach, is more likely to
persuade his hearers to begin or lengthen out a fruitless work of refor
mation, than to shut them up to the necessity of fleeing for immediate re-

Xliv MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
fuge to lay hold on the hope which God hath set before them. And it is
worthy of his most serious consideration, that death and judgment may
overtake them, while they are only in a course of preparation for that,
without which, they must perish for ever. In a matter of infinite concern,
it is a. tremendous thing to speak of years to a mortal being who knows
not what a day or an hour may bring forth."
In opposition to Dr Chalmers' preparatory doctrine, Mr Braidwood ad
duces that of the Apostle Paul, in Romans, ix. 30-36, than which no
thing could be more pertinent, or more full to his purpose. " The Gen
tiles, who followed not after righteousness, nevertheless had attained to
righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, who
followed after the law of righteousness, had not attained to it ; because
they sought it not by faith, but, as it were, by the works of the law." And
this leads him to suspect some confusion in the mind of Dr Chalmers re
specting the way in which sinners obtain an interest in Christ.
" Multitudes of Christian teachers," he remarks, " have spoken and
published the most excellent things concerning the person of Christ, as
God manifest in the flesh, his mission and offices, the whole of his media
tory work, the freeness of the grace of God, which reigneth through
righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord ; and in fine,
every thing connected with the all-sufficiency, and the absolute security, of
that foundation which God hath laid in Zion. But when they come to
apply this doctrine to the consciences of awakened sinners, or sinners of
any description, it is completely thrown into the shade by a confused,
complex, and indecisive manner of stating in what way a poor dying sin
ner may be made an actual partaker of salvation and eternal glory ; or by
throwing insurmountable barriers in his way, conditions, qualifications,
and pre-requisites of various kinds, which his conscience tells him he is in
capable of performing ; and which, if he could attain them all, would not
bring him to the desired haven of rest." He adds, " with a view to aid
their hearers in this preparatory work, some preachers inculcate chiefly
mental exercises, relating to the extent of their convictions, the genuine
nature of their repentance, the purifying of the inner man, and the great
exertions which must be made to reach the promised good. Others dwell
principally on reformation of external conduct ; and, in many instances, a
great deal has been said relative to a due concern about religion, without
sufficiently expressing a definite object ; the sincerity of wishes and striv
ings to obtain deliverance ; the necessity of the new birth, representing
this as having much dependence on their energetic labour ; and the evi
dences of true conversion ; while little comparatively has been spoken
about the all-atoning sacrifice of the Son of God, as the alone foundation
of a sinner's hope."
In this quotation, Mr Braidwood has presented us with a correct repre
sentation of the style of preaching which characterises, with a few exceptions,
what is denominated the Evangelical party, both among the English and

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. xlv
Scotch Dissenters, and also the clergy of the Establishment. It is not
less applicable to the preaching of Dr Chalmers than to others — a fact
which Mr Braidwood has clearly demonstrated by the extracts he has pro
duced from his " Address." He has also shown that the learned Doctor
has not attempted to produce from the Scriptures any other example of
his doctrine than that of the disciples of John the Baptist, and he has
therefore endeavoured, in his second letter, to rectify the Doctor's mistaken
view of that subject. He has sketched an outline of the economy of our
Lord's forerunner under six or seven particulars (see p. 306-8) showing
that John was a " burning and shining light" — that he preached the glad
tidings of salvation, and " prepared the ways of Jehovah, (chiefly) by
giving knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins." He adds,
that " a mere glance of the prophetic description of his work, and of the
doctrine which he actually preached, is sufficient to convince an unpre
judiced mind that the design of his ministry was to level all distinctions
among men, and to cut up by the roots every disposition in their guilty
hearts to seek reconciliation with God on the ground of what they had
done, or might afterwards do, either avowedly to merit the Divine favour,
or to put themselves into a more likely state for obtaining mercy.
" It is true, he (John) called men to repentance and reformation, as
doth also the Bible from the beginning to the end. But what human
being ever repented of his sins and forsook them, without believing the
truth of God which brings salvation, relieves the guilty conscience, softens
the obdurate heart, and purifies the soul? Or how is it possible to bring
forth fruits meet for repentance, where there exists not that repentance
which God requires and approves ? There may be fruit of some kind, but
it cannot be that fruit which John demanded. As well may you expect
fruit from a lifeless tree as irom the dead and carnal hearts of men ; there
must be a principle of life in the soul before any action can be truly good.
The only human work which is well-pleasing in the sight of God, ' is the
work of faith ;' the only labour which he approves, is ' the labour of love.' "
Mr Braidwood adds — " Natural means, or means which God hath ap
pointed for bringing men to the faith, without which no person could be
saved, must not be confounded with a laborious preparatory work of mo
rality and devotion. It is, however, a cause of deep lamentation that this
is done by multitudes of professing Christians. Could I hope to be the
honoured though unworthy instrument of convincing Dr Chalmers, and of
reaching an effectual caveat to others, and especially of directing to the
cheering and all-discovering light of Divine truth some poor benighted
souls who groan under the bondage of this doctrine, I should be truly
happy. But with respect to stemming the tide of popular opinion, and
changing the bias of the human heart, I am in complete despair. Indeed,
the salutary effects of the Word of God, in a smaller degree, nay, in the
smallest possible degree, can only be produced by the same power which
created the world, and quickeneth those that are dead in sins." 9

"lvi MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
It was not without just cause that Mr Braidwood expressed himself in
this cautious style, regarding the success of his labours in this attempt to
correct a popular error. Religious teachers, in general, are too much
wedded to their own opinions, especially if those opinions can boast the
sanction of great names, to listen to any thing which may be urged against
them either from reason or revelation ; and in the case of Dr Chalmers,
he had the benefit of experience to convince him how little disposed the
latter was to review his creed, or listen to the voice of remonstrance ; for,
having prepared his manuscript, Mr Braidwood felt desirous of submitting
it to Dr Chalmers' inspection before he issued it from the press; and
therefore, with a candour which did him infinite credit, he sent it to a
friend in Glasgow,* where Dr Chalmers then resided, requesting him to
wait upon the Doctor with it, and tender him the opportunity of reading
and examining it before it went to the press. The great man, however,
declined the offer — he barely took it into his hands — read a few lines — re
marked to the messenger that it appeared to be very correctly written —
then politely returned it to him — declining, however, to look any further
into it !
Would it not appear, from the fact now mentioned, that the question
with Dr Chalmers was, not so much " what" — as " who says it ?" Mr
Braidwood was not the good Doctor's peer — he was dignified with no
academical honours — he was neither " Reverend" nor " Doctor" — but a
lay teacher in an obscure sect — a sect every where spoken against ; and
though he might better understand the mysteries of the kingdom than any
or all of those who were thus honoured, and, " through the wisdom given
unto him," be able to teach them the way more perfectly — yet he might
have recollected, and probably did recollect, where and of whom it is
written, " Thou wast altogether born in sin, and dost thou teach us ?" 
" Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him ? But this
people, which knoweth not the law, are accursed." Rendered giddy by
popular applause, Dr Chalmers and other great men of his caste have little
or no ear to give to what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Numbers
rule the fashion, and can keep one another in countenance as to any thing ;
while the truth of God, clothed in its native simplicity, destitute of all me
retricious ornament, and having nothing to recommend it but its own ma
jesty and power, gains attention from only here and there an obscure indi
vidual, overlooked and neglected by the noisy multitude. But I proceed.
I have already, in a former page, adverted to the unhappy disputes which
arose among the Scotch Baptist churches in the early part of this century,
on the question respecting a company of disciples communicating in the
Lord's Supper, without the presence of an elder ; and have also noticed
the part which Mr Braidwood took in this controversy, by the publication
of his small volume, entitled, " Letters on a variety of Subjects, relating
* The late Mr John Morison Duncan, from whose own lips I had the anecdote.

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. xlvii
chiefly to Christian Fellowship and Church Order." It cannot reasonably
be doubted that this treatise, and another written by his colleague, Mr
Archibald M'Lean, soon afterwards, entitled, " Strictures on the Writings
of Dr James Watt and others, &c," tended greatly to check the progress
of the new opinions which were at that time industriously propagated on
the subject of church order. But a new question now arose out of these
discussions, and that respected the extent of forbearance which the churches
that stood firm to their first principles ought to exercise towards those so
cieties that had departed from them, and were practising the plan of a few
disciples taking the Lord's Supper, before they were organized as a church,
or had an official administrator. Divisions having taken place among many
of the churches in the denomination, the point now to be determined was,
how those churches which stood firm ought to carry themselves towards
those whom they considered to be walking disorderly ? It must also be
kept in mind, that a departure from the instituted order of the Lord's house
paved the way for other aberrations, such as that of admitting unbaptised
persons to the Lord's table ; and this also became a bone of contention
even among those who were agreed to forbear the former practice. A
clamour of no ordinary description was raised against those churches
which, standing fast to their first principles, were determined to have no
fellowship with such as they considered to be walking contrary to Apos
tolic rule and primitive example, so far as respected the presence of an
elder as necessary to the orderly administration of the Lord's Supper.
But when these abettors of disorder began to be pressed on the point of
carrying out their own principle of forbearance to its legitimate conse
quences, many of them loudly demurred, and were as strong in their op
position to forbearing the second practice, as those whom they had departed
from were against forbearing, themselves.
It was at this time that a pamphlet appeared from the pen of a Baptist
minister in Edinburgh, under the title of " Observations on Forbearance
in Churches." The author was an advocate for forbearance in almost an
unlimited extent ; for ntft only would he receive unbaptised persons into
fellowship at the Lord's table, but he roundly affirmed, that the law of
forbearance which the Apostle enjoined upon believing Jews and Gentiles
in the church at Rome, (chap. xiv. and xv.,) ought to regulate the con
duct of Christian churches in every age and country, amidst all the diver
sity of sentiment which may be found among them. But what renders
this author's treatise so very singular is, that while pleading for this laxity
on the one hand, he condemns every departure from the strict rule of the
Word of God on the other.
A reply was written and published on these " Observations" at the time,
by Samuel Jones, one of the elders of the Scotch Baptist church in Lon
don, under the title of " A Review," &c. Adverting to the apparent in
consistencies of the author of the " Observations on Forbearance," his
Reviewer remarks, that it was left to Mr  , among his other discoveries,

xlviii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
to teach us how that which is quite contradictory may be made to agree, and
that which is altogether opposite may unite ; what has always appeared a
difficulty hitherto, is now become none at all. He can deliver the most solemn
declarations on the necessity of the members of a Christian church being
of one mind and one judgment, and their yielding obedience to all Christ's
institutions, and in the next page show that believers may have fellowship
together, while these things are quite disregarded ; that men ought to be
owned as disciples, whatever their conduct may be in reference to these
matters. He can show us, that " nothing is more fallacious than the idea
that we are at liberty to set aside any part #i the will of Christ for the
sake of union," and, at the same time, that we may have union with such
as cannot conform to the will of Christ. Not only so, but he would im
press us with the importance of whatever Christ hath enjoined, by putting
us in mind that it is the wisdom of the world to set aside any "part of
Christ's laws : " It not only teaches us to neglect the traditions in which
the character of Christ and the nature of his kingdom are established ;
thus unavoidably leading us to false views of both ; but it must perpetuate
division, for it sets aside that standard, by conformity to which union among
the disciples can alone be produced." Yet, as if contradiction could not
be made too glaring, it is the main design of his book to prove that this
standard itself is not essential to Christian fellowship, and that every one
ought to be acknowledged as a disciple, whatever he may think about it !
But, dismissing the author of the " Review" now quoted, let us return to
the subject of this Memoir.
Mr Braidwood also took up the subject of forbearance, it would seem, a
year before the Review now mentioned made its appearance, and drew up
" The Scriptural Rule of Forbearance in Churches, being a Reply to a
Pamphlet entitled ' Observations on Forbearance in Churches.' " This,
however, was never printed or published during his lifetime, and conse
quently it now makes its first public appearance. True, indeed, it is, that
he sent the manuscript to the author of the " Observations," accompanied
by a note requesting that he would peruse, examine, and consider its con
tents, as he had previously done, in the case of his " Letters," to Dr Chal
mers. He also submitted it to the inspection of another respectable mi
nister in Edinburgh, to whom he thought the reasonings it contained were
also applicable. It is presumed that both these gentlemen, unlike Dr
Chalmers, "did him the honour to read it ; but having done so, they returned
it without note or comment. What may have been the effects produced on
the mind of the author of the " Observations," can only be conjectured ;
but one thing is certain, that he has been less forward, since that time, to
intermeddle with the affairs of the churches in connexion with Mr Braid
wood, and less disposed to malign them, for what he is pleased to call
" their intolerant spirit, exercising a pernicious discipline, calculated to
form tyrants and slaves."
Mr Braidwood's remarks on " The Scriptural Rule of Forbearance,

MEMOIR OF THE-AUTHOR. xlix
like all his other writings, are solid and judicious, consequently well de
serving the consideration of all the members of churches. They are the
result of deep thinking, and of long and painful experience ; of profound
study of the Word of God, and of patient and persevering exercise in the
duties of the pastoral office. He has clearly shown what are, and what
are not, matters of forbearance among Christian brethren. Let us hear
him in few words : —
" Is there any difference," he asks, " between saying that we forbear
baptism, or the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, or blood-eating,
or any other positive law, and saying that we permit certain persons to
disobey those laws ? And who gave us authority to act thus ? Did the God
of heaven establish plain and simple laws for the government of his
churches, and at the same time give to any individual, or to any church,
a power to dispense with those laws ? Is it possible that any person can
allow the acknowledged laws of Christ to be avowedly disobeyed by mem
bers of his own church, without considering such laws as of very little im
portance, or even without doubting whether they be in reality enjoined by
the authority of God?" — " It seems wonderful that any person of prin
ciple should attempt to establish the authority of Christ, by tolerating the
neglect of his laws," — " Without seeking after matters of forbearance un
known under that name to the first Christians, we shall have enough to do,
if, in the true spirit of Christianity, we bear with the deficiency of our
brethren as to their knowledge of the truth itself, their natural and moral
infirmities, their mistaken scruples of conscience, their ignorance of many
things clearly revealed in the Word of God, and the difficulty of com
municating farther instruction ; if upon all occasions we exercise towards
them lowliness and meekness with long-suffering, non-resistance of evil,
patience and forgiveness, if we mortify every hurtful passion, and if we
endeavour to imitate the forbearance of God, though we should consider
the laws of Christ as inviolable, and revere the greatest and the least of
his commandments."
Towards the conclusion, Mr Braidwood entreats those whom he op
poses, to consider that in all departures from the precepts and examples
contained in the New Testament, with respect to positive institutions,
there is a fatal progress. " When they began to plead for the presence
of an elder not being necessary in the due administration of the Lord's
Supper, was it conceived that any other persons would go so far as to main
tain that two believers, meeting either statedly or occasionally, might law
fully partake of that ordinance, and that these two might he females ? Was
it imagined that the same arguments which led many to this conclusion,
would at last embolden some of them to assert, with the utmost confidence,
that one solitary disciple has a right to eat the Lord's Supper, not merely
on the first day of the week, but at any time he pleases, provided he attend
to it in a proper spirit ? Was it within their contemplation that some would
absolutely deny that there is now any use for elders, or any warrant for

1 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
appointing them in churches, though the same persons admit that there
-was such an office in the days of the Apostles ? Or was it at all foreseen
that they would now have so faint an impression of the obligation of all
Christian duties, which depend solely on the will of the Divine lawgiver,
as to make the whole of them matters of forbearance ?
" It is not for me to say how much farther such loose principles may
be carried. But certainly it is time for persons who in any degree are
infected with them, to consider their ways, and particularly to think
whether there be not some reason to suspect that, in a general point
of view, the authority of God in the Scriptures weighs less with them
than it formerly did ; and whether, by proceeding in the same course,
they will not be exposed to the danger of apostatizing from the Christian
faith. They who are humble, and of a contrite spirit, and who tremble at
the Word of God, will venerate all that bears the stamp of his authority,
that which is morally binding in its own nature, and that which is made
such by the revelation of his sovereign will."
I copy his conclusion, for it cannot be too often read or too much press
ed upon the reader's attention. " The candid reader must have observed,
that my aim throughout the discussion of this question, has been to ex
hibit what is really the doctrine of the Word of God respecting the . duty
of forbearance, and to show that there are no grounds whatever for the
application of that term to the laws and ordinances of Christ ; and that,
as in the present case, when the Scriptures are misunderstood, and a theory
endeavoured to be established upon them, it follows, as an inevitable con
sequence, that such a theory must be false. When it is considered, how
ready our pride of understanding and self-esteem are to be enlisted in up
holding principles we may have espoused and advocated, and how unwilling
we are in that case to relinquish them, it ought to make us cautious in
embracing sentiments which rest on any thing short of the clear and ex
press- declarations of the Word of God. And I would also guard my
readers against a disputatious spirit ; for there are some persons so fond
of controversy, that they are never happy except when disputing on
difficult subjects, or employed in making simple expressions dark and du
bious. If they can strike out any thing new, they are just in their ele
ment ; their favourite point is forbearance, and they will reason upon it,
or at least hazard one bold assertion after another, till their opponents are
completely tired ; and convinced that much disputation, were it even
about the Gospel itself, if it do not begin with vain jangling, is sure to end
with it, and that perpetual disputes are not favourable to godliness.
" And further, let my opponents seriously ask themselves what service
they can do to the cause of Christ by calumniating some of those who are
endeavouring, though with much imperfection, to keep the commandments
of God and the faith of Jesus ; and how extremely inconsistent this is
with the strongest expressions of forbearance, and with the heavy com
plaint made against all individuals and churches who oppose their favourite

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. li
scheme, as if they were totally destitute of that Christian virtue. The
beam, I am afraid, must be cast out before they can see clearly to pull out '
the mote.
" Finally, Let every one beware of falling into the same spirit, by in
dulging resentment towards their accusers, treating them with asperity, or
intermeddling with their affairs. ' To their own master they stand or
fall.' We shall act suitably to what we profess, if we bear injuries with
patience, ' not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing ; but contrari
wise blessing, knowing that we are thereunto called, that we should inherit
a blessing.' This is a most essential part of that forbearance which God
approves ; and they only who exemplify it in this particular, and in others
of a similar description, have a right to think that they really do espouse
its neglected cause."
These are golden observations, and can never be too frequently incul
cated or too strenuously enforced upon the members of Christian churches.
The schisms and divisions that have for the last quarter of a century taken
place among the Scotch Baptist Churches, is a serious evil, greatly to be
deprecated, because it has proved a stumbling-block to multitudes that
were " asking the way to Zion with their faces thitherwards," and turned
them aside into by-paths. When Christians are not one in the faith,
hope, and obedience of the Gospel, there must undoubtedly be something
wrong, and blame must attach somewhere. This ought to be admitted as
an unquestionable fact, and, therefore, the cause should be carefully sought
out. The Holy Spirit does not teach contrary things. The Apostle
Paul attributes the contentions and divisions which took place among the
members of the Church at Corinth, to their carnality. It is the fleshly
principle that disunites, and gives the disciples different views, and jarring
inclinations, interests, and pursuits. Conceited ignorance, of which there
is no lack among young men in our day, want of love to the truth, and to
one another for the truth's sake — pride, envy, contempt, party attach
ments, worldly lusts, and a thousand similar things which might be men
tioned, are the true causes of'disunion in churches. Different degrees of
light will never produce disunion even in sentiment, provided men are
humble, teachable, and really reconciled to the saving truth, " desiring
the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby," and if those
that are better instructed in the ways of the Lord are condescending and
kind, " speaking the truth in love." Christians will never disagree about
the self-denied laws of Christ's kingdom, if they have the Spirit of Christ,
and love his character as the pattern for their imitation. It is their pride
and worldly-mindedness that makes them wrangle and dispute when they
ought to obey. When, therefore, we find any of the plain laws of Christ
disputed, or any of the practices of the Apostolic Churches altered, set
aside, or impugned, we may rest assured that there is something else at
the foundation of all this than conscientious simple ignorance. Were a
body of Christians all possessed of the Spirit of Christ, and animated by

lii MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
it, as the soul pervades and animates all the members of the natural body,
we should find that this common principle of intelligence and animation,
would give them all, in their measure, the same views, the same hopes, the
same desires, aims, and ends ; it would diffuse a mutual sympathy of all
with each, and of each with all, so as to suffer and rejoice together, because
they have but one interest or common good ; and this is the unity of the
Spirit, in opposition to the divisions and contentions arising from the car
nal principle. And as regards that spurious forbearance about which
there is so vehement a clamour in our day — a forbearance equally court
eous to truth and error, or which at least deems conscientiousness in error
equivalent to soundness in the faith, when properly examined, it will be
found to land in this maxim, that " there is no moral turpitude in mental
error," and that men are equally acceptable to God, in their different and
even discordant views and practices, as when they are standing fast in one
spirit, with one mind, striving together]for the faith of the Gospel. Admit
this principle, and what follows, but that we have nothing to do with one
another, either as regards our religious faith or practice, provided it be no
way detrimental to civil society ? But if there be only one standard of
faith and duty, and if there be no visible Christianity but what corresponds
with that standard, then it must be our indispensable duty both to adhere
to it ourselves, and also to see that our brethren, with whom we are visibly
connected, adhere to it also.
What remain, of the productions of Mr Braidwood's pen, to be noticed
by his biographer, need not detain us long. They consist, for the most
part, of miscellaneous articles, which appearedin some religious magazines,
such as the Edinburgh Quarterly Magazine, edited by Dr Charles Stuart,
an eminent physician there, of which, however, only two duodecimo vo
lumes were published, and of these there was only a very limited circula
tion  In the Theological Repository, published at Liverpool, under the
superintendence of the writer of this Memoir, and which extended to eleven
volumes, and with a wide circulation, he wrote many articles, several of
which are now reprinted in this publication, and all may be safely left to
the judgment of the candid and judicious reader.
The article on the punishment of death in the case of murder, which
first appeared in the New Evangelical Magazine, was a reply to a paper
in the same Journal, denying the lawfulness of either individuals or go
vernments taking away human life in any case, or for any crime, even
that of murder. Since these papers appeared the discussion has under
gone an extended range, both in and out of Parliament ; and though
the public mind has not attained to a oneness of judgment on the matter,
all seem to be of opinion that the criminal code of the nation was formerly
much too severe, for it has since been relaxed in a very great degree.
That, indeed, was Mr Braidwood's judgment of the matter, while he con
tended that murder ought to be punished with death. His words are " let
me not be mistaken, as if I approved of our own sanguinary criminal code

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. liii
in all its cerriflc forms. In many respects it has no affinity to the benign
spirit of the Gospel, and it is offensive in a high degree to the best feelings
and sympathies of our nature. To what precise extent the punishment of
death ought to be carried, I pretend not to judge ; but I very much doubt
whether the mere loss of property by an injured individual, justly entitles
the public, in any case, to demand the life of the criminal."
The pages which bear the title of " The Influence of the Doctrine of
Divine Grace illustrated, and Objections answered," originally appeared
as an appendix or supplement to the narrative of the case of William Mills,
published by his colleague, Mr Henry David Inglis, and have been read,
perhaps by thousands, without knowing that they proceeded from the pen
of Mr Braidwood. This circumstance alone, added to their intrinsic ex
cellence, seemed to suggest the propriety of including them in the present
collection of his writings.
The short piece, " On the Assurance of Hope," is printed from his own
manuscript, found among his papers since his decease, being the preserved
copy of a letter which he wrote to a person now living, who had for a short
time been connected with the Scotch Baptist church assembling in Red-
Cross Street, Cripplegate, London, but who had left that body, in conse
quence of having embraced the theological dogmas of John Walker of
Dublin. Of Mr Walker's principles and conduct, I have spoken in a for
mer page. His creed was a species of sublimated Saudemanianism ; and
in his writings he very awkwardly aped Mr Sandeman's dogmatism. The
men were formed with minds of a very different calibre. Sandeman was
a theologian — Walker, at the best of times, was only a driveller. Sande-
man would have abominated many of the sentiments of Walker, and par
ticularly those which pertain to " the assurance of hope." But Mr Braid
wood has analyzed them, in this letter to Walker's pupil, with the hand of
a master in Israel, and shown their unscriptural complexion, though what
he wrote failed of the desired effect on his correspondent.
Having glanced, in a cursory manner, at Mr Braidwood's writings, and
entered into a detail of the circumstances and occasions which gave rise to
or accompanied them, it remains that this be followed up by a short notice
of his manner of life and ministry. It has been already intimated that the
prominent point of view in which his character presents itself to our con
templation, is that of the elder of a Christian church ; and while we exa
mine his claims to our regard in this respect, we must keep in mind the
scriptural standard of what pertains to such an office-bearer in the king
dom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; and it is the more necessary
to do this, inasmuch as the Antichristian apostacy has egregiously per
verted the views and sentiments of almost all classes of men, and to such
an extent, that the wisdom of God, manifested in the delineation of the
qualifications of an elder, bishop, or pastor, is now-a-days either contemned,
set at nought, or despised, . even by our strictest Dissenters. The reader
will find these qualifications set down in 1 Tim. iii. 1—7, and also in
h

iV MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
Titus i. 6—10, and 1 Peter v. Now, keeping these passages of Scrip
ture before us, as the authorized standard of the scriptural elder, let us ex
amine the official character of the subject of this Memoir by that rule, in a
few leading particulars.
1. He must be apt to teach. As the kingdom of Christ was set
up at the beginning by the preaching of the everlasting Gospel, so
it comports with the designs of Eternal Wisdom that it should be main
tained and promoted, in all ages and places of the world, by the same
means— the open declaration of the Word of truth ; and for this purpose,
the glorified Head of the church, in whom it hath pleased the Father
that all fulness should dwell, gives gifts unto men, or fits and qualifies them
f.r the work of the ministry and the edifying of his body the church.
Foremost in these qualifications must ever be ranked a scriptural acquaint
ance with " the truth as it is in Jesus," — a knowledge of " the mystery of
jod and the Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of
Divine wisdom ;" so that he may be able to instruct the ignorant in the
things which concern their eternal peace, and show unto sinners the way
of salvation. The Christian elder must not only preach the Gospel, but
he should have such an intimate acquaintance with it in all its bearings, as
to be able, " by sound doctrine, both to exhort and reprove the gainsayers ;
for there have been in all ages of the church many unruly and vain talkers
and deceivers, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses,
teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake." It is need
less to say how little regard is paid to these things in the choice of elders,
pastors, or ministers of the Word, even among our strictest Dissenters, in
ihe age in which we live. The Scriptures might be silent respecting them
for any attention that our modern doctors pay to them. In Mr Braidwood,
however, we have a fair specimen of what sort of person the elder of a
Christian church ought to be. No one can examine the productions of his
pen, as contained in this volume, without being aware of the writer's inti
mate acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures. In this respect he was in
deed a scribe well instructed in the things pertaining to the kingdom of
God and the name of Jesus. Let any unprejudiced mind go through the
volume, and mark the vast compass of doctrinal sentiment discussed in it,
and he will not hesitate to admit that modern times have not furnished
many persons better qualified for the elder's office.
Truth, however, compels us to admit that Mr Braidwood did not appear
to the best advantage in the pulpit. He was not what is termed a graceful
speaker. Though in personal stature rather above the ordinary size, and
of masculine and commanding aspect, and his voice not altogether inhar
monious, being strong and deep-toned ; yet his whole manner was calcu
lated to convey to a stranger the impression that he was a person of an
austere disposition. Yet nothing can be imagined more incorrect or fo
reign to the truth of things, than such a notion. He was, both by educa
tion and temperament, and the power of the Gospel on his heart, not. only

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. W
gentle, but affectionately kind; while his masculine understanding and
good sense more than compensated for his deficiencies in the graces of
oratory. His profound acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures, his dis
criminating judgment, displayed in selecting instructive subjects, and hi:
ability in handling them, were all calculated to arrest the hoarer's atten
tion, and impress him with the conviction that this man spake the words
of truth and soberness. It was no part of his business, while in the pulpit,
to " amuse the fancy with facetious tales," or beguile his audience " with
the enticing words of man's wisdom." He made his way to the conscience
and the heart by manifestation of the truth, and dealt with his hearers as
rational and accountable beings, who must shortly appear before the judg
ment seat of Christ. He was not what is vulgarly termed " a slap-dash
off-hand preacher ;" for he disdained to offer to the Lord that which cost
him nothing. He brought forward no subject which he had not thoroughly
studied and well-digested in his own mind, so as to be prepared to state
the doctrine of the Scriptures in relation to it, " rightly dividing the Word
of truth ;" and his ideas were always clothed in chaste language, suited ir-.
the nature of his subject, avoiding every low and mean expression as se
dulously as he rejected all pompous declamation and rhetorical flourish
as unsuitable to the truth of God. There was great uniformity in hi.*
preaching : his discourses from the pulpit were never trifling or common
place. He brought forth out of the rich treasury of Divine truth whatever
was calculated to illustrate his subject, and impress it on the conscience
and the heart. He preached from copious notes, but rarely wrote out the
whole of his discourses, unless when he intended them for the press. His
public teaching was of a different cast from that of his two excellent col
leagues, M'Lean and Inglis. It was, generally speaking, more practical
than that of the latter, who confined himself much to " holding forth the
Word of life," making known the testimony of God concerning his Son,
and calling sinners to repentance ; while it was less critical than that of
the former, whose logical skill, capacious mind, and general informationj
combined to render him a master in Israel.
2. Another important qualification for the elder's office, is that of ability
to rule the church of God, 1 Tim. iii. 5. And this may be truly desig
nated Mr Braidwood's great forte. Here his excellence invariably mani
fested itself, not only above his own talent in teaching, but above the abi
lity of many or most of his contemporaries in that particular branch of
the pastoral office. Firm and uncompromising in his principles, and na
turally gifted with much self-possession and an extraordinary command of
temper, he was eminently qualified for ruling in the church, and presiding
in cases of discipline. This also may be instanced as another distinguishing
feature in the character of an elder, which is very little regarded among
the Dissenting churches of our day, to whom indeed the exercise of disc J
pline is a matter of very secondary consideration. But to churches serif'
turally constituted, and regulated in all their social intercourse by the Nev

Ivi MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
Testament, the ease must be widely different. Such must know, that to
conduct the affairs of Christ's house discreetly— to maintain peace, and
order, and regularity, m all its proceedings—to go before the flock, to lead,
and guide, and counsel them ; and when a case of discipline comes before
the church, requiring investigation and the decision of the whole body, to
state, with clearness and candour, its nature, and the bearing which the
Word of God has upon it, keeping it prominently before the brethren in
its proper light, and applying to it the law of the Lord's house— must re
quire a portion of wisdom, and experience, and ability, which does not fall
to the lot of many of those who may speak fluently on the Gospel, and be
adepts in the wisdom of this world. And I may take this opportunity of
mentioning, that no member of the body, nor any of his own friends, more
highly appreciated the value of Mr Braidwood's superior qualifications in
the rule of the church, than did his venerable colleague Mr M'Lean. The
writer of these lines can never forget with what emphasis he has heard the
latter declare, " I have great pleasure and satisfaction hi having Mr Braid
wood for a colleague." And I may be pardoned for again observing how
singularly blest this church was, in having three elders, each of them pos
sessing eminent attainments in his own peculiar province, and yet all con
curring in one object — the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom, and the
edification of the church overwhieh they presided, without the least jealousy
of each other's talents, totally divested of the malignant principle of envy,
and rejoicing in the grace bestowed on each other by their God and Sa
viour, whose fellow-labourers they were in the Gospel of his grace. What
a contrast to the affecting scenes and unseemly proceedings which often
take place in other churches 1
Mr Braidwood's firmness in conducting cases of discipline in the church,
combined with his love of order and regularity, has sometimes subjected
him to reproachful calumnies from . " unruly and vain talkers," men who
would not keep their place in the body, and walk orderly, and who conse
quently fell under his rebuke. By persons of this stamp it was no uncom
mon thing to hear him represented as overbearing ; their proud spirits could
not brook control ; but Mr Braidwood too well knew the vast importance of
order, and mutual subjection and subordination, to the peace and happi
ness of a ehurch, to trifle with this matter. He himself was a pattern of
order and regularity in his own conduct. Never was there a person more
given to punctuality, or more impressed with the importance of time,
than he was ; and it appeared in all his arrangements, whether private or
public. So habitual was this to him, that it seemed indispensable to his
comfort. With him every thing was regulated as it were by clock-work,
whether in his study or arrangements in the family, yet all with the utmost
composure and deliberation. There was no hurry, bustle, or confusion —
sufficient time was allowed for every separate duty — nothing was neglected,
nothing overdone. Order and punctuality were so enforced by him, that
one might have supposed he was called to arrange the movements of the

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. lvii
mail-coach ; and it was delightful to witness its effects in producing per
sonal and family comfort. The same punctuality was carried out into all
his deportment in church affairs. He laboured to keep every thing in its
proper place, keeping steadily in his eye the apostolic admonition, " Let
all things be done decently and in order."
3. Disinterestedness is another distinguishing feature in the character of
the scriptural elder. " Feed the flock of God which is among you," says
the Apostle Peter, " taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly ; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind ; neither as being lords
over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock," 1 Peter, v. And
here again the conduct of Mr Braidwood exhibits a striking contrast to
what is to be found generally among the present race of Dissenting minis
ters, educated for the pulpit in our seminaries and colleges. In fact, the
practice which prevails among the Scotch Baptist churches, almost uni
versally, regarding this matter, forms a striking contrast to what takes
place among the English Baptist churches. In the latter denomination,
the preachers or ministers are, with few exceptions, hired by a fixed sti
pend, which supports themselves and their families. Among their brethren
in Scotland and the sister churches in England, it is no objection to a per
son's call to the pastoral office, that he prosecutes some useful trade, imi
tating the example of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, who could say to
the Ephesian elders, " I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel ;
yea, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my necessi
ties, and to them that were with me : I have showed you all things, how
that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words
of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive,"
Acts, xx. 33 — 35. Mr Braidwood, though an indefatigable labourer in
the Lord's vineyard, was engaged in mercantile business, and attended his
shop and warehouse six days in the week, by which he earned a compe
tence for the support of his family, and had wherewithal to give to him
that needed. In the latter part of his life he left the counter, and retired
from the business of an ironmonger, that he might superintend the con
cerns of the Caledonian Fire Insurance Company, then first established,
and of which he was appointed Manager, a station the duties of which he
discharged with characteristic prudence and exemplary diligence and zeal,
enjoying the confidence of the shareholders, as well as of the public, during
a period of about twenty-one years, when he retired in consequence of the
infirmities of age, on a liberal allowance from the company, whose affairs
he had successfully conducted for so long a time. And as a further ex
pression of the sense in which his services were held by them, and like
wise their estimation of his character, they requested that he should sit to
Sir Henry Raeburn for his portrait, which was afterwards placed in the
Council-Room of the Company.
Mr Braidwood never interfered with public matters so far as to take
office in the municipal government of the city ; but its prosperity was not

1V111 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
a matter of indifference to him, and he lent his aid to the support of most
of the public charities : he attended many of their meetings, at which he
sometimes spoke, and was always listened to with great attention. The
alarming outrage, and riot, and disorder, which broke out on the 1st of
January 1812, was a source of real grief to him, and deeply wounded his
spirit, as indicating a great deterioration of morals among his townsmen
from what he had known in early life ; and in a pamphlet which he wrote
and published shortly after, he suggested what he considered to be reme
dies for the evil, and preventives against a recurrence of it. In fine, wo
probably owe it to his experience in his secular employment, that Mr
Braidwood was enabled to furnish his brethren with such a mass of valu
able instruction on the manner of conducting business and prosecuting
their lawful callings, as is to be found in his sixth letter to Dr Chalmers,
Pp. 351 — 366 of the present volume — a letter which cannot be too often
read, or too intensely studied, by all professed Christians who are engaged
in trade and commerce. He himself was never rich, nor had he an over
flowing capital in business ; but the correct mode in which he transacted
his affairs, and the regularity with which he made all his payments, esta
blished his credit with those from whom he made his purchases, and evinced
that he guided his affairs with discretion. Indeed, he considered that a
Christian ought to carry the fear of God into all the business of life, and
bo influenced therein by the high moral principles of his Word. This was
frequently the subject of his public teaching ; and the following anecdote
may be mentioned as illustrative of his own upright conduct : —
An individual in his line of business, who had got embarrassed in his
circumstances, was under the necessity of disposing of his stock in trade,
in order to meet the urgent demands made upon him, and for this purpose
applied to several ironmongers, to whom he offered the goods at aprice below
their real value, but could not procure a purchaser unless at a still further
reduction. He then applied to Mr Braidwood, who, upon finding that the
goods were of such a description as he could dispose of, agreed to take
them, but said, as he knew they could not be manufactured for the price
which was asked, that he would pay him a fair value for them. The poor
man was quite overjoyed at this unexpected turn in the aspect of his affairs,
by which he was enabled to overcome his difficulties, and was thus saved
from what appeared to him inevitable ruin in his business. Mr Braid
wood's conduct in this transaction made a deep impression on his mind,
and was ever afterwards gratefully remembered by himself and family.
This circumstance was lately related by the person's son to one of Mr
Braidwood's friends, without being aware that the individual he was ad
dressing had any knowledge of Mr Braidwood. In all this there was cer
tainly nothing more than justice ; but there arc many (and of those too
who would not choose to be ranked with the world) who would have
considered this in no other light than a fair opportunity of obtain
ing what they might term a good bargain, whatever the other party

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. llX
should suffer by the loss ho sustained. The small amount of property
left at his decease, sufficiently demonstrated the comparative smallness of
his means ; yet he was liberal in giving when called upon to supply the
wants of the poor and needy, or further the interests of the Redeemer's
kingdom in the world. The Lord blessed him in his basket and his store ;
he never wanted during his sojourn in this vale of tears ; and though he
made the Gospel without charge, and took nothing for his labours in tho
work of the ministry, he left enough to his much respected widow to sup
port her in comfort for the remainder of her days in this world.
Another feature in the character of a Christian elder mentioned by the
Apostle, is hospitality, 1 Tim. iii. 2. In this also the subject of this Me
moir was highly exemplary, being always happy in having his brethren
around him on every convenient opportunity. Nor was it to one or two
that his hospitality was displayed, it was general in its character ; and par
ticularly attentive was he to the strangers that visited Edinburgh from all
the other churches ; for such his door was ever open, and his table pro
vided. And this kindness (in which Mrs Braidwood most heartily and
warmly co-operated with him, in administering to tho comfort of their
Christian friends) was but subordinate to the advantages which were de
rived from the example which was set by him in his own family, and his
edifying conversation, which served to render his house not only a plea
sant home for his guests, but also a place of instruction.
There are a few traits in the character of MrBraidwood, of perhaps minor
interest, which must not be wholly overlooked in this outline of his bio
graphy. Though his first appearance to a stranger, as has been already inti
mated, was byno means prepossessing, or calculated to ingratiate esteem and
affection, yet what appeared at first sight forbidding, almost instantly va
nished when you began to converse with him. There was a natural cheer
fulness of temper in him, probably improved and heightened by his clear
views of the Gospel, and this diffused a sweet serenity over his mind. The
Gospel had imparted to him a portion independent of all sublunary things ;
and it was a soul-satisfying one. He | appeared incapable of envying an
other, either of the enjoyments of this world's good, or of those gifts which
are most highly esteemed among men. No man could be more candid in
his judgment of men and things. He was ever ready to award to others
the measure of praise to which they were fairly entitled ; and he was con
scientiously careful to speak evil of no man. This cheerfulness of mind
rendered his company desirable even to those who were more disposed to
levity, and who formed their judgment of men and things from a somewhat
different standard. The sound good sense by which his conversation was
invariably characterised, his discriminating judgment, which manifested
itself on whatever subject became the topic of discourse, and the pertinency
and solidity of his remarks, all conspired to render him an interesting and
instructive companion even to those whom nature had formed less consti
tutionally grave. As there was no effort to shine in conversation, so his

IX MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
superior judgment provoked no desire for wrangling or contradiction" in
others : it diffused an agreeable variety, and led to a thorough conviction
that he was a good man, and of quick discernment.
His love of truth, and profound reverence for the Sacred Oracles, were
ever conspicuous in all he did and said. Whatever had the appearance of
duplicity, deceit, and falsehood, was an abomination to him, and excited
his perfect disgust. But especially was this the case when he saw, or
thought he saw, any trifling with Divine revelation. He could not endure
to hear the Word of God lightly spoken of, or treated irreverently, so as
to promote the laughter of fools. When any thing of this kind came be
fore him, he became sensitive in the highest degree. His indignation
flashed like fire, and he would become so agitated as to require retirement
before he could resume his usual serenity and composure of mind. Re
garding the Holy Scriptures as the oracles of the living God, by means of
which the foolish were to be made wise unto salvation, and the hearts of
sinful mortals purified, Mr Braidwood regarded them as most sacred, and
ever cherished for them the profoundest reverence ; so that one might as
soon expect to hear him profanely use the name of the adorable Creator,
as pass without rebuke any attempt to deteriorate the Word of God, either
by misapplying it, or mystifying its meaning.
This leads me to advert to another striking feature in his character as an
elder, namely, his solemn, fervent, and energetic manner in prayer. In his
style of preaching he was earnest, solemn, and impressive, ever attentive to
improve the passing events of Divine Providence, especially those of an
afflictive kind, in which any of the members of the church were concerned.
On such occasions he would pour forth from the fulness of his heart the
richest consolations, in the most touching and pathetic manner, speak
ing on such subjects from experience of the Lord's dealings with him
self, by which he was qualified to comfort others with the consolations
wherewith he himself was comforted of God. But his prayers on all oc
casions were remarkable. His expressions were rich, varied, and com
prehensive, calculated to bring others, where he himself evidently stood, to
the footstool of Divine mercy, the throne of grace ; and there would he
plead, in the fervour and affection of his heart, with Him who is emphati
cally the hearer of prayer. In his ministrations he made no distinction be
tween the rich and the poor; he was of a sympathizing and compassionate
disposition, and was much esteemed and valued by the afflicted, to whom
his visits were peculiarly acceptable. On these occasions, his prayers with
and for them, as well as the suitableness of his addresses to the God of all
patience and consolation, were highly calculated to lift up the hands that
hang down, and confirm the feeble knees, by pouring the balm of conso
lation into their troubled spirits.
Mr Braidwood was twice married. His first wife was a Miss Brown,
daughter of the Rev. Mr Brown, near Pennycuick, by whom he had
several children, in tho education and training up of whom he took apecu-

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Ill
liar interest and derived from it great pleasure, instilling into their minds
the principles of Christianity and lessons of wisdom and prudence, such
as he well inculcates in his discourses on " Parental Duties." And here
it cannot be out of place to remark, that though constitutionally strong
and robust, and possessing a masculine understanding, he was a man of
fine feelings and of acute sensibilities, which he manifested in a high de
gree, more especially when visited with bereaving dispensations of Provi
dence in his own family. On those occasions he has been known to be " in
capable of refraining himself before them that were with him." Such was
the case when it pleased God to visit him with the loss of the mother of
his children, and such also when many of the latter were removed by
death. I have formerly mentioned the death of his son Ebenezer, who
died of a consumptive complaint on the 25th January 1803, at the age of
seventeen. This event affected him in an uncommon degree, and induced
him to compile a narrative of the principal occurrences of the youth's life,
not with the remotest view to publication, it is true, but to be handed
about for perusal in the circle of his own family and friends. One cannot
read this manuscript, which is now before me, without perceiving how com
mon occurrences and incidents are detailed and dwelt upon, which, no doubt,
to him possessed peculiar interest from their connexion with the deceased,
but which, at the same time, show the strength of his affection and the ten
der sensibilities of his mind. But the " Practical Observations" with which
he has followed up that memoir of his son, are so truly excellent, that, as
they form no part of the narrative, and are of universal interest and ap
plication, I think it would be wrong to withhold them from the reader,
and I therefore give them in this place.
" There is matter enough in the preceding narrative to justify many
and long remarks, were I disposed to write but a very small part of what
has occurred to my own mind. But I wish rather to say little and to
think much. In those afflicting dispensations with which I have been
visited, I have chiefly to do with God, who has thus been pleased to
try my faith, and to call me to repentance for every immoderate attach
ment even to the lawful enjoyments of this mortal life.
" Were I so inclined, it would scarcely be possible for me to describe
the state of affliction in which, for the last twelve months, I have been in
volved, from various causes, some of which only are explained in the nar
rative. When matters, in some respects, were coming to a crisis, my situa
tion reminded me of what I had long ago heard from my much respected
father, concerning a woman who trusted in God, and who used to say,
when any of her friends or relatives died — ' The Lord liveth.' A sub
lime truth, eminently suited upon such occasions to calm and to solace
the soul. ' My earthly friend is dead, but Jehovah liveth. My rock,
my refuge, the God of my salvation, my best and greatest friend, shall live
for ever.' But alas, how feeble and inconstant are the best of human

Ixii

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.

beings ! The same woman, who on many occasions was strong in faith,
giving glory to God, met with a peculiarly heavy trial, I think it was the
death of her husband, which completely overcame her, and prevented her
from speaking of her former ground of comfort. This occasioned a most
severe reproof from one of her young children, who unwittingly said to
her, ' Mother, what is the matter with you ? Is God dead ? ' The
poor afflicted woman was struck with remorse. After some considera
tion, she moderated her excessive sorrow, and resumed her former ground
of joy in affliction — '.The Lord liveth.'
" Like this woman, I have often been sorrowful and dumb. My distresses
appeared to me too great to be the subject of conversation with fellow-
creatures ; and even the sympathy of my Christian friends, for which I
ought to have been grateful to them, rather tended to increase than to al
leviate my sorrow. But I never forgot that the Lord liveth. Nor do I
mean to say that this truth was ever called in question by the person
whose experience has just been described ; though there was a temporary,
and perhaps only a partial, suspension of the comfort which she derived
from it. To God only it was possible for me to pour out my heart, and
I found him a refuge in the time of trouble. On such occasions, prayer
is a different thing altogether from what it is when we are living at our
ease, as my son remarked some time before his death. ' O father,' said
he, ' what is prayer in a time of ease and prosperity ? It is nothing but a
mere form in comparison of what it is when we are in great affliction.'
" All who have any serious profession of Christianity, must know some
thing of the improvement which we ought to make of the awful and
alarming dispensations of Divine Providence. Yet, alas ! how often are
such persons, like other men, too little occupied in considering the vanity
of this world, and the infinite importance of eternal life ? They can per
haps moralize upon affliction with cool indifference, not duly recollecting
that they themselves also are in the body, and subject to the miseries
which they see around them. They can show how Christians ought to
overcome the world, while they themselves are sinking under its cares,
immersed in its pleasures, or carried away with its business, or with its
vanities and its delusive hopes. And some of them can state, accurately
enough, the foundation of a sinner's hope in the sight of God, while they
do not sufficiently consider that they themselves are sinners, or how their
creed would support them in the immediate prospect of death and judg
ment. " What then is the practical use that we ought to make of such dispensa
tions ? One principal design of them undoubtedly is, to give us deeper im
pressions of the uncertainty of all human enjoyments, and of life itself,
such as may have an abiding tendency to regulate our whole temper and
conduct, to make us occupy our talents with diligence, and to endear to
us the Christian hope.
" We all know perfectly that we shall die, and that, wilh regard to tie

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Mil
rejiainlar of our tima hare, we cannot promise upon a single day. But
which of U3 lives uniformly under those impressions which a firm belief of
such solemn things ought to produce? We hear of death devouring mul
titudes every day, without baing in general more affected by it, than we
are by the common occurrences of life in which we have no personal con
cern. When the king of terrors makes a nearer approach to us, by snatch
ing away persons with whom we have been well acquainted, we think
more seriously. , For some of them perhaps we shed a tear. But when
death, as it were, attacks ourselves, by making inroads upon our families
and our dearest friends, we are agitated and alarmed in the highest pos
sible degree. Every thing changes its aspect ; this world disappears, and
sinks into nothing ; eternity seems just at hand, and our distracted souls
can only be set at rest by the enjoyment of good hope towards God with
regard to ourselves, as well as with regard to our departed friends.
" It is right surely that, on such occasions, we should be peculiarly
awake to the importance of eternal things, and seek all our consolation in
the Gospel of Christ, and its blessed hope. It is well when we can find
no other refuge in times of deep affliction. But is it not equally true,
at all times, that our nearest relatives shall die, and consequently that
they and we must part, how soon we know not? Ought we not then
to live always with them on these terms, acquiescing in the will of
God, so palpably known to us ; habitually concerned about the eternal
salvation of those whom we dearly love ; and careful that we ourselves
continue in the faith, and in the spirit and temper of the disciples of Jesus,
that we may be ready at his call ?
" It is thus only that we shall be able to endure such mournful scenes.
Every argument that can be successfully used to support us under afflic
tion, has, less or more, a relation to that which, in life and death, is the chief
consolation of Christians — the hope of being ever with the Lord. Their
patience is ' the patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.' And they
who are ' begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, rejoice greatly in that hope, though now for a sea
son, if need be, they are in heaviness through manifold temptations.' This
is likewise the only satisfactory ground of comfort with respect to our
dear friends, when they are removed from us by death, though in every
case it becomes us to say, ' It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him
good.' If they sleep in Jesus, we have no cause to sorrow even as others
who have no hope. If on such occasions our grief be excessive, it is un
generous and selfish in a high degree, and gives our adversaries an oppor
tunity to say concerning us, ' Where is their God ?'
" It must be owned indeed, that severe trials are intended to produce
' heaviness,' or a proper feeling of the Lord's rod, without which it could
have no effect ; and in some cases very deep exercises of soul, which, were
they to continue in the same degree, would unfit us for the business of life.
Those violent emotions must and will subside. But with them we are too

lxiv MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.
ready to lose the deep and solid conviction which wc had obtainod of tho
reality and importance of life eternal in tho world to como, tho absoluto
vanity of this life, and all that pertains to it, the preciousnoss of tho Gos
pel to dying sinners, and the necessity of making our calling aud election
sure. " If such solemn warnings do not effectually call us to repentance, or do
not prevent us from returning, with the spirit of worldly men, to the busi
ness, or to the follies and crimes of this mortal life, they will only tend to
aggravate our condemnation. At least we shall, by so doing, render it
necessary that we should be again roused from our vain dreams of worldly
happiness, and morcifully called to deep repentance, whatever pain and
anguish it may cost us. Remember who hath said, - Be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' "
After remaining a widower some years, Mr Braidwood, in 1793,
united himself to Miss Margaret Mercer, the daughter of R. Mercor,
M.D., Selkirk, who still survives him, and who, by her kind attention and
assiduous care, greatly assisted in rearing up his children, who had been
deprived of their mother at a tender age ; and proved eminently service
able to him in the subsequent years of his life, particularly when tho
decay of his faculties rendered the attentions of such a kind and affec
tionate helpmate invaluable.
In the end of December 1826, Mr Braidwood felt rather indisposed,
although there was nothing at that time to excite alarm, yet tho na
ture of the malady soon manifested itself, when he ceased to attend to
his official duties as an elder of the church ; but his memory was
not wholly impaired till a year or two aftor. His delight, however,
seemed to have been in the house of God ; for he continued for a
long time to visit almost daily the place in which he had so long been
accustomed to worship, and in which it was still his desire to be engaged ;
and though incapacitated for filling up his place in the public services of
the church, he conducted the worship of the family until a very short
time before his decease.
His death took place on the 13th of October 1830, and his remains
were interred in the Greyfriars' churchyard. As his life had been
eminently useful in his Lord's kingdom, so his end was peaceful. I
shall only farther add, that the length to which this Memoir has ex
tended prevents me from laying before the reader even extracts of the
numerous letters of condolence received by the church and Mrs Braidwood,
upon the event of his death from all tho churches in tho connection, show
ing the estimation in which ho was held, and the loss sustained by the re
moval of such a valuable Christian teacher.
Now, to conclude these biographical sketches and observations, I am
perfectly aware that it is only by such persons as have a taste for tho
good Word of God, and who are competent to distinguish between tho

MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. lxV
things that differ, to prefer tho wisdom of God to that of tlie scribes and
doctors of ecolcsiastical law ; in a word, who can discriminate between
the scriptural elder and the modern clergyman, whether conformed or non
conformist, and whoso j udgment is so rogulatod by an unction from tho
Holy One, as to givo a decided preference to the former, though loss
gaudy and sparkling in the eyes of men, that a proper ostimate can bo
formed of the character of the subject of this Memoir. Bring it to the
test of the depraved inclination and vitiated judgment of the sons of
science, tho wise men of this world, who rulo the fashion in religion as
well as other things, and it will bo lightly estoemed ; but try it by
the standard of Divine revelation, " tho law and tho testimony,"
and it will stand forth as exhibiting the man of God, a scribe well-
instructed in the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and rightly
dividing the word of truth — a servant of the Lord, caring for his
Master's flock — one of the watchmen of Zion, always upon his watch-
tower, guarding against the incursions of the devouring wolf — a good
and faithful servant, who, we have no doubt, has now entered into the
joy of his Lord. It is an undoubted fact, that most human characters
look best at a distance ; and that, on a nearer inspection and more exact
scrutiny, they lose much of the glory with which they strike the beholder's
eye. The case was not so with the character of Mr Braidwood ; for
though none of his friends would ever think of claiming for him an ex
emption from tho frailties incident to humanity, (for he was a man of like
passions with ourselves,) yet his moral worth and most valuable qualities
wero best known to those who had an opportunity of looking closely into
his character, and of comparing it with the pattern of the scriptural elder
as drawn by the pen of inspiration. Let the church, whom he so long-
served in the Gospel of God, be thankful to the King of Zion for bestow
ing upon them so faithful, laborious, and disinterested a servant ; and let
all the churches in the denomination be instant in prayer to Him with
whom is the residue of the Spirit, that he would raise up, and qualify, and
send forth into his vineyard, many such labourers as William Braid
wood — men fearing God and hating covetousness, lovers of the souls of
mon, and who are willing to spend and be spent in their Divine Master's
servico !

DISCOURSE

ON THE DUTY OF

MUTUAL EXHORTATION

CHURCHES OF CHRIST.

" And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, tbat ye'also are full of goodness, filled
with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."— Rom. xv. 14.

FIRST PUBLISHED TN MDCCLXXXVII.

ADDRESS
to all who believe the glorious gospel op christ, and esteem it
their privilege, and indispensable duty, to observe
his ordinances, in a state of separation
from the world.
My Brethren,
I am sensible that it would be improper to address the world
in general on the subject of the following pages. Unbelievers,
and even strict professors in the national systems of religion,
will not find themselves interested in it ; there being no such
custom as is here recommended, except in churches formed on
the plan of those which were planted by the Apostles.* But
I hope that you, who, in consequence of believing the gospel,
have been baptised, and taught to observe all things whatso
ever Jesus Christ hath commanded, f will see the importance
of brethren in churches speaking the truth in love, that they
may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even
Christ ; J and of exhorting one another daily, while it is called
to-day, lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. || I
doubt not you will also readily admit, that brethren on whom
the Lord hath conferred gifts for speaking to the edification of
others, do not perform this duty, merely by filling up a certain
portion of time allotted for the purpose, unless they are anima
ted by the motives of the gospel, and speak the truth in a hum
ble, zealous, and affectionate manner. On these accounts I
* There is an obvious reason for not confining the Address to persons
qualified for speaking in public. Those who hear are no less interested
in this subject than those who speak, for the thing intended is the edifica
tion of all. And the same authority which binds the one to speak as the
oracles of God, binds also the other to be swift to hear, slow to speak,
slow to wrath ; to receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is
able to save their souls ; and to be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving their ownselves. James i. 19, 21, 22.
' t Matt- xxviii. 19, 20. J Ephes. iv. 15. || Heb. iii. 13.

ADDRESS.

hope to be forgiven for thus attempting, in a very familiar way,
to show you what is implied in speaking as the oracles of God.
The substance of the following discourse was delivered some
time ago to the Baptist Church at Edinburgh, who are all per
suaded that it is the duty and privilege of brethren in Chris
tian Churches to exhort one another, not only in private, but
also when publicly assembled together.* It was therefore un
necessary to establish this point, by the various arguments and
Scripture proofs that might have been adduced, to corroborate
what is only hinted at in the introduction. Indeed, those who
will not be satisfied with a plain injunction, such as that con
tained in Heb. x. 25, " Forsake not the assembling of your
selves together, but exhort one another,'' (where the brethren
in general are evidently commanded to exhort one another,
when assembled for the purpose of divine worship,) will hardly
be convinced by any argument, however plain, forcible, and
conclusive. I have touched both at the matter and manner of exhorta
tion, but have dwelt chiefly on the last of these ; not from any
idea that our manner of speech is of greater importance than
the truths we declare, or the duties we enjoin ; but merely be
cause it appears to me that a great deal more depends on our
manner of addressing one another in relation to the things of
God, than is generally imagined ; and because this has been
almost totally overlooked by many Congregational Churches,
not a few of whom entertain a principle directly opposite to
what is here maintained.
Though you are earnestly entreated, in the following pages,
to exercise any gifts which the Lord hath conferred upon you,
for the edification of your brethren, it is far from my intention
to make you consider yourselves as teachers. This would be
to affirm that all are teachers, which is peremptorily denied by
the Apostle Paul;f and that a society of Christians may law-
* It is perhaps scarcely needful to observe that, on the contrary, we are
as fully persuaded that women are entirely prohibited from public teach
ing or exhorting, as being inconsistent with that modesty and subjection
which becomes the sex. 1 Cor. xiv. 34, 35. 1 Tim. ii. 1 1, to the end.
t 1 Cor. xii. 29.

ADDRESS.

fully be many masters, or teachers, opposite to an express in
junction of the Apostle James.* It would confound the dis
tinction between teachers and taught, which is every where
preserved in the Word of God, and must in the nature of the
thing exist. It would confer upon all who have any gifts for
speaking, that authority, rule, and presidency, which is always
connected with teaching, and belongs only to those who are
appointed by the Churches of Christ to the office of Teachers.f
While therefore we give full scope to the modest, humble, and
zealous exercise of every gift in its proper place, agreeably to
that beautiful representation of the body of Christ, 1 Cor. xii.,
we maintain as firmly the Lord's appointment of pastors and
teachers, who have the oversight of the flock; and think it
highly necessary to check the pride of those who would
take this office at their own hand, without the suffrage of their
brethren,^ or even aspire at the exercise of gifts which they do
not really possess. ||
Neither is it our opinion, that all are qualified for exhorting
one another, as private brethren in the Church. We are per
suaded that the Lord hath bestowed talents of this kind upon
some, an ' ~uv>held them from others. But it has seldom been
necessary to prohibit any of this last description from coming
forward in a public manner, and thus to step out of the place
assigned them in the body ; we need rather to encourage than
to restrict.
It is true I have set before you the example of Christ and his
Apostles ; but what higher example can be proposed ? And, if
the duty is enjoined, it can only be performed, like all other
duties, by imitating such examples. Even the elders of the
churches have no pretensions to an immediate commission from
the Lord, or to any of those extraordinary qualifications with
which the Apostles were endowed. Yet, as overseers of the
flock of God, they are surely to imitate the humility, faithful
ness, and zeal of the Apostles, and of the Lord himself.§ In
* James iii. 1. j 1 Thess. v. 12. 1 Tim. iii. 2, 4, 5.
Chap. iv. 11, 12. 2 Tim. iv. 2. Tit. ii. 15. Heb. xiii. 17.
t Acts xiv. 23. Rom. x. 15. Tit. i. 5. || Rom. xii. 3.
I § Acts xx. 17 to 36, particularly ver. 28, 31, 35. 1 Pet. v. 1—4.

ADDRESS.

like manner, you are not called to imitate the Apostles as pub
lic teachers, if this office has not been conferred upon you by a
Church of Christ. But, though you are so far from arroga
ting to yourselves the character of Apostles, as not even to as
sume the authority, or usurp the place of ordinary teachers,
you may safely imitate these high examples, in every duty you
have to perform as members of the body of Christ.* And there
can be no harm in copying to the utmost of your power, that
humility, self-denial, fervency, and affection, with which they
spoke the Word of God. Nay, it is only by doing so that you
can expect to profit the souls of your brethren.
Remember also, my beloved brethren, that it is not enough
merely to be convinced in your judgments, that you are bound
by the law of Christ to exhort and edify one another ; though
you may have such a view of the order of the Churches of
Christ, as will lead you to do this with outward decency. If
you would assist in building up the Churches of the Saints,
which is the best work you can be engaged in, and the highest
honour you are capable of receiving in this world ; you must
live by the faith of the Son of God, enjoying a sense of his love,
maintaining intercourse with God by fervent prayer in secret,
as well as by attending on public ordinances, and counting all
things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
your Lord. It is only when we speak from experience, that
it can be profitable either to ourselves or others. Mere know
ledge may inform the judgment, but it cannot warm the heart.
This last is the province of charity or love, concerning which, the
Apostle says, " charity edifieth."t And when our hearts are filled
with love, it will appear, not only in our way of speaking about
the gospel, and the commandments of Christ, but in the whole of
our conduct and deportment. The most effectual way to edify
the souls of our brethren, is to show in ourselves an example
of the practical influence of the Word of God ; and to walk in
love, as Christ also hath loved us, and given himself for us.|
To this I apprehend the Apostle chiefly refers, when he ex-.
horts to provoke one another to love and to good works. ||
* 1 Cor. x. 33, and xi. 1. Ephes. v. 1, 2. -j- l Cor. viii. 1. '
; t Eph. v. 1, 2. || Heb. x. 24.

ADDRESS. 7
When we thus enjoy the comforts of the gospel, and live unto
Him who died for us, it will be an easy and natural thing to
speak the truth in love, to occupy our talents in the place that
God hath assigned us, and in so doing, to seek not our own
honour, but the glory of God and the good of his people.
But when we fall into a state of lukewarmness and indiffer
ence, not fully awake to the importance of Divine things, hav
ing but faint impressions of our own guilt and wretchedness,
and of the greatness of the love of God, who gave his beloved
Son to the death for us, and quickened us when we were dead
in sins, how can we expect to edify one another ? If we do not
speak out of the abundance of our hearts, it will be a burden
some service to speak at all. When this is our situation, we
become negligent in the performance of this duty ; some who
might be employed in it, avoid it altogether, and others keep
up the mere outward form, speaking of the things which con
cern our everlasting welfare, in a lifeless, formal, and insipid
manner. I would exhort you, my brethren, against making such a
dull unanimated appearance in the profession of the name of
Christ. A spirit of this kind is apt to steal in upon us by de
grees, and I am persuaded that there is no evil at this time
more universally prevalent among the followers of Christ. Yet
His coming draweth nigh ; the Judge standeth before the door ;
and the cry will soon be heard, Behold the bridegroom cometh,
go ye out to meet him. While he tarrieth, not only the foolish,
but even the wise virgins are asleep.* Dream not, however, of
peace and safety in this unwarrantable posture. You will at
any rate be afraid and ashamed, if you thus meet the Lord at
his coming. And though all his people will be safe in that tremen
dous day, you have no reason to think that you are his people,
if you sleep like those who are of the night and of darkness,
and who say peace and safety, when sudden destruction is com
ing upon them. The Apostle shows the very opposite of this
to be the character of the true followers of Christ, while he
thus addresses them, " But ye, brethren, are not in darkness,
* Mat. xxv. 5.

» ADDRESS.
that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the
children of light, and the children of the day ; we are not of the
night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others;
but let us watch and be sober." *
I have only further to request, that you would attentively
consider the Word of God in relation to this important subject ;
and that such of you as are possessed of gifts, would endeavour
to regulate the exercise of them by that unerringstandard. To
assist you in this, especially those of you who labour under
many disadvantages by residing at a distance from churches, is
the intention of publishing the following discourse. Praying
that the Lord may accompany it with his effectual blessing, I
am affectionately yours, in the bonds of the gospel, THE AUTHOR.
Edinburgh, 30th July 1787.
* 1 Thess. v. 4, 5, 6.

[ 9 ]

DISCOURSE, &c

" If any man speak, let him st-eak as the oracles of God."— 1 Pet. iv. 11.
The brethren in general are here addressed. The Apostle
does not say, if any elder or teacher speak — but any man, that
is, any brother. This should be understood in the same way
as the words that follow : — " If any man minister, let him do it
as of the ability which God giveth." All who have this world's
goods are called to minister to the saints, and they are to do
it according to the ability which God giveth. In like manner,
all who are possessed of any gift for public usefulness in the
Church of Christ, are commanded to use it according to their
ability. There may be some who have no gifts of this descrip
tion, and there are also some who have nothing wherewith to
minister ; but, while it is the duty of the rest of the brethren
to teach the one, and minister to the wants of the other, I be
seech you all to consider, that the smallest mite is accepted in
ministering, and it would be a crime even to withhold a mite,
when it is in our power to give it. Apply this to the other
duty of speaking or exhorting. If nothing has been conferred
upon you, nothing will be required ; but if the Lord hath given
you ability thus to contribute, though in a small degree, to the
edification and comfort of the Church, and you neglect to do so,
remember you will be called to an account for hiding your
talent. The great end here proposed by speaking as the oracles of
God, as well as by ministering to the saints, is, that God in
all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ. Is it possible
to urge upon your minds a more powerful motive to enforce this
duty ? If you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, you must
surely be desirous that his name may be glorified ; yet none are
truly desirous of this, who do not bear their part in the duties
enjoined upon Christians, and are remiss in occupying those
talents which the Lord hath conferred upon them.

10 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
Another motive which will readily occur to you, is the edifi
cation of the brethren. How much ought this to be at heart
with us ? and should we not be fully persuaded that this, and
every other appointment in the kingdom of Christ, will answer
the gracious purposes for which they were intended, when we
act agreeably to his will, and have all our dependence on him ?
But if such great ends are to be accomplished by the brethren
speaking as the oracles of God, it may well be expected that
they will be anxious to know the meaning of this exhortation,
and how they ought to speak, so as God in all things may be
glorified, and the Church comforted, and built up in their
most holy faith. Allow me, therefore, to say a few things on this
subject. By the oracles of God is meant his Word, by which
he speaks and reveals his will to men.* When you are com
manded to speak as the oracles of God, the meaning is, that
the matter of what you say should be exactly conformable to
his Word, and the manner of it agreeable to what is enjoined
and exemplified in the Scripture, as well as suitable to the
nature of the truth which you declare. Let us make a few
remarks on each of these.
I. As to the matter of exhortation. Notice, in the first place,
that the grand leading subject must be the truth concerning
Christ. Speak of the dignity of his person as the great God and
our Saviour, the perfection of his atonement, the assurance given
of salvation to those who believe on his name, the suitableness
of that salvation to our circumstances, who are poor, wretched,
miserable sinners. It is thus we are exhorted to speak the
truth in love, that we may grow up into him in all things who
is the head, even Christ.f And exhorting one another daily,
is represented as a means of saving us from an evil heart of un
belief, in departing from the living God ; as well as preventing
us from being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.f Pre
sent to our view the glorious object of hope which is held
forth in the gospel, that we may be encouraged to keep the
faith || — press it upon our minds from the consideration of the
faithfulness, power, and mercy of God, who hath called us to
his eternal glory by Jesus Christ § — show us how this hope is
warranted by the death and resurrection of Jesus, who rose as
the first fruits of them that sleep,^[ and now says, Surely I come
quickly, amen.** This truth, or salvation through Christ, is
that which we see is chiefly dwelt on in the Word of God. It
* Acts vii. 38. Rom. iii. 2. Heb. v. 12. \ Eph. iv. 15.
\ Heb. iii. 12, 13. || 1 Thess. iv. 18. Chap. v. 11. § 1 Thess.v. 23,
24. 2 Thess. iii. 3. Heb. x. 23. Jude, ver. 21. Rom. viii. 3 1, 32
1 1 Cor xv. 12—29. ** Kev. xxii. 20.

MUTUAL EXI-IORTATIOiS. 11
may be termed the sum and substance of Divine revelation.
Moses and all the prophets wrote of Christ.* They testified
beforehand, the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should
follow.f Christ crucified was the whole amount of the Apostles'
preaching.^ In this they gloried as a foundation of hope to
themselves ; and all their labours were directed to show to the
world the evidence of this truth, and to establish the churches
in the faith of it. Every thing else in Christianity is connected
with this, and is important and valuable, just in proportion as it
stands nearly related to the truth. Therefore, if you would
speak as the oracles of God, let the cross of Christ be the main
subject of your exhortations, and let every thing you say, be ac
companied with the savour of his blessed name.
Second, The commandments of our Lord and Saviour, like
wise furnish ample matter for exhortation. Put the brethren
in remembrance of these. Count none of his commandments
trifling or unimportant, while you remember that they are all
enforced by the authority of Him who died, and rose, and revi
ved, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. Keep
always in your view the inseparable connexion between the faith
and hope of the gospel, and subjection to the laws of Christ.
Warn us of the danger of making an empty profession of the
name of Christ, or saying unto him Lord, Lord, while we do
not the will of his Father who is in heaven. || Enforce upon
our consciences every commandment of the Lord, by the mo
tives of the gospel, the love of God,§ the hope of eternal life,1f
the fear of being disapproved of at that day, when Christ shall
reward his faithful followers.** Insist chiefly on those com
mandments which are most contrary to our natural inclinations,
which we have the strongest temptations to oppose, or to
which, from whatever cause, you may see us least attentive.
Third, Urge upon us most frequently the things of greatest
importance. Christ speaks of the great and weightier matters
of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith -tt There are a great
variety of subjects in the Word of God, and they are not all of
equal importance in themselves, though it is of the greatest
consequence to us, to regard every thing in its proper place.
Notice what is most insisted on in the Word of God, and let
your exhortations bear some proportion to this. We do not
speak as the oracles of God, if we often dwell on those things
; * Luke xxiv. 26, 27, 46. Acts x. 43. t 1 Pet.i. 11.
t 1 Cor. i. 23. 2 Cor. iv. 2, 5, 6, 7. j| Matt. vii. 21, 22, 23. '
§ Rom. xii. 1. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 1 John iii. 16. Chap. iv. 7—11.
f Tit. ii. 11— 15. 1 John iii. 2, 3.
** 1 Cor. ix. 27. Chap. vi. 9, 10. Gal. vi. 3, 4,5, 7, 8. Matt. xxv.
26, to the end. tt Matt, xxiii. 23.

12 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
which are but seldom mentioned in the Scriptures, and spa
ringly touch at other things, which are to be met with almost
in every page. Beware also of too great a fondness for any
particular point, as this might endanger your neglect of some
thing else, equally important, or perhaps more so. Observe
the connexion and harmony of the truths of God, and see that
you make every thing to correspond according to that beauti
ful order which is established in his Word.
Fourth, Exhort chiefly on practical subjects : the experience
of a Christian, the comfort and joy of the truth, a conversation
becoming the gospel, with the motives which powerfully con
strain the followers of Christ to be subject to his laws. Let it
be something that has a tendency to warm the heart, to raise
our affections above this present world, to comfort us under
affliction, to enliven our souls, and make us more zealous and
active in the service of God. To do this, is to speak as the ora
cles of God ; for every doctrine revealed in the Scripture is
meant to affect the heart, and regulate the practice. Much is
there said about the unprofitableness of mere knowledge, or
vain speculation.* I do not pretend to say that the brethren
are absolutely prohibited from instructing one another, or open
ing up the meaning of a Scripture text, if they do it properly,
and make a suitable improvement. The brethren in general
are exhorted to teach and admonish one another ; but in order
to this, it is necessary that they should be full of goodness, filled
with all knowledge, and that the word of Christ should dwell
in them richly in all wisdom.f When this is the case, they will
not be much taken up with mere speculation. Let what you
say in general, therefore, be exhortation properly so called.
This will do us more good than teaching, for most of us are not
so deficient in point of knowledge, as we are in the experience
and practice of Christians.
To enforce this still farther, let it be observed, that many
of the brethren who are incapable to teach, may be very useful
in the way of exhorting the Church, and if they step out of
their proper place, they cannot expect to edify their brethren.
A caution is given against this, Rom. xii. 3, " For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among
you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every
man the measure of faith." A beautiful description is like
wise given of the body of Christ, 1 Cor. chap, xii., from which
* Mat. vii. 21, to the end. 1 Cor. xiii. I, 2. Chap viii. 1, 2 3.
James ii. 14, to the end. 1 John ii. 4. Chap. iii. 17.
t Rom. xv. 14. Col. iii, 16.

MUTUAL EXHORTATION. 13
we see that it consists of a variety of members occupying differ
ent stations for the good of the whole. It is therefore necessary
that every one should know the place assigned him in the body,
that he may minister therein with profit to his brethren.*
II. Let us now proceed to give a few hints as to the manner
of exhortation.First, Let all that you say be directed to some end. Never
speak in a vague, loose, and unmeaning way ; the intention of
your doing so, is not merely to fill up the time — you ought al
ways to have the Church's edification in view ; and in order to
this, it is necessary that you be pointed and express as to some
* It is manifest, from the description here referred to, that some are
teachers in distinction from the brethren in general, who are to be taught
and instructed by them. There must therefore be an essential difference
between that teaching which is allowed to the brethren, and that which is
the peculiar province of those who are teachers by office ; which seems to
consist in the following particulars : — -First, It would appear that expound
ing the Scriptures, and illustrating subjects in a doctrinal way, belongs to
the pastors of a church in distinction from the brethren. It does not seem
to be the province of the latter, to speak on any occasion solely with a
view to establish doctrinal points, or to open up the meaning of the Word
of God. The teaching that is enjoined on the brethren in general, seems
only to be what is necessary to lay a foundation for practical exhortations,
in which they should chiefly be employed. This appears from their being
frequently called to exhort, admonish, comfort, edify, &c, and only once in
the New Testament commanded to teach, where also it is connected with
admonishing one another,* and cannot be supposed to confer upon them the
office of teaching. Second, To exhort and convince gainsayers is also the
peculiar province of teachers. This is expressly mentioned as a part of
the elder's character and office, that he should " hold fast the faithful
word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, both
to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. "t And this is nowhere said to be
the duty of the brethren in a public way, though some may be able to do
it in private, and all are supposed capable to give an answer to every man
that asketh them a reason of the hope that isin them. % Third, The autho
rity and presidency that is connected with teaching, belongs only to those
who have the oversight of the flock of God.|| See the Address, p. 4,
and 5. And the distinction of which we now treat, is visible, and ought
to be so in every well regulated assembly of Christians.
Two cases only occur to me wherein it may be necessary for brethren to
go beyond the bounds that are here prescribed. In places where there are
no elders, the nature of the thing requires that one of the brethren should
preside, but this may be done without setting himself up as a teacher.
And when a church has a particular person in view, as being fit for the
elder's office, or for preaching the gospel to the world, it is very proper
that trial should be made of his gifts in the most public way : butin this
case he proceeds with the suffrage of his brethren, who have certainly as
good a right to try the gifts of those who are to bear office among them,
as they have to confer any office, when fully satisfied with the person's
qualifications^ * Col. iii. 10. t Tit. i. 0, See also, 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. $ 1 Pet. iii. JS,
] 1 Pet. v. 2, 5. §lTim.Y. 22. Chap. iii. 1— M, particularly vcr. 0, 10. Tit. i. 5— 11,

14 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
particular thing, in which you would have us corrected or esta
blished. It is not enough that good things are said : we will
not be much edified, unless we discern the purpose you have in
view, and have our minds drawn to the consideration of some
particular subject — mention what it is, and keep to the point,
for thus only we can give that degree of attention which is ne
cessary, in order to our profiting by what you say.
This is included in speaking as the oracles of God; for
though the Scriptures are not written in the form of a system, yet
we meet with no confusion there : — a subject is often dwelt upon
and pursued in the closest manner. In reading the Word of
God, our minds are not distracted with a variety of things con
fusedly blended together. How closely do the Apostles keep
to the point in preaching the Gospel, declaring uniformly the
death and resurrection of Christ as the foundation of hope to
guilty men, and assuring all that believe, of salvation through
his name ? Is there not also a beautiful order to be observed
in the Epistle to the Romans, where the Apostle first treats of
the corruption of human nature, then of justification through
Christ, and next of the blessed effects produced by that justifi
cation, keeping always to the subject in hand ? See too how
closely he keeps to his text, when he illustrates and improves
the Old Testament Scriptures, particularly in the Epistle to
the Hebrews, Chapters 3, 4, 8, 9, and 10. The same order is not
indeed to be seen in every other part of the Scripture ; but the
language is always expressive, and suited to call our attention
to the great things therein revealed.
Perhaps, if what has just been said were duly attended to,
it might greatly shorten some of our exhortations, but this in
my opinion would be no disadvantage. A few words fitly
spoken, may be of more use than many long discourses ; — be
sides, long exhortations both tend to discourage young begin
ners, and prevent those who might be inclined to engage in this
duty, from having an opportunity for want of time.
Second, Speak the Word of God with solemnity and reve
rence. It is the character of the Lord's people that they
tremble at his Word.* This ought not only to be the disposi
tion of your minds, but should also be visible in your appear
ance, and manner of speaking. A hasty and irreverent method
of speech, like a schoolboy repeating his lesson, or even a
careless posture of the body, is very unbecoming, when you are
employed in calling our attention to the Word of God.
The wise man gives us this necessary caution : — " Keep thy
foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready
' Ezraix. 4. Isa. xlvi, 2. Psal. cxix. 120.

MUTUAL EXHORTATION. 15
to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools ; for they consider not
that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not
thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God : for God is
in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be
few."* You will easily perceive, that such a deep impression
of the majesty and holiness of God, and such earnest care
about the propriety of what we say before him, as is here en
joined, will be accompanied with a serious and deliberate man
ner of address, suited to the importance of what we are engaged
in, and expressive of our highest veneration for the name of
God. The directions here given, are commonly understood to
apply only to our approaches unto God in prayer. But Solo
mon had more in view than this. The prohibition of rash vows,
under that dispensation, was one thing principally intended, as
appears from verse 4, and what he says was suited to regulate
the whole of our deportment in the house of God. Doubtless
we ought in a particular manner to attend to his instructions,
when employed in the duty of prayer, which, as it is an imme
diate approach unto God, must be owned to be a more solemn
and important duty than speaking to one another. But he also
directs us in general how to behave in the house of God, and
in all that we utter before him ; and you will be the more en
abled to comply with what he requires, if both in public prayers,t
and in speaking as the oracles of God, you attend to that part
of the exhortation, " therefore let thy words be few."
Third, Speak the Word of God with humility. The gospel,
if it has any proper influence upon our minds, must humble us,
not only in the sight of God, but also in regard to one another.
Thus all of us are exhorted to be subject one to another, and to
be clothed with humility, from this consideration, God resisteth
the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.} If then we are
clothed with humility, it must surely appear in our way of ex
horting the brethren, as well as in every thing else. Do not
speak in that overbearing and dictatorial style, which always
disgusts, and therefore cannot be supposed to edify. Avoid
unbecoming forwardness, and assume such an air and manner
as bespeaks your submission to the brethren. The language
of entreaty is most effectual, as well as most becoming among
Christians, and to this we are exhorted, 1 Tim. v. 1, 2. " Re
buke not an elder, but entreat him as a father, and the younger
men as brethren ; the elder women as mothers, the younger as
sisters, with all purity."
Our pride may also appear in cavilling about words, making
* Eccles. v. 1, 2. fMatt. vi. 7, 8.
t 1 Pet. v. 7. See also, Rom. xii. 10. Philip, ii. 3.

16 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
a great noise about things which have no relation either to the
faith or practice of Christians, and being too fond of our own
opinions. Of such persons the Apostle says, " That they are
proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes
of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, destitute of the
truth, &c* And he gives frequent cautions against every
thing of this sort, in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus.f I do
not blame any of the brethren at present for a spirit of this
kind; but let us just think how unbecoming it would be in a
man to stand up and speak to his brethren that truth by which
the pride of man is abased, with an air of self-sufficiency, con
ceited of his own opinion, and more careful to recommend him
self than the truth. We all know how we would feel upon such
an occasion ; indignation against the man would be more pre
valent in our minds, than joy in the truth which he might de
clare. But brethren, we are all too much disposed naturally
to be proud of our own wisdom and knowledge, and we are more
apt to discern appearances of this kind in others than in our
selves. Let us therefore have a guard upon our spirits. When
you exhort us, speak not as if you thought yourselves possessed
of great knowledge ; for the Apostle says, if any man think that
he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to
know. $ Think much of the truth, but little of yourselves, or of
your manner of declaring it
Fourth, Exhort with sincerity and simplicity. Much is said
about this in the Word of God ; it is a very essential part of the
character of a Christian, and without it no man deserves the
name. In nothing are Christians more distinguished from the
world, than in that simplicity and sincerity of speech and con
duct, which the Scriptures recommend. How many professions
of friendship are made in the world, which have nothing in
them ? They are mere words of course, or perhaps meant to en
snare and betray. But let it not be so among you. In all
your conduct, follow his example in whose lips no guile was
found. Attention to this is particularly necessary in speaking
the truth. It was the rejoicing of the Apostles, " that, in sim
plicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the
grace of God, they had their conversation in the world, and
more abundantly towards the brethren." || And Titus is ex
horted, in doctrine to show uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.§
When you exhort us, speak the real sentiments of your hearts,
* 1 Tim. vi. 4, 5. f 1 Tim. iv. 7, 8. 2 Tim. ii. 16, 17, 23.
Tit. i. 10—15. Chap. iii. 9. J 1 Cor. viii. 2. || 2 Cor. i. 12.
§ Tit. ii. 7. See, too, the example of Paul, 2 Cor. iv. 2. 1 Thess. ii. 3.

MUTUAL EXHORTATION. 17
and in a way that is altogether unaffected and sincere. Make
no professions of love but what are genuine ; for we are com
manded to love without dissimulation,* to love one another with
pure hearts fervently ;t express no concern for us but what is
real, no desire to edify and comfort us but what you feel.
Do not put any forced meaning upon the Word of God, or
wrest the Scripture to answer any purpose of your own ; but
set it forth in its plain, simple, and natural meaning. Can
didly give place to it upon all occasions, even when it seems
to contradict your preconceived opinions, and thus show an
example of the power of that Word on your own minds, which
you wish to enforce upon us. In speaking of the great things
of God, use not the words which man's wisdom teacheth ; for
though by this you may intend to adorn the truth, you will
really spoil it. The gospel is a plain and simple declaration
of the mercy of God to sinners : it is expressed in such lan
guage as is familiar to the most unlearned : it scorns the aid of
man's wisdom, and can only be profitably spoken in language
similar to its own.|
Further, in regard to insincerity, beware that it does not
take place as to the motives by which you are actuated in
speaking. We all profess to do so with a view to glorify God,
and to edify one another ; but our hearts are deceitful, and our
motives are often base, while our words, and even our actions
may be good. See that your aim be not that of pleasing men ;
for this would be seeking your own glory, and not the glory of
God. The Apostle says, " We speak, not as pleasing men,
but God, who trieth our hearts." || This was a noble saying,
and it would be well for us if we could always adopt it with sin
cerity. In connection with this, attend to what immediately
follows, " For neither at any time used we flattering words, as
ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness." As to
the latter of these you will not be much in danger ; but beware
cif flattering us, for this can only tend to feed our pride, and to
show your want of sincerity.
If, according to the example just referred to, you sincerely
wished to speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who trieth our
hearts, this would in a great measure banish that slavish fear
which now prevents some of you from attempting to please
God in this way. I do not say that it is wrong to endeavour
to please your brethren, if you do it for their good to edifica
tion ; but why should a fear of displeasing them, prevent you
* Rom. xii. 9. t l Pet- >• 22-
t 1 Cor. i. 17. Chap. ii. 1, 4, 13. || 1 Thess. ii. 4.

18 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
from doing your duty both to God and them ? Examine into
the bottom of this motive. Whatever excuses may be made
on account of peoples' natural timidity, you will find something
wrong in it. If your minds were properly exercised, you would
surely be more afraid of displeasing God than your fellow-men.
Does this appear to be the case, when you can live in the neglect
of a duty which he hath commanded, because you are afraid that
the brethren will not approve of your attempts to perform it?
If you say that you are not qualified for performing this duty,
then the fear of offending God should prevent you, and not the
fear of men. Now, which of these preponderates ? Is it a fear
of sinning against God that prevents you from exhorting, or a
fear of not acquitting yourselves with approbation before
men ? The first of these is an excellent motive, but I am afraid
that in the case now before us it has little influence with some ;
indeed, it would be wrong to suppose that the true fear of
God could operate in the way of preventing his people from do
ing his will.
Lastly, Exhort with affection, fervour, and zeal. In order to
this, it is necessary that your own minds should be deeply affect
ed with the important things revealed in the Word of God, and
that you should speak what you feel and experience. Do not
satisfy yourselves merely with a persuasion that you know and
believe the truth : those who do so, must not only feel its power
to enlighten their minds, but to fill them with joy unspeakable
and full of glory, with love and gratitude to God, with zeal and
activity in his service ; in short, their whole heart and soul must
be engaged in the religion of Christ, and suitably moved by
whatever he hath said to his disciples. Let this appear by your
lively, affectionate, and zealous manner of exhorting us. Are
we not, brethren, all deeply interested in the things you say ?
The life of our souls is in them ; but however important these
things are in themselves, you may make them little felt by your
manner of speaking them. If you speak so as scarcely to be
heard, or set forth the doctrines and commandments of Jesus
in a drawling and insipid manner, how are you to expect that
we can be much affected by your exhortations ? The most affect
ing circumstance may appear, just by the manner of telling it,
an uninteresting trifle, and we can scarcely listen to the cool
relater. The best news, or the most entertaining and event
ful story, in the mouth of him who speaks with indifference,
will only tend to make hearers yawn. Such things happen in
common life ; but what a pity is it that they should take place
among Christians, who have things to speak of, infinitely more
important than all that can otherwise affect the hearts and pas-

MUTUAL EXHORTATION. 19
sions of men ? Be assured, however, that the cases are parallel.
The truth of God indeed is always the same, however it may
be spoken, and will edify and comfort the souls of the dis
ciples; but dry, formal, and careless speeches about it, will
never do so.
To hear one speak with cool indifference about the dangers
we are exposed to, or the enjoyments we have in Christ, has
surely no tendency to alarm us, or fill us with joy. Suppose
you tell a man that the next house is on fire, and that he must
instantly remove or be burnt to death, if you should say this
just in the same way as you would speak of any common occur
rence, without the least appearance of concern, would he be
lieve you ? Would he not wait for another messenger, or go
himself, with no great agitation, to see if what you said were
true ? Again, were you to be a messenger of the most joyful
news to a friend, and tell him, in the same careless manner, of
something greatly to the advantage of him and his family,
would he not either think that you were not interested in his
welfare, or that you did not yourself believe what you told
him? These things may well be applied to the subject in hand,
especially in regard to unbelievers hearing what we have to say
respecting the gospel : they will no doubt think that we do not
believe those things ourselves, which, though we speak about
them, do not seem to affect us ;* and who can blame them for
thinking so? Our own minds would be uneasy on the very
same ground, were it not that we have learned to judge differ
ently of this sort of evidence ; making large allowance for bad
habits, and the influence of a false principle, which has some
way crept in to all kinds of Congregational Churches in this
* Let it be carefully observed, that we do not mean to affirm, that in
speaking of the gospel, in the most lively and affecting manner, is of itself
a sufficient evidence that we are the true disciples of Christ ; nor do we
say that other things are not still more essential and important. The
highest attainments of this kind may be possessed by those who are desti
tute of love ; for, says the Apostle, " Though I speak with the tongues of
men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass,
or a tinkling cymbal." f That is, I may please and edify others, but can
not profit myself; like a musical instrument, which gratifies those who
listen to it, without being conscious of its own charms. We are not how
ever to imagine, that the Apostle throws a stigma upon this, or the other
attainments, and outward expressions of love, which he mentions in the
context, such as, having all knowledge and faith, and giving all our goods
to feed the poor ; for it is evident that the want of love itself, is that alone
which he condemns. There may be striking appearances of love without
the reality, but there can be no reality without tho appearance.
f 1 Cor. xiii. 1,

20 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
country. They were right in condemning the empty show, and
false appearances of zeal and fervour, which have been displayed
by many of the national clergy ; but, as it has happened
with many other things, they have carried this also to an ex
treme, and very improperly reckon it a crime to speak the truth
in love, or to show, in the performance of this duty, any
striking outward marks of that fervent love to Christ and his
people, which must fill the heart of every believer.
As to the particular things whereby our earnestness and
affection should be made visible, let it be observed, that every
thing about a man tends to show us what is in his mind, if he
is upright and sincere. The manner of speech is the principal
thing ; but the appearance of the speaker ought also to coin
cide with this ; for a man addresses us not only by his words, but
by his eyes, attitude, air, and motion. Speak therefore to your
audience ; look them in the face, and do not fix your eyes on the
walls of the meeting-house, or the book in your hand ; let your
appearance indicate the concern or joy you feel ; speak to us
in a frank, open, and unreserved way, like a man addressing
his friends on any thing materially connected with their wel
fare ; let your address be often personal, though modest, hum
ble, and unaffected. I have sometimes thought, when a brother
was exhorting, that the Church were precisely in the same
situation as if they were in another room, overhearing some
thing said, but not to them. It is not enough that you should
now and then address them as " brethren," if the general strain
of what you say does not correspond with such an address.
Some of you will perhaps think that these things are of little
importance, and that the Scripture says nothing about them.
It appears however to me, that the very nature of the truth it
self directs to all that hath been said ; and did not our Lord
tell his disciples, that out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh? * This surely applies to our manner of speech,
as well as to the things we say : that which mainly occupies a
man's heart and affections, will not only be often spoken of, but
spoken of in such a manner as to show that his heart and soul
are in it.
I shall now mention a few Scripture examples which appear
to me exactly in point. The first is the most illustrious : it is
the example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to which I
doubt not you will pay the utmost deference. Of him it is
frequently noticed that he looked round about on those to whom
he spoke, sometimes with love and pity, sometimes with anger
and indignation, according as the nature of the subject, or the
* Matt. xii. 34, 35.

MUTUAL EXHORTATION. 21
behaviour of men, was suited to move his holy soul. * It is
likewise more than once said of him that he cried, when he
preached the gospel to men : f " Jesus stood and cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." Was not
this a striking outward expression of the fervency of his spirit
in preaching the gospel, and his earnest desire for the salva
tion of sinners ? When he was in the synagogue at Nazareth,
he read a prophecy concerning himself, % and it is noticed
that the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fast
ened on him when he had only read the Scripture, and sat down.
Now, what could this be owing to ? Surely they must have
been taken with his inviting aspect, and the solemnity and affec
tion with which he read the Word of God ; for they did not
understand the Scripture which he had read. The same thing
probably contributed in part afterwards, to make them wonder
at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth ; for he
no doubt spoke to them in a gracious manner. I should like
wise imagine, that the officers sent by the Pharisees and chief
priests to take him, must have been struck with his appearance
and manner of speech, when they gave this as the reason of
their not apprehending him, Never man spake like this man. ||
Do you think there would be no marks of indignation in his
countenance and manner of address, when he said to his disci
ples, " O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I
be with you ? how long shall I suffer you ?" § Or when he said
to Peter, " Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offence
unto me : for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but
those that be of men." If Was there no expression in his eye,
when a look from him made Peter go out and weep bitterly ? **
Did not grief appear in his countenance when he wept over the
city of Jerusalem, and expressed these mournful words, record
ed in Luke xix. 42, 43, 44, ft " If thou hadst known, even
thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy
peace ! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days
shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench
about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in, on every
side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children
within thee ; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon
another ; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation ?"
And were there no signs of joy to be seen about him, when he
rejoiced in spirit, and said, " I thank thee O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise
* Mark iii. 5. Chap. x. 23, 27. Luke vi. 10.
f John vii. 37, and xii. 44. % Luke iv. 16, &c.
|| John vii. 46. § Matt. xvii. 17. i Matt. xvi. 23.
** Luke xxii. 61, 62. ft See also, Luke xiii. 33—35.

22 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes : even so Fa
ther, for so it seemed good in thy sight?"*
Instances of this kind might be multiplied both from the
history of Christ and his Apostles ; but I shall only farther take
notice of a few things recorded of Paul. When he preached
the gospel in the synagogue at Antioch, it is said of him, " Then
Paul stood up, and beckoning with the hand, said, Men of
Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience." t This was sure
ly an open, pointed, and inviting manner of address: throughout
the whole of the discourse, his language is personal, striking,
and affectionate, in the highest degree. " Men and brethren, chil
dren of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fear-
eth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent — We declare
unto you glad tidings, how that the promise that was made unto
the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their chil
dren. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that
through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins."
And the same personal address is made use of in the awful
warning given them at the end, " Beware therefore, lest that
come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets ; Behold, ye
despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your
days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man
declare it unto you." If you look through the sermons preach
ed by the Apostles in general, you will find them much alike
in this respect, and also the epistles written to the churches.
Nay, I will venture to affirm that, in all the Word of God, there
cannot be found so much as one instance of a person address
ing men about the things of God, in a way that does not re
semble this, in the particulars we have mentioned.
The same method of address was practised by Paul in the
defences he made before his enemies. One of them begins
thus, " Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence." X At
another time he is represented in this way, " Paul earnestly
beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in
all good conscience before God until this day." || His speech
to king Agrippa is still more remarkable in this view. § On
that occasion it is said of him, " Then Paul stretched forth the
hand, and answered for himself : I think myself happy, king
Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before
thee," &c. When he begins to relate what befell him in his
way to Damascus, he again addresses himself to Agrippa, " At
mid-day, O king, I saw a light from heaven, above the bright
ness of the sun." Further, when beginning his description of
* Luke x. 21. f Acts xiii. 16. f Acts xxii. 1.
|| Acts xxiii. 1. § Acts xxvi.

MUTUAL EXHORTATION; 23
the effects produced upon him by seeing the Just One, and
hearing the voice of his mouth, he says, " Whereupon, O king
Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision."
After Festus had interrupted and reviled him, and he had re
plied to him in a respectful, yet bold and determined manner,
" I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words
of truth and soberness ;" appealing also to the king for the
truth of the facts which he had testified, and declaring that
he spoke freely before him, he again turns to Agrippa, and
says, " King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know
that thou believest." Whether the partial conviction expressed
by Agrippa in these words, " Almost thou persuadest me to be
a Christian," was the effect of the truth declared by Paul, or
of the energy with which he spoke, or both, it is not material
to determine ; but nothing could be more emphatical, or more
expressive of disinterested benevolence, than the answer made
by Paul, " I would to God, that not only thou, but also all
that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such
as I am, except these bonds."
I cannot attempt to enumerate the various expressions of
this Apostle's love to his brethren in Christ : to some of whom
he says, " God is my record how greatly I long after you all
in the bowels of Jesus Christ." * To others, " Now we live
if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render
to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your
sakes before our God ; night and day praying exceedingly that
we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking
in your faith." t And even to those who were ungrateful among
them, he says, " I will very gladly spend and be spent for you,
though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved." X
It would be unnecessary to give you many instances of his man
ner of addressing himself to the churches. With these you
must be well acquainted ; and you cannot look into any of his
epistles, without seeing abundant evidence in every page, that
he dealt much in that familiar, intimate, and personal style,
which is the natural effusion of love. The following may
therefore suffice as a specimen of the language of entreaty often
used by him, when exhorting his brethren to the duties incum
bent on them as Christians. " I beseech you therefore, bre
thren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your rea
sonable service." || " Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing,
* Philip i. 8. f 1 Thess. iii. 8—10.
} 2 Cor. xii. 15. j| Rom. xii. 1.

24 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
and that there be no divisions among you ; but that ye be per
fectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judg
ment." * " If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any
comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels
and mercies : fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."t " I therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of
the vocation wherewith ye are called : with all lowliness and
meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love ;
endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace." X " Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed
for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly
beloved." || " We have great joy and consolation in thy love, be
cause the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin
thee that which is convenient, yet, for love's sake, I rather be
seech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also
a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I beseech thee for my son Onesi-
mus, whom I have begotten in my bonds : — Thou therefore
receive him that is mine own bowels : — Yea, brother, let me
have joy of thee in the Lord : refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, know
ing that thou wilt also do more than I say."§ You may
also take the following as a specimen of his way of addressing
their consciences, when he meant to impress upon their minds
a due sense of their danger, and to move them with fear : " Thou
standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear : for if God
spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also
spare not thee."*|[ "If any man defile the temple of God, him
shall God destroy : for the temple of God is holy, which temple
ye are." ** " Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God ? Be not deceived." tt "If ye live after the
flesh, ye shall die." ft " Be not deceived ; God is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. For he that
soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption : but he that
soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." ||||
" Let no man deceive you with vain words : for because of these
things cometh the wrath of God upon the. children of disobe
dience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them." §§
When we consider the lively zeal by which this Apostle was
actuated, and his earnest desire for the salvation of sinners,
* 1 Cor. i. 10. f Philip, ii. 1. $ Ephes. iv. 1—3.
|| Philip, iv.l. § Philemon, ver. 7 — 10, 12, 20, 21.
f Rom. xi. 20, 21. "" 1 Cor. iii. 17. ff 1 Cor. vi. 9.
XX Rom. viii. 13, HI Gal. vi. 7, 8. §§ Ephes. v.' 6,' 7.

MUTUAL EXHORTATION. 25
and the edification of the churches, so often expressed in his
writings, it would be quite unnatural to suppose that his out
ward appearance and manner did not bear evident marks of the
fervency of his spirit. Read the second chapter of his first
Epistle to the Thessalonians throughout — At verse 8th, he
says, " So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing
to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also
our own souls, because ye were dear unto us." Is it possible,
think you, that the man who could utter these words with sin
cerity, could at the same time appear dry, unanimated, or care
less, in preaching the gospel ? Would not his very looks, as
well as his words, convince the Thessalonians that he could
even impart unto them his soul ?
Upon the whole, brethren, I reckon this to be a subject of very
great importance. Your attention to the things that have been
spoken, will contribute greatly to our edification : your neglect
of them will mar it. I believe none will have any objection to
what has been said as to the matter of exhortation ; but as to
the manner of it, some perhaps may not be altogether satis
fied, this being rather a new doctrine among us. I am
only sorry that it should be so, and hope that it wall be more
attended to in future, on account of its having been so long
neglected. I shall now endeavour to answer some of the
most material objections which have been urged against some
of the rules I have laid down.
First, " The rules are too nice, it will be difficult to follow
them, and the brethren will be prevented from speaking at all,
lest they should not do it in a proper manner."
As to the nicety of the rules, I have only to say that they
are all agreeable to the nature of the truth, and to the Scrip
ture examples which have been adduced already. They are
quite natural, and for this reason cannot be nice or difficult. All
that is pleaded for, is just the natural expression of what a man
feels ; why then should any be discouraged, except those who
do not really feel the power of the truth ? of which number I
hope there are none among us. Were I to tell you, that when
you go to visit the sick, it would be improper to sit down and
look around you in a careless manner, and speak only about
the trifles of the day : that your words and looks should be
kind and affectionate, your conversation such as has a tendency
to comfort, and all your deportment expressive of your love,
sympathy, and care : would you say that I meant to hinder you
from visiting the sick, or that an exhortation of this kind had
any such tendency ? The conclusion would be equally unfair
in the one case as in the other.
Second, " Every one is not capable of speaking in a lively and
D

26 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
pathetic manner, however much they may be under the practi
cal influence of the truth. Some are prevented by their very
constitution and frame of mind, from being deeply affected with
any thing ; and others cannot, on account of their natural
timidity and backwardness, express what they really feel."
It is certainly true that there is a great variety in the consti
tution and frame of the human mind, and on many accounts it
cannot be expected that every one should be able to speak the
truth with the same degree of zeal, and fervent love : this
is not supposed, in any thing that has been said upon the sub
ject. Yet surely you must be convinced that it is the duty,
and would be the privilege, of every one who exhorts his breth
ren, to be under the full influence and power of what he says ;
and when this is the case, that it is natural for him to show by
outward signs the fervency of his spirit. We may often come
short of this, but it does not on this account cease to be our
duty. Whatever may be said about natural defects and infir
mities, which no doubt prevent some from appearing so lively
and affectionate as others, there is no man incapable of being
visibly affected with the important concerns of this life ; and
there are none so timid and backward, as to be always pre
vented from expressing their grief or joy to those in whom they
can confide. Now we are surely to expect that the gospel will
have a more powerful influence in these respects, than the most
important worldly concerns. If it is otherwise, we give no
proper evidence that we really believe it.
Third, " This method of address is too assuming, and does
not suit with that lowliness of mind, and subjection one to
another, which is highly becoming among Christians, and often
recommended in the Word of God. It may perhaps be allow
able for teachers to speak to us in a personal and earnest man
ner ; but if the brethren in general were to do so, they might
justly be considered as stepping out of their sphere, and assu
ming an authority to which they are not entitled."
It is admitted that there may be a danger of something of
this kind, particularly in those who are naturally of a keen and
forward disposition; or when the outward appearance and
manner is studied, without being solicitous to cultivate such a
state of mind, as would naturally produce all that we are plead
ing for. In this case, it will be very awkward to attempt it,
and those who do so, will appear affected, and perhaps dicta
torial, and overbearing. But how it should be imagined, that
this is necessarily connected with the genuine expressions of
fervent love, in the most familiar and personal manner of ad
dress, I cannot comprehend. It must be evident at first sight,
that love to the souls of our brethren, and the appearance of this

,i j

MUTUAL EXHORTATION. 27
which may be evinced in our manner of speaking to them respect
ing the gospel, are not only consistent with lowliness of mind,
but cannot subsist without it ; as you will see from these cha
racteristics of love given us by the Apostle. " Charity envieth
not ; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not be
have itself unseemly, seeketh not her own." *
It is not unlikely that a mistake about what I have endea
voured to urge upon you, may give rise to this objection. Per
haps you may think that fine language, and a formal studied
manner of speech, or what one would call a preaching style, is
that which is intended. This is by no means the case. I
would have every man to speak in a way that is perfectly na
tural, and as he would do in a pathetic conversation, when the
important truths of the gospel warm his heart, and lead him,
almost without design, to express himself in a striking, lively,
and affectionate manner. When this is done with simplicity
and godly sincerity ; your self-diffidence and humility will be
as conspicuous as your love and zeal.
Fourth, " This is making too much to depend on our man
ner of speaking, and derogating from the power of the truth
itself, which does not stand in need of human aid, and can only
be made effectual by the Spirit of God."
This is perhaps one of the most specious objections that
could be urged ; yet it will not be difficult to show that it is
without foundation. I acknowledge that, in regard to the
preaching of the gospel, the Apostle sets aside the means which
human wisdom would devise, such as, enticing words of man's
wisdom, f deceit and guile, X flattering words, || and all that is
suited to please and gratify the natural inclinations of men ; §
and he ascribes the effects produced by the gospel solely to the
wisdom and the power of God.^ It is necessary to pay the
strictest attention to this in exhorting one another. But
though the Apostle discards worldly wisdom, flattery, and de
ceit, where does he set aside zeal and fervour, in those who are
appointed to preach the gospel, or in brethren speaking to one
another about the things of God ? Does he not, on the con
trary, give a striking example of this in himself, as we have
already seen?** And does he not also recommend it to
others ? tt
It is quite wrong to imagine, that because the power of God
* 1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5. f 1 Cor. 1, 17, and ii. 1, 4. J 1 Thess. ii. 3.
|| 1 Thess. ii. 5. § 1 Thess. ii. 4.
«([ 1 Cor. i. 17, to the end. Chap. ii. throughout. Chap. iii. 6.
2 Cor. iv. 7. Chap. x. 4. 5.
** Pages, 24, 25. tt Acts xx. 17—36. 2 Tim. iv. 2, 5.

28 A DISCOURSE ON THE DUTY OF
is alone sufficient to edify his people by means of his word and
ordinances, that we have therefore nothing to do in regard to this
matter. If so, what would be the use of being connected to
gether in a church, and attending upon ordinances ? We might
as well read the Word of God at home, as solitary individuals,
and expect in this way to be built up in our most holy faith ;
which is opposite to the whole spirit of the New Testament.
Let us follow out this objection, and see where it leads to.
There are many duties expressly enjoined upon us in the Word
of God, which must all be set aside, if we give place to it in
its full extent. For instance, we are exhorted to warn the un
ruly, to comfort the feeble-minded, and to support the weak;*
but what need is there for such injunctions, if the Word is
able to produce these effects, without relation to any means
used by us ? May not the unruly be suffered to go on till the
Word of God correct them ? May not the feeble-minded droop
and languish, till they find comfort to themselves ; and the
weak fall before their enemies, till they meet with strength and
support by their own attention to the Word of God ? — When
our brother trespasses against us, we are commanded to go and
tell him his fault. If he will not hear us, then we must take
with us one or two more, to enforce our admonition, and to be
witnesses of his behaviour. If he shall neglect to hear them,
we must tell it unto the church, that he may likewise be admo
nished by them, and if possible reclaimed. But if he neglect
to hear the church, he must be unto us as an heathen man,
and a publican, t Now, is not this directing us to a variety of
means for the purpose of reclaiming an offending brother ? And
does not the objection make all this unnecessary, while it pro
ceeds upon the supposition that the Word of God alone, ought
to convince our brother of his fault, without any endeavours on
our part to bring him to repentance ? If it shall be said, that
no doubt we must in such cases make use of the Word of God,
but that little or nothing depends on our manner of doing so,
provided we bring forward Scriptures suited to the purpose we
have in view ; the opposite of this will also appear from the in
stances that have just been mentioned. Would you comfort the
feeble-minded, and support the weak, in the same manner as
you would warn the unruly ? Or could you expect to convince
a brother of his fault, if you should attack him with such vio
lence or ill humour, as might justly lead him to think that per
sonal resentment, and not love to his soul, was the cause of
your dealing with him ? If, notwithstanding this, he were still
reclaimed, which no doubt might be the case, I should most
* 1 Thess. v. 14. \ Matt, xviii. 15—17.

MUTUAL EXHORTATION. 29
readily acknowledge that it was owing, not to your endeavours,
but to the Word of God alone.
The Lord makes use of means suited to bring about the
ends he has in view : and one of the means which he has ap
pointed for our edification and comfort, is the duty we have
been considering. When you perform it in a suitable manner,
and give evidence that the word of Christ dwells richly in your
hearts, as well as in your judgments, is not this the work of God?
And must not all the good effects produced by your doing so,
be ascribed to him who worheth all in all ? * How then can
this be said to derogate from the power of the truth, or set
aside the effectual working of the Spirit of God ? In so far
as you come short of what has just been mentioned, you hinder
the truth from appearing in its native beauty and excellency.
Can this have any tendency to obviate the objection, and to
show that the Word of God is quick and powerful ? Do we
not rather give evidence of its power, by the very thing against
which the objection is levelled ?
I shall now conclude with observing, that I do not expect
to see any of the brethren always come up to the rules that
have been laid down, nor am I at all persuaded that I have
done so myself, or that I shall always do so in future. Alas!
brethren, our hearts are often too little affected by the gospel
of Christ to enable us to speak with affection, fervour, and
zeal, and we may often be conscious also of much insincerity,
pride, and hypocrisy : but these things are sinful ; let us strive
against them, and pray to the God of hope, that he would fill
us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in
hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then shall we
exhort one another with sincere and unaffected fervour of spi
rit, and make it appear to our brethren that we are under the
lively impressions of things unseen and eternal. This is what
I anxiously desire ; and if my endeavours, under the blessing of
God, shall in any measure contribute to this end, I shall re
joice, and give him the glory. * l Cor. xii. 11.

END OF THE DISCOURSE.

PARENTAL DUTIES
ILLUSTRATED FROM THE WORD OF GOD;

IN THREE DISCOURSES.

THE THIRD EDITION,
ENLARGED AND CORRECTED BY THE AUTHOR.

[ Train up a child in the way (in which) he should go, and when he is old he will not depart
from it." — Solomon.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN MDCCXCII.

[ 33 ]

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

An octavo edition of the following Discourses was published
in 1792, and is now disposed of. It has been thought proper
to reprint them in this form, that they might be afforded at such
a price as will suit the convenience of every purchaser.
Several Scotticisms, and other improprieties in style, have
been corrected ; but the author, who does not lay claim to
literary talents, supposes that in this respect he may still have
left room for criticism. Some allowance however will be made
for imperfections of this nature, if he has succeeded in his
main design, which is to state, in a simple, accurate, and con
vincing manner, the doctrine of the Scriptures concerning the
education of children. He earnestly wishes to call the atten
tion of Christian parents to the duties which they owe to their
children, and to urge upon them the motives by which these
duties are enforced in the Word of God ; particularly the as
surance which is given, to a certain extent, that success will
INFALLIBLY ATTEND THEIR LABOURS.
A father who doubts the truth of this, will not sufficiently
exert himself in training his children. The deficiency of his
parental care may be demonstrated by the habitual irregularity
of their conduct ; but it is consistent with his principles to im
pute all their faults to other causes, and he will be at no loss
to find excuses for his own negligence. Indeed, he could not
be justly blamed for neglect of duty, if he wanted either ability
or opportunity to perform it. The Word of God does not pre
scribe duties, which are rendered impracticable by any circum
stance whatever, except the ignorance or aversion of those on
whom they are enjoined.
A few remarks, which were thought necessary for the fur
ther illustration of some important points, have been added to
the Discourses.
Edinburgh, October 17, 1796.

[ 35

s ^

DISCOURSE I.

f* And. ye fathers, provoke not your children to ^wrath ; but bring them up in the
NURTURE AND ADMONITION OF THE LORD." — EPH. Vi. 4.
I have endeavoured, on some former occasions, to explain
and enforce the relative duties enjoined in the preceding
context on wives, husbands, and children; and the next in
course are those which are incumbent on parents. Attention
to all these duties is highly necessary for your own peace, for
the happiness of those with whom you are connected, and for
the honour of the Christian profession. But parental duties
are singularly important, as the happiness of children, during
the whole course of their lives, is intimately connected with
their education in youth ; and the conduct of parents not only
affects the present generation, but extends its influence to
future ages. Those of you who are parents ought therefore
to consider, with the most serious attention, every thing that
relates to this interesting subject.
In the text, the Apostle addresses himself particularly to
Fathers, as he does also in a similar exhortation to the Colos-
sians, " Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest
they be discouraged."* And this shows that the care
of young children is not entirely devolved on mothers ; that
bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord
is a matter of great importance, worthy of the most careful at
tention of fathers ; and that no hurry of business, nor any con
cerns in which they may be engaged, can be admitted as an
excuse for negligence in this duty. This also appears from its
being made an essential qualification in a bishop, or overseer
of a church of Christ, to have " his children in subjection with
all gravity," t and to have " faithful children, not accused of
* Col. iii. 21. ] 1 Tim. iii. 4.

36' parental duties.
riot, or unruly." * Deacons also must be such men as " rule
their children and their own houses well." t And if this is
essential to the characters of all the office-bearers in churches,
it must be a necessary thing in itself, and incumbent on every
Christian father.
This exhortation may also be addressed to fathers, because
they have naturally more authority than mothers, and it is their
province to take the lead in the government of their families.
In many other respects the care of children, especially in their
infant state, is chiefly devolved on the female sex. But it
should be considered, that " the man is the head of the woman ;
he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of
the man;" and on this ground she is commanded to submit to
her husband ; X from which it necessarily follows, that ruling chil
dren, and having them in subjection, though incumbent on both
parents, is more especially the duty of the man, who in dis
tinction from the woman is formed for the exercise of authority.
He, too, is most in danger of going to the extreme of severity,
and therefore peculiarly needs this caution, " Provoke not your
children to wrath."
We must not, however, understand that mothers are ex
cluded here, and that they are not to blame if they either
" provoke their children to wrath," or neglect to " bring them
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." There is no
reason to doubt, though fathers only are mentioned, that both
parents are intended, and have their different parts assigned
them in this important charge. In the nature of the thing, it
must be so : for mothers have an equal concern in the welfare
of their children : and we see, from the foregoing part of the
chapter, that honour and obedience are also due to them : " Chil
dren, obey your parents in the Lord. Honour thy father and
thy mother, which is the first commandment with promise."
We observe further, that the Apostle here addresses Chris
tian parents, or those who professed to believe the gospel, and
walked under its influence. This is plain from the way in which
he characterises these Ephesians : — " The saints, and faithful
in Christ Jesus — those whom the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ had blessed with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ— chosen in him before the founda
tion of the world, that they should be holy and without blame
before him in love || — quickened when dead in trespasses and
sins, saved by the grace of God, through faith, and created in
Christ Jesus unto good works." § Such persons, and such
* Tit. i. 6. f 1 Tim. iii. I'-'. X 1 Cor. xi. 3, 7—10. Eph. v. 22—2-1.
II EPh. '¦ 1-5- § Eph. ii. 1,5,8, 10.

against provoking to wrath. 37
only, are addressed in all the epistles to the churches ; and we
ought to consider the necessity of having Christian principles,
before we can perform, in an acceptable manner, any of those
duties which are enjoined on the followers of Christ.
The exhortation which is given in the text to believing pa
rents, not only regards their treatment of such of their children
as make the Christian profession, but likewise extends to all
their children. They are all under the charge of their parents
from infancy, and are thus to be brought up before they are
capable of professing the faith ; and although they should ad
vance towards maturity without the saving knowledge of the
truth, that is no reason why parents should be remiss in the
duties here enjoined. They ought rather, in that case, to be
the more anxious to instruct and warn them, to the utmost of
their power.
It does not appear to me, that nurture, considered in the
light of bodily chastisement, suits the case of believing chil
dren, however young. We must, deal with the consciences of
such, as persons subject to the authority of God, and under
the influence of the motives of the gospel : and if they are so
refractory as to merit chastisement with the rod, they will de
serve also to be excluded from the fellowship of a church of
Christ. There are two extremes in the conduct of parents towards
their children. Some are too severe, and by an unlawful
stretch of authority provoke their children to wrath, and dis
courage them. Others are too indulgent, from a mistaken sort
of love and tenderness, which, on account of its baneful conse
quences, deserves the name of hatred. They have no proper
authority or government; they seldom teach their children
with effect, or chastise them to any good purpose ; and conse
quently neither restrain their follies nor their vices. We shall
speak to each of these classes : and it is the more necessary,
as the same persons often err in botli ways ; for it may fre
quently be observed, that parents who have no proper uniform
authority, are upon some occasions the most arbitrary and
severe. The following are the particulars that we mean to illustrate
and enforce : —
I. The prohibition expressed in these words, " provoke not
your children to wrath."
II. The commandment, to " bring them up in the nurture
of the Lord."
III. The commandment, to " bring them up in the admoni
tion of the Lord."

38 parental duties.
IV. We shall then take notice of some motives and encou
ragements, which are suited to animate Christian parents to
the faithful discharge of these duties.
I. Let us attend to the import of the prohibition, " Provoke
not your children to wrath." Parents are taught by this, to
avoid all harsh and cruel treatment, and to beware of indulging
their own pride and humour, instead of seeking the real advan
tage and happiness of their children. In every case wherein
the Word of God makes it lawful and proper to exercise autho
rity, it is intended not to gratify the ambition of those to whom
it is committed, but for the good of those whose duty it is to be
in subjection, and for the benefit of society in general, which
cannot subsist without subordination. It is so in kingdoms as
well as families ; for civil governors are appointed " for the
punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do
well;"* and all who are vested with power and authority, are
answerable to God for the use they make of it. Thus masters
are commanded to " forbear threatening, knowing that their
Master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons
with him." f This is a solemn consideration, which ought to
overawe the minds of parents, and make them anxious to avoid
all undue severity.
The prohibition implies,
First, That you ought never to exercise arbitrary and des
potic authority, either in the way of commanding, finding fault,
chastising, or any thing else. This is done by some parents
with a view to inure their children to contradiction and disap
pointment ; but the experiment is dangerous and unnecessary,
as there will be many opportunities of contradicting them,
when duty absolutely requires it. There is no child who will
not frequently have desires which ought not to be gratified, or
who will always cheerfully yield his own humour and inclina
tion to the will of his superiors ; and if there were such chil
dren, it would be most unreasonable to contradict them.
It is true indeed, that children, when they are very young, can
not always discern the reasons why they ought to do one thing
and refrain from another, and must therefore, in their apprehen
sion, be under a sort of arbitrary government for a time ; and
it is proper they should in all things implicitly submit to the
will of their parents. When a father commands, this is suffi
cient, and he ought immediately to be obeyed. But though he
may not find it necessary, or even possible on all occasions, to
explain the reasons of his conduct, he ought certainly to have
* 1 Pet. ii. 14. | Eph. vi. 9.

against provoking to wrath. 39
a good reason in his own mind for all that he commands. He
should, on proper occasions, make his children to understand
why he requires and prohibits this and the other thing, and
never take it amiss when he is discreetly asked to give his
reason. We ought to deal with children as rational creatures, not
merely with the force of authority, but in the way of addressing
often their judgment and conscience. It is very possible to
convince them of the propriety of many things that are opposite
to their natural inclinations ; and we never can be sure of their
uniform subjection and obedience, unless when they are con
vinced that the things we require of them are just and reason
able. If a contrary practice is followed, what is the conse
quence ? Children will soon come to think for themselves : and
what judgment are they to form of their parents, if they see them
actuated by the spirit of despotic tyrants? Such behaviour
must have a tendency to provoke them to wrath.
Second, Never refuse your children any thing that you can
properly give them, if it is asked with submission and respect ;
and allow them such freedom in making known their requests,
as will prevent them from feeling any restraint or uneasiness.
It is a great mistake to imagine that it is any crime in children
to ask what they have a right to receive, or that parents ought
to keep them at such a distance as to render this irksome and
disagreeable. If they seek any thing that would be hurtful to
them, if their demand shows a disposition which ought to be
checked, or if they ask in a fretful, peevish, or imperious man
ner, by all means let them be refused : but how an affectionate
parent can refuse them any thing, merely because they ask it,
is more than I am able to conceive. Their natural wants, and
what is necessary for their comfort and happiness, ought to be
attended to, whether they ask such things or not ; and surely
when they request what parents at any rate are bound to give,
this is no reason why they should be refused. I do not mean
to say that children cannot offend by the frequency, unseason-
ableness, or impropriety of their demands, for there is not any
one thing in which they are more ready to err ; but only that
parents ought not to refuse their requests, without having some
reason for it beside their own arbitrary will, if they would not
wish to provoke them to wrath.
Third, Be careful to avoid finding fault, or chastising, with
out a just and proper cause. Not that small offences are
never to be attended to ; for, in some cases, things that appear
trifling in themselves are of great consequence, and must be
checked. But make it an invariable rule not to show any dis
pleasure against your children, till you are sure that they de-

40 parental duties.
serve it. Many allowances must be made for childhood, and
many follies and improprieties are to be expected, which
cannot properly be termed offences. There is a natural
thoughtless gaiety, vivacity, and lightness of spirit in children,
which ought not in general to be restrained. On some occa
sions, this lively and restless turn of mind may be irksome and
inconvenient, and it will be necessary to lay upon them a tem
porary restraint when they are too noisy and turbulent ; but
they are not at all to blame for this. They only commit an
offence in this respect, when they act avowedly in opposition
to authority ; and, at other times, they ought to be allowed to
indulge that innocent mirth, and sprightly humour, which is
suited to their years.
Nor ought they to be much condemned for accidents, which
happen through that giddy thoughtlessness which we must ex
pect to see in children. It is a matter of regret, when in this
way they destroy things of value ; but it is better to keep these
out of their way, than to correct them for an accident, which
probably could not be prevented by any foresight of which they
are capable. It is yet more cruel to chastise them, when
through inattention and thoughtless levity they hurt themselves.
When children are in pain and distress, from whatever cause,
they require sympathy rather than correction ; and though it is
exceedingly proper to teach them to avoid personal danger, and
to beware of hurting others, or doing any harm through stupi
dity or inattention, this can only be done gradually by mild and
gentle methods ; and the want of that degree of care and reflec
tion which we look for in adults, ought not to be considered as
a crime in them.
All needless chiding has a tendency to provoke, and it is of
great importance that you should understand what is the due
medium of parental authority. There is a danger in both ex
tremes, as we have already hinted. If you are rigorous and
severe, you essentially hurt them ; and if you are too indul
gent, the effect is the same. How shall we avoid these ex
tremes, and behave to our children so as to produce uniform
respectful obedience without slavish fear ? This can only be
accomplished by observing such conduct as will alwavs make
them happy in your presence, unless when they are guilty of a
real crime. If they are afraid, or under a disagreeable restraint
when they do well, your treatment must be wrong ; and it is
equally so, if they can be guilty of any bad conduct without
fear or uneasiness. An attentive parent will easily discern if
either of these effects are produced by his behaviour ; and I
beg your particular attention to this observation, as the whole
art of trairing children almost entirely defends upon 'f

against provoking to wrath. "'"] 41
Were I to describe a good civil government by its effects, r I
would say, it is that government which protects the just, and
enables them to live without the smallest apprehension of dan
ger; and which punishes the wicked, and makes evil doers
afraid. It is precisely the same in families as in nations, and
you can never exercise that just authority which pleases God,
unless when it is uniformly thus directed : the opposite is to
punish well-doing, and to reward iniquity.
Fourth, When it becomes necessary to use severity ,Jon ac
count of any thing bad in the conduct of your children, which
cannot be cured by gentle means, do it with judgment and
moderation. Furious rebukes and angry blows have little ten
dency to reclaim ; and those who cannot govern themselves,
have no right to expect that they will be able to govern
their children. In order to produce the good effects intended
by chastisement, it is necessary to convince your children that
they have given you a just ground of offence, that you have no
delight in any thing that gives them pain, and that you chas
tise them for their own profit and advantage. A wise and
affectionate parent will proceed to this hardest part of his duty
with much reluctance, and will not even think it beneath him
to confess to his child that he does it with regret.
It is proper indeed that you should show your displeasure
according to the nature and demerit of the crime, and be firm
and determined in all your attempts to subdue their perverse
wills. If you yield the point, and do not bring them to a full
submission, it would have been far better that you hail never
disputed it. But this end will be more successfully attained
by temperate severity than by unreasonable violence ; for how
ever resolute a man may appear in the heat of passion, it is
only when he is collected, and fully master of himself, that he
can be supposed to express his real sentiments, and to lay
down resolutions from which he will not recede. A parent
may sometimes need to delay chastisement till his own anger is
abated ; and at other times this may be necessary, on account
of the violent passions of some children, who are not to be over
come by any means, till their pride, anger, or resentment, get
time to subside. It is better to exercise patience, than to use
harsh methods with little or no probability of success.
Fifth, Beware of showing an unwarrantable partiality to any
of your children, as it must have a bad effect on those of them
against whom it operates, and cannot fail to provoke them to
wrath, and discourage them. It frequently happens that there
is one neglected child in a family, and very often one who is a
particular favourite, and visibly preferred to all the rest. If
we enquire into the cause of this, we shall find in general that

42 parental duties.
it is not founded in justice or reason, but can only be attributed
to the whim and caprice of parents. The affection which na
ture dictates is universal, and the want of it in any case is
pointedly condemned in the Word of God.* Yet we see some
children overlooked, despised, and maltreated, merely perhaps
for the want of personal accomplishments, or a deficiency in
bright and shining talents, which the great Author of nature
hath conferred on some, and denied to others. For these
things, in which they are not in the least degree to blame,
they are sunk below the level of their brothers and sisters, kept
at a distance, and scarcely allowed in any respect to appear as
children of the same family. The favourites, on the other
hand, only because they are more beautiful or sprightly, or for
some such foolish reason, are caressed and respected, and
allowed to trample on one who ought to be accounted their equal.
Can any thing be more absurd or unnatural ?
Excuses are made for this guilty partiality, but no excuse
can be admitted. Parents will tell us, that some children are
so disagreeable and vicious in their natural inclinations, that
they cannot love them ; or if their partiality be shown by keep
ing them more meanly clothed than the rest of the family, and
giving them more servile employment, they will say that it suits
their inclination, and that it is entirely their own fault. But the
difference, if there be any, for the most part arises, not from
any thing peculiarly wicked in the nature of the child, but from
the treatment of the parents, which is suited to produce a base
and slavish spirit ; and it is no uncommon thing to see the ne
glected child possessed of more amiable dispositions, and a
greater share of good sense, than the rest of the family.
Parents may love their children in proportion to the good
ness of their temper and conduct, without being guilty of
partiality, which consists in showing an unjust and arbitrary
preference. If the encouragement you give them is always
according to their good behaviour, you cannot be considered
as partial ; but this is quite consistent with avoiding all such
treatment as would make any of them despair of obtaining your
approbation, or expose them to ill usage from the rest of the
family. You have doubtless seen melancholy instances, both of ne
glected children, who were broken-hearted, and rendered unfit
for any purpose in life, or roused to the highest pitch of indig
nation and resentment ; and of favourites, who were haughty,
overbearing, and petulant. Observe then the bad effects of
partiality, and be careful to avoid it, in its first beginnings
* 2 Tim. iii. 3.

the nurture of the lord. 43
Having thus explained the prohibition, and showed what sort
of conduct parents ought to avoid in the treatment of their
children, I now proceed,

a

II. To explain and enforce the commandment, to " brin
up your children in the nurture of the Lord."
To nurture signifies to educate, train, or bring up ; and
when we take it in a large sense, includes chastisement, which
is a necessary part of the education of children. The word
translated nurture, is the same with that used in the twelfth
chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is translated
chastisement, and is explained by another term which signifies
to scourge ; it literally signifies the discipline of children. " My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord ; for whom
the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom
he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you
as with sons ; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth
not ? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are par
takers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." This command
ment therefore implies necessary discipline and chastisement,
and the Apostle calls it the discipline of the Lord ; that discip
line which he commands in his Word, which he exemplifies
in his conduct towards his own children, and which he hath ap
pointed for gracious and wise purposes. Parents are also
commanded to continue in this discipline with constancy and
perseverance ; for he says, bring them up in the nurture of the
Lord. Thus they are called to educate and bring up their
children in the fear of God, under a sense of his authority, and
as being accountable to him who will judge and reward his
servants. This nurture or discipline of the Lord, in which parents are
commanded to bring up their children, is exceedingly benefi
cial, and very much suited to the state of childhood. It is
often recommended, the reasons for it are assigned, and its
good effects described, in the Book of Proverbs, as in the fol
lowing passages : — " Foolishness is bound in the heart of a
child ; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.*
Withhold not correction from the child ; for if thou beatest him
with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the
rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell, f The rod and reproof
give wisdom ; but a child left to himself bringeth his mother
to shame. Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest ; yea,
he shall give delight unto thy soul. X Chasten thy son while
* Prov. xxii. 15. t ProY- xxui- 13> 14>
X Prov. xxix. 15, 17.

44 parental duties.
there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.* He
that spareth his rod hateth his son ; but he that loveth him
chasteneth him betimes." t
From these exhortations of the wise man, it appears that
reproofs and chastisement are absolutely necessary, on account
of that foolishness which is bound in the hearts of children. By
foolishness we are not to understand merely the want of wis
dom, which is not indeed to be expected at an early period of
life. This, however, is a good reason for having children under
authority and government. They ought to be entirely regu
lated by the will of their parents, while they have not under
standing to govern themselves. But foolishness, in the lan
guage of Scripture, often means sinfulness ; either the corrupt
disposition of the heart, or wicked practices : and this expres
sion seems to be used by Solomon, to denote the sinful bias
of the human heart. We soon discern in children, evident
marks of that corrupt nature which they derive from Adam :
Pride, malice, deceit, revenge, and other wicked dispositions,
appear in them almost as soon as they can speak. Many
show themselves, at a very early period, impatient of restraint,
unwilling to submit to the authority of their parents, and ex
ceedingly desirous not only to be their own masters, but to
have the ascendency over all around them. It is on these
accounts that the rod of correction is necessary.
The end that Solomon proposes, is to drive this foolishness.
far from him, which does not imply that we have it in our
power to root out the sinfulness and corruption that is naturally
in the hearts of our children. It is the province of God alone
to change the heart ; and, unless he interpose in the riches of
his mercy, it must remain alienated from him. " The carnal
mind," says the Apostle, " is enmity against God; for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." J But we
have it in our power to restrain children, and to prevent much
evil that would otherwise take place. We can drive away their
stubborness and self-will, and make them pliable and submis
sive. We can show them the evil of falsehood, punish them
for it, and teach them to speak truth ; and we can train them
to habits of industry and sobriety, and make them decent and
respectable members of society.
All this is surely to be expected from the exercise of proper
authority ; for the Word of God declares, that " the rod of cor
rection shall drive foolishness far from the heart of the child;"
— that if " thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die ;'*

* Prov. xix. 18. f Prov- xiii. 24.. $ R0m. viii. 7.

the nurture or the lord. 45
and that you will thus " deliver his soul from hell," or save
him from destruction and misery. And the happiness and
comfort arising to a parent from a conscientious discharge of
his duty in this particular, is expressed in very striking terms :
" He shall give thee rest ; yea, he shall give delight unto thy
soul." On the other hand, the fatal consequence of neglecting
this salutary discipline, is thus pointed out, " A child left to
himself, bringeth his mother to shame."
When these things are duly considered, we shall see the
justice and propriety of the rule that Solomon lays down for
judging of the love and hatred of parents, " He that spareth
his rod hateth his son ; but he that loveth him chasteneth him
betimes." Is it any evidence that you love your son, when you
give full scope to his natural folly and wickedness, and permit
him to die, without using the means that God hath appointed
to save his soul from hell? It must be a false love indeed,
that produces such hurtful consequences in relation to its
objects : and those who imagine that every kind of foolish in
dulgence is an evidence of parental affection, must be greatly
deceived. There is another thing contained in these exhortations of So
lomon, which deserves your particular attention. He speaks
of chastening betimes, and while there is hope. This implies
that delays are dangerous, and that the time may come when
your son will be past remedy, and no hope will remain of doing
him any good by chastisement. We may consider this as a call
to parents either to begin this discipline at an early period of
life, or to check every vice in its first beginnings, and never to
delay using the remedy till the disease becomes incurable.
Every thing gains strength by habit; and a bad practice, from
which a child might have been easily delivered, if proper
methods had been taken with him at first, will, by frequent
repetition, gain such ascendency over him, that all attempts to
reclaim him will be to no purpose. This last explanation includes
the former ; for if it is necessary, in order to prevent the over
powering influence of any particular bad habit, to chasten your
son betimes, it must be equally necessary to have your autho
rity properly established at an early period, that you may pre
vent, as much as possible, all bad habits, and then you will be
saved the more difficult task of attempting to cure them.
If parental authority answers any good purpose, it must be
admitted that the sooner it is exercised it will be the more be
neficial to children. In this way also it will be more easily
established ; and children who have been thus trained from their
infancy, will find it quite natural, when they grow up, to yield
submission and obedience.

46 parental duties.
Though it appears, from what has been said, that it is the
indispensable duty of parents to use the rod of correction, and
that the Lord hath appointed it for wise and beneficial pur
poses, yet it ought not to be too frequently used, otherwise it
will defeat its own end. Injudicious correction is often worse
than none at all ; if it does not overcome the perverseness of
your child, he gains a new ascendency over you every time that
you correct him; and blows, by frequent repetition, will be
come so customary, that he will not much regard them, pro
vided he can retain his own humour, and do as he pleases.
This has a tendency to debase the mind, and to eradicate all
sense of shame, which is one of the strongest natural principles
tbat can be supposed to operate on the minds of children.
There are many other methods of correcting their faults ; and
though Solomon repeatedly says the strongest things in favour
of the rod of correction, he surely does not intend that parents
should be always chastising their children. He mentions reproof
as well as the rod, when he says, " The rod and reproof give
wisdom." Let chastisement therefore be the last thing, and be
sure that you accomplish in some measure the end you have in
view, though this should occasion a very considerable degree of
severity. There is certainly an impropriety in using harsh methods on
every trifling occasion, and the material faults of which chil
dren can be guilty, are but few, if they are under any proper
management. The greatest of these is contempt of authority,
or avowed opposition to it. This in a family, is like rebellion
in a state, and must on no account be permitted. The reason
is plain, because it is an inlet to every kind of wickedness ; for
whenever you lose your authority, they are no longer under
any restraint, and may follow their natural inclinations with
impunity. Lying is another crime that ought to be strictly
attended to, and severely punished. If we add to these, some
instances of malice, injustice, and profanity, few things else can
be supposed to occur that will justify using violent measures
with children. Other faults may be rectified by gentler means,
which ought always, if possible, to be preferred.
But while I would guard you against every needless and un
justifiable use of the rod of correction, allow me on the other
hand, to entreat you, with the greatest earnestness, to maintain
an uniform and unceasing authority. Never yield it, not even
in the most trifling matter, for it is not yours to yield. God
hath committed to you this authority, for the purposes that
have been mentioned ; and if you allow your children to wrest
it from you, and thereby ruin themselves, you do so at your
peril. In this way parents ought to prevent the disagreeable

the nurture of the lord. 47
necessity of coming to extremities ; and it is far easier to main
tain always a proper degree of authority, than to regain it when
lost. It may be exercised with gentleness and moderation, if
it is constant and uniform ; but when you allow your children
to contradict you, let the occasion be what it may, you must
either agree to lose your authority altogether, or use much
greater severity. A look or a word in the one case, will have
more influence than many blows in the other. A small degree of
inattention also, will make you lose your authority; for children
know well how far their superiors are determined to keep them
in subjection, and take every opportunity of slackening the
reins : no intermission therefore can be allowed in this parti
cular. Consider well, before you give any absolute command,
if the thing is right, and of such importance as to require your
attention ; for though you must not yield on any occasion, yet
the best way to maintain constant authority, is seldom to
interpose it, and when you do, to stand to it invariably, and in
such a way as to show that you must be obeyed.
I do not speak here of unreasonable, and far less of sinful
commands, from which parents ought certainly to recede ;
though it is proper on these occasions also, that they should
make their children understand, that they yield not to them,
but to a sense of duty. Nor do I wish to carry the matter so
far as to deny that parents may be led frequently to do other
wise than they intended, through importunity and other causes ;
but whenever there is an express commandment given on your
part, and a refusal on your child's, the question is at issue whe
ther you shall be subject to him, or he to you ; and the impro
priety of hazarding a decision against yourselves, is too mani
fest to need any illustration.
We shall conclude this discourse with answers to a few ob
jections. Some of you, perhaps, may be ready to say, that your chil
dren are too young to be brought under authority, and that it
will be time enough some years hence to use the rod of correc
tion. But you will find yourselves in a very disagreeable and
hopeless situation, as to any service you can do to your chil
dren, if you always maintain that they are too young, till they
make you know that they are too old to be subject to your
authority ; and in the way that some people reckon, scarcely
a single day intervenes between these two periods. We have
already noticed some of the advantages arising from early dis
cipline, and all that is further necessary, is to mention how soon
it ought to take place. When you are sure that a child under
stands what you say to him, and when he gives evident marks

48 parental duties.
of resisting authority, by intentionally doing what you prohibit,
there is not the smallest doubt that he is capable of subjection.
Yet the folly of some parents is so great as to lead them to
excuse the untowardness of their children, as if they were un
able to understand what subjection means, at the very time
that they are acting in opposition to their commands, and
telling them in plain terms that they mean to do so. It is
surely impossible, in the nature of things, that a child can thus
gain an ascendency over his parents, and yet be incapable of
yielding subjection ; for this would imply that he has more
sagacity than they, while the want of understanding is the
excuse that is pleaded for him.
This is all that you have to consider with respect to the
time of beginning the exercise of authority ; for no severity can
be necessary till there is some appearance of resistance, and
this may be sooner or later, according to the various disposi
tions of children. But any child may arrive at a degree of
obstinacy and perverseness, before he is two years of age,
which it will be exceedingly difficult to overcome ; and though
his parents may not then discern it, they will afterwards com
plain that he is untractable and vicious, and that all their at
tempts to reclaim him are ineffectual, while they do not consider
that this is the fruit of their own foolish indulgence, and mis
taken tenderness.
Some of you may also object, that such strict discipline will
have a tendency to make youi children unhappy. It must
be admitted that the due exercise of authority will frequently
give them pain; but this is what the Lord intends, and had in
view when he said, " Let not thy soul spare for his crying ;"
and to balance this, the advantages arising from chastisement
are presented to your view, and frequently repeated. His
commandment to use the rod, is therefore a merciful command
ment; it occasions no uneasiness but what is salutary, no
temporary crying but what may be expected to issue in the
permanent good of your children.
It is however a mistake to imagine, that the strictest disci
pline which the Word of God enjoins, will upon the whole be
productive of more pain and distress, than too much indul
gence. A child who is accustomed to have all his inclinations
gratified, will become peevish and fretful ; his desires are un
bounded, and the most affectionate mother will often find it
utterly impossible to satisfy him. Children thus indulged must
be unhappy ; they get every thing they choose to cry for, and
therefore they cry almost incessantly till they are four or five
years of age. This is surely a melancholy circumstance, and
the more so, because it arises from an ill-directed tenderness

THE NURTURE OF THE LORD. 49
and compassion, anxious for their welfare, but ignorant how to
accomplish it. Make it an invariable rule, as soon as your
children understand what you say, never to give them any
thing because they cry for it. Whether it arises from a
peevish or an imperious disposition, they ought equally to be
resisted ; and if you do so, they will soon refrain from all unne
cessary crying. Even in times of sickness, when they must
be treated with more than ordinary compassion, you increase
their fretfulness by too many compliances. On these occasions
it is much in their favour that they should be pliable and sub
missive ; and whatever indulgence their situation may require,
you, and not they, ought to be the judges. I cannot therefore
see the propriety of making their sickness an excuse for the
want of subjection in children.
As mothers are generally most to blame in this foolish and
hurtful indulgence, and often persist in it notwithstanding the
remonstrances of their husbands, I would entreat them to con
sider, if they are not under a greater obligation to please their
husbands, than to satisfy the unreasonable clamours of their
children. I shall only take notice of one other objection, which is, that
you may be in danger of making your children hate you, if you
should strictly adhere to the severe discipline that has been
recommended. Parents ought certainly to guard against every
thing of this kind ; and I apprehend that will be sufficiently
done, by attending to what has been said on the prohibition in
the text. But the Word of God declares, that true parental
affection leads to the discipline which we have inculcated ; and
it is not so difficult as some may imagine to convince children
of this, and to make them ingenuously acknowledge the evil of
their conduct, and what it deserves. At any rate, when they
come to years of discretion, they will be fully sensible that all
our conduct was dictated by love, and will then be more grate
ful for our severity than our indulgence.
On the other hand, fondness does not produce any solid and
permanent regard ; indeed a child who has never been used to
contradiction, can scarcely be expected to love any one but
himself. He often tramples on his fond and doating mother,
and shows how little he values all her tenderness. Indulgence
must stop somewhere, and then immediately resentment be
gins on the part of the child : you have gone too far to con
vince him that love obliges you now to alter your tone, and
thus you are sure to excite his ill-will and aversion. G

50 PARENTAL DUTIES.
But that which ought to satisfy the minds of Christians, and
to silence all their objections, is the consideration of the autho
rity of God in this matter. You cannot think yourselves at
liberty to object against a Divine commandment, or to suppose
that any bad consequences can arise from obeying it ; for we
are only miserable when we act in opposition to the law of
God.

[ 51 ]

DISCOURSE II.

•* And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath ; but rring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the lord." — eph. vi. 4.
We have already explained the prohibition in the text, and
the commandment to bring up our children in the nurture of
the Lord. The next thing proposed was,
III. To explain and enforce the commandment, " to bring
them up in the admonition of the Lord."
This is a very extensive commandment, and all of us who
have children committed to our care, must be conscious of much
imperfection, and many failings in our attention to this precept.
Admonition signifies teaching or instructing them. It also im
plies exhortation, caution, and reproof; and supposes that
Christians are much concerned about their children, not only
to teach them, but to enforce their instructions by all the argu
ments and motives that can influence their minds.
The Apostle calls it the admonition of the Lord, or the admo
nition which he enjoins in his Word. This leads believing
parents to consider it as enforced upon them by Divine autho
rity, not only in this passage, but in other parts of the Scrip
ture ; for it necessarily follows from this epithet, that God had
formerly commanded the same thing, and that the precepts
relating to this subject, which he had given in former times,
are now binding on Christian parents. The same observation
also applies to what he calls the nurture or discipline of the
Lord; and from this it appears, that believers of the Gospel
are still subject to the precepts of the Old Testament, except
in so far as they are expressly set aside by the New Testa
ment revelation, or were merely typical of the good things
which are now come.

52 PARENTAL DUTIES.
The admonition of the Lord implies further, that all the
instructions and exhortations of parents must be exactly
conformable to the Word of God. The subject-matter of
admonition is not left to your choice, nor are you to be guided
in this by the maxims or customs of worldly men. The rule
which the Lord hath given you for the regulation of your own
temper and conduct, ought to guide you in all the admonitions
that you give to your children, and you must teach them no
thing that is, in any respect, opposite to the spirit of the
Gospel. A great variety of particulars are included in this admoni
tion, but they may be all comprehended under these two ; — Ad
monition as it relates to the conduct of children as members of
society, or in regard to the things of this present world ; and
as it has a respect to the knowledge of the Gospel, and the
concerns of religion. These two are clearly distinguishable ;
for though the things which fall to be mentioned under the
first, are evidently the duty of believers of the Gospel, who,
when they act suitably to their character and privileges, will
be useful members of society, and consider every thing in which
they are engaged as a part of their religion ; yet it is one thing
to be a Christian, and another thing to act a decent and becom
ing part in life. The former cannot be supposed without the
latter, but the latter may without the former. In the sequel
of these discourses, you will see sufficient reason for making
this distinction, which I am anxious to preserve, though I do
not intend to be over scrupulous in classing the various parti
culars. I shall begin with what relates to the conduct of your chil
dren as members of society. There are some professing Chris
tians, who would be thought too religious to pay any attention
to matters of this kind. All that they want is to make their
children religious, and this they will have them to be at any
rate, vainly imagining that they have it in their power to teach
them the true knowledge of the grace of God, and to make
them Christians. And on the other hand, they do not proper
ly take into their view, that every commendable part of a per
son's conduct, which relates even to the most ordinary concerns
of this life, would be real religion, if he were animated by the
principles and motives which lead the people of God to glorify
his name in all their actions. It can admit of no doubt, that
parents are obliged to give their children every sort of admo
nition, that has any tendency to promote either their temporal
or spiritual happiness; and much instruction is necessary,
respecting their good behaviour as members of society. I shall
mention a few of what I conceive to be the leading things.

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 53
First, Teach them a kind, respectful, and courteous be
haviour to all men. I will not here speak of superiors, infe
riors, and equals, as is commonly done ; for children have no
inferiors. Any superiority which they may be supposed to
derive from birth, station, or other external circumstances, is
of little consequence in itself ; they should not be taught to
value themselves on account of such things ; and the distinction
between a man and a child, of which every one is conscious,
undoubtedly calls for submission and respect on the part of
the latter..
This kind of admonition will neither appear to you unne
cessary in itself, nor too extensive in its application, when
you consider that Christians are commanded to be courteous*
or discreet, affable, and obliging ; that gentleness is enumerated
among the fruits of the Spirit, f and this, as distinguished from
love, peace, long-suffering, and goodness, must refer to the
manner of our behaviour, or the outward expressions of a
humble, kind, and beneficent heart; and also that we are com
manded to " honour all men," X and to be " gentle, showing
all meekness unto all men." ||
This courteous, gentle, and respectful behaviour, which it is
our duty to show to one another, and to all men, is the natural
effusion of the heart, proceeding not merely from a desire to
please, but from genuine love and humility; and in this
respect it is distinguished from that politeness which prevails
in the world. While therefore it is your duty to teach your
children to be respectful and courteous in their behaviour and
manner of speaking, you ought to pay more attention to the
spirit than to the outward form of what we call good breeding.
The form is also necessary, but it will be very unnatural, as
well as hypocritical, if they are constrained to it ; whereas, if
you inculcate a kind, affable, and submissive disposition, this,
with the example of others, will dispose them to behave with
propriety, though you should never command them to make
any obeisance. They must not be allowed to contradict any
person, because this is totally inconsistent with that humility
and self-diffidence which becomes them; and if they are not
carefully checked in every thing of this kind, they will become
impudent and ungovernable.
Second, Teach them to be neat and cleanly in their persons,
and attend to order and regularity in the management of all
their little concerns. You must not understand me as recom
mending finery of dress, or leading you to give any countenance
to the natural pride and vanity of their minds, in relation
* 1 Pet. iii. 8. f Gal. v. 22. X 1 Pet. ii. 17. || Tit. iii. 2.

54 PARENTAL DUTIES.
to external ornaments. What I have in view is a thing alto
gether different from this, which is consistent with the greatest
sobriety and decency of character, while it is often totally
wanting in those who are given to show and extravagance.
The Word of God prohibits Christian women from wearing
immodest, splendid, or costly apparel ; but it does not set aside
every sort of ornament, for they are commanded to " adorn
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and so
briety :" * and those who follow the Scripture rule in these mat
ters, are really most adorned ; their appearance is not only
inoffensive, but it is elegant and respectable, in proportion as
they lay aside the foolish ornaments of vanity, and adopt those
which are naturally dictated by modesty and sobriety. Every
thing that is mean, despicable, and slovenly, is opposite to the
spirit of the Gospel, as well as that which indicates pride, am
bition, and vain glory. Teach your children, therefore, to pay
a becoming attention to their external appearance. You will
find this intimately connected with general decency of conduct;
for children who are indifferent about every thing of this kind,
are for the most part equally regardless of their character in
other respects : they care not how disagreeable they make
themselves, or how little they obtain the good opinion of those
whom they ought to esteem, and thus may proceed to any kind
of disorderly conduct, without shame or uneasiness.
Let them be trained to a regular way of proceeding in every
thing that is committed to their charge, not so much for the
sake of any inconvenience which their little improprieties may
occasion either to themselves or others, as on account of the
influence that such things will undoubtedly have on their dis
positions and conduct, when they arrive at mature age. It is
only in little things that you can deal with children ; but re
member that in this way you form the man ; which makes the
most particular attention to the smallest things absolutely ne
cessary. The Scripture says, that " a good man will guide his
affairs with discretion ;" f and this is a very necessary part of
his character, for he cannot otherwise have it in his power to
indulge the goodness or benevolence of his heart. If you would
wish to see your children afterwards conduct themselves in this
way, lead them at an early period to observe order and dis
cretion in managing such concerns as are in themselves of little
or no consequence.
Third, It is a necessary part of this admonition to teach
them a habit of thinking. There are many grown up people
who do every thing at random, and seldom think deliberately
* 1 Tim. ii. 9. f Psal. cxii. 5.

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 55
on any thing they are to do or say. If they should happen at
any time to do what is fit and becoming, it is rather by accident
than design ; and they are in perpetual confusion and embar
rassment, the one-half of their time being spent in endeavour
ing to rectify the blunders they have committed for want of
thought. If you would not wish your children to behave in
this manner, attend to the proper means for correcting it, be
fore it is too late. They are naturally thoughtless, and do
every thing without consideration; and this disposition in them,
admits only of being cured by slow degrees. Oblige them
often to think, and to weigh the consequences of what they may
do or say ; what inconveniences may occur from it to them
selves; how they may distress their parents and other rela
tions ; and what opinion they may expect wise people to form
of their conduct. Make them, as they are able to bear it, to
understand the causes and connexion of things, and to know
that the chief distinction between a wise man and a fool lies in
this — the one thinks, and the other will not give himself the
trouble to use that portion of understanding which God hath
given him. Solomon hints at this when he says, " A fool
uttereth all his mind, but a wise man keepeth it in till after
wards ;"* and so essential to wisdom is this due consideration
about our words and actions, which admits not either of speak
ing hastily, or speaking too much, that he supposes silence will
procure, even to a fool, the reputation of wisdom,t while he
represents unthinking loquaciousness as a sure indication of
folly.* All of you must have observed, that a steady attention of
mind, and a cautious thoughful manner of conducting one's
affairs, is more useful in the ordinary concerns of life, than the
brightest talents. Application and perseverance will surmount
the greatest obstacles, and supply the want of many other
qualities. All your instructions, therefore, about the things of
this life, are principally useful to your children, in proportion
as they have a tendency to make them think for themselves.
They will learn more by their own observation and experience,
when once they are led into a proper train, than they can pos
sibly learn by all the theories you can instil into their minds.
Much knowledge may often be possessed, without understand
ing how to make use of it ; and in this case, it is rather hurtful
than beneficial.
Fourth, Teach your children sobriety, industry, and fruga
lity. This is necessary for your own interest, but much more
* Prov. xxix. 11. t Prov. xvii. 28 X Eccl. v. 3.

56 PARENTAL DUTIES.
so for their comfort and happiness. If they are not taught to
be moderate in their views, they will not be content in any
situation : if you indulge them improperly, it is not any given
number of compliances that will satisfy them. These will only
tend to enlarge their desires, and your utmost endeavours to
please them will be of no avail. I need not tell you how much
the duty of sobriety, in relation to all the enjoyments of this life, is
enforced upon Christians in the Word of God, and how suitable
it is to the spirit of the Gospel ; for you are not ignorant of
these things. But I may be allowed to remind you, that it is a
necessary consequence of a due regard to sobriety in your own
conduct, to check the ambition and criminal self-indulgence
of your children.
Industry is nearly allied to sobriety, for " he that is sloth
ful in his work, is brother to him that is a great waster." * En
courage your children to be always active and employed, and
if you see any appearances of a sauntering, vacant, and list
less disposition, use all proper means to deliver them from it,
as it will expose them to many temptations. It is of great
advantage to young persons to be inured to labour and exertion,
and never to wish any relaxation from it, but what is necessary
for rest and refreshment. A disposition to active employ
ment is inherent in most children, and though in their younger
years it is chiefly occupied in childish amusements, this contri
butes to their health and improvement in various respects ; and
if this active disposition were directed to useful purposes in an
easy and agreeable way, as they grow up, they might in gene
ral be prevented from giving themselves up to idleness, and
thus led to engage in necessary business, without any sort of
reluctance. In the Book of Proverbs, many things are said in
commendation of diligence in the exercise of lawful callings,
while sloth and idleness are also condemned in the most severe
and pointed terms; and in the New Testament, Christians
are commanded to "labour, working with their hands :f and
to be not slothful in business ; fervent in spirit ; serving the
Lord." J
In this industry, as it respects children, we must include
attention to necessary branches of learning, to which I do not
think they should be led in general by threatenings and punish
ments, but by making them conceive it to be a privilege, and
thus animating them to engage in all their studies with a ready
and cheerful mind. Chastisement for the neglect of this may
* Prov. xviii. 9. f Eph- iv. 28. JEom. xii. 11.

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 57
be proper on some rare occasions, but nothing will succeed that
is uniformly carried on by force and constraint.
Frugality is likewise intimately connected with temperance
and sobriety, and is evidently the duty of Christians : not
indeed that frugality which arises from a mean, sordid, and
covetous disposition, but that which flows from the love of
justice and mercy, and from a due consideration of their being
" stewards of the manifold grace of God." * We have the
example of the Lord of the universe, commanding his disciples,
after he had fed five thousand by a miracle, to gather up the frag
ments that remained, that nothing might be lost, f This surely
will be a sufficient argument with you, not to allow your chil
dren to waste or destroy any of the bounties which the Lord
in his providence hath conferred upon you, and to make every
thing that is useful the object of their care, however small it
may be in value. If this be attended to, the rest will follow of
course. Fifth, We shall mention here, also, the necessity of teaching
them truth, justice, and benevolence. You must all be con
vinced of the great importance of these duties, and that we can
have no pretensions to Christianity, unless we exemplify them
in our own conduct. It might be expected that the consequence
of this would naturally be a strict attention to the conduct of our
children in these particulars ; yet observation teaches us, that
this does not always follow. The faults of children appear so
trifling, and parents are disposed to make so many allowances
for them, that they are apt on some occasions to palliate or
disregard the worst of crimes. Remember, however, that
falsehood is a crime, whether the thing to which it relates is
trifling or important ; that injustice in the smallest matters is
an evil which will lead to more flagrant instances of the same
kind, as opportunities occur; and that a child who will not
show mercy to his companion, or part with the smallest thing
that he conceives to be . his own, will in all ; probability
show the same narrow selfish disposition when he arrives at
manhood. If we would impress upon the minds of children a
proper sense of moral good and evil, we must apply the prin
ciples which regulate our own conduct to the things with which
they are conversant, and lead them to a corresponding practice
in all those little matters which engross their attention, and
agitate their passions.
Sixth, Pay the strictest attention to the company with whom
they ought to associate. I can scarcely find words to express
the sense that I entertain of the importance of this direc
tion ; for unless you attend to it, all your other attempts
* 1 Pet. iv. 10. t Jol"1 vi. 12.
H

58 PARENTAL DUTIES.
to instruct and admonish your children will be of no avail what
ever. The Apostle informs believers of the Gospel, that " evil
communications corrupt good manners ;" * and if they are in
danger from this quarter, what shall we say of children ? If
you allow them to have intercourse and familiarity with wicked
persons, or if you are negligent in detecting this, and do not
watch over them with the utmost anxiety, when they are in any
danger of falling into this snare, they may be utterly ruined
before you take the alarm. Observe with what earnest solici
tude Solomon cautions us against the influence of bad com
pany : " Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in
the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it,
and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mis
chief," f &c. He uses a variety of expressions to show the
imminent danger arising from such a connexion, and the neces
sity of watching against it. And though the principal thing
intended in these words, should be to dissuade us from having
any connexion with wicked men in committing iniquity, yet it
it will not be easy to show how this can be avoided while we
make them our companions.
In vain, therefore, do you expect that your children will
profit by the best admonitions, if you suffer them to be exposed
to the influence of bad examples. They imitate almost every
thing that is said or done in their presence ; and through the
natural corruption of their hearts, the worst examples often
make the deepest impression upon their minds.
These remarks will make it evident also, that it is the duty
of Christians to pay attention to the conduct of their servants,
and to avoid as much as possible having any person under
their roof, from whose example their children might be in dan
ger. But as they cannot be altogether withheld from seeing the
wickedness and profanity that take place in the world, you must
admonish them with the greatest earnestness to follow no ex
ample but what is good. Labour to convince them, that the
misconduct of others will be no excuse to them, and that they
must not even in all respects be guided by the example and
advice of those whom you esteem.
This leads to an observation on your behaviour to children
who are not your own. There are many who foolishly imagine
that they cannot be too kind and indulgent to the children of
their friends, and that the more they fawn upon them, and load
them with favours, the more they show their regard, both to
them and their parents. This is a great mistake. Is it any
favour to overload the stomachs of children, and injure their
' 1 Cor. xv. 33. | pr0T. iy. 14— 1C.

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 59
health, as is often done in such cases ? Is it doing them any
good, to make them consider their parents as less indulgent
than you ? Has not this an evident tendency to make them dis
contented at home ? And if you thus indulge them in the pre
sence, and in opposition to the remonstrances, of their parents,
is not this teaching them to make light of their authority?
Children need to be cautioned against the influence of these
mistaken friends.
Seventh, You must not only admonish your children, but take
care that they reduce your admonitions to practice. Without
this, little good can be expected to flow from the best instruc
tions. Children cannot understand nor remember a variety of
rules and precepts, but if you lead them to the constant prac
tice of the duties which you wish to recommend, they will
understand them perfectly ; and habit will have such an
influence, that things which appear difficult at first, will become
quite easy and natural. We see the power of habit in the
conduct of all men. It may be said to govern the whole world,
and has more influence on the conduct of mankind in general,
than almost any principle we can name : we feel in many cases
that its sway is irresistible, and children most of all are affected
by it. The inclinations and propensities of those who are
grown up in life, are generally such as custom has induced in
their younger years. This attention to the conduct of your
children, is evidently implied in bringing them up in the admo
nition of the Lord ; for whatever you do to instruct and reprove
them, this is of no service any further than as it affects their
conduct; and if they are permitted to go astray, you bring them
up, not in the admonition of the Lord, but in the ways of sin.
Instead of enlarging further on that kind of admonition which
relates to the good behaviour of your children as members of
society, I refer you to the Book of Proverbs, which abounds
with the most pointed and minute directions to persons in every
situation, how to regulate their conduct in all the concerns of
this life; — train them up assiduously in the practices there
recommended. I shall now conclude this part of the subject,
with an observation on the most likely method of rendering
these admonitions effectual.
They ought to be enforced by such motives as are suited
to affect the minds of children. It is your duty, as we shall
presently see, to instruct them in the knowledge of the Gospel,
the laws of Christ, and the motives which lead to the obedience
of these laws ; but so long as they are not converted to the
faith by the power of God, we cannot expect their conduct to
be regulated by the motives of the Gospel. It is necessary to
set before them, in the most striking and forcible manner, how

60 PARENTAL DUTIES.
much their own happiness and comfort in this world, in various
respects, is connected with their good behaviour ; and particu
larly, to deter them from wicked practices by the shame and
disgrace which attend them, and to encourage them in their
duty by representing it as honourable and praiseworthy. If
the prevalence of corruption has not already placed them
beyond the reach of every rational principle, you will find that
nothing will have so powerful an influence as the fear of
shame, and the hope of applause ; and parents should make
them feel the difference between a state of favour and appro
bation when they do well, and the discredit which they bring
upon themselves when their conduct is blameable. In order
to keep them properly alive to the feelings of shame, never
affront them unnecessarily. Reprove them as seldom as pos
sible before strangers, and do not even expose all their failings
to your own families, especially such offences as have been
only once committed. Chastisement will in a great measure
lose its effect, if children do not feel the shame that ought to
result from it ; and rewards for good behaviour will often do
harm, if they are not given and received as tokens of your
general approbation of their conduct.
These natural principles are not evil in themselves ; they are
regulated, but not set aside by the Gospel ; for though Chris
tians act from much higher motives, and must obey Christ in
many things which will expose them to the contempt and hatred
of the world ; yet a regard to their character and reputation on
just grounds, is not prohibited in the Word of God. Solomon
affirms, that " a good name is better than precious ointment." *
Christians are obliged to have some respect to the opinion and
approbation of men, by such general exhortations as these :
" Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, (or venerable,) whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report ; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think
on these things." f It is also one of the qualifications of a
Christian teacher, that he should have " a good report of them
that are without ; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the
devil." X AH pride, and vain glory, and every desire of
pleasing men that prevents us from seeking the approbation of
God, is undoubtedly opposite to the duty of Christians ; but
professors of religion, who are entirely regardless of the opi
nion of the world, in relation to those practical things of which
all men are judges, must be destitute of the true fear of God.
We are now to speak of the admonition of the Lord, as it
* Eccl. vii. 1. f Phil. iv. 8. % l Tim. iii. 7.

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 61
, relates to the knowledge of the Gospel and the concerns of
religion. This is infinitely more important than any admonitions which
have for their object the transitory affairs of this present mor
tal state, and above all other things deserves to be called the
admonition of the Lord. Yet there are, among professing
Christians, too many who are negligent in the performance of
this duty, and some who endeavour to establish a religious
principle against it, and consider every thing of this kind as
having a tendency to make children self-righteous and hypo
critical ; as if we could not instruct them in the knowledge of
free remission of sins through the blood of Christ, without
leading them to depend on their own works ; nor speak at all
about the true profession of his name, without causing them to
make this profession in hypocrisy.
But, say they, Divine grace is sovereign, the knowledge of
it is altogether supernatural, and can only be communicated
by the power of God, and the teaching of his Holy Spirit ;
therefore all our attempts are equally vain and sinful, for we
have nothing in our power, and every exertion of this kind must
proceed upon a denial of Divine sovereignty. But is it neces
sary to our holding the doctrine of Divine sovereignty, that we
should hide from our children the riches and freeness of the
mercy of God to sinners, and use no means to teach them the
knowledge of Christ and his salvation ? Then might we say,
that the preaching of the Apostles was an open denial of what
they taught, for they certainly declared to all men the glad
tidings of salvation,* besought them to be reconciled to God,t
and commanded them to believe the Gospel, X and to repent
and be converted, that their sins might be blotted out. || They
had, it is true, an immediate commission from the Lord Jesus
Christ, thus to preach the Gospel, and call men to repentance ;
but this does not change the nature of the thing. If the use
of all such means to enlighten sinners in the knowledge of the
truth, is opposite to the sovereignty of Divine grace, the
Apostles, above all others, would have avoided this, and con
sequently they would not have published their testimony, nor
pressed it on the minds of unbelievers, as they frequently did ;
but must have left all in the hand of God, without any endea
vours on their part to convince men either of their sinful state,
or the way of obtaining deliverance from it. Such are the
absurdities in which people involve themselves by this false and
destructive principle.
* Rom. x. 10—13, 18. Mark xvi. 15. t 2 Cor. v. 20.
X Acts xvi. 31. II Acts iii. 19.

62 PARENTAL DUTIES.
Christians are undoubtedly bound to teach their children
both the doctrines and duties of Christianity. Were not the
people of Israel commanded to instruct their children in the
knowledge of what God bad done for their fathers, and the laws
and ordinances which he gave them to observe ? Moses enjoins
this upon them in the most solemn way, when he says, " Take
heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget
the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart
from thy heart all the days of thy life ; but teach them thy sons
and thy sons' sons: Specially the day that thou stoodest
before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto
me, Gather the people together, and I will make them hear my.
words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they
shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their chil
dren." * Again he says, " Therefore shall ye lay up these my
words in your heart, and in your soul, and bind them for a sign
upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your
eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by
the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." f
The Psalmist also declares that this was the practice among
those who feared God in Israel, and shows by what authority
they were led to do so, in these words, " I will open my mouth
in a parable ; I will utter dark sayings of old : which we have
heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not
hide them from their children, showing to the generation to
come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his won
derful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony
in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded
our fathers, that they should make them known to their chil
dren ; that the generation to come might know them, even the
children which should be born, who should arise and declare
them to their children ; that they might set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments ;
and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious
generation, a generation that set not their heart aright, and
whose spirit was not steadfast with God." X Hezekiah too,
when under lively impressions of gratitude to God for his
recovery from a dangerous disease, makes use of these empha-
tical words, " The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I
do this day ; the father to the children shall make known thy
truth." || And the Lord expresses his approbation of this in
the case of Abraham; " I know him, that he will command his
* Deut. iv. 9, 10. t Deut. xi. 18, 19. X Psal. Ixxviii. 2—9.
|| Isa. xxxviii. 19.

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 63
children and his household after him, and they shall keep the
way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment ; that the Lord
may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." *
To these commandments and examples the Apostle seems to
refer, when he calls the admonition of which we now speak,
the admonition of the Lord ; and will any of us say that we
are less bound to teach our children than the sons of Jacob
were, whom God redeemed out of the house of bondage ? Are
the things which he hath done for us of less importance, or the
motives which he hath given us to obey him, less powerful and
constraining? Think of the great salvation which God hath
wrought for us, and which we profess to enjoy, the means by
which it has been accomplished, and the glorious hope to which
we are raised ; and then say if we ought not to conceive our
obligations to be as much stronger than those laid upon the an
cient people of God, as the salvation conferred upon us is greater.
We can only give a short sketch of the things which you are
called to teach them. Begin with the creation of the world
and of man, and, without attempting any abstract definition of
the perfections of God, which you cannot understand any more
than they, give them some idea of his wisdom, power, and
goodness, as these appear in the works of creation, t Endea
vour to impress upon their minds a sense of their dependence
on the great Jehovah, as their creator and preserver, and the
obligations under which they are laid, by his constant loving-
kindness and mercy, in providing for all their wants.* Inform
them of the fall of man, and the miseries which it entails ; that
the world is cursed on account of the sin of man ; that diseases
and death are the consequences of the first transgression ; and
that all the posterity of Adam inherit from him a corrupt
nature. || Give them some account of the conduct of God to
his ancient people, and the various things that befel them in
Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the promised land. To these
they may first attend merely as historical facts, and you can
afterwards instruct them as to the design of God in the whole
of his procedure towards that people : that the Messiah was to
spring from them, and that they, and their temple, altar, sacri
fices, priests, prophets, kings, &c, were all typical of good
things to come. Make them acquainted with the promises con
cerning the seed of the woman who was to bruise the head of
the serpent ; § the seed of Abraham, in whom all nations were
* Gen. xviii. 19.
t Psal. xix. 1—6. Isa. xl. 12, to the end. Rom. i. 19, 20.
X Psal. lxv. 5 — 13. Psal. cvii. Acts xiv. 17.
|| Gen. iii. 6, 17—19. Rom. v. 12—21. Psal. Ii. 5. Eph. ii. 1—3.
§ Gen. iii. 15.

64 PARENTAL DUTIES.
to be blessed ;* the seed of David, who was to be David's Lord
as well as his son,t and to sit upon the throne of his kingdom
for ever.} Call their attention to the minute description which
is given by the prophets of the character of the Messiah, his
Divine majesty and glory, his mean appearance, the work that
he was to accomplish, and the particular circumstances which
they foretel concerning his incarnation, life, death, resurrec
tion, and following glory.
Lead them to consider the exact fulfilment of these promises,
in the coming of the Messiah, in all that he did himself, and in
all that was done to him by his greatest enemies ; || that after
suffering the contempt and persecution of men, during a life of
the deepest sorrow and affliction, which was spent in doing
good, fulfilling all 'righteousness, preaching the gospel, and con
firming his doctrine by miraculous works, he died upon the
cross § as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of men ; that he rose
again from the dead on the third day, giving the most complete
evidence of the truth of his own testimony, and that of the
prophets, concerning the infinite dignity of his person, and the
perfection of his atonement, which pleases God ; % that he is
now ascended to the throne of his glory ; and repentance and
remission of sins are preached in his name unto all nations,
while the fullest assurance is given, that he that believeth shall
be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.** Point
out to them the great and inestimable blessings which we
obtain through the death of Christ ; the forgiveness of sins,
peace with God, the spirit of adoption, deliverance from the
power of sin, and the hope of the resurrection of the dead, and
of eternal glory .|t Inform them also of the second coming of
Jesus Christ, and the important transactions which will then
take place ; that he will come in his glory, and all the holy
angels with him, and will then sit upon the throne of his glory ;
that all nations shall be gathered before him, and that he will
judge them according to their works ; for the wicked shall go
away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life
eternal 4t
These things ought to be set before them, not merely in a
doctrinal way, but as matters in which they are most deeply
interested. When they are capable of committing actual sin,
* Gen. xxviii. 14. 4 Psal. ex. 1. J 2 Sam. vii. 13, 16.
|| Luke xxiv. 25—27, 41— 40. Acts xiii. 27, 29.
, § Acts ii. 22, 23, and x. 38, 39. Heb. ix. 26, 28.
f Luke xxiv. 20, 40. Acts ii. 24— 30. Rom. i. 4. 1 Pet. i. 21.
** Luke xxiv. 47. Acts xiii. 38, 39, 46  48.
ft Rom. iii. 24 ; and v. 1—5 ; and vi. 14 ; and Ch. viii. throughout. '
XX Mat. xxv. 31, 32, 46. e

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 65
tell them plainly of their miserable situation as transgressors of
the Divine law, and under its curse ; representing to them their
absolute need of salvation through the blood of Christ, and the
impossibility of obtaining deliverance from the wrath to come
in any other way. Lrge this upon their consciences, by show
ing them the extent of the law of God, and their many defi
ciencies in that perfect love to God and their neighbour which
the law requires. Speak to them of the riches of Divine
mercy displayed in Christ, and the suitableness and all-suffi
ciency of his finished work to heal their souls, and to give
them peace with God ; informing them that the Gospel is
preached to every creature without exception ; that it suits the
case of the most guilty and despairing, of which you can pro
duce many instances from the New Testament; and that no
works or exertions are necessary on their part, to put them in
possession of the benefits of the death of Christ ; for the work
which justifies the ungodly is already finished, and sinners
obtain an interest in it through faith, in opposition to being
justified by the deeds of the law.*
Lead them also to consider the practical influence of the
truth on those who believe it ; that the Word of God, when it
is received, must necessarily comfort, and sanctify, and bring
forth fruit, and that every profession of faith in Christ, apart
from this, is vain and hypocritical ; for he has declared, " By
their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but
he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." i
This instruction will be best communicated, by showing them
what effects the Gospel produced on those who first believed
it. They were " turned from darkness unto light, and from
the power of Satan unto God." + The Word of truth, accompa
nied by the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, reached their souls,
overcame all their enmity, and made them subject to the Prince
of Peace. Those who were converted by the preaching of the
Apostles, were immediately baptised, as a public testimony of
their faith in God, the father, the sox, and the holy
spirit, into whose name they were baptised ; |j and particularly
of their faith in Christ, their enjoyment of the blessings pur
chased by his death, and their subjection to his laws. §
" They continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and
fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." ^f
* Rom. iii. 20 — 31, and iv. 4, 5, 16, and x. 5 — 14.
t Matt. vii. 20, 21. % Acts xxvi. 18. '; Matt, xxviii. 19.
§ Acts ii. 38, 41, and xxii. 16. Rom. vi. 3, 4. *" Acts ii. 42.
I

66 PARENTAL DUTIES.
They abounded in works of liberality,* and thus showed their
mortification to this world, and their love to one another for
the truth's sake, by which they were closely united together ;
for we are informed that " the multitude of them that believed
were of one heart and of one soul." f They were taught also
by the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, to deny ungod
liness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and
godly in this present world ; X and thus they recommended their
holy profession to all around them, by a conversation becoming
the Gospel, while they strictly adhered to all the command
ments of our Lord and Saviour. They were constrained by
the love of Christ to live not unto themselves, but unto him who
died for them, and rose again. || They looked also for that
blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ ; § and while their souls were ani
mated and encouraged by this lively hope, they were moved
with the fear of being disapproved in the day of the Lord, if
they should depart from the truth, or act in opposition to its
genuine influence ; for the Apostle says, when speaking about
their confident hope of eternal life, and willingness to be absent
from the body, and present with the Lord, " Wherefore we
labour, that, whether present (in the body) or absent (from it,)
we may be accepted of him. For we must all stand before the
judgment-seat of Christ ; that every one may receive the things
done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad." ^T
As to the particular mode of teaching your children, it
appears to me not very material, whether this is done by asking
them from time to time such questions as occur to your memory,
and furnishing them with Scriptural answers ; or by using a
catechism, provided this catechism be exactly conformable to
the Word of God. Each of these methods has advantages
peculiar to itself. When parents are judicious, well informed,
and able to convey proper instructions to their children, there
is no need for any set form, and children will make greater
progress in the knowledge of Divine things, and be less in danger
of falling into error, when they are led immediately to the
Word of God, and derive all their instruction from this pure
and uncorrupted source. But every Christian parent is not
equal to this task, and some children are slow to receive instruc
tion, and need to have the same things so often repeated, that
the parent's method naturally turns into a set form at last. In
* Acts. ii. 44, 45. f Acts iv. 32. X Tit. ii. 11, 12.
|| 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. § Tit. ii. 13. «f 2 Cor. v. 9, 10.

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 67
these cases it might be preferable to make use of a simple,
well-digested catechism, expressed as much as possible in the
language of Scripture, if such a thing could be obtained with
out any mixture of false doctrine. But whatever method you
follow, I beseech you do not forget, that the success of your
endeavours depends entirely on the blessing of him who gave
the increase, when Paul preached and Apollos watered. De
pend therefore upon God, and pray earnestly to him, that he
would accompany his Word with the power of his Holy Spirit,
and make it reach the hearts of your children.
It is absolutely necessary that there should be some striking
appearances of this, before we give our children any encourage
ment to profess the faith. But, though it is evidently incon
sistent with our duty to lead them by our authority, or their
attachment to us, to observe the ordinances of Jesus Christ,
for this would really be to make them hypocrites ; yet there
are many things so much in our power, that we must be highly
culpable if we do not attend to them. For instance, if we have
any concern for their souls, this will induce us to bring them
regularly to the church on the first day of the week ; for we
know that " faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word
of God ;" * and we will be careful that they do not go to places
of worship, where they will hear doctrine subversive of the
Gospel, and ruinous to the souls of men. They can have no
pretence of any principle of conscience against this, till they
are capable to choose for themselves, and can give some rea
son for their choice. We ought also to enjoin upon them a
suitable conduct on the Sabbath-day, not allowing them to run
loose, or to indulge in play as on other days, that we ourselves
may not be interrupted in the duties to which we are called,
and that they may attend to the instructions which they ought
to receive, both in public and in private. It is likewise our
duty to restrain all insobriety in the article of dress, and to
prohibit them from reading such books, or frequenting such
public amusements, as might have a tendency to corrupt and
vitiate their minds. If we indulge them in matters of this kind,
it is little better than following the same practices ourselves.
Much more will this hold in relation to immoral conduct ; those
who suffer their children to commit such crimes, must have too
little aversion to them, and are actually partakers in them.
Yet we have no dominion over the consciences of our children,
nor any right, either to command or persuade them to make a
profession of the name of Christ, till they appear to be taught
of God. * Rom. x. 17.

68 PARENTAL DUTIES.
Only one thing more occurs to me with respect to the reli
gious training of children, namely, what instructions ought to
be given them about the duty of prayer. If we teach them
that all the blessings they enjoy come from the bountiful hand
of God, we ought also to represent it as their duty and privi
lege to pray to him for every thing they need, and to express
their gratitude for the mercies which he daily bestows. And
if we speak to them of salvation through the name of Christ,
we cannot fail to urge upon them the duty of prayer, seeing
this is a part of the gospel testimony, that " Whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved ; " * and one
who was in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity,
was thus addressed by the Apostle Peter, " Repent, and pray
God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven
thee." | But it is also necessary to set before them the way
of access to. God through the atonement of Christ, and to call
them to repentance while we exhort them to pray, showing
them that those only can be heard and accepted who approach
unto God in the name of the advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins. X
If it is necessary thus to pray with understanding, from a
sense of our need of mercy, and some degree of persuasion
that God is the hearer of prayer as he is manifested in the
Gospel, the just God and the Saviour ; it must be improper
to make children repeat words which they do not understand,
and to call this praying to God, while they are totally uncon
scious of their own wants, and have no faith in the Lord's abi
lity to supply them, nor in the ground on which they can
expect an answer to their prayers. Nay, in many cases they
know not that they are addressing God at all, for their prayers
are repeated in the presence of their parents, or of those who
have the charge of them ; and it is natural for them to imagine,
that they address themselves to the persons at whose command
they perform this task.
I would therefore have you to avoid this unmeaning form
while you encourage your children to pray, and recommend
to them this privilege, by every motive that leads you to pour
out your own hearts before the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Teach them on all these occasions, " to enter
into their closet, and when they have shut the door, to pray to
our Father who is in secret ;" || for this, more than almost any
other instruction, will tend to give them a just idea of the
nature of prayer. It is likewise better that they should express
the real desires of their hearts, in however imperfect a manner,
* Rom. x. 13. f Acts viii. 22, 23. f 1 John ii. 1, 2. || Matt. vi. 6.

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 69
than to use the most unexceptionable form of words, which
probably, though it were understood, might have no relation
whatever to the state of their minds.
The Lord's prayer seems intended rather to teach his dis
ciples what things they should pray for, and to prevent them
from using vain repetitions as the heathen do, than to furnish
them with a precise form of words. For there are many other
examples of prayer in the New Testament ; and, though the
whole of these correspond exactly with the matter contained
in the Lord's prayer, and are imitations of its concise and com
prehensive manner, yet none of them are expressed in the words
which are used by our Lord. While, therefore, it is certainly
proper to call the attention of children to this excellent direc
tory for prayer, they ought to be cautioned against a formal
and unmeaning repetition of it.
Another particular on this head requires still to be consi
dered, which is, that you should enforce all your admonitions
by your own example. We have already made some remarks
on the influence of example, when exhorting you to preserve
your children from falling into bad company ; but your own
example is of much greater importance than that of any one
else. It is always before them, they observe you daily, they
have confidence in you, and believe that what you do is right ;
and, even on the supposition that they act as good a part as
can in general be expected from children, their utmost ambi
tion will be to follow your example : many come short of their
parents, but few excel them. You ought therefore to be
exceedingly cautious to avoid every thing in your own conduct
that may tend to mislead your children ; their good behaviour
at present depends upon it, and in all probability your exam
ple will have a considerable influence in forming their character
for life. You have no right to expect that your precepts will
have a salutary influence, if you act in opposition to them
yourselves : nor can you with any consistency blame your chil
dren for the very same things that you practise.
We cannot mention all the particulars in which you ought to
show them a pattern of sobriety, righteousness, and godliness,
for this would lead us to speak of every Christian virtue : nor
is it necessary; for you know what is incumbent on you as the
followers of Jesus Christ. But in general observe, that these
remarks apply to every thing that is good and praiseworthy.
Whatever you would have your children to do, make it your
constant aim to do it yourselves, and never let them have it to
say, that you live in the practice of any one thing which you
wish them to avoid. We shall exemplify this by a particular
instance. There are many people who speak falsely to chil-

70 PARENTAL DUTIES.
dren, sometimes merely for their entertainment, and at other
times to soothe them, and quiet their clamours ; putting them
in fear by things which have no existence, promising what they
have no intention to perform, or telling them a downright lie
to deceive them. Such things are excused because they are
trifling, or done only with a view to amuse or frighten children.
But however unimportant the subject may be, and whatever
good ends you may propose in telling what you know to
be false, you are guilty of lying when you do so ; and in this,
you set an example to your children of one of the greatest
crimes which they have it in their power to commit. You
ought not only to avoid giving them a bad example, but to
beware of every appearance of it. Never allow them to pro
ceed on a mistake, and to suppose that you say or do what is
wrong, for want of a proper explanation. This will happen
when you tell them marvellous stories, which even children
can scarcely credit, without saying at same time that you do
not vouch for the truth of them ; or when you speak of extra
ordinary and incredible things, which in one sense are false, and
in another true. When you allow them to remain in the belief
that you have told a falsehood, whether it be so or not, you
teach them to lie.
We shall now take some notice of the example which you
ought to set before them in matters of religion, principally with
a view to show you how absurd it is to suppose that you can
be of any use to your children in this respect, unless your prac
tice justifies your profession, and accords with the instructions
which you communicate. You may talk to them of the love
and fear of God : but alas ! will they not either think that
these are light matters in themselves, or that you make light
of them, if you do not give evidence that you yourselves are
fearers of God, by submitting in all things to his authority,
and taking his Word for your rule ? What estimation will they
form of your speeches about the Gospel being the one thing
needful, and the profession which you make of mortification to
this world, if they can discern from your conduct that you are
chiefly solicitous about present happiness ? Will they think
you sincere in what you say about confidence in God, if they
see you often distracted with worldly care ? And though you
may talk to them of the duties of devotion, and the way of
access to God in prayer ; how are they to understand this, or
how can they think there is any sincerity in you, if they never
witness your prayers ? This is one thing among others, which
shows the necessity of Christians attending to family devotion.
If it is your duty not only to admonish your children, but to
exemplify in your own conduct all tbat you would wish to

THE ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 71
enforce upon them, is it not of great consequence that you
should set them an example of daily prayer, to show that you
are believers in Christ, and approach to God with humble con
fidence in his name ; that you live by the atonement, and thus
delight in having intercourse with God ; that you are grate
ful to him for the mercies which he daily bestows on you and
your families ; and that you trust in him for every needful
blessing ?
A train of conduct opposite to this is worse, in some respects,
than saying nothing to your children about religion at all. It
is teaching them to think the Gospel a matter of mere theory,
and that they may with safety speculate about things of infinite
importance, without having their hearts and conduct affected by
them. It is teaching them to be hypocrites, and false pro
fessors of the name of Christ. It is necessary to guard you
against the slightest appearances of this inconsistent conduct,
by showing you how odious it is in its extreme, and what
destructive consequences may be expected from it. Thus it
appears, that a good example is included in the admonition
which Christian parents are commanded to give to their children.
Those who have the children of their friends or others com
mitted to their charge, are also called to the performance of
the same duties ; and they should endeavour to supply, by a
principle of conscience, the deficiency that must arise from the
want of parental affection.
We may notice, in conclusion, that all the duties which parents
owe to their children, must proceed from love ; indeed this is the
principle of every duty to our fellow-creatures, for love is the
fulfilling of the law ; but it is especially necessary here. When
we consider what a laborious task it is to bring up children,
how much toil of body and anxiety of mind it occasions, what
constant watchfulness is necessary for their preservation from
external injuries, and what diligence is requisite to teach them
every thing that has a relation to their happiness in this life,
and in that which is to come, while our admonitions must be
repeated daily, and our utmost exertions employed to make
them effectual ; we must see at once, that all this cannot be
done without a high degree of attachment to them. How could
we bear their follies and impertinences, or show any kind of
moderation in reproving them, if we did not love them ? We
may therefore discern much- wisdom and goodness in the conduct
of our great Creator, who has implanted in the hearts of parents
a strong affection for their offspring, which effectually disposes
them to seek their happiness, and will in many respects accom
plish this end, if they be properly informed about the means of

72 PARENTAL DUTIES.
obtaining it. This passion is universal, with only a few excep
tions; it is one of the essential properties of our nature,
though not peculiar to it, since we observe in the inferior
creation also a strong affection to their young. It is common
to all parents, however deflcient in point of understanding, and
destitute of the influence of religion and the fear of God.
The Gospel does not eradicate these natural affections,
though it obliges us to love Christ more than father, or mother,
or wife, or children, or even our own lives : * on the contrary,
it enforces them, and leads to the due exercise of that love
and tenderness which nature dictates. The Word of God
represents the want of natural affection as a great evil, and
ranks it with the worst of crimes ; f husbands are commanded
to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and as they love
their own bodies ; % and wives are commanded to love their
husbands and their children. ||
I cannot therefore suppose you deficient in this love ; you
have all the ties of nature as well as other men, and you pro
fess to be subject to the authority of God, enjoining, as mat
ters of conscience, the duties which result from them. This
encourages me to address you on the subject of bringing up
your children ; and, aside from this motive, I should have little
hope of being able to prevail with you to bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. But, if you have the hearts
of parents, and wish above all things to make your children
happy, ought you not to consider well in what way this desirable
object is to be attained ? And is not this a strong argument
to induce you to attend to what has been said on this import
ant subject ? The more you think of the directions that have
been offered to your consideration from the Word of God, the
more will they be approved by your reason and conscience, and
call forth all your parental tenderness to give them force and
energy. " Matt. x. 37, 39. Luke xi v. 26. t Pom. i. 31. 2 Tim. iii. 3.
X Eph. v. 25, 28. || Tit. ii. 4.

[ rs 3

DISCOURSE III.

' AND, YE FATHERS, PROVOKE NOT YOUR CHILDREN TO WRATH; BUT BRING THEM UP IN THE
NURTURE AND ADMONITION OF THE LORD."-rEPH. vi. 4.

[n the last discourse, we explained the commandment, to " bring
up our children in the admonition of the Lord," as it relates to
the concerns of this life, and of the life that is to come.
IV. We shall now mention a few motives and encourage
ments, in addition to what have been already stated, suited to
animate you to the faithful performance of these duties.
First, The example of the Lord himself, in his conduct
towards his children. He condescends to call himself the
father of his people ; he hath said that they shall be sons and
daughters of the Lord Almighty ; and having taken them into
this near and intimate relation, he acts the part of a most kind,
indulgent, and compassionate father. This surely is an
example worthy of our imitation. Consider, then, how he
exercises his paternal love. The greatest display of it is, in
this case, beyond all possibility of our imitation — I mean the
gift of his beloved Son when we were enemies and ungodly,
and his reconciling us to himself by the death of his Son.
But it is from this, that we are taught to perceive the great
ness of his love, and to expect every other blessing which God
can bestow. " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us
all things ? " * We cannot imitate this expression of Divine
love in our conduct towards our children, for they are not our
enemies ; they never needed to be reconciled to us, (unless some
of yon have had a prodigal son,) and we have not adopted them
into our families.
But the Lord's method of training his children, after they
are redeemed by the blood of Christ, and brought into his
family, claims our attention in this view. While he bestows
* Rom. viii. 32.

74 PARENTAL DUTIES.
every blessing according to his own good pleasure, in his free
and sovereign mercy, he refuses nothing that contributes to the
real happiness of his people : " He will give grace and glory ;
no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." *
And our Lord, when representing the compassion of God the
Father, and illustrating it by the kindness of earthly parents,
says to his disciples, " If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children ; how much more shall your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit," or, as it is elsewhere
expressed, " good things, to them that ask him ? " t He pities
them in all their weakness and distress, and affords them sea
sonable relief and protection. " Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he know
eth our frame ; he remembereth that we are dust :"X And " though
he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the
multitude of his mercies." || He exercises no severity without
a proper cause ; for " He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve
the children of men." § All his dispensations are meant for
the good of his children, and in mercy to their souls ; " He
chastises them for their profit, that they may be made par
takers of his holiness ;" f and we are informed, that it is only
" if need be," that " they are in heaviness through manifold
trials." ** On the other hand, he will not in any case indulge
them to their hurt ; he promises to give nothing but what is
agreeable to his will ; and no importunity can reverse this law,
though he directs his children to be importunate in praying
for such things as he hath promised to bestow, and assures
them of success, ft He also shows his displeasure when they
offend ;XX he disciplines his children and brings them under
the rod ; he chastens, rebukes, and scourges them. || || He does
not follow their inclinations in this respect, nor spare for their
crying: and he only has complacency in them, and mani
fests his fatherly love to them, when they act agreeably to
his will. §§ The whole of his procedure, therefore, is suited
to deliver them from sin, to make them happy when in the way
of their duty, and miserable when they depart from it. This
is the conduct of Him who exercises infinite love and compas
sion ; and if you act suitably to your character as the children
of God, you will endeavour to imitate this high example.
Consider also how the Lord instructs, admonishes, and
warns his children. This he does with tenderness, as they
are able to bear it ; with much earnestness and importunity,
* Psal. lxxxiv. 11. fLike xi. 13. Matt. vii. 11. +Psal. ciii. 13, 14.
|| Lam. iii. 32. § Lam. iii. 33. % Heb. xii. 10. ** 1 Pet. i. 6.
ft 1 John v. 14. Psal. lxxxv. 12. Luke xi. 9—14, and xviii. 1—8.
XX Amos iii. 2. |||| Heb. xii. 5—11. §§ John xiv. 21, 23, and xv.
10. 1 John iii. 21, to the end.

MOTIVES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS. 75
if we may so speak ; persuading them by every motive that is
suited to awaken their attention, and to engage their warmest
affections ; and, with unceasing care and perseverance, giving
them line upon line, and precept upon precept ; thus using a
variety of means to instruct them in the knowledge of his will,
that they may cheerfully do it.
Second, One of the strongest inducements to the perform
ance of every parental duty, is the consideration of the conse
quences which you have reason to expect either from diligence
in these duties, or the neglect of them : to this I beg your
particular attention.
The bad consequences of neglecting these duties must be
evident to every one, from the nature of the thing, and from
daily observation and experience. If you are rigorous and
severe, you will either crush the spirits of your children, and
render them unfit for every employment that requires exertion :
or you will provoke their resentment, and produce in their
minds an utter aversion to your religious principles and moral
injunctions. As the former of these is a melancholy situation,
so the latter is a most dangerous one ; for when children find
themselves unreasonably hemmed in by the iron hand of des
potic authority, and deprived of much satisfaction and comfort
which they might innocently enjoy, it frequently happens that
they embrace the first favourable opportunity to throw off every
restraint, and to indulge in all the excesses of youthful intem
perance and folly.
On the other hand, the effects of over-indulgence, and slack
ening too much the reins of government, are equally fatal.
None of us know so little of human nature, as to imagine that a
child left to himself will not .often go astray ; and if the most
effectual means are not speedily used to reclaim him, he will
run on from evil to worse, till he is past all remedy. The
Word of God declares this, and in numberless instances it has
been fulfilled.
Some indeed, when they come to the years of discretion,
will follow a better line of conduct than they have been taught,
either by the authority, or the example of their parents. They
may be converted by the power of God from the evil of their
way; and even when this does not take place, a due considera
tion of what is necessary for their interest and happiness in this
world, may lead them to sobriety and decency of conduct. But
is it reasonable to expect this ? What are the natural conse
quences of letting them do as they please ? It would amount to
a denial of the account which the Scriptures give of the cor
ruption of human nature, did we hesitate to affirm that parents,
in this case, have the greatest reason to fear the total ruin of
their children.

76 PARENTAL DUTIES.
All this will be acknowledged by every considerate person;
hut I am persuaded that the views of most people, respecting
the advantages arising from the proper government of children,
are too limited, and fall short of what is plainly taught in the
Word of God. In treating this part of the subject, I must
again call your attention to the distinction between religious
admonitions, and those which relate merely to that sort of
good behaviour which arises from natural principles.
We formerly observed, that it is the indispensable duty of
believing parents to instruct their children in the knowledge of
the Gospel ; and while they do so, they are warranted to pray
for the blessing of Him who said, " Suffer the little children to
come unto me, and forbid them not : for of such is the kingdom
of God." * They have reason also to hope that success will
attend their labours ; for besides the general expectation which
the Scriptures warrant, that God will bless his own Word for
the conversion of sinners, parents are commanded to make
known the testimony and the works of God to their children,
for this purpose, that the generation to come may know them,
and may set their hope in God. t And the Apostle Paul
seems to hint at the instrumentality of parents in the case of
Timothy, when he says, " I call to remembrance the unfeigned
faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois,
and thy mother Eunice ; and I am persuaded that in thee also."!
He likewise affirms that Timothy "from a child had known
the Holy Scriptures, which, says he, are able to make thee
wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ." || The
influence of the Word of truth doubtless depends on the sove-.
reign will of God ; he is indebted to none, and dispenses his
favours as he pleases. We may teach and admonish our chil
dren, but God alone can make his own Word effectual for their
salvation ; and we therefore cannot proceed with an absolute
certainty of being the happy means of " turning them from
darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God."
This, however, ought not to prevent us from endeavouring to
teach our children the things of God. The same uncertainty
of success has no such influence in other cases.. Will any of
us refrain from using the means of recovery, when the lives of
our children are threatened by dangerous bodily diseases, be
cause it is not absolutely certain that God will bless those
means ? If a mere probability of success, and sometimes a
very faint one, encourage us to use every possible exertion in
the latter case, why is it otherwise in the former, if we are
not more anxious about the temporal, than about the spiritual
and eternal happiness of our children ?
* Mark x. 14. f Psal. lxxviii. 5, 7. X 2 Tim. i. 5. || 2 Tim. iii. 15-.

MOTIVES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS. 77
But I maintain, with respect to a decent and orderly con
duct in society, that when parents uniformly attend to the
plan of education which the Word of God inculcates, this
will produce the effects intended by it on all children, except
those who are destitute of common sense ; though its influence
will be more or less complete, according to their different capa
cities and dispositions. Some are susceptible of more culture
than others ; but it is possible to prevent any child from being
habitually wicked and ungovernable, who is decidedly capable
of distinguishing between right and wrong.
If you possess the proper government of your children, they
will be submissive and orderly in their general deportment
while they are in their nonage, and under your immediate inspec
tion and care.
A sufficient proof of this arises from the suitableness of the
means to the end proposed. When we consider the salutary
nature of chastisement, the influence of gentle, unremitting, and
well directed authority, the power of habit, and the consequences
that may be expected from instructions and admonitions often
repeated, and from the good example of those whom children
most esteem, all of which have been illustrated in this and
the preceding discourses ; we may fairly conclude that, if their
habitual conduct be justly censurable, their parents are to
blame. And though it is admitted, that the blessing of God
is necessary to give success to our endeavours, yet there is a
natural connection between the means and the end, which puts
it within our reach, and renders us inexcusable if we palpably
fail to accomplish it.
The Word of God informs us, that our labours in this respect
will be crowned with success. This is often repeated by Solo
mon in the passages formerly quoted ; and I cannot suppose
that he would so positively assert, that the happy consequences
mentioned in these texts will be produced by reproof and cor
rection, if it can be said justly, that the means which he pre
scribes have no necessary connexion with the end in view, and
consequently may often totally fail of success. We must not,
however, understand him as maintaining, that in every parti
cular instance of reproof or chastisement, the end will be
immediately and completely gained : for he evidently supposes
that there will be frequent occasion for this discipline, and only
gives reason to expect, that upon the whole we shall be suc
cessful in giving wisdom to our children, and driving far from
them the foolishness that is bound in their hearts.* Since this-.
assurance is given us in the Word of God, it must be a fact„
* Prov. xxii. 15, xxix. 15.

78 PARENTAL DUTIES.
whoever doubts it, and it cannot be disproved by all the rea
soning of man.
There are, indeed, many general affirmations in the Scrip
tures, which are not meant to be taken absolutely, and will not
apply to every case that may be supposed to occur. But
wherever we find an express declaration, that certain causes
will produce the effects which are ascribed to them, we ought
to believe that it will be so, unless it appear also from the
Word of God, that there are other causes which on some
occasions may prevent those effects. Now, if we maintain that
children may habitually go astray, without any blame on the
part of their parents, we must be able to point out some oppo
site cause which is sufficient to counteract the nurture and
admonition of the Lord, and to render them ineffectual. Next
to a total want of capacity in young persons, which is admitted
to be an effectual bar in the way of training them, the most
formidable opposition arises from the foolishness that is natu
rally bound in their hearts ; but this does not operate in the
way of preventing the good effects of nurture and admonition,
for these are the appointed means by which that foolishness
is checked and restrained.
Further, the commandment to bring up our children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord, requires that we should
regulate their conduct by means of that discipline and instruc
tion which the Lord hath appointed. It is not enough that we
show them the way in which they should go ; we must train
them up in it, and not suffer them to depart from it. This
surely could not be required in all cases, unless every parent
who fears God, and possesses ordinary judgment and prudence,
were capable of performing it.
This observation is confirmed by the obligation laid upon
elders of Christian churches, " to have faithful children,* not
accused of riot, nor unruly, and to have their children in sub
jection with all gravity ;" t and by a similar commandment with
respect to deacons, who must "rule their children and their
own houses well." X Some people would pause here, and say
with astonishment, " May not a good man have bad children ?
Is it not very possible that he may correct, admonish, exercise
authority, and do every duty to them ; and that, in spite of all
this, they may be unfaithful, riotous, and unruly ? " This I
* Tiyfaithfid children we must not understand believers of the Gospel,
for parents are not capable'to make them such. This character is opposed
to their being riotous and unruly, and therefore must imply sobriety, and
an uniform subjection to the authority of their parents. In these respects
they are required to be faithful.
t 1 Tim. iii. 4. " Tit. i. 6. J 1 Tim. iii. 12.

MOTIVES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS. 79
absolutely deny. How could it be made a qualification of
office-bearers in churches, without which they cannot lawfully
be appointed to these offices, if it were not always in their
power ? A man is supposed to desire the office of a bishop,
or overseer, without any pride or self-sufficiency, from a single
eye to the glory of God, and the good of his people. But,
however much his mind may be set upon it, he cannot be
allowed to exercise the office without this qualification ; and
though his gifts in other respects should be eminently useful,
a church of Christ cannot enjoy them, because his children
are riotous, and unruly. Can any thing be a stronger
proof that Christian parents are obliged to regulate the
conduct of their children, that it is in their power to do so,
and consequently that they cannot be guiltless when they
do it not ? For surely it would be most unreasonable to sup
pose, that a man's gifts must be unoccupied, his desire to be
employed in a good work refused, and his usefulness prevented,
on account of an accidental circumstance, in which he is not to
blame. Nor can we imagine, that the children of elders and
deacons will be more easily trained than those of other people :
the same variety of natural dispositions that we meet with in
other children, must be expected in them ; but the Scripture
makes no allowance for this, they are bound at all rates to have
them in subjection.
When the Apostle makes it necessary that a Christian
teacher should be " One that ruleth well his own house, hav
ing his children in subjection with all gravity," he must be
understood to affirm that he who has not his children thus in
subjection, does not rule his own house well. And when he draws
this inference from his neglect, " For if a man know not how
to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of
God ? " it is plain that he directs Christians to judge of his
fitness to bear rule in a church, by his way of proceeding in
the government of his family, and the effect of this upon his
children. In the parallel passage in his epistle to Titus, he
says nothing at all of ruling, yet he must have this in view
when he characterises the children of elders. " Having faith
ful children," &c, is therefore to the same purpose as if he had
said, " One that ruleth well his own house."
It cannot be justly pleaded that this is an obligation peculiar
to office-bearers ; for though they ought to excel in the qualifica
tions laid down by the Apostle, yet all those qualifications, except
that of being apt to teach, and not being a novice, are incum
bent on every Christian. And whatever idea may be entertained
of the superior talents of men who are qualified to be public
teachers, and the propriety of those who are called to the office of

80 PARENTAL DUTIES.
rulers giving proof of their fitness to exercise authority ; it will
not be easy to show that there is any thing, with respect to chil
dren, implied in " ruling their own houses well," which is not as
strongly implied in " bringing up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord."
What reason can be assigned why Christian masters are not
made equally answerable for the conduct of their servants,
(whatever duties they owe them in other respects,) nor com
manded to make them faithful, sober, and submissive ? Be
cause this is most assuredly beyond their power. But
mark the difference here, — it is never hinted or supposed in
the Word of God, that there is any insurmountable obstruc
tion in the way of training children to habits of virtue. If such
impossibility really did exist, this hopeless task would not have
been assigned to us.
These premises necessarily lead to the following conclusion.
When a child is riotous, ungovernable, and given to any wicked
practices, it may be concluded that his parents do not bring
him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, though we
should not have an opportunity of discerning any material fault
in their conduct. It would not indeed be candid to form this
judgment on account of trifling things, or even glaring instances
of misconduct, if these seldom occur, for we are not to look for
perfection either in parents or children ; children who are under
the best government, may be tempted, on some occasions, to
commit very heinous crimes ; but if they are habitually wicked
and ungovernable, you cannot be guiltless. Make no excuses
here. You may complain of his untoward disposition, but
whose fault is this ? It is your business to make him tractable.
You may say that you both admonish and correct him. Per
haps you do so ; and it is very possible that you may correct
him too much, for parents often, through their own miscon
duct, give many stripes to no purpose. What then must be
done ? If neither words nor blows have any tendency to reclaim,
must your child be abandoned to every foolish and wicked
course, and given up for lost? — God forbid. But in this case,
consider your own deficiency rather than your son's. He is
undoubtedly in your power while he is young ; and if you con
stantly and invariably use the means which God hath appointed,
you may be assured of success, though not in every ease to the
same extent.
Indeed, it appears to me that, if proper means were uni
formly and timeously used, it would seldom or never be found
necessary to make children suffer bodily pain after four or five
years of age. If this opinion be right, it will furnish you with
a strong proof that the Lord's method of training is truly

MOTIVES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS. 81
merciful, and that, in departing from it, we are in danger of
exercising cruelty towards our own defenceless children, whom
we ought to cherish and protect !
Hitherto I have spoken only of the influence of parental dis
cipline and admonition, while children are under the immediate
inspection and care of their parents ; but it appears to me that
the good effects of this training will also continue when they
grow up to manhood. Parents, as we have seen, ought not only
to admonish and correct their children, but also to bring them
into a constant habit of regularity and good behaviour ; and
this we suppose ought to continue from fifteen to twenty years.
Sometimes the period may be longer, but when it is shorter,
by the death of parents or other circumstances, such children
are not trained up to maturity ; and when parents commit them
to the charge of others at an early age, they are unfaithful
to their trust, unless this proceed from some very urgent cause.
Any case of this nature does not fall within the present remark.
But when so long a period of their lives is spent in sobriety,
industry, and good behaviour, is it reasonable to suppose that
they will have any inclination to become idle, dissipated, and
worthless members of society ? Do we not see thousands who,
without the benefit of such education, are just and benevolent,
outwardly decent in their conduct, and free from such vices as
the world in general condemn ? And surely this is much more
to be expected, when children have been brought up in the
nurture and admonition of the'Lord. Aside from every reli
gious principle, regard to their own interest and happiness in
v a worldly view, will secure them against open profanity and
dissolute behaviour ; and, being so long habituated to sobriety
and decorum, they will find it no mortification to continue in
the same course.
Such are the natural effects of a good education in youth,
and the Word of God also gives reason to hope that these
effects will be produced by it ; for Solomon says, " Train up
a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not
depart from it." * I am inclined, for my own part, to consider
this position as one that will seldom completely disappoint the
hopes of affectionate parents, though I confess there is a better
ground for making exceptions here than in the former case.
Parents cannot be answerable in the same degree for the con
duct of their children, after they are grown up to manhood, as
when they are under their immediate inspection, and subject to
their authority. But though you should not be fully convinced
that such extensive happy consequences will always result from
* Prov. xxii. 6.

82 PARENTAL DUTIES.
the proper training of children, it is a great encouragement if
you believe that it will be so in general, with some exceptions;
and this, I trust, will be admitted by all.
As I am very much persuaded that parents will exert them
selves in training their children, in the same proportion as they
perceive that beneficial consequences will be produced by it ;
and that they cannot have a due conviction of their own defi
ciencies in this respect, while they do not reckon themselves
accountable for the misconduct of their children ; I shall endea
vour to obviate the principal objections against what has been
advanced on this head.
Instances of good men, who have done every thing in their
power to train up their children according to the rule of the
Word of God, and were not able to prevent them from going
astray, will be urged as an insurmountable objection against
all that has been said. Scriptural examples of this will be
produced, and many instances that have fallen under our own
observation, of which you may think yourselves perfectly
informed. I acknowledge that if examples fully in point could
be produced, there would be some reason to doubt whether
parents have as much in their power as I have ascribed to them ;
and so far I must yield to the objection, by admitting that the
children of good men have often gone astray. But what evi
dence have you, that these men conscientiously attended in all
respects to the rule of the Word of God in training their chil
dren ? Can you be as certain of this, as you ought to be of
the truth of the Scriptures which maintain the opposite ? All
that is necessary on my part, is to deny this assertion till satis
factory evidence is brought to confirm it, and this I am per
suaded never can be done. There may be very essential
failings in the management of their children, while in other
respects people conduct themselves with propriety; and of
this I have seen undeniable instances, in some of those very
cases that have been adduced to give force to this objection.
It is much safer, therefore, to adhere to the plain declarations
of the Word of God, and to the examples by which these are
confirmed. It may also be objected, that allowing such extensive influ
ence to the government of earthly parents, is a denial of the
corruption of human nature, and the necessity of Divine grace
to deliver from the power of sin. This objection has been
anticipated by several remarks in this and the preceding dis
courses. I fully admit that the special grace of God is neces
sary to change the heart by the influence of the Gospel, and
to lead any person to universal obedience from the motives
which God approves. But the most extensive view that we

MOTIVES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS. 83
can take of man's depravity, bwth in regard to his principles
and conduct, does not oblige us to conclude that every one
must be openly wicked and profane ; for it is undeniable that
there are many worthy and respectable members of society
who are ignorant of the Gospel, and do not even profess to be
religious. Those who object on this ground, will also admit
that some instances can be produced of children, who, in con
sequence of their having been brought up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord, were restrained from immoral and dis
orderly conduct in their nonage, and continued in the same
course when they arrived at the years of maturity ; nay, they
will own that this is in general to be expected. What differ
ence then is there between their sentiments and mine ? None
in point of principle ; for if they admit that the salutary effects
which I have ascribed to parental discipline and admonition,
will frequently take place, we exactly agree in principle, and
only differ about the application of it in other instances, which
are precisely similar in so far as this principle is concerned.
Another objection arises from the various dispositions of
children, and the different degrees of wickedness which are
supposed to be in them. It is a pretty general opinion, that
some are born into the world with more wicked inclinations
than others, and therefore cannot be brought to submit them
selves to any rule or authority ; — that one is born a thief,
another a liar, a third a drunkard, a fourth a murderer, and so
on ; — and that these propensities are so rooted in the hearts of
such devoted beings, that they must fulfil them in spite of all
opposition. But I have no belief in this doctrine, and shall
endeavour to expose its falsehood — That all mankind are cor
rupt, I have not the smallest doubt ; and that a disposition to
all the evils just mentioned is naturally in the heart of every
man, appears from the dreadful account of human corruption
which is given in the third chapter of the Epistle to the Ro
mans, and in many other parts of the Scripture. But that one
is born more wicked than another, I cannot possibly admit, as
the assertion involves in it this necessary consequence, that
God is the author of sin. If all men do not derive the same
nature from Adam, and if any one person exceeds another in
such wicked propensities as are purely natural, must not the
difference arise merely from the will of the great Creator ?
But though we should never be able to account for the dif
ferent degrees of sinfulness which we see in the human race,
we must not ascribe it to this. I suppose the whole of this dif
ference arises from external circumstances ; such as education,
company, opportunities, temptations, and a thousand occur-

84 PARENTAL DUTIES.
rences, which are exceedingly varied in the lot of different per
sons, and even in what befals children of the same family.
I do not question that many dispositions, not sinful in them
selves, of which we see a great variety in children as well as in
adults, are born into the world with them, and may perhaps
depend in some measure on the constitution and frame of the
body ; though there can be no doubt that such dispositions as
we are in use to call natural, are also partly formed by educa
tion and habit. It is likewise evident that various dispositions
require various treatment, and that some children will be more
easily managed, and need less severity than others ; while the
best method of training them will not always be accompanied
with equal success ; but it does not follow from this, that there
are any who cannot be brought under the authority of their
parents. Diseases too are hereditary, and so is the sinful bias of the
human mind, but with this difference — We may inherit peculiar
diseases from our immediate progenitors, of which many of our
species are entirely free ; but, though a corrupt nature is also
immediately communicated to us by our parents, yet this is
not on account of their sins, but solely on account of our con
nection with Adam in his one offence, which we have in com
mon with all his posterity; and this places every individual of
the human race exactly on the same footing in this particular.
The children of saints, and the children of the most abandoned
profligates, equally partake of the same corrupt nature which
Adam communicated to Abel as well as to Cain.* How else
can we understand the description that is frequently "given in
the Word of God, of the general and total depravity of human
nature ; which is uniformly represented as being the same in its
source and principle, though various in its effects ? All, with
out exception, are "enemies unto God in their minds by wicked
works ;" f and all are " hateful, and hating one another. X
" There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that under-
standeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are aU
gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable ;
there is none that doeth good, no, not one." ||
* Children who have profligate parents very often imitate their behaviour,
and resemble them in all their wicked dispositions ; but the question is,
whether does this arise from a stronger natural propensity to commit sin
than is commonly to be found in children, or from the influence of bad
example and pernicious training ? Is there not every reason to believe,
that the same education and example would corrupt other children, as-
much as it does them ?
t Col. i. 21. % Tit. iii. 3. X Kom. iii. 10, 11, 12.

MOTIVES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS. 85
It may likewise be considered as an objection, that while
very important consequences are attributed to the care and
attention of parents, so great a number of duties are enjoined
upon them, and such constancy and perseverance in fulfilling
these duties, that very few can be supposed to attain this high
degree of perfection in the government of their children ; and
consequently the effect must cease, as well as the cause. It
must be owned, that much attention and diligence is requisite
on the part of parents ; but I would not be understood as main
taining that perfection is necessary ; that those who have rea
son to hope for success must be such as possess more than
ordinary abilities ; or that so much time ought to be spent in
this business as would occasion the neglect of other duties.
Every thing that is human must be imperfect ; and if those
only can expect to succeed who are chargeable with no defi
ciency or neglect, all that has been said will go for nothing,
and the happy fruits which the Word of God ascribes to the
performance of parental duties, will never be realized. It is
evident therefore, that obtaining these fruits must be con
sistent with human weakness and frailty; and I am per
suaded there must be very essential defects in the management
of children, when they are remarkable for insobriety and riot
ous behaviour, and refuse to submit to authority. This will
never arise from such ordinary failings in the conduct of their
parents, as ought to be expected in general among the people
of God, nor can it be owing, in most cases, to the want of
natural abilities ; for it requires no great depth of judgment to
manage children. Prudence and discretion indeed are neces
sary ; and where these are wanting, it is not easy to say how
the deficiency can be supplied; but people of ordinary under
standing, who know how to conduct themselves with propriety
in the common affairs of life, are capable of performing all the
duties required of parents, so as to accomplish the ends intend
ed by them, provided they act from a deep impression of the
fear of God. This is true wisdom, and will often lead those
who possess it to a judicious and prudent conduct, without much
aid from natural talents. And as to the time that may be
necessary for a proper attention to these duties, I really be
lieve that much less time is spent in the most laudable training
of children, than in spoiling them ; and that if one-half of the
pains and trouble which is often bestowed on humouring them
to their own hurt, and seeking to rectify evils which parents
themselves have occasioned, were employed in bringing up
children according to the rule of the Word of God, this would
be sufficient to produce the salutary consequences attributed to
a good education.

86 PARENTAL DUTIES.
I shall only take notice of another objection, namely, that
one of the parents may be disposed to obey this precept, and
the perverseness of the other may render it ineffectual. This
has more force than any of the former objections, though it
does not in the least degree affect the principle that we have
established ; for whatever prevents children from being properly
trained must have a bad tendency, if the opposite has a good
one. A great deficiency will arise from one of the parents
failing in this duty ; yet much may be done by the diligence
and perseverance of the other party. Few parents are so lost
to every sense of duty, as to endeavour to make their children
as wicked as themselves, or avowedly to oppose any means that
may be used to admonish them, or to correct their faults; though
they may live in the neglect of what is incumbent on them, and
by their example, and otherwise, counteract the influence of the
best admonitions. Those who are connected with such part
ners in the marriage relation, ought not therefore to be too
much discouraged : they may succeed notwithstanding this disad
vantage, and at any rate it is their duty to exert themselves to
the utmost of their power. It appears also, from the obligation
laid upon elders to have faithful children, that mothers acting
an undutiful part is not a sufficient excuse ; as it is very likely
that some of those who were chosen to be elders of the first
churches, had been joined, before their conversion, to wives
who afterwards remained in a state of unbelief, and could not
therefore be expected to bring up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. Such wives could not lawfully
be put away, though it is the bounden duty of Christians,
after their conversion, to " marry only in the Lord." *
Third, Another motive is the consideration of your own
peace and comfort, which is intimately connected with doing
your duty to your children. You must be deeply interested
in their happiness ; it will give you unspeakable pleasure to
see them dutiful and submissive, ready to receive instruction,
and growing in wisdom as they grow in years; and every oppo
site appearance will have a tendency to sink your spirits, and
to fill you with the deepest sorrow. t " A foolish son is a
grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him."$
If they should be riotous and unruly, how will you be able
to bear even the suspicion that this may be owing to your
own folly, and inattention to the duties which the Word of
God enjoins on Christian parents ? The miseries to which their
disorderly conduct will expose them in this life, and the
danger of everlasting perdition, will pierce you to the heart,
* 1 Cor. vii. 12, 13, 39. f Prov. x. 1. + Prov, xvii. 25.

MOTIVES AND ENCOURAGEMENTS. 87
and bring upon you more shame and anguish than I am able
to describe.*
But this is not all. Your own souls are in danger ; for
though we stand by faith, and enjoy free remission of sins, and
the hope of eternal life through the Divine atonement of the
Son of God, yet how can we be assured that we are believers
in Christ, and partake of his salvation, if we do not conscien
tiously obey his commandments ? Parents have a most import
ant charge committed to them, of which they will be called to
render an account at the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ. Va
rious excuses may perhaps at present lull your consciences
asleep; but how will you answer at the great tribunal of Him
who searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins, to give every
man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his
doings ? t Be assured that you cannot be guilty of such ne
glects as are very common among professing Christians, with
impunity. I have all along admitted that it is not in your
power to teach your children the saving knowledge of the truth ;
but if they die in their iniquity, and you warn them not, God
will require their blood at your hand. X
Fourth, The last motive that I shall mention, is the glory of
God and the honour of the Christian profession. Believers
of the Gospel are thus addressed by the Apostle, " I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye pre
sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service." || And again, " Ye are not
your own, for ye are bought with a price : therefore glorify God
in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." § This
acceptable service of the living God, from the motives of love
and gratitude for his mercy, extends to every thing in which
we can be lawfully engaged, and includes in it not only the
duties which we immediately owe to God, but all that is in
cumbent on us in relation to ourselves, and those with whom
we are connected. " Whatsoever ye do in word or deed," ye
are commanded to "do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God and the Father by him; — and to do all to the
glory of God." ^ It is of great importance to have this in
view with respect to our performance of relative duties, by
which, in a particular manner, we have it in our power to glo
rify God, and to show the practical influence of the Gospel,
by a train of conduct which the consciences of all men must
approve. As we make a profession of the name of Christ, the
world will narrowly observe us, and we must expect them to
* Prov. xxix. 15. f Jer- xvii. 10. JEzek. iii. 18, 20, andxxxiii. 8.
1 Rom. xii. 1. § 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. 4 Col. iii. 17. 1 Cor. x. 31.

88 PARENTAL DUTIES.
censure us more severely than others, when we deviate from
the path of duty. If you are inattentive to the duties which
you owe to your children, and allow them to be more riotous
and unruly than the children of sober worldly people, what a
reproach will this bring upon our holy profession !
Some of you may have failed in the performance of these
duties, and the time perhaps is gone. You neglected the
wholesome discipline which the Lord has appointed, when the
opportunity was given you ; and now your children are beyond
the reach of your authority. You mistook the way of securing
their true happiness, and allowed them to follow the bent of
their natural inclinations ; and the requital they now make, is
just what might have been expected ; — they are regardless of
your satisfaction and comfort, and refuse to submit to your
admonitions. Let me entreat you to consider how much you
have in this instance departed from the law of God, and dis
honoured his holy name. Humble yourselves in his presence,
and be earnest to obtain forgiveness through the blood of
Christ. It is the greatest of all consolations to a sinner, to
hear that there is forgiveness with God, and that he delighteth
in mercy. To this we must have recourse on many occasions,
and this alone can bear up your minds under the painful reflec
tion that is suggested by these remarks ; and while you retain
a just sense of your own guilt in this matter, and hope in the
mercy of God for the pardon of all your iniquities, I entreat
you to give evidence of your repentance, by showing a due
concern for others. Exhort parents to attend to the duties
which they owe to their children, and point out to them, in the
most forcible terms, the evils which may be expected from
neglecting to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord.
Finally, I earnestly beseech those of you who have young
children, to hearken to these admonitions, while there is a
prospect of doing good by putting them in practice. Begin
without delay, and continue with unceasing perseverance, and
fervent prayer to God for his blessing on your endeavours :
thus will your children give present " delight to your souls,"
and you may indulge the pleasing hope, that, at some future
period, they will gratefully " rise up and call you blessed."

END OF THE DISCOURSES ON PARENTAL DUTIES.

PURITY OF
CHRISTIAN COMMUNION
AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST
THE PERILS OF THE LATTER DAYS.
IN THREE DISCOURSES.
WITH AN APPENDIX.

' Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught,
whether by word, or our epistle."— 2 Thess. ii. 15.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN MDCCXCVI.

M

[ 91 "]

PREFACE.

The following Discourses have no connexion with any political
cause of alarm. The author, and the people among whom he
officiates as one of their Elders, form a just estimate of the value of
civil and religious liberty. They are sufficiently aware of every
thing that endangers the latter in particular, and reckon them
selves entitled, on necessary and urgent occasions, j to plead
those privileges which are secured to them by the laws of their
country ; as was frequently done with success by the Apostle
Paul.* But their principles do not permit them, in any sup-
posable case, to resist the civil powers by violent means, to
join any association in opposition to Government, or to give
countenance, in any respect, to that turbulent spirit which tends
to produce anarchy and mischief. Their inclination corre
sponds with an object which the Scripture teaches them to have
in view, in offering up to God " supplications, prayers, inter
cessions, and giving of thanks, for kings, and for all that are
in authority ;" namely, " that they may lead a quiet and peace
able life, in all godliness and honesty." f When the just and
beneficent conduct of rulers gives them an opportunity to
live in peace, they enjoy it with thankfulness ; and if at any
time it should be otherwise, they would submit to the inconve
niences that might arise from this, without approving of the
measures which had occasioned them. They yield subjection
to the powers that be, whatever characters they may sus
tain ; not from the motives of slavish fear or worldly ambition,
* Acts xvi. 37—39, and xxi. 39, 40, and xxii. 24—30, and xxv. 9—13.
t 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2.

92

PREFACE.

but in obedience to an express commandment of the God of
heaven, and from a deep conviction that subordination among
men is beneficial to all ranks in society, and essential to the
existence of society itself.*
The Discourses relate solely to a kingdom which is " not
of this world." Its subjects are those who " are of the truth,
and hear Christ's voice ;" f its blessings, which they alone
enjoy, are of a spiritual and heavenly nature ; | its laws are
written in the hearts of men by the Spirit of the living
God, and regulate the state of their minds, as well as their
external conduct ; || its rewards and its punishments have all
a reference to the life to come ; § and its interests cannot be
promoted or defended, on the part of those who espouse them,
by any violent means whatever. One of those perpetual and
irreversible decrees by which it is governed, is this, " He that
leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity : he that killeth
with the sword, must be killed with the sword. Here is the
patience and the faith of the saints." If Does such a kingdom
exist in this sinful world unaided by the power of man, endu
ring always his contempt, and sometimes the most violent effects
of his malignant rage ? Who then would scruple to affirm that
it is in reality the kingdom of God ?
The subjects treated of in this work, have lately occupied
the attention of Christians of various denominations in a more
than usual degree ; which induces the author to hope that it may
be acceptable and useful to some who are beginning to free
themselves from the shackles of human authority in matters of
religion, and to search the Scriptures with unbiassed minds.
And though it should meet with a very opposite reception from
others who are wedded to human systems of divinity, or
interested in their support, he will not be greatly disappointed.
Such persons, and all who may be disposed, on whatever
ground, to censure the doctrine contained in these Discourses,
are requested to observe, that it can only be refuted by the
Word of God ; because it totally disavows every other standard.
Any candid person, therefore, who may attempt to disprove it,
* Rom. xiii. 1—8. f John xviii. 36, 37. X Eph- *• 3'
, || Heb. viii. 10. 2 Cor. iii. 3. § John v. 28, 29. f Rev. xiii. 10<

PREFACE. 93
must reckon himself bound to show that it contradicts the
doctrine of the New Testament; unless he fairly denies the
Divine authority of that book. The author considers the cause
in which he is engaged as the cause of the Most High,
whatever imperfection there may be in this attempt to defend
it ; and to Him he commits this cause, in the assured confidence
that it will at last prevail over all opposition. For " the king
doms of this world," the far greater part of whom are at
present antichristian worshippers, or pagan idolaters, will
become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for ever and ever.*
* Rev. xi. 15.

Edinburgh, July 8, 1796.

[ 95 1

DISCOURSE I.

' ' This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come : For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of god ; having a form of godli
NESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF 1 FROM SUCH TURN AWAY." — 2 Tim. ill. 1 — 5.
The Apostle describes in this passage a dreadful corruption
of Christianity, which is foretold in many other parts of the
Word of God, particularly the Book of Daniel and the Reve
lation of John. It began, in some degree, in the first age of
Christianity ; for this Apostle says, " The mystery of iniquity
doth already work ;" * and the Apostle John speaks in a simi
lar way, " As ye have heard," says he, " that antichrist shall
come, even now are there many antichrists." t This accounts
for the cautions frequently given to Christians, examples of
which we have in this and the following chapter. These words,
" From such turn away," were addressed in the first instance
to Timothy, and to all his contemporaries who loved our Lord
Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth ; for a warning is imme
diately given respecting corrupt and deceitful men, who, at
that time, committed iniquity under the mask of godliness.^
Timothy is referred to the practice of the Apostle, as an
example for him to imitate ; || and to the Holy Scriptures, which
he had known from his childhood, and which were able to make
him wise unto salvation, § that he might be preserved from the
influence of such men. And he is charged in the most solemn
manner, " before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his king
dom, to preach the Word, to be instant in season, out of sea-
* 2 Thess. ii. 7. f 1 J°hn "• 18- t 2 Tim- iu' 6-
|| 2 Tim. iii. 10, 11. § Ver. 14—17.

96 purity of christian communion.
son," * &c, in order to preserve the disciples of Christ from
this growing evil : for he affirms that " evil men and seducers
would wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived ;" t
that the time would come, when professors of the faith would
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears ; and that
they would turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned
unto fables." X Paul, however, in this and other parts of his
writings, chiefly refers to a future period of time, when apos
tasy from the faith, and its genuine influence, was to become
far more general than it had been in his day, and a false pro
fession of Christianity was extensively and fatally to prevail,
under the influence of human authority and the power of the
Man of Sin.
The perilous times foretold by the Apostle, were to come
in the last days ; which is an epithet frequently applied, both
in the Old and New Testament, to the whole of the Gospel
dispensation ; and sometimes to the latter part of that period
wherein " God hath spoken to us by his Son." Thus, in
another prophetic account of the same melancholy subject that
now occupies our attention, it is said, " The Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils," §
&c. Several of the things predicted in this passage, were
not accomplished till a considerable time after the apostolic
age. Peter also speaks of " scoffers, who would come in the
last days, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is
the promise of his coming ?"% which appears evidently to
refer to the time of Antichrist's reign ; and particularly the
concluding part of it, when the daring impiety of ungodly
scoffers seems to increase, in proportion as their inevitable
destruction draws nigh. Jude foretels the coming of these
mockers in the last time, and speaks of it as a thing well known
to Christians, who received this warning on many occasions
from the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.** If, then, we are
persuaded that Antichrist has long ago come, that the Man of
Sin, agreeably to the prediction of Paul, has been revealed, and
that, however much he is already " consumed by the Spirit of the
Lord's mouth," he is not yet finally " destroyed by the bright
ness of his coming ;" we must be fully convinced, that the days
in which we live are the perilous times of which the Spirit of
God hath expressly spoken. Should not this momentous consi
deration induce us to attend to the means of safety, which are
also clearly pointed out to us in the Word of God ?
* 2 Tim. iv. 1, 2. f Chap. iii. 13. % Chap. iv. 3, 4. || Heb. i. 2.
§ 1 Tim. iv. 1—3. Ii 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4, 10. " Jude, ver. 17, 18.

FltOM WHOM CUH1ST1ANS ARE I'd TURN AWAY. 97
With a view to establish those who have already separated
from unseriptural churches, and to convince others who may
be insensible to the dangers which surround them, or who,
nmidst many convictions, neglect this solemn call, " From
such turn away," I shall,
I. F.nquire what sort of characters those men possess, from
whom we are commanded to turn away ; and what danger is
to bo apprehended from them.
U. Illustrate and enforce the commandment, to turn away
from men who have a form of godliness, but. deny the power
thereof. 1 1 1. Make some remarks on its extent and its consequences.
And Lastly, conclude with a few practical observations.
I. With respect to the characters of those men from whom
wo are commanded to turn away, it does not seem neces
sary to explain tho various epithets here given to them by the
Apostle. The meaning of these is suiliciently understood,
especially when we apply them to other people, and not to
ourselves ; for all of us have some degree of that criminal
selfishness, which is too apt, on many occasions, to make us
palliate in ourselves that which we see at once to be a crime
in others. The object in view, and which is most esseutial in
the present enquiry, is to determine to what general class, or
description of men, those characters belong who are men
tioned in this passage. It will be easily perceived, that Paul
is not here treating merely of the wickedness of all men in their
natural state, as he does in the third chapter of his Epistle to
the Romans ; for men were always lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, &c. These characters universally
abounded at rhe time in which the Apostle lived, excepting
only among those who were washed, sanctified, and justified
in the none of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit, of our God.*
Wherein then consists tlie singularity of what, is affirmed in this
passage, concerning the prevalence of wicked characters, with
out which no remarkable or imminent danger could arise to
the followers of Christ, as the Apostle's words cannot be at
all considered as prophetical.
An explanation of this is given in ver. f>, where the Apostle
sums up the characters he had described in the foregoing
verses, in these words, " having a form of godliness, but. deny
ing tho power thereof." Those wicked men, therefore, against
whoso influence he cautions the true fearers of God, were to
* 1 Oor. \i. II. *

98 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
be professors of Christianity ; nominal professors indeed, and
that of the most unworthy kind ; yet not merely such as would
call themselves Christians. They were to assume, in some
respects, the appearance of the followers of the Lamb, other
wise they could not be said to have a " form of godliness," nor
would the Apostle have represented the times in which they
were to appear, as " perilous times" to the genuine professors
of Christianity ; who, on this supposition, would have been in
no danger of being deceived by them. He does not, however,
ascribe 'to them the approved form of godliness, which is en
joined and exemplified in the New Testament ; but a form
which, when examined, will be found to be in many respects of
their own invention.
It will further appear that the Apostle, in this shocking
enumeration of crimes, does not describe the wickedness of
mere heathens, or those entirely ignorant of the Gospel
doctrine : when you consider that the same persons are said,
ver. 8, to resist the truth, not in an open and avowed manner,
as professed infidels always did, but as Jannes and Jambres, by
whom are meant the magicians in Egypt ; these two names
being known to the Apostle, either by tradition, or by imme
diate revelation, who withstood Moses, by performing, or
seeming to perform, some of his miracles.* They did not dis
pute the reality of those miraculous works which he performed
in their presence. They wished only to show that their own
power or dexterity was equal to his ; and if in this they had
succeeded, they would have been equally entitled to be con
sidered as messengers from the Deity, who were empowered to
declare his will. In like manner, there were in the first age
of Christianity " false Apostles, deceitful workers, the minis
ters of Satan, who transformed themselves into the ministers
of righteousness," as Satan himself, the better to accomplish
his malicious purposes, " is transformed into an angel of light." t
Men of this stamp gradually increased in number, and in the
art of deception. And in general those teachers who, in the
perilous times of the Gospel dispensation, sustain the charac
ters mentioned in this passage, must have something favourable
* Exod. vii. and viii.
f 2 Cor. xi. 13 — 15. There have certainly been instances of men who
came fully up to this description. I do not mean, however, to insinuate
in any part of these discourses, that all who corrupt the Gospel, or whose
profession of faith is invalidated by their conduct, intend to deceive. Many
who are active in disseminating the most dangerous errors, are themselves
deceived ; and the most implacable enemies of the people of God, who have
persecuted them even unto death, have thought that this was doing God
service, (John xvi. 2.) Their pernicious doctrine has the same effect on

CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE TEACHERS. 99
to recommend them to the attention of professing Christians.
They put on a fair outside appearance, professing to believe
the Gospel, and to be subject to the authority of Christ, assum
ing perhaps, too, an air of uncommon sanctity and devotion,
while they effectually resist the truth by artfully undermining
and perverting it, and bring the highest discredit on the doc
trine which they profess to hold, by acting in direct opposition
to the genuine influence of the truth ; for they deny the power
of godliness by the general tenor of their conduct, and are
" men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith." *
Many of them also have resembled the magicians of Pha
raoh, by performing false miracles ; and in this we see the
literal fulfilment of another prophecy concerning the Man of
Sin. His coming is said to be " after the working of Satan,
with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish." |
Paul makes use of the following considerations also, as argu
ments with Timothy for incessant diligence in preaching the
Word, and in reproving, rebuking, and exhorting, with all long-
suffering and doctrine ; " for," says he, " the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine ;" but will " heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears,"} &c. These teachers,
as well as the people who were blinded by their delusions,
must have been Christians by profession ; for all this wicked
ness was to take its rise in those very churches in which
Timothy and other faithful servants of Christ then laboured,
agreeably to what Paul said to the elders of the church at
Ephesus. " Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking
perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." || The
Scripture abounds with prophecies concerning these false
teachers, who are represented as bringing in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them ; § covetous men, who
would make merchandise of their flocks ; f grossly impure and
immoral in their conduct : ** presumptuous, self-willed, full of
pride and lordly dominion, and impatient of every restraint both
those who receive it, whether their teachers are honest men or deceivers ;
and there is in general a want of fairness and candour in the methods that
are taken to establish false doctrine, a handling of the Word of God deceit
fully, and a fearless perversion of it, even when those who do so are
honestly persuaded of the truth of their own system. Tins' may account
for so many things being said in the Scripture about the " cunning crafti
ness" of false teachers, who are represented as " lying in wait to deceive."
(Eph. iv. 14.)
* 2 Tim. iii. 8. f 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10. X 2 Tim. iv. 1_4.
II Acts xx. 30. § 2 Pet. ii. 1. f Ver. 3, 15.
** 2 Pet. ii. 10, 12, 13, 14, 18, to the end. Epistle of Jude.

100 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
human and divine ; for it is also affirmed of them, that they de
spise government, and are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. *
Some of them were to inculcate and exemplify an irrational
kind of austerity and mortification to the world, not commanded
in the Word of God, with a view to obtain a high reputation
for sanctity ; while they were at the same time to trample with
disdain on many of the commandments of Jesus Christ, f
Another striking part of their character is deceit. They
privily shall bring in damnable heresies. \ With feigned words
shall they make merchandise of you. Beguiling unstable souls. |
They allure through much wantonness, those that were clean
escaped from them who live in error. § With good words
and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple, % They
creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with
sins,** &c. And our Lord says, " Beware of false prophets,
which come to you in sheeps' clothing, but inwardly they are
ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits." ft How
astonishing is it, that such a sink of wickedness should ever
have been considered by rational men, and especially by pro
fessing Christians, as having any connection with the holy
Gospel of the blessed God, merely because men thus loaded
with crimes have impiously dared to call themselves Chris
tians !
A slight attention to the conduct of those nations where
Christianity is professed, will convince every impartial enquirer,
that many of their teachers and people are described with jus
tice and precision in the prophetic Scriptures which have been
mentioned, and in other parts of the Word of God. The
description, at least in some of its leading features, does not
apply to a few individuals in any one nation, nor at any one par
ticular period only, but to the far greater part of every nation
of professing Christians, during many successive ages. I own
indeed, that the pre-eminence in all manner of iniquity is due
to the Romish Church ; that she is " Babylon the great, the
mother of harlots and abominations of the earth ;" XX and that
the Bishop of Rome is eminently, though not exclusively,
" the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, who opposeth and
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped." |||| But alas ! it cannot be denied that in our own
country, both in the national churches, and among various
classes of Dissenters, multitudes of those who assume the Chris-

* 2 Pet. ii. 10. Jude, ver. 8. f 1 Tim. iv. 1—3. % 2 Pet- »• *¦
|| 2 Pet. ii. 14. § Ver. 18. «([ Rom. xvi. 18.
** 2 Tim. iii. 6. ft Matt. vii. 15, 16. ±± Rev. xvii. 5.
Ill 2 Thess. ii. 4.

DANGER OF INTERCOURSE WITH FALSE PROFESSORS. 101
tian name, and have a form of godliness, are " lovers of their
own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, unholy, lovers of plea
sures more than lovers of God ;" and thus deny the power of
godliness. Some indeed have thrown off the mask, and avowed
themselves infidels; but the generality are still in some sort
professors of Christ's religion, and a very great number of
persons who partake of the most solemn ordinances, sustain
one or other of these characters ; on account of this the last
days are denominated perilous times. These observations are
not dictated by the narrow and envious spirit of a party ; nor
ought I to be suspected of such a motive, while I affirm
nothing of any set of men that is not palpably and incontro-
vertibly true.
It will not be necessary to say a great deal more concerning
the danger of these times. The short and imperfect sketch
that has being given of the characters which render the times
perilous, is sufficient to alarm every serious Christian who
regards the safety of his own soul, and who has any just con
cern for the glory of God, and the salvation of his fellow-
sinners. Without tracing the progress and consummation of
that mystery of iniquity which was carried on and brought to
its perfection by wicked men, under the mask of a form of
godliness, I shall take the matter as it now stands, and briefly
state some of the perils that arise from the false profession of
Christianity, which exists at the present time.
The children of God who are intermixed with these false
professors, are exposed to imminent danger. Notwithstanding
all their care to avoid heterodox preachers, they frequently
hear doctrine not altogether conformable to the Scripture
doctrine of the Lord's free and sovereign mercy to the chief
of sinners, through the atonement of Christ ; which, if it does
not subvert them from the faith, cannot edify their souls, and
must have a tendency to keep them in bondage. They see
men, with whom they walk in religious fellowship, living in sin
while they profess to be the followers of Christ ; and though
they may not imitate their example in all respects, yet their
connexion with such men will probably lessen their abhorrence
of the crimes committed by them. " Evil communications
corrupt good manners ; " * and another axiom, which Paul fre
quently applies to the churches, is most unquestionably true in
its general application, " a little leaven leaveneth the whole
lump." f However little intimacy there may be between the
religious and irreligious part of mixed societies, there is no
manner of doubt that their connexion, such as it is, has often
* 1 Cor. xv. 33. t 1 Cor. v. 6. Gal. v. 9.

102 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
a baneful influence upon the former. Many of those who
make the strictest profession among them, are too much con
formed to this world in things which are creditable enough in
society, but which are either expressly condemned by the law of
Christ, or in their nature opposite to the Spirit of the Christian
profession ; and in proportion as they follow the maxims and
conduct of worldly men, they must lose their relish for the
Gospel, and become lukewarm with respect to the things of
eternal life.
They live also in the total neglect of many commandments of
the Lord Jesus. They overlook altogether the ordinance of
baptism, concerning which the Word of God thus addresses
all who repent, and believe the Gospel. " Be baptised every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins." * They pay no regard to the commandment in the text,
" from such turn away," nor to many others of similar import.
They remember the Lord's death in the ordinance of the sup
per only occasionally, instead of attending to it regularly
every first day of the week, according to the example of the
primitive Christians.! They do not, and indeed cannot, in their
present situation, attend to the means which Jesus Christ has
appointed for the recovery of brethren who offend against
them ; X while they scruple not to say the most severe and
uncharitable things against some of those with whom they sit
down at the table of the Lord. They yield to others those
privileges which the members of the New Testament churches
enjoyed, particularly their right to judge of the reception and
exclusion of members ; || and they submit to a total want of the
exercise of discipline, without which the purest church on
earth, (I do not here speak of a national church,) would
become in a very short time a most impure and corrupt society.
And as they cannot do good to the souls of others, by follow
ing out all the steps of discipline, in order to reclaim them when
they go astray, so they themselves lose the immense benefit
that would accrue to them from the admonitions of the bre
thren. § These, and many other things that might be men
tioned, clearly show that the days in which a form of godliness
prevails without the power of it, are perilous times to the
people of God.
The times that are perilous to the children of God, for the
reasons that have been mentioned, cannot fail to have a har
dening tendency with respect to the world at large. The cor-
* Acts ii.' 38. f See Appendix, No. I.
X Matt, xviii. 15—17. || Rom. xv. 7. 1 Cor. v. 4, to the end.
§ James v. 19, 20. Jude, ver. 22, 23. Heb. iii. 13, and x. 25.

CORRUPTIONS INTRODUCED BY THE MAN OF SIN. 103
ruption of the doctrine and precepts of the Gospel, which has
been introduced by the Man of Sin ; the superstition, idolatry,
and persecuting spirit of the Church of Rome ; and the ungodly
conduct of many who profess Christianity, in Protestant as well
as Catholic countries, have contributed, more than any thing
else, to render the Gospel of salvation, and the true profession
of the name of Christ, completely odious to that numerous class
of mankind which may be said to have no religion. None of
these things, indeed, ought to bring any discredit on the Gos
pel itself, which is a doctrine according to godliness, nor on
those who really believe and obey it. Nay, all that superla
tive degree of iniquity, which by the influence of the Man of
Sin has overspread the world, ought only to confirm us in the
faith of Divine revelation ; for the whole of it is an exact fulfil
ment of what was minutely foretold in the Word of God, which
also frequently warns us, in the most solemn manner, to beware
of the dangers resulting from it. Yet we need not wonder that
arguments have been used, or rather that prejudices of the
most inveterate kind have arisen from this, against the Divine
origin of the Christian faith. Avowed infidels triumph, while
many, who from motives of prudence think it best to pay some
respect to the religion of their country, without believing it,
are confirmed in their infidelity, and prevented from so much
as giving a candid hearing to the truth, and its evidence.
This is one of those very things predicted in the Word of
God, concerning the perilous times of which we now speak ;
for Peter affirms, with respect to those false teachers who were
privily to bring in damnable heresies, that " many shall follow
their pernicious ways ; by reason of whom," says he, " the way
of truth shall be evil spoken of." * Thus a stumbling-block
has been laid in the way of men, and a more effectual means
of preventing their attention to the Gospel has been employed
by the pretended friends of Divine revelation, than any that
could be devised by its most determined and avowed enemies.
These times also fbrbode the final overthrow of the Man of
Sin, whom the Lord " shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming ;"f and of all who support his interest, by giving coun
tenance to a false profession of Christ's name. The most
awful judgments of God, both of a temporal and spiritual
nature, are threatened against Antichrist, who is represented
as speaking great words against the most High, wearing out
the saints of the most High, and thinking to change times and
laws. X On account of his singular and highly aggravated
iniquity, which entitles him to be called the Man of Sin, he is
* 2 Pet. ii. 2. ' f 2 Thess. ii. 8. X Dan. vii. 25.

104 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
also denominated the Son of Perdition* Some of the vials of
the wrath of God have already been poured out on his devoted
head ; he is now in a state of languor and decay ; and the time
of his final perdition seems to approach. Nor will any of his
adherents be in a state of safety, when the Lord comes, in the
dispensations of his providence, to perform this work of judg
ment ; for " if any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
without mixture into the cup of his indignation." f
II. We shall now endeavour to illustrate and enforce the
commandment in the text, " from such turn away." By this
commandment, the people of God are directed to separate
themselves from those ungodly professors of the Christian faith,
whom the Apostle describes in the foregoing verses ; and to avoid
all such connexion with them, as would either tend to harden
them in their iniquity, or to endanger their own safety. The
law of Christ, indeed, does not prohibit Christians from com
mon intercourse with the world at large, or from living on
friendly terms with their relations and others, who may be infi
dels, or false professors. On the contrary, it enjoins diligence
in our worldly callings, X which necessarily leads to much inter
course with the world, and it commands us to do good to all
men as we have opportunity, || which supposes that we are
intimately acquainted with the situation of other men, besides
" those who are of the household of faith." It must be admitted,
however, that believers of the Gospel, when they act suitably
to their profession, will principally associate with those who
fear God, avoiding all unnecessary intimate correspondence
with worldly men. They consider the saints as the excellent
ones of the earth, in whom is all their delight, § and are aware,
that when they begin to have too much relish for the company
and conversation of men who have their portion in this life,
and still more when they prefer this to a friendly intercourse
with the people of God, their souls are in danger.
In one case only, the law of Christ prohibits keeping com
pany and eating with unbelievers. These are such unbelievers
as have been excluded from the churches of Christ ; T and even
towards persons of this description, it is our duty to behave
with affability and discretion, and to do them good when it is
in our power, though all intimate correspondence with them
* 2 Thess. ii. 3, 4. f Rev. xiv. 9, 10.
X Rom. xii. 11. Eph. iv. 28. || Gal. vi. 10.
§ Psal. xvi. 2. f 1 Cor. v. 11.

IMPORT OF TURNING AWAY FROM FALSE PROFESSORS. 105
ought to cease till they are brought to repentance. I have no
objection against the opinion of those who consider the excom
munication of impenitent sinners from the churches of Christ,
as included in the injunction to turn away from men who have
a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. This, how
ever, is a distinct thing from avoiding such intimacy with them
as the Apostle makes it lawful to have, in some degree, with
men of the worst characters, who never were connected with
churches formed on the plan of the New Testament.* Both
are evidently meant in our Lord's words addressed to his
Jewish disciples, " Let him be unto thee as an heathen man
and a publican ;" f and Paul in the plainest terms enjoins the
former, when he says to a Gentile church, " Put away from
among yourselves that wicked person." X This command,
however, cannot be obeyed by the disciples of Christ, till they
separate themselves from all strangers, and keep the ordinan
ces, as the Apostles delivered them to the first churches.
There are others who esteem it a matter of indifference,
whether they have religious fellowship or not with profane and
impenitent sinners, provided they do not imitate their wicked
conduct ; and this they consider as the only thing intended by
the Apostle when he says, " from such turn away." It is cer
tainly of the highest consequence that we should avoid all those
evils which are ascribed to corrupt professors ; and if this is
not the direct meaning of the Apostle, when he commands us
to turn away from them, it must be strongly implied in every
injunction of this nature. A mere external separation from
ungodly men, will avail us nothing if we carry along with us
the same wicked practices in which they are engaged, or if,
after we have escaped the pollutions of the world through the
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we are again
entangled therein and overcome. || To follow this line of con
duct, would be to strain at a gnat and to swallow a camel. It
would prove us to be greater hypocrites, and more worthy of
condemnation, than the persons from whom we separate. But
the Word of God does not suppose that we can escape all the
evils which abound among corrupt professors of Christianity,
while we remain in fellowship with them. Even in a church
of Christ, a root of bitterness may spring up, and trouble
them, "and thereby many be defiled ;"§ and some of the
bad consequences arising from the other connexion, have been
already mentioned. It is one reason, therefore, why Christ
hath instituted the law which separates his people from the
* 1 Cor. v. 10. f Matt, xviii. 17. J 1 Cor. v. 13.
|| 2 Pet. ii. 20. § Heb. xii. 15.

106 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
world, as well as the law of discipline in the churches, that
they may be preserved pure from the infection of wicked men,
especially of those who profess to know God, and in works
deny him. * Besides, the Apostle does not merely command
us to turn away from wicked conduct, but from wicked men.
It is evident that he has persons in his eye, when he says, from
such turn away ; for he immediately adds, " for of this sort are
they who creep into houses," &c.
The people of God are therefore obliged, by this injunction,
to come out of those religious societies which receive into their
communion, men who fulfil the lusts of the flesh; or who, if
their outward conduct is decent and respectable, give the most
complete evidence of their ignorance of the Gospel, and per
haps, in some cases, of their utter aversion to it. If those who
enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and
feel the constraining influence of his love, were not blinded by
the most fatal prejudices, they would not hesitate to obey this
commandment. It would appear to them a privilege, as well
as a duty, to free themselves without delay from all religious
connexion with men who are a dishonour to the Christian pro
fession, and with whom they cannot have fellowship in the
solemn ordinances of the Gospel, without giving countenance
to the profanation of these ordinances, and exposing themselves
to all the perils of the latter days.
The nature and indispensable obligation of this duty will
appear from the following remarks : —
First, There was no outward visible distinction, in the king
dom of Israel, between the true children of God, and the chil
dren of Abraham according to the flesh. The law given to
that people in their national capacity, was such as a nation of
this world is capable of obeying. It regulated only the exter
nal conduct ; for Paul could affirm that, before his conversion,
he was, " touching the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless." f All who in this respect were subject to its pre
cepts, enjoyed the temporal blessings which it secured to the
obedient, and were entitled to partake of all Divine ordinances. X
Thus far, believers and unbelievers were confounded. They
joined indiscriminately in the worship of the true God, and
this national worship was not a human invention ; it was insti
tuted by the God of their fathers, who called Abraham from
among the heathen, multiplied his seed, redeemed them from
their bondage in Egypt, revealed his will to them by Moses,
and put them in possession of the promised land.
* Tit. i. 15, 16. f Phil. iii. 6.
% Lev. xxvi. 3 — 13. Deut. xxviii. 1 — 5.

OF THE SEPARATION ENJOINED ON THE JEWS. 107
But there was a line of separation, or a middle wall of par
tition, as the Apostle calls it, between them and the Gentile
nations.* They were prohibited, under the most severe penal
ties, from joining in the worship of the heathen, from inter
marrying, or having any affinity with them, and from adopting
their customs, or imitating their conduct in a variety of
particulars.! From the worship of the tabernacle and temple,
the heathen nations were entirely excluded, except such of them
as became proselytes to the Jewish religion ; and these last
were only admitted as worshippers in the outer court. The
Gentiles were " aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and
without God in the world ;" X while to the Israelites alone per
tained " the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the
giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises." ||
Such strict regulations were appointed with respect to their
food, as rendered it impossible for them to have familiar inter
course with the nations around them ; many of those animals
which were the common food of the Gentiles, being made
unclean to them by the law of Moses. § On all these accounts,
they esteemed it "an unlawful thing for a man that was a Jew
to keep company, or to come unto one of another nation ;" as
Peter declares, after God had showed him that he should
not now call any man common or unclean, f
The people of Israel were thus separated unto God as his
peculiar people. He distinguished them from all other nations,
gave them his statutes and ordinances, set his tabernacle in the
midst of them, and dwelt among them as their God. ** This
relation, in which the fleshly seed of Abraham stood to the
Most High, was only of an outward and temporal nature, and
intended as a type or figure of that spiritual and eternal rela
tion, which subsists between God and the people of the
new covenant, who are redeemed by the blood of Christ,
out of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, and
made kings and priests unto God, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, ft No earthly nation ever was, or could be
the antitype of Israel according to the flesh. Our Lord said
to the Jews, " The kingdom of God shall be taken from ypu,
and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof ;" XX and
we perceive, from the way in which Peter addresses the
* Eph. ii. 14, 15. f Exod. xxiii. 32, 33, and xxxiv. 12—18.
Deut. vii. 1—6, and xviii. 9—15. X Eph- ii- 12- II Rom. ix. 4.
§ Lev. xi. f Acts x. 15, 28. ** Psal. cxlvii. 19, 20. Deut. iv. 1—9.
Exod. xxix. 45, 46. Lev. xxvi. 11, 12. ft Rev. i. 5, 6, and vii. 9.
XX Matt. xxi. 43.

108 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
strangers scattered throughout a variety of countries, what
class of people was pointed out by Jesus as inheriting the
blessings of this kingdom. Of these, as a part of the whole
redeemed company gathered out of all nations, he says, " Ye
are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people ; that ye should show forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light :*
applying to them, in a much higher sense, the epithets which
had been given to the holy typical seed under the Old Testa
ment dispensation, t
If, then, the nation of Israel was separated from all others
in the whole of their typical economy and worship, does it not
necessarily follow that true believers, under the Gospel dis
pensation, who are the antitypes of Israel after the flesh, ought
to have no fellowship, in their spiritual worship, with those who
do not visibly belong to the kingdom of heaven ? But with
respect to preaching the Gospel to all men for their salvation,
and maintaining civil intercourse with them, God hath showed
us that we should not call any man common or unclean. How
else could they appear to be a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, &c, in distinction from the world around them ? Is
that kind of separation which is enjoined in the New Testa
ment, of less importance than the typical separation of the
ancient people of God from the Gentile nations ? Or will any
dare to affirm, that the institutions of Christ under the Gospel,
may be profaned with more impunity than the carnal ordinances
of Moses ?
Second, The distinction which was to take place between
the true children of God, and outward nominal professors who
boast of their external privileges, was pointed out by John the
Baptist, who came to prepare the way of the Lord, as the fore
runner of the great Messiah. " When he saw many of the
Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto
them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee
from the wrath to come ? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for
repentance : and think not to say within yourselves, We have
Abraham to our father : for I say unto you, that God is able
of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now
also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : therefore every
tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire. I indeed baptise you with water unto repentance :
but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I
am not worthy to bear : he shall baptise you with the Holy
Spirit, and with fire : Whose fan is in his hand, and he will
* 1 Pet. ii. 9, f Exod. xix. 5, 6.

CHRISTIANS SEPARATION TYPIFIED BY THE JEWISH SYSTEM. 109
throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the gar
ner ; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." *
He sets aside all then vain pretensions, intimating that their
descent from Abraham would be of no avail in obtaining the
blessings of Messiah's kingdom ; that the Almighty power of
God is necessary to make men the true children of Abraham ;
and that, if they claimed the honour of being such, they must
show it by their fruits. He informs them, that one mightier
than he was about to come, who would effectually distinguish
between the wheat and the chaff, and take the most signal ven
geance on many of those who said, We have Abraham to
our father, but were, notwithstanding, the enemies of God, and
the children of the devil.
These words of John, not only show, that when the king
dom of the Messiah should be established, those only who gave
evidence of their faith in Christ, by obeying him, would really
be the children of Abraham ; or, what is the same thing, " the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus ;" but also, that no
others were then to be reckoned such, or to be accounted
worthy of the privileges of Christ's kingdom. Before the
coming of John the Baptist, there were in the Jewish nation
some of the true children of God, " who were born not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God." f But they were intermixed with unbelievers, and
enjoyed, in common with them, the external privileges of the
kingdom of God, which, in a typical sense, included the whole
nation of Israel. John must therefore be understood as an
nouncing an alteration in this respect, when he informed the
Jews that neither they, nor any others, who did not bring forth
fruits meet for repentance, would be considered as subjects of
Messiah's kingdom, nor entitled to the blessings and immu
nities of the happy people over whom he was to reign.
* Matt. iii. 7—13. f John i. 13.

[ HO ]

DISCOURSE II.

" This know also, that tn the last days perilous times shall come : For men shall de
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of god ; having a form of godli
NESS, BUT DENYING THE TOWKR THEREOF : FROM SUCH TURN AWAY." — 2 Tim. iii. 1 — 5.
After observing in a former discourse what sort of characters
those men possess from whom we are commanded to turn
away ; and what danger is to be apprehended from them, we
began to illustrate and enforce the commandment itself ; First,
By the separation of the ancient typical people of God from
the nations around them ; and Second, By the doctrine of
John the Baptist. We now observe,
Third, That the doctrine delivered by Jesus Christ himself,
during his personal ministry, illustrates and confirms what was
declared by his messenger who prepared his way. In our
Lord's discourse with Nicodemus, he teaches the necessity of
men being born again, in order to their becoming subjects of
the kingdom of God. He says, " Except a man be born again"
— born of water and of the Spirit; — " he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God." * And he distinguishes this from the fleshly
birth, which entitled the seed of Abraham to the privileges of
God's ancient kingdom, " That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." t He ad
dressed the Pharisees, who were the strictest sect among the
Jews, as a race of carnal men, who, with the highest preten
sions to religion and zeal for the glory of God, were grossly
ignorant of the true character of God, and of their duty both
to him and to their fellow-men. He exposed their hypocrisy
* John iii. 3, 5. •(• Verse 6.

subjects of Christ's church must be regenerated. 1 1 1
in a variety of particulars, their intolerable pride, their cove-
tousness and extortion, their profane swearing coloured over
with religious pretexts, their bigotry, and persecuting spirit ;
and thus addressed them, " Ye serpents, ye generation of
vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"* He
repelled all their claims founded on their being the seed of
Abraham, and having one father, even God. To these he
answered, " If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the
works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that
hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God : this did
not Abraham— If God were your father, ye would love me :
for I proceeded forth and came from God — Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." t
He told them that the kingdom of God would be taken from
them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
" Many," says he, " shall come from the east and west,
and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the
kingdom of God : But the children of the kingdom shall be
cast into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnash
ing of teeth " X He delivered a prophecy concerning the
destruction of Jerusalem, containing a most minute and parti
cular account of the things which were to precede this awful
judgment, the signs of his coming for this purpose, and the
accumulated sufferings which were then to be heaped upon the
Jewish nation ; || the whole of which was exactly fulfilled, and
issued in their complete destruction, both as a nation and as
the chosen people of God.
Will it be affirmed, notwithstanding all these things, that the
kingdom of Israel, which it is admitted was once the typical
kingdom of God, ought to be considered by Christians as an
example for their imitation ? Would you lend any aid in esta
blishing or supporting such a kingdom as that which hath
already suffered the most signal vengeance of the God of hea
ven ? A multitude of carnal men, wallowing in all the lusts
of this world, yet claiming a relation to God as their father,
and pretending to worship him ! Are there any real believers
of the Gospel, who so entirely lose sight of the glorious things
affirmed of the kingdom of the Messiah, both by ancient pro
phets, and by Christ himself and his Apostles, as to debase it
in such a manner ? One could scarcely believe it possible,
were it not contained in the prophetic Scriptures, and exem
plified before our eyes.
To return to the doctrine of Christ, who, in describing his
* Matt, xxiii. throughout. t J°lin vili- 39> 40> 42> 44»
X Matt. xxi. 43. Chap. viii. II, 12. || Matt. xxiv.

112 purity of christian communion.
kingdom, testifies, in the good confession which he witnessed
before Pontius Pilate, " My kingdom is not of this world. If
my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight,
that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but now is my
kingdom not from hence." * His kingdom is so diametrically
opposite to every thing that is worldly, that men who judge
from worldly principles, are at a loss to understand the descrip
tion of it. They know not what is meant by a spiritual and hea
venly kingdom. Without all peradventure, however, the king
dom which Jesus came to establish is of this nature, as appears
from its being often denominated " the kingdom of heaven."
The subjects of it are spiritual, and born from above, as we
have seen : they are not of this world, even as Christ himself
was not of this world. f He describes them as being "of the
truth ;" and this is that truth which he had heard of God, and
came in his name to declare ; for when he confesses that he
was a king, he adds, " To this end was I born, and for this
cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto
the truth." % He testified that he himself was the Christ, the
Messiah, or anointed Saviour, declaring that the Spirit of
the Lord God was upon him ; because he had anointed him " to
preach the Gospel to the poor," and sent him " to heal the bro
ken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, audrecovering
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised ; to
preach the acceptable year of the Lord." | He testified that
he was the Son of God, " who is in the bosom of the Father ;" §
who existed " before Abraham," % and had glory with the
Father before the world was ; ** that the Father also ".hath
committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should
honour the Son, even as they honour the Father ;" "ft that " he
and his Father are one ;" XX and that " the Son of Man, who
came down from heaven," while he spoke to men upon earth
" was in heaven." |||| He declared also that "he came to give
* John xviii. 36. ] John xv. 19, and xvii. 14, 16.
X John xviii. 37. || Luke iv. 18 — 23.
§ Matt. xvi. 16, 17. John x. 36, and i. 18. % John viii. 58.
** John xvii. 5. ft J°hn v. 22, 23. tt John x. 30.
|||| John iii. 13.
These sayings of Christ, as well as many other express declarations in
the "Word of God, show in the clearest manner, not indeed that he is the
Son in his Divine nature abstractedly considered ; but that he who is the
Son of God, and who came of the seed of David according- to the flesh,
" is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." (Rom. ix. 5.) He is deno
minated the Son of God on account of his incarnation ; for the angel said
to Mary, '¦ that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of God," (Luke i. 35 ;) and it was when " the Word was made flesh,

CHARACTERS OF THE SUBJECTS OF CHRISt's KINGDOM. 113
his life a ransom for many," * and that every one who seeth
the Son and believeth on him, shall have everlasting life ; and
he will raise him up at the last day.f This is the truth
which he came to testify, and which he confirmed by miracu
lous works, and particularly by rising again from the dead, by
which " he was declared to be the Son of God with power. " |
The subjects of his kingdom " are of this truth" by believing
it, inconsequence of Divine illumination; for "they are all taught
of God; and every one that hath heard, and hath learned of
the Father, cometh unto Christ." || In his intercessory prayer
to the Father, he says concerning his disciples, " I have mani
fested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the
world — I have given unto them the words which thou gavest
me ; and they have received them, and have known surely that
I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst
send me." § His disciples or subjects are lovers of this truth,
as it reconciles them to God, and is the foundation of all tbeir
hope for eternity. They are obedient to that form of doctrine
into which they are moulded,^ conformed to Christ, and will
ing to suffer with him in this world, in the hope of being glori
fied together with him ; ** for he says, " Whosoever will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it;
but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gos
pel's, the same shall save it." ft In this manner he charac
terises those who are of the truth, " Every one that is of the
truth heareth my voice ;" XX and he describes his sheep in the
same way, " My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me." |||| On the contrary, a stranger will they not
follow, but will flee from him : for they know not the voice of
strangers. §§ No man, therefore, can belong to the kingdom
of Christ, unless he is taught of God to know the truth, to en
joy its consolation, to obey it from the heart, and to follow such
a line of conduct as will make it appear that he is not of this
world.

and dwelt among men, full of grace and truth, that they beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father," (John i. 14.) He is also
the Son of God, as being tho first begotten of the dead, and exalted to the
right hand of the Father ; possessing universal dominion as the heir of all
things, and the prince of the kings of the earth. (Acts xiii. 33, compare
with Psal. ii. 7, to the end. Col. i. 18. Heb. i. 2. Rev. i. 5. Psal.
Ixxxix. 27.)
* Matt. xx. 28. f John vi. 40. 1 Rom. i. 4.
II John vi. 45. § John xvii. 6, 8. If Rom. vi. 17.
*' 2 Tim. ii. 12. Luke xii. 32. James i. 12, and v. 7, 8.
ft Mark viii. 34, 35. tt John xviii. 37. IH| John x. 27. §§ Johnx. 5.
P

114 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
The immunities and privileges of the kingdom of Christ are
not worldly ; for while the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, in
heavenly places in Christ, * he hath promised nothing more
than food and raiment in relation to temporal enjoyments, f
These are not the portion of his people, and they have no assu
rance of freedom from affliction in this world, but the contrary ;
for through much tribulation they must enter into the king
dom of God. X The inheritance itself, which is the principal
blessing that belongs to the subjects of this kingdom, is incor
ruptible, undefiled, and fadeth not away, and is reserved in
heaven for those who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation. ||
The means of establishing, defending, and promoting the
interests of this kingdom, are not worldly. No service was
ever done to it by the riches, power, and splendour of this
world ; nor did it ever gain any real ascendency by means of
human craft and policy, or by the enticing words of man's wis
dom. It was at first established merely by the preaching of
the Gospel, which proclaims " peace on earth, and good-will
towards men." The instruments employed for this purpose
were such as men esteemed foolish, weak, base, and contemp
tible ; but while they had to combat with all the power of
earth and hell, the weapons of these messengers of God, which
were not carnal, were " mighty through God to the pulling
down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought- to the obedience of
Christ." §
Our Lord shows in the clearest manner, that the sword
cannot be used in his kingdom, not even for the purpose of
defending it, when he says, " If my kingdom were of this
world, then would my servants fight that I should not be deli
vered to the Jews." I say cannot be used ; for those who have
taken this method to advance or defend the kingdom of Christ,
always meant, in some respect or other, to establish tenets in
direct opposition to it. Admitting that some of the children
of God themselves have been so far deceived as to take the
sword in defence of their religion, or in order to compel men
to profess the faith, it is impossible, in the nature of the
thing, that, in this particular, they could be actuated by a
desire to propagate or defend the true religion, though they
ignorantly thought so ; because it does not admit of any
* Eph.i. 3. f Matt. vi. 30— 33. Luke xii. 28— 32. 1 Tim. vi. 6— 8.
X Acts xiv. 22. || 1 Pet. i. 4, 5. § 2 Cor. x. 4, 5.

OF THE SPIRITUAL NATURE OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM. 115
such defence. It suffers more by the violence of its friends,
than by all the violence that can be directed against it by its
most inveterate enemies. And we may lay it down as a sure
principle, that whenever men begin to fight in the cause of
religion, they have something else in view than the religion of
Christ. It is absolutely necessary, in the present state of human
affairs, that a worldly kingdom should defend itself by violent
means, both against external and internal enemies. This is
admitted in what our Lord says to Pilate; and in Paul's
description of the power of the civil magistrate. " He bear-
eth not the sword in vain : for he is the minister of God, a
revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." * I do
not say so with a view to give any countenance to destructive
wars. No sober-minded person can hesitate to pronounce all
offensive wars unlawful. They arise from the lusts of men,
from pride, ambition, avarice, and revenge ; and one of the
parties at least must be answerable for all the blood that is shed.
It may sometimes, however, be difficult to determine which
party is the aggressor ; for it frequently happens in these mat
ters, as in private quarrels, that both are to blame. A king
dom of this world may exist without fighting for conquest, or
in order to revenge insults which might be otherwise accommo
dated. Nay, its real happiness and prosperity depend, in a
great measure, on avoiding war ; for it is the bane of human
society, the chief destroyer of earthly comforts, and an exten
sive mean of hastening the perdition of souls. But still the
sword is necessary to defend a nation of this world against its
enemies ; this mean of defence is essential to its safety, and
even to its existence : for otherwise it would soon be dismem
bered, and torn in pieces.
Now, in this respect, our Lord distinguishes his kingdom
from all earthly kingdoms. " If my kingdom were of this
world," says he, " then would my servants fight," &c. It was
impossible to have given a more conclusive proof of what he
asserts. Notwithstanding his being surrounded by chosen
friends, on whose fidelity he could have depended had he
inclined to make them warriors, and having many among the Jews
who were willing to espouse his cause, and who on one occasion
would have taken him by force to make him a king ; f he suf
fered himself to be apprehended, bound, insulted, and dragged
to death, without attempting the smallest resistance. When
one of his servants began to use the sword in his defence, he
miraculously healed the wound that was inflicted by it, and
* Rom. xiii. 4 ; see also 1 Pet. ii. 14. t J°nn vl- ^

116 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
said to his mistaken friend, " Put up again thy sword into his
place : for all they that take the sword shall perish with the
sword." * How then can that kingdom be of this world, the
subjects of which are prohibited from fighting in defence of
their King and Lord ? Would to God that all the professed
servants of Christ, in every age, had in this respect acted suit
ably to the nature of his kingdom. What an immense slaugh
ter of the human race would have been prevented !
Jesus also not only distinguishes his kingdom from worldly
kingdoms in general, but from the ancient kingdom of God in
Israel, for he says, " now is my kingdom not from hence :"
which seems to intimate that it had been otherwise in former
times, and that he was now going to establish a new kingdom,
altogether different in its nature and principles from any thing
that had hitherto taken place in the world.
From this brief summary of the doctrine of Christ concern
ing the characters of those who were to be accounted his
disciples, and the nature of his kingdom, it appears that none
ought to partake of the ordinances which he hath instituted
but those who are of the truth, who hear his voice, and who
like him are not of this world : and consequently, that it is the
duty of real believers of the Gospel, to observe Christ's ordi
nances in a state of separation from all whom they can discern
to be unbelievers, and worldly men.
Fourth, The practice of the Apostles, and other first mini
sters of the Word, exactly corresponded with our Lord's doc
trine on this subject; for they administered the ordinance of
baptism, and received into churches those only who, by their
confession of the faith, appeared to be the disciples of Christ,
and subjects of the kingdom of heaven. Even the disciples of
John " were all baptised of him in the river of Jordan, confessing
their sins." t When he warned them of their danger, and
preached the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven, they asked
him, " What shall we do then?" He gave them general
instructions to regulate their conduct, similar to those after
wards given by Jesus Christ and his Apostles. X He only
preached, however, that the kingdom of heaven was at hand,
calling men on this account to repentance. || We cannot there
fore expect to find, in the time of his ministry, such a marked
distinction between believers and unbelievers, as that which
appears in the doctrine and practice of the Apostles after the
resurrection of Jesus, when the kingdom of heaven actually
* Matt. xxvi. 51, 52. f Mark i. 5.
t Luke iii. 10—15. II Matt. iii. 2.

EXAMPLES OF THE FIRST CHRISTIANS. 117
came in all its divine simplicity and glory, and was established
among men on the earth, by the power and grace of the Most
High. The three thousand persons who were baptised on the day
of Pentecost, were first converted to the Christian faith by
the sermon which Peter preached with the Holy Spirit sent
down from heaven. " They were pricked in their heart, and
said unto Peter, and to the rest of the Apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do?" And when Peter had called
them to " repent, and be baptised every one of them in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, they gladly
received his word." * These were not the whole of that great
multitude, who on this occasion heard him preach the Gospel ;
for, among other things, he says to them, " Save yourselves from
this untoward generation." t The persons who thus repented
received the Word with gladness, were baptised, and " were on
the same day added unto them ;" that is, to the Church of Christ
at Jerusalem ; the hundred and twenty brethren mentioned in
the foregoing chapter. " And they continued steadfastly in
the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,
and in prayers. X These were not mere forms ; their whole
hearts were engaged in the service of God, and their subse
quent history gives abundant evidence of the reality of their
faith. Those also whom the Lord afterwards added to this
church daily, were " such as should be saved." || The whole
body is termed " the multitude of them that believed :" and
they were " of one heart, and of one soul." §
A similar account is given of those who were baptised in the
city of Samaria, to whom Christ was preached by Philip the
Evangelist. " The people with one accord gave heed unto
those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles
which he did  And there was great joy in that city." f They
had formerly been bewitched with the sorceries of Simon to
such a degree, that they were induced to say, " This man is the
great power of God  But when they believed Philip preach
ing the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of
Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women. Then
Simon himself believed also, and was baptised." ** In like
manner, when the eunuch of Ethiopia, to whom Philip
preached Jesus, said, on coming to a certain water, " See, here
is water; what doth hinder me to be baptised? Philip
said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And
* Acts ii. 37, 38, 41. f Verse 40. J Verse 41, 42.
|| Acts ii. 47. § Acts iv. 32. f Acts viii. 6, 8.
" Acts viii. 10, 12, 13.

118 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God.. — And they went down both into the water, both Philip
and the eunuch ; and he baptised him." * This Ethiopian
also enjoyed the consolation of the truth which Philip had
preached to him, for " he went on his way rejoicing." t
Lydia and her household were baptised, after hearing from
Paul the glad tidings of salvation. Of her it is affirmed that
the Lord opened her heart, that she attended unto the things
which were spoken of Paul;f and of her household, it is
affirmed that it consisted of brethren who were comforted by
Paul and Silas. || These two messengers of peace spake the
Word of the Lord to the jailer at Philippi, and to all that were
in his house ; he and all his were baptised straightway, and he
" rejoiced, believing in God with all his house." § When Pajil
preached the Gospel at Corinth, " Crispus, the chief ruler of
the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house : and
many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptised," f
among whom were Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Ste-
phanus; ** and of this household it is affirmed, that they were
the first-fruits of Achaia, and had addicted themselves to the
ministry of the saints, ff
So far as I recollect, these are all the instances of the bap
tism of particular persons that are recorded in the New Testa
ment, except the baptism of our Lord himself, and that of the
Apostle Paul; and the whole of them clearly evince, that believers
of the Gospel are the only fit subjects for baptism. In this
way, the Apostles pointedly fulfilled the commission which they
had received from Jesus Christ, " Teach all nations, baptising
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit." XX " Go ye into all the world, and preach the
Gospel to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptised,
shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned." || ||
And they also taught those whom they had baptised, to observe
all things whatsoever Christ had commanded them. §§
We have seen already what sort of persons the church at
Jerusalem consisted of, which was intended as a model to all
succeeding churches ; and we may now attend to the descrip
tion that is given of some of the other churches which were
planted by the Apostles. The sacred historian gives a parti
cular account of the gathering of the Church at Ephesus by
the preaching of Paul, in the nineteenth chapter of the Acts.
When Paul arrived at that place, he found about twelve dis-
* Acts viii. 36, 37, 38. f Verse 39. J Acts xvi. 14.
|| Verse 40. § Verses 30—35. ^f Acts xviii. 8.
** 1 Cor. i. 14, 16. ft 1 Cor. xvi. 15. XX Matt- xxvi". 19.
Ml Mark xvi. 15, 16. §§ Matt, xxviii. 20.

EFFECTS OF THE GOSPEL IN THE FIRST CHURCHES. 119
ciples, who knew only the baptism of John. These persons
having heard John, or some of his disciples, saying unto them,
" That they should believe on him which should come after him,
that is, on Christ Jesus," had already been baptised in the name
of the Lord Jesus.* After Paul had preached the Gospel in
the Jewish synagogue at Ephesus, and " when divers were
hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before
the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the dis
ciples" ¦(• from the unbelieving Jews, forming them into a
distinct society as a church of Christ ; turning at the same time
also to the Gentiles, to whom he preached the Gospel when it
was rejected by the Jews. A very remarkable account is given
of the effects produced by the Word of God. " Many that
believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many
of them also which used curious arts, brought their books
together, and burned them before all men : and they counted
the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed." J This
is the beginning of the church of God at Ephesus, to the elders
of which the same Apostle afterwards says, " Take heed
therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church
of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." || You
see, therefore, that a society which the Lord acknowledges as
a church of Christ, consists of persons whom God hath pur
chased with his own blood. In the epistle written by Paul
to this church, he denominates them, in distinction from the
people in general who dwelt there, " the saints which are at
Ephesus ; " § affirms, that they trusted in Christ after they
heard the Word of truth, the Gospel of their salvation ; in
whom also, says he, " after that ye believed, ye were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise ;" ^ and represents them as
having been dead in sins, but now quickened together with
Christ, partakers of the riches of Divine mercy, saved by grace,
and created in Christ Jesus unto good works. ** They were
formerly " aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers from the covenants of promise ;" but now they were
made nigh by the blood of Christ, reconciled to God by his
cross, fellow-citizens with the saints, and builded together for
an habitation of God through the Spirit.ft
A similar description is given of all the churches in the
New Testament, on which we need not enlarge. The Romans
* Acts xix. 3, 4, 5. f Ver. 8, 9. | Ver. 18—20. || Acts xx. 28.
§Eph. i. 1. f Ver. 13. ** Eph. ii. 1, S, 7, 8, 10.
ft Eph. ii. 12, 13, 16, 19, 22.

120 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
are characterised as " beloved of God, called to be saints ; "*
the Corinthians, as " sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called by
God the Father to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our
Lord ;" t the Colossians, as " saints and faithful brethren in
Christ ;"X and the Christians at Thessalonica, as " the church
of the Thessalonians which was in God the Father, and in our
Lord Jesus Christ." || This was not a vague judgment of cha
rity, pronounced without any proper evidence : the Apostle
" knew their election of God," by the effects which the Gospel
produced upon them ; for he says,'," our Gospel came not to you
in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in
much assurance ; as ye know what manner of men we were among
you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the
Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of
the Holy Ghost," § And he expresses his confidence with
respect to the whole church at Philippi, with the bishops and
deacons, " that he who had begun a good work in them, would
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ ;" for he adds, " even
as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have
you in my heart ; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the
defence and comfirmation of the Gospel, ye all are partakers
of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after
you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ, %
There were indeed many things opposite to the genuine
influence of the Gospel in some of those churches to which
epistles were sent by the Apostles of Christ, and in five of the
seven churches in Asia, which our Lord himself immediately
addressed ; such as envying, strife, and divisions, disrespect to
the poor, over-reaching one another in their dealings, eating
things sacrificed to idols, and even immoralities of the grossest
kind, as well as dangerous errors respecting the faith. ** In
short, there is scarcely any evil that prevails in the world, of
which you will notfindinstancesinone or otherof these churches.
This is admitting all that can be charged against them by the
greatest enemies of that purity of communion, which after all,
I am confident, was strictly enjoined on the first churches, and,
upon the whole, exemplified in their conduct.
The wickedness that was committed by individual members
among them, and the lukewarmness and other symptoms of
apostasy that too generally prevailed in some of these churches,
are surely not recorded for our imitation. Did the Apostles
of Christ approve of these things ? Did they tolerate them, or
* Rom. i. 7. t 1 Cor. i. 2. } Col. i. 2.
|| 1 Thess. i. I. § Verses 4—6. f Phil. i. 1, 6, 7. 8.
" Epistles to the Corinthians and Galatians. Also Rev. ii. and iii.

INFLUENCE OF DISCIPLINE ON THE FIRST CHURCHES. 121
give the churches permission to do so ? Were they not, on the
contrary, often employed in reproving and admonishing those
who had sinned, calling them to repentance, and assuring them
that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of
God ? Did not Paul solemnly command the Corinthians, to put
away from among themselves a wicked person, * and express
his fear that his God would humble him among them, and that
he should bewail many who had sinned and had not repented;!
which implies that they also would be excommunicated if they
did not repent? He likewise says to the Galatians, with
respect to the corrupters of the Gospel doctrine among them,
" I would they were even cut off which trouble you;" X and
this is the rule which ought to regulate the procedure of
churches in dealing with all such persons, " A man that is an
heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject ; knowing
that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned
of himself." || Not only the persons who committed sin, but
the churches which did not purge out this old leaven, were
highly blamed for their remissness in discipline, as appears
from Paul's complaints against the church at Corinth, on ac
count of their retaining a wicked person in their communion ;
from the deep distress in which his first letter involved the
Church ; and from the zeal, repentance, and indignation which
it occasioned. § The same thing also will be discerned by
every attentive reader, in our Lord's method of addressing the
churches in Asia. He commends one of them, because she
could not bear them which were evil : and had tried them who
said they were Apostles, and were not, and had found them
liars ; *{ and he condemns several others for having among
them those who committed iniquity.
Churches, such as those which were planted by the Apostles,
are reclaimable when they go astray. The Word of God has
access to their hearts, and when it is brought home to their
consciences, they will fall before its power, and glorify God, by
confessing and forsaking their iniquity, as we see the church
at Corinth did on that occasion which has been already men
tioned. This is one of the most genuine marks of true Chris
tianity ; for in this imperfect state Christians themselves are
subject to many departures from the living God; they have
often occasion to repent; and, when they confess their sins,
God is faithful and just to forgive them their sins, and to cleanse
them from all unrighteousness.** The disciples of Christ ought
* 1 Cor. v. t 2 Cor. xii. 21. 1 Gal. v. 12.
|| Titus iii. 10, II. § 2 Cor. vii. 8—13. 1 Rev. ii. 2.
** 1 John i. 9.

122 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
not therefore to be too precipitate in leaving the fellowship of
a church, if it can in any respect be justly considered as a
church of Christ, though there be many evils in it. It is
their duty to use every mean that is appointed in the Word of
God for "remedying these evils, and to imitate the long-suffer
ing of God in their conduct towards their brethren. Thus
far, we may improve from what is said in the New Testament
concerning the corruptions of the first churches.
But what has all this to do with religious societies, which
consist principally of worldly men professing Christianity, who
never felt the power of the Gospel, who are taught solely
by education and custom to attend to any religious forms,
who have scarcely a shadow of discipline among them of
any kind, and none of that which the Word of God incul
cates, and who would smile at the feeble attempts of those
who might wish to establish purity of communion ? \ Is there any
possibility of reforming such churches ? Might you not with as
great propriety talk of reforming the world ? It does not appear
from any thing, either in the history of the first churches con
tained in the New Testament, or in the promises respecting
future times, that God himself intends to reform them, in any
other way than by demolishing them altogether. It is opposite
to every idea of a church of Christ that can be gathered from
the New Testament, to suppose that a society in which there
is no discrimination between the people of God and the world,
can deserve to be so named. On the contrary, it is easy to
discern in this particular, the influence of " that Antichrist
which you have heard should come," and now for a long time
has been in the world — that monstrous power which, under
a profession of subjection to Christ, has trampled on many of
his laws, opened the floodgates of corruption, and spoiled the
simplicity and glory of the primitive churches. Even those
churches which in the days of the Apostles were the temples
of the living God, became at last so corrupt, that he who
walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks, and holds the
stars in his right hand,* entirely disowned and forsook them,
according to his threatening, when he said, I will come
unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of
his place, except thou repent." t It was the duty of all
the true fearers of God to separate from these churches when
ever they became totally incorrigible, and in their united
capacity refused subjection to the laws of the King of Zion ;
for at this awful period, God himself withdrew from their
assemblies. And it was always unquestionably the duty of
such to turn away from those corrupt societies of nominal Chris-
* Rev. i, 13, 16, and ii. 1. t Rev. iii. 16, and ii. 5.

NATURE AND DESIGN OF GOSPEL ORDINANCES. 123
tians, which have been gathered by the influence of the Man
of Sin, and never ought to have been considered as the dwell
ing-places of the Most High.
Fifth, It is evident, from the nature and design of Gospel
ordinances, that believers of the truth alone ought to partake
of them ; and not only those who may be considered as unwor
thy communicants, but all who join with them, are guilty of a
high profanation of these ordinances. Baptism signifies the
remission of sins through the blood of Christ.* It represents
the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God, and is
an outward sign or token to them who believe, of their fellow
ship with Christ in his death, who bore their sins in his own
body on the tree ; and in his resurrection, who is become the
first-fruits of them that sleep, and will raise up all his pjeople
to the enjoyment of eternal life.t It signifies also our being
dead unto sin, and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our
Lord ; and points out to us the necessity of walking in newness
of life, as those who have obtained mercy 4 But to any per
son, whether an infant or an adult, who has no enjoyment of
remission, no fellowship with Christ in his death, no hope of
life eternal through his resurrection from the dead, and who
has no experience of a new and spiritual life in Christ Jesus ; of
what avail is baptism ? It is in one view a mere unmeaning
ceremony. All that can be seen in it is " the putting away of
the filth of the flesh," when the person baptised has not " the
answer of a good conscience towards God, by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ ;" |j and in another view, it is debasing and
prostituting a solemn ordinance of the Gospel.
The same thing may be observed with respect to the Lord's
Supper. The bread and wine signify the body of Christ
broken for his own people, and his blood shed for the remis
sion of their sins. In this, ordinance, they remember with
grateful hearts the death of the Lord Jesus, and show it forth
as the foundation of all their hope until he come again. § But
what is the Lord's Supper to thousands of professing Chris
tians, who never think of Christ at all, who have no conviction
of their need of salvation by him, no enjoyment of peace with
God through his atonement, nor any joyful hope in the pro
spect of his second coming ? It is not, when such partake of
it, an innocent unmeaning form. They eat and drink judg
ment to themselves, not discerning the Lord's body. They
are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.^ If there is any
* Mark i. 4. Acts ii. 38, and xxii. 16. f Rom. vi. 3—5. Col. ii. 12.
X Rom. vi. 4, to the end. Col. ii. 11, 13. Tit. iii. 5. || 1 Pet. iii. 21.
§ Luke xxii. 19, 20. 1 Cor. xi. 23—27. 1 1 Cor. xi. 27, 29.

124 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
such thing enjoined in the New Testament as purity of com
munion, if brethren in a church are commanded to watch over
one another, to bring offenders to repentance, or to purge them
out as old leaven that they may be a new lump, (since even
Christ their passover is sacrificed for them ;) surely none of
those can be guiltless who in any respect join in this profana
tion of the ordinances of the Lord. More indeed might be
said in the present case ; for these admonitions are given to a
church of Christ which had fallen into a disorderly way of
eating the Lord's Supper, on which account many of them
were chastened of the Lord, that they should not be con
demned with the world.* But how much greater is the evil
when the world themselves are employed in the outward obser
vance of this ordinance, while they are entirely ignorant of its
nature, and have no enjoyment of what is signified in it?
We must not be told, as an excuse for joining in Christ's
ordinances with men who have no just pretensions to the fear
of God, that many of the Jews under the former dispensation
were unbelievers with respect to the spiritual promise made to
their fathers, and that all of them were in a great measure
ignorant of what was signified by the ordinances that were then
of Divine institution, while nevertheless they were bound to
observe them. It is recorded of them, that they could not
steadfastly look to the end of that which was to be abolished.f
This unfolding of mysteries was reserved for the coming of the
Messiah, and there is a contrast in this respect between the
Old and the New Testament dispensation. Carnal worship
pers will not now be accepted; for " God is a spirit, and they
that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth." J
We must not go back to that covenant which has decayed,
waxed old, and vanished away ; || nor turn again to its weak
and beggarly elements, which would bring us into bondage. §
Sixth, There are several express commandments, besides
the injunction in the text, obliging the people of God to have
no religious fellowship with unbelievers, whether they are Jews,
idolatrous Gentiles, or antichristian professors.
Believing Jews were permitted for a time to worship in the
synagogues, and in the temple, and to observe the law of Moses ;
which, being a Divine institution, they could obey it without
sinning till it was set aside by express Divine revelation. This
accounts for the mixture of believing and unbelieving Jews in
their peculiar worship, while only the former had communion
with the churches of Christ. The complete abrogation of the old
* 1 Cor. xi. 20—22, 30—32. t 2 Cor. iii. 13. X John iv. 23, 24.
II Heb. viii. 13. § Gal. iv. 9.

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP WITH UNBELIEVERS FORBIDDEN. 125
covenant, and all that pertained to it, does not seem to have been
clearly revealed till the Epistle to the Hebrews was written; and
it was not actually accomplished till Jerusalem was destroyed.
But when this revelation was given, Jewish Christians were
separated entirely from their connexion with carnal worship
pers. They were to " go without the camp" of Israel, as
Jesus " suffered without the gate" of Jerusalem, " bearing his
reproach," and remembering that they had here no continuing
city, and sought one to come.* This obliged them to drop all
their former prejudices, and to forsake entirely the carnal
ordinances of Moses.
Both Jewish and Gentile Christians were strictly prohibited
from having any connexion with the idolatrous worship of the
heathen, and from joining in Christian fellowship with unbe
lievers. On this subject, the Apostle thus addresses the
church at Corinth, " Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers : for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness ? and what communion bath light with dark
ness ? And what concord hath Christ with Belial ? or what
part hath he that believeth with an infidel ? And what agree
ment hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God ; 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. Wherefore, come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing ; and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Al
mighty." t The arguments here used by the Apostle, con
clude equally against those whom he denominates the temple
of the living God, worshipping in heathen temples, and admit
ting unbelievers to have fellowship with them. He shows, in
a most irresistible manner, the glaring inconsistency of such
conduct. To maintain that there is any propriety in believers
having fellowship with unbelievers is equally absurd, as it
would be to affirm that righteousness may have fellowship with
unrighteousness, that light may have communion with dark
ness, and that no irreconcilable discord subsists between Christ
and Belial, or between the temple of God and idols. The
highest encouragement also is given to come out from among
them, and be separate, and to avoid even touching the unclean
thing; for in obeying this, the Lord promises to dwell among
his people, and to manifest himself to them as their God and
Father. But you will say, these were Pagan idolaters. I am
not, however, disposed to consider them as more criminal in the
* Heb. xiii. 12—14. t - Cor. vi. 14, to the end.

126 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
sight of God, than men who take up an empty profession of
the name of Christ, and commit the same wickedness as they
do. You will see a remarkable similarity between many of
the characters ascribed to the heathen in Rom. i. 29 — 31, and
those mentioned in the text as belonging to persons who have
a form of godliness. The guilt of the latter is aggravated be
yond that of the former, by their abuse of the superior privi
leges which they enjoy ; and the danger arising from them to
the disciples of Christ is unquestionably greater.
There are, however, other commandments'of the Lord, which
apply directly to the connexion of believers of the truth with
false professors. The Apostle had them only in view, when he
said, " from such turn away ;" and a more plain or express
injunction than this, with respect to any duty, cannot be found
in all the Word of God. In relation to some of those false
teachers and deceivers, who had then begun at Rome to sub
vert the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven, having their own
temporal interest in view while they professed to serve Christ,
the Apostle says to the believing Romans, " Now, I beseech
you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid
them. For they serve not bur Lord Jesus Christ, but their
own belly ; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the
hearts of the simple." * There were also, in other places
besides Rome, men who taught things opposite to the genuine
influence of the truth; who consented not " to wholesome
words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the
doctrine which is according to godliness ;" and were " proud,
knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of
words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of
the truth, supposing that gain is godliness : " from such Timothy
is expressly commanded to ivithdraiv himself, f
I will not mention as an authority for turning away from
unbelievers, the commandment to the Thessalonians to note
that man who walked disorderly, not working, but going about
as a busy body, and to have no company with him, that he might
be ashamed; for this relates to the case of a Christian brother,
who, from an indolent disposition, or from mistaken views of
religion, may idle away too much of his time. We must not
give any countenance to this practice, which is hurtful both to
soul and body ; and the best way to make a man ashamed of
such conduct, is to keep no company with him, — that is, to allow
him to spend none of that time with us which we know might
* Pom. xvi. 17, 18. t 1 Tim- vi. 3—5.

BELIEVERS WARNED TO COME OUT OF BABYLON. 127
be better employed ; or, in other words, to admonish him, and
send him to his work : for the Apostle adds, " Yet count him
not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." *
But there is another commandment which is exactly in point.
I shall give it you in the words of the Apostle John. " And I
heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my
people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive
not of her plagues ; for her sins have reached unto heaven, and
God hath remembered her iniquities." f That society from
which the .people of God are thus mercifully called by a voice
from heaven, is Babylon, or the false church, whose iniquities
are so multiplied and various, that time would fail me to recount
them. She pretends to be the spouse of Christ, but is in
reality a prostitute, committing fornication with the kings of the
earth, and making the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the
wine of her fornication. X She has corrupted the Gospel, and
profaned its ordinances. She has long kept the people of God
in bondage, enslaving their souls by the influence of human
authority. She is full of abomination and filthiness; every
thing that is hateful to God is found in her ; and awful indeed
will be that destruction which shall come upon her, for it is
" the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple."||
There are many disputes about what class of people is meant
by this Babylon, though all parties might easily discern that
a wicked society, falsely claiming the character of the Church
of Christ, is intended. Protestants generally apply the
description that is given of her, solely to the church of Rome ;
while Catholics most absurdly endeavour to show, that the
wicked power described in Rev. xvii., is Rome heathen.
I will not at present enter into a full discussion of this
subject. But keeping to the point in hand, I affirm, on
the authority of the Word of God, that wherever you see
an assembly of men professing godliness, attending outwardly
to the ordinances of the Gospel, while their conduct proves
them to be destitute of true religion, there you see the false
church: which, if it is not Babylon the great, the mother of
harlots, is without all peradventure one of her daughters. And
it does not alter the case, if we should find among them some
of the real children of God ; for they would not be called to
come out of Babylon, if they were not there. It is of great
importance to discern, in a just point of view, the dreadful
iniquity of a corrupt profession of Christianity : and this is un
doubtedly one leading part of it. What else could have raised
* 2 Thess. iii. 6. 15. f Kev- xviii- 4> s-
X Rev. xvii. 1, 2. || Jer. Ii. 11.

128 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
the Man of Sin to his impious throne, and armed him with that
tyrannical power which he has long exercised over the souls
and bodies of men ? By what other method shall we account
for whole nations assuming a form of godliness without the
power of it, if we do not admit that the influence of the Man
of Sin gradually extended this unscriptural and spurious pro
fession of Christianity, till at last it spread universally over the
whole of Europe ? And since it cannot be denied that the same
evil continues in many Protestant churches which are reformed
from the gross idolatry and superstition of the church of Rome,
is there any want of candour, or of charity, in judging them on
this account to be antichristian ? There is not a more certain
and decisive mark of antichrist in all the Word of God, than an
outward form of Christianity in connexion with every thing
that is opposite to its genuine spirit. This is an essential part
of his character, and is easily discernible in almost all that is
said of him in the prophetic Scriptures. This call from heaven,
therefore, makes it the bounden duty of the people of God to
come out of every religious society in which ungodly men par
take of the solemn ordinances of the Gospel. They are called to
this, in the foresight of that destruction which is coming upon
Babylon. They^cannot avoid a participation of her guilt, while
they do not " flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every
man his soul ;" * for the voice says, " Come out of her, my
people, that ye be not partakers of her sins :" as they are in
the utmost danger of " receiving of her plagues."
* Jer. Ii. 6. Rev. xviii. 4.

[ 129 ]

DISCOURSE III.

*' This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come : For men shall be
lovers op their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
HIGH-MINDED, LOVERS OF PLEASURES MORE THAN LOVERS OF God ; HAVING A FORM OF GODLI
NESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THERJEOF : FROM SUCH TURN AWAY." — 2 Tim. in. 1—5.
In the last discourse, I endeavoured to illustrate and enforce
the duty of separation from the world in religious fellowship.
We may now attend to another observation, which is intimately
connected with this subject.
The disciples of Christ are not only bound to turn away from
antichristian societies, but to be closely united to one another
in the bonds of Christian love ; and, in their joint capacity as
churches, to observe all the institutions of the kingdom of
heaven. The persons who were converted by the preaching of
the Apostles, were immediately baptised, and, if possible from
their local situation, added to the churches. In places where
they had only just begun to preach the Gospel, those who be
lieved it met together, and observed all the ordinances to which
in this situation they could attend ; and whenever men appeared
among them properly qualified for the work of the ministry,
they were organized, or set in order, as churches of the Lord
Jesus Christ;* and " continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doc
trine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."
All this you will see from the instance already mentioned of
the church at Jerusalem, and from the whole inspired history
of the first churches, in the Acts and Apostolic Epistles. |
The ordinances which are observed in a church or congrega
tion of Jesus Christ, are necessary for the edification of the
* Acts xiv. 23. Tit. i. 5. f Acts ii. 42. Col. ii. C. 1 Cor. xi. 2.
R

130 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
disciples, to put them in remembrance of the truth by which
they are saved, to increase their faith, to strengthen their hope,
to excite their love and obedience. In these they enjoy com
munion with God, a sense of his love shed abroad in their hearts
by the Holy Spirit, and an anticipation of that unspeakable
joy which they shall at last obtain in his immediate presence.
For Christ says, " He that hath my commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will ma
nifest myself to him ;" * and God hath promised to dwell among
them, and walk among them : I will be " a father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Al
mighty." f The disciples of Christ who mutually enjoy these
high privileges, will not assume any haughtiness of appearance,
or gratify themselves with the pride of worldly distinctions.
They are connected together as brethren, in the family of their
God and Father, and are all one in Christ Jesus. There is
one body, and one spirit, even as they are called in one hope
of their calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in
them all. X On these accounts, they are besought to walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called, with all low
liness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another
in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond
of peace. || They treat one another as near and intimate friends,
who are deeply concerned in each other's welfare. They rejoice
with them that rejoice, and weep with them thatvweep ; § account
ing it pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father, to
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep them
selves unspotted from the world. ^[ They strengthen, edify, and
comfort one another in every situation, with the words of eternal
life ; ** and they show their concern for those in poor and afflict
ed circumstances, not by mere words of sympathy, but by contri
buting to their relief as God hath prospered them, tt By thus
abounding in the work of faith, and labour of love to the name of
Jesus, they " provoke one another to love and to good works ;"
while they are also established in the faith, and excited to
every Christian duty, by not forsaking the assembling of them
selves together, but exhorting one another ; and so much the
more as they see the day approaching. |J They warn and
admonish those who are apparently in danger of going astray ; ||||
* John xiv. 21. t 2 Cor. vi. 16, 18. X Gal. iii. 28. Eph. iv. 4— 6.
|| Eph. iv. 1—3. § Rom. xii. 15. <f James i. 27.
**Rom. xv. 14. Eph. iv. 15. Col. iii. 16. 1 Thess. iv. 18, and v. 11.
tt 1 Tim. vi. 17—19. Heh. xiii. 16. James ii. 15, 16. 1 John iii. 17.
XX Heb. x. 24, 25. |||| 1 Thess. v. 14. Heb iii. 13. Jude, ver. 22, 23.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING CONNECTED WITH THE CHURCH. 131
and if any of them should be guilty of an evident breach of the
law of Christ, they use, in the spirit of love and meekness, all
those means which he hath appointed for bringing offenders to
repentance.* In some cases, this may issue in the exclusion
of an impenitent sinner from the fellowship of a church ; but
even this is done from love to his soul : it is intended " for the
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day
of the Lord Jesus." f
If such are the advantages that may be enjoyed in this con
nexion, and if several of the commandments that have been
mentioned cannot be obeyed except in churches, which is so evi
dent that it requires no argument to prove it ; are not those
who have forsaken Babylon, without finding their way to the
dwelling-places of Mount Zion, very much wanting to them
selves ? And must they not be conscious of living in the ne
glect of a great part of that duty which they owe to their Lord
and Saviour?
III. I now proceed to make a few remarks on the extent of
the duty enjoined in the text, and on the consequences result
ing from the faithful performance of it.
First, The law of Christ does not make such a complete
separation between his disciples and the world, as to prevent
hypocrites and self-deceivers from getting into the purest
churches. There was a traitor among the twelve Apostles of
Christ, who sold himself to commit the greatest of all crimes.
As I have hinted at the case of Judas, allow me to remark,
that his being present or not at the celebration of the Lord's
Supper, does not affect the question we are now considering.
I am inclined to think, from its being said by the Evangelist
John, that he, after " having received the sop, went immediately
out," X that he was not present when our Lord gave the bread
and the cup to his disciples ; for it is perfectly clear that the
sop was given at the Passover Supper, which preceded the
institution of the. Lord's Supper. None of the other Evan
gelists indeed take notice of this circumstance, and one of them
narrates the whole transaction in such a way, as would natu
rally lead us to conclude that Judas was there. But they do
not affirm this ; and we frequently meet with a narration of
historical facts in the Scripture, not in the exact order in which
they happened. This appears evidently to have been done by
Luke in the present case ; for he mentions first the Lord's
Supper, and then the giving of the sop to Judas, whereas

Matt, xviii. 15—17. f I Cor. v. 5. X John xiii. 30.

132 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN C0MMLNI0N.
Matthew and Mark both begin with the latter.* These three
Evangelists do not narrate any circumstance inconsistent with
Judas going away immediately on his being pointed out as
the traitor, and before the institution of the Lord's Supper,
though they omit this particular ; and as John expressly affirms
it, why may we not conclude, that the first society who par
took of this ordinance, with the Lord himself in the midst of
them, consisted only of his chosen friends and faithful follow
ers ; and that he purposely detected Judas, and put him away,
that none else might be present on that solemn occasion ? But
if any think otherwise, let them remember that Judas was till
then an unsuspected disciple of the Lord Jesus ; for when he
said, " One of you shall betray me," the suspicion did not fall
upon Judas ; each one of them said, " Lord, is it I ? " t The
kind of intimation given them respecting Judas, they did not
then understand; for when Jesus said to him, " That thou
doest, do quickly — no man at the table knew for what intent
he spake this unto him." X Supposing, therefore, that Judas
had communion with them in this ordinance, it was not as a
known hypocrite, but as a disciple of Jesus, whom they loved
for the truth's sake.
Many other instances of the same kind might be mentioned.
Two persons in the church at Jerusalem, Annanias and his
wife Sapphira, at a time when the disciples there were pecu
liarly filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit, were guilty of
an aggravated instance of dissimulation, which brought upon
them the instant vengeance of Almighty God.|| Simon Magus,
soon after his being baptised on the profession of his faith,
manifested himself to be " in the gall of bitterness, and in the
bond of iniquity." § And many persons in the first churches,
some by their wicked conduct, and others by their apostasy
from the faith, gave evidence that they had never known the
grace of God in truth. But every one of them had originally
professed to repent and believe the Gospel, and for a time
seemed to walk under its influence. This is all that we can
require, if we act in conformity to the commandments of Jesus
Christ, and the example of his Apostles. God alone can judge
the heart, and we have nothing to regulate our judgment but
the confession of the mouth, and a conduct and conversation
suitable to the holy profession of the name of Christ. Tares
which resemble the wheat must not be prematurely gathered up,
lest " we root up also the wheat with them." f The distinction
* Luke xxii. 19—23. Matt. xxvi. 21—30. Mark xiv. 18—26.
t Matt. xxvi. 22. X John xiii. 27, 28. || Acts v. 1—11.
§ Acts viii. 18—24. <f Matt. xiii. 29.

FELLOWSHIP OF BELIEVERS IN CHURCH ORDINANCES. 133
therefore which takes place in the visible kingdom of God in
this world, is not between real believers and those who only
appear to be such; but between the latter and those who,
either by an unsound profession of the faith, or by their want
of subjection to the laws of Christ, do not appear to be
real believers of the Gospel. If we properly understand the
evidences of faith in Christ, and admit that no man ought to be
reckoned a Christian till he make a Scriptural profession of
the faith, and be taught by the grace of God " to deny un
godliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and
godly in this present world," * we will not be apt to err in this
particular. The whole discipline of the churches ought to be
regulated by the principle that has just been mentioned. They
cannot by any possible means keep themselves free of hypo
crites; but they may avoid connexion with all those whom
Christians, judging according to the Word of God, can discern
to be so.
Second, The law of Christ, however, makes a complete sepa
ration in this respect between true professors of the faith, and
those who have nothing but the name and form. Every one
who has duly considered the doctrine of the New Testament on
this subject, must be convinced, that Christians ought not to
have fellowship in the Lord's Supper with visible unbelievers,
or such as are easily perceived by those who follow the Scrip
tural rule of judging, to be destitute of true Christianity ;
though many, alas ! who have this conviction, find a variety of
excuses for acting in opposition to it.
But Christian communion does not consist merely in a joint
participation of the Lord's Supper. Believers of the Gospel
have also fellowship with one another in the ordinances of
prayer and praise, which always accompany the preaching of
the Word. Is it not therefore highly necessary, that such as
enjoy the unspeakable privilege of drawing near to God in
prayer and thanksgiving, through the atonement of Christ,
should consider what sort of societies they are, with which they
join in these ordinances of Divine worship ? Where there is no
distinction between those who are, and those who are not ac
cepted of God in prayer ; do not the disciples of Christ who
worship in such assemblies, join with unbelievers in that ser
vice of the living God, which is peculiar to his own people ?
Not that I would plead for excluding men of any description
whatever, from the worshipping assemblies of the people of
God. All are welcome to hear the glad tidings of salvation in
the churches of Christ, and to witness the observance of every
• Tit. ii. 11, 12.

134 PUIUTY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
institution of his kingdom. But it ought to be manifest that
there is a distinction made between the church and the world,
that some select number of the persons present are accounted
members of it, and that none have communion with it but those
who " keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."*
I am fully persuaded that the disciples of Christ ought not to
give countenance to religious societies of any other descrip
tion, nor to join in any part of their worship. All the Scrip
tures that have been brought to prove the obligation of Chris
tians to have no fellowship with unbelievers, evidently carry
to this extent their separation from worldly men, and false
professors of the faith.t
Third, It is by no means the intention of any one thing
that is affirmed, enjoined, or exemplified in the New Testa
ment concerning purity of communion, to separate the people
of God from one another. The persons from whom the text
obliges us to "turn away," are those alone who "hare a form
of godliness, but deny the power thereof;" those who dishonour
the Christian profession by a course of conduct altogether
opposite to its purity, or who are mere nominal professors of
the Christian faith. The commandments which regulate the
conduct of believers of the truth in relation to one another,
run uniformly in this strain, " Be ye therefore followers of
God, as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath
loved us. "J " 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." ||
" If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any com
fort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and
mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the
same love, being of one accord, of one mind." § This unity
was predicted by the prophet Jeremiah, " I will give them one
heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever." If Eze-
kiel connects the same promise with the regenerating influences
of the Spirit of God, " I will give them one heart, and I will
put a new spirit within you, and I will take the stony heart
out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh ; that
they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and
do them." ** And Isaiah, when announcing, in animated and
joyful terms, the future publication of the Gospel of peace,
and referring to that period, says, " Thy watchmen shall lift
* Rev. xiv. 12. t - Cor. vi. 14. 17 J Eph. v. 1, 2.
|| 1 Cor. i. 10. § Phil. ii. 1—6. f ,Ter. xxxii. 39.
** Ezek. xi. 19, 20.

CHRISTIAN ORDINANCES PROMOTE LOVE AND UNION. 135
up the voice ; with the voice together shall they sing : for they
shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." *
Jesus prayed, not only that a real invisible unity might subsist
among all his disciples, but that it might appear to the world
for their conviction. " Neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also who shall believe on me through their word ; that
they all may be one ; as thou Father art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us ; that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me." t This unity was exemplified in the
church at Jerusalem, for the whole multitude of the disciples
there " were of one heart and of one soul." X It prevailed also
in several of the other primitive churches ; and when any thing
opposite to this appeared among them — when they were either
divided in affection or in their sentiments respecting the truth
itself, and the conduct to which it leads — they were severely
censured by the Apostles of Christ. || Far be it from me,
therefore, to say any thing that would have the smallest ten
dency to disturb that unity of heart and affection, or of faith
and practice, which ought to subsist among " all who in every
place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord."
I know, however, that it will be said (with what justice will
appear from a candid state of the argument on both sides)
that the direct tendency of all that I have insisted for, is to
make schisms and divisions, to alienate the affections of the
people of God from one another, and to crumble them into a
variety of sects and parties. I shall probably be stigmatized
as a leader of one of these parties, an enemy to Catholic cha
rity, and totally destitute of those liberal and enlarged senti
ments, which distinguish the true spirit of Christianity from
party prejudices, enthusiastic zeal, and ignorant bigotry. These
accusations are founded on the supposed impropriety of calling
the people of God to forsake religious societies, in which it is
confessed there are many unbelievers, because in so doing
they would separate from one another ; and on the examples
that are every where to be seen of numberless sectaries, formed
by those who have dissented from the religion of their country.
It must be confessed that, in obeying the call of God to turn
away from those who have a form of godliness but deny the
power thereof, we separate not only from persons of this
description, but from all the people of God who remain in con
nexion with them : unless we should homologate the irrational
conceit of some, who gravely affirm, while they are in full
* Isaiah Iii. 7, 8. t John xvii. 20—24. X Acts iv. 32.
|| I Cor. i. 11—13 ; iii. 1—10; iv. 6—8 ; and xi. 16—23. 2 Cor. xii.
20, 21. Gal. v. 15. James iii. 1, 13, to the end.

136 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
communion with persons of all descriptions, that they have no
Christian fellowship except with true believers of the Gospel.
For if they have a real though invisible fellowship with all
the children of God in heaven and on earth, so have we also.
We "are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God." * We " are
come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of
angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born,
which are written in heaven." f But I speak of outward visi
ble fellowship, and this communion we certainly have with all
our fellow-worshippers in the congregation to which we
belong, while we have it not with those from whom we have
separated. After this avowal, some will perhaps expect a fair acknow
ledgement, that we who have turned away from antichristian
societies, have no desire to be connected with such of the dis
ciples of Christ as we have left behind us ; and that we enter
tain as great an aversion to them, as to the heterogeneous
bodies of professing Christians of which they are members.
This is by no means the case. We have nothing in view but
to obey the commandments of Jesus Christ. We have made no
schism in the church of God, by leaving those societies which
are as full of envy, strife, and division, as any other political
bodies of worldly men ; and which, for these and other reasons
formerly mentioned, we do not consider as Christian churches.
If the Word of God commands us to turn aside from false pro
fessors of Christianity, ought we to disobey this precept, be
cause some of the genuine disciples of Christ are among them ?
Will their disobedience, proceeding in many cases from igno
rance of their duty, excuse ours, which would be an open viola
tion of what we certainly know to be the law of Christ ? X Or
is it proper that our attachment to such persons, however well
founded, should lead us to disregard the authority of God, and
to act in opposition to his revealed will ? ||
It is true, the things in which we differ from real Christians
of other denominations, are not in every view essential to salva
tion, otherwise we could not admit the possibility of their being
real Christians ; but it is essential to the character of those
who fear God, that they should conscientiously obey whatever
they know to be his will. I cannot reconcile this principle with
such a coalition of all parties as has been of late earnestly
recommended, and in some degree exemplified, otherwise than
* Eph. ii. 19. t Heb. xii. 22, 23. % Luke xii. 47, 48.
U Psal. xiv. 10. Matt. x. 37—39. Gal. ii. 11.

ALL THE LAWS OF CHRIST IMPERATIVE ON HIS DISCIPLES. 13?
by supposing that these parties have no real conscientious
objection against one another's principles or practices ; and par
ticularly, that they are all agreed about the lawfulness of
believers having fellowship with unbelievers.* If they are not
thus agreed, how can they follow a practice opposite to their
own conviction of what is their indispensable duty by the
Word of God ? Is it because they reckon this a matter of
small importance ? I should rather think it ought to be con
sidered as one of the great and weightier matters of Christ's
law. But in whatever light this or any other of the Divine
commandments may be viewed, with respect to their compara
tive importance, and whatever allowance it may be necessary
to make for those who ignorantly disobey them, we dare not
suppose that any who know them, can neglect the least of them
with impunity. All the peculiar laws of Christ's kingdom are
reckoned of little or no consequence by multitudes of profess
ing Christians ; and those who plead on this account against
subjection to any one of them, evidently resist his authority.!
What would you think of a man who, on being hard pressed
about some duties plainly enjoined on the followers of Christ,
should argue in this manner against them? — These things,
I must own, are commandments of Jesus Christ, but they are
not the essentials of true religion ; many have obtained salva-
* No reflection is intended against that ¦which has lately occasioned a
junction of different parties, for the purpose of propagating the Gospel
among the heathen nations, whether these are in a state of rudeness and
barbarity, or of civilisation and refinement ; this will certainly be approved
by every one, who knows the infinite importance of salvation from the
wrath to come. The unanimity, zeal, and generous exertions, which have
appeared in this benevolent work, are highly commendable. Nor do I
censure those who seem willing to put an end to the unmeaning distinc
tions which formerly kept them at a distance from other parties. Love is
amiable in all its forms ; and when it proceeds in any respect on Chris
tian principles, it must be gratifying to all the lovers of Christ. My only
design is, to show the evil^of real Christians joining with any religious
party which does not attend to divine ordinances in a state of separation
from the world. If their own party is of this kind, they are as much to
blame for remaining in connexion with it, as they can be for having fel
lowship with any other. It is my own opinion, that this is the precise
footing on which the matter stands, and that, whatever diversity of senti
ment there may be among the individuals of whom the uniting parties are
composed, there is in fact no material difference among them, considered
as bodies, or distinct classes of professing Christians. Some of themselves,
however, think otherwise ; and, if it is their opinion that their own com
munion is pure, and that it ought to be so, it remains with them to free
themselves from the inconsistency of giving countenance to other parties
which have no such pretension. With persons of the former class, I
argue on their own principles. Those of the latter, though in some
respects more to blame, are yet more consistent with themselves.
t Matt. v. 19. James ii. 10.

138 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION,
tion without knowing or obeying them ; and they appear to me
so trifling and unimportant, that I am resolved to live in tlie
total neglect of them. Yet arguments of this kind, if it is
proper to call them arguments, by which the wisdom of Christ
is impeached, and his authority set at nought, are too fre
quently used by serious professors of religion, though they may
not always speak so plainly. And it is chiefly because we
refuse to tamper in this manner with the authority of the King
of Zion, that we are reckoned obstinate, illiberal, and schis-
matical. Further, it is the duty of all who believe the Gospel, to
hearken to that commandment of God which calls them out of
antichristian societies. And if it were universally regarded by
all those persons to whom it is addressed, separation from the
world in religious fellowship would not appear, as in fact it is
not in its own nature, a measure which has any tendency to
separate the people of God from one another. On the con
trary, they never can be properly united, nor " stand fast in one
spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gos
pel," and in nothing terrified by their adversaries,* till they are
separated from all strangers, t and builded together in churches
" as an habitation of God through the Spirit." $ There is not
any thing that I know, which so entirely defaces the visible
unity of Christ's disciples, as the indiscriminate mixture of be
lievers with unbelievers in the observance of Gospel ordi
nances : nor was it possible for Antichrist himself, to have
devised a more effectual way of preventing their real unity in
heart and affection, their edification in the faith, and their con
formity to the Son of God.
Could our accusers justly blame us, if we should now turn
the challenge against them, and say, It is you that divide the
people of God, byjoining in religious fellowship with worldly men,
and refusing to become visibly one with the despised followers
of Jesus, who, amidst a great deal of sin and imperfection,
wish to pay a sacred regard to all his precepts. While you
remain in your present situation, you unconsciously second the
efforts of the Man of Sin, to obliterate that grand distinction
between the people of God and the world, which shines as a
sunbeam throughout the whole of the New Testament ; and to
darken the minds of men, with respect to the nature of true
Christianity. Before you and we can be members of the same
visible church, either you must yield obedience to the Word of
God, or we must act in direct opposition to it, with regard to
what it prescribes concerning the rule of Christian communion.
* Phil. i. 27, 28. t Neh. ix. 2. % Eph. ii. 22.

ERRORS OCCASIONED BY CORRUPTION OF THE TRUTH. 139
This alternative imposes no hardship on you, for it requires
nothing of you that is not demanded by the law of Christ,
whom you profess to serve. But what an intolerable burden
does it lay upon us ! Is it your own opinion, that we would act
conscientiously in submitting to it ? Surely not. Judge then
on which side the guilt of this separation lies.
It is undeniably true, also, that among those who have
separated from national churches, there are a vast variety of par
ties ; some of which are not a great deal more scrupulous about
the purity of their communion than in national churches, while
others of them hold the most dangerous errors respecting the
faith ; denying the doctrine of the Scriptures concerning the
person and atonement of the Son of God, and almost every
thing that is important in the Gospel. It would be a matter
of great joy to all who wish the prosperity of the Redeemer's
kingdom, if there were no divisions among the people of God,
and that the only distinction among mankind were they who are
of God, and they who are of this world. But will any serious
Christian venture to affirm, that the great diversity of opinion
and practice which obtains among various classes of Dissenters,
is the necessary consequence of withdrawing, if they have with
drawn, from fellowship with unbelievers ? . Surely obedience to
an express commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ, cannot be
the means of scattering and dividing his sheep ; for all his laws
as well as his doctrine, have a tendency directly opposite. A
due attention to this law produced the most salutary conse
quences in the primitive churches ; many of the evils which
took place among them arose from the neglect of it ; and the
same causes will infallibly at this day produce the same effects.
The corruption of human nature, the temptations of Satan, and
the influence of the Man of Sin, who has disciples even among
those who have separated from national churches, are sufficient
to account for all the divisions and animosities that prevail
amongst professing Christians.
The question then must necessarily come to this issue. By
which party is the rule of the Word of God strictly and con
scientiously regarded ? Do you see any congregations of Chris
tians, professing the genuine faith of the Gospel, and following
the approved example of the churches that were planted by the
Apostles of Christ ? Of them only it can be justly affirmed,
that they avoid all such measures as are truly schismatical, and
fully appear to belong to that great and honourable party,
THE WHOLE FAMILY OF GoD IN HEAVEN AND EARTH.* For
• Eph. iii. 15.

HO PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
though the order of churches, and a scrupulous attention to all
the positive laws of Christ, which have nothing to recommend
them but his authority, do not constitute the essentials of
true religion ; j et they form a considerable part of the evidence
of genuine Christianity, or that which distinguishes the fol
lowers of Christ from the world. Every person indeed, who is
not self-condemned with respect to his religious fellowship, will
be partial to his own party, and reckon it superior to any
other. But notwithstanding all the various opinions that pre
vail in relation to this subject, there is still a possibility of dis
cerning between truth and falsehood. The former may with
certainty be ascertained, and the latter detected by the Word
of God. " To the law and to the testimony : if they speak
not according to this word, it is because there is no light in
them." *
The charge of narrow-mindedness and bigotry, cannot with
justice be brought against those who do not value themselves
on any thing that may be reckoned, by other professors, the
badge of a party, if it is not such a thing as ought to dis
tinguish all the followers of Christ from the world. We
sincerely wish and pray for the salvation of all men ; and feel
ourselves bound by the law of Christ to serve them, both in
their temporal and spiritual interests, as we have opportunity.
We utterly abhor all persecution for conscience sake, on any
pretext whatever ; and are so decidedly fixed in our principles
against violence in the cause of religion, that if any law were
enjoined upon us, which our conviction of duty to God would
not suffer us to obey, and if redress were not to be obtained by
peaceable remonstrances, our only alternative would be either to
submit to punishment, or flee from the impending danger. t We
do not burden the consciences of the people of God with stand
ards devised by human wisdom, and enforced by human autho
rity ; being fully persuaded, that " all scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness ; that the man
of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good
works." ± And we impose upon them no terms of communion,
except those which are clearly and unalterably fixed by the
Word of God. While we condemn as antichristian all reli
gious societies in which no proper distinction is made between
believers and unbelievers, we readily acknowledge that the
* Isaiah, viii. 20.
t 1 Pet. ii. 19—21. Matt. v. 38—42, and x. 23.
X 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17. See Appendix, No. II.

SEPARATION CONSISTENT WITH CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY. 141
Gospel is preached by some of their teachers, that many indi
viduals among them are the children of God, and that such
are mercifully preserved in this perilous situation, and nourished
by the Word of God, notwithstanding the countenance which
they give to the profanation of Divine ordinances. We love
them so far as they appear to be of the truth, and are willing
to have social intercourse with them in every thing that is not
inconsistent with our duty to Christ. If we must be accounted
illiberal because we will not sin, I hope it shall be our endea
vour, through the strength of Divine grace, to bear this reproach
with patience, and even to esteem it an honour ; for we know
that in far more degrading circumstances, the servants of God
have rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame
for the name of Jesus. * We are persuaded, however, that the
most complete separation from unbelievers in observing the
ordinances of the Gospel, is consistent with the truest liberality
of sentiment, and the greatest enlargement of heart; for
Paul introduces in this manner one of the strongest prohibi
tions against having fellowship with unbelievers, that is to be
found in all the New Testament, " O ye Corinthians, our
mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not
straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.
Now for a recompense in the same, (I speak as unto my chil
dren,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked to
gether with unbelievers." t
Without enlarging further on what may be deemed a personal
justification, though it proceeds not solely from that motive ; I
appeal to the Sacred Oracles. By them let all our doctrine
be fairly tried, and by their decision let us stand or fall.
IV. I now request your attention to a few practical observa
tions. First, In general, we ought to consider the fulfilment of the
prophecies respecting those perilous times which were to come
in the last days, as a most convincing evidence of the truth of
Divine revelation. From these prophecies there was reason
to expect a false profession of the name of Christ in the world ;
that it would spread very extensively, and continue during the
long period of twelve hundred and sixty years,! under the evil
auspices of a wicked power, denominated the Beast, or the
eighth head of Daniel's fourth beast. In one of Daniel's
visions, he saw four great beasts representing four mighty
successive empires, which were founded by the Babylonians or
Chaldeans, the Medes and Persians, the Grecians, and the
* Acts, v. 41. f 2 Cor. vi. 11—15.
X Dan. xii. 7. Rev. xi. 3, and xii. 6, 14.

142 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
Romans. The last of these beasts had ten horns, signifying the
ten kingdoms into which the Roman empire was afterwards
divided. And "among them another little horn" came up,
" before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up
by the roots : and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes
of a man, and a mouth speaking great things." His look was
more stout than his fellows.* This is explained by John's
vision of " a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns," on which a woman sat,
having upon her " forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon
the great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth.f
The same thing is evidently represented by the beast which
John saw, and the fourth beast of Daniel. Each of them had
ten horns, and the eighth head of the beast described by John,
answers to the little horn mentioned by Daniel. That the
empire of Rome was intended, is perfectly clear from its being
the fourth and last of those universal monarchies which are
described by Daniel, from what is affirmed of it in this and his
other visions, from the explanation given of these in the Reve
lation of John, and particularly from his pointed and minute
description of the seat or throne of this monstrous power. It
is described as a city built on " seven mountains," " that great
city which reigneth over the kings of the earth ;" X none of
which things could then be affirmed of any city in the world
but Rome. The same power which is represented in these
and other prophecies, by the figure of a devouring beast exer
cising his tremendous authority in behalf of Babylon the great,
the mother of harlots, and putting to death all who refused to
worship him, is elsewhere denominated Antichrist, the Man of
Sin, and the Son of Perdition. By him the mystery of iniquity,
which forms a shocking contrast to the mystery of godli
ness, was brought to its maturity and perfection. ||
The whole history of the profession of Christianity for many
ages past, and particularly from the time of the destruction of
the Roman Empire, soon after which the Man of Sin was re
vealed, or fully manifested in all his deformity, is an exact
fulfilment of these prophecies ; some of which describe his ex
altation and triumph, and others of them his gradual downfall,
with the circumstances attending it, and the means by which
it was to be accomplished. No human sagacity could possibly
have foreseen a train of such wonderful events, extending to
distant ages, and involving the subjection of many kingdoms to
an usurped spiritual power, which was to maintain its ascen-
* Dan. vii. 7, 8, 20. t Rev. xvii. 3. ± Rev. xvii. 9, 18.
|| 1 John, ii. 18, 22, and iv. 3. 2 Thess. ii. 3, 7- '

FULFILMENT OF THE PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES. 143
dency for a much longer period than the duration of any other
universal monarchy that had existed in the world; and by
means entirely different, in some respects, from those which
had been 'formerly employed for the purpose of subduing and
enslaving mankind. The prospect of these things filled the
Apostle John himself with the highest astonishment. Speak
ing of the false church, he says, " I saw the woman drunken
with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs
of Jesus ; and when I saw her, I wondered with great admira
tion," or astonishment.* We see also at this day, many of
these prophecies fulfilled before our eyes. The Man of Sin
consumed in a great measure by the Spirit of the Lord's mouth,
yet maintaining still a high degree of authority in several of
the kingdoms of Europe ; and his influence in some measure,
either directly or indirectly, felt throughout the whole of them,
as has been already shown. But in order to obtain that con
firmation of our faith which the accomplishment of these pre
dictions ought to produce, it is necessary to form a just esti
mate of the profession of Christianity which now generally
prevails. To those who esteem it real Christianity, there can be
nothing more stumbling ; for much of the wickedness that ever
has been committed by man, has been perpetrated by those who
assumed the Christian name. Whereas, if we admit that they were
Christians only by profession, then Christianity has nothing to
do with their crimes, any farther than as its Divine origin is
proved by their accomplishing the prophetic Scriptures. In
proportion as men professing godliness have sold themselves
to commit iniquity, in the same proportion has the Word of
God been fulfilled.
What a striking thing is it, that our faith should be strength
ened by a survey of the most melancholy scenes that ever took
place in the world ! Events which seemed to threaten the final
overthrow of the Gospel itself, and the total extirpation from
the earth of all its genuine believers !
It would be a happy thing if professing Christians were dis
posed to consider, rather in a religious than in a political light,
all those calamities which arise from the disputes of contend
ing parties, about worldly power and pre-eminence in particu
lar countries ; and the more extensive scenes of human misery
in all its forms, that flow from " nation rising against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom." By all these events, the Word
of God will be fulfilled, and they will finally issue in the com
plete destruction of the Man of Sin, and the universal prospe
rity of the Redeemer's kingdom. What is the duty, in the
* Rev. xvii. 6.

144 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
mean time, of those who believe the Gospel ? Not surely to
become parties in a violent struggle to secure or to obtain
the riches, honours, and pleasures of this life ; nor, on any
pretext whatever, to resist " the powers that be." It is a dan
gerous thing to intermix religion with politics ; those who are
much engrossed with the latter, will not in general continue
long to regard the former ; for the two pursuits are as incom
patible as serving God and Mammon. If it is true, as I think
has been proved, that the kingdom of Christ cannot be promo
ted by any of those means which are employed in establishing
and defending worldly kingdoms, there is evidently no just
pretence for being engaged in keen political disputes on the
score of religion. Nay, I will venture to affirm, that in pro
portion as you yield to temptations of this kind, your conduct
will be in danger of becoming a disgrace to your profession.
The law of Christ, in the same peremptory manner, prohibits
his disciples from asserting their civil rights by any violent and
forcible means ; for it requires them to be subject to kings and
rulers in every country where their lot is cast, without any
respect to the nature of the governments under which they live,
or the propriety or impropriety of the measures that may be
pursued by the civil powers.* The Christians at Rome, who
inhabited the very centre of despotism, who had certainly just
grounds of complaint against their supreme ruler, the cruel
tyrant Nero, and who had been deprived of their ancient con
stitution and liberties in an arbitrary and lawless manner, were
nevertheless commanded, in the most express terms, " every
soul" of them, " to be subject unto the higher powers ;"t and
the unlawfulness of resistance on the part of Christians, is put
beyond all doubt by these words, addressed to the same per
sons ; " Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the
ordinance of God ; and they that resist shall receive to them
selves damnation," X or rather judgment. I will not say that
you have no grievances ; but whatever these may be, you must
be sensible they are not to be named in comparison with those
which the first Christians endured, and that many blessings
are secured to you by the mild and auspicious laws of your
country, for which they merely depended on the will of an arbi
trary monarch. The obligation, therefore, to " submit your
selves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake," || must
be at least equally binding on you as it was on them ; and
you will easily perceive that no man can attempt to show the
opposite, without plainly contradicting the Word of God, either
* Matt. xxii. 21. 1 Tim. i. 1, 2. Tit. iii. 1, 2. 2 Pet. ii. 10.
f Rom. xiii. 1—8. X Verse 2. || 1 Pet. ii. 13—18.

THE WORD OF GOD THE ONLY STANDARD. 145
from ignorance of its meaning, or from a desire to pervert it.
Besides a great variety of exhortations which are given to
Christians with respect to all the other relative duties, those
which we owe to our civil governors are inculcated in the New
Testament in no less than seven different places, in some of which
they are dwelt upon at greater length than any thing else of
the kind, except the duties which servants owe to their mas
ters. There is something, I doubt not, in human nature,
which made this necessary in both cases : and as there is no
want of evidence at the present day of the truth of what I now
affirm, it is so much the more incumbent on you to give an
example in your conduct, of that due subordination which the
Word of God inculcates.
Second, Enough has been said to convince you of the ne
cessity of attending to the Word of God, and refusing implicit
subjection to any set of men in matters of religion. What
immense numbers of the human race have brought about their
own destruction, by following their spiritual guides ! They have
in many instances been blind leaders of the blind ; and both
have fallen into the ditch.* It is not safe even to follow in all
respects .those who are reckoned eminent, or who in former
times may have been eminent for their faith and holiness. The
best men are liable to err, and you ought never to suppose that
any sentiment must be right, or that any thing is a duty,
merely because the one was held, and the other practised,
by eminent saints or great divines. The antiquity of cer
tain principles and practices, is no recommendation to them,
unless you can trace them back to the days of the Apostles,
and clearly establish them from the doctrine which they
taught, and the conduct which they approved. It would
save a great deal of trouble, and prevent the danger of fall
ing into many errors, if people, instead of searching the
works of the primitive Fathers, in order to sanction their systems
of divinity, would apply at once to the New Testament ; which,
besides being divinely inspired, has a higher claim to antiquity,
and is more simple and easy to be understood. I do not
question that some things recorded in the New Testament,
may be illustrated and confirmed by the writings of those who
lived near the time of the Apostles ; but whatever is found in
these unsupported by the former, must go for nothing in the
opinion of all those who tremble at the Word of God.
From any accounts that have been transmitted to us of the
times immediately after the Apostles, there is no great reason
to boast of their purity. The churches soon began to depart
* Matt. xv. 14.

146 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
from the original simplicity of the institutions of Christ, and
gave many proofs both of superstition and self-righteousness.
They suffered their teachers to assume a degree of power and
pre-eminence, totally inconsistent with humility and self-denial,
which so well become the followers of Christ. They raised
the elders of churches to the dignities of diocesan and metro
politan bishops; and thus prepared the way for that fatal
dominion, of the clergy, which enabled them to enslave and per
secute the people of God, and almost to annihilate the true
profession of the name of Christ in the world. They intro
duced philosophy into the Christian system, and darkened the
simple revelation of the Gospel by the wisdom of the schools.
It does not appear, however, that the first churches had in gene
ral many wicked characters among them, till long after the
time of the Apostles. On the contrary, they frequently went
beyond the rule of the Word of God, in delaying to admit new
converts, as well as persons who had been excommunicated,
and who seemed deeply to repent of their wicked conduct.
This again arose from their having corrupted the doctrine of
the Gospel. They were not sufficiently aware, that they
themselves could only live by free and sovereign mercy, and
therefore they refused to have compassion on their fellow
sinners. The more we examine the writings of men, and the practice
of churches, the more will we see the absolute necessity of
regulating our own sentiments and conduct by the Word of
God alone. We ought not even to follow, in all respects, the
example of those churches, whose history is recorded by
inspired men ; for they give us a faithful account of their
crimes, as well as their virtues. And if it is necessary to
observe what parts of their conduct were approved, and cor
responded with the doctrine of the Apostles, before we can be
warranted to follow them, it must be still more necessary to
compare with the same rule, the doctrine and practice of the
most eminent fathers, and the most ancient and renowned
churches. Indeed, if this sentiment had not prevailed at the
time of the reformation, the world would still have been
sunk in Popish darkness, superstition, and idolatry. It is only
to be regretted that the reformers, great and beneficial as
their labours were, did not consistently adhere to it in all
respects ; for they also pleaded the authority of the Fathers,
and established human standards of Christian faith and prac
tice. Third, I would exhort those who know the nature of Mes
siah's kingdom, who have been delivered from antichristian
delusions, and made partakers of those privileges which were

NECESSITY for self-examination. 147
enjoyed by the first churches, to retain a deep sense of the
evils you have escaped, and the blessings which you now enjoy.
Show this, by keeping at a distance from every thing that
would endanger your returning to Babylon, even in your hearts.
" Touch not the unclean thing;" and remember, that with
this the Lord connects these comfortable words, " I will
receive you, and will be a father unto you."
Consider also, I beseech you, how much reason you have to
regret the mis-improvement or abuse of privileges. Have
you been all this while " growing in grace, and in the know
ledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ? " Have you
sufficiently made it to appear, that you are not barren and
unfruitful in this excellent knowledge, by its producing in your
hearts and lives all those practical effects which are attributed
to it in the Word of God ? Are none of you become luke
warm or indifferent about the awfully important concerns of eter
nity, and insensible to those benefits which you might obtain,
by attending to the ordinances with that fervency of soul which
becomes redeemed sinners ? We may be more free from gross
and scandalous sins, from dangerous errors in doctrine, and from
outward irregularities in conducting our worship, than were
some of the first churches. But alas ! we come far short of
them, in the enjoyment that many of them had of the love of
God and the hope of eternal life, in their self-denial and mortifi
cation to this world, their fervent love one to another, their hu
mility, meekness, and patience under sufferings.* While they
were " in heaviness through manifold trials," they rejoiced in
the prospect of the heavenly inheritance, " with joy unspeak
able and full of glory." Our separation from the world, there
fore, though it is both a privilege and a duty, furnishes us with
no pretext for glorying over other men. It is a most humbling
consideration, that we have been separated to so little purpose ;
and ought, I am persuaded, to lead every one of us to deep
repentance. Perhaps, it cannot be said with truth, that all of
you are as much exercised to godliness, in every respect, as many
of those whose ignorance you profess to pity. Will not this
provoke you to emulation ? Are you not ashamed to give to
the world around you, such a mean and unworthy example of
the influence of those sublime principles which you profess to
hold? Beware of treating with indignity and contempt those who

* These opposite things are affirmed of different persons. Dangerous
errors in doctrine, and indulging in gross sins, are totally incompatible
with the enjoyment of the love of God, and the hope of eternal life.

148 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
may differ from you about the things of which I have been
speaking ; especially when you have any reason to think that
they are taught of God to know the truth as it is in Jesus.
Instruct them with meekness, as they are able to bear it ;
admonish them with tenderness and affection ; and make it
evident, by the whole of your deportment, that you have nothing
in view but the good of their souls. At the same time, yield
none of the sayings of Christ to their prejudices or aversion ;
maintain with unshaken firmness, and in its own due place,
every thing that you have learned from the Word of God. Even
when on proper occasions you represent the extreme wicked
ness of a false and corrupt profession of Christianity, of which
it is our duty to speak, when called to it, with the utmost
plainness, avoid every indiscreet and abusive manner of speech ;
and imitate, in all your expressions, the serious, solemn, and
dignified language of the Word of God.
Fourth, I shall now use the freedom to address myself to
those who believe the Gospel, and enjoy peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ ; but have not yet turned away
from nominal professors, nor connected yourselves with the
churches of the saints. You have heard some account of the
perils of the latter days, and the obligations you are under, as
having received mercy, to be closely united with your brethren
in Christ Jesus, and to acknowledge none as such but those
who " are of the truth, and hear Christ's voice." You will
judge of the truth or falsehood of all that I have spoken : I
presume not to dictate to your consciences. But remember,
that whatever judgment you now form, you will be accountable
for it at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. You are in dan
ger of being led aside by the error of the wicked, by the pre
judices arising from education and habit, by respect for the
opinions of those whom you have been taught to venerate, and
by the fear of reproach ; which they who make a true profession
of the name of Christ have reason to expect. You have need,
therefore, to examine the Word of God with much care and
diligence, and to pray earnestly for his enlightening Spirit,
that you may be led into all truth, and made willing to yield
obedience to that which you already know.
Give no ear to that principle which many have espoused,
that a number of the laws which Jesus Christ hath given to his
churches are of little or no consequence ; that we may be very
good Christians without obeying them ; and that, in order to
our having fellowship with all the people of God, of whatever
denomination, it is necessary and proper that we should act in
opposition to some things which wc acknowledge are the com-

NONE OF CHRIST'S COMMANDMENTS UNIMPORTANT. 149
mandments of the Lord. One would think the mere stating
of this principle would be sufficient to render it odious in the
eyes of all who fear God. Some things undoubtedly, in dis
tinction from others, are " the great and weightier matters of
the law." But does not Jesus say, with respect to both,
" these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other un
done?"* And on another occasion he says, " Whosoever,
therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the king
dom of heaven." f When recommending, by his own example,
one of those offices of brotherly love, which, though it should
be necessary on particular occasions, some would consider as
trifling, and others as degrading, he also says, " If ye know
these things, happy are ye if ye do them."J No Divine command
ment ought to be reckoned of small importance, though some,
in comparison with others, may be called the least. Nor is there
any Christian principle more clearly established than this, that
the disciples of Christ are bound to do all things whatsoever
he hath commanded them. " Whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all," because
he resists the authority of the great and only lawgiver,
" who is able to save, and to destroy." ||
When we read of the disobedience of the first man, we see
nothing more than a transgression, exactly similar to those
which are avowed by many serious professing Christians. What
immorality was there in eating the forbidden fruit ? None,
surely, except what arose from the Divine prohibition. Yet
this law was enforced by an awful sanction, " In the day that
thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."§ The sentence was
executed : all men die ; all derive a corrupt nature from apos
tate Adam ; and, on account of their own sins, are exposed to
everlasting punishment. I am not speaking to infidels, who
would scoff at these things : I know that you believe them.
This signal display of the Divine vengeance against what some
call a trivial offence, ought therefore to deter you from heark
ening to the lie of Satan, who says, " Ye shall not surely die." If
Perhaps some of you may plead that you are bound, in the
judgment of charity, to consider the persons with whom you
walk in the fellowship of the Gospel as real Christians ; or at
least, that though many of them give little evidence of this
by their conduct, yet you are not warranted positively to judge
them as unbelievers. It is difficult to reason on a matter of
this kind with those who have no fixed sentiments about the
* Matt. xxii. 23. f Matt- v. 19. % John xiii. 12—18.
|| James ii. 10. andiv. 12. § Gen. ii. 16, 17. f Gen. iii. 4.

150 IT HIT Y OF christian communion.
proper evidences of genuine Christianity. I am far from wish
ing you to form a harsh and unwarrantable judgment. But
surely those things which distinguish believers irom unbelievers,
are not all of a negative kind. Real Christians must be ex
pected to give some positive evidences of their faith in Christ.
They will show by their conversation that they understand
and love the Gospel ; they will conscientiously perform every
moral duty, and also keep those sayings of Christ which have
nothing to recommend them but his authority, so ffir as they
are instructed in the knowledge of them. They will in a par
ticular manner attend to the duties of brotherly love, by which
the disciples of Christ are known to one another, and to all
men. * Well, then, are all the persons with whom you walk in
religious fellowship of this description ? Can you say in truth
and sincerity, if you belong to the national church, or to others
which are similar in their constitution, and have adopted her
standards, that the churches of which you are members arc
" in Cod the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ;" and that
it is proper to denominate them " an habitation of God through
the Spirit — tho temples of the living God ?"f Do you really
believe that the individuals of which they are composed are
" beloved of God, called to be saints — faithful brethren in
Christ Jesus" — and those who are " failed by God the Fa
ther to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord?" %
If they are not entitled to these appellations, in what respects
do they resemble the primitive churches, which were thus de
scribed? And if they are quite a different kind of churches,
how can you think it a duty incumbent on you to continue in
their communion ?
It has been admitted that the people of God are in that
Babylon which is tho antitype of the ancient city of this name,
in which the children of Israel were held in captivity. They
are in the great city itself, and in all her distant provinces,
which in a greater or less degree imitate her iniquitous con
duct. But I beseech you to observe, that the Word of God
does not promise them perfect safety and consolation there.
Tlie ancient people of God, when they dwelt in the capital of
Chaldea, and in some of its provinces, felt themselves in bon
dage, and had no happiness or comfort but in the prospect of
returning to Zion. They sat down by the rivers of Babylon ;
they wept when they remembered Zion ; they hanged their
harps upon the willows ; and, in answer to the insulting de-
* John xiii. '.'A, 35. 1 Tints, i. '.',, 4.
t I Thess. i. I. Eph. ii. 22. 2 Cor. vi. JO. I Cor. iii. 1«, 17.
t Rom. i. 7. J (V,r. i. 2, '¦>. Col. j. 2.

TIIK IUNUKU OF RKMAININU IN SI'IIMTl'AI. UAIIU.ON. lf>l
mauds id" their enemies, (hey said, " Uow shall wo sing tlie
Lord's song ill a strange land? If 1 forget thee, O Jerusalem,
lot my right hand forgot her cunning. If 1 do net remember
thee," let my tongue cleave to (he roof of my mouth; if 1 pre
fer not Jerusalem above my chief joy."* 1 doubt not you
have often had feelings of the same kind, though you might
not so perfectly know tho cause of your bondage and distress.
Can you expect peace or security, while you are at a distance
from your Father's house, and captives in a foreign land ? Mul,
what is still worse, you are willing captives, and refuse to be
set at liberty. The Lord hath broken that power which kept
his people in spiritual bondage, lie hath appeared in his
glory, building up Zion, hearing the pvaver ol the destitute,
and not despising their prayer, t But while ho is turning again
tho captivity of Zion, you are like thtnn that dream. $ Vou
can scarcely believe that there is any reality in what you see ;
your minds are full of darkness and confusion, and you know
not where to turn yourselves for comfort and relief. In the
mean time, the voice from heaven which calls you to make your
escape, waxes louder and louder ; and Providence concurs with
the prophetic Scriptures, inwarningyouthat thotimodraw snigh,
when another voice shall be heard saying. *» Babylon the great
is fallen !" || You have now many opportunities of knowing your
duty, beyond those who lived in former ages, when the Man of
Sin was m the zenith of his power. What excuse then can you
plead for living in a state of carnal security, and listless inacti
vity, amidst those great and imminent dangers to which you
are exposed? 1 am persuaded, that when the final destruction
of Babylon comes, (he Lord's people will be kept in safety, not
by being preserved there, but by their hearing his voice, and
being delivered from all connexion with antichristian societies.
ll was in this manner that the disciples of Christ were saved
from that destruction which came upon the city of Jerusalem:
they made their escape from ii, in the faith of what our Lord
had prophesied, and in obedience to his express command
ment. §
If you will not be moved by these terrors of the Lord, allow
mo to beseech vou by his mercies. Do you really eujov the
forgiveness of sin, through the atonement of the Sou ot God?
Uath the God and l-ather of our Lord Jesus Christ, ac
cording to his abundant mercy, begotten you again to a lively
hope bv the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead?
And will you disregard any thing that he hath spoken ? Ought
* t'sal, owwii. l 7. t I'ssl. vii. 1(5- 18.
t l\<;il, ov\\i. 1. | t\o\, \iv. (!.„S.
§ M.U. \\i\, KV -U>.

152 purity or christian communion.
not the love of Christ to constrain you, because you thus judge,
" that if one died for all, then were all dead : and that he died
for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto
themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again ?" *
Are you not convinced in your own minds, that it is none of the
effects of genuine and fervent love, to consider how little of his
will you may obey, and yet be in a state of safety ? Love will
dispose you to " show forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light," and minutely to
enquire what is the will of Christ in every particular, that you
may obey it. The entire neglect of the commandments of
Christ, or a long-continued hesitation about putting them in
practice, is not very consistent with the powerful, operative, and
constraining principle of love. " This is the love of God, that
we keep his commandments : and his commandments are not
grievous." f And Christ says, " if ye love me, keep my com
mandments  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me — He that loveth me not, keepeth
not my sayings." X
I shall conclude with the following words of the Apostle
John, which have an immediate reference to the subjects we
have been considering ; for some of these subjects occupy a
great part of the book of the Revelation. " Blessed is he that
readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and
keep those things which are written therein : for the time is
AT HAND." ||
* 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. t John v. 3.
% John xiv. 15, 21, 24. || Rev. i.-3.

END OF DISCOURSES ON PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.

[ 153 ]

APPENDIX.

No. I.
THOUGHTS ON THE WEEKLY CELEBRATION OP THE LORD'S SUPPER,
It may be useful to give a brief summary of the scriptural evi
dence which confirms the assertion in the First Discourse, that
the primitive Christians observed the ordinance of the Lord's
Supper every first day of the week.
From the words of our Lord at the institution of this ordi
nance, we do not positively ascertain how often it ought to be
celebrated by his disciples. The only thing that points at this
is what he said concerning the cup,* " This do ye, as oft as
ye drink it, in remembrance of me ;" and in the Apostle Paul's
observation which accompanies this, " For as often as ye eat this
bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till
he come."t As professing Christians generally take some
latitude in matters of this kind, many of them have supposed,
from these expressions, that the frequency of the Lord's Supper
is discretionary on their part, and that Christ and his Apostles
have left them at liberty to attend to it, as often or as seldom
as they find it convenient. The consequence has been, that in
all the congregations belonging to the Church of Scotland, and
in many Dissenting congregations, they observe it only once or
twice a-year. According to their own principles, however, they
need not keep this ordinance more frequently than once in seven
years, if they should so incline. This alone is sufficient to con
vince all who seriously wish to know their duty, that it is not
probable, at least, that a matter of such importance would be
left on a footing so exceedingly vague and undetermined. But
* 1 Cor. xi. 25. t Verse 26.

154 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
supposing it were altogether optional and voluntary on our part,
whether would a grateful and affectionate remembrance of the
love of Christ in giving his life a ransom for many, and an ear
nest desire of enjoying the blessings signified in this ordinance,
induce us to keep it every Lord's day, or once in twelve months?
The answer that cannot fail to be given to this question by all
the genuine disciples of Christ, will nearly settle the point in
dispute. But this point ought to be fully determined by the example
of the churches that were planted by the Apostles ; and there
is very complete evidence to show that they partook of the
Lord's Supper every first day of the week. We are informed
concerning the church at Jerusalem,* that they continued
steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, the fellowship, the break
ing of bread, and the prayers. Did they continue steadfastly
in " the breaking of bread," which is just another name for
the Lord's Supper, used also in Acts xx. 7, if they only par
took of it two or three times in the year ? No person would
venture to affirm that in this manner they continued steadfastly
in the Apostle's doctrine, the fellowship, and the prayers. How
then can this be reckoned a steadfast continuance in an ordi
nance, which was intended as a perpetual remembrancer of the
Lord's death until he come again ? So convincing has this
passage appeared to some, that they have run (only in theory
indeed) to the opposite extreme, and maintained that the first
Christians observed this ordinance on other days besides the
Lord's day ; perhaps always when they were publicly met for
prayer, and hearing the doctrine of the Apostles. There is no
instance, however, in all the New Testament, of any church eat
ing the Lord's Supper except on the first day of the week ; for
the other expression, " breaking bread from house to house,"
is explained by their eating " their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart," f which evidently refers to their common
meals. % The sacred historian, therefore, must be understood
as describing the practice of the church at Jerusalem on the
first day of the week, when he says they continued steadfastly
in the breaking of bread. Though they had many other meet
ings for public worship, that was the only day on which they
had an opportunity of observing all the ordinances of the Lord
Jesus, and they neglected none of them. On that day they
were assembled when they received the promise of the Holy
Spirit ; for it was the fiftieth day from that on which the sheaf
* Actsii. 42. t Actsii. 46.
X The Lord's Supper, and an ordinary meal or a feast of charity, are
likewise both termed " breaking' bread" in Acts xx. 7, 11.

APPENDIX. 155
of the first-fruits was waved before the Lord. This happened
that year on the Jewish Sabbath, and that Sabbath-day was,
on this account, called by the Jews an high day * As they
began the observance of these ordinances on the Lord's day,
so they continued steadfastly in them every succeeding first
day of the week. It appears also, that when the church at
Corinth " came together into one place," that is, as I under
stand it, on the first day of the week, one principal thing that
they had in view was, " to eat the Lord's Supper." j
Another very express example of this, is recorded in the
twentieth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. " Upon the
first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break
bread, Paul preached unto them."$ Does not every one
perceive, that the very intention of the church at Troas, in
coming together on the first day of the week, or the chief de
sign of it, was to break bread in remembrance of the death of
Christ ; and that even the preaching of the Apostle Paul is
mentioned as a secondary consideration ? This simple narra
tion of facts is decisive, and as clearly proves the weekly cele
bration of the Lord's Supper, as if the sacred historian had
affirmed it in the most unequivocal terms. On the other hand,
it is equally plain that they did not keep this ordinance on any
other day ; for the Apostle had been at Troas from the pre
ceding Monday, the time of his residence there being in all
seven days. || He seems to have tarried so long, for this pur
pose among others, that he might have an opportunity of
joining with the church in this comfortable ordinance on the
appointed day. This he did, notwithstanding bis anxiety to get
forward on his journey ; and that some urgent cause made him
anxious to proceed, appears by his departing at the break of
day, after a sleepless night ; for he continued his speech until
midnight ; and when he had eaten, and talked a long while,
even till break of day, so he departed. §
There is no clearer example for keeping the first day of the
week as the Christian Sabbath, than for observing the ordi
nance of the Lord's Supper on that day ; and it will be admit
ted that the authority for the former chiefly depends on the
approved example of the first Christians, which is recorded for
our imitation. I do not mean the setting apart of one day in
seven for the immediate service of God. The obligation of
this duty is founded on the original sanctification of the seventh
day, on which God rested from his work of creation ; and on
* John xix. 31. See Lev. xxiii. 10 — 17.
t 1 Cor. xi. 20. See also chap. xvi. 2.
X Acts xx. 7. || Verse 6. § Verses 7, 11.

156 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
the fourth commandment of the moral law, delivered by Moses.
The great and powerful motives that are presented to us in the
Gospel, enforce the observance of another day, for which this
additional reason is given, that Christ hath entered into his
rest, having ceased from his own works, as God did from his. *
But the disciples of Christ require satisfactory evidence, that
the same authority by which the seventh-day Sabbath was ap
pointed, and then abrogated as a part of the Jewish system,
for in this view it was a shadow of things to come, t now obliges
them to sanctify the Lord's day, and to keep it holy. If the
example of the first Christians, under the direction of the in
spired Apostles, is sufficient for this purpose, why should not
the example of their eating the Lord's Supper on that day, be
admitted as equally binding on the churches of Christ ? There
is not, in all the New Testament, any one specified instance of a
church being assembled for Divine worship on the first day of
the week, who did not meet for this, among other purposes, that
they might commemorate the death of Christ in the ordinance
of the Supper. That authority, therefore, which has distin
guished one Christian Sabbath from another, and made some
of them, in comparison of the rest, high days, cannot plead the
Word of God for its foundation. Every Lord's day is a day
of exultation and triumph, to those who enjoy the hope of eter
nal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ;
and it is fit that on all such days they should commemorate, in
the appointed way, the grand foundation of this blessed hope.
It would not be at all surprising, though some loose profes
sors of religion should begin to argue in the same way against
keeping the Christian Sabbath. The primitive churches, they
might say, met sometimes on the first day of the week ; but,
perhaps, this was only once or twice in the year, or as often as
they found it convenient ; for it is not affirmed, in any part of
the New Testament, that this was their constant regular prac
tice every Lord's day. Such persons would be justly reckoned
irreligious and profane : but how would we confute them ? I
suppose by affirming that the few instances which are left on
record, of the first Christians observing the ordinances on the
Lord's day, are examples to us of what their practice was on
every such day. And is it not equally proper, that we should
regard a few specified instances of their breaking bread on that
day as a sufficient proof that they always did so ?
Thus it is clearly established, that the churches of Christ
ought to keep the ordinance of the Lord's Supper every first

Heb. iv. 3—11. t Col. ii. 16, 17.

APPENDIX. 157
day of the week ; and it is remarkable that all the arguments
which have been used against this practice, when they are duly
considered, tend only to illustrate and confirm the obligations
which render this the indispensable duty of the people of God.

No. II.
THOUGHTS ON THE NATURE AND TENDENCY OF HUMAN STANDARDS
OP RELIGION.
In the Third Discourse, it is affirmed that there ought to be no
other standard of religion among Christians than the Word
of God. It is certainly not sufficient, however, that either
teachers or members of Christian churches, should merely,
in general terms, profess their belief of the scriptures.
Many do so who neither understand the Gospel nor keep the
sayings of Jesus Christ. But how is this to be remedied ? Not
by requiring people to sign human standards ; for these are as
little believed by many who subscribe them as the other, and
the doctrine of the Scriptures cannot be more clearly and deci
sively expressed than by the Word of God itself. The churches
of Christ must be capable of judging what doctrine is contained
in the Word of God, otherwise they could not be certain whether
human confessions and catechisms were agreeable to it or not.
What good purpose then can be answered by the strange ex
pedient of making or adopting an imperfect standard, when
they are already in possession of one that is absolutely per
fect ? They can only know the faith of those who apply to
them for admission, by hearing them profess it in distinct and
intelligible words, and by the evidence which their conduct
affords, that they have " received the love of the truth." They
judge, in the best manner they can, how far these agree with
the Word of Truth which God himself hath spoken, and with
the effects produced by it on those who first believed it. If
this is not fairly and openly submitted to the judgment of all
the members of a church, what proper scriptural evidence can
they have, that unbelievers are not received into their commu
nion ? And with respect to their teachers, if they follow the
primitive example of choosing them from among themselves,
they will be perfectly acquainted both with their sentiments and
conduct.* Some wish to get rid of human standards, because they con-
* Acts i. 21, to the end. Chap. vi. 3, 5. Chap. xiv. 23. Tit. i. 5—10.

158 PURITY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNION.
tain too much of the doctrine of the Scriptures ; and others,
because they do not in all respects exactly correspond with it.
In fact, every honest man who disbelieves the peculiar doc
trines of Christianity, and every sincere believer who issuffi-
ciently scrupulous about maintaining the truth in its original
purity, will object against creeds and confessions when they
are made standards of faith ; and it is only in this point of
view, that I presume to censure the whole of them without ex
ception. I do not condemn a mere confession of faith, or a .
declaration of the sentiments held by any particular body
of Christians. Such may not be free of errors and imperfec
tions ; but as no one is bound to assent to it as a term of commu
nion, nothing is proposed by it but information and instruction.
The evil which I complain of, is that of making any human
production whatever a standard of faith, and of the duties
which we owe to God.
Human standards are not merely useless : they are also
hurtful and dangerous. It will be admitted that there exists
a danger of being led into error by the very best of them. Some
numerous and respectable bodies in this country, which have
long adhered to the standards of the national church, have
lately begun to question the authority of some things contained
in them ; and, this being the case, how can they know with
certainty that errors do not still remain undiscovered ? Chris
tians are too apt to err on many occasions, by departing from
the perfect rule of faith and practice which the Lord himself
hath given them ; but how great must be the danger of those
whose very standards are erroneous ! The Word of God is not
merelya rule, but the only rule by which the sentiments,
inclinations, and conduct of all men ought to be regulated, and
by which they will be judged at the last day.* It contains the
most awful threatenings against those who shall add to it, or
' take any thing away from it ; t and, far from delegating to any
class of men a power to form additional standards, there are
few things against which it more frequently cautions us, than
the danger of following any rule but itself, or submitting to the
authority of man in the things of God.$ Nay, it declares
that many would be seduced from the faith by corrupt and
deceitful teachers, who would arrogantly assume the power of
making laws for the disciples of Christ. || Indeed, if it is ad-
* Psal. xix. 7 — 12. John, xii. 48. Rom. ii. 16.
t Prov. xxx. 6. Rev. xxii. 18, 19.
j Matt. xv. 3—10. Gal. i. 8, 9. Eph. iv. 14. Col. ii. 8, 9, 10, 18.
2 Thess. ii. 15. 2 Tim. iii. 13, to iv. 5.
|| Acts, xx. 30—32. 2 Pet. ii. 1, 2. Dan. vii. 25. 2 Thess. ii. 4, 10
— 12. Rev. 8, 12, 15—17.

APPENDIX. 159
mitted that we have a Divine revelation at all, it necessarily
follows that no man, or body of men, if they are not divinely
inspired, whatever may be their gifts, their knowledge of the
Scriptures, and their pretensions to sanctity, can be warranted
in making any standard in addition to that which it contains. It
will be acknowledged by all whom I now address, that Divine
revelation ceased with the Apostles.
It is pleaded by those who favour human confessions of faith,
that they are founded on the Holy Scriptures, and agreeable
thereto. Nay, some of their standards maintain, while they
are in -the very act of establishing another rule, that " the Scrip
tures of the Old and New Testament are the only rule of faith
and manners !" The same formularies which require the assent
of probationers, ministers, and elders, to this grand and incontro
vertible truth, oblige them also to declare, that " they sincerely
own and believe the whole doctrine contained in the Confession
of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms, compiled by the As
sembly of Divines that met at Westminster, to be founded on
the Word of God ;" and that " they resolve, through Divine
grace, firmly and constantly to adhere to it, and to assert,
maintain, and defend it, to the utmost of their power, against
all errors and opinions contrary to it." Could any words ex
press a more unqualified assent to a human rule of faith and
manners, or impose a more solemn obligation to maintain and
defend it ? Yet men of sound principles are not convinced
that the whole of its doctrine is consonant to the Holy Scrip
tures. And, at any rate, the indecency of requiring from Christian
teachers a solemn profession of their faith in the writings of fall
ible men, might easily be discerned by all who venerate Divine
revelation, and pay a due respect to the rights of conscience.
If any human standards agree entirely with the Word of God,
it is evident that the same thing cannot be justly affirmed of
the whole of them ; for they do not perfectly correspond with
one another. And all the ingenuity of man is incapable of
making it appear, that the leaders in this business are fully per
suaded of the sufficiency of the Scriptures. If the Word, of
God is a perfect and infallible standard, it must for this very
reason be the exclusive one ; and when it is not really and
consistently held as the only rule of faith and practice, it is im
possible that it can be considered as completely sufficient, in
all respects, for this purpose. Those who adopt another rule,
must undoubtedly reckon it deficient, either with respect to the
matter which it contains, the order in which its doctrine is de
livered, or the simplicity, clearness, and precision with which
¦it states that which is necessary to regulate the faith and prac
tice of Christians. So far as any person is satisfied with the

160 PURITY of christian communion.
Scriptures in all these particulars, in the same proportion will
he doubt the propriety of human standards, unless he is resol
ved to maintain that it is needful to add something to that which
is perfect ; — a position so absurd, that it would be an affront
to the human understanding to offer any argument against it.
Is there no danger in thus lessening the authority of the
Word of God, and exalting that of synods, councils, and assem
blies of uninspired men ? Has it no tendency to palm their
sentiments on mankind as divine truths, when you denominate
them tests and standards of the Christian faith ; make an assent
to them a term of communion, at least of what is called minis
terial communion ; and refer to them as decisive in all matters
of church discipline and government, and sometimes in contro
versies about points of divinity ? Is it possible, in these re
spects, to pay a higher degree of deference to the Word of God
itself? Will the disciples of Christ examine the Scriptures with
candour, and receive all their information concerning the things
of God, immediately from that unerring source of knowledge,
while such a formidable barrier stands in their way ? Or can
it be supposed that those who duly venerate the Holy Scrip
tures, will subscribe or assent to the works of men, in such a
way as to give a tacit acknowledgment of their perfection,
without some remorse of conscience ? For certainly those stan
dards which contain the rule and measure of our duty to God,
OUght to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
It would require a volume to show the evils which arise
from human standards of religion. The reformers in the
sixteenth century did a most essential service to mankind, when
they were made the instruments in the hand of God of bringing
the Scriptures to light, and publishing them in the different
languages of the nations, after they had been long withheld by
the Man of Sin. But they prevented the full effect of that
light which might have been expected to proceed from the
Word of God, by placing human standards of doctrine between
it and the people ; and their example has been hitherto faith
fully imitated by Protestants of almost all denominations.
These uninspired traditions of the Fathers, are not however now
held in such high veneration as they formerly were. The light
of divine truth is gradually dispelling the darkness and pre
judice which they have been the means of perpetuating to this
day ; and all the exertions of their most zealous defenders, can
only procure them a feeble assent. Sooner or later they must
sink into oblivion ; but " the Word of our God shall stand
jfor ever." * * Isa. xl. 8.
END OF APPENDIX.

LOYALTY, OR OBEDIENCE
TO CIVIL RULERS,
ENFORCED BY ARGUMENTS
FOUNDED ON
JUST VIEWS OF GOVERNMENT.

TO WHICH IS ADDED, A VINDICATION OF SOME DISSENTING CONGREGATIONS
FROM THE CHARGE OF DISLOYALTY'.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN MDCCXCIX.

[ 163 ]

DISCOURSE.

" Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. Fob thebe is no power but of God :
THE POWERS THAT BE ARE ORDAINED OP GOD. WHOSOEVER THEREFORE RESISTETH THE POWER,
RESISTETH THE ORDINANCE OF GOD ; AND THEY THAT RESIST SHALL RECEIVE TO THEMSELVES
DAMNATION : FOR RULERS ARE NOT A TERROR TO GOOD WORKS, BUT TO THE EVIL. WlLT 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 HE BEARETH NOT THE SWORD IN VAIN : FOR HE IS THE MINISTER
OF GOD, A REVENGER TO EXECUTE WRATH UPON HIM THAT DOETH EVIL. WHEREFORE YE MUST
NEEDS BE SUBJECT, NOT ONLY FOR WRATH, BUT ALSO FOR CONSCIENCE* SAKE. FOR, FOR THIS
CAUSE PAY YE TRIBUTE ALSO t FOR THEY ARE God's MINISTERS, ATTENDING CONTINUALLY UPON
THIS VERY THING. RENDER THEREFORE TO ALL THEIR DUES : TRIBUTE TO WHOM TRIBUTE IS
DUE ; CUSTOM TO WHOM CUSTOM ; PEAR TO WHOM FEAR ; HONOUR TO WHOM HONOUR." Rom. xiii. 1—8,
Although the duties which we owe to the higher powers
have been explained in many publications, the Author of the
following Sermon does not recollect that he ever saw a Scrip
tural account, at any length, of the reasons why subjection to
lawful authority is so frequently enjoined in the Word of God.
The loyalty of many, proceeds from causes which are merely
political; but those who truly fear God will not be governed
by such motives. The arguments which prevail with them, are
those which ought to affect the conscience ; and which are nei
ther the offspring of worldly wisdom, nor of blind enthusiasm.
The duties in the text are some of those to the performance
of which Christians are besought by the mercies of God ; *
those mercies which are displayed in the justification of the un
godly, by faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, f and in the
complete and eternal salvation of Jews and Gentiles ; " For
the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
* Rom. xii. 1. f Chap. iii. and iv.

164 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
saved." * Allow me, therefore, on this great and leading prin
ciple of Christian obedience, to request your particular atten
tion to the arguments by which our subjection to the higher
powers is enforced in the Word of God.
You are all acquainted with the nature and extent of the
duties which we owe to our lawful superiors, to which you
have been often exhorted, and which, I can honestly say, have
been exemplified by the uniform submission which you have
hitherto yielded to all who are in authority over us. And as
my chief design at present is to show the grounds of that sub
jection, allegiance, or loyalty, which we owe to civil rulers, I
shall only mention, very briefly, the various particulars of which
it consists. First, The leading thing which is principally insisted on in
the Word of God, and which indeed includes every thing else,
is the obligation laid upon us to conduct ourselves as good,
peaceable, and useful members of society — to avoid all those
evils which magistrates are bound to punish, and to govern all
our actions by the principles of truth, justice, and universal
benevolence towards all mankind. To " lead a quiet and peace
able* life, in all godliness and honesty," t is what we owe to
our civil governors and to our fellow-subjects.
Second, The law of Christ prohibits speaking evil of dig
nities. X It is our duty to avoid every thing that might tend
to injure the reputation of any man ; but the evil of slander is
greatly increased, instead of being diminished, as some suppose,
when it is directed against public characters.
Third, We are commanded to honour the king, and all who
are in authority over us. || This also, in a general view, is
our duty towards all men, " who are made after the similitude
of God ;" but a peculiar honour is due to those who are or
dained of God to administer justice, and maintain order in
society. F'ourth, The payment of tribute, custom, or taxes, is strictly en
joined upon us. It is due from us as the price of that protection
which every Government in some degree affords, and which we
in this country so eminently enjoy. It ought therefore to be
paid with the same fidelity, punctuality, and cheerfulness, with
which we reckon ourselves obliged to discharge all our other
lawful debts.
Fifth, We are bound by Divine authority to offer up " sup
plications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks for all
men," and in an especial manner " for kings, and for all that
* Rom. x. 12, 13. f I Tim. ii. 2.
% 2 Pet. ii. 10. Jude, ver. 8. II 1 Pet. ii. 17.

OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS AN APPOINTMENT OF GOD. 165
are in authority." * And this we ought to do in the sincerity
of our souls, from an earnest desire for their salvation, and for
their obtaining from the Most High every qualification which
is necessary to enable them to rule with wisdom, justice, and
humanity. We shall now proceed to the main design of this discourse,
which is to show, that the subjection which we owe to civil rulers
is not an arbitrary appointment, of which we can give no
account ; but that it is obedience to those who are declared by
God himself to be our lawful superiors, and similar in its
nature to the subjection which a wife owes to her husband, a
child to his parents, or a servant to his master. If I shall
succeed in establishing this position, it will follow, of course,
that our subjection ought not to be the unwilling obedience of
slaves, but performed as a matter of conscience, with alacrity
and satisfaction ; or, in the language of Scripture, " heartily
as to the Lord, and not unto men." f If our obedience be
not of this kind, although it may be sufficient to prevent us from
suffering any temporal inconvenience, it will be of no avail in
the sight of Him who searcheth our hearts and trieth our reins.
That I may not seem to overlook objections, though they be
not formally stated and answered, I shall on this part of the sub
ject observe, that of all the different classes of men who possess
lawful authority, magistrates alone are never officially addressed
in the New Testament. On this account, and because it gives
no preference to any particular form of civil government, and
no violence being allowed in the kingdom of Christ, some
deny, or faintly acknowledge any authority of rulers and magis
trates which cannot be maintained without violence. Such
persons consider them as a necessary evil, merely permitted and
over-ruled for good; comparing them to ravenous animals,
which are a curse to mankind, and are useful only because they
destroy other animals more hurtful than themselves.
They who understand the nature of Christ's kingdom will
easily perceive that the kingdoms of this world could not be
governed by laws which are only adapted to the government
of a spiritual and heavenly kingdom, which is not of this world.
The sword has no place in the kingdom of Christ, whose reli
gion cannot be promoted or defended by any sort of outward
violence, and who hath said, " All they that take the sword
shall perish with the sword." J But coercion and carnal wea
pons are necessary for the defence of a nation of this world
against external enemies, and for maintaining peace and good
order within itself. In this manner, therefore, Christ dis-
* 1 Tim. ii. 1—5. f Col. iii. 23. X Matt. xxvi. 52.

166 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
tinguishes his kingdom, " If my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to
the Jews;"* implying, surely, that while he would not permit
his servants to use violent means for the defence even of their
King and Lord, no worldly kingdom could exist without such
means of protection. One of the laws of Christ's kingdom,
which is clearly stated, and frequently enjoined in the New
Testament, is, that his disciples should not resist evil, or ren
der evil for evil to any man.t What would become of a nation
of this world, if its magistrates were to fellow this precept in
relation to crimes committed against society ? If they are
Christians, they ought to regulate all their conduct as private
individuals by the laws of the kingdom of heaven ; and their
public conduct as magistrates should be guided by the prin
ciples of justice which the light of nature teaches, and which
are fully opened up and explained in the Word of God. It is
their duty also to follow, as their unerring rule, the account
which the Scriptures give of the nature and ends of their office,
and the way in which it ought to be exercised for the good of
mankind. But none of these things will ever lead a Christian
magistrate to imagine, if he be in his right reason, that he ought
to suffer crimes against society to go unpunished. On the
contrary, he will consider himself as " the minister of God, a
revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." X
I beseech you, therefore, not to form the extravagant con
clusion, from the circumstance of rulers not being officially
addressed in the New Testament, and from its having prescribed
no specific kind of civil government, that the world is left in a
state of anarchy, and that men are permitted to commit the
most enormous crimes with impunity ! These things only show
that the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, and that his disci
ples are obliged to submit to every government ; which indeed is
also expressly required by this commandment, " Submit your
selves to every ordinance of man, for the Lord's sake." || Had the
* John xviii. 36. f Matt. v. 39. Rom. xii. 17. 1 Thess. v. 15.
X Rom. xiii. 4.
|| 1 Pet. ii. 13. This does not hinder Christians from using Scriptural
arguments against ecclesiastical governments ; for such profess to be the
kingdom of Christ, and these powers are not the ministers of God to us for
good. If they establish a hierarchy similar in its leading features to the
civil governments of the nations, and diametrically opposite, in many re
spects, to the nature of the kingdom of heaven, a complete disavowal of
their spiritual authority becomes the indispensable duty of those who fear
God, though the latter must on no account oppose them by any violent
means. The truth of the Gospel, and the doctrine of the kingdom of
heaven, are alone their standard and their weapons ; and this is their
motto, " Great is the truth, and it shall prevail."

THE INSTITUTION OF GOVERNMENT IS UNIVERSAL. 167
law of Christ addressed rulers as it does husbands, fathers, and
masters, when it describes the nature of their office, and repre
sents it as their duty to inflict temporal punishments on those
who disturb the peace of society, it must have supposed them
to be Christians ; and these injunctions to Christian magis
trates would undoubtedly have been understood as descriptive
of the nature of Christ's kingdom, which would have led to the
most fatal errors with respect to that important subject.
Jesus Christ came to establish a spiritual kingdom, and he
did not interfere with the government of nations, any farther
than by giving a commandment to " render unto Caesar the
things which are Caesar's." But though he refused to divide
an inheritance between two contending brothers,* and to pass
the sentence of death on a woman taken in adultery,t it would
be both irrational and profane to imagine from this, that inhe
ritances ought not to be divided according to the rules of justice,
or that adultery is no crime, or even that it ought not to be
punished, if not with death, yet in some awful and exemplary
manner. That the office of magistracy is lawful and honourable, and
that we are bound to submit to it, not from necessity, or as an
unavoidable evil, but as one of our temporal blessings, will ap
pear from the following considerations.
First, The Divine appointment of this office, which is fre
quently mentioned in the text. " There is no power but of
God ; the powers that be are ordained of God." To resist
the power, is "to resist the ordinance of God." He is also
termed " the minister of God" twice in verse fourth, and again
in verse sixth. I shall afterwards show, that this ordinance is
the effect of infinite goodness ; and that it is not such in the
same sense with famine, pestilence, and war ; or with storms
and tempests, which " fulfil his word" and are subject to his
control. At present your attention is called merely to this
consideration, that God hath ordained government and subor
dination among his rational creatures. The supreme Lord of
creation is the source of all authority and power ; he gives it
to whom he will ; and he hath ordained men to act as his minis
ters, and to rule the nations.
The institution of government is universal. It prevails in
heaven, where the blessed inhabitants enjoy the immediate
presence of God, and fall prostrate before his throne. Among
the angels of God there are principalities, and powers, and
might, and dominion ; X cherubim and seraphim ; angels and
archangels. In this world, notwithstanding the confusion and
* Luke xii. 13. f John viii. 11. X Eph. ii. 21, and iii. 10.

168 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
disorder which have been introduced by man's apostasy from
God, the Divine institution of government is continued. Sub
ordination appears in all human societies ; in families, in cor
porations, in cities, in provinces, and in the most extensive
kingdoms and empires. Nay, it obtains in some degree even
among bands of robbers and hordes of savage men, who sub
mit to their chiefs and leaders, and are governed by acknow
ledged and simple laws.
The history of all ages abundantly proves that this order in
society is not an accidental thing — that it is essential to human
nature — and that no rational beings can subsist without it. But
the Word of God alone assures us, that it proceeds from the
ordination of the Almighty Jehovah, who is " wonderful in coun
sel, and excellent in working, the King of kings, and Lord of
lords." Knowing this, therefore, we ought to submit to the
appointment of God, though he had not been pleased to reveal
his gracious design in this universal institution of government.
Second, This ordinance is intended to promote the happiness
of mankind. " He is the minister of God to thee for
good." Even when this minister of God appears in all the
terrors with which he is clothed by the authority of God him
self, it is still for the good of men. " He is not a terror to
good works, but to the evil. If thou do that which is evil,
be afraid ; for he beareth not the sword in vain, for he is the
minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him
that doeth evil." And, on the other hand, " Do that which
is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same." These
good and beneficial designs are attributed by the Apostle
Peter, not only to God, who is the source of all good, but also
to the higher powers in appointing deputies, imperfect and
corrupt as many of them are. Governors are sent, he says,
by the supreme Ruler, "for the punishment of evil-doers, and
for the praise of them that do well." * Indeed every one, except
evil-doers themselves, must perceive that the appointment is
good in its own nature, and essential to our peace and security.
I must, however, go a little farther, and assert, on the autho
rity of the Word of God, that government in general actually
does, in a considerable degree, accomplish the wise and gracious
purposes of him who hath appointed it.
This is declared in plain terms with respect to the Roman
Government, under which the Apostles and other first Chris
tians lived. It is affirmed in relation to the people of God at
Rome, the capital of the Roman empire, where was erected
at that time the throne of Nero, one of the greatest tyrants that
ever swayed a sceptre. The powers which are spoken of
* 1 Pet. ii. 14.

CHRISTIANS NOT WARRANTED IN RESISTING CIVIL RULERS. 169
throughout the whole passage are not ideal powers, but the
powers which then were, and actually exercised the functions of
government. " Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to
the evil. He is the minister of God to thee for good. He is
a revenger to execute wrath upon him tbat doeth evil."
It was said also by the Lord himself, when distinguishing
his kingdom from the kingdoms of this world, that " the kings
of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and they that exer
cise authority upon them are called benefactors-"'* and it
does not appear that he disapproved of their being so denomi
nated. When, upon another occasion, he proposed to his disciples
for their imitation, the conduct of a servant who first serves
his master, and then eats and drinks himself, without imagining
that he does more than his duty, while his master has no idea
that any favour is done to him by this service, it was evidently
not with an intention to condemn such conduct in masters to
wards their servants.! Yet it would be criminal in one to use
a Christian brother, who is not his servant, in the same manner.
Thus it is also lawful that the kings of the Gentiles should
exercise authority upon them, and on that account be called
benefactors; while Christ's law to his disciples is, " It shall
not be so among you : but whosoever will be great among you,
let him be your minister." X
Much evil, it is true, was done by the powers which then
were. Many of them were infamous in their private characters ;
covetous, unjust, and oppressive in some of their public con
duct : and great persecutors of the people of God. Yet they
punished crimes against society ; they protected good men ; and
on several occasions they were the means of delivering the
Apostle Paul from the rulers and people of the Jews, who
would have put him to death had they not been prevented by
the interference of the Roman Government. On one of these
occasions, Festus, the Roman governor, behaved with great
propriety. He answered the chief priests and the elders of the
Jews, who desired to have judgment against Paul, " It is not
the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before
that he who is accused have the accusers face to face, and have
license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against
him." | Thus were the Jewish ecclesiastical rulers convicted
by a Roman civil governor of a base attempt to subvert the
principles of justice, and prevented from committing a most
atrocious murder !
A great many evils may be perceived by Christians in the
* Luke xxii. 25. t Luke xvii. 7.
X Matt. xx. 26. || Acts xxv. 16.

170 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS,
best civil governments ; and some of them are so extremely bad,
that we who enjoy a very high degree of liberty and security,
can scarcely conceive how it could be possible to live under
them. But any government whatever is better than none.
Compare the situation of the most degraded people in the world,
who have rulers of any kind, with a state of complete anarchy,
which gives an opportunity to every man to oppress, and plunder,
and assassinate whom he pleases with impunity ; and then I am
sure you who know the corruption of human nature, and how
it will operate when it is unrestrained, will be abundantly
sensible of the blessings which mankind derive from any
thing whatever that deserves the name of government.
Viewing the matter in this light, you will be able to perceive
the propriety of the Apostle's unqualified assertion, that " there
is no power but of God ; the powers that be are ordained of
God." For though many of them come far short of answering
the end of their appointment ; yet if, upon the whole, they are
" a terror, not to good works but to the evil," no Christian need
hesitate to affirm, that they are ordained of God.
Any thing in the public conduct of rulers which has a ten
dency to frustrate the design of their office, may with all safety
be pronounced an abuse of power, and cannot possibly be sanc
tioned by the Word of God, nor merit the approbation of just
men. But such things ought not to be attributed to the office
of magistracy, nor should they lessen it in our esteem. The
ordinance of God claims respect from us, however deficient
men may be in accomplishing the gracious purposes which he
intends by it ; and this deficiency, if we judge properly, will not
in the smallest degree prevent our subjection to the powers
ordained of God. It is so in other cases. There are many
fathers and masters who act an undutiful part towards their
children and servants. But we do not on that account traduce
the relation of master and father, or consider their dependents
as under no obligation to obey their just commands. On the
contrary, Christian servants are enjoined, when they do well
and suffer for it, to take it patiently ; and to be subject to their
masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also
to the froward. And it is added, " This is acceptable with
God." *
Our obedience does not by any means imply an approbation
in all respects of the conduct of our superiors. We must not
approve, nor seem to approve, of any thing which the law of
God condemns, though it might almost seem to be justified by
the strongest political necessity. But let us judge with can-
* 1 Pet. ii. 18, to the end.

SUBMISSION FREQUENTLY ENJOINED IN THE WORD OF GOD- 171
dour, avoiding all exaggerations, and speak even of real evils,
when we are in duty called to do so, and not otherwise, in such
a way as will show that we respect the powers that be, and
that we are deeply sensible of the high privileges we enjoy as
British subjects.
The rulers of nations are frequently compared in Scripture
to the ordinances of the sun, the moon, and the stars, which
were appointed " to rule the day and the night." * Every one
knows how essentially necessary the influences of these heavenly
bodies are to the life and happiness of man. If this world were
deprived of the light and heat of the sun, what a chaos would
it be ! Yet the rays of the sun are not always salutary. Men,
in different quarters of the world, suffer many evils from expe
riencing too much or too little of its influences. Shall we
therefore say that the sun is not a blessing? Or, because
storms and tempests are often the scourges of the human race,
shall we begin to quarrel with the air we breathe, and the other
elements around us ?
Third, The duties which we owe to magistrates, and the
manner in which these are enforced in the Word of God, strongly
confirm the principle for which I now contend.
Observe what is said in general about subjection to the
higher powers, and you will see that it is not merely yielding
to powers which we cannot resist, or suffering patiently the
hardships and inconveniences to which we may be exposed by
the exercise of arbitrary power. Though this is also our duty,
it is not the thing immediately intended by subjection to the
powers as the ordinance of God, and his ministers for the good
of all men. The same Apostle directs Titus to put believers of
the Gospel " in mind to be subject to principalities and powers,
to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work." f The
subjection which is enjoined, therefore, is obedience to all their
lawful commands ; and we only give a proper example of it
when we are " ready to every good work." This places
magistrates in the situation of lawful superiors, in like manner
as the obligation imposed upon children to obey their parents,
and upon servants to obey their masters, clearly proves that
their fathers and masters have a lawful authority over them.
This farther appears from our being called to be subject for
conscience sake, X and for the Lords sake ; || and from what is
said of the danger of resistance, the punishment of which is
sanctioned by Divine authority, verses 2, 4. Are we bound thus
* Gen i. 14 — 19. Psal. cxxxvi. 8, 9. Jer. xxxi. 35, 36. Isa. xiii.
10, 11. Rev. vi. 12, 13, 15.
f Tit. iii. 1. X Rom. xiii. 5. || 1 Pet. ii. 13.

172 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
to submit to lawless oppressors, to whom God hath given no
authority over us ? Must we yield subjection for conscience'
sake to robbers and murderers, and allow them to butcher our
wives and children before our eyes ? Shall they who resist in
the case supposed, " receive to themselves condemnation ?"
The law against evil speaking is of the same nature. It is
no crime surely to narrate, with just indignation, the evils done
by wicked men who assume lawless power in order to oppress
their fellow-creatures, and who " sleep not except they have done
mischief." Why then are we prohibited from speaking evil of
dignities ? Undoubtedly, because they are entitled to peculiar
respect as our lawful superiors, whatever personal characters
they may sustain. Some ungovernable men are denounced by
Peter and Jude, as " not being afraid to speak evil of digni
ties ;" * and this is attributed to their being " presumptuous and
self-willed," regardless of all authority, either human or Divine.
To revile, to endeavour to set aside, or to represent as unlaw
ful, the office of magistracy, and to consider the use of the
sword by those who are invested with authority as a mere
usurpation of lawless power, is to speak evil of them in the
highest sense of that expression. Nay, this would be to
speak evil of a Divine ordinance, and to resist the authority of
the God of heaven. Calumny and slander affect only the
characters of particular men, and expose them personally to
contempt ; but when the attack is levelled against all authority,
by whomsoever it may be exercised, its tendency is to sap the
foundations of society, and to introduce universal anarchy and
disorder. We are commanded to " honour the king, and to render
honour to whom honour is due." Not surely because our
king and rulers assume an authority opposite to the will of
God ; but, on the contrary, because they are his vicegerents
to keep the world in awe ; and because, in the good providence
of God, we are protected by their means, and have an oppor
tunity to " lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and
honesty." We honour them on account of the resemblance
which they bear to God as the great ruler of the universe, in
their public and official character.
" Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks
are to be made for kings, and for all that are in authority."
Here, again, their being in authority is mentioned as the reason
why we should pray for them ; and we cannot, without mani
fest absurdity, suppose that it is an authority not derived from
God, or not agreeable to his will. Is it not because they are
* Jude, verse 8.

CHRISTIANS BOUND TO PAY TAXES FOR SUPPORT OF THE STATE. 173
our lawful superiors, and on account of the blessings which we
enjoy under them, that we are called to give thanks for their
appointment and administration ? For though " all things shall
work together for good to them that love God," and they have
cause of thanksgiving in every situation ; yet those things which
are in their own nature blessings, and not curses, are generally
represented in the Word of God as the ground of thanksgiving.
The people of God are not commanded to praise him either
for public or private evils, which, considered in themselves, are
causes only of grief and sorrow, though their gracious heavenly
Father may over-rule them for good.
It is our duty to pay taxes for the support of government.
Our rulers in demanding these taxes are not to be considered
as a set of plunderers. If they were, we could only have been
called upon to submit to this as an injury, which yet, as Chris
tians, we ought not to resent. But the higher powers, in levy
ing those taxes, are said to be " the ministers of God, attend
ing continually on this very thing," verse 6th. Tribute,
custom, fear, and honour, are likewise affirmed to be due to
them ; implying, evidently, that all these are just debts. We
owe them to the higher powers in the same way as we owe
love to all men, verse 8th.
Fourth, Many persons connected with government were con
verted in the time of Christ and his Apostles, without being
obliged to resign their employments as unlawful.
Among these was Matthew the publican, or tax-gatherer,
who was called, as he sat at the receipt of custom, to be an
Apostle of Jesus Christ ;* Zaccheus also, who was chief among
the publicans, and who made a humble and striking confession,
not of the unlawfulness of his office, but of his own dishonest
and avaricious conduct in the exercise of it. f Besides these
particular instances, there are several intimations with re
spect to publicans in general paying great attention to the
doctrine of John the Baptist, and of Christ, who was " a friend
of publicans and shiners." Among those who received parti
cular instructions from John, for the regulation of their conduct,
there were " publicans who came to be baptised, and said unto
him, Master, what shall we do ?" % He did not tell them
that they must be no longer publicans, which he would have
done if their employment had been unlawful. But he directed
them how to conduct themselves in the execution of their office
with fidelity and justice ; " Exact no more than that which is
appointed you." When Jesus Christ, at a subsequent period,
described the ministry of John, he said, " All the people that
* Luke, v. 27. f buke, xix. 2—9. X Luke, iii. 12, 13.

174 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptised
with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers
rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not bap
tised of him." *
Rulers of the Jews, and members of their supreme council
or sanhedrim, were disciples of Christ. Such was Nicode-
mus, who " at the first came to Jesus by night," but was after
wards an avowed disciple of the crucified Saviour, when
" he came and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an
hundred pounds weight," to anoint the dead body of his Lord.t
Joseph of Arimathea was another "honourable counsellor ; a
good man and a just, who also himself waited for the kingdom
of Go<J." He was a member of that council which condemned
the Son of God; but it is observed concerning him, that " he
had not consented to the counsel and deed of them" who said,
" He is guilty of death." This Joseph gave the fullest proof
of his being a disciple of Jesus ; for " he went unto Pilate, and
begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped
it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone,
wherein never man before was laid." X An account is also
given in Acts xviii. of the conversion of two persons who were
chief rulers of synagogues, Crispus and Sosthenes, one of
whom immediately suffered persecution as a disciple of Christ,
for he was beaten before the judgment-seat. And we are in
formed, " that a great company of the priests were obedient to
the faith." ||
Soldiers, who are generally accounted farther than most men
from the kingdom of heaven, were nevertheless made parta
kers of that salvation which is in Christ Jesus. Some of them
came to John's baptism ; for " the soldiers likewise demanded
of him, saying, And what shall we do ? " It is perfectly clear,
that John did not consider the business of a soldier as absolutely
unlawful in its own nature, otherwise he would have had no
thing to say to them, in relation to it, but " resign your em
ployment as soldiers." On the contrary, he laid down regula
tions for their conduct in the Roman army ; for he said unto
them, " Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely ; and
be content with your wages." § It cannot be supposed that
the injunction, " Do violence to no man," signifies, that they
were no longer to act as soldiers ; for in that case it would
have been necessary to advise them to be content without their
wages. The violence against which he cautions them, is evi
dently all cruelty, wanton severity, and lawless violence, to
* Luke, vii. 29, 30. f John, xix. 39. X Luke, xxiii. 50—54. '
|| Acts, vi. 7. § Luke, iii. 14.

CHRISTIANITY NOT INCONSISTENT WITH CIVIL OFFICES. 175
which their occupation as soldiers did not necessarily lead
them. Christ said of a centurion, or a commander of a hun
dred men, " Verily I say unto you, I have not found so gi'eat
faith, no not in Israel." * And the household of Cornelius,
who was also a centurion, were the first Gentiles to whom the
Gospel was preached after the resurrection of Christ. Of
Cornelius it is said, that " he was a devout man, and one that
feared God, and that his prayers and his alms had come up as a
memorial before God." And one of his household servants is
called " a devout soldier," an epithet which cannot be con
joined with any unlawful calling or wicked character, as a de
vout robber, or a devout murderer ! While Peter preached
the Gospel to these soldiers, and to the rest of the household
of Cornelius, " the Holy Spirit fell on all them who heard the
Word, and they spake with tongues, and magnified God, and
were baptised." t
Roman governors, and one of the supreme judges of the
famous city of Athens, were converted to the faith of Christ by
the preaching of the Apostles. " Sergius Paulus, the deputy
of the island of Cyprus, believed, being astonished at the doc
trine of the Lord." J And Publius, the chief man, or gover
nor of the island of Melita, seems also, from the extraordinary
kindness which he showed to Paul, to have been a disciple of
Christ, though the Scripture does not expressly say so. || The
testimony is more explicit with respect to Dionysius the Areo-
pagite, or senator of Athens ; for the sacred historian informs
us, that when Paul had finished his sermon, " he departed
from among them. Howbeit, certain men clave unto him and
believed, among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite." §
There were also Christians in Caesar's household, who were
probably either persons who had some concern in the Roman
Government, or the household servants of Nero, who ministered
to the pomp and splendour of his table, or his retinue. If Zenas,
a lawyer,** and Erastus, the chamberlain of the city of
Corinth, ft are likewise mentioned by Paul as fellow Christians;
and you will all remember the remarkable account which is
given by the writer of the Acts of the conversion of the keeper
of the prison at Philippi, of whom it is said, that " he rejoiced,
believing in God with all his house ." XX
Thus we are furnished with a history of the conversion of
men of almost all ranks in society, and men who, as Christians,
filled many of the offices under Government, from the gover
nor of a Roman province down to the keeper of a common
* Matt. viii. 10. f Acts, x. X Acts, xiii. 7, 8, 12.
|| Acts, xxviii. 7, 8, 10. § Acts, xvii. 33, 34. f Phil. iv. 22.
*"* Tit. iii. 13. ft R»m- xvi. 23. Xt Acts, xvi.

176 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
prison. There is no hint given of any one of these persons re
signing his employment when he came to the knowledge of the
truth, or of its being unlawful or dishonourable. Matthew
indeed was called from the receipt of custom ; but this seems
to have been for no other reason, than that for which Peter
and others were called to forsake their lawful employments,
and to follow Christ. " Go thou and preach the Gospel of
the kingdom," was a commandment which superseded every
thing else. It did not even admit of a man first going home
to bid his friends farewell, or to bury his father. * We may
easily point out the inexpediency of Christians being engaged
in some of the occupations which have been mentioned ; but to
prove that they are absolutely unlawful in their own nature, is
impossible. Had they really been of this description, there
must have been a plain intimation of this in some one or other
of the numerous cases which have been mentioned ; and the
want of it is a clear and undeniable proof that Christians ought
to respect magistracy, and all that necessarily pertains to it, as
the ordinance of God for the good of mankind.
Fifth, There are several examples in the conduct of the
Apostle Paul, both of the high respect which he entertained for
magistrates, and of his claiming the protection of the laws of
his country, when he was treated unjustly by tumultuous assem
blies, or by public men.
On one occasion, he inadvertently spoke with great severity
to the Jewish high priest. " God shall smite thee, thou
whited wall ; for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and
commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law ?" It would
seem that this was no more than Ananias deserved ; for,
without the smallest provocation, he had " commanded them
that stood by to smite Paul on the mouth." Yet when some
of them said, " Revilest thou God's high priest?" he
answered, " I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest :
for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy
people." f From this we may learn the nature of the evil
speaking with respect to rulers, which the Word of God con
demns. That which Paul spoke was truth, and might have
been innocently said to another man. But it was evil speak
ing, because the person to whom it was addressed was the
ruler of God's people, and sitting in judgment according to the
law, though he acted in a manner unworthy of his office.
When Paul, on several occasions, was brought before Felix
and Festus, Roman governors, and before King Agrippa, to
* Luke, ix. 59, to the end. f Acts xxiii. 1  6.

EXAMPLE OF SUBMISSION BY THE APOSTLE PAUL. 177
answer for himself as a criminal, though he had done nothing
worthy of death or of bonds, he uniformly behaved with the
utmost respect, and acknowledged, in the most explicit terms,
the jurisdiction of his judges. Thus, when he appeared before
Felix, he respectfully waited till " the governor had beckoned
unto him to speak ;" and " then he answered, Forasmuch as
I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this
nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself," * &c.
On another occasion, he said to Festus, " I stand at Caesar's
judgment-seat, where / ought to be judged." And when Fes
tus interrupted him in his defence before Agrippa, " saying,
with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself ; much learn
ing doth make thee mad ;" he answered in a manner which at
once indicated his submission to his judges, and his confidence
in the goodness of his cause, " I am not mad, most noble Fes
tus ; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness." f The
title which he gave to Festus, is the same which Tertullus had
formerly given to Felix, and must therefore have been the
honourable appellation which was commonly given to a Roman
governor.j For though a hired pleader might have been sus
pected of flattery, we are sure that Paul, when he was brought
before kings and governors to bear witness to the truth, gave
no flattering titles to men, though he spoke to them in the
most respectful terms as his lawful superiors.
You see, therefore, that the Apostle Paul exemplified the
doctrine which he taught with respect to subjection to the
higher powers, and patience under all the unjust and abusive
treatment to which he was exposed. But there is another
trait in the character of this extraordinary man, which
deserves your attention. Though he always yielded, with
out resistance, to unavoidable oppression, yet he sometimes
obtained redress, or escaped from danger, by pleading his
privileges in a bold and dignified manner; thus joining the
wisdom of the serpent to the harmlessness of the dove. He
alarmed the magistrates of Philippi by saying, " They have
beaten us openly, uncondemned, being Romans, and now do
they thrust us out privily ? Nay, verily, but let them come
themselves, and fetch us out." And he actually obliged them
to come to the prison, to beseech him and his fellow-prisoner,
and to discharge them in a public and an honourable man
ner.! He wished, I presume for the sake of others, to make
them sensible of the danger to which they exposed them
selves by such illegal proceedings ; while he showed him-
* Acts xxiv. 10. f Acts xx^i. 24, 2.5.
% Acts xxiv. 3. |j Acts xvi. 35—40. z

178 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
self above retaliation or revenge, by declining to lodge any
complaint against them for their unjust procedure, which could
not have admitted of any defence.
Afterwards, when he was at Jerusalem, having received in
formation that forty Jews had bound themselves by an oath to
assassinate him, he applied for protection to the chief captain,
who sent him to Cesaria with an escort of four hundred and
seventy armed men. To this act of humanity, Claudius Lysias
was induced by his having " understood that Paul was a
Roman;" * and the manner of his obtaining this intelligence
is too remarkable to be passed over in silence. The Jews had
apprehended Paul, and were going to kill him. The chief cap
tain with soldiers and centurions came and rescued him, but
commanded him to be bound with two chains, supposing him
to be an Egyptian, and the ringleader of four thousand mur
derers. But Paul undeceived him, by informing him that he
was " a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean
city ;" and obtained liberty to speak to the people, t When
a second uproar took place, and Paul was again in danger of
being torn in pieces by the Jews, " the chief captain com
manded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he
should be examined by scourging." Paul remonstrated against
this, " Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman,
and uncondemned ? " which not only prevented the stripes which
he would otherwise have received, but alarmed the chief cap
tain with respect to his own safety. " He was afraid, after
he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him."
He also loosed Paul from his bonds, convened the Jewish coun
cil, and gave him another opportunity to plead his own cause. J
The circumstances which have been mentioned, sufficiently
evince the danger of Paul's situation at Jerusalem. And there
fore, when Festus asked him to go to that city, and there
to be judged before him, Paul said, " I stand at Caesar's
judgment-seat, where I ought to be judged ; to the Jews have I
done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an of
fender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse
not to die ; but if there be none of these things whereof these
accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto
Caesar." || This was an appeal from the injustice of an inferior
magistrate to the supreme ruler of the empire. And it is at
once an example to us of subjection to the higher powers, as
our acknowledged and lawful judges, and also of remonstrating,
in a peaceable and legal manner, against injustice and oppress
* Acts xxiii. 27. t Acts xxi. 27, to the end,
X Acts xx. 22, to the end. || Acts xxv. 10, 11.

OBEDIENCE TO RULERS EXEMPLIFIED BY JESUS CHRIST. 179
sion, and claiming the protection to which we are entitled by
the laws of our country.
Sixth, I request your attention to a still greater example
than that of the Apostle Paul, with respect to one of the things
in which we ought to show our subjection to civil powers.
Jesus Christ himself paid tribute at Capernaum, though it ap
pears from what he said to Peter upon that occasion, that, if
he had so inclined, he might have pleaded an exemption. " Of
whom, says he, do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute?
of their own children, or of strangers ? Peter saith unto him,
Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children
free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou
to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first
eometh up ; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt
find a piece of money ; that take, and give unto them for me
and thee." * This tax, which seems rather to have been ex
pected than demanded by those who said to Peter, " Doth not
your Master pay tribute ?" was levied for the service of the
temple. Jesus, as the Son of God, and the Lord of the
temple, was free ; he was not obliged to pay it ; for the kings
of the earth do not take custom or tribute of their own children,
but of subjects, who are in this passage distinguished by the
name of strangers. But though he was thus free, he per
formed a miracle to enable Peter to pay the tax. And observe
the reason which he gives for it, " Lest we should offend them."
It is therefore our duty to contribute more for the support
of government than can be legally demanded from us, rather
than to offend them by withholding it ; and to give such evi
dence of a friendly disposition, as will place us far above every
suspicion of disloyalty. In fine, we ought to show a willing-
nesss to yield to the higher powers every thing, except con
science, for the sake of peace.
Seventh, Though the New Testament does not establish
any particular form of civil government, nor address rulers of
any description, as such ; yet the nature of their office is fully
explained, and the duties incumbent upon them are as clearly
pointed out as those of husbands, parents, or masters.
We have seen that it is the duty of the magistrate to be a
terror, not to good works, but to the evil ; that he ought to
protect just men ; and, as the minister of God, to be a re
venger to execute wrath on him that doeth evil ; and that he is
also God's minister in keeping the public peace, and adminis
tering justice. He is consequently under an obligation to main
tain internal peace in his dominions to the utmost of his power,
* Matt. xvii. 24, to the end.

180 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS
and to give the disciples of Christ an opportunity to lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty ; which is one
leading object they have in view when they pray for kings, and
for all that are in authority. Those of them who fully understand
the nature of the Christian profession, will ask from magistrates
no favour in their religious capacity, except toleration with
respect to matters of conscience, and the general protection
which is due to all good subjects. But these are blessings
which they highly prize.
It would seem also that, in the sequel of Rom. xiii., the
Apostle narrates the crimes which ought to be punished by
civil rulers. For after stating the duties which we owe to them,
he immediately adds, in connexion with its being also our duty
to owe no man any thing but love ; " He that loveth another,
hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit adul
tery, thou shalt not kill, &c, and if there be any other com
mandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill
to his neighbour ; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law."
Now, as this is true with respect to the Divine law, so is it also
with respect to human laws r they are fulfilled by him who
loves his neighbour, for he is thus prevented from committing
adultery, murder, theft, and every crime by which he could
injure his neighbour. And though the Divine law takes cog
nizance of many crimes which escape punishment from human
laws, and requires a much higher degree of love to fulfil it, yet
the design of both is the same in this respect ; they are intended
to prevent us from doing ill to our neighbour. " The law is
not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobe
dient, for the ungodly and for sinners," &c. * That is, the law
does not threaten any punishment against the man who fulfils
it : those only who are breakers of the law are justly exposed
to suffer its penalty.
The Apostle Peter mentions, in like manner, the crimes
which render men liable to temporal punishment, and guards
Christians against the commission of those crimes, when he
says, " Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or
as an evil doer, or as a busy body in other men's matters." t
And there are several things in the New Testament which
clearly show that some crimes, particularly murder, ought to be
punished with death. Jesus Christ says, in his sermon on the
Mount, Ye have heard that it hath been " said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in
danger of the judgment." J He does not reverse this saying, as
* 1 Tim. i. 9. f I Pet. iv. 15. J Mat. v. 21.

OBEDIENCE EXEMPLIFIED IN THE JEWISH DISPENSATION. 181
he does some of those which follow in the same discourse ; but,
on the contrary, extends it, in what he adds as a rule of con
duct to his disciples. And therefore, I understand him as
declaring it to be still the will of God that a murderer should be
put to death ; for no other judgment could be pronounced upon
him, agreeably to the law to which Christ refers. It is also
admitted by Paul, that there are crimes which may justly be
punished with death, by such judges as Festus the Roman
governor, when he says to him, " If I be an offender, or have
committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die." *
And one of the thieves who was crucified with Christ, who was
probably not merely a thief, but one of the associates of Barab-
bas in the crimes of sedition and murder, confesses the justice
of his punishment : " We receive the due reward of our deeds."t
But in our endeavours to find out the duties of civil rulers,
and to ascertain moral duties in general, we ought not to con
fine our search altogether to the New Testament. The
ancient law with respect to murderers, is as irreversible as it is
manifestly just ; " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall
his blood be shed." X
God himself acted as the king and legislator of a nation of this
world, when the seed of Abraham were his peculiar people. And
though the principles of true obedience were inculcated upon
them by Moses and the prophets ; yet their outward conduct, as
a nation, was regulated by a code of laws which contains a
great variety of temporal punishments, similar to those which
are inflicted by the legislators of all worldly kingdoms. I will
not affirm that the law of Moses, in this view, was intended as
a model in all respects for the government of other nations ;
because there was something peculiar in the situation of the
kingdom of Israel, as the people of God, and typical of the Ge
neral Assembly and Church of the first-born. But this ex
ample of the Divine government in a worldly kingdom, clearly
teaches us, that it is not consistent with the nature of fallen
man, that a nation of this world should be ruled without the
aid of temporal rewards and punishments ; and that it is the
will of God that men should be prevented from injuring one
another, and from disturbing the peace of society, by the fear
of temporal punishment, and such other motives as can have in
fluence upon their carnal minds. The particular punishments
which the law of Moses so exactly proportioned to the nature
of crimes, except in so far as the condition of that typical
people was peculiar to themselves, are also the best that can be
* Acts, xxv. 11. t Luke, xxiii. 40, 41. Mark, xv. 7- Acts, iii. 14.
X Gen. ix. 6.

182 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
devised. Such they must be, because they were dictated by
infinite wisdom, and ought therefore to be considered as the
standard of right and wrong, in all matters of human govern
ment ; and it contains many regulations for the conduct of
judges, of which the following may be taken as a sample : " Ye
shall do no unrighteousness in judgment. Thou shalt not re
spect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the
mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour." *
" Thou shalt not wrest judgment. Thou shalt not respect
persons, neither take a gift ; for a gift doth blind the eyes of
the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which
is altogether just shalt thou follow." f Does not every man's
conscience inform him, that such laws as these are founded on
the eternal rule of righteousness, and therefore must be bind
ing upon judges to the end of time ?
I now request your attention to a few practical remarks on
the doctrine which has been delivered.
First. It appears, from the various particulars which have
been stated from the Word of God, that the jurisdiction of
civil powers is as much the ordinance of God as the air we
breathe, the light by which we see, or the establishment of the
system of the universe. We need not therefore be afraid, as
some speak, that anarchy will be permitted to assume an uni
versal, or even a very extensive influence ; though for a while,
and in some considerable degree, the destroying angel may be
commissioned to stretch his sword over some guilty and devo
ted countries. As well may we suppose that the world will be
overwhelmed by a second deluge, that the heavenly bodies will
depart from their orbits, that the whole course of nature will
be thrown into disorder, and the beautiful works of God redu
ced to their original chaos ! Is not Jehovah the governor among
the nations ? X " He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the
earth ; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder ;
he burneth the chariot in the fire," and saith, " Be still, and
know that I am God." || The seas may rage and the people
may become tumultuous ; but He who " by his strength set-
teth fast the mountains, being girded with power, stilleth the
noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of
the people." § Are not the earth and the multitude of isles
called to rejoice and be glad, because " Jehovah reigneth?"^
" Clouds and darkness are round about him; righteousness
and judgment are the habitation of his throne."** And what
* Lev. xix. 15. t Deut. xvi. 19, 20. J Psal. xxii. 28.
|| Psal. xlvi. 9, 10. § Psal. lxv. 6, 7. f Psal. xcvii. 1.
" Verse 2.

SUBMISSION ENJOINED AS THE ORDINANCE OF GOD. 183
evidence could we have of this from the works of providence,
if men were universally permitted to destroy each other, and if
there were no persons invested with sufficient authority to main
tain order, and to administer justice in the earth ?
Second, Beware of everything that would seem to favour loose
sentiments respecting government and subordination ; for these
pave the way to anarchy, devastation, and bloodshed. You
have heard that government is the ordinance of God, and that
it universally prevails among all his rational creatures in heaven
and earth — that this ordinance essentially ministers to the good
of all men — that these principles are strongly confirmed by the
nature of the duties which we owe to magistrates, and the man
ner in which these are enforced — that persons connected with
government, of almost every description, from the governor of
a province to the keeper of a prison, were disciples of Christ
in the days of the Apostles — that Paul acknowledged the
powers that then were, as his lawful judges — that Jesus Christ
himself paid tribute, that he might not offend those who ex
pected it — and that the nature of the office of magistracy is
fully explained, and the duties of it clearly pointed out in the
Word of God. What further arguments could you require, to
satisfy you that subordination is absolutely necessary in all its
stages, and that it is your bounden duty to respect it as the
ordinance of " the Most High, who ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will ?"
There are many who cannot be supposed to have been much
conversant with matters which respect the government of na
tions; and it is by no means necessary that you should be adepts
in that science. In order to your performing the duties which
the Word of God requires of you, it is enough for you to know
what these duties are, and who are the powers ; for the rulers
who at present govern, or the powers that be, are the persons
to whom we are commanded to yield obedience, unless they
should attempt to prevent us from doing good, or to oblige us
to do evil. In either of these cases, " we ought to obey God
rather than men." At present, however, we have no such
grievances to complain of : we enjoy unbounded toleration with
respect to matters of conscience, and have reason to bless God
for the liberty, both civil and religious, which is secured to us
by the laws of our country, and which cannot be invaded by
the decrees of ecclesiastical courts.
But however unacquainted with the art of governing nations,
you must know something about the necessity of subordination
in families. Have you not observed, that when the heads of
families do not maintain the authority with which they are in
vested by the Word of God, and when children and servants

184 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
have it in their power to do what they please, the consequences
are ruinous to those who ought to be in subjection, as well as
to those who ought to govern. There is, in fact, no domestic
evil that may not arise from this fruitful cause of mischief. I
need not speak of the disorder which must take place in such
families ; for that is apparent to every one. But it is equally
certain, that the lawless persons of whom they consist, are pe
culiarly exposed to the commission of every crime. The cor
ruption which is naturally in all their hearts, will burst forth
like an impetuous torrent when there is nothing to oppose its
progress. You have only to extend your idea of a family to that of a
whole kingdom, which is in greater danger from the want of
subordination, in proportion to its extent, and the number of
its inhabitants ; and then you will easily perceive the necessity
of strict authority, and efficient government. If children be
not taught to respect the authority of their parents, it is scarcely
to be supposed that they will be good servants, or good sub
jects, The happiness of the state, therefore, as well as that
of families, depends, in a great measure, on the way in which
parents bring up their children.
Third, Permit me to urge upon you, not only the absolute
necessity of subordination, but the propriety of attending
closely to the arguments by which the Word of God enforces
all the duties which we owe to our lawful superiors ; that you
may not be dragged into an unwilling submission, but yield a
cheerful and conscientious obedience, from a sense of the privi
leges which you enjoy. There are many professing Christians
whose sentiments, in relation to this subject, are at least ex
tremely deficient, if they be not absolutely false. They are,
upon the whole, subject to the higher powrers, and far from
saying or doing any thing which would expose them to tem
poral punishment. But they allow their minds to dwell chiefly
upon the dark side of the question. They have a great many
grievances to complain of; some real, others imaginary, and
many of them such things as are inseparable from human
nature in its present corrupt state, and which, therefore, cannot
be remedied. In short, the evils of government preponderate
in their minds to such a degree, that you seldom or never hear
them talk of its blessings, though these are chiefly insisted upon
in the New Testament. Persons of this description are not
very far from adopting a most irrational sentiment — that go
vernment, as it actually exists in the world, though it may
accomplish some good purposes, is yet in itself a real evil, and
not authorized by the Word of God. And if their minds
are so gloomy and dissatisfied, in a country where they enjoy

GOVERNMENT APPOINTED TO PROMOTE MAN*S HAPPINESS. 185
an uncommon degree of liberty and security, what would have
been their situation at Rome in the time of Paul ? Yet, even
there, it would have been their indispensable duty to be subject
to the higher powers, and to give thanks for the blessings which
they were the' means of communicating. You will easily per
ceive, that such a state of mind as has been now described, is
opposite to contentment, and to any proper sense of gratitude
to God for his mercies, as well as to the commandments which
he hath given for the regulation of our conduct as members of
society. The mere recital of these things, I am persuaded, is
sufficient to guard you against them.
Man rather chooses to command than to obey. On that
account, the Word of God not only insists at greater length
upon the duties of servants and subjects, than those of masters ;
but also proposes motives and arguments which tend to con
ciliate the mind, and to convince us that subjection is by no
means inconsistent with happiness. It has been observed that
government is not only the ordinance of God, but that his
design in appointing it was to promote the happiness of all
men, and that it actually does so, notwithstanding all that abuse
of power which has often been the cause of great injustice and
oppression. God has placed a few men in exalted situations,
not merely for the purpose of making them greater than others,
but in order to secure the peace and quiet of all who are under
their authority. The advantage, therefore, is ours as much as
theirs; and it generally happens that those who are in subor
dinate situations, possess more real happiness than those who
have a concern in the government of kingdoms. Let us then
admire the wisdom and goodness of God in so ordering these
matters, that we can live in perfect peace and security ; and
never forget the obligation which is thus laid upon us, to be
subject to every ordinance of man, for the Lord's sake.
Fourth, Be assured that it is opposite to the will of God to
propose the peculiar laws of Christ's kingdom as a rule to go
vern the kingdoms of this world. You have heard that God
hath prohibited all violence in his spiritual and heavenly king
dom. But he hath ordained powers in worldly kingdoms, for
the merciful purpose of preventing evil by necessary violence.
He hath put the sword into the hands of the magistrate, who
must not " bear it in vain;" he is bound to use it " for the
punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well ;"
and of this we see many approved instances, both in the Old
and in the New Testament.
Were it possible to establish from the Scriptures the doctrine
of non-resistance in all cases, and to persuade the unoffending
part of mankind to practise it, this would overthrow the moral
2 A

186 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
system of the universe. Some may consider human govern
ment merely as a political system. But so far as it promotes
the happiness of society, and is exercised for the punishment of
the wicked, and for the protection of the just, I am persuaded
that it has also a moral tendency, and is a part of God's moral
government of the world. In what a dreadful situation should
we be placed if all crimes, even murder itself, were to go un
punished? We are absolutely certain that men would not
cease to commit iniquity ; on the contrary, they would be em
boldened to practise it in a manner which never has been
exemplified since the fall of Adam. Is this mercy ? Is this
the forbearance which God approves ? Is it possible that the
merciful spirit of the Gospel can thus lead to the permission of
the most shocking crimes, and render man completely miser
able ?
It has been all along admitted that outward violence is
excluded from the kingdom of Christ. His disciples are called,
in imitation of their Lord and Master, to be peaceable, for
bearing, and patient amidst many injuries ; to love their
enemies, to bless them, to pray for them, and to do them good.
But unquestionably all this must be consistent with individual
self-defence in certain cases, with judicial punishment, and
with a nation defending itself against internal violence, and
against the attacks of foreign enemies ; neither of which can
justly be considered as retaliation or revenge, in the sense in
which these are prohibited by the law of Christ. I beseech
you, brethren, in your own private spheres, to exemplify, to the
utmost of your power, the meekness and gentleness of Christ ;
but never to challenge the revenging sword of the magistrate,
while it is only unsheathed in behalf of the innocent, the help
less, and the oppressed. On the contrary, endeavour to
strengthen his hands by your unshaken allegiance ; and let it
never be said, that lawful authority required your countenance
and aid in such a cause, without obtaining them.
The same consequences follow, when the office of magistracy
is considered, in any point of view, as unlawful in itself. Those
who do not respect it as a Divine ordinance ; who do not admit
that it is highly beneficial to mankind ; and that a magistrate,
when he acts agreeably to the nature and design of his office, is
doing the will of God ; hold sentiments which imply that there
ought to be no such thing as rule and government in the world.
I shall conclude with an advice of Solomon, " My son,
fear thou the Lord, and the King; and meddle not with
them who are given to change. For their calamity shall
rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?"*
* Prov. xxiv. 21, 22.

CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE EXEMPLARY IN OBEDIENCE. 187
Observe how exactly the doctrine of Solomon agrees with that
of the New Testament; " Honour all men; love the brother
hood ; fear God ; honour the king." * And remember, that
these commandments are given to the disciples of Christ,
who ought to signalize themselves by a strict and conscientious
performance of every relative duty. " For so is the will of
God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance
of foolish men. As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak
of maliciousness, but as the servants of God." f
* 1 Pet. ii. 17. t ! pet. ii. 15, 16.

END OF DISCOURSE ON OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.

[ 188 ]

APPENDIX.

VINDICATION OF SOME DISSENTING CONGREGATIONS, WHO HAVE BEEN
CHARGED WITH DISLOYALTY BY THE LATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

The General Assembly, in their Pastoral Admonition, pub
lished in June last, seem to charge all Dissenters with disloyalty
to the civil government. At least they wish to render them
suspected persons when they say, " Much reason there is to
suspect that those who openly profess their enmity to our eccle
siastical establishment, are no friends to our civil constitution ;
and that the name of liberty (that is, liberty of conscience, it
would seem) is abused by them into a cover for secret demo
cracy and anarchy." All men, therefore, who do not believe
as the national church believes, are charged with being the
secret abettors of democracy and anarchy ! At least such is
the report which the Church has published throughout all the
parishes of Scotland ! Happy is it for those who fear God,
and who refuse to submit their consciences to any power upon
earth, that such accusers are not their judges, and that it is not
in the power of ecclesiastical rulers to abridge their liberty.
Undoubtedly there are Dissenters who have given too much
reason to suspect their loyalty. .This, however, is no more
than may be justly affirmed of many who, if they have any pro
fession of religion, adhere to the national church, and who have
never been censured by any ecclesiastical court. If those
gentlemen who have condemned all Dissenters indiscriminately,
would give themselves the trouble to enquire into the peculiar
tenets of each party, they would probably find that none of
them hold religious principles inconsistent with loyalty.
Be it observed, on the other hand, that there are in Scotland
Independents and Baptists, who have never received into their
communion, nor retained in it, persons who were known to be

APPENDIX. 189
enemies of government either in principle or in practice. They
profess, it is true, no peculiar enmity to the Church of Scotland.
The present establishment appears to them less exceptionable
than any other that could be substituted in its place, and they
have no interest whatever in its being supplanted or reformed.
But they decidedly and completely disapprove of the constitu
tion and establishment of all national churches without excep
tion. It is equally remarkable, that the only publications
which state the doctrine of subjection to the higher powers, in
that extensive and unequivocal manner in which it is treated in
the New Testament, have been written by Dissenters from the
national church.
These facts speak for themselves. But lest they should
appear mysterious or unaccountable to some of the high church
party, a brief explanation of their causes, and of some other
important matters, shall be attempted.
A church connected with the state, or which aspires after that
sort of pre-eminence, may fight against the state ; and, not con
tented with obtaining an ecclesiastical establishment for them
selves, they may endeavour to persuade the civil government to
persecute those who dissent from them. The General Assembly,
who would have us to believe that every church is seditious
except their own, refer to an instance exactly in point, when
they boast of " that church, in defence of which our fore
fathers fought and bled." And their advice to the people to
" recollect the counsels and the practice of their fathers,"
seems to imply that they also ought to fight and bleed in the
same cause. It may easily be recollected that our forefathers
fought not only against Popery and Episcopacy, but also against
the civil powers, by whom those adversaries of the Presbyterian
church were successively countenanced and established. In
modern times the Church of Scotland has gradually relaxed,
and seemed to be disarmed by the Act of Toleration, and the
lenity of our civil government. She has long permitted the
honour of openly maintaining her ancient warlike principles to
devolve on the disciples of Cameron. But now her ministers
appear willing to resume the sword, and to imitate the violent
proceedings of their fathers ; though, in other respects, many
of them do not much resemble the Scotch reformers. Their
boldness, though hitherto untried, may perhaps be equal to
that of John Knox, who feared no man. But do they also
resemble him in their knowledge of the Protestant doctrine,
their warm attachment to it, and the strictness of their religious
character ?
With an uncommon degree of earnestness and zeal they have
entreated the people to adhere to a fighting church, not recol-

190 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
lecting that this is one of the most prominent and distinguishing
features of " Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abo
minations of the earth /" A fighting Protestant church
at the close of the eighteenth century ! ! ! Christianity
shudders at the thought, and humanity itself would drop a tear,
did not all men believe that the wisdom and benignity of the
British Parliament will, under God, prove a sure defence against
her hostile designs, which are equally impolitic and unchris
tian. When general councils endeavour to awaken the fanatic zeal
of the multitude, by celebrating the martial achievements of their
ancestors in the cause of religion, it becomes necessary to regard
them with a jealous eye. Have any of the Dissenters dared to
publish sentiments equally hostile to the peace of the country ?
If they have, let them be prosecuted by the civil power, and
receive the punishment which their crime deserves. But even
in that case the Church of Scotland could not consistently chal
lenge them for adopting principles similar to her own.
It is far from being the intention of the author to represent
the national church, or any other church in its collective capa
city, as actually unfriendly to the present government. He
has only endeavoured to show the tendency of some principles
which is not always discerned by those who hold them. He
even hopes that the sanguinary expressions used in the pastoral
admonition, which seem to threaten the peace of the Dissenters,
are nothing more than rhetorical ornaments, or the unmeaning
language of persons who glory in they know not what. It is
difficult, in any other way, to account for their unanimous assent
to an abusive and inflammatory address, which has greatly pre
judiced them in the estimation of all moderate and impartial
men, who have any tolerable understanding of the nature of
Christ's religion, and of the character of its ministers.
It is probable, indeed, that some members who'could not but
discern a striking contrast oetween their admonition and those
of the Apostles to the first churches, were overawed by the
fear of seeming to give any countenance to a new class of
preachers, whose exertions had offended the clergy in general.
The suppression of lay preachers and catechists, being a com
mon cause, was earnestly and unanimously desired by all parties,
and, therefore, none of them were over-scrupulous in adopting
measures which they fondly imagined would have a tendency
to accomplish it.
The General Assembly infer the disloyalty of all Dissenters
merely from their professing certain religious principles, which,
although they are admitted to be unfriendly to the established
church, have long ceased to be viewed in a criminal light by

APPENDIX. 191
many of his Majesty's loyal subjects, and by the civil power
itself. Dissenters from the national church are not connived
at; they are tolerated by Act of Parliament. But no govern
ment can be supposed to tolerate that which is in its own nature
a clear proof of hostility against the State. On the other hand,
it is pleasant to recollect that the principles of established church
men, the intolerance of which, and their disloyalty in certain
cases, have been so fully evinced by the pastoral admonition, can
only operate against the civil power in circumstances which do
not now exist. The Church of Scotland has been long in the
peaceable possession of an ecclesiastical establishment ; and at
this moment it remains unchallenged and unimpaired by any
effort of external violence. Other parties who may have for
merly envied her, are now, it is thought, more disposed to allow
her to retain her birthright, if she does not attempt to perse
cute. But let it be observed, that this opinion is founded on
their having forsaken, in some measure, those tenets jin the
religious system of their fathers, which led them to fight for the
establishment of Presbytery, and made it impossible for them
to bear a rival, or even to tolerate those who differed from them,
and who wished to live in peace.
Such evils have frequently arisen from confounding the king
dom of Christ with the kingdoms of this world. And the loyalty
of churchmen, who feel an interest in supporting ecclesiastical
establishments, is sometimes founded more upon the state of
the times, than upon any solid religious principle. But churches
formed on the plan of those which in Judea were in Christ Jesus,
as they have no wish to participate in the honours or emolu
ments of the state, nor to employ its power and influence in pro
pagating their religion, are in no danger of fighting against it.
Can it be supposed that any man in his senses will hazard his
life in order to obtain for himself and his party, that which he
considers as a real evil ? Or will he use violence for the pur
pose of exterminating false religion, while he is deeply convinced
that nothing could more essentially injure the cause of true re
ligion ? Is it not perfectly clear that, before he can follow such
practices, he must change his principles, or resolve to act in di
rect opposition to them ? Let the truth then be fairly admitted,
which is, that the principles maintained in the Discourse and in
this Vindication, secure the loyalty of those who hold them ;
and will never, in any possible case, excite sedition against
the civil powers, how adverse soever they may be to the au
thority of ecclesiastical rulers, who on that account are not
much disposed to do them justice. Such find it easier to mis
represent, than to refute them.
From these hints, and from the sentiments contained in the

192 OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL RULERS.
foregoing discourse, the public will judge whether the author
and his religious friends ought to be considered as movers of
sedition. And he has no doubt that all candid persons, except
political clergymen and their partisans, will honourably acquit
them of this illiberal and groundless charge.

END OF APPENDIX.

LETTERS ON A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS,

RELATING CHIEFLY TO

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.

1 Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever hb shall say uato you."— Acts Ui. 3S.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN J1DCCCVIII.

2B

[ 'Jo ]

INTRODUCTION.

The following Letters were intended for the Theological Repo
sitory, in which several of them have been already published.
The Letters themselves will show the design of writing on the
different subjects which come under review ; and, if the task
be properly executed, a more necessary one could not have been
performed. Some of the controverted points, which the reader, I trust,
will find impartially examined, have not hitherto been so care
fully or so amply investigated, as their importance seems to
require. In former times, they were but little, if at all disputed.
And several publications of the present day, relating to those
points, are more remarkable for their novelty, and for the
thoughtless and positive manner in which their authors depre
ciate institutions formerly venerated by the fearers of God,
than for their close attention, either to the doctrine of the
Scriptures, or to the just principles of reason.
The same subjects form part of those considered in a late
publication of another class of professing Christians, from whose
ancient writings I have learned many things in relation to the
simple doctrine of the Gospel, and the nature of the kingdom of
Christ. When so many favourite sentiments are called in question,
some of them held and propagated by the leaders of numerous
bodies, with a degree of zeal which generally accompanies new
and distinguishing tenets, there can be no rational hope of escap
ing censure. If that censure be founded on the authority of Divine
precepts, or of the approved example of the apostolic churches,
it will be entitled to great attention and respect, from whatever

196 INTRODUCTION.
quarter it may come. But if it rest on no better reasoning
than has yet appeared, like all other fruitless controversy, it
will deserve to be treated with neglect. " To the law and
to the testimony : if they speak not according to this word, it
is because there is no light in them." — Isa. viii. 20.
The principles chiefly considered have a relation to some of
the ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ, delivered by himself
personally, or by his inspired Apostles, that they might be
transmitted from age to age, and never cease to be observed
until he come again.
It cannot be the privilege of nations called Christian, the
bulk of whom are " uncircumcised in heart and ears," to keep
those ordinances which were intended for persons " sanctified
in Christ Jesus," and separated from the world as " God's holy
nation and his peculiar people, that they should show forth the
praises of him who hath called them out of darkness unto his
marvellous light." It is not more necessary that the institu
tions of the kingdom of Christ should be the same in substance
and in form as they were in the primitive age, than it is that
they should be observed by persons of the same description as
those who first enjoyed them.
What are ordinances, aside from the glorious truth revealed
in the Gospel? Nothing but unmeaning outward ceremonies, " a
form of godliness" put on by those who " deny the power there
of ;" which, instead of profiting the carnal worshipper, must
aggravate his guilt and condemnation. It is not, therefore, my
intention to recommend Divine institutions, how devoutly soever
they might externally be observed, to all sorts of professing
Christians, nor to any church or society in which the people of
God are knowingly mixed with unbelievers. The Lord's pro
mise of dwelling and walking even among those congrega
tions which are gathered solely by the influence of the saving
truth, and his owning them as " his sons and daughters," are
connected with their coming out from among false worship
pers, and being separate as the temple of the living God.
2 Cor. vi. 16 — 18. And they have reason to expect the en
joyment of those high privileges, only when they keep the ordi
nances as they were delivered to the first churches.

INTRODUCTION. 197
The persons with whom I mean to expostulate, are those who
have been taught of God " to believe that Jesus is the Christ
the Son of God, and who, believing, have life through his
name ;" those who are fully persuaded that the work by which
the ungodly are justified, was completely performed when Jesus
said " It is finished," and that " there is no other name
under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be
saved." Having thus obtained mercy, they " are constrained
by the love of Christ to live not unto themselves, but unto him
who died for them and rose again." These are " the true cir
cumcision, who worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ
Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh ;" of whom the faith
ful witness hath said, " the Father seeketh such to worship him."
They are taught not only " to call Jesus Lord," but " to do
the will of his Father who is in heaven."
If the sentiments here expressed should be thought incon
sistent with those contained in Letters I. and IV., my defence
is, that they who appear to know the truth which flesh and
blood cannot reveal, are the proper subjects of every Divine
ordinance. And the principle which forbids our discerning or
acknowledging such persons, while they are not in scriptural
churches, seems to prohibit our teaching any to observe the
institutions of Christ who are not already taught !
The Letters therefore must be considered as addressed
to " all them who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity," not
excluding those of them who are yet in captivity with the
daughter of Babylon, and in many respects ignorant of " the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free." To all such,
by whatever names they may be distinguished, I wish " that
grace and peace may be multiplied, through the knowledge of
God, and of Jesus our Lord."
At the same time, I may be permitted to remind those in
antichristian churches " who tremble at the Word of God,"
that there is no safety but in the way of " his judgments, which
are true and righteous altogether ; more to be desired than
gold, yea, than much fine gold." Let them hear the warning
voice from heaven, " Come out of her my people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her

198 INTRODUCTION.
plagues ; for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath
remembered her iniquities." — Rev. xvii. 4, 5. And when
they " flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man
his soul," let them beware lest, in the overstrained rapidity of
their flight, they should run beyond the land of Israel, and
perish in some waste and howling wilderness. There are no
insurmountable barriers between the opposite extremes of
superstition and infidelity.
Edinburgh, February 2, lt'03.

[ '99 1

LETTERS ON CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
&c

I.— VISIBLE CHRISTIANITY.
While much light is spreading in relation to the pure and
simple doctrine of the Gospel, the nature of the kingdom of
heaven, and the ordinances which were delivered to the first
churches by the inspired Apostles, it is matter of deep regret
that many of those who know and love the truth, having seen
the evil of antichristian doctrine and worship, run to an oppo
site extreme, and while they wish to avoid one evil, inadvertently
fall into another. The truth of this remark could be supported
by many instances ; but I mean only to take notice of those
which have been lately advanced by certain writers in the Theolo
gical Repository. They are the following : —
I. Against the visible Christianity of all who are not mem
bers of pure churches.
II. Against the expectation of any extensive conversion of
Jews and Gentiles.
III. Against praying and praising with unbelievers.
IV. On eating the Lord's Supper without elders.
V. The same on the nature of the elder's office.
I intend to notice these subjects in their order. At present
one shall suffice.
First, It is said, " How can we distinguish the people of God
from the bulk of those antichristian parties with whom they stand
connected, while they remain in full communion with them ? It
is one thing to admit the melancholy truth, that some of God's
people are held captive in spiritual Babylon ; but it is another
thing to assume the authority of pronouncing and owning any
particular persons as such, while they remain in the antichris
tian connexion."

200 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
No Divine ordinance has been more corrupted than that of
baptism, nor has there ever been contrived a more powerful
engine for maintaining and perpetuating the influence of the
Man of Sin in the nations called Christian, than introducing the
infant seed of those nations into what they call the visible church,
and thus making Christians of all who breathe ! Yet Sande-
manians, or at least some among them, are reckoned by such as
Christian brethren, although they are zealous advocates for in
fant baptism, and carry the matter so far as to pronounce all
who deny that doctrine, self-righteous, and ignorant of the Gos
pel ! Is this a crime consistent with discipleship, only in one
or two of those numerous classes into which the professing dis
ciples of Christ are divided ? Or is the profanation of the
Lord's Supper a stronger evidence of a false profession of Chris
tianity than the profanation of the ordinance of baptism ?
Now here is a wonderful thing, which may check every dis
position to glorying in men — a class of people making the
loudest possible cry against the delusions of antichrist, yet
giving countenance to his most capital device for making whole
nations false and nominal Christians, and unchristianizing all
who follow an opposite practice ! And some, while they con
demn the baptism of the nations, and are incapable of per
ceiving one real Christian in spiritual Babylon, yet acknow
ledge as such those who contend earnestly for the corruption
of a Divine ordinance, which perhaps, more than any thing else,
supports the tottering throne of antichrist ! If one would be
consistent in the principle with respect to visible Christianity,
he ought to acknowledge none as true believers except those
who are perfectly agreed with himself, both in doctrine and in
practice. I am doubtful if many of us could stand to be tried
by such a test. I suppose that many of us neglect some things
which Jesus Christ hath commanded, and it becomes each of
us narrowly to examine his own heart and conduct, and then
we will be more cautious of judging others.
It is " admitted that the people of God are in antichristian
societies, but denied that they can be known or distinguished
there." Are there, then, no great and leading things in which the
disciples of Christ in every age have been agreed ? Or are the
weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith, though
essential to the character of every one who is born of God, yet
less characteristic of true disciples, than separation from the
world in religious worship, and a scrupulous attention to all the
outward forms which we see exemplified in the first churches ?
For my own part, I am not only persuaded that the Lord's
people are in national churches, and in the Church of Rome

LETTER I  VISIBLE CHRISTIANITY-. 20l
itself, but that they are all one in the faith of Jesus, and in sub
jection to his authority as the king of Zion, so far as they know
his will. To that extent they hear the voice of the good shep
herd, and follow him. Although their unlawful connexion with
false worshippers must be hurtful to them in many respects, yet
it cannot be affirmed of them that " they worship the beast, or
his image, or receive his mark in their foreheads, or in their
hands ;" for all such " shall drink of the wine of the wrath of
God." They know, in some essential and leading particulars, the
spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom ; they love one another for
the truth's sake ; and they bring forth the fruits of righteousness.
That the peculiar institutions of the kingdom of heaven, and
all things which have any relation to the acceptable service of
God in his churches, are of great importance, and highly neces
sary for the edification and comfort of the people of God, will,
I trust, ever be maintained by me. But the question is,
whether are those great and radical things by which all the
people of God are distinguished from the world, or the things
by which they are distinguished from one another, of compara
tively higher importance in themselves, and more essential to
the true character of a Christian ? If the preference in both
Tespects must be given to the privileges which all Christians ac
tually do enjoy, why should we, in judging those who are entitled
to be reckoned such, make no account in this respect of all that
is essential to true Christianity, and condemn some as false
professors because they want other evidences which we acknow
ledge are not possessed by all the real disciples of Christ ?
To admit that there are many believers in churches not
formed according to the primitive model, while it is maintained
that we cannot know them, seems to throw a reflection on
Christianity itself. What ! is there nothing to distinguish the
people of God from those who are dead in sins, ignorant of the
way of salvation through Jesus Christ, and walking according
to the course of this world ? Does the Gospel produce no visible
effects on a great number of those who believe it, and trust in
Christ for deliverance from the wrath to come ? Then it would
follow that the Gospel is not " the power of God unto salva
tion to every one that believeth!" That there are doubtful
characters, both in scriptural churches and out of them, no
person who knows the truth will deny. But to lay it down as
a general rule, that, throughout all the widely extended domi
nions of antichrist, the true children of God are utterly un
known to their brethren who have come out of Babylon, or to
one another, is to affirm that, in very many instances, the
Gospel, although believed, produces no fruit by which it can
2 c

202 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
appear to have come to those persons " not in word only, but
in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance ! "
It will be admitted, not only that the Lord's people are scat
tered, and many of them mixed with the world in anti
christian societies, but also that in the purest churches there
are some hypocrites and false professors. This being the case,
how can it be supposed that the outward observance of all the
ordinances which Christ has appointed, warrants us to acknow
ledge a person as a believer, although he should be consider
ably deficient in other respects ; and that we are not at liberty
to form the same judgment of another who gives many evidences
of love to the truth, while he remains not fully instructed with
respect to the nature of Christ's kingdom and the ordinances
observed by the first churches ? Such a rule of judging has an
evil influence in churches. It tends to lull them in fatal
security, to make them glory over all other professors as
ignorant of true Christianity, and to reckon themselves in
safety because they are in a pure church. Nor is it possible to
avoid the dangerous state of mind to which I have alluded,
while we say any thing which implies that " We are the people,
and that wisdom shall die with us."
The Apostles of our Lord could say, in relation to them
selves and their brethren in the churches, " We are of God,"
— and of all others, without exception, " The whole world lieth
in wickedness." But surely it would betray the highest pride
and arrogance, were any class of churches now in existence to
hold the same language. Why ? Because the children of God
have been scattered, and many of them are now to be found
among a great variety of parties less or more antichristian. Of
this we are perfectly assured by the prophecies in Scripture
concerning the influence of the Man of Sin, on true as well as
false professors ; by the call to the people of God " to come
out of Babylon" before her complete destruction ; and by what
we see every day passing before our eyes.
It may be proper to remark, that with respect to national
churches, and other corrupt societies in which the people of
God are mixed with the world, where also they give counte
nance to the profanation of Divine ordinances, and neglect many
of the laws and institutions of the kingdom of heaven ; I ask
no indulgence. I intend only to plead the cause of individual
believers who have been misled and enslaved by the Man of Sin.
The Pharisees, as a body, were strongly and repeatedly con
demned by our Lord Jesus Christ. But that did not hinder
individuals among them from being acknowledged as believers.
To this class, I presume, belonged old Simeon, Anna the

LETTER II  THE SALVATION OF JEWS AND GENTILES. 203
prophetess, Joseph, Mary, Zacharias, Elizabeth, Nathanael,
Joseph of Arimathea, and many others. Has this any tendency
to lessen our abhorrence of the sect of the Pharisees ?
To affirm that the people of God in Babylon cannot be dis
tinguished from the world lying in wickedness, is the same with
denying that any of them are in Babylon. Facts contradict
this assertion ; for a great proportion of those who are now in
churches, walking agreeably to the rule of the New Testament,
were known to some of the brethren in those churches as the
disciples of Jesus, while they were yet in antichristian societies.
And finally, it will be admitted, that when we treat other pro
fessors with contempt and scorn, we do not take the best
method to show that we ourselves are the followers of the
meek and lowly Jesus.
Edinburgh, Sept. 17, 1807.

II.— THE SALVATION OF JEWS AND GENTILES.
Having stated in a former Letter my sentiments in relation
to visible Christianity, I now proceed : —
Second, To give my views in opposition to what has been
advanced against the expectation of any extensive conversion of
Jews and Gentiles.
It is said the common expectation of the general conversion
of the Jews as a nation, together with an universal conversion
of the Gentiles throughout all nations of the world, and of
worldly prosperity and glory attending the Christian profession,
appears like reviving the Jewish sentiment of the carnal nature
of' the Messiah's kingdom.
I plead solely and exclusively, however, for that sort of
conversion which we see exemplified in the Apostles of our
Lord, Mary Magdalene, Zaccheus, the thief on the cross, &c,
during the personal ministry of Jesus ; and three thousand souls
on the day of Pentecost, the people of Samaria, the Eunuch,
persecuting Saul, Lydia and her household, the Jailer and his
household, and a multitude of other persons, during the minis
try of the Apostles. With respect to a national conversion,
there is no such thing warranted in the Scriptures ; and wher
ever it has taken place, I consider it as a false profession of
Christianity. The same remark applies to universal conver
sion ; and as to worldly prosperity and glory attending the
Christian profession, I can conceive nothing more opposite to

204 CHRISTIAN fellowship AND CHURCH ORDER.
the doctrine of the New Testament, though it is perfectly con
sistent with that doctrine that " the churches should have rest,
and be edified and multiplied, while they walk in the fear of the
Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit."
The Scriptures give reason to expect that there will be an
extensive spread of the Gospel, and that the Lord will yet " visit
the nations, to take out of them a people for his name," — multi
tudes both of Jews and Gentiles ; and that this will be produced
by the success of the pure Gospel, which was first preached by
the inspired Apostles.
There are many promises in the Word of God relating to the
extent of the Redeemer's kingdom, and the salvation of men of
all nations, which have not yet been fully accomplished. This,
however, is so wide a field, that I cannot propose to enter upon
it, with a view to a full discussion of even the leading passages
of Scripture which relate to this subject. But I shall make a
few remarks, first, upon general prophecies, and second, upon
some of those which point directly to times succeeding the
apostolic age.
1. It is the opinion of many, that because some of the
Old Testament prophecies which speak in universal terms con
cerning the success of the Gospel among the Gentiles, have been
quoted by the Apostles as fulfilled in their day, therefore we
have little more to expect. The following text had its accom
plishment in the preaching of Paul and Barnabas, " I have set
thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldst be for
salvation to the ends of the earth," Acts xiii. 47. Paul affirms
of the first ministers of the Word, Rom. x. 18, that " their sound
went into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world,"
&c. And he declares, Rom. xvi. 26, that the Gospel which he
preached was, at that time, by " the commandment of the ever
lasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of
faith." Therefore say they who are afraid of a liberal expla
nation of the prophecies, they were fulfilled when the Apostles
preached the Gospel throughout the greater part of the Roman
empire, then termed the world, and sometimes all the world.
That the preaching of the inspired Apostles was a most glo
rious fulfilment of the former prophecies concerning the calling
of the Gentiles, and the groundwork of all that was to be done
in succeeding ages, admits of no doubt. But happy is it for
the nations, and for us in the isles and the uttermost ends of
the earth, that the great things contained in those prophecies
were not then exhausted. Had they received at that time a
full accomplishment, the Gospel could not have been preached
to any other nation after the death of the Apostles ; nay, it fol-

LETTER II  THE salvation of jews and gentiles. 205
lows also that, from that period to the second coming of Christ,
no wretched outcast among the other Gentile nations could
have been saved.
Is there any reason why we may not conclude with the ut
most certainty, that there was in the time of the Apostles a
begun accomplishment of the prophecies now under considera
tion, which was to go on from age to age, and to be completed
only when the mystery of God should be finished ? And have
we not also good grounds to believe that the unlimited expres
sions made use of in many prophecies, have a respect to the
calling of God's people out of every nation without exception ?
If the Gospel shall never be preached to one-fifth of the nations,
how then can it be said that the innumerable company before
the throne of God in heaven, came out of " all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues ?" Is it not more natural
to think that so many descriptive words are used for the very
purpose of ascertaining this event, and of rendering it sure and
unquestionable ? That the prophecies relating to the calling of
the Gentiles were completely fulfilled by the personal ministry
of the Apostles, is therefore a sentiment equally erroneous, and
unfriendly to the salvation of men ; though something nearly
amounting to this is held by many.
2. Besides those prophecies which foretel, in general and
very extensive terms, the salvation of the people of God among
all nations, from the coming of Christ to the end of time, there
are others, both in the Old and New Testament, which have a
more peculiar respect to times succeeding the apostolic age ;
and some of them, particularly those in the New Testament,
cannot be otherwise explained, without putting upon them a
forced and unnatural meaning. The Apostles foretold, not
only the coming of the Man of Sin, but his gradual consump
tion and his final overthrow, the resurrection of the witnesses,
and the consequent preaching of the Gospel to the nations.
These events were not to be accomplished while the Apostles
lived, for the Man of Sin was to have dominion over the nations
twelve hundred and sixty years. But here again, too wide a
field opens for discussion, and I must therefore confine myself
to a few remarks.
It is said that Paul, in the Epistle to the Romans, chap, xi.,
does not affirm a future conversion of the Jews as a nation ; for
he says, " And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief,
shall be graffed in."
It would be easy to produce many other passages of Scrip
ture where the word if is used so as to denote the certainty of
the thing supposed. Thus — " If I have told you of earthly
things, and ye believe not — If vie believe that Jesus died and

206 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
rose again — If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dis
solved — If so be that, being clothed, we shall not be found
naked — If God spared not the natural branches — //'thouwert
cut out of the olive-tree which was wild by nature," &c.
The if here is not meant to express a doubt, and far less a
denial of the thing supposed. Would the Apostle have made a
supposition of that which never can take place, and yet with
the same breath affirm that God is able to accomplish it ? And
would he not have plainly asserted the fact, if it was a fact, that
very few of the Jews were to be converted at any future period,
instead of hesitating upon it, as if he were uncertain whether
any of his countrymen would ever be called to the faith of the
Gospel ?
In verses 25, 26, of the same chapter, it is said, " That blind
ness in part is happened unto Israel, until the fulness of the
Gentiles be come in ; and so all Israel shall be saved." I shall
not take it upon me absolutely to affirm that it is wrong to con
sider the all Israel who shall be saved, not as the temporal seed
of Abraham merely, but all the people of God, whether Jews
or Gentiles, though it seems likely that all Israel means exclu
sively, as in the preceding verse, the seed of Jacob ; not every
individual among them, but many in comparison of the remnant
when the Apostle wrote, and the very small number of them
who have since obtained salvation through Christ. In this re
stricted sense, the word all is very frequently used in Scripture.
For instance, " The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all
flesh shall see it together." — " There went out unto him (i. e.
John the Baptist) all the land ofjudea, and they of Jerusalem,
and were all baptised of him in the river of Jordan." — " I will
pour out of my spirit upon all flesh." But it is farther asserted,
that " the blindness, which happened in part to typical Israel,
will remain in that nation until the fulness of the redeemed
of all nations be come in ;" which I understand to mean, that
the same extent of blindness described throughout this chapter
shall continue to the end of time.
If this be a just explanation, I cannot see why the Apostle
should have immediately added, " And so all Israel shall be
saved ; as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the De
liverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob ; for this
is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."
If there were no salvation for the blinded Israelites, how then
could the Apostle make this remark upon what he had said,
" And so all Israel shall be saved ? " For although that
expression should include the whole of the redeemed company,
which is doubtful, yet it must have a peculiar respect to the
people of God among the Jews, for of them the Apostle was

LETTER III.  THE SALVATION OF JEWS AND GENTILES. 207
treating, and the text quoted by him from Isaiah lix., has an
immediate reference to the sons of Jacob, and to God's cove
nant with them.
What then are we to understand by their blindness continuing
" until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in?" It appears,
from many things in this chapter, that the salvation of God
which came to the Gentiles through the fall of the Jews, was
to continue almost exclusively with the former, till their separate
fulness, or that fulness in which the Jews did not participate,
termed " the fulness of the Gentiles," should be completed.
And then the blindness of many Jews was to be removed, and
they were to become partakers of free salvation through Christ,
receiving it from the Gentiles, as the Gentiles had formerly
received it from them. But not to the exclusion of the Gen
tiles; for the Apostle addressing them says, " That through
your mercy they (the Jews) also may obtain mercy," verse
31. And this wonderful display of boundless, free, and sove
reign mercy towards all, Jews and Gentiles, is the ground of
the sublime exclamation which immediately follows. He like
wise affirms that the fulness of the Jews shall be the riches
of the world, much more than was their fall and their diminish
ing; and that the receiving of them shall be life from the
dead. Edinburgh, October 15, 1807.

III.— THE SALVATION OF JEWS AND GENTILES.
The subject of my last Letter was the conversion of Jews
and Gentiles ; and I request your indulgence while I pursue
it a little further.
It seems necessary, first of all, to remark, that something
very awful is intended by the stumbling and fall of the Jews,
in conformity to ancient prophecies, some of which are quoted,
ver. 8 — 10. This fall is expressed by other terms, such as,
the diminishing of them; the casting away of them; the
branches being broken off; God's severity in not sparing them ;
their blindness, unbelief, and enmity against the Gospel. And
although the Apostle says, " blindness in part," yet he does
pot mean a few persons, or a small part of Israel ; for a very
great proportion of them were blinded at that time, and after
wards nearly the whole of them.
This melancholy description of the state of the Jewish
people, was not fully applicable to their situation while the

208 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
Word of God had success among them as among the Gentiles.
Saving a numerous remnant, which had been chosen according
to " the election of grace," the great body of the nation
remained the most avowed enemies of the cross of Christ, and
now " wrath was come upon them to the uttermost," After
this period they were entirely broken off; the salvation of God
was sent from them to the Gentiles, and has continued among
the latter to this day, scarcely one Jew in a whole age having
been in any country converted to the Christian faith.
Now the question is, Whether was this eleventh chapter of
the Epistle to the Romans written with an intention to show
that the Jews would be thus excluded from salvation to the
end of time, or to give hope concerning them at a future
period ? One would think that the most cursory reader would
at once perceive in it the casting away of the Jews as an awful
warning to Gentile Christians, the subserviency of the fall of
the Jews to the salvation of the Gentiles, and a clear revela
tion that a time shall come when the Jews shall partake of the
mercy of the Gentiles, and be in all respects on a footing with
them in relation to the blessings of the everlasting Gospel.
Does not the Apostle intimate " the fulness of the Jews ? "
And surely no one can think that they were then enjoying that
fulness, when he was lamenting their fall and their diminishing, or
that any event since that time could be so denominated. Does he
not likewise affirm, that the receiving of them shall be life from
the dead ; that they shall " be graffed in ; that all Israel shall
be saved ; that the Deliverer shall turn away ungodliness from
Jacob ; that as, touching the election, they are beloved for the
fathers' sakes ; that as the Gentiles in times past have not
believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through the
unbelief of the Jews, even so have these also now not believed,
that through the mercy displayed in the salvation of the Gen
tiles, they also may obtain mercy ; and that God hath con
cluded them all in unbelief, that he may have mercy upon all?"
How shall we explain having mercy upon all? Not surely
all the Jews without exception ? Not every individual of the
human race ? But shall we likewise say, that few or none of that
nation are immediately in view, of whom the Apostle affirms that
" God hath concluded them all (or shut them all up together)
in unbelief ; " not that all may be condemned, but that he may
have mercy upon all?" The least that we can justly say of
this universal expression is, that it places the Jews precisely on
the same footing with the Gentile nations, and that its accom
plishment shall put an end to the exclusion of the temporal seed
of Abraham from the blessings of Messiah's kingdom.
Four distinct eras are noted in the Scriptures, respecting

LETTER III  THE SALVATION OF JEWS AND GENTILES. 2'09
the promulgation and influence of the truth of God revealed in
his Word.
1. During the long period of four thousand years after
the creation of the world, the true knowledge of God was
almost wholly confined to one particular race of men, originally
the descendents of Seth, the son of Adam ; afterwards those
of Shem, the son of Noah ; and then the temporal seed of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; — the whole of these being the
descendents of Seth. This continued till about eight years
after the resurrection of Jesus, until which period the Gospel
was preached to the Jews only.
2. The Gentiles were then called, and became fellow-
heirs . with the Jews of all the blessings of God's kingdom.
The joint participation of Jews and Gentiles seems to have con
tinued, at the utmost, only about thirty years.
3. The Jews, because of their unbelief, were broken off,
and then the diminishing of the Jews became the riches of
the world, and the Gentile nations obtained exclusively the
blessings of the Gospel. Under this era, which has continued
more than seventeen hundred years, we now live, enjoying that
fulness of the Gentiles, in which the Jews do not participate.
4. Another era is yet to come, when, " through the
mercy of the Gentiles, the Jews shall obtain mercy, and when
God, who hath concluded them all in unbelief, shall have mercy
upon all," making no distinction between Jew and Gentile.
Let it be observed, however, that at no time has any class
of mankind been absolutely excluded. During the first era
some Gentiles were saved ; and during the third, which now
exists, some Jews have been, and now are, partakers of salva
tion. In both cases the exclusion has been general, but not
universal. Divine sovereignty appears in the whole procedure ; and in
the event expected, during the fourth era, it will be displayed
as it was in the second era ; for these two are precisely the
same in nature, whatever they may be in their comparative
extent. Notwithstanding the length of this discussion, I feel it incum
bent on me, before concluding this letter, solemnly to warn the
disciples of Jesus against that state of mind which makes them
slow to believe the prophecies relating to the extent of the
Redeemer's kingdom.
It is remarkable that some Gentile Christians now show a
disposition towards the Jews, similar to that which, in the
apostolic age, the Jews manifested towards the Gentiles, namely,
a dislike to their salvation. And it is truly mortifying to reflect,
that the greater number of those who indulge this state of
2d

210 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
mind, are persons much instructed in the knowledge of the
Gospel, and of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
They call it a Jewish notion, to expect an extensive influence
of the Word of God among all nations. The very opposite is
the fact ; for the Apostle Paul, describing his countrymen,
says, " They please not God, and are contrary to all men, for
bidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might be saved."
And even believing Jews were not very willing to acknowledge
the first Gentile converts, and were surprised when they heard
that " God had also granted to the Gentiles repentance unto
life." But the Apostle thus describes the spirit by which he
regulated his own conduct : " I please all men in all things,
not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they
may be saved;" recommending this example to his fellow
Christians; for he adds, " Be ye followers of me, even as I
also am of Christ."
The freeness of Divine grace, its sovereignty, its opposition
to the most darling inclinations of the human heart, the spiritual
and heavenly nature of Christ's kingdom — all these have been
used as arguments against the conversion of the Jews, or any
signal prosperity of the Gospel among the Gentiles I And they
whose hearts' desire and prayer to God for Israel, and for the
nations, is, tbat they may be saved, are accused, as I formerly
hinted, of ignorance of the Gospel, and of wishing to see a cor
rupt faith prevail, especially if they dare to express a hope that
their prayers will be answered ! Such arguments cannot be
rendered plausible by the utmost extent of human ingenuity.
For what is all this but to set the Gospel in opposition to
itself? Will the purest and simplest views that can be enter
tained of the truth concerning Jesus, have any tendency to make
us less concerned about the salvation of men, and more anxious
to darken the things revealed in the Scriptures concerning the
success of the Gospel among all nations ? No, let us beware
of imputing to the Gospel a state of mind which so ill accords
with its genuine influence, and which can only arise from pre
judice, and from mistaken views of Messiah's kingdom. That
glorious kingdom, instead of dying away, as some have supposed,
like an expiring lamp, before the advent of its eternal King,
" shall break in pieces, and consume all opposing kingdoms,
and shall stand for ever ;" although its own subjects, acting
consistently, use no carnal weapons.
There may be among real Christians erroneous views of
many prophecies, scarcely any of which, I believe, are fully
understood till they are accomplished. But to make it a
criterion of possessing the faith of Jesus, that we should be
extremely scrupulous about admitting that any considerable

LETTER IV  ON PRAYING WITH UNBELIEVERS. 211
number of either Jews or" Gentiles shall be converted, as in the
days of the Apostles, is to me beyond expression wonderful.
Did not the grace of the Most High appear in all its freeness
and sovereignty, when he saved three thousand Jews on the
day of Pentecost, as well as when one Ethiopian received the
truth, and went on his way rejoicing? Did he not equally
appear as the sovereign Lord of all, in exercising the most
awful and just severity towards the Jews, when because of
unbelief they were broken off, and in displaying infinite good
ness towards the Gentiles, when in much superior numbers
they were grafted in ? Upon what ground, then, is Divine sove
reignty considered as an insuperable bar in the way of resto
ring to the Jewish people the privileges of the Gentiles, and of
teaching " all nations to call Jesus blessed, that the whole
" earth may be filled with his glory?"
Edinburgh, October 15, 1807-

IV.— ON PRAYING MTITH UNBELIEVERS.
I now intend to offer some remarks on praying and praising
with unbelievers.
Ill  It is asserted that " Christians ought not to join with
any people in prayer and praise, but with those whom they
admit and receive to partake with them in the Lord's Supper."
The sentiment here expressed is not unconnected with the
other subjects which I have already considered; and, on that
account, I request the attention of my readers to my former
Letters, especially the first, as I shall not, in this letter, give
any particular description of visible believers.
It is not said how far it is intended to carry the prohibition,
except that we ought only to join in prayer and praise with
those with whom we partake of the Lord's Supper. Here
there is no room left for any difference about whether we shall
esteem this or that person a Christian ; for we must reckon
all who are not members of our own church unbelievers, or, at
least, treat them in all respects as if they were such. But is
it meant that no unbelievers, or, in other words, none but
church members, are to be allowed access to the place where
we worship God ? For, undoubtedly, some of them will pray
and praise with us, though we should not invite them to do so,
nor say any thing on our part which would sanction that prac
tice ; and surely we will not advise to forbid men to call upon
the name of the Lord ! This would be opposite not only to 1 Cor,

212 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
xiv. 23 — 25, but to the whole current of Divine revela
tion ; nor does the law of our country permit the exclusion of
hearers. I must therefore suppose that it is meant to place unbelievers
in an adjoining room, within hearing, or to have them visibly
separated from the church, if they be admitted into the same
room — a mode of worship lately adopted by Mr Walker of
Dublin, and those who adhere to or have been taught by him.
I have not yet heard of any person going farther than this ; far
enough indeed it certainly is.
It appears to me, that making such a distinction as I now
suppose, with that degree of strictness and formality which the
object in view seems to require, would have the air of saying,
" Stand by, I am holier than thou." This indeed, I am afraid,
would be the only effect produced by it ; for if hearers did come
after making the above arrangement, they would still join with
us. Some of them would not admit the charge of being unbe
lievers, though we should plainly declare every one of them to
be such ; others would worship from mere education and cus
tom, let us say what we will ; and if it be meant only, that
whatever they may do, we should not consider ourselves as
joining with them, that is equally in our power whether there
be any visible distinction or not.
The case is different in relation to the Lord's Supper, which,
in various respects, has been improperly ranked with prayer
and praise, so far as relates to fellowship and joint communion.
In the nature of the thing, we cannot partake of the Lord's
Supper without being visibly separated from those who are not
church members ; and no one can have fellowship with us in
that ordinance, to whom we do not give the bread and the wine.
If the matter in question be a part of the order of churches,
where is the Scripture rule for it ? Conclusions drawn from
passages which solemnly enjoin upon Christians purity of com
munion in general terms, may be carried too far. A particular
precept or example therefore seems requisite, or at least would
be highly satisfactory. The Apostle Paul supposes that un
believers would come into the Christian assembly at Corinth ;
but not a word does he say about a separate place being as
signed to them. On the contrary, he expresses himself in such
a way as would naturally lead a simple reader to conclude that
those unbelievers went in among the Christians, if they were
so inclined. Nay, some of the first churches proceeded so far
as to follow the practice of the polite world, saying to a man
who came into their assembly with a gold ring, in goodly ap
parel, or gay clothing, " Sit thou here in a good place ; and to
a poor man in vile raiment, Stand thou there, or sit here under

LETTER IV— ON PRAYING WITH UNBELIEVERS. 213
my footstool." The Apostle James strongly condemns this
partiality in the house of God ; but evidently gives them to
understand that they did their duty as Christians, if they gave
a seat or a stance (as it might happen) indiscriminately to rich or
poor, whether it were here, i. e. close by the person who gave
the invitation ; or there, i. e. at some little distance, or, for want
of better accommodation, under one of their footstools. See
James ii. 1 — 10.*
It is worthy of remark, because the wisdom of God appears
• Mr Walker of Dublin, in a late Essay, has affirmed that the rich and
the poor men were Christian brethren, a sentiment which I would have
anticipated had I imagined that it could have been entertained by so
respectable an opponent.
To suppose that members of the primitive churches came "into their
assemblies like strangers, not knowing where to find a seat, is extremely
unnatural. Every one must have had free access to any accommodation
which the place of meeting afforded. And if they had been partial among
themselves in this respect, there would still have been less occasion to
point out a good seat to a rich man. He would have stepped boldly for
ward to the distinguished place which was considered as his right.
Besides, " a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, or gay clothing,"
would have shown the same attachment to vanity, extravagance, and pride,
which is condemned in the female sex, 1 Tim. ii., 1 Pet. iii., and he surely
would not have escaped censure on that account, if he had been a member
of a church of Christ. He was, on the contrary, one of those covetous,
persecuting, and impious rich men, who seem to have been occasional
hearers in the churches of the twelve tribes ; for those wicked men are
addressed and warned of the awful judgments which awaited them, James
v. 1 — 7, a very unusual thing in the apostolic epistles. And they are
described in the same manner, in order to show how absurd it was to be
partial towards them in the house of God, " Do not rich men oppress you
and draw you before the judgment seats ? Do not they blaspheme that
worthy name by which ye are called?" chap. ii. 6, 7. Such oppressors
might sometimes attend their public meetings for the very purpose of
accusing ihem ; at other times, from curiosity, or from partial conviction.
Again, " a poor man in vile raiment," might not be to blame for his
poverty. But his appearance, as described by the Apostle, is too mean,
abject, and beggarly, to admit of our supposing him a Christian brother,
if there was a spark of love remaining in the church of which he was a
member. Nor does it seem at all likely that they would say to a brother,
" Sit here under my footstool." It would be far more reasonable to con
clude, that this was a poor man, who had accidentally found his way into a
Christian assembly.
The respect of persons censured by the Apostle James is none of the
common civilities of life, which certainly may take place without despising
the poor, or more highly esteeming the rich, merely on account of their
worldly circumstances. It is that of showing any respect or preference in
matters relating to the worship of God in his churches. And Mr Walker
ought not to resist this solemn warning against partiality towards hearers
in Christian assemblies, nor the fact clearly established by it — that unbe
lievers, during the time of public worship, sat or stood, on some occasions,
close by the members of the church.

214 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
in permitting it, that their unchristian behaviour has been the
occasion of transmitting to us so precise an account of the man
ner in which hearers were admitted into the first Christian as
semblies. Thus we clearly perceive that the new plan of con
ducting public worship, does not accord with the example of
the primitive churches. Specious arguments in favour of keep
ing all hearers at a respectful distance during the time of pub
lic worship, may display the ingenuity of a man of talents ; may
entertain the curious, and captivate lovers of novelty, and gra
tify the religious pride of the self-righteous. But they can
have little weight with others, who admit no reasoning that does
not correspond with the benevolent spirit of the Gospel, and
with the unchallenged example of the apostolic churches.
Let it not be supposed, however, that there is no distinction
between the disciples of Christ and the world, in the time of
public worship. Wherever there is a church of Christ, the
fact is known that a separate body of disciples is there as
sembled. They pray in that capacity for themselves, as indi
viduals, and as a church ; and they pray also, among other
things, for unconverted sinners who come into their assembly ;
for the deliverance of the Lord's people from their captivity in
mystical Babylon ; and for their visible unity in the faith and
obedience of the Gospel. It thus sufficiently appears that they
worship God in a state of separation from the world. But any
other line of distinction, with respect to public prayer, seems
an attempt to be wise above that which is written ; for there is
nothing taught concerning it in all the Word of God.
1. Such as that of a preacher officiating in a place where
he does not know that there are any believers to join with him
in prayer and praise. There is a ground of scruple here, and
as praise is certainly not essential to the preaching of the Gos
pel, I should think it right in such circumstances to decline it.
I am of a different opinion however about prayer, not from any
express commandment or example in the New Testament, but
on the broad ground of Christian principles, by which many
things must be determined.
Those preachers who know the obduracy of the human heart,
the impossibility of doing any good by preaching unless the
hand of the Lord be with them, and their own insufficiency to
make manifest the truth as it should be spoken, will, in all cases,
feel the necessity of praying to God for his countenance, di
rection, and blessing. If this is not done in public, have those
who hear him any reason to think that the preacher has all his
dependence upon God, who alone giveth the increase of his
own Word, when he refuses to pray in their presence for the
influences of the Holy Spirit, with respect either to himself or

LETTER IV  ON PRAYING WITH UNBELIEVERS. b°"215
to those whom he addresses ? There is in this an appearance
at least of self-confidence, and of a careless state of mind in
relation to obtaining Divine aid, when endeavouring to speak
the words of eternal life to perishing sinners. And if the
preacher should attempt to excuse himself, by informing his
auditory that he has no scriptural ground to consider any of
them as believers, would they not say, with truth, that he has
the more need to pray for them ?
It will seldom happen in this country, that a public preacher
has just reason to conclude that all his hearers are unbelievers.
But, granting that it were so, is there any prohibition in the
Word of God against praying in their presence ? That they
only can pray with acceptance, who come to the throne of grace
in the name of our great high priest, Jesus the Son of God,
and that Christians cannot consistently join with any other per
sons in the duty of prayer, I fully admit ; but how can it be
supposed by any disciple of Jesus, that he sins against God by
praying for all men, and in the hearing of as many as come to
listen to the truth of God which he declares, I cannot easily
conceive. 2. Private Christians, as well as public teachers, may be
called, or may of their own accord go, to visit a person on his
death-bed, and to set before him that which the Gospel reveals
as the hope of dying sinners. I shall suppose that the sick
person has made no profession of Christianity ; that his con
science is alarmed ; that he is extremely anxious to find relief
and consolation ; and that, after hearing all that his visiter can
say about the glad tidings of salvation, he still remains in deep
distress, and earnestly entreats him to pray for him. Would
such an one feel himself at liberty to refuse the dying man's
request ? What part of the Word of God, or what principle of
the Gospel, would prevent him from praying for the salvation
of a fellow sinner ? Is it the design of the law of Christ, en
joining purity of communion, to shut up our bowels of compas
sion, and to make us unfriendly to the salvation of a wretched
being trembling on the brink of eternity ? Alas, how often
do they who carry some things beyond the rule of the Word
of God, thereby make void its most essential principles, and act
opposite to the scope and spirit of the whole of Divine revelation !
3. A disciple of Christ may occasionally be in private houses
where prayer is wont to be made, and where there are no mem
bers of his own church, nor of any church formed on the doc
trine and practice of the Apostles. In this situation he may
be asked to pray, or expected to bow the knee while another
is so employed. If he have good reason to conclude that the
company consists only of false professors, I shall by no means

216 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER
object to his withdrawing respectfully ; though I should reckon
him highly to blame were he to fly off contemptuously. To
this however I consent, not upon the ground of there being no
church members in the company, far less because they are not
all of that description, but because none of them appear to be be
lievers of the truth, and because expressions might be used in
prayer in which no real disciple of Christ could profess to join.
4. Another case must still be mentioned, which appears
to me of equal importance to any of the former. A Christian
who is the head of a family, has certain duties to perform in
that capacity, and if he have a proper conviction of what is in
cumbent on him as a husband, a father, and a master, of his
need of mercy, and of grace to help him at all times, of the in
numerable bounties of Divine Providence, which are daily be
stowed on him and his dependents, and that all his dear friends
must either obtain salvation through Christ or perish for ever ;
he will have such a concern for himself and them as will lead
him to pray daily to God, in the presence of his family, for all
needful blessings, and to give thanks for mercies received.
This is what may naturally be expected of all who are exercised
to godliness, without entering minutely into the arguments for
family prayer, which I have not room to state.
One of these, however, I cannot pass unnoticed. Christian
parents are commanded " to bring up their children in the nur
ture and admonition of the Lord." It surely will not be main
tained that they do so, if they fail to give them an example of
the practical influence of the Gospel in their own conduct.
Aside from this, they have no just reason to expect that their
instructions and admonitions will be much regarded. They
may teach their children the theory of religion, and among other
things the nature of prayer, the blessings which we all need,
and the only way in which any one can approach God with ac
ceptance. But what will the children think of such instruc
tions, if they are never witnesses to the prayers of those by
whom they are so taught ? Will it be possible for them to be
lieve that such parents are seriously convinced of the truth of
their own doctrine, or that they have any due impression of
their own wants, their dependence upon God, their obligations
to him, and the blessedness of enjoying fellowship with him,
and a sense of his forgiving mercy through the atonement of
his beloved Son ?
Besides, how are Christian parents to expect a blessing on
reading the Scriptures, on instructing, warning, and admonish
ing their families, on training their children to habits of virtue,
and on endeavouring, amidst many imperfections, to set a proper
example before them ? Can they show that they depend upon

LETTER IV  ON PRAYING WITH UNBELIEVERS. 117
God for his blessing, if they do not acknowledge him and call
upon his name ?
When there are more believers than one in a family, there
can be no doubt that daily social prayer is their duty and pri
vilege. And let none plead exemption, merely because there
are no church members with whom they can put up their joint
petitions to the throne of grace, if they cannot, upon clear and
Scriptural grounds, say that all their household are unbelievers.
Even if it were so, there is no reason, surely, why a Christian
should not pray for them, and in their hearing, though he can
not join with them in this solemn act of Divine worship ; and if
the adult part of his family will not hear him, at least his
children will.
Would not the principle of exclusion lead the disciples of
Christ to decline giving thanks to God for their food when
there are unbelievers in the company, or at least when no
church members are present? I earnestly beseech all the
fearers of God who are scrupulous to this extent, to weigh the
consequences of such procedure, and to examine the motives
which lead to it. Do they think that God can be honoured
by that which must strike every one as an evidence of total
want of religion ? Or can they believe that they show more
regard than others to the peculiar precepts of Christianity, by
eating their meat like the beasts that perish ?
That which is morally good in its own nature is a bounden
duty, although it should not be particularly commanded nor
exemplified in the Word of God. But here there is no
want of example. On various occasions the Lord of all, gave
thanks for a common meal when surrounded by an unhallowed
multitude who were miraculously fed by his bounty ; and in re
counting one of those miracles, the Evangelist remarks, that
" they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks,"
John vi. 23. The same practice was followed by the Apostle
Paul before two hundred and seventy-five persons, of whom the
far greater part were unbelievers and idolaters : " He gave
thanks to God in presence of them all," Acts xxvii. 35.
Some will endeavour to excuse themselves in other respects,
by saying, that " undoubtedly they are under an obligation to
follow such examples ; but not having the same express autho
rity to pray in the presence of unbelievers, or in mixed com
panies at other times, Christians ought to decline it." Yet,
I presume, they will not venture to affirm that it becomes them
to be more devout at a common meal than when they are em
ployed in using the means which God hath appointed for their
own spiritual comfort, and for the conviction of their fellow-
sinners. It would be strange, indeed, to suppose that the
2 E

218 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
disciples of Christ ought to be engaged in prayer and thanks
giving before unbelievers, in relation only to the meat which
perisheth ; or that any of them will consider the Lord's bless
ing on his Word, which communicates life to the soul, as less
necessary than his blessing on the food by which their bodies
are nourished ! All this, however, seems implied in refusing to
pray for spiritual blessings, while placed in the same circum
stances in which we pray for temporal mercies.
On other occasions also, Jesus prayed to his heavenly Father,
in the hearing not only of his disciples, but of the unbelieving
Jews. At one time he said, " Father, glorify thy name." At
another time, " Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard
me ;" and " it was his custom to go into the Jewish synagogue
on the Sabbath-day," where undoubtedly he worshipped God.
The same thing is affirmed of the Apostle Paul, namely, that,
" as his manner was, he went into a synagogue of the Jews,"
where he too worshipped the God of Israel ; for believing Jews
had not yet been, by express revelation, forbidden to attend to
the service of the temple. Paul says, in his answer to Tertullus,
" There are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem
for to worship, and they neither found me in the temple dispu
ting with any man," &c, Acts xxiv. 11, 12. A full account of
this worship of. Paul in the temple is given, Acts xxi. 17 — 28.
And finally, we are informed that " Peter and John went up
together into the temple at the hour of prayer," Acts iii. 1.
The instances which have been adduced, and others which
might be mentioned, clearly show that the most faithful servants
of the living God have approached him in prayer, singly and
in a social manner, in circumstances not admitting of a visible
distinction between believers and unbelievers.
It will appear, from what has been stated, that I distinguish
between the Lord's Supper and prayer or praise, as matters of
joint communion, for which I assign the following reasons : —
1. Two persons may join in prayer, but they cannot law
fully partake of the Lord's Supper, as I shall afterwards clearly
evince. 2. Social prayer may take place, and ought to be at
tended to every day, when there is an opportunity for it. The
Lord's Supper, on the contrary, can only be dispensed on the
first day of the week, if we follow the example of the apostolic
churches. 3. The disciples of Christ may jointly pour out their
hearts to God in a private house, where there is no church, or
on shipboard, or in the fields, and in all the various situations
in which they may be placed. But, if we follow the primitive
example, the Lord's Supper can only be administered to a con-

LETTER IV.  ON PRAYING WITH UNBELIEVERS. 219
gregation united in the bond of Christian love, assembling
regularly in one place, observing all the ordinances of the house
of God, and attending to the law of discipline by which purity
of communion is maintained. Thus it appears that the Lord's
Supper is an ordinance peculiar to a church, and there only to
be enjoyed. This, I presume, no one will affirm in relation
to prayer and praise, either as personal or as social duties.
4. Prayer and praise are unquestionably the duty and
privilege of all who are taught of God, and no person can be
a Christian who does not " call on the name of the Lord, and
give thanks to the Father, who hath made us meet to be par
takers of the inheritance of the saints in light." I am not here
going to deny that the Lord's Supper is likewise the duty and
privilege of all Christians. But it is not their immediate duty
while they remain in corrupt churches where that ordinance is
profaned, nor until they join themselves to congregations of
visible believers. Meanwhile, I scruple not to own that I have
freedom to pray jointly with some who cannot, in their present
circumstances, partake with me in the Lord's Supper. Not
that I would refuse communion with them in any ordinance,
would they accept of it in conformity to the irreversible law of
the great Head of the church, who hath commanded, 1. "That
men shall be taught or made disciples. 2. That those so taught
shall be baptised. And, 3. That they shall be farther taught
to observe all things whatsoever he hath commanded." Were
I to have communion in the Lord's Supper with some whom I
reckon disciples, I must, for their sakes, act in direct opposi
tion to several things which are enforced by the authority of
the King of Zion. But when I occasionally join with them in
prayer, no such condition is required ; I make no compromise
with them, I yield no part of Divine truth, I break no com
mandment of our Lord and Saviour, unless it can be shown
that he commands me to stand aloof from those whom he hath
saved !
Here let us pause — and then ask whence it arises that any
real disciple of Jesus should controvert all that I have now ad
vanced, without attempting to prove, or professing to maintain,
that all the children of God are now in churches resembling
" those which in Judea were in Christ Jesus." I am afraid
that the sentiments which I now combat, and others which
give no evidence of a contrite and humble spirit, but have an
evident tendency to perpetuate divisions among the people of
God, will go far to establish two facts which have often appeared
to me probable. 1 . That there are no churches as yet fully
delivered from the influence of the Man of Sin. And, 2. That

220 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
those of them who profess greater strictness, while they treat
others with contempt who are less instructed in many things,
may, after all their boasting, be as far from the primitive mode
as some of those whom they unmercifully condemn, not merely
as societies, but as individuals professing to have all their hope
in the blessed Jesus.
Edinburgh, November 14, 1807.

V.— ON EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS.
I shall now examine another strange doctrine maintained by a
considerable number of persons, many of whom, I trust, have
an ear to hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,
although they now seem uncommonly tenacious of their own
opinion. IV. Of all the objectionable schemes lately adopted by pro
fessing Christians, that of reducing a church of Christ to the
number of two or three, and insisting that so small a company,
admitting them to be disciples, may lawfully partake of the
Lord's Supper, not only without elders, but, as I conceive,
without a church, appears to me the farthest from any prece
dent left on record by the Apostles of our Lord and Saviour,
and the most ruinous to the visible profession of Christianity.
Several supporters of this new plan have already appeared,
and I know not how many are now preparing to espouse their
cause. I lament that a practice so opposite to that of the first
churches seems to make rapid progress, not only among those
immediately connected with the teachers who have introduced
or revived it, but among other classes who have had longer ex
perience in the Christian profession, and who might have been
expected to be less fond of novelties. Even Baptists, who ap
peal to apostolic example with more consistency than other
Christians, because the latter sprinkle infants without example
other than that which they conceive to be implied in the bap
tism of households ; even Baptists, I say, who justly plead
the necessity of precept or example for every Divine or
dinance, think themselves warranted in this instance to decide
by a sort of reasoning, as fallacious and inconclusive as that by
which others have attempted to support infant baptism. And,
as if it had been intended to show the farthest extent of human

LETTER V.  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 221
inconsistency, the pastoral work and office are treated with dis
respect. The particulars which I mean to state, in opposition to these
sentiments, are the following : —
First, Two or three persons cannot be a church of Christ.
Second, What a church really is, particularly in relation to
the gifts and offices which belong to it.
Third, The Lord's Supper is an ordinance peculiar to a
Christian church.
Fourth, All the examples of keeping this ordinance re
corded in the New Testament, took place in organized
churches. Fifth, Dispensing the ordinance of the Supper, or presiding
on that occasion, is a part of the work of pastors, and belongs
to them exclusively.
Sixth, The opposite plan has a tendency to scatter the sheep
of Christ.
First, With respect to that sort of association which consti
tutes a church of Christ, all Congregational churches are agreed
that it cannot be a whole nation, nor a combination of societies
within a smaller district, nor any assembly in which the people
of God are visibly confounded with the world, nor the rulers or
representatives of one or more churches. But some of them
run so far to the opposite extreme, as to affirm that two or three
believers, when more cannot be had, ought to be considered as
a church, and to partake of all its ordinances. And so intoxi
cated are they with this idea of a church, that it may be doubt
ful whether any thing will convince them of their error, till
some of their brethren shall go a step farther, and seriously
maintain that one person constitutes a church when there is
not another disciple of Christ in his neighbourhood ! And then
the only remaining ground of dispute among that class will be,
whether one female Christian may not have the same privilege,
if indeed a privilege we ought to call it.
This suggests a difficulty which has not yet been solved. If
two or three believers constitute a church, and they happen to
be all females, what shall be done ? for women are not per
mitted to speak in the church. When such a company therefore
meets, of necessity we must say, either that it is not a church,
or that all its members must be silent. If any should argue
that a woman, speaking where no men are present, does not act
opposite to the modesty of her own sex, I could say nothing
against this. She may pray, and read the Scriptures, and ex
hort. But still the difficulty remains, is she warranted to do

222 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
all this in the church ? And is it possible to give a satisfactory
reason why a woman should administer the Lord's Supper ?
It seems to be supposed, that because two persons can ex
ercise private discipline, therefore they are the Lord's body,
and may partake of the ordinance of the Supper, and some avow
this sentiment in the plainest terms. _ Does not our blessed
Saviour, say they, make the supposition that two or three
may compose a church ? Matt, xviii. Are not these supposed
capable of attending to discipline, and all the ordinances of a
church ? And are they not, in the observance of Christ's ordi
nances, given to expect his presence and blessing, as well as
the most numerous assembly ?
As it cannot be argued that there is an example in the New
Testament of a church consisting of so small a number, this
sentiment must arise solely from mistaking the sense of Matt.
xviii. 19, 20. Let us endeavour, therefore, to ascertain the
precise meaning of what is there spoken.
That the two or three who have the promise of Christ's pre
sence in the midst of them, cannot be a church, is perfectly
clear from the preceding rule of discipline, which supposes
an offender, a person offended, and one or two more. If we
apply the rule to a complete church like that at Philippi, having
bishops and deacons, the number will be doubled, and the of
fended brother, with one or two other witnesses, must tell the
matter of offence to the church or congregation, which at all rates
is supposed to exist, whether they have office-bearers or not.
Two persons not in communion with any church may and
ought to exercise private discipline, as has been justly re
marked. And the nature of the case requires, that if the one
turn out to be an impenitent sinner, the other ought to have no
fellowship with him. Nothing can be more certain, however,
than that he acts merely from his own judgment, and that he
has not the sanction of a church of Christ. The very state
ment of the case proceeds upon the ground that there is no
church to which the trespass can be told.
The encouragement given to the church to act faithfully in
matters of discipline, is stated in verse 18 ; and then in verses
19, 20, our Lord reverts to the two steps of private discipline
which he had instituted, introducing himself thus, " Again, I
say unto you," which marks the transition to another subject,
— " If two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing
that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father
who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The
two persons to whom this promise is made, are not the church;

LETTER V  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 223
for they are " two of you," or two members of the church.
And the supposition that they are elders or pastors must be
equally unfounded ; for that would imply that they are two of
a greater number, and that if two of them agree, there is no
occasion for the concurrence of their fellow-elders and of the
whole church. " Two of you," therefore, are the offended
brother, and he who hath trespassed against him. They are
here directed to pray, and assured of a gracious answer. The
promise is likewise extended to those engaged in the second
step of the discipline, the number of whom cannot be less than
three. In both cases our Lord speaks of them as gathered
together in his name, and promises to be in the midst of them.
When a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ goes to tell a
brother his fault, and when he takes with him one or two more,
they are gathered together in the name of the Lord Jesus.
This may well solemnize their minds, and show them the ne
cessity of prayer. In the very first instance, although a differ
ence subsists between them, they may agree in asking light and
direction, and that the one may speak, and the other hear, as
persons animated by the principles of the Gospel, and under
a sense of the authority of their common Lord. From want of
this, I doubt not, it has frequently happened that matters of
private discipline, which ought always to be conducted in the
spirit of love and meekness, and recollecting the presence of
Christ, have been made the foundation of quarrels and endless
jarring among professing Christians. When the appointed
means are blessed, so as to bring the offending brother to
repentance, " two of them will agree on earth" to ask Divine
forgiveness for the trespass that has been committed, and is
now confessed, as well as to implore a disposition in the offended
brother to forgive, and a complete restoration of mutual love
and confidence.
In like manner, when three are gathered together in the
name of Jesus, in order to use farther means for the conviction
of the offender, they ought to begin and conclude with prayer.
The promise to them is, " Where three are gathered together
in my name, there am I in the midst of them ;" and they have
reason to expect, that he who uttered these words will give
success to their endeavours for bringing the offender to repen
tance, or make him fully manifest as a rotten branch in the
vine, which requires to be lopped off.
How much is it to be regretted, that instead of taking the
proffered assistance of Him who sits upon the throne of David,
to order and to establish his kingdom with judgment and with
justice for ever, according to the plain meaning of this passage,
when Divine aid is so much wanted, the words of this glorious

224 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
King should be tortured, and another sense put upon them,
completely subversive of the whole doctrine of the New Testa
ment in relation to churches !
That the spirit of the passage which I have thus attempted
to explain, may be applicable to every lawful assembly of Chris
tians, while engaged about the things which concern the king
dom of God, I certainly will not deny. But that it was liter
ally and immediately intended for the direction and encourage
ment of the Lord's disciples, in those two steps of discipline
which ought always to precede our telling any matter of private
offence to the church, and that it has no literal or immediate
respect to any assembly that can justly be called a church, I
affirm with that confidence which one ought always to feel
when maintaining the truth of God.
It is not my intention to determine so positively the exact
number that may be requisite for constituting a church ; nor is it
incumbent on me to do so. I may be very certain that two or
three cannot be a church, without knowing what is the smallest
number of which it may consist. The silence of Scripture on
that head, renders it impossible to decide with precision. Only
it would seem, so far as we can learn from the sacred history
of the primitive churches, that they were numerous bodies.
They were generally in populous cities ; and when Titus was
directed to set in order the things which were wanting, he was
to ordain elders in every city. At any rate, none of them
amounted to so small a number as that which is now pleaded
for. We read, it is true, of the church in the house of such a
one. But this must either have been a believing family termed
a congregation, not because they were a church of Christ pro
perly so called, but because the head of the family worshipped
God with all his house, or because all the believers in the place
where he lived assembled in his upper room, many of such
being large and spacious. Of this description, I apprehendwas
the place where the church at Troas met, Acts xx.
Having dwelt so long upon what a church of Christ is not, I
must now endeavour to show,
Second, What it is, particularly in relation to the gifts and
offices which belong to it. It would be giving an imperfect
account of a church of Christ, were nothing more said of it
than that it consists of visible believers, united in the bond of
Christian love, and regularly assembling for the purpose of
Divine worship, though these are its leading and essential qua
lities, as we clearly perceive from the whole of the New Testa
ment. Considering those for whom I write, it is unnecessary
to enlarge on the particulars which have just been mentioned.

LETTER V.  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 225
But is a Christian assembly to have no order, and no leaders either
in worship or in discipline ? Are there none to whom the over
sight of the flock is committed, who feed the church of God,
and who watch for their souls, as they who must give an ac
count ? Nor any persons whom the church is called to obey$
to honour, to esteem very highly in love for their work's sake,
as labouring among them, being over them in the Lord, and
admonishing them ? This undoubtedly must be taken into the
account, when we form our ideas of a church of Christ. It is
" a congregation of saints in Christ Jesus, with the bishops
(overseers) and deacons," Phil. u 1, — a society in which, though
its constitution is extremely simple, yet every provision is made
for the most complete decency and order. " God is not the
author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the
saints." One leading branch of the order of churches, is the appoint*-
ment of office-bearers for the management of their spiritual and
of their temporal concerns. " The things which Evangelists
heard among many witnesses, they were charged to commit to
faithful men, who should be able to teach others also," that the
great things which God hath done for us, might be transmitted
from age to age, and officially taught in all the churches to
the end of time. And the characters of those elders or over
seers, who were to be chosen by the churches, and ordained or
set apart by other teachers, are specified with much precision
in the directions given to Timothy and Titus ; as are also the
characters of the deacons, whose office it was to supply the
wants of the poor, and in other respects to be engaged in the
honourable work of serving the churches.
This part of the order of the house of God is not absolutely
denied ; but it is treated lightly, and in certain cases which
must often occur, it is entirely set aside by those who labour
to convince us that every thing which can be done in a church
having office-bearers, may be done without them. They affirm
that a few disciples, nay the very smallest number that can meet
together, are a church of Christ, and the body of Christ, not
with a view to show that the power of choosing office-bearers,
and of receiving and excluding members, belongs to the whole
church, and that they are God's heritage, over which elders
must not exercise a lordly dominion — claims which formerly
satisfied every judicious and sober Congregationalist ; but with
the declared purpose of frequently dispensing with pastors
and teachers altogether. For these are to have no place
in the body, whenever two or three, or any greater number
of disciples, shall think it expedient to act as a church of Christ
2 v

226 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
without office-bearers. This seems very like the foot saying
to the head or the eye, I have no need of thee ; an instance of
contempt so very unnatural, and repugnant even to reason, that
the Apostle does not mention any thing like it in his description
of the body of Christ, 1 Cor. xii.
The qualifications most essential to a church of Christ, are
their being " one body, guided and animated by one spirit;
their being called in one hope of their calling ; and having one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who
is above all, and through all, and in them all." But the gifts
which the Lord ascended up on high to bestow, likewise enter
into the description of the body of Christ, and are necessary,
not in point of form only, but " for the perfecting of the saints
for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body
of Christ." The disciples, thus privileged, and " speaking the
truth in love, grow up into him in all things who is the head,
even Christ; from whom the whole body, fitly joined together,
and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according
to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love," Eph. iv.
4 — 17. No unprejudiced person, who knows the truth, can
read the whole of this passage, without perceiving that the
body of Christ, like the natural body to which it is compared,
consists of many members, and is organized, and visibly ap
pears to be one body, not when the members are in a disjointed
state, but when each is fitted into its own proper place, and so
contributes to the good of the whole. See also Col. ii. 19, com
pared with Eph. iv. 16.
In this organization, so necessary to the compacting and to the
edification of the body, shall pastors and teachers have no place,
although given by the great Head of the church for those very
purposes ? The various offices, and the Lord's intention in
bestowing them, are thus described, " And he gave some
apostles ; and some prophets ; and some evangelists ; and
some pastors and teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints,"
&c. Shall we then affirm, that the whole work of fitting and
bringing into joint, and building up the body of Christ, maybe
performed without pastors and teachers ? This indeed has been
affirmed, and is a leading part of the doctrine which I now
oppose. But where shall we find any authority for it in the
Word of God ?
Far be it from me, however, to say that the gifts necessary
for the edification of a church are exclusively possessed by
elders. Every one has it in his power to contribute in some
way to the good of the body, 1 Cor. xii. 21 — 27 ; and if in
this respect he be altogether useless, he is not a living member

LETTER V  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 227
of the body. Some have gifts qualifying them for public
usefulness as preachers of the Gospel, to whom every encou
ragement ought to be given. Others, not surely excluding
those who preach, are able in various degrees to edify the
church, by exhorting them when they are met together. In
short, all the talents which God hath given are included here.
But the present subject leads me to treat only of the gifts of
those who bear office in the churches, which indeed are prin
cipally intended by the Apostle in the passages now quoted.
There is another description of the body of Christ in 1 Cor.
xii., already hinted at, so apt, and striking, and beautiful, that
every part of it bears marks of Divine inspiration. And in it
a particular reference is made to the church of God at Corinth,
by which it appears that the Apostle had in view, not only the
whole of Christ's mystical body, but also congregations of
saints, which are visible representations on earth of the general
assembly and church of the first-born enrolled in heaven. He
states, as in Eph. iv., the various gifts bestowed by our exalted
Lord, and then represents believers as one body, dwelling upon
this figure, and fully explaining it. And he affirms, that " God
hath set the members every one of them in the body (i. e.
the natural body,) as it hath pleased him ;" showing the com
plete harmony of the whole structure, the necessity of each
member in its due place, even the more feeble and the more
uncomely, and how they all co-operate with unity of design,
for the good of the whole body.
In close connexion with his description of the human body,
by which he figuratively describes the body of Christ, he adds,
" Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular ;"
intimating that this very church of God at Corinth was such a
body, possessed of all its functions, capable of acting as such, and
rendering the body of Christ visible to those around them. Did
he affirm this without respect to gifts and offices in the church
of Christ ? By no means ; for he immediately proceeds thus,
" And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, second
ly prophets, thirdly teachers," and so forth ; using the same
expression as that which he had used in relation to the natural
body — " God hath set the members in the body ;" and so here
again, " God hath set some in the church," thus organizing
a Christian assembly, and fitting them to appear and act as the
body of Christ. On the contrary, when there is a want of the
principal and governing members, and when the rest are conse
quently out of their place, may we not ask, as the Apostle does
on the supposition of there being but one member, " Where is
the body?"

228 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
The members particularly specified by the Apostle, are more
numerous than those which some persons now take it upon
them to say may constitute a church. He affirms in general
that, " As the body is one, and hath many members, and all
the members of that one body being many, are one body, so
also is Christ." And then he mentions the foot, the hand,
the organ of smelling, and that of hearing, the eye, the head,
and also those members which are more feeble, and the less
honourable members, which he likewise terms our uncomely
parts. It is remarkable that the most honourable and useful
members are declared, by the new plan of forming churches, to
be sometimes unnecessary, while the Lord himself teacheth us
that those members which seem to be more feeble are necessary.
Such is the contrast between his judgment and that of his mis
guided servants !
In any other case one would be apt to say, If the more
feeble, and less honourable, and even the uncomely members of a
body, are necessary, much more are the strong, the honourable,
and the seemly : and this reasoning would be held conclusive.
No person who thinks justly would venture to affirm the opposite,
nor indeed any one who thinks at all. But it frequently hap
pens, that even sensible people, when they err in matters of
religion, get into a state of mind which baffles all argument.
Yet there is nothing so rational as the religion of Jesus Christ.
We have been called on to say, whether two or three professing
disciples are not the body of Christ. If they are real believers,
they are undoubtedly members of Christ's mystical body. But
I do not scruple to affirm that they are not the body of Christ
in any sense explained in the New Testament, to which alone
reference must be had for deciding this question. Surely two
or three are not the whole church of the redeemed ; neither
are they a visible representation of the body of Christ in this
world, which is always described in the Word of God, when
any particular account is given of it, not merely as a company
of believers, but as a compacted and organized body. And
these two are the only descriptions of the body of Christ which
are to be found in the Scriptures.
Again it is argued, that " societies composed of a few be
lievers at Antioch, Lystra, &c, are expressly denominated
churches before elders were ordained among them." That in
each of those places there was a congregation, the materials
of which God's building was formed, and members of Christ,
which he fashioned into a regular and organized body, I fully
admit. But there is surely a difference between loose stones,
however finely polished, and a building complete in all its parts ;

LETTER V., — EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 229
and between separate members of a body, and the same mem
bers fitted to each other, and so reared as to constitute one
body. To affirm that two or three persons are a church of Christ,
is to throw down the whole doctrine of the New Testament,
relating to that subject, at one stroke. It is going far beyond
the precedents upon which this presumptuous opinion is found
ed, had it even been plainly declared that the disciples at
Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, observed the ordinance of the
Lord's Supper before they were set in order. For in each of
those places there were among themselves the whole of the
materials requisite for constituting organized churches — a
sufficient number of male persons out of whom to choose office
bearers, and more than one qualified to feed the church of
God which he hath purchased with his own blood ; evidently
implying that there was also a church capable of being fed.
Such a deficiency in point of number, or of gifts, as renders
every thing of this sort impossible, must totally set aside the
claim of any society of Christians to be accounted a church of
Christ, properly so called.
It is but a flimsy excuse to say, that the Lord will add to.
their numbers. He may, or he may not. Meanwhile, it is
their duty to wait his time, and to pray to the Lord of the
harvest, both for converts and for labourers. It may likewise
be remarked, that in many places where there are only two or
three believers, there is no probability, humanly speaking, that
during a whole lifetime a sufficient number will be gathered
to constitute a church. The disorderly plan, therefore,
which I feel it my duty to oppose, has not, in most cases, even
the merit of being a temporary one. And I shall afterwards
show that it threatens, not only to prevent the gathering
of new churches, but to effect the dissolution of those already
formed : and consequently that, however much the favourers
of the plan in question may think themselves disposed to
respect the elder's office, if persons duly qualified could be ob-»
tained, their manner of proceeding is in fact subversive of that.
Divine institution.
Edinburgh, November 21, 1807-

230 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.

VI.— ON EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS.
In my last letter I endeavoured to show, First, That two or
three persons cannot be a church of Christ.
. Second, That a church, strictly and properly speaking, is
an organized body of disciples.
The next thing that I proposed to offer to the consideration
of enquiri rs, was,
Third, That the Lord's Supper is an ordinance peculiar to
a Christian church.
So clearly does this appear from every thing in the New
Testament which relates to " the breaking of bread," that, in
the judgment of not a few simple Christians, who in general
are best qualified to judge, I am persuaded that an attempt to
establish it, will appear, if not trifling, at least altogether super
fluous. I am not however fully convinced that my opponents
admit the assertion, nor indeed that they have considered this
part of the subject with the attention which it deserves.
My opponents have said that they will not admit that the
Lord's Supper may be observed independently of the order and
presence of a church. But what is the order and presence of
a church ? Two or three may compose a church. Now, I can
not perceive much difference between saying that the Lord's
Supper belongs to disciples individually considered, and affirm
ing that two or three may partake of it. Perhaps none who
maintain these sentiments would hesitate to own that the Lord's
Supper is a church ordinance, were they fully convinced in
their own minds that a church may consist of so small a
number. One of the arguments of those who plead for eating the
Lord's Supper without elders, is its being the principal thing
in view when Christians assemble on the first day of the week ;
its peculiar importance, the high degree of edification and com
fort which we may expect in attending to it every Lord's day ;
its tendency to strengthen our faith, to enliven our hope, and
to confirm, as well as to show forth, our union as the body of
Christ. And they might have added, that it was instituted on
" the night in which Jesus was betrayed," and that it is " the
feast which we must keep with the unleavened bread of sin
cerity and truth." That there is something peculiar in this
ordinance, likewise appears from its sanction, " Whosoever shall
eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily,

LETTER VI  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 231
shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord," 1 Cor. xi.
27. When they press the observance of the Lord's Supper
from the consideration of its great importance, they say much
in praise of this ordinance, and represent the keeping of it as
the indispensable duty of Christians, wherever two of them
can assemble. How much soever a few disciples may be en
gaged in prayer, praise, reading the Scriptures, and mutual
exhortation, they seem to consider these as nothing, if the
Lord's Supper be not dispensed.
Again, when they attempt to show the lawfulness of two or
three persons, or any greater number, partaking of the Lord's
Supper without elders, they reduce it to the level of other or
dinances, and endeavour to prove that we ought to view it in
the same light with prayer or praise ; and that, if two or three
disciples attend to all other ordinances, they cannot with any
consistency scruple to break bread. The opposite practice is
stigmatized as arising from superstitious veneration for this
ordinance, and something nearly akin to the idolatrous regard
which has been paid to Romish priests. Here I cannot help
remarking, that they might have treated with more tenderness
a scruple of conscience which so extensively prevails, had they
even seen nothing more than a very slight ground for it in the
Word of God. But to return to the subject in hand. Blessing
the bread and wine, or giving thanks for these, is declared to
be " competent to every brother."
One of the reasons for " the propriety of believers who as
sociate together for observing the other ordinances of the Lord,
as a church, observing also the Lord's Supper," is the impro
priety of exalting any one ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ's
appointment over another.
Were it not that the drift of all their arguments, tending to
increase or to diminish our just veneration for this Divine or
dinance, is perfectly clear, and fairly avowed, one would be at
a loss to determine whether upon the whole they mean to exalt
or to depreciate it. Be it observed, however, that many of them,
I am confident, would not for the whole world utter one syllable
derogatory to the Lord's Supper, were they not hurried on by
a strong desire to put it within the reach of all the disciples of
Jesus, in whatever circumstances they may be placed, and
without duly considering whether this be done by lawful means*
This concession I make with the utmost cheerfulness, and with
all sincerity.
I request the attention of all such persons to a few remarks,
designed to show that they are greatly mistaken who suppose
that there is nothing peculiar in this ordinance, and that it may

232 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
be observed wherever two or three meet together for social
worship. They need not however be afraid that I shall favour a su
perstitious regard to any ordinance ; nor have they the smallest
occasion to deprecate the revival of that principle in the present
age, especially among those who may be expected to pay at
tention to this controversy. Many of them have gone to an
opposite extreme; and among the whole of them it would per
haps be difficult to produce one instance of a truly superstitious
mind. (1.) Baptism and the Lord's Supper are both symbolical ordi
nances, representing by outward signs the foundation of our
hope towards God, and the spiritual benefits which all believers
obtain through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There is a remarkable distinction between them and other Divine
institutions, none of which except these two having any thing
figurative in them. The typical dispensation has been abolished,
and good things to come are not now, in any one instance, re
presented by types and shadows, unless the figure of a resur
rection in baptism may be considered in that light. But the
things which are set forth in baptism are the death and resur
rection of Jesus Christ, and his blood which cleanseth from all
sin ; and if believers who are immersed in water have an em
blem of their own resurrection when they are raised up out of
the water, it is because they have fellowship with Christ in his
death and resurrection, which is likewise signified in this or
dinance. Notwithstanding the substance prefigured by the former
shadows being come, and the worship of New Testament
churches being pure, simple, and spiritual, such is our weak
ness, and our need of being instructed and edified by sensible
representations, that the Lord hath condescended to give us
two ordinances of that nature, to call to our remembrance in
the most striking manner the glorious foundation of all our
hope, to preach to us figuratively all that is doctrinally held
forth in the Gospel, and to make our very senses the means or
instruments by which spiritual blessings and consolations are
imparted. There are instituted elements and forms, each of
them full of meaning, and all intended to produce in the minds
of believers a deep consideration, and a comfortable enjoyment
of the love of Christ, "who bare their sins in his own body on
the tree."
To the Lord's Supper chiefly, the Apostle seems to refer
when he says, concerning the Galatians, " Before whose eyes
Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among

LETTER VI  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 233
you," chap. iii. 1. The words spoken by our Lord at the in
stitution of this ordinance, hitherto thought necessary to be
repeated wherever it has been observed, are of similar import,
" This is my body which is broken for you — this cup is the
New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you." And the
Apostle adds, " For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink
this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come."
I have no occasion to explain more minutely the nature of
either of those ordinances, intending at present only to remark
that they are symbolical, and in this respect similar to each,
other, but eminently distinguished from all the rest of the
Christian institutions.
(2.) Baptism is distinguished, not only from prayer, praise,
&c, but also from the Lord's Supper, by its never being
repeated, and by its application, in all cases, to individual per
sons. In its own nature it has nothing to do with church com
munion any farther than that those who are added to a church
ought first to be baptised, Acts ii. 41. Churches of Christ
have always fellowship in that which is signified by baptism ;
but in the outward administration and participation of the or
dinance, they can have no communion as churches, without act
ing in direct opposition to every precept and every example in
the New Testament, relating to that subject.
(3.) With respect to the last-mentioned particulars, the Lord's
Supper is precisely the reverse of baptism. The command
ment of its Divine histitutor is, " Do this in remembrance of
me;" and his death must be shown forth in the churches,
" as often as they eat this bread, and drink this cup, until
he come again." The breaking of bread is likewise an ordi
nance which cannot be dispensed to an individual believer.
The three thousand converted on the day of Pentecost, added
to the former hundred and twenty, " continued steadfastly in the
breaking of bread," Acts ii. 42; and every other example
accords with this, in the nature, though not in the number of
the assembly. In a church of the saints only, whatever society
we conceive to be meant by that appellation, we must do
this in remembrance of our crucified Lord. Ought we not
then to startle at the idea of one person giving the symbols of
Christ's body and blood to another individual, in the same man
ner as he might, if duly called to it, administer the ordinance
of baptism ? They who follow this practice must either believe
that the Lord's Supper is not the exclusive privilege of a
church, or that a church is any thing which they choose to call
by that name, how far soever it may come short of the acknow
ledged description of the apostolic churches.
(4.) Reading the Scriptures, exhortation, prayer, and praise,
2g

234 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
are not merely church ordinances. They are such when ob
served by churches. But when a believer prays in his family,
or in his closet, there is no church communion there. All those
duties may be performed in a great variety of situations, and
in this respect they are not positive institutions, but moral
duties, daily incumbent upon those who live by the faith of
Christ. My opponents will not affirm that Christians ought to
be engaged in the duties which have been mentioned only in
their church assemblies. And they will admit that it is
equally lawful for a few Christians to meet on the Lord's day
for the worship of God, as it is to be engaged in the same
exercises at other times ; nay, that it is their bounden duty to
be thus employed when it is in their power. The ordinance
of discipline is no exception here. Even where there is an
organized body of disciples, or a New Testament church, dis
cipline is not confined to their public assemblies. On the con
trary, the most essential parts of it, as has been stated in
Letter V., are expressly commanded to be attended to in
private ; and I have shown, that discipline may be exercised
where there is no church.
What then becomes of the argument founded on the incon
sistency of a few brethren doing every thing which can be done
by an organized body, except eating the Lord's Supper ? Why
should we not make an exception of that which God hath not
included among the privileges of individual Christians ? The
truth is, that the Lord's Supper is the only ordinance which
belongs exclusively to a church of Christ as such, or a society
which can justly be denominated " the house of God, the church
of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." This
is the sense in which the Lord's Supper is to be accounted a
church ordinance ; not merely because it is observed in a church,
for so are prayer and praise, but because there alone it can
lawfully be observed.
A few disciples meeting together, not having the order of a
New Testament church, are in the same situation with respect
to the Lord's Supper, as they would be if each of them were
confined at home by sickness. And if the commandment, " Do
this in remembrance of me," obliges them to proceed in the one
case, it must be equally binding in the other. Upon this I
shall only remark, that it would be well if all the disciples of
Jesus were equally solicitous to do his will in those numberless
instances which every day are within their reach. If such were
the uniform state of their minds, they would never be disap
proved for neglecting that which they could not do according
to the will of God, although in other circumstances it would
have been their indispensable duty. There may be ground of

LETTER VI  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 235
conviction here ; for we seldom show excessive zeal in favour
of one thing, without overlooking, or not paying due respect to
many other things.
There is an indecency, to say no worse of it, in attempting
to bring down the importance and solemnity of the ordinance of
the Supper. We are too apt to undervalue other ordinances,
and to be greatly deficient in that solemn and reverential state
of mind which becomes us in every approach to the living God.
But it is impossible that we can too highly venerate that ordi
nance, which represents by outward signs the body and blood
of the Lord, and which is delivered to the churches with sanc
tions awful beyond expression. They who rush forward to it
in a careless and irreverent manner, and in many cases taking
it upon them to supersede the order of the house of God, know
not what they do.
Fourth, All the examples of keeping this ordinance recorded
in the New Testament, took place in organized churches.
There are three instances of the primitive Christians remem
bering the Lord's death in the ordinance of the Supper after
his resurrection ; which, together with the original institution
of it by the Lord himself, are all the express authorities in the
form of example upon which we can proceed. Every thing else
is mere conjecture. These examples are,
(I.) The first and the most eminent is that of the great
Lawgiver of the Christian church and his eleven
apostles ; which, while we cannot think of it but with the
deepest reverence, presents to our view the most perfect church
that ever was assembled in this sinful world, and the glo
rious Head of the church presiding among them.
(2.) The next is that of the church of God at Jerusalem, the
first that was congregated after the resurrection of Jesus, and
the pattern set for the imitation of all succeeding churches,
1 Thess. ii. 14. Here there were for some time no elders, pro
perly so called. How long we know not, nor is it material that
we should know. They had elders about ten years after the'day
of Pentecost, Acts xi. 30, mentioned also chap. xv. 4, 6, &c,
and chap. xxi. 1 8. But the Apostles themselves were the rulers
of that church, Heb. xiii. 7 ; and possessing, as they did, the
highest office in the church, every inferior office was 'included
therein. Thus they frequently denominate themselves elders,
1 Pet. v. 1. 2 John, ver. 1. 3 John, ver. 1; and at the
first, they likewise, during a short period, acted as deacons,
Acts, vi. 2. It is undeniable therefore that the twelve
Apostles were the elders of the church at Jerusalem ; and there
were many other gifts and office-bearers among fhem, so that

236 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
in relation to order, as well as every thing else, there could be
no deficiency.
(3.) Another instance is the church of God at Corinth, " who
abounded in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and came
behind in no gift," who had many prophets among them, the
office next in order to that of Apostles, and who are described
as a completely organized body, having teachers, 1 Cor. xii.
Here I beg leave to refer the reader to Letter V., and shall
only further remark, in relation to this church, that the Apostle
represents them as one body with reference to the Lord's Sup
per, 1 Cor. x. 16, 17. " 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 ?
For we being many are one bread, and one body ; for we are
all partakers of that one bread." One loaf of bread, consisting
of many particles, is here made a figure of one body, who are
many and yet one, partaking of the ordinance of the supper.
They were one as being all united to Christ, and enjoying the
blessings of redemption through him. And they were visibly
one by their profession of faith in Christ, and their assembling
in the order which he hath appointed to observe his ordinances,
and particularly the ordinance of the Lord's Supper; thus
giving a just representation of what the body of Christ really is,
which they could not have done as separate and disjointed
members. Was it not this also that led the Apostle to say to
the Colossians, " Though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I
with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and
the steadfastness of your faith in Christ ?"
(4.) The only remaining instance is that of the church at
Troas, Acts xx., about which many doubts have been started,
such as, " Were they a church ? for they are only called dis
ciples ;" though they who ask this question do not always
scruple to admit that disciples are a church. — " Had they any
pastors and teachers ? — Who administered the Lord's Supper
on the occasion referred to, for it is not said that this service
was performed by Paul ?" Therefore I suppose it is thought
most probable that some private brother was employed, while
not only ordinary teachers, but an Apostle and an Evangelist
were there ! Paul, however, seems to have had the lead in that
assembly, for he is the only preacher who is named ; " he con
tinued his speech until midnight," and after performing a miracle,
" he talked a long while, even till break of day."
Without attempting to answer every question, I shall state
what convinces my own mind that the disciples at Troas had
been set in order as a church, before they received this visit
from Paul and his seven companions, mentioned ver. 4.

LETTER VI  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 237
There is some reason to conclude that the Gospel was
preached by Paul at Troas, when he went first there with Silas
and Timotheus, Acts xvi. 8. This took place about seven
years before the visit which I am now considering, and may be
that which is noticed by him, 2 Cor. ii. 12, where he says,
" When I came to Troas to preach Christ's Gospel, and a
door was opened to me of the Lord," &c. That he refers to
the same period, is probable from what he adds, ver. 13, " But
takingjny leave of them, I went into Macedonia," which agrees
with Acts xvi. 9, 10, 12. It would seem therefore that Paul
at that time preached Christ's Gospel at Troas, though this is
omitted in Luke's narrative ; and that he had considerable suc
cess there, for " a door was opened to him of the Lord." And
is it to be supposed that the disciples at Troas would remain
seven years without being set in order, when we know that
elders were ordained in other churches within about one year
after the Gospel had been first preached to them ? Acts xiv.
23. At any rate Paul's preaching at Troas, which he men
tions to the Corinthians, must have been at a period prior to
his visit narrated in Acts xx. ; for that visit took place several
years after his second epistle to the Corinthians was witten,
and he was not now going into Macedonia, but had just come
out of it, Acts xx. 6.
I shall only add that, although less evidence could have been
produced that there was a regular church at Troas when the
disciples came together to break bread, we ought to ex
plain a brief and imperfect account of the manner of observing
the Lord's Supper by those which are more full and particular.
Had not Paul mentioned his preaching at Troas and the effects
of it, we should have had no direct evidence of the fact in Luke's
narration. But is it likely that, without having any end to
serve by it, we would have said that he did not preach there,
while we know that in general, wherever he was, he preached
the Gospel ? And were I next to affirm that the glad tidings
of salvation were preached at Melita, would the silence of Luke
be held decisive against me ?
These are all the examples which I can find in the New
Testament. But they who wish to prove the lawfulness of a
few disciples eating the Lord's Supper without elders, have
recourse, in a sort of conjectural way, to those churches in which
Paul and Barnabas ordained elders, Acts xiv. 23. And I am
seriously convinced that, instead of proving their point, they
take some of the following things for granted : — 1st, That one
of those churches at least, consisted of no more than two or
three members. — 2d, That there were no extraordinary teachers,
as prophets or evangelists, raised up in any of those churches.

238 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
—3d, That they actually did eat the Lord's Supper before they
had elders, and in the absence of Paul, Barnabas, and other
extraordinary teachers  4th, That when Paul and Barnabas
were present, this ordinance was administered by a private bro
ther. I am sure that, in order to establish their doctrine in its
full extent, it is incumbent on them to give satisfactory evi
dence of the truth of these four assertions, unless they can show
that the Lord's Supper belongs to individual Christians, and
is not the peculiar privilege of the churches of Christ. As
they have not done either, nor attempted to do it, their rea
sonings are completely answered by a mere affirmation that
they have no such evidence to produce.
For my own part I will not affirm that societies of Christians,
before they obtained elders, did not eat the Lord's Supper,
when Apostles and other extraordinary teachers, who had the
care of all the churches, were present with them. But they
could not be said to want elders when those presiding among
them were superior to ordinary pastors, and having a general
charge, " Feed my lambs, feed my sheep," had power to teach
authoritatively, and to preside and rule wherever they went.
This, therefore, although it had been expressly declared in the
Word of God, would have been the farthest thing imaginable
from sanctioning the practice of eating the Lord's Supper with
out elders. No person, I should think, will attempt to justify
it on this ground. Nor am I persuaded that ordinary pastors
and teachers are warranted to dispense the Lord's Supper in
congregations which have no elders of their own. Apostles
and Evangelists might supply this deficiency ; but, so far as I
am able to perceive, it cannot be supplied by office-bearers
who have no general superintendence of the churches.
Two particulars on this subject remain to be discussed in
my next letter.
Edinburgh, November 28, 1807.

VII.— ON EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS.
Referring to the arguments adduced in my 5th and 6th Let
ters, tending to prove that the Lord's Supper cannot lawfully
be observed without elders, I now remark,
Fifth, That dispensing the ordinance of the Supper, or presid
ing on that occasion, is a part of the pastor's work, and belongs
to him exclusively.

LETTER VII.  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 239
Here, again, my opponents argue so loosely, that they seem
as if they were pleased with turning things upside down.
They say that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to prove
that ever an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher,
presided at the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. If by this
only is meant, that the fact is not expressly declared in the
Scriptures, it will neither be difficult nor impossible to prove
that assertion, although it be a negative, unless we should con
sider the Lord himself as sustaining all those characters in the
highest perfection, and produce the most complete evidence
that he once presided at this ordinance. What may be the
precise ground of this uncertainty, it seems not very easy to de
termine ; for it would be just as reasonable to doubt whether
any of those teachers ever had communion with the churches
in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. No just argument can
require the support of conjectures so wild and extravagant.
It might have been enough surely to have given a private
brother authority to preside at this ordinance when no elders
are present. But to give him the precedency of pastors,
teachers, evangelists, prophets, and apostles, is extraordinary
indeed I Were this the case, they could not be elders, overseers,
shepherds, or presidents.
Every thing that we find in the Scriptures relating to the
character, office, and work of Christian teachers, seems to im
ply that they are to feed the church of God, and to act as
leaders and presidents both in worship and in discipline. But
this subject is to be separately considered. And with respect
to a private brother officiating at the Lord's Supper where no
elders are present, I have said enough to condemn that prac
tice, in describing the order of a New Testament church.
Even those indeed who wish to establish it, have made a con
cession which ought to convince them of their error. It is very
-candidly acknowledged that " we cannot prove that in any one
recorded instance of the Lord's Supper, elders were not pre
sent ;" " That we have no express precept or example in
Scripture on the subject of churches observing the Lord's
Supper without elders, is indisputable ;" I therefore think it is
equally indisputable that we should " have no such custom,
neither the churches of God."
On the other hand, I freely admit that we cannot have a
particular precept or an example for every privilege and for
every duty. But we ought to be extremely cautious of going
beyond these in relation to ordinances which have nothing
moral in their own nature, and depend solely and exclusively
on the will of the institutor. Some tell us that we have no
example for women eating the Lord's Supper ; and a reverend

240 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
and learned gentleman once affirmed, when reasoning with me
in support of tradition, that on my principle, which was that
of taking no human tradition as a rule of faith or practice,
women could not be baptised. I replied, that " believers
were baptised at Samaria, both men and women." He forgot
himself so far, in the heat of argument, as to insist that there
was no such text in all the Bible, though I repeated it verba
tim. This fact, however, was soon decided by a mutual refer
ence to the Scriptures.
There would be no greater absurdity in an attempt to exclude
females from the Lord's Supper for want of an example as
express as that which relates to baptism, than there is, in attempt
ing to deprive pastors of the exclusive right of administering
the ordinance of the Supper, because it is not expressly stated
in the New Testament that this service was always performed
by ordinary or extraordinary teachers. Such authority was
not needful in either case. Discipleship ascertains the privi
lege of females ; and the trust reposed in elders by the great
Head of the church, as well as the nature of the ordinance
itself, equally proves that they only are warranted to preside
at the Lord's Supper.
Not only the nations called Christian, but many of the Lord's
disciples have supposed, that although believing men and wo
men, and they alone, are said to have been baptised by the
Apostles, yet they may innocently include children. And they
maintain, some of them at least, the lawfulness of baptising
infants, as confidently as if the sacred historian had said they
were baptised, men, women, and children. Nay, if the Lord
had commanded children only to be baptised, men and women
could scarcely have been more effectually debarred from that
ordinance than they are by the practice of Paedobaptists ; so
true is it that " the commandments of God are made void by
the traditions of men." But it is not more unwarrantable to
plead the silence of Scripture for infant baptism, than for the
Lord's Supper being administered by any brother. The dis
pute in each of these cases is incontrovertibly decided by the
nature of the ordinance, and also by the practice contended for,
being opposite to all the examples which God in his infinite wis
dom hath seen meet to record for our imitation.
Many of those who practise the baptism of infants, fairly ac
knowledge that in this particular they go beyond Scripture
example, and this is admitted by all who plead for eating the
Lord's Supper without elders. But in each of these cases
they say, " It is not forbidden." And I ask, if we suppose our
selves at liberty to do all that is not expressly forbidden in the
Word of God, to what degree of superstition and will-worship

LETTER VII. — EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT'ELDERS. 24 J
may we not be led ? And are there not also moral evils which
upon the same principle might be practised without remorse ?
At a time when Christians are so much stunned and per
plexed with new modes of conducting Divine worship, I may
be permitted humbly and affectionately to recommend to them
a good old rule, which is perfectly safe, and will never have a
tendency to wound their consciences. It is this, " If there be
any circumstances relating to Divine ordinances not expressly
commanded or exemplified in the Word of God, conduct these
matters agreeably to the spirit of the Gospel, the nature of the
institutions, concerning which every iota is not specified, and
the general rules of decency and order. But if there be a pre
cept or an example, follow it implicitly, not daring to stop short
of it from motives of prudence, nor to go beyond it from mo
tives of apparent zeal. If there be more examples than one,
explain those which are narrated in a summary way, by those
which are more full, circumstantial, and explicit. And beware
of acting upon a mere supposition of any thing which God hath
not revealed, especially in those cases wherein he hath given a
direct and positive rule of duty; lest he give you up ' to walk
in the light of your own fire, and in the sparks which ye have
kindled.' "
Sixth, The practice which I have been censuring has a ten
dency to scatter the sheep of Christ. To this remark I earnestly
request the attention of all my Christian brethren, who at present
see it their duty to attend to the Lord's Supper without elders,
or are thrown into a confused and doubtful state of mind in rela
tion to that subject.
If there were even a just reason for dubiety with respect to
the line of duty in this particular, this affirmation, if it be true,
ought to have great influence on the minds of all who wish
the prosperity of Zion, to prevent them from adopting new
schemes without the most direct and positive authority from
the Word of God. They may say, perhaps, that they must act
according to their own conviction of duty, without regard to
consequences. But if the effects produced be really and ne
cessarily evil, that which produces them cannot be consistent
with " the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."
(1.) While innumerable divisions have taken place among
the followers of Christ through the influence of the Man of
Sin, and the corruption of their own hearts, every lover of the
truth must know ihat the doctrine of the Gospel, and all the
laws and institutions of Christ, have an invariable tendency to
promote among the people of God that unity which was pro
mised in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, for which Jesus
2 H

242 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
prayed, John xvii., which was beautifully exemplified in the first
Christian church, and which is solemnly and most earnestly
enjoined on several of the churches by the Apostles of our Lord
and Saviour. But the disorderly plan of eating the Lord's
Supper without elders, evidently threatens to scatter the flock,
to be a new source of division among the disciples of Jesus,
and to reduce and separate them into the smallest num
bers. If the promoters of this divisive plan do not repent, and
endeavour to undeceive those whom they have led astray, not
only will it become a ground of dispute and quarrel in organized
churches; but many who are now members of such congregations
will be led away by it, and instead of " glorifying God, even
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, with one mind and one
mouth," as they have hitherto done, they will divide themselves
into a variety of small parties, and retire from the public pro
fession of the name of Christ.
Some may live at the distance of five or ten miles, and
others perhaps twenty or thirty miles from the church of which
they are members. This is a considerable inconvenience, as
they cannot regularly attend the church meetings on the Lord's
day. Our fathers did not think so much as we do of travelling
a dozen or even twenty miles, for the purpose of enjoying pub
lic ordinances, as they understood them. In our day half a
dozen miles is reckoned by some an intolerable grievance,
though there are others who exert themselves to that extent
with the utmost cheerfulness. The former begin to think that
no advantage which may not be enjoyed at home is to be ob
tained by going so far to a church ; nay, that two or three
at their own fireside, have as good a right to be a church,
and to possess all its privileges, as the large society of which
they have been members. Consequently, they have nojonger
any desire to enjoy that which till lately has been understood
by the term church communion.
Others who have been rendered still more effeminate by
living in the nearer neighbourhood of great cities, may com
plain as much of walking two or three miles, and some perhaps
will not give themselves the trouble to go a single mile, because
they have been taught to think lightly of the order of New
Testament churches, and to consider the most essential parts
of it as superstition and priestcraft. If they all imbibe the
same doctrine, none of them will have any strong inducement
to maintain their former connexion ; they gradually fall off, and
the church is dissolved.
(2.) The same ruinous consequences will be produced in
another respect ; for an insuperable bar is thrown in the way
of gathering churches. Suppose to yourself four places at the

LETTER VII  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 243
distance of one mile from each other, and two or three disciples
newly converted residing in each of these, and an organized church
at the distance of ten or twelve miles. According to our former
ideas, they would have been added to the church, and with it they
wouldhave enjoyed all the ordinances, at least occasionally. When
that was impossible, they would never have thought of meeting
separately without a serious and unavoidable cause. The most
convenient situation of the four would have been chosen, as the
place of assembling with one accord ; and this would have been
a comfortable small society, with a probability of increasing in
gifts and numbers, and in due time having the things wanting
set in order, and elders ordained among them.
But what is likely to happen now ? The distant church is
out of the question ; to it they reckon themselves in no respect
amenable. Each of the four subdivisions is taught to consider
itself as a church, and to arrogate to its own small company, more
than seems the immediate privilege of the whole eight or twelve
persons. None of them have any stimulus to induce them to
move from their own hearths, unless the fervency of Christian
love prevail, and make them desirous of seeing one another. And
we all know that love is apt to cool, and that churches would be
ill attended if we should never assemble with them except when
we are under the impulse of strong and lively affection. When
ever, therefore, there is any deficiency in the exercise of fervent
love, without using the proper means to rekindle the flame,
and to reanimate the drooping soul, each small division
remains at home ; a church which might have increased to a
multitude, is crushed in the bud ; the world have no oppor
tunity of hearing the Word of God ; and the profession of the
name of Christ in that neighbourhood languishes and expires.
Amidst all this, what becomes of the few who had made the
Christian profession ? Some of them may hold fast the precious
faith of the Gospel, as the Lord's own people do even in mysti
cal Babylon, and may as individuals adorn the doctrine of God
their Saviour. But, considered as societies, in all probability
they are more employed in settling disputed points of divinity,
and in forming schemes for regulating, or rather, I may say,
for annihilating churches, than in considering how they may
grow in the Divine life and edify one another. Their plan is
not less unfriendly to personal religion than it is to the welfare
and prosperity of the churches. Fearless reasoning about
Divine things may issue in avowed infidelity.
I must not, however, be understood as affirming that in all
eases, matters will proceed according to the statement which
has been given. Such is the tendency of the new doctrine
about churches in its full extent. But the evils to which it

244' CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
leads cannot be supposed always to abound in the same de
gree. (3.) An opportunity is given to discontented persons to
strike off in all directions, and to form numberless schisma-
tical parties ; and then we shall have churches resembling
the army of David when he was in the cave of Adullam.
" Every one that was in distress, and every one that was
in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered
themselves unto him ; and he became a captain over them,'*
1 Sam. xxii. 1, 2. Nay, even the discipline of the house of
God will thus be rendered of no effect, because, whenever any
thing occurs to put two or three persons out of humour, and to
wound their pride, or when they are justly excommunicated ; if
they still wish to keep up a profession, they assume the name
and character of a church of* Christ, assembling together and
eating the Lord's Supper, which surely would be nothing less
than profaning that Divine ordinance. Still, however, they are
kept in countenance by many others, who maintain the same
disorderly principle upon which those schismatics proceed ; and
they feel no want of church communion, nor any thing in their
situation that can have a tendency to lead them to repentance
for those evils which threw them out of a church.
I know an instance in point. A man and his wife who had
been put away from a church of Christ for a train of conduct
quite inconsistent with the Christian profession, applied for re-
admission, and not being able to satisfy the church, were still
kept in a state of exclusion. The consequence was, that they
observed the Lord's Supper at home, on the ground that they
had as good a right to be a church, and to enjoy that ordinance,
as was possessed by those who had rejected them. In this case,
the two persons did not continue to eat and drink judgment
to themselves. They repented of that evil, though still they
were not admitted into the church. But many similar cases
may occur which will be productive of a long course of iniquity
and impiety.
My next remark is not precisely of the same class with those
which have preceded it. But you will permit me to add,
(4.) That the new plan of forming churches, and of con
ducting their worship, mars the solemnity and respectability of
Christian assemblies, and is inconsistent with that publicity
which ought to characterise their proceedings.
Superstitious solemnity, of which those who agree with me
have been, I think, unjustly accused, is nothing but an affecta
tion of that for which I plead. And respectability in a worldly
point of view will not be coveted by the true followers of Christ,
who know that the offence of the cross shall never cease while

LETTER VII  EATING THE LORD'S SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 245
there are men who possess carnal and unrenewed hearts. But
they ought neither " to suffer as evil doers," nor to expose
themselves to the ridicule of the world by their own folly and
absurdity, in any matter, especially when they are engaged in
the immediate service of God. How much soever ungodly men
may despise the institutions of Christ, these are not in them
selves trifling and contemptible ; on the contrary, the manifes
tation of the truth which appears in them is suited to command
the respect of thoughtless sinners. Unbelievers who come into
our assemblies will not in general " say that we are mad," if
nothing really extravagant or foolish appear among us ; and if
our worship, regulated by the example of the primitive churches,
shall be managed with such order and solemnity as shall hold
forth to spectators the awful lesson taught us in these words,
" God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
and to be had in reverence of all who are about him."
But are not onlookers entitled to say that two or three per
sons, or a greater number of disciples, whose worship is not
conducted by an approved teacher, calling themselves a church
of Christ, and partaking of the Lord's Supper, are assuming
that which does not belong to them ? And is it any wonder
that not only the persons so employed, but the ordinances of
the Lord Jesus Christ, should thus become objects of ridicule
and contempt ? Our reputation for wisdom in this matter is of
little consequence. But when, through our own folly, and our
blindly and tenaciously persisting in the misapplication of Scrip
ture texts, we degrade the Christian worship in the eyes of
all men ; we do an injury to our holy profession, and give oc
casion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
With respect to the publicity which ought to be given to all
the proceedings of churches, so far as the world have any thing
to do with these, for certainly they could not be edified by many
things which occur in cases of discipline ; how shall societies
consisting of two or three make any public appearance, or be
the means of publishing and perpetuating the Word of God ?
They shrink into obscure corners, and the far greater number
of those small companies will scarcely even be heard of by their
nearest neighbours, or have any attention paid to them, except
by persons who favour their peculiar sentiments, and who are
of that cast of mind which qualifies them for giving to mere
supposition the force of direct and positive proof. This does
not resemble a candlestick, with its lamp or candle giving light
to all around, nor a city set on a hill, which cannot be hid. ,
When two or three disciples live at a distance from the church
of which they are members, and cannot in general assemble
with it, this is a case of necessity which admits of no doubt. It

246 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
is their duty to worship God in private, or with that degree of
publicity which Christian prudence in various cases will dic
tate, according to the gifts which they possess, and the oppor
tunities which may occur in providence. But they are still
members of a church consisting of a larger body ; they com
municate part of that light which the church is intended to
display ; they consider the Lord's Supper as the exclusive
privilege of the church ; and none of them, although their
number should increase, become public teachers without the
suffrage of their brethren.
Some who disapprove in general of the Lord's Supper
being administered to churches having no elders, agitate this
question, " May not an organized body of Christians lawfully
partake of that ordinance, when their pastor or pastors are
occasionally absent, or when they are removed by death?"
In the preceding discussion of the subject, this circumstance
is not expressly mentioned ; nor will it often occur, when
churches who have it in their power to choose two or more
elders do not voluntarily decline that privilege. The proba
bility of being reduced to a situation so distressing, in a con
gregation where there is only one president, is therefore a
strong argument for a plurality of elders.
If just views of the nature of churches, and of the ordi
nance of the Lord's Supper, and of the pastoral "office, all
conspire to show that presiding at that ordinance is the
peculiar work of elders, as I have endeavoured to prove,
it follows of course that it cannot, on any occasion, be dis
pensed by a private brother. The necessity of resorting to
such an expedient, in consequence of a pastor being confined by
sickness, is not more urgent, although it extends to a greater
number of persons, than it would be in the case of a Christian
family, prevented by indisposition from assembling with the
church, yet able to join in social worship at home ; and the
Word of God, as we have seen, does not admit the lawfulness
of such a company of disciples partaking of the Lord's Supper.
When we are deprived of Divine ordinances by our own
negligence, or by false principles, our conduct is sinful ; but
when this occurs from the hand of God upon us, or upon those
whom he hath appointed to feed the flock, we are guiltless in
this matter. Will any one affirm that it is our duty to attend
public ordinances, when personal affliction obliges us to remain
at home, or when we are necessarily living, for a time, in some
remote place, where it would be impossible to assemble with a
church of Christ ? In all such cases, as I have formerly hinted,
we are free from the immediate obligation of commemorating
the death of Christ in the ordinance of the Supper ; but not

LETTER VII.— EATING THE LORl)'s SUPPER WITHOUT ELDERS. 247
from attending to prayer, praise, reading the Scriptures, and
such other religious exercises as we have in our power. And
it appears to me that churches are in circumstances precisely
similar, when God occasionally deprives them of office-bearers
who alone are warranted to preside at the Lord's table, or
when death puts an end to all their labours. The reasons why
every company of disciples ought to observe other ordinances,
and not the breaking of bread, have been already stated.
The practice of employing a private brother to dispense the
Lord's Supper, must be in itself either lawful or unlawful. If
it be lawful, he ought always to do it where there are no elders ;
and even in their presence his refraining from it would, in that
case, be a matter of expediency or propriety, rather than of
necessity or duty, because such employment would be within
the sphere which belongs to him. If, on the contrary, it be
unlawful in its own nature, it must be such at all times, and in
all circumstances.
There is no medium, therefore, between considering the ad
ministration of the Lord's Supper as peculiar to the elder's
office, and authorizing a private brother to perform that service
, at any time, with the same freedom as if he were an ordained
pastor. We must either go the full length of admitting that
believers ought thus to remember the Lord's death before they
obtain elders, or deny that they can warrantably, upon any
occasion, partake of the Lord's Supper when they have no
elder to preside among them. The latter only coincides with
the whole doctrine of the New Testament in relation to
churches, and with every description of the work assigned to
those who are over them in the Lord.
Upon the whole, if the disciples of Christ shall proceed in
forming churches agreeably to the model left on record by the
inspired Apostles, and decidedly give their voice against the
only ordinance peculiar to a church being administered to a
body of Christians, large or small, not resembling those churches
to which the Lord's Supper was delivered by the Apostles, we
may expect that they will be edified, and that the Word of the
Lord will have free course and be glorified. But if they shall
persist in paying no respect to the order of the house of God,
churches will dwindle away to nothing, the public and osten
sible profession of the name of Christ will, in a great measure,
be extinguished, and perishing sinners will have little opportu
nity of hearing the Word of life, or of being struck with the
grand simplicity of Gospel ordinances, administered according
to the will of God, and so admirably calculated to exhibit " the
things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus
Christ," to believers of the truth and to all men.

243 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
I still hope that our Almighty Lord, " who holdeth the stars
in his right hand, and walketh in the midst of the golden candle
sticks," will deliver from so great an evil the churches which
he owns as his. But if he shall be pleased, as a punishment
for the sins of his people, to permit them to follow out this
desolating scheme, " their own wickedness shall correct them,
and their backslidings shall reprove them." Meanwhile, those
of them who have uniformly adhered to the order of the apostolic
churches, will see cause to mourn over the scattered stones of
Zion. They will " favour the dust thereof," when nothing but
the dust and the ruins thereof shall ascertain the place where
Zion stood. They will say, as Israel of old, and with anguish
of spirit heightened by the consideration that an enemy hath
not done it, but those who profess to be the friends of Jesus,
" Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jeru
salem a desolation. Our holy and our beautiful bouse, where
our fathers praised thee, is burnt up with fire ; and all our plea
sant things are laid waste."
Who shall then invite " Mount Zion to rejoice; and the
daughters of Judah to be glad, because of the Lord's judg
ments ?" Who shall " walk about Zion, and go round about
her, and tell the towers thereof, and mark well her bulwarks,
and consider her palaces, that they may tell it to the genera
tion following ?" And who shall " say of Zion, that this and that
man was born in her, and that the highest himself shall
establish her," when she hath forsaken the way of the Lord
her God?
" Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways and see, and
ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein ;
and ye shall find rest for your souls," Jer. vi. 16.
Edinburgh, December 5, 1807-

VIII.— ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER'S OFFICE.
I am now arrived at the last subject which I proposed to inves
tigate, namely,
V. The nature of the elder's office, so far as relates to
teaching, presiding, and ruling, in Christian churches.
That the churches of Christ are more in danger at the pre
sent time from degrading, than from too highly esteeming, those
who are over them in the Lord, must appear to every one who
has perused my former Letters with any attention, or looked

LETTER VIII  ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER'S OFFICE. 249
around him to see what is going on in churches. But I am not
conscious of wishing to give Christian teachers any undue pre
eminence over the brethren. At no period of my life have I
ever had the shadow of a pretension to clerical dignity. Nor
have I possessed any principle or disposition that could lead
me to give the smallest countenance to it in any human being,
since the time when it pleased God to instruct me in the know
ledge of the spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom. I know that,
in whatever degree elders may be distinguished by their know
ledge, gifts, and experience, and by their eminence in the
characters which they ought to possess, they are all on a level
before God with the meanest of their brethren ; they must not
be called Rabbi, Master, or Father, as having dominion over
the consciences of their fellow Christians ; they must not exer
cise the authority of the rulers of nations, nor assume a dicta
torial and an arbitrary method of proceeding, as if they were
" lords over God's heritage." On the contrary, they ought
to excel in humility, to become the servants of all, in imita
tion of their Lord and Master, and " to be gentle unto all
men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those who
oppose themselves."
All this, however, is consistent with maintaining that the
elder's office is essential to the order of churches, that the work
of pastors and teachers is peculiar to them, and not common to
all the brethren, and that respect is due to them on account of
the office which they hold, and the authority given them by the
chief Shepherd. When they meet with humiliating treatment
from unsubmissive and unruly brethren, were they only the
sufferers, they might well bear it. But when disorder is likely
to ensue, and the peace of the church is endangered, it is incum
bent on them to make a steady, temperate, and prudent use of
the authority which the Lord hath given them.
The Apostle Paul, on some occasions, found his authority
resisted by Christian brethren, and suffered from them much
ill treatment and abuse. This he bore with patience, account
ing it " a small thing to he judged of man's judgment," and not
regarding for his own sake how much or how little he was
repected by them. Nay, so great was his Christian love and
benevolence, that he wrote thus to a church who gave ear to
his accusers questioning his apostolic character, " I am willing
to spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I
love you, the less I be loved." But while he was thus superior
to the ingratitude of those who were so deeply indebted to him,
and felt little for the loss of reputation among them so far as
he was personally concerned, he was nevertheless deeply affect
ed by the injury which the truth sustained, and the danger to
2i

250 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
which they were exposed, who hearkened to the false sugges
tions of his enemies. In this point of view, he refutes all their
calumnies, ascribes them to the influence of Satan, boasts of his
authority, and magnifies his office.
While I am very far from wishing pastors and teachers to
assume or affect any part of the character and work that were
peculiar to Apostles, and willing that they should humble
themselves in the greatest possible degree, and rise above all
personal considerations in the service of Christ and his people,
I am notwithstanding fully persuaded that they too ought to
magnify their office, and imitate the energy and boldness, as
well as the meekness and gentleness, of the Apostles. What
ever freedom they may use with what may be called their own
things, the Lord's ordinance ought to be held in due estima
tion. And if all their endeavours tend to lessen our ideas of
it, to persuade us that we may do well enough without elders,
that there is little or no difference between them and the rest
of the brethren, and that two believers may do all that is com
petent to a church with its bishops and deacons, their whole
system on this head is palpably and radically at variance with
the doctrine of the New Testament, in relation to churches and
their office-bearers.
The promoters of this system do not admit that there is any
thing in it inimical to the pastoral office ; and I have no inten
tion to challenge their sincerity. But whatever may be their
design, the tendency of their doctrine is to pour contempt upon
the elder's office, by leading the disciples of Christ to act in all
respects as if they possessed that office, without being regularly
called to it, and in this way to dispense with it altogether. Or
if they shall afterwards make choice of elders, such elders can
only have a nominal standing in churches, composed of persons
who reckon all the brethren entitled to do every thing that be
longs to the pastoral office. Some may think it expedient to
give their elders a perpetual presidency, while others may sup
pose it better to employ occasionally a private brother in the
work peculiar to overseers, were it for no other reason than to
show that levelling spirit which, with high pretensions to hu
mility, is the genuine offspring of pride, and the fruitful source
of envying, strife, and confusion. It makes little difference
whether pastors and teachers be actually excluded by the new
plan of regulating churches, an effect which I have already
proved to be inseparable from it ; or whether they be appointed
under such conditions as render their appointment nugatory.
It is said that " neither the imposition of hands, nor appoint
ment by a presbytery, confer on the person appointed either a
power to do something he could not do before, or an indelible

LETTER VIII  ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER S OFFICE. 251
character or office. Appointment, however, is the avowed decla
ration and solemn ratification of a new relation formed and con
stituted, which did not formerly exist between the person so
appointed and the church over which he is to preside. There
is now a relation between teacher and taught, ruler and ruled.
But the appointment confers no power of administering ordi
nances, as it is called, nor adds any gift. There was not an
ordinance of God but he could have presided at, or did pre
side at, before as well as after his appointment. The power
of administering any ordinance must be in the gifts and qualifi
cations conferred on some by the Head of the church to that
end. The exercise of that power, at any time, must arise
from the desire of the church that it should be so ; and the
stated exercise of such power is conferred by the church choosing
and appointing to the elder's office."
It is well known that we are all fully persuaded that an inde
lible office or character communicated by man, is one of the
greatest absurdities that ever man devised ; and that none of
them affirm that gifts are conferred by ordination, if by gifts be
understood qualifications or endowments. But if an office be a
gift, I should think it will not be denied that the person who
receives the office has a gift conferred upon him. To impute
to opponents sentiments which it is known they do not enter
tain, and to reason against these as if they had avowed them,
is uncandid, and has too much the appearance of trifling with
the subject, unless it is done artfully, which I am very unwilling
to suppose.
The matter of difference is as distinct from indelible character
and imaginary gifts, as it is from transubstantiation or the infal
libility of the church. In short, the substance of all that has
been written on this point seems to be, that an ordained elder
had precisely the same power in relation to the pastoral work
before, as he now has after his ordination. And although this
sentiment, if I understand it, refutes itself; yet, as it is the
groundwork of all the present errors respecting the Lord's
Supper and the elder's office, a few remarks upon it may be
useful. 1. From a strong conviction that there is nothing in the
ordinances of God, or in the practices of the first churches, so
mystical as to be above all comprehension ; or, when under
stood, so irreconcilable to the soundest principles of reason,
as to provoke the ridicule of sober and judicious inquirers — I
am disposed to examine whether any new proposal be consis
tent with those just ideas which all reasonable people entertain
on subjects of a similar nature. Is it then a general maxim
that, when a man is appointed to an office, he acquires nothing,

252 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
but remains just as he was before, without any accession of
authority and influence on the one hand, or of obligation to duty
on the other ? Has the president of any popular society no
more concern in keeping order and in regulating the affairs of
the society, than he had when he Was only a private member ?
Were this principle universally adopted, it would produce
anarchy, and put an end to all rule and government among
men. It would equally disturb the peace of civil society, and
that of Christian assemblies.
A disciple of Christ who has hitherto been under the lawful
authority of others, may become a husband, a father, and a
master. Has he, in consequence of the new relations now sus
tained by him, no power to do any thing which he could not do
before ? Whatever may have been his attainments as a Chris
tian when he was only a son and a servant, he could not then
have assumed the authority and performed the duties of all
those other relations. Why ? Because it was impossible while
he was not a master, a husband, and a father ; and his attempt
ing it, upon any occasion, could only have shown his presump
tion and arrogance. In like manner, no man can do the duties
of the elder's office, or lawfully exercise the authority which
belongs to it, till he be an elder. This reasoning, I think, is
not more simple than it is conclusive.
2. If the persons who are eventually called to the office of
pastors and teachers in the churches of Christ, had power to
do every thing which belongs to that office while they were yet
private brethren, what need is there for ordaining elders in
every church ? This principle supersedes the office altogether.
Were it possible to show that every thing can be done without
elders, the necessary consequence would be, that the office is
not of Divine appointment ; for each of the Lord's ordinances has
its own peculiar use, and he hath not commanded any thing in
vain. The deacon's office falls of course; for certainly the
brethren in general were as much entitled, before ordination, to
act in the capacity of deacons as in that of elders. Yet it does
not appear that any did so in the church at Jerusalem before
the appointment of deacons, except the Apostles, who as such
were entitled to do every thing that pertained to inferior offices.
This of itself is decisive proof that the work of office-bearers
in the churches, can be lawfully performed only by those who
are regularly called and set apart as elders and deacons.
3. It is admitted that " appointment is the avowed declaration
and solemn ratification of a new relation formed and constituted,
which did not formerly exist between the person so appointed
and the church over which he is to preside ;" and that " there
is now a relation between teacher and taught, ruler and ruled."

LETTER VIII.  ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER'S OFFICE. 253
Had it been intended to avow a principle completely the reverse
of that which is sought to be established, it could not have been
stated in clearer or more unequivocal terms. It is in fact my
own principle, with more formality of expression than I am
accustomed to use, and conceived in terms resembling the style
of what is called by Presbyterians a church court. Yet it is
said that the appointment confers no power of administering
ordinances. What shall we make of this ? Can there be a
pastoral relation avowedly declared, and formed, and consti
tuted, and solemnly ratified, where no power is given to the
pastor to administer ordinances ? For what purpose then was
he ordained, and how shall every one under the charge of such
a shepherd receive from him his portion of meat in due
season ?
Again, it is said that " the power of administering any ordi
nance must be in the gifts and qualifications conferred on some
by the Head of the church." This again seems to favour the
idea, that every one who thinks himself qualified may administer
ordinances without the suffrage of his brethren ; although it is
said, " the exercise of that power at any time must arise from
the desire of the church that it should be so," &c. It is thought,
however, that the church may either confer the stated exercise
of that power by appointing some to the elder's office, or a
temporary exercise of it by one of their number who has no
official character.
Now this exercise of the gifts of a private individual, confess
edly not an elder, yet doing all that pertains to the elder's
office, is the precise point of difference. But where shall we
find an instance of the first Christians resorting to the expe
dient of making private brethren do all that can be done by
elders ? We have clear and express authority for choosing
office-bearers, whose characters and work are also specified with
the greatest precision. Here we tread upon sure ground.
But can we suppose that Christian churches are at liberty to
devise substitutes of their own invention for Divine institutions,
and to give the exercise of that power, whatever it be, which God
hath reserved for pastors and teachers, to another class of men,
nowhere named, or described, or exemplified, throughout the
whole of the New Testament ? They whose pride and ambi
tion impel them to resist this precept, " Obey them who have
the rule over you," may urge this specious plea, " Ye take
too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every
one of them, and the Lord is among them. Wherefore, then,
lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord ?"
Undoubtedly, wherever a few believers meet together, they
ought to observe the ordinances of the Lord Jesus ; one of them

254 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
must preside ; and there can be no reason why he should not
be the best qualified among them. But all this occurs daily in
a Christian family without any one, till of late, having supposed
that he who acts as president can do every thing that is com
petent to an elder of a church of Christ, and in particular that
he is warranted to dispense the Lord's Supper to his family.
In all social worship, order and decorum must be preserved in
some way. But where the order which we see exemplified in
the New Testament does not, and cannot exist, there must be
a want of those privileges which are peculiar to organized bo
dies of Christians. To claim such privileges in a situation in
which it is not the will of God that they should be enjoyed, is
presumptuous ; and to imagine that we possess what is equi
valent to the Lord's institution of elders, while we have no
elders, is fanciful, and too plainly shows that this ordinance of
God is lightly esteemed, although there may be a high profes
sion of regard to other ordinances.
Edinburgh, December 12, 1807.

IX.— ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER'S OFFICE.
It is now time to attend to the nature of the elder's office, and
respecting this it is said, that " Even those things, on account
of which the elder is called pastor, are not exclusive to him,
but may be performed in some degree by ordinary brethren.
The peculiarity of the pastor's work does not consist in the kind
of employment in which he engages, but in the degree. If he
is to teach the brethren, and admonish them, and comfort them,
private brethren are bound to have the word of Christ dwelling
richly in them, teaching and admonishing one another — to com
fort one another, to speak the truth in love, &c. If the pastor
is to exercise authority, it must be by stating the mind of
Christ, and requiring obedience to him ; and from this bre
thren are not excluded. It is in reference to such rule, that all
are commanded to be subject one to another. A private bro
ther, too, can enforce his commands by the same kind of sanction
as the pastor. He can refuse Christian fellowship to such as
will not obey the commands of Christ."
Some found the power of a brother to administer ordinances
on his gifts and qualifications, and on the call of the church ;
and others go so far as to approve of two believers eating the
Lord's Supper even on shipboard, which is going as far as
could possibly be done.

LETTER IX.  ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER's OFFICE. 255
Again, some have divided a church into teachers and taught,
rulers and ruled, which has the express authority of the Word
of God. But others have attempted to confound this distinc
tion, in endeavouring to show that " the peculiarity of the
pastor's work does not consist in the kind of employment in
which he engages, but in the degree." Among other things,
this remark is applied to teaching and ruling ; and it is affirmed
that none of the brethren are excluded from either of these.
This appears to me to me to be an error which strikes against
all just ideas of the elder's office, and against the command
ment of God enjoining submission to their pastors on the flocks
over which the Holy Spirit hath made them overseers. It must
therefore be carefully examined and refuted.
1. The description given in the assertion, of the pecu
liarity of the pastor's work as consisting not in kind but in
degree, would be extremely unsuitable in other cases of relative
obligation, with which the pastoral office may be compared.
How would it do to affirm that the children of one family have
the same kind of authority over each other which their father
has over them all, though they must exercise it in a less
degree ? Priority in age and talents may give a preference to
one or more of the children, and the same thing takes place
among Christian brethren. But is there no difference in kind
between this and the authority of the father ? Are the sons of
the family all fathers in a less degree ? What is here affirmed,
however, is equally inconsistent with proper views of the duties
which churches owe to their elders, and indeed of all the rela
tive duties which God hath enjoined.
I am not in general so much disposed to compare the autho
rity of elders with that of civil rulers. But considering that
the persons here addressed are in no danger of giving their
pastors the smallest vestige of that sort of power which is
exercised by the lords of the Gentiles, and considering also that
others have gone before me in making this comparison, I may
be allowed to remark that it is the duty of all good subjects to
exert their influence on every proper occasion in using their
best endeavours to keep the public peace. Shall we therefore
say that the power of the magistrate differs from that of the
community at large in degree only, and not in kind ? Are not
civil rulers, in distinction from all other men, " the powers that
be, which are ordained of God ?" And would not usurping
their power in any degree, be accounted, in the same degree,
rebellion against the state ?
2. Let it be admitted, for the sake of argument, that every
brother in a church may exercise pastoral authority in some
degree. Let it next be supposed that a church thus ruled

256 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
consists of two hundred members, of whom one hundred are
males, and that it has also two elders. The small degree of
authority possessed by each of the hundred individuals, if it be
meant to exclude females, might probably very much exceed
in the aggregate that which would remain in the hands of the
two overseers, if the latter could be supposed to have any in
fluence in a society where they were overborne by a hundred
rulers. Nay, one of the hundred might become an overmatch
for the two elders, and convince them that any attempt to ex
ercise their just authority for the good of those under their
charge would be of no avail. It frequently happens, I doubt
not, in churches as well as in civil society, that they who make
the loudest cry in favour of liberty, when they gain power and
pre-eminence, are far from giving to others that liberty which
they demanded for themselves. And we know also that the
multitude, when it seizes the supreme power, is the greatest
tyrant that ever breathed.
3. It is farther argued, with an appearance of Scripture
authority, that because brethren are commanded to teach and
to admonish one another, and to be subject one to another,
therefore the duties of teaching and ruling, which are generally
thought peculiar to the elder's office, may be performed in some
degree by all the brethren.
Private teaching is unquestionably the duty of every one who
is capable in any measure to instruct and to edify. This is no
encroachment on the elder's office, for aged women are com
manded to teach younger persons of their own sex ; and surely
we cannot suppose that females who are not suffered to speak
in the church, as all the brethren may, can yet be warranted
to perform in any degree the work that is peculiar to elders.
Public teaching is a great and leading part of the pastoral
work, for which elders must be qualified by being " apt to
teach, and able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to con
vince gainsayers." Mutual exhortation is the province of the
brethren ; and the more they dwell on practical subjects, with
out attempting to investigate doctrinal points, the more will
they grow in grace and edify the whole church. They ought
indeed briefly to state the motives of the Gospel, by which
only we can be led to perform the duties which they urge upon
us. But practical exhortations may regard the truths as well
as the duties of Christianity. They teach us when they " speak
the truth in love," although they should communicate no addi
tional information, nor do any thing more than beseech us to
attend to that which we already know, and move our hearts
and consciences by an affectionate recommendation of some

LETTER IX.  ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER's OFFICE. 257
duty which we might be apt to forget, or by a warning against
some evil into which we might be in danger of falling.
Private brethren therefore may teach, and exhort, and ad
monish ; but in so doing they assume no part of the elder's
office, if they know their own proper sphere. The distinction
between teachers and those who are taught is clearly marked
in the Scriptures, as well as the duties respectively incumbent
on each. The designations given to the former are exclusively
theirs ; and no instance can be produced of the brethren in ge
neral being called elders, pastors, teachers, overseers, the angels
of the churches, or those who have the rule over them. When
the brethren are in the humble spirit of disciples, they will rea
dily admit that they cannot teach and admonish officially, or
authoritatively, as pastors undoubtedly may. There will be
no occasion to urge upon them a self-evident truth which is ex
pressly declared by the Apostle Paul, namely, that " all are
not teachers." They know that " if they be many masters, Or
teachers, they will receive the greater condemnation." And
when it is otherwise, there is more evidence of pride and self-
confidence, than of zeal for the truth, which is never at variance
with humility.
Again, with respect to the exercise of authority, which has
been represented as in some degree the prerogative of all the
brethren, an unaccountable prejudice seems to have been shown
against the respect due to the pastoral office. The esteem,
and honour, and subjection, which are due to elders, are surely
due to them as such, and consequently to no other persons.
Considering elders merely as men of age and experience, which
the designation imports, how shall we give this peculiar respect
to persons who are young and inexperienced ? Or can a son
entertain or express filial respect and deference towards one
who is not his father ? Esteem and subjection may be due on
other accounts. But when a particular ground of these is spe
cified, as in the case of pastors and teachers, they cannot
be due in this manner where the office and character do not
exist. If this simple and incontrovertible truth were held
and acted upon,, it would put an end to all rivalship between
elders and brethren, or at least to every specious plea for it,
and it would check the unruly efforts of aspiring minds, which
are excited and encouraged by the opposite sentiment, and are
too often fatal to the peace of churches.
It appears to me wonderful that a precept enjoining upon all
the brethren subjection one to another, should be considered as
authorizing each to claim a portion of that rule which belongs
to elders. Such an extraordinary conclusion was the less to
be expected, because their mutual subjection as brethren, in all
2 K

258 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
respects on a footing of equality with each other, is distinguished
from that which is due to elders, whether officially so called, or
aged men, both of whom probably are intended.
The passage runs thus, " Likewise, ye younger, submit your
selves unto the elder ; yea, all of you be subject one to an
other, and be clothed with humility ; for God resisteth the proud,
and giveth grace to the humble," 1 Pet. v. 5. What is the
object here ? Is it not humility rendered visible, as a garment
with which a man is clothed, by the peculiar subjection of the
younger to the elder, and by the subjection of all to one an
other ? But it has been imagined that this humiliating law has
warranted, in the exercise of authority, the rule of all the brethren,
and " a right to enforce their commands by the same kind of
sanction as the pastor !" They proceed as if the command
ment had been to govern and not to submit, forgetting that
mutual subjection never can imply superiority in any of the
parties on whom it is enjoined, and that where submission
alone is due on all sides, none of them have a right to exercise
authority, rule, or precedence, in any respect whatever. It is
truly lamentable that a Divine precept, enjoining humility in the
most forcible terms, and evidently intended for the purpose not
only of preventing brethren from assuming a superiority, but of
producing universal subjection one to another, should be so
explained as to support the claims of pride, by making all the
brethren share in the official authority of those who are over
them in the Lord !
" The sanction" giving to private brethren " a right to en
force their commands," is that of " refusing Christian fellow
ship to such as will not obey the commands of Christ." But
in a church, where only we can compare the authority of a pri
vate brother with that of an elder, neither the one nor the other
can sanction his commands in this way, without the consent of
the whole body ; and when we deal with the conscience of a
brother, it appears to me that threatening to get him excom
municated tends more to irritate than to convince. Some cases
indeed require immediate exclusion. But every one is not a
complete judge of these ; and in general we are most likely to
succeed in our attempts to reclaim an offending brother, when
we " beseech him by the mercies of God, and by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ." And if it be necessary to alarm his
fears, this may be done more effectually by reminding him of
the judgment to come, when " the Lord will bring to light the
hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels
of the hearts."
Edinburgh, December 19, 1807.

LETTER X.  ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER's OFFICE. 259

X.— ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER'S OFFICE.
Having answered at full length the arguments of those who
endeavour to diminish the lawful power of elders, and to throw
a great proportion of it into the hands of private brethren, it is
now my wish to abandon controversy, at least with individual
persons, and to give a simple view of the subject from the Word
of God. But as several of the things which might have been
stated in this form have been anticipated in the preceding
pages, I shall give only a brief summary of the leading parti
culars. 1. Allow me to call the attention of my fellow Christians
to some of the qualifications of an elder which bear upon this
subject. He must be " apt to teach," both in relatiorijto
" edifying the body of Christ," for which purpose Jesus, when he
ascended up'on high, "gave pastors and teachers," Eph. iv. 12.,
and that he may be able to preach the Gospel to the world,
and " to convince gainsayers," Tit. i. 9. It is farther required
that he should be of a blameless character, and have a good
report of them who are without, that his public usefulness may
not be prevented or marred by the inconsistency which might, be
discerned between his conduct and his doctrine. He is like
wise to be " one that ruleth well his own house, having his
children in subjection with all gravity," as an essential requisite
to show that he is qualified for " taking care of the church of
God." Many other qualifications are stated in which a Chris
tian elder ought to excel, and also this distinguishing one, " Not
a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condem
nation of the devil." 1 Tim. iii. 1—8. Tit. i. 5—10.
When we see an inspired Apostle stating so carefully and
so minutely the qualifications of an elder, those which are less
or more possessed by every believer, and those which peculiarly
fit him for being an acceptable [public teacher, and for con
ducting and regulating the concerns of the church over which
he is chosen to preside, we must surely perceive that the office is
not of small account, and that he only who possesseth in some
good measure the character laid down by the Apostle, and who is
regularly called and appointed, can lawfully be'employed in doing
the work of a pastor. Were it otherwise, I could see no advan
tage arising to Christian assemblies from the description given
of the men who ought to be ordained elders in every church,
nor any meaning in those qualifications for public usefulness
which comparatively very few possess. Why are so many

260 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
distinguishing characteristics required in order to fit a man for
teaching and ruling in a church, if all his work may be done
by any brother ?
2. The designations given to those office-bearers, and the
duties which they are called to perform, agree with the qua
lifications already mentioned, and show the peculiarity of their
work. They are Elders, probably in allusion to the elders of Israel ;
men of wisdom and experience, whose knowledge and gifts are
matured, and who are fitted for bearing rule.
Pastors, or shepherds, who care for their flocks, who lead,
and nourish, and protect, and feed them. Thus elders or
pastors are commanded to " feed the flock of God," 1 Pet. v. 2.
" To feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with
his own blood," Acts xx. 28.
Teachers. Elders and other authorized preachers of the
Gospel are exclusively so named, since extraordinary gifts and
offices ceased. The former " labour in the Word and doctrine,"
and instruct the disciples both in relation to the faith and prac
tice of the Gospel. Those of them who are faithful, regard the
charge given to an evangelist, " Preach the word. Be instant in
season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-
suffering and doctrine." And they teach or make disciples, by
preaching the Word of life to those who are dead in sins.
Overseers, which is the literal meaning of the word trans
lated bishops, as in Phil. i. 1., and other places. This desig
nation seems to have been always peculiar to ordinary pastors
and teachers ; at least I do not recollect that it was ever applied
to any other, except the Lord himself, who is called the bishop
or overseer of our souls, though undoubtedly the Apostles
acted as overseers, not of one church only, but of all the churches.
The term is frequently used in relation to elders, and in con
formity to it they are required to " take the oversight of the
flock, not by constraint, but willingly," &c. 1 Pet. v. 1 — 5,
evidently showing that a charge is committed to them, and that
care and diligent inspection are necessary, while " they watch
for the souls of the brethren as those that must give account."
The Angels of the Churches. This is the designation given
to the elders of the seven churches which were in Asia; and
those angels were represented by seven stars in the right hand
of him who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty,
Rev. i. 16, 20. The meaning of the term is messengers ; and
although not immediate messengers like the Apostles, who saw
the Lord, yet they too are sent by him " for the perfecting of the
saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ." And they are the messengers of the churches, as

LETTER X.  ON THE NATURE OF -THE ELDER's OFFICE. 261
being employed to present their supplications before God,
while they pray as the mouth of the congregation to which they
minister. Those who have the rule over the churches, Heb. xiii. 17.
Pastors are likewise said to be " over the brethren in the Lord,"
1 Thess. v. 12. He that ruleth is commanded to rule with
diligence, Rom. xii. 8 ; and I do not suppose that I exalt
them to the level of inspired evangelists when I affirm that they
ought to regard this charge, " These things speak, and exhort,
and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee,"
Tit. ii. 15.
They are not, indeed, arbitrary rulers, nor entitled to govern
according to their own will. The elders who rule well, 1 Tim.
v. 17, " preach not themselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and
themselves the servants of the disciples for Jesus' sake." They
require obedience to no laws except those contained in the
Word of God, and they wish above all things to see the con
sciences of their brethren immediately subject to the Lord
Jesus Christ. But this is equally true with respect to all other
relative duties. No husband, or father, or master, or magis
trate, has a right to command any thing opposite to the will of
God ; yet they have a just authority, which duty requires them
uniformly to maintain. Nor is it any argument against their
authority, that all Christian obedience must be performed
" with good-will, as to the Lord, and not to men." For upon
that ground servants might refuse to obey their masters, while
every one may easily perceive that want of subjection to mas
ters is disobedience to Christ. See Eph. vi. 5 — 8.
It would be well'if those who resist the authority of elders
on the principle which has been mentioned, never opposed them
except when they attempt to put their own yoke upon the necks
of the disciples. But brethren are sometimes unruly because
they are not willing to take upon them the yoke of Jesus ; and
they frequently endeavour to excuse their contempt of the
authority which the Lord hath given to pastors, by affirming
that they are subject only to the Lord himself ! Churches may
be obliged by a principle of conscience to dissent from the
judgment of their elders. But the authority of the latter in
all lawful matters cannot be called in question, without unfair
attempts to evade the plain meaning of several texts of Scrip
ture, and forgetting that the one Lawgiver, who is able to save
and to destroy, hath instituted order and government in his
churches. In stating these characters, designations, and duties of the
ministers of Christ, a term which, though applicable to the

262 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
Apostles, and though usurped by national clergymen, fitly
expresses the character and work of ordinary pastors, I know
not whether I pass a more severe censure on myself, conscious as
I am of great deficiency in the duties of this important office ;
or on those who pay little or no respect to the office itself, and
do what in them lies to frustrate all the efforts of the ministers
of God to labour with any hope of success, or to rule with the
concurrence and support of their brethren in the churches.
Without this, it is not in the power of man to rule.
3. The peculiarity of the work of elders, and the distinc
tion between them and the people among whom they labour,
strikingly appear from the duties enjoined upon the latter.
These are honour, the temporal support of their pastors, and
subjection to their authority.
Honour. That peculiar respect and deference are due to
Christian teachers, is not merely ^a conclusion drawn justly from
the characters and from the work ascribed to them in the Word
of God. This is a duty expressly commanded, and in terms"as
plain and indisputable as those which convince every one that
honour is due to husbands, parents, masters, civil rulers, and
aged persons. The Apostle Paul thus enjoins it, " We be
seech you, brethren, to know them who labour among you, and
are over you in the Lord, and admonish you ; and to esteem
them very highly in love for their work's sake," 1 Thess. v. 12,
13. Very high esteem and affection are therefore due on the
part of the church, and that for their work's sake, or because
their pastors labour among them, and are over them in the Lord,
and admonish them.
" The elders that rule well are to be accounted worthy of
double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doc
trine," 1 Tim. v. 17. This, indeed, includes a supply of their
temporal wants, as we see from the following verse, and from
other passages of Scripture. But it is impossible that such
supply could have been termed honour, had it not been con
sidered as a substantial evidence of that distinguished respect
which is due to elders. I am not forgetting another command
ment, " to honour widows that are widows indeed," 1 Tim.
v. 3. This proceeds upon a similar ground ; for aged widows
who possessed the characters mentioned in verses 9, 10, were
entitled to a comfortable subsistence, and to peculiar respect
from all the brethren.
The first commandment of the second table of the law is,
" Honour thy father and thy mother." And unquestionably it
obliges children " to show piety at home, and to requite their
parents," by giving them temporal support when they have

LETTER X.  ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER'S OFFICE. 263
occasion for it, 1 Tim. v. 4. Matt. xv. 3 — 5. But who will
affirm that it does not likewise include the honour, respect, and
deference, which are due to parents ?
The estimation in which pastors ought to be held, appears
from another apostolic injunction, " Against an elder receive
not an accusation but before two or three witnesses," 1 Tim. v.
19. For although every Christian brother has a right to be
so treated, yet this being particularly commanded in relation to
elders, evidently shows that singular care ought to be taken to
avoid injuring their characters, and that they are entitled to
peculiar respect.
Temporal Support. The reason given for the precept al
ready quoted, " Let the elders that rule well be counted wor
thy of double honour," is this, " For the Scriptures saith thou
shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and the
labourer is worthy of his reward." Although there were not
many other things to the same purpose in the New Testament,
this single verse is conclusive. In all cases wherein an elder
or other preacher of the Gospel is prevented from earning a
comfortable maintenance for himself and his dependents, by
labouring in the Word and Doctrine, or from circum
stances for which he cannot be blamed, he has an undoubted
right to be supported, in whole or in part, as there may be oc
casion for it, by the church among whom he labours, if it be in
their power to do so. At present, I have no concern with the
question when an elder ought, or ought not, to be provided for
by the church. But, when it is necessary, that which is given
him is not to be considered as mere bounty. It is justly due
to him, and he has the same right to it as a labourer has to his
reward, when he has performed the task assigned to him.
Now, I cannot conceive why there should be a claim of right
for the reward of such an honourable service, if those who are
so employed are not eminently distinguished from the brethren
in general, who are all their debtors, and debtors to an amount
which they can never pay, unless we should suppose that tem
poral emoluments bear any proportion to spiritual consolations.
See Rom. xv. 25—27. Philem. ver. 18, 19.
Subjection to the authority of Pastors — This is implied in
the designations given to elders, and in some of the duties which
they are called to perform, both of which have been already
stated. But there is likewise an express commandment to this
effect, " Obey them who have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves," Heb. xiii. 17. And of similar import I understand
this other exhortation to be, " Likewise, ye younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder," 1 Pet. v. 5. For it follows im
mediately after the Apostle Peter's address to elders, and re-

264 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND -CHURCH ORDER.
quires submission to those who are officially so called in a most
beautiful and conciliating way. Not obedience to hard task
masters, or arbitrary rulers claiming lordship, but that sub
mission which the young, if they be sober-minded and self-dif
fident, as they ought to be, spontaneously yield to aged men,
as their acknowledged superiors in maturity of judgment, and
in wisdom and experience. If it should be admitted, that aged
persons in general are meant in this passage, that is not incon
sistent with considering it as applicable to elders by office, who
have the oversight of the flock of God, and whose labours will
be in vain, if the flock be unsubmissive, self-confident, and un-
teachable. The other passage in Heb. xiii. is more forcibly expressed,
and with so much clearness that it cannot be misunderstood.
It teaches us that there are persons in churches who have the
rule over them, and that it is the duty of the brethren to obey
such, and to submit themselves ; the injunction being thus re
peated, that the necessity of attending to it might be the more
apparent. And it is enforced by an argument which ought to
be deeply felt both by pastors and their flocks, " For they
watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they
may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable
for you."
If then all the brethren in churches are bound by the authority
of the Lord Jesus Christ, to yield obedience and submission
to those who have the rule over them, how can it be supposed
that every one may preside and govern, or that each may do
that which is right in his own eyes, as if it had been the will of
God that, of all the societies of which we have heard in heaven or
in the earth, the hosts of angels and the tribes of men, churches
of Christ, and they only, should have no order, subjection, or
government !
Let it be carefully observed, that my object is not merely
that of persuading the disciples of Christ to avoid the disorderly
practice of keeping the Christian feast without elders. They
may go to an opposite extreme, either from a sincere and
laudable desire of obtaining that ordinance, or from the same
loose principle about the order of churches which determines
others to supersede the Divine institution of pastors and teachers.
Some have rashly and unwarrantably asserted that, wherever
a few disciples meet together, there will always be among
themselves those gifts which are necessary for edifying the
body of Christ ; as if the Lord did not bestow every blessing
according to his own sovereign pleasure, or as if those talents
which may in some degree be possessed, were to be matured
miraculously in a few days or months, without labour, and

LETTER X  ON THE NATURE OF THE ELDER's OFFICE. 265
study, and long-continued zealous and diligent practice. It is
easy to see how this will operate in calling men to the elder's
office, who are greatly deficient in the necessary qualifications,
and whose characters do not command respect.
The same thing occurs when elders are chosen from a pre
mature and an intemperate desire of becoming an organized
body, or a complete and independent church, capable of ob
serving all the ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ. When a
considerable number of disciples are collected in one place,
undoubtedly their obtaining pastors and teachers ought to be
a matter of deep concern, and of frequent and earnest supplica
tion before God; and it is likewise their duty to avoid an
extreme degree of scrupulosity in judging of the qualifications
of those whom they call to the elder's office. There are no
perfect men even in churches ; and if persons among themselves,
or who can be brought from another quarter, possess in some
good measure every qualification required in the epistles to
Timothy and Titus, this is all that in most cases can reasonably
be expected. But if they totally want some of the characters,
and are far from being eminent in any of them, to give such
persons the oversight of the flock, will prove an injury to all the
parties concerned. This is in reality the most successful
method of rendering the elder's office a mere useless form, and
of exposing it to ridicule and contempt.
It is not unlikely that some of my good friends may consider
my attempt to magnify the elder's office as not very consistent
with modesty, humility, and self-denial, virtues in which the
servants of the Lord ought peculiarly to excel. And I shall
most readily confess that if my motives be a love of power, a
desire of self-exaltation, and a preferring of the honour which
cometh from men to that which cometh from God only, my
attempt is highly criminal in the sight of him who trieth the
hearts. But if I have given a just and scriptural view of the
subject, and have set the office no higher than God himself
hath placed it, by what rule can any one affirm that pride must
be the ruling motive ?
I am not persuaded that stating the just claims of persons who
have the oversight of churches, is less consistent with humility,
than it would be to bring forward those of any other description
of men to whom God hath given power and authority. Sup
pose for instance that the subject had been paternal rights, and
that I had treated these as nature dictates, and as the Word of
God expressly commands, could my opponents have said with any
colour of justice, that, because I am a father, pride must have
been my motive ? It may be remarked, however, that an elder
2 L

266 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
who finds it necessary to assert and defend his own authority,
is in no enviable condition. This would not occur from the
indiscretion of one or two unruly members, were the church in
general to do their duty.
I have long been convinced that subordination, which univer
sally prevails, (save only when lawless men rebel, and give to
the astonished world an awful example of human nature with
out the restraints of government,) is intended by the Lord of
all, chiefly for the good of those who are placed in a state of
subjection; and this principle, which I am sure is just, applies
equally to congregations of believers, and to all worldly societies,
from the smallest family to the most potent and extensive em
pire. Am I then become the enemy of my fellow disciples in
the churches, because I tell them this truth, which ought rather
to be gratifying to those who enjoy a humbling sense of God's
pardoning mercy, namely, that they consult their own happi
ness by a placid and willing subjection to all who have a right
ful authority over them, whether in the churches of Christ, or
in the world at large ?
To seek pre-eminence for its own sake, is mean and con
temptible. This is no part of true Christian dignity ; but, on
the contrary, shows an abject state of mind, incompatible with
living by the faith of Christ as redeemed sinners, and with enjoy
ing the hope of glory, honour, and immortality. But when
believers of the Gospel, in the true spirit of Christianity, exer
cise lawful authority for the purposes for which God hath given
it, they glorify him, and perform, in many cases, a most labo
rious and self-denied office of love towards the objects of
their care and government.
Edinburgh, December 26, I8O7.

XI.— RULE OF UNITY IN CHURCHES.
Mr Ewing of Glasgow has lately published his sentiments
respecting several of the subjects treated of in the preceding
letters; and, as he has written against those whom I have
taken the liberty to censure, it seems necessary to make some
remarks on his leading principles, that our respective friends
may know how far we are agreed. This shall be done with all
possible brevity ; for although it appears to me, that in some
points he has gone to an unwarrantable extreme in refuting
palpable errors, yet they who have any tolerable understanding
of the doctrine of the New Testament, are less in danger from

LETTER XI  RULE OF UNITY IN CHURCHES. 267
his theory, than from that of his opponents. The evil among
those of the present day who espouse Congregational principles,
is that of carrying independence with respect to churches, to
an extent which threatens not only the order, the tranquillity,
and happiness, but the very existence of churches.
So far as he has endeavoured, in a Scriptural manner, to
counteract an evil fraught with consequences so alarming, I bid
him God speed, and in many things he has performed this task
with great ability. I should have been highly gratified if it had
been possible for me to express a general approbation of his
work, because I esteem his character and his talents. Nothing
but a sense of duty, therefore, could have led me to find fault.
He may feel wounded ; but he knows how to estimate " the
wounds of a friend ;" and I mean to decline all matters of dif
ference, except those immediately connected with the subject
in hand.
It is unnecessary to give a farther detail of the things in
which we agree, because these will be apparent to every one
who peruses our respective publications. I may, however, be
allowed the satisfaction of transcribing one of his remarks,
which meets with my full approbation. It is this, " Such is the
disposition of mankind to go to extremes, that some who have
burst the fetters of superstition, are ready to! use unwarrantable
freedom with regulations of every kind." This is a good de
scription of the leading cause of all the real evils censured in
Mr Ewing's Statement, and in my Letters. But he and I
ought to beware of falling into the error which we condemn ;
for that is likewise one of the common infirmities of human
nature. With respect to the rule of unity in church order, it seems
doubtful whether Mr E. admits that there is in the New Tes
tament any fixed and positive rule with respect to the order of
Christian churches. Several of his remarks are of- this com
plexion, as well as the indecisive manner in which he gives his
own opinion in relation to particular things, or rather the loose
and undetermined state to which he reduces them. His first
sentence, indeed, is such as might have been expected from
him, and gives reason to hope that he will hear the voice of the
good Shepherd. " The Word of God," he declares, " is the
only authority which we are bound to obey in our Christian
fellowship." This is a most excellent principle. It is good in
itself, and it leads to all that is well pleasing in the sight of
God. But then, he adds, " Our heavenly Father has not thought
it proper to give a minute detail of the formation and the prac
tice of his primitive churches. The history of the Acts of the

268 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
Apostles is exceedingly short, and the facts which are stated
are only a selection. The apostolic epistles throw light on the
subject, rather by occasional hints and allusions, than by direct
narrative or full description. They were originally letters of
business, most of them addressed to particular churches in par
ticular situations ; and we shall hardly be secure from mistake,
as to their meaning and application, unless we carefully attend
to the times and circumstances in which they severally appear
to have been written."
Mr E., I doubt not, has some method of qualifying these
assertions. But I shall hazard no conjecture about it, lest I
should make an excuse for him which he himself will not admit.
He seems to represent the rule which God hath given us in Yds
Word, either as deficient in minuteness of detail, or as having
been intended to leave much to our discretion ; and the brevity
of the history of the Acts, as but sparingly supplied by the
apostolic epistles, which he considers as letters of business.
Not surely business relating to the concerns of this mortal life,
as the expression at first sight would seem to denote. But
such peculiar business, I suppose, with respect to the spiritual
happiness of each of the churches, as prevented direct narra
tive or full description regarding Christian fellowship, and left
room for throwing light on the subject only by occasional hints
and allusions. To these remarks I answer, that, whether the
instruction communicated in the Word of God be occasional,
or directly intended, and much of it is of the former descrip
tion, it is equally incumbent on us, in both cases, to hear and
to obey. Then shall we know, experimentally, that God's
rule is perfect, and that no farther details were necessary.
It does not appear to me that the Apostles adapted the law
of Christian fellowship to particular churches in particular
situations. The Apostle Paul taught the same doctrine " every
where, in every church." Times and circumstances may in
some cases determine the duty of individual believers ; but
the ordinances of Divine worship, and the manner of observing
these, are the same in every church, in every country, and in
every age.
I shall only quote another passage of the same description.
" If Jesus Christ," he says, " had intended by the unity of his
disciples a unity of church order, he would have described it
as minutely as Moses does the construction of the tabernacle
and the rites of the , passover, or any other ordinance. This,.
however; he has not done." If Mr E. has not intended, by
these words, to express a doubtful state of mind in relation to
the whole worship, discipline, and government of churches,

LETTER XII.  RULE OF UNITY IN CHURCHES. 269
which may be all included in the general term order, candour
itself will admit that they are liable to such interpretation,
whatever may have been the real design of the writer.
He denies that a unity of church order has been established
by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently it is
a matter of expediency, which may be arranged by different
churches, according to their own ideas of fitness and propriety ;
and may be suited to all the variety of times, circumstances,
and opportunities, and perhaps to the prevailing fashions of the
countries where their lot is cast. The reason which he gives
for this unsettled state of church order is the want, in the New
Testament, of that precise and minute description of ordinances
which characterised the institutions of Moses.
No person, I suppose, will affirm that the ordinances of the
New Testament are as numerous, extensive, and complicated,
as were those appointed under the former dispensation. The
worship of Christian churches excels in purity, spirituality, and
simplicity. The ordinances are few in number, and not in
cumbered with many forms, nor accompanied with outward
pomp and splendour, but most strikingly expressive of the
truth by which we are saved. This truth, before the Messiah
came, may be said to have been concealed under a load of cere
monies. These were shadows ; the substance is now come ; it
appears in all its glory in Christ crucified ; and Gospel ordi
nances set forth the testimony of God, not as dark and fleet
ing shadows of future good, but as clear, and permanent, and
edifying representations of the accomplished purpose of Divine
grace. There was no occasion, therefore, to give an ample specifi
cation of forms and ceremonies, when these were to be abro
gated, and nothing was to come in their place but what was
simple, and level to the capacity of the least of those who are
taught of God. There are only two New Testament ordi
nances which are symbolical or figurative, as explained in
Letter VI. No person can say, with truth, that Baptism and
the Lord's Supper are not specified with sufficient clearness to
make every believer understand their nature and their form ;
and both of them are enjoined on the disciples of Jesus Christ
in terms so express and decisive, that no doubt ought to
remain of its being their bounden duty to observe them. Nor
is there any ordinance for which we have not the most satisfac
tory authority, in the form of precept or example, either of which
is decisive. It is not, however, my own opinion, that Mr E. holds so loose
a principle, to the extent of his own words fairly quoted and
explained ; though it appeared necessary to reply to him in that

270 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
view, for the sake of others, whose scepticism may be pro
moted by his very unguarded manner of writing on this subject.
Had his real sentiments been expressed in the passage under
consideration, he could not have blamed others though they
might choose to observe Divine ordinances- in a different way
from that which he approves ; nor could he on this head have
appealed to the Scriptures as the test of truth. On the prin
ciple for which he seems to contend, any other statement might
be as good as his, and neither this nor that would be entitled
to claim the preference.
We have the example of the first Christian church, the pat
tern which ought to be followed by all other churches, for
" continuing steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, and in the
fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers."
This ascertains the public ordinances in which the churches of
God, resembling those which in Judea were in Christ Jesus,
ought to have fellowship every Lord's day, as completely as if
volumes had been written upon the subject. But we are not
informed whether they began and concluded the public service
with prayer or praise ; what were the stated hours of their
social worship on the first day of the week, or on other days ;
to what extent the Law and the Prophets were read ; nor how
many pastoral sermons, or brotherly exhortations, were de
livered on such occasions, &c. All these, being matters in which
no church walking in the fear of God can be_supposed to go
far wrong, require no Divine precept or example, and may be
settled in the way that seems most consistent with propriety
and decorum ; and some of them may be regulated as will
best suit the convenience of the greater part of the church.
If Mr E.'s opposition to a unity of church order has for
its object merely such things as have been mentioned, the dis
pute is at an end. Only he will permit me to affirm that there
may be varieties in some such particulars, where there is per
fect unity in the order of churches ; and there seems to be no
propriety in contrasting the want of such detailed accounts of
the proceedings of the first churches, with the minute descrip
tions of the temple and its ordinances. Every thing that is
necessary to regulate the conduct of New Testament churches,
is stated with precision and clearness, equal to that which we
perceive in the law of Moses. To think otherwise, is a pal
pable mistake, and throws a reflection on " Him, who was
counted worthy of more glory than Moses." The brevity and
simplicity of the laws of Christ, instead of being defects, are
great advantages, rendering them more intelligible, and less
burdensome to the memory, than the numerous and long de
scriptions of rites and ceremonies under the former dispensation.

LETTER XII  A PLURALITY OF ELDERS IN CHURCHES. 271
In whatever extent it may be supposed that matters are left
to the voluntary decision of every church, one would expect
that, in all cases where we have example or precept, the dis
ciples of Christ would yield to the authority of God thus in
terposed. But, alas ! it frequently happens that the things
which are most clearly revealed, are most pertinaciously dis
puted. What is the real cause of this opposition ? Were I
to affirm that it arises from prejudice, I should be thought un
charitable. And yet they who argue against some of the prac
tices followed by the apostolic churches, do not in general
attempt to conceal their unqualified disapprobation of those prac
tices. So great is their aversion towards them, that no evidence
can convince them of their Divine original.
Edinburgh, January 2, 1808.

XII.— A PLURALITY OF ELDERS IN CHURCHES.
Mr Ewing has endeavoured-to show that a plurality of Bishops,
the term which he uniformly prefers, is altogether unnecessary,
and rather inexpedient and hurtful ; and it is likely that I should
not have disturbed him with a reply, had he fairly acknow
ledged that the Apostles ordained elders in every church, Acts
xiv. 23 ; and that a law is given to the same effect, which is
evidently intended to continue to the latest ages, Tit. i. 5, com
pared with 2 Tim. ii. 2. For then he could only have urged
against the practice of having two or more bishops in one
church — the difficulty of obtaining men qualified for the duties
of the office, which frequently proves an insurmountable objec
tion — and perhaps some prudential reasons, which might not
have appeared equally conclusive to us both.
But his attempt, however extraordinary it may appear, is
that of seriously offering arguments to convince us that the
apostolic churches in general were each of them under the over
sight of one single bishop ; and that, too, after showing in a judi
cious and satisfactory manner that gifts, in the New Testament,
not always as he affirms, but generally, mean supernatural en
dowments, immediately communicated by the Spirit of God ;
that gifts abounded in all the primitive churches ; and that there
is good reason to suppose that bishops were frequently selected
from among those gifted brethren.
The supposition just mentioned, however, must be qualified
by remarking that prophets and evangelists, who filled superior
offices, could not be made overseers of particular churches ;

272 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
at least there is no instance of any such person having become
a pastor, or of a pastor having become a deacon ; and it seems
unnatural to suppose either the one or other. We can more
easily conceive that a deacon might be ordained an elder, or
that it might please God to qualify and send out an elder or a
deacon as an evangelist. This is not a mere supposition, for it
was realized in the case of Stephen, and in that of Philip.
It appears singular to conclude, without the express authority
of the Word of God, that, where there were many persons emi
nently qualified, only one elder was almost uniformly ordained by
the Apostles of our Lord, who knew well how to respect the gifts
which he ascended up on high to bestow ; and how needful
they were, in all their variety of exercise, for edifying the body
of Christ. Nay, Mr E. does not admit that there was so much
as one elder, or bishop, to use his own term, in any of the
apostolic churches except at Philippi, and in the seven
Asiatic churches, and at Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.
The above hint, in relation to the importance and necessity
of various gifts being brought into exercise, is sufficient to give
some idea of the wisdom of God in appointing more than one
person to take the oversight of his. flock, when they can be ob
tained, a subject on which I do not mean to enlarge. All that
I intend is to show that Mr E. has not disproved the fact ; and
consequently that we have the uniform example of the first
churches for a plurality of elders in each congregation, so far
as their example is recorded.
He affirms that by elders we are generally to understand ex
perienced believers, the first-fruits, the gifted brethren, out of
which class office-bearers were chosen, both bishops and dea
cons. It is true he admits that bishops are sometimes called
elders. His words are, " Because bishops and deacons were
selected from among the elders, they are sometimes spoken of
under that general name. But the terms elders is by no means
confined to them, nor indeed to office at all. This is manifest
from the transitions which we meet with from the elder to the
younger, and from one sex to the other. Thus, 1 Tim. v. 1,
Rebuke not an elder," &c.
Certainly the word elder signifies a man of age and expe
rience, and is used in that sense in the passage referred to, and
in 1 Pet. v. 5, though not to the exclusion of elders by office.
But although, in the words quoted, he owns that bishops are
sometimes called elders, yet he does not admit that this is a
distinctive term ; for he gives the same name to deacons, of which
there is not one example in all the New Testament ! And in
almost every passage where the designation occurs, he has la
boured with all his might to show that bishops are not intended.

LETTER XII  A PLURALITY OF ELDERS IN CHURCHES. 273
The passages of Scripture where the ordination of elders,
pastors, or bishops, is mentioned, are so plain, and so decisively
expressed, that Mr E. could not give them another turn by any
criticism, or by attempting a new translation. He has there
fore had recourse to an avowed interpolation, which, to be sure,
is better than if it had been secretly imposed upon us. His
amended version of the two passages is this, The Apostles " or
dained elders" to be bishops and deacons " in every church;"
and Titus was commanded to " ordain elders" to be bishops and
deacons " in every city." After all, what does he gain as to
his main point ? Still, bishops were to be ordained in every
church, and in every city ; that is, more than one in each con
gregation. If he could have reduced the word from the plural
to the singular number, those texts would have answered his
purpose without an interpolation, by which they are rather
spoiled ; for even Apostles, with all their supernatural powers,
could not have ordained two or more elders to be one bishop.
This is a miracle which never was nor could be performed ;
for instead of increasing, it would have diminished God's ap
pointed means for the edification of churches.
Mr E. can have no other reason for denying that the word
elder expresses an official character, than his strong desire to
prove that the office was generally filled by one person in each
of the apostolic churches ; the designation elder being more
frequently applied than any other, especially when the plural
number is used. It is surely an appellation expressive of age,
wisdom, and experience ; and always conveying the idea of a
man who is held in considerable estimation, whose character is
established, and to whose advice and authority others are willing
to be subject.
The elders of Israel were the judges and rulers of the land.
So was it also in the cities and provinces of other countries, as
we are informed in the history of the Old Testament. The
Apostles, on some occasions, applied to themselves this honour
able designation ; and in heaven itself we hear of " four-and-
twenty elders, sitting upon four-and-twenty seats, clothed in
white raiment, and having on their heads crowns of gold;" by
which is evidently meant that they hold a distinguished place
among the redeemed company. And they are farther repre
sented, together with the " four living creatures," as leading
the song of praise which shall resound through all the mansions
of the blessed for ever and ever. The Apostle John also " be
held in the midst of these elders a lamb as it had been slain."
What objection, then, can there be against applying this desig
nation to the overseers of churches, except that it is a more
honourable one than any of them deserve ? 2 w

274 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
The authorities already mentioned, are completely sufficient
to decide the matter in question. But others may be adduced.
Mr Ewing himself admits that the saints in Christ Jesus at
Philippi had a plurality of bishops and deacons, Phil. i. 1 ;
though not without many conjectures why that church had
more bishops than any other ! And he takes notice of Paul
sending for the elders of the church at Ephesus. But it seems
to have escaped him that the design of the Apostle was to in
struct them in the duties of their office ; for in all the Word of
God there is not a more solemn and affecting charge given to
men who had the oversight of the flock of God.
He sets before them his own example as a zealous and faith
ful minister of Christ. " He takes them to record that he was
pure from the blood of all men, affirming that he had not shun
ned to declare to them all the counsel of God." He then ear
nestly beseeches them to " take heed to themselves, and to all
the flock, over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers ;
to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood." He warns them of the danger to which they
would be exposed from false teachers, some of whom were to
arise among themselves. A most pathetic admonition imme
diately follows. " Therefore watch, and remember, that, by the
space of three years, I ceased not to warn every one night and
day with tears ;" and after affectionately " commending them to
God, and to the word of his grace," he calls them to imitate
his example in his freedom from covetousness, and in his la
bouring for the purpose of ministering to his own temporal
wants, and those of his fellow-travellers, and that he might give
to the poor ; encouraging them in " so labouring that they
might support the weak," by the gracious " words of the Lord
Jesus, who said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Acts xx. 17—36.
Is it possible that any unprejudiced person can read this
most suitable, and energetic, and overpowering address, without
perceiving that the Apostle speaks to men in office ? This in
deed is expressly declared ; for he affirms that the Holy Spirit
had made them overseers over the flock of God at Ephesus.
But although the word overseers is the same which elsewhere
is rendered bishops, Mr E. refuses to acknowledge them as
such. They were however acknowledged by God the Father,
to whom the Apostle commended them ; by Jesus, who had
purchased with his own blood the church which they were com
manded to feed ; by the Holy Spirit, who had made them bi
shops or overseers ; and by the chief of all the Apostles, who
treated them as his fellow-labourers.
A similar remark occurs, when we attend to the Apostle

LETTER XII  A PLURALITY OF ELDERS IN CHURCHES. 275
Paul's directions concerning the ordination of overseers, in his
epistles to Timothy and Titus. The same persons who are
denominated elders, Tit. i. 5, are described, and their qualifi
cations specified, under the name of bishops or overseers, ver. 7.
" For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in
order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every
city, as I had appointed thee. If any be blameless, the hus
band of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of riot,
or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of
God," &c. And it is not more certain that bishops are intended
when pastors or they who rule are named, than it is that elders
who rule well, and who labour in the word and doctrine, are
bishops or overseers.
Other instances might still be given of elders officially so
called. Such as — Those commanded " to feed the flock of
God," 1 Pet. v. 2 ; this being unquestionably the work of
bishops  " The elders of the church," James v. 14. If they
were not official men, how could they be denominated the elders
of the church ? This, by the way, proves also that it was a
common thing for a church to have elders. " The elders that
rule well," 1 Tim. v. 17. Were any other than pastors or over
seers entitled to Tule? The elders of the church of Jerusalem are
irequently mentioned, particularly in Acts xv., where they are
distinguished from the Apostles, and from the brethren or the
whole church, ver. 4, 22, 23. There is no instance of such
a distinction as this when office-bearers are not intended. It is
the same as that mentioned in Phil. i. 1, where the word bishop
is used. Mr E. is not to be blamed for using any of the designations
given in Scripture to the elders of Christian churches. But I
regret that he so frequently repeats the term bishop, a term
which has no meaning in our language, and therefore is gene
rally conceived to have some such import as when it is applied
to dignified clergymen, who imitate the splendour of the Levi-
tical priesthood, and are spiritual lords in a worldly kingdom. *
If he aspire not to the bishop's office, in a sense resembling
that which is commonly affixed to it, he will henceforth, I trust,
not only avoid this evil, but abstain from all appearance of it.
Would it not be more becoming to give an English translation
of the Greek word, and to call those who labour in the word
and doctrine in the churches overseers, or overseer, if he
will have only one in each congregation, and then the designation
which the Spirit of God intends would not be misunderstood?
He rests much of his argument on the epistles of Christ to
* Bishop is a Saxon word, and thus explained by Dr Johnson, " One
of the head order of the clergy."

276 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
the seven churches which were in Asia, Rev. ii. and iii. ;
because each of these is addressed to the angel of the church,
whom he considers as the sole bishop. Admitting his explana
tion, which is the common one, that the angel was the president,
and that he was the angel or messenger of the church because
he presented their supplications before God, in allusion to the
worship of the Jewish synagogues, this does not prove that
each of the churches had only one president who always led
their worship, and offered up their prayers to God. Two or
more could not be thus employed at one time ; and that may
be a sufficient reason why the address to the president, under
the designation of the angel, is in the singular number. I am
doubtful, however, that this explanation rather leads to the
idea of a perpetual president, having pre-eminence among his
colleagues ; and were we to admit of this distinction among the
elders of a church, we should then have something not far re
moved from Mr E.'s principle — a bishop and his presbyters.
I shall, therefore, give another explanation which I am more
inclined to adopt, without deciding positively which of them is
right. Each of the seven churches, which consisted of many
members, is represented by one candlestick. And is it not
equally proper that the presbytery or eldership of each of them
should be represented by a single star ? Some of them might
have two elders, and others perhaps three, four, or six. If a
star had appeared for every individual, while the whole were
apportioned among the different churches in such unequal
numbers, there would have been a confusion in the figure, which
is completely avoided by describing the presidents of each
church as a collective body. All this appears reasonable and
just ; but a difficulty yet remains. After the explanation of the
mystery, and when the elders are no longer denominated stars,
but the angels of the churches, those of them who ministered
in one church are still addressed in the singular number. I
humbly conceive that a good reason can be given for this also.
If there was a necessity, as has been stated, for representing
the elders of one church by one figure, it was equally necessary
to address them as one person, otherwise the epistles would
not have corresponded with 'the emblematical representation
given in the first chapter. If this style had been used, " Unto
the angels of the church at Ephesus," &c, the figure must have
consisted of not less than fourteen stars. But I have no doubt
that it would have required a much greater number to have
expressed the real fact, and that the elders of those churches
were so unequally distributed, as not to admit of any other re
presentation than that which appeared to the Apostle John —
one star for the presidents of each congregation, of whatever

LETTER XIII.  THE EDUCATION OF PASTORS. 277
number they might really consist. Besides, it seems to have
been the will of Him who signified this revelation to his servant
John, to make very frequent use of the number seven.
A great many instances might be produced from the Scrip
tures, of numerous bodies being addressed as one person ;
some of which respect teachers. See Isa. xiii. 19, 20. Rom.
ii. 19, 20.
Edinburgh, January 9, 1808.

XIII.— THE EDUCATION OF PASTORS.
Mr E. has allotted to a person whom he calls the Bishop, a,
degree of learning which, if he had been an Episcopalian, he *¦
would have considered as worthy of the bishop's dignified name,
of his rank in society, and of the important charge which he
alone must sustain. It is not easy, however, to believe that
one who has paid so much attention to the Word of God, can
be seriously convinced that literary acquirements, to so great
an extent as that which he recommends, are absolutely neces
sary for qualifying men to feed the flock of God, and to preach
the truth in purity and simplicity to perishing sinners. It is
natural, therefore, to suppose that other objects are in view,
such as fitting them for moving in the higher circles of life,
and thus making the profession of Christ's name respectable in
the eyes of carnal men — a vain attempt, in which professors of
the Christian faith have persisted for more than seventeen hun
dred years. Some of the branches of education recommended
by those who are fond of learned preachers, have a greater
tendency "to minister questions" which alienate the mind from
God, and lead to downright scepticism, than to produce " godly
edifying, which is in faith."
On the other hand, it appears to me very absurd to speak
in an unqualified manner against human learning, as many have
done. Every man who can read and write, and deliver his
sentiments with tolerable accuracy, and with that degree of
arrangement which is essential to perspicuity, has acquired some
of the most material branches of useful learning. No person, I
suppose, will condemn any of these ; and it must likewise be ac
knowledged that a man who does not possess them, cannot be
an acceptable public teacher, save only in cases of urgent neces
sity, with which we are not acquainted in this country. A know
ledge of foreign languages, of the history of mankind, of some
useful sciences, and a pretty extensive acquaintance with the

278 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
construction and grammar of our native tongue, may be of great
service to a Christian teacher, provided his knowledge have no
tendency " to lift him up with pride, and to make him fall into
the condemnation of the devil ;" and there is much danger of this
when the person is a novice in the profession of Christianity.
But surely a Christian brother may be " apt to teach," although
he be in a great measure destitute of many of the last-mentioned
acquirements. That which is demanded with the greatest appearance of
reason, is an acquaintance with the languages in which the
Word of God was originally written. Yet even this, in one
view, is a dangerous accomplishment. Very few of those who
profess to understand Greek and Hebrew, have so complete a
knowledge of these languages as to prevent them from falling
into many blunders, or to enable them to profit as much by
their own criticisms, as they might by those of abler men, whose
works are open to the perusal of the unlearned ; and I never
yet have been persuaded that a judicious Christian, who under
stands his English Bible, may not, almost in every case, detect
a false criticism, and see the propriety of one that is just, and
which agrees with the context, and with the scope and spirit of
Divine revelation.
Nay, what is worse than any thing yet mentioned, I have
seldom seen an instance of a learned man insisting upon the
absolute necessity of literary acquirements to a great extent in
preachers of the Gospel, who did not himself make a bad use
of his learning ; and I should not write sincerely, did I ex
culpate Mr E. from this charge. His talents are improved ; but
that does not hinder him from mistaking the meaning of plain
texts of Scripture, " using unwarrantable freedom" with them,
and exerting all his powers to explain them in a sense in which
they were never intended, and of which a simple, discerning,
and unlearned Christian, would be ashamed. His statement
furnishes too many instances of this, some of which have been
already noticed ; and I am under the painful necessity of giving
farther proof.
So far as I can judge, any useful branches of learning which
may be thought necessary for preachers of the Gospel, ought to
be obtained in conjunction with labouring industriously at some
lawful calling. Idleness is no advantage to any man ; and
whatever speculative knowledge one may obtain by sequestra
ting himself from the world, he cannot in these circumstances
gain much practical improvement.
That some Christian teachers, employed solely in the work
of the ministry, are extremely useful, and adorn the doctrine
of God their Saviour, I fully admit. But young men, prepa-

LETTER XIII.  THE EDUCATION OF PASTORS. 279
ring for this work, or just entered upon it, with perhaps a good
deal of theory and little experience, labour under many dis
advantages from the want of daily employment. Many of
them, having neither inclination nor genius to devote them
selves to profitable study, and having very often nothing else
to employ them, are exposed to peculiar temptations. Besides,
if an overseer ought not to be a novice, but a man considerably
advanced in life, as is clearly intimated by an express regula
tion, by the designation elder, and by the work assigned to
him ; where is the Scripture warrant for a mere youth having
such a charge? Would he not be better employed in
labouring with his hands, and at the same time gradually im
proving his talents ? If he act otherwise, upon what Christian
principle does he claim exemption from the common duties of
life, in which all Mb brethren are engaged ?
On this point Mr E. has tried to make a Scripture text subser
vient to his views; and he has thus rendered it, " He gave some
pastors and teachers, for (the sake of) fitting the saints for the work
of the ministry," Eph. iv. 12. But although, without straining
the text, he could have made it speak in this way, does it autho
rize fitting saints for the work of the ministry, by bringing them
up from early youth in seminaries of learning, and thus forming
a separate caste prepared to claim a superiority, not merely
as teachers, but as speculative, scientific, and literary men,
instructed, as they suppose, in all the mysteries of theology,
while they have not yet learned to know themselves? Would
not the first Christian teachers have reckoned a church a better
seminary ? Would not they have taught their babes and young
men to know that " the Scriptures make the man of God
perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works ?"
The text, however, says nothing about training for the work
of the ministry. It informs us that gifts were bestowed by our
exalted Lord " for the perfecting of the saints," or for bring
ing them into joint, and making them one complete organized
body, as appears from the whole connexion of the passage.
" Fitting the saints" may be a good enough translation. But
it does not mean qualifying them to become ministers ; it sig
nifies fitting all the saints into their proper places in the body.
And the next words express another distinct purpose, "for the
work of the ministry." Provision was made for every branch
of that work, by the gifts which Jesus sent down when he entered
into his glory ; and they were all necessary for the complete
fulfilment of the work of the ministry, ordinary pastors and
teachers, as well as Apostles, prophets, and evangelists.
A Christian teacher belongs to no religious caste distinct from
that of his brethren. He is not a priest or a bishop, in the

280 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
general acceptation of these terms. He is not a clergyman,
or an ecclesiastic of any order, but strictly and properly a lay
man, although he should have no secular profession or trade.
He is, in fine, a Christian brother, distinguished from the rest
of the brethren only by his possessing the peculiar qualifica
tions which, according to the Word of God, are essential to the
due fulfilment of his ministry ; and by his excelling in those
general characters which are common to all the disciples of
Christ. His authority is paternal rather than magisterial. It
is enforced and regulated by the Word of God alone, which
clearly marks the distinction between " him that ruleth," and
those who are placed under subjection ; and, while the good
of the church requires that he should uniformly maintain his
just authority, it is equally his duty to condescend to the meanest
of his brethren, and to give them an example of lowliness and
humility. Let any one read attentively the qualifications required by
the Apostle Paul in his epistles to Timothy and Titus, and
then say what connexion the greater part of Mr E.'s fitness
has with these. He would persuade us indeed that human
learning supplies, in some degree, the want of the extraordinary
gifts of the Holy Spirit, which have long ago ceased. But
he does not so much as attempt to give any Scripture authority
for this, which would have been altogether impossible.
I could have wished that he had more highly honoured the
miraculous working of the Spirit of God, by confessing that it
completely answered the Divine purpose, and that no human
learning or industry can, in any respect, accomplish the same
design. In the apostolic age, he, the self -same Spirit, divi
ded to every man severally as he would, the word of wisdom,
the word of knowledge, faith, the gifts of healing, the working
of miracles, prophecy, divers kinds of tongues, the interpreta
tion of tongues. 1 Cor. xii. 8 — 11. And still, by his ordinary
operations, he qualifies whom he will for the work of the
ministry, such as it now is ; and it differs not from that in which
the servants of Christ were engaged, who, in the primitive age,
were not furnished with supernatural powers. I shall now
draw the conclusion from Mr Ewing's theory.
The extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit are not stated in
Scripture as qualifications for the pastoral office ; nor are they
mentioned in the charge to the elders of the church at Ephesus ;
nor in that which the Colossians were to deliver to Archippus ;
nor in any other description of elders, or of their duties, ex
cept in the single instance of healing the sick, James v. 14, 15.
Neither are they ever stated as a reason why a church should
esteem and obey those who have the rule over them.

LETTER XIII  THE EDUCATION OF PASTORS. 281
Let it, moreover, be carefully noticed, that Mr E. has de
prived overseers in churches of every scriptural designation,
except two which are not generally understood — bishops and
angels ; for he considers even pastors and teachers as extra
ordinary office-bearers, peculiar to the first age of Christianity.
And those who " had the rule over the churches, who laboured
among them, and were over them in the Lord, and admonished
them, as well as the elders" of all the primitive churches, he
supposes to have been, not men in office, but experienced and
gifted private brethren !
He has thus, unintentionally I believe, set aside and can
celled all the duties which bishops or overseers owe to their
flocks, except such as by implication may be gathered from the
qualifications which they ought to possess. And he has by the
same means done what he could to deprive them of all the re
spect, and temporal support, and dutiful submission, which the
churches owe to them. For the persons who are to be honoured,
and supported, and obeyed, are the men who, according to Mr
E.'s theory, sustain no official character ; and he has not even
expressly told us whether it be his opinion, that men having the
same name and authority now exist in churches.
It appears, however, from several parts of his Statement,
that, in the full extent of their character, they cannot be in any
church ; for he uniformly attributes supernatural qualifications
to the primitive elders. How does this consist with their hav
ing been private brethren, and inferior to bishops, as he seems
to intimate by the general scope of his arguments, and by fre
quently repeating that bishops, and even deacons, were chosen
from that class, which he says is generally meant by the epithet
elders ? In his judgment, therefore, they were inferior to deacons.
But, if they were extraordinarily qualified by the gifts of the Holy
Spirit, must they not have been "prophets, evangelists, workers
of miracles, or those who possessed the gifts of healing, or the gift
of tongues, or of the interpretation of tongues ;" consequently
men who sustained important offices, and were, some of them at
least, greatly superior to ordinary teachers ? Were those per
sons the elders of the churches ? Are not the latter constantly
distinguished from Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists, though
some of them might be workers of miracles, and have the gift
of tongues ? Were prophets and evangelists the persons who
had the stated oversight of the churches, and who were to be
esteemed very highly in love for their work's sake, not as occa
sional visitants, but as those who were always over them in the
Lord ? This would be a transfer of the work of pastors, and
of every duty towards them which the Word of God enjoins, to
certain descriptions of men who have not existed for many ages !
2 N

282 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
In this way Mr E. arrives at the same point which, in the
doctrine of his opponents, he so justly censures, that of super
seding the office of elders, pastors, or overseers, in Christian
churches !
Edinburgh, January 16, 1808.

XIV.— THE EXHORTATIONS OF THE BRETHREN.
Mr E. has done well in rejecting the claim of all or any of the
brethren to be accounted prophets, an office which was not only
peculiar to the primitive age, and distinguished by supernatural
powers of an eminent kind, but next in order to that of Apostles.
Eph. iv. 11. 1 Cor. xii. 28, 29. He has explained 1 Cor.
xiv. in a manner so just, and so convincing, that it would be
quite superfluous to attempt a further illustration of that pas
sage. But I cannot refrain from expressing some surprise that
his opponents should call private brethren to the public exer
cise of their gifts under the denomination of prophets, propo
sing, for their example, a class of extraordinary men who were
divinely inspired, while they will scarcely allow pastors to imi
tate the elders of the church at Ephesus, or the unassuming
bishops at Philippi !
He has likewise given a just view of the gifts to the exercise
of which various office-bearers are called, Rom. xii. 3 — 9. It
is the duty of the brethren to occupy their place in the body,
and to use the talents which God bath given them with the
same diligence and zeal which we see exemplified in those who
taught and exhorted officially ; and in this view I object not to
the general application of such passages. The meanest dis
ciple is called to follow the example of the Apostle Paul, and
of the Lord himself. But surely those who have any gifts can
not receive benefit to themselves, nor can they profit others, by
meeting with encouragement in the vain conceit that they are
" prophets, ministers, teachers, and rulers." This is tempt
ing them " to think more highly of themselves than they ought
to think."
There is no reason, however, to doubt that private brethren
exhorted one another in the primitive churches, and that those
of them upon whom the Lord hath bestowed suitable gifts, are
still bound by his authority to exercise them in that way. Mr
E. yields this, so far as to admit that brethren may exhort in
week-day meetings of the church. But he is extremely averse
to it on the Lord's day; and there is scarcely any part of the

LETTER XIV  THE EXHORTATIONS OF THE BRETHREN. 283
New Testament upon which the practice can be founded, which
he has not controverted, and explained in another way. So
much has he laboured on this point, that I am perfectly at a loss
to see upon what ground he approves of the brethren exhort
ing at any church meeting. For if all the passages usually
referred to as authorizing the practice, apply exclusively to pri
vate exhortation, from which Christian women are not pre
cluded, or to the public exhortations of the bishop, as he sup
poses, how can he think that a brother is warranted to exhort
at any meeting of the church ? Again, if it be lawful on a
week-day, is it not equally so on the Lord's day ? Nay, is there
not then a better opportunity for it, because there is more time,
and because freedom from their worldly business enables the
brethren more advantageously to apply their minds to any sub
ject ; and a more urgent call to it, because the churches ought
to observe all the ordinances of which their circumstances admit
on the Lord's day ?
No person will blame me for supposing that it will be uni
versally granted, that, if private brethren may exhort in public,
they may also, at the request of their elders, be employed in
offering up to God the prayers and thanksgivings of a church.
Yet I would have every one to consider whether it be not a
more weighty and serious employment to address the Most
High as the mouth of a church, than to speak to our fellow-
sinners about those very things concerning which " we, who
are but dust and ashes, take it upon us to speak to the Lord."
This hint is given, not for the purpose of discouraging brethren
from praying, but in order to convince them of what one would
think is self-evident, that if they can speak to God in public,
they can in the same circumstances speak to men. Habit, or
mistaken views of this subject, or both, may have actually ren
dered it, in some cases, easy to pray, and almost impossible to
exhort, in a church. But this is not the judgment that would
otherwise be formed by those who fear God.
I proceed then to justify public speaking in the churches by
all who are possessed of useful gifts, requesting that I may be
considered as extending the obligation no farther. A man who
has gifts may be unconscious of it, or may excuse his negli
gence, or his timidity, by professing that he is not qualified in
this way to edify his brethren. But no man is called to occupy
talents which he does not really possess.
It would seem from Acts xiii. 15, that exhortation by those
who sustained no official character, was a common thing in the
Jewish synagogues after reading the law and the prophets ; for
" the rulers of the synagogue sent to Paul and Barnabas, say
ing, Men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for

284 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
the people, say on." And any one who is willing to take mat
ters simply as they stand in the New Testament, may easily
perceive that the same practice was instituted and followed in
the churches of Christ. Their union in the truth, their desire
of building up themselves and one another in their most holy
faith, the necessity of men being thus trained to become teach
ers, and the impossibility of otherwise knowing who were capable
to feed the flock of God — all these naturally led the first Chris
tians to the practice of exhorting one another, and demonstrate
to us the propriety and usefulness of attending to that duty.
These general arguments are conclusive. Practices which
correspond with the spirit of the Gospel, and necessarily result
from the love of the truth, and of the brethren for the truth's
sake, must be conformable to the will of God. " Against such
there is no law." And it will be found in general, that dislike
of mutual exhortation in churches, arises from something else
than unfeigned love of the brethren, or zeal for the truth, which
is the centre and soul of their union.
But where shall we find clear and positive authority in the
writings of the Apostles ? Do they give any directions which
can fairly be so explained ? Or is the matter left wholly to the
decision of the bishop, who generally does not choose " to be
silenced" during any part of the time in which he used to be the
sole speaker, especially on the Lord's day, when the audience
is greatly increased in number ?
The apostolic epistles, addressed not to pastors but to the
churches, are full of precepts and earnest entreaties to exhort,
to comfort, to teach, to admonish, and to edify one another.
The greater part of those precepts are given in general terms.
But, unless it could be proved that men as well as women are
prohibited from speaking in churches, or that the public exer
cise of gifts which some may possess, is unsuitable to the nature
of their connexion, and therefore cannot tend to edify, we ought
to admit that the orderly, affectionate, and self-denied exercise
of such gifts, is included in the general precepts to which I re
fer. I shall, however, only take particular notice of some of
those passages, in which Christians are more expressly called
to this duty in their associated state.
In 1 Cor. xii., where the body of Christ is described, every
member is represented as occupying the place which God hath
assigned him, and contributing to the good of the whole ; and
as there is use for the gifts of teachers, so is there likewise for
the gifts of other members, whose duty it is, to the utmost of
their power, to edify their brethren. Thus, in Eph. iv. 14  16,
the Apostle, after having recapitulated the various gifts which
had been given by our exalted Lord, mentions the purposes for

LETTER XIV  THE EXHORTATIONS OF THE BRETHREN. 285
which he gave them ; and among other things, " that we hence
forth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; but, speaking
the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the
head, even Christ : From whom the whole body fitly joined to
gether and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love."
Now the Apostle represents, not only pastors and teachers
exercising their gifts, but the body speaking the truth in love,
that they might accomplish the great design of their union, by
preserving themselves from false doctrine, growing up into
Christ, and making increase of the body, to the edifying of itself
in love. That speaking the truth privately is here included,
I most readily confess. But is it not suitable to the whole
scope of the passage, to consider it as including the public ex
ercise of all gifts which are adapted to public usefulness ? It
will be admitted that teachers are to edify the church by speaking
the truth in public. Why not also the body, mentioned in the
same connexion as being thus occupied, according to the various
abilities of its members ?
This duty is expressly commanded, in connexion with hold
ing fast our profession, and provoking one another to love and
to good works, Heb. x. 25. " Not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting
one another ; and so much the more as ye see the day approach
ing." They were not to forsake the public assemblies or
church meetings, especially on the Lord's day, as some had
done. And what was to be their employment when assembled ?
The answer is, " exhorting one another," under a deep im
pression of the danger which awaited them ; for " the great and
the terrible day of the Lord," when Jerusalem was to be
destroyed, " was approaching." They saw it drawing nigh.
Both their assembling themselves, therefore, and their exhort
ing one another, are here recommended as antidotes against
apostasy, and as God's appointed means for strengthening their
faith, and leading them to the sure ground of everlasting con
solation, amidst all the calamities which could befal them. The
words one another, indeed, are supplied by our translators. But
suppose we stop with the word exhorting, who else could be
the objects of their exhortations ?
Even this express authority Mr E. has attempted to set
aside, alleging that the Apostle only requires brethren to exhort
one another in private to attend church meetings ; and for this
he produces Newcombe's translation, " Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but

286 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
exhorting to it." If no church had ever allowed private
brethren to supersede the labours of the bishop for half an
hour at any of their public meetings, would we ever have heard
of such a translation ? The commandment to exhort is a gene
ral one, and no person would think of restricting it to one
subject, unless he had a favourite point to gain, and that seems
to be the honour of the officiating clergyman.
Again, he puts another meaning upon the word exhorting in
this passage, not very consistent with the former, making it " a
general term for all the exercises of social worship taken to
gether ;" and then he excludes the exhortations of the brethren,
without giving any reason for it, and leaves all in the hands of
the bishop. But if it even were intended to express all Divine
ordinances, which is evidently a forced interpretation, why
should we not include that which is the primary and obvious
meaning of the word, exhorting ? And how can an apostolic
injunction upon churches to exhort, be understood as giving to
the pastor the exclusive power of performing that duty ?
It appears to me that the Apostle Peter regulates, if he does
not enjoin, the duty of mutual and public exhortation, when he
says, " If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God,"
1 Pet. iv. 11. Mr E., I think, somewhere confines this entirely
to the bishop. But the expression, " if any man speak," is too
general to be so explained. Besides, the context shows that
private brethren are intended. " Use hospitality one to
another, without grudging. As every man hath received the
gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God." The persons here addressed are
surely not bishops alone ; nor will they themselves affirm this.
All who possessed the gift of worldly substance, were to use
hospitality one to another. Then he proceeds to the exercise
of other gifts. " If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles
of God," or precisely the same doctrine which God himself
hath spoken. " If any man minister," or supply the wants of
the poor, " let him do it as of the ability which God giveth,
that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ."
Undoubtedly overseers speak, and deacons minister. But
the expressions here are of a more extensive meaning, and
more clearly applicable to the brethren at large, than to admit
of their being restricted to office-bearers. Every deacon
ministers, not according to the personal ability which God
giveth him, but according to the ability and willingness
of the church. And if every man be called to minister " as
God hath prospered him," so in like manner every man who
possesses any gift for public speaking, is obliged to use it for
the edification of his brethren, agreeably to the direction given

LETTER XIV  THE EXHORTATIONS OF THE BRETHREN. 287
by the Apostle. How can it be otherwise ? Does the Lord
approve of " hiding talents in the earth ?"
FrOm a general view of matters as delineated in the New
Testament, it appears that " continuing steadfastly in the doc
trine of the Apostles," especially on the Lord's day, when all
Divine ordinances which we have in our power ought to be
observed, includes in it reading the Holy Scriptures, the minis
trations of pastors and teachers, where such have been ordained,
and the exhortations of the brethren, subject to the judicious
and temperate control of those who have the rule over them.
Mr E. brings forward a great many prudential reasons for
declining mutual exhortation on the first day of the week. But
these, notwithstanding the ingenuity and acuteness displayed
in them, require no answer; because, although Divine ordinances
may be abused, yet they are all salutary and useful in the
highest degree, when observed in the true spirit of Christianity,
which destroys every selfish principle, and excludes all that is
inconsistent with love to God, and to the brethren. And were
some public teachers more under the influence of this spirit,
they would not think themselves affronted or displaced when
the truth is spoken in love by the body of which they are
members, if it be a body capable of such an exercise ; and
if it be totally incapable of this, whatever may be its just
description, it is not the body of Christ, although some of its
members may belong to the general assembly and church of the
first-born. Mr E. would do well to consider that his plan in favour of
one man performing the whole of the public duty on the Lord's
day, in every church, has led him not only to do injustice to
particular texts of Scripture, but to oppose the whole scope
and spirit of the New Testament regarding Christian fellow
ship ; for the sacred writers uniformly declare that the body of
Christ consists of many members — that not one, but a variety
of these, are the governing members — and that the church in
general contribute their share towards the welfare and pros
perity of the body. Indeed, no other system accords with the
nature of their connexion as redeemed sinners, " glorying in
nothing save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which
they are crucified to the world ; and loving one another as Christ
hath loved them."
To affirm that the want of the personal presence of Apostles,
Prophets, and Evangelists, is better supplied by a single person
learned in all the wisdom of the Universities, and in many
cases loving to have the pre-eminence, than by such variety of
gifts as the Lord is now pleased to bestow, seems equally in-

288 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER.
consistent with humility, and with every rational view of that
which tends to edification. In the great charter and infallible
standard of the churches, we never read of the bishop, or the
office-bearer of any description, except when the Apostle states
the qualifications which every bishop ought to possess. * Of
this Mr E. has taken an undue advantage; for he might as
well have argued that the Apostle describes one universal bishop,
as that he restricts the number to one in any congregation,
after he had commanded elders to be ordained in every city.
Neither is the angel of each of the seven Asiatic churches an
example of this, as I have already proved.
That which ought still more to convince my friend Mr E.,
(for I sincerely wish to convince, and not to irritate,) is the
weighty consideration that, while no president of a church is,
in any part of the sacred Scriptures, termed the pastor or the
bishop, these are designations appropriated to our gracious
and Almighty Lord — the Shepherd and Bishop of our
Souls. This distinction may be illustrated by a similar in
stance. A believer is a son of God. But the Son of God is
a name which belongs exclusively to him of whom God the
Father testified, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased." On one of those occasions, John the Baptist " saw
and bare record that this is the Son of God ;" and he is thus
eminently distinguished from every other son of God, whether
among elect angels or redeemed men. A distinction between
him and all the other sons of men, is likewise decidedly marked
by his being called the Son of Man.
I should be happy to see Mr Ewing renounce the erroneous
parts of his system, as publicly as he has attempted to defend
them. He will show an amiable and a Christian spirit, by
taking in good part the free and unadorned suggestions of a
layman, and by yielding subjection to the authority of God in
his Word, how deficient soever, in the more elevated branches
of human learning, the person may be who endeavours to
recommend " what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
Edinburgh, January 23, 1808.

* My use of the term is always to be understood as expressing Mr E.'s
idea, and not my own. At the same time, the designation may be inno
cently applied when it is not limited to one individual, as when we say
the Christian or the believer, meaning any Christian or any believer. In
this view the Apostle Paul describes the character of the bishop. He
does not intend the overseer of each church, but any overseer. And when
he says, 2 Tim. iii. 17, " that the man of God may be perfect," he does
not confine this to Timothy alone, nor to one eminent person in a church,
but comprehends in the expression every man of God.

REMARKS ON DR CHALMERS' ADDRESS

TO THE

INHABITANTS OF KILMANY,
AND ON HIS GENERAL SENTIMENTS RELATIVE TO THE DOCTRINE
OF DIVINE GRACE.
IN SIX LETTERS TO A FRIEND.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN MDCCCXVI.

2o

[ 291 ]

PREFACE.

A considerable part of the following Letters is employed
in the discussion of various subjects in which I am agreed with
Dr Chalmers — particularly, that every hearer of the Gospel is.
immediately called to believe it, and to bring forth suitable fruits
—and that it sanctifies all who really do believe it. The point
of difference between us is distinctly marked, and is considered
chiefly in the first Three Letters. The Fourth Letter, also,
treats generally of similar subjects. But, throughout the whole
publication, silence is preserved in relation to all matters of
difference which are not immediately connected with the point
in hand. The Fifth and Sixth Letters contain, almost exclu
sively, the one a doctrinal, the other a practical view of the
sanctifying influence of the Gospel.
While I freely express my disapprobation of the way in which
the Author of the Address would have sinners prepared for the
reception of the Gospel, I utterly disavow every thing personal,
except sincere affection and esteem. Among those who value
as they ought the great endowments which are possessed by a
few individuals only, and yet know the due place assigned to
fallible man, there is perhaps no person more disposed than
myself to admit all that can be said with justice in favour of
Dr Chalmers. My admiration of his intellectual powers, and
of his energetic and impressive manner, has not been diminished
by hearing another of his sermons since the date of my Sixth
Letter. By all possible means, I have sought to avoid any
misapprehension of his real sentiments ; and the sole object of

292 preface.
my censure is that which I deliberately consider as erroneous
doctrine, by whomsoever it may be held and propagated.
Except in the single instance of Dr Chalmers, I have named,
with disapprobation of their doctrine, no individual preachers
of the Gospel, nor any class of Christian teachers. And his
name also might have been omitted, had I not been conscious
that his Address was the occasion of my writing at all, and that
silence in this particular, while readers must have seen what
person was in view, would have been unnatural and affected.
It was equally impossible to have concealed my own name.
From unavoidable circumstances, the writer of the Letters
must have been known to a pretty numerous circle, and the
truth would have come out by means of private whispers. But
if it had been otherwise, I should have scrupled to embrace an
opportunity of wounding a much respected author in the dark.
Notwithstanding my anxiety to avoid every unscriptural idea,
and every expression which could give just ground of offence
to any lover of the truth, I have no doubt that a critical reader
might still convict me of many inaccuracies, and some mistakes ;
and I entertain only a feeble hope that these in general will be
such as friendship and candour may innocently forgive. I am
aware also, that it has not been in my power to do justice to so
great a number of very important subjects, within the narrow
limits of an ordinary pamphlet. The candid reader will there
fore permit me to solicit his indulgence. My chief concern
has been to give just and simple views of the doctrine of the
Gospel, and of its practical influence ; showing, with all my
inadequate powers, that it is the nature and design of this
heavenly doctrine to teach the most ignorant, to convince the
most incredulous, and to save from sin and from wrath the
most guilty and wretched among men.
Edinburgh, August 15, 1816,

[ 293 ]

REMARKS, &c.

LETTER I.

After an attentive perusal of Dr Chalmers' Address to his
former parishioners, it occurred to me that an answer, written in
the spirit of meekness, and, as far as is consistent with human
imperfection, imitating the perspecuity, the simplicity,' and pre
cision of those inspired messengers who, in the first promulga
tion of the Gospel, " used great plainness of speech," might
serve the cause of truth. To me it would have been highly
gratifying, " if a scribe better instructed unto the kingdom of
heaven" had come forward on this occasion, " in the fulness of
the blessing of the Gospel of Christ." * But as all have
hitherto declined the task, and the case appears singularly
urgent, I shall attempt to clear away some rubbish, that the
precious parts of the doctrine contained in the Address may
appear with more unsullied lustre.
In this work, however, I engage with hesitation ; not on
account of the acknowledged eminent talents of Dr Chalmers,
nor his extensive popularity, nor the many censures which I
have reason to expect from his numerous friends. These and
other considerations appear as nothing, when I reflect upon the
awful importance of the subjects which are to come under
discussion- — subjects intimately connected with the eternal
salvation of the souls of men. When we see that the Gospel
proclaims to sinners of all nations, and of all characters, the
only sure ground of hope for eternity, we recognise God's own
method of salvation, of which it is impossible that we should
* At the above date, I was ignorant that my wish had been in part ful
filled by several Reviewers. I have now seen three friendly and success
ful attempts to correct the Address, in periodical works published in
Edinburgh. But it appears to me that a more full discussion, of which
their limits do not admit, is still very necessary.

294 ON THE doctrine of divine grace.
know any thing more than that which he hath been pleased to
reveal, and concerning which we must err, if all our ideas, and
principles, and experience in relation to it, have not an imme
diate reference to his own infallible Word, and be not entirely
regulated thereby. Under a solemn impression of this, " I
pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory, may give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him." I am conscious of much ignorance, and
of many deficiencies. But the sovereign Lord of heaven and
earth often employs unlikely means, and he is all-sufficient to
give direction and support to the most feeble instrument.
Allow me further to premise, that I have no disposition to
find fault with the, author of the Address, with whom I have
not the pleasure of being personally acquainted. I highly
respect him on account of his splendid and useful talents, and
still more because of his knowledge in some leading branches
of Divine truth, and his boldness, and Zeal, and faithfulness, in
preaching the Word of life, so far as he perceives its import. I
have the fullest conviction that he acts from principle, and that
he is sincerely devoted to the work in which he is engaged. It is
not my design, therefore, to take any advantage from the rapid
and hasty manner in which the Address has confessedly been
composed, nor to impute to its author any sentiment which he
has not avowed. But I claim the privilege of honestly stating
what I conceive to be erroneous in his doctrine, and of ex
posing without reserve its hurtful tendency, which certainly he
does not perceive.
Feeling, as I do, a very strong inclination to convince him
that his most favourite topic, at least that which is most pro
minent in his Address, does not accord with the doctrine of
the Scriptures; and being equally desirous of leading his
hearers and others to examine for themselves, I wish to avoid
every thing which tends to irritate. With this view, I shall
quote sparingly from his work ; because, when the opposite
method is pursued, he who censures is frequently tempted to
analyze too much ; to make criticisms which, though they may
be just, are not essentially necessary ; to mistake the exact
meaning of his opponent ; to lay himself under the imputation
of quoting passages out of their connexion ; and, in fine, to
assume the appearance rather of a caviller than of an advocate
for truth. It is easier and safer, as well as more useful, to
take up the scope and spirit of an author, than to follow him
through every paragraph, and to hunt after trifling inaccuracies.
If in the course which I mean to pursue, I should still unknow
ingly misrepresent any sentiment published by Dr Chalmers,
I am open to conviction, and shall frankly acknowledge my

LETTER I  SUMMARY OF DR CHALMERS' ADDRES?. 295
error, it being understood, as already hinted, that I am at
liberty to show from the Scriptures the unavoidable conse
quences which result from certain doctrines.
Agreeably to the above resolution, I shall give, in my own
words, a summary of the leading particulars contained in
the Address, distinguishing how far I am agreed with the
author. 1 . He expressly avows and maintains the total corruption
of all men, without exception, who are not converted by the
power of God. 2. He strenuously holds the doctrine of free
justification through the finished work of the Son of God,
without the deeds of the law. 3. He maintains clearly, that
every one to whom the Word of salvation is sent, is immediately
called by the authority of God to believe the Gospel, and thus
to obtain all its inestimable blessings, without money and with
out price. 4. He contends that every one who hears the Gos
pel is not only commanded to believe it, but is also immediately
called, at the same instant, to purify his heart, and to reform
his conduct. 5. He considers the practical influence of the
truth on the hearts and lives of beUevers, as the means of
strengthening and establishing their faith. 6. When persons
do not believe, he insists that still they must use their utmost
efforts to reform their hearts and lives, as a preparation for
believing the Gospel. Such, he often repeats, are in a likelier
and more hopeful way than others.
Now to all this I give my unqualified and most cordial as
sent, the last article alone excepted. I object merely against
calling upon any man to prepare himself for the faith of the
Gospel by performing good works, or to make any exertion by
which he may render himself more likely than others to attain
the righteousness which is by faith. Far from admitting that
good works pave the way for ultimately finding rest to the guilty
conscience in the Lord Jesus Christ, I am fully persuaded that
they who, under any pretence whatever, " seek to attain (jus
tifying) righteousness, as it were by the works of the law," are
in a less hopeful state than others, as I shall afterwards have
occasion to show.
While I profess my agreement with Dr Chalmers in so many
of his articles of faith, with only one exception, permit me to
give a caution against supposing that I approve, in all respects,
of the use which he has made of some of them, particularly the
fourth and fifth articles, and more especially the fourth. The
error which he propagates, is founded on mistaken views of
the order in which men are called to believe God, and to do
his will. And in forming a general estimate of the subject, it
appears to me that teaching sinners to prepare themselves by

296 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
the deeds of the law for obtaining justification by faith, is, in its
own nature, totally inconsistent with the sacred truths which he
has acknowledged. My admission proceeds on a full conviction
that the tenets held by both parties, as mentioned above, are
clearly revealed in the Word of God, and are in the highest
degree important. I do not hesitate therefore to affirm, that
every doctrine which is at irreconcilable variance with them, or
which necessarily tends to subvert them, must be false.
Dr Chalmers does right when he urges upon the consciences
of his hearers, or of those who read his writings, the extensive
and unalterable demands of the perfect law of God ; for " the
righteousness of his testimonies is everlasting, and his law is the
truth." It consists with the natural notices of God in our con
sciences, and with every just principle of reason, that we are
accountable to our great Creator, and preserver, and bountiful
benefactor, for the use which we make of the talents which he
bestows, and for every transgression of his law, which is " holy,
and just, and good." The law was opened up, and illustrated,
and applied, by the great Preacher of righteousness, in all its
spirituality and extent, as it affects, not merely the outward
actions, but the hearts of men, and their most secret thoughts
and motives. Jesus frequently taught, that the first and great
commandment is perfect love to God, and the second, perfect
love to our neighbour, adding, upon one occasion, " On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets," * be
cause love is the animating principle of all obedience. One
Apostle calls it " the royal law according to the Scriptures." t
Another affirms that the whole second table of the law " is
briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, " Thou shalt. love
thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neigh
bour ; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." X And again,
" All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself." ||
It is impossible in the nature of things that God's eternal
rule of righteousness can cease to demand perfect, sinless, and
uninterrupted obedience from every rational being. To say
that the moral inability of man dissolves, or in the smallest
degree weakens, his obligation to keep the moral law, is to add
insult to his rebellion against the Most High. What is his
moral inability? It is solely the disinclination of his carnal
mind, which not only harbours and indulges enmity, but is
enmity itself against God and his law.
The same authority is interposed with respect to the glorious
* Matt. xxii. 37—40. t James ii. 8.
X Rom. xiii. 9, 10. || Gal. v. 14.

Letter i. — God's works of mercy manifested. 297
Gospel of the blessed God. When Jehovah speaks, " whether
it be for correction or for mercy," it is the indispensable duty of
man to hear. With infinite condescension and pity he addresses
the fallen race of Adam, loaded with guilt, beset with an
accumulation of present misery, and justly exposed to eternal
damnation. He represents their state as not merely wretched
in the extreme, but completely and absolutely irremediable by
their own exertions, to what extent soever these may be car
ried ; " they are prisoners in a pit wherein is no water." *
To these lost sinners, these vile, self-ruined, and helpless
slaves of Satan, and of their own lusts, it hath pleased God to
reveal the exceeding riches of his grace, by providing for them
an almighty Saviour, and " sending him to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the prison to them who are
bound;" f to fulfil the law which they have broken; " to pour
out his soul unto death ; to bear the sin of many, and to make
intercession for the transgressors." X The arduous work of the
great Redeemer, thus finished in his death, is " the righteous
ness of God," the only and all-sufficient ground of the justification
of sinners ; and God the Father hath fully manifested his appro
bation of this Divine righteousness, by raising from the dead
him who fulfilled it, and " glorifying his Son Jesus ;" thus also
" declaring him to be the Son of God with power, according
to the Spirit of holiness." || This is the testimony of the Gos
pel, and it contains also a promise of eternal life to all who
believe it ; " for God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life." § " And to him give all the
prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in
him shall receive remission of sins." ^f
Human works, then, have no concern in any respect with
justification before God, except as they clearly show that the
grace by which we are justified is altogether sovereign and
free. God hath determined, and he will accomplish it, " that
no flesh shall glory in his presence ;" and " boasting is ex
cluded, not by the law of works, but by the law of faith."
Still, however, men are called " to believe the Gospel, to
repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance ;"
and whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, they
are addressed in the following terms, " Hearken diligently unto
me ; hear, and your souls shall live." ** " Believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." ft " Cast away from

* Zech. ix. II.

t Isaiah lxi. 1.

X Isaiah liii.

|| Rom. i. 4.

§ John iii. 16.

f Acts x. 43,

*• Isaiah lv. 2, 3.

ft Acts xvi. 31.

2 p

298 ON THE doctrine of divine grace.
you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed ; and
make you a new heart, and a new spirit ; for why will ye die,
O house of Israel ? * " Repent, and be baptised every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins ; —
Save yourselves from this untoward generation." t " Repent,
and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." X
Passages of like import might be quoted without number.
But these are enough to show that the Lord requires of all the
hearers of the Gospel implicit faith in his testimony con
cerning Jesus, and sincere repentance with all its fruits —
immediate and universal subjection to his commandments, pro
ceeding not merely from the fear of wrath, but from love and
gratitude — the humble and affectionate homage of a recon
ciled, a renewed, and sanctified heart.
The Word of God proposes no half measures, nor time
serving expedients. It goes at once to the root of the evil ;
for "it is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart." || "It is as a fire, and like
a hammer which breaketh the rock in pieces." § This is the
mighty work which God intends to perform by all his gracious
calls, and also by his alarming denunciations ; for the Apostle
Paul, "knowing the terror of the Lord, persuaded men;"
while he also described his ministry as consisting chiefly in an
overpowering display of the love of God. " Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech
you by us ; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to
God." 1 The Word of God, or the Gospel/Joy the power of
the Spirit of grace, first cures the infidelity of the human heart,
and then its love of sin. The former is the cause, the latter
its immediate effect.
Now, this complete revolution, this new creation, which is
truly the work of God, is expressed or implied in every Gospel
call to dead sinners ; and what similarity is there between this
radical change of the heart of man, and that partial and out
ward reformation which leaves the person as really an enemy to
God as " blameless" Saul was before his conversion ?
To prevent any misunderstanding of my sentiments regard
ing a Divine call to every hearer of the Gospel to believe it
as the only ground of his hope, and at the same moment of
time to lay down his weapons of rebellion, to love God and
keep his commandments ; — and that 1 may, if possible, remove
* Ezek. xviii. 31. f Actsii. 38,40. $ Acts iii. 19.
|| Heb. iv. 12. § Jer. xxiii. 29. J 2 Cor. v. 1 1, 20.

LETTER I  SINNERS CALLED ON TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL. 299
a stumbling-block out of the way of some lovers of the truth,
who admit the former part, but entertain doubts respecting the
latter part of this call ; I shall endeavour to simplify my views
of both, by attempting a brief illustration of a well known pas
sage of Scripture.
The worst of human characters are thus addressed, " Seek
ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he
is near : Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous
man his thoughts ; and let him return unto the Lord, and he
will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abun
dantly pardon." Isa. Iv. 6, 7.
By the way of the wicked, I understand every thing in his
conduct opposite to the pure and holy law of God ; and by the
thoughts of the unrighteous, his enmity against God, the rebelli
ous principle within, which alienates him from God, which dis
poses him to reject the Gospel of salvation, and to practise all
iniquity in his life and conduct. His return to the Lord is the
effect of his believing that there is forgiveness with him, as he
himself most graciously declares. The abundant pardoning
mercy of our God, though last mentioned, as also in the
promises of the new covenant, is yet the groundwork of all.
The faith of this breaks down the hard and stony heart ; it
encourages the guilty rebel to seek God, and to call upon his
name ; it produces true repentance, and constrains him to for
sake his wicked way, and his unrighteous thoughts. But surely
there is, in the words referred to, an immediate call to seek the
Lord, to pray for mercy, and to bring forth the genuine fruits
of that repentance which flows from a discovery of the love of
God. There is no interval between the call to believe the Gos
pel, and to forsake the ways of sin.
The error, therefore, consists not in pleading for such a call ;
it lies merely in calling sinners to work, that they may be pre
pared to believe ; which is reversing the doctrine of the Gospel,
and turning it upside down, if such an expression be not too
familiar when applied to a subject so unspeakably great and
important. There must be some clear and decided point where the sanc-
tification of the people of God begins, some just and efficacious
principle which will ascertain its progress and completion. And
what should this be ? Nothing else, surely, than the Word of
salvation, which was preached by the Lord Jesus Christ and
his Apostles, " received not as the word of men, but as it is in
truth the Word of God." This Word is said to " work effectu
ally in them that believe," * while it certainly has no beneficial
* 1 Thess. ii. 13.

300 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
influence upon others ; on the contrary, it aggravates their
guilt and misery; for " this is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil." Jesus prayed, " Sanctify
them through thy truth : thy word is truth." * " God purified
the hearts of the Gentiles by faith." t " The word of the
truth of the Gospel," which the Colossians believed, "brought
forth fruit in them, as it did in all the world, from the day they
heard it, and knew the grace of God in truth ;" X though until
that day they had been " alienated, and enemies in their minds
by wicked works." § The scattered strangers addressed by the
Apostle Peter, had " purified their souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brethren." |, And,
indeed, throughout the whole of the Scriptures, all true holi
ness in the hearts and lives of men is uniformly ascribed to the
same cause.
It is plain, therefore, that no man can put himself into a fa
vourable situation for becoming a believer of the Gospel by
performing good works ; for he absolutely can do nothing of
which God approves, till he " receive the love of the truth that
he may be saved ;" and surely works which proceed from the
dark abyss of spiritual death, and " the wages of which is death,"
cannot justly be supposed to prepare any one for beholding and
enjoying " the light of life." But beside this, works of every
description are an abomination in the sight of God, when a
person has any dependence on them as entitling him to favour,
or preparing him for obtaining it. He thus depreciates the
work of Christ ; he replies against Divine sovereignty ; and,
on the ground of a false religious principle, he builds, in his re
bellious heart, an additional fortress against the doctrine of free
justification by the grace of God through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus — a stronghold which, more than any other,
resists the mighty weapons of victorious grace.
A more particular inquiry into the main point of difference
shall be reserved for another letter.
Edinburgh, February 15, 1816.
* John xvii. 17. t Acts xv. 9. X Col. i. S, 6. § Verse 21. || 1 Pet. i. 22.

LETTER II.  THE OBJECTS OF DR CHALMERS' ADDRESS. 3CU

LETTER II.
Before proceeding to a more particular consideration of the
main article respecting which I differ from Dr Chalmers, it may
be proper to inquire what description of persons he in general
addresses. You will tell me that this appears at once from his
titlepage — " the inhabitants of the parish of Kilmany." Some
thing more, however, is necessary to convince me that he really
does hold the error with which I have most reluctantly charged
him. In reading his work, one cannot always know with certainty
whether he considers himself as addressing weak believers, or
unbelievers. There is a confusion in this respect throughout
the Address, which indeed cannot be avoided in any address,
whether oral or written, which is delivered indiscriminately to a
mixed congregation, or to the inhabitants of a district, under
the appellation of " brethren," not merely as " being made of
one blood," but denoting a religious connexion and fellowship,
totally unknown to the writers of the New Testament. Chris
tians, properly so called, have peculiar duties and privileges,
and are capable of being roused and animated by motives which
have no influence whatever on the world at large. On this and
many other accounts, to speak or write on the same terms to
both classes as one society of brethren, when the subjects treated
of are not clearly applicable to both, is palpably wrong. This
confounds the greatest of all distinctions which subsist among
men, and throws a veil over Christianity itself, which, in this
respect, wore a different aspect in the apostolic age. There was
then a Christian community scattered among the nations, but
united in churches or congregations, and visibly distinguished
from all around them, as well by the influence of the Gospel
on their temper and conduct, as by their pure, simple, and
spiritual worship in a state of separation from the world. And
this arose not from their own fancy, or love of singularity, but
from the express authority of their Lord and Master, whom
we also profess to serve.
BeUevers seem to be addressed in pages 43 — 45 ; for in
proof of his assertion, " that obedience is the prescribed path to
clearer manifestations," Dr Chalmers quotes John xiv. 21, Acts
v. 32, both of which passages are exclusively applicable to the
people of God. But then, he had more particularly quoted the
same passages, page 29, apparently with an intention of ap
plying them to all the hearers of the Gospel, for there he pro
duces them as a sample of those texts which he had frequently

302 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
urged upon all his parishioners, at least on those of them who
experienced any alarm of conscience, or were at all concerned
about religion. He knows well that there is an immense dif
ference between a believer, though his faith be as a grain of
mustard-seed, and one who is not converted to the faith of
Christ. If all his affirmations respecting farther knowledge of
Divine truth, establishment in the faith of it, and more abun
dant experience of the love of Christ, and of the joyful hope of
eternal life, had been confined to those who have already learned
that truth which flesh and blood cannot reveal, I should have
approved of his instructions and admonitions. There are many
trying and useful lessons on this subject in our Lord's discourses
with the Apostles, and in their epistles to the churches.
So long as good works are kept in that place which God
himself hath assigned to them, we cannot be too careful " to
maintain them, by showing out of a good conversation our own
works, with meekness of wisdom ;" by marking the effects which
must flow either from having or lacking those Christian virtues,
enumerated 2 Pet.i., and Gal. v.; and by averring in the strongest
terms that a profession of Christianity, without a conversation
becoming the Gospel, is vain and hypocritical ; that the more
apparently serious such profession is, so much the worse ; and
that although speculative and high-soaring professors, who say
they have faith and have not works, may value themselves on
account of their fancied attainments, yet it will most certainly
be found a truth at last, that " without holiness no man shall
see the Lord."
But the persons to whom Dr Chalmers seems chiefly to ad
dress himself, and whom he often represents as in a state of
preparation for the Gospel, likelier, more disposed, in a state of
greater readiness, and nearer the kingdom of God than others,
are not those whom he reckons visible believers. * His object
is first to awaken in their minds some concern about religion ;
and then, if this do not appear to issue in repentance unto life,
to direct them how to make progress, not in the Christian life,
which they have not yet begun to live, but in a course of obe
dience founded on natural principles, and on some awful im
pressions regarding their eternal state, which he expects will
issue in true conversion, though this may be delayed for a pe-
* See pages 17 — 22, and 31 — 36, Second Edition, to which reference is
always made. It is not to be supposed that the author could have written
in such terms with respect to believers. They are never described in the
Holy Scriptures as nearer the kingdom of God than profane sinners, for
they are the very subjects of that kingdom ; nor as likelier and more dis
posed than other men to believe the Gospel, for they are already " tho
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

LETTER II  THE OBJECTS OF DR CHALMERS' ADDRESS. 303
riod of years. He admits the impossibility of their rendering
acceptable service to God, till he create in them a clean heart,
and that without Christ they can do nothing. But still they
must " be up and doing," and he vehemently urges upon them
that they should " most diligently do all that is within their
reach, " by forsaking their everyday sins, such as stealing,
lying, evil speaking, idle and slothful service, &c. All these,
he says, they would have strength to give up for a week, on the
assurance of a great temporal reward, or from the dread of severe
temporal punishment.
" Now," he adds, " for the temporal punishment, I substitute
the call of ' flee from the coming wrath.' Let this call have
the effect it should have, and the effect it actually does have,
on many who are not warped by a misleading speculation, and
it will make them stir up such strength as they possess, and
give up, in deed and in performance, much of their actual mis
conduct." Pages 17, 18. Again, when reminding them of the
call of John the Baptist, to bring forth fruits meet for repen
tance ; or, as he expresses it, " to turn from the evil of their
manifest iniquities ;" which he cannot suppose, and I do not
think, is all that is intended by fruits meet for repentance, he
says, " Surely, if God thought it wise to ply sinners with a call
to turn from the evil of their ways, before he fully revealed
to them the evangelical ground of their acceptance, we may
count it scriptural and safe to ply them with this call at the
same time that we state to them the evangelical ground of their
acceptance. It is true that the statement may not be compre
hended all at once. It may be years before it is listened to by
the careless, before it is rested in by the desponding, before the
comfort of it is at all felt or appropriated by the doubting and
melancholy inquirer. Now, what I contend for is, that during
this interval of time, these people may and ought to be urged
with the call of departing from their iniquities." Page 22.
It appears, I think, from the description of character in the
two preceding paragraphs, fairly taken from the Address, that
the persons whom Dr Chalmers strongly urges to diligence in
seriously and uprightly doing all the good they can, as a pre
paration for understanding the Gospel and bringeth forth its
real fruits, are unbelievers. We have seen, also, that he con
siders those of them who are thus employed, as in a more pro
mising and hopeful state than others ; and it shall now be my
humble endeavour to give some further proof of the opposite
doctrine from the oracles of unerring truth.
That which he seems to depend upon as the chief support of
his argument, is the doctrine of John the Baptist, whom he

304 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
represents as having prepared his disciples for the after-recep
tion of the Gospel, when more fully declared, by an immediate
call " to bring forth fruits meet for repentance," and by teach
ing them what they ought immediately to do in their various
callings and circumstances.
Now, I most readily confess that if either precept or example
can be found in the Scriptures for establishing any doctrine, it
must be true ; and there is something peculiarly engaging and
satisfactory in the proof which arises from example. What
would have been our situation if the way of salvation through
Christ had been merely taught doctrinally, and if no instances
had been left on record of wretched sinners, and the chief of
sinners, having found mercy ?
It appears to me, however, that there is no example in the
New Testament of any one conversion having taken place in
consequence of years of preparation, either by the person's own
endeavours merely, or by the co-operation of Divine aid. The
evangelists and the writer of the Acts of the Apostles give
a historical account of the conversion of many thousands ; and
to this there are frequent references in the epistles addressed
to the churches, reminding them of their first hearing of the
Gospel, and of the effects which it had produced by the power
of God. But neither in the Gospels, the Acts, nor the Epistles,
is there a single hint about weeks or months, not to say years,
of preparation before they turned to God.
On the day of Pentecost about three thousand were con
verted, and added on the same day to the disciples then
assembled at Jerusalem ; and although I am far from thinking
that none are brought to the knowledge of the truth in a more
gradual way, yet nothing certainly can be more unlike the simple
narrative of conversions in the New Testament, than the sup
position of persons labouring under convictions, striving to
reform their lives, doing every thing within their reach, and
then receiving the knowledge of the truth at the distance of
six or seven years, as must have been the case with John's
first disciples, if they were engaged in such exercises from the
time when he went out to the wilderness of Judea, and did not,
till the day of Pentecost, believe the Gospel which he preached.
Besides, it may reasonably be supposed that many of John's
disciples would become members of the churches of Christ in
Judea ; and some we know were afterwards in more distant
places, such as Apollos at Corinth, Acts xviii., and twelve
disciples at Ephesus, Acts xix. These were all acknowledged
as believers, while " they knew only the baptism of John, and
needed to have the way of God expounded to them more

LETTER II  MISSION AND WORK OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 305
perfectly." This total want of example is a decisive evidence
that the principle which I combat has no foundation in the
Word of God.
Dr Chalmers himself has not attempted to bring from the
Scriptures any other example of his doctrine than that of the
disciples of John, who, though he was a greater prophet than
any who preceded him, was yet " less than the least in the
kingdom of heaven." Surely, then, we ought to take our ideas
of true conversion rather from what occurred on and after the
day of Pentecost, than from the doctrine of John, and the attain
ments of his disciples. Yet, while he thus unduly venerates
one who no doubt was employed as the means of ushering in
the first dawn of the Gospel day, he gives but a very partial
view of the doctrine of this " messenger of the Lord of Hosts,"
who prepared his way, not merely, as might be supposed from
reading the Address, by enjoining reformation, but by a faithful
execution, in all respects, of the mission on which he was sent.
And it may be useful to endeavour in some measure to supply
this deficiency, especially as inattention to this subject appears
to have been the chief cause of the mistake which I earnestly
wish to rectify.
The office and work of John are thus described, Isa. xl. 3 — 5.
" The voice of him who crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye
the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway
for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain
and hill shall be made low ; and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough places plain : and the glory of Jehovah
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together ; for the
mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it."
This magnificent and sublime description seems to be given
in allusion to preparations made for the entry into his capital of
a great king and a mighty conqueror, by making all the ways
through which he had to pass smooth and straight, though they
should intersect a wilderness and a desert ; exalting the valleys,
levelling the mountains and hills, and removing every obstruc
tion, that nothing may impede the progress of this honourable
personage and supreme ruler, and that the vast surrounding
multitude may have an equal opportunity of viewing him
seated on a high triumphal car, and of admiring the splendour
of his retinue, and the brilliance of his equipage ; no one
standing on vantage-ground, or being permitted to overtop his
fellows. Something analogous to this surely must be visible in the
mission, character, and doctrine of the forerunner of the great
Messiah ; and, if we substitute spiritual for earthly glory, we
2q

306 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
may easily see, by reading his history in the Evangelists, how
he in like manner prepared the way of Jehovah. The follow
ing particulars are mentioned, almost the whole of them, in
Matt, iii., Luke i. and iii., John i. and iii.
1. By the austerity of his manners, his rough clothing, his
coarse and homely fare, he gave evidence' that the Old Testa
ment dispensation was not yet finished, while his going out to
the wilderness of Judea was congenial to his recluse habits,
and was a literal fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy. His doctrine,
however, showed that a new state of things was immediately to
commence. He was a singular and an eminent person, placed,
as it were, between the old and the new dispensation, but par
taking more of the light which was now to break forth in meri
dian splendour, than of the darkness which had formerly pre
vailed. 2. His message was, " Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand." Change your minds with respect to the character
of the Messiah of Israel, the design of his coming, and the nature
of his kingdom. " Believe on him who shall come after me,
that is, on Christ Jesus." * Repent of your sins, and forsake
them ; for the glorious, heavenly, and eternal kingdom spoken
of by the prophets is now at hand.
3. He warned them thus, Beware of thinking that you are
in a safe state because " you have Abraham to your father,"
and enjoy the outward privileges of the peculiar people of God ;
"for I say unto you that God is able to raise up children to
Abraham" of those wretched outcasts, those Gentiles dead in
sins, who, in a spiritual sense, are unfeeling and lifeless as
" these stones." f " Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for re
pentance," this being the only proper evidence that you are the
true children of Abraham, and justified by faith as he was.
* Acts xix. 4, 5. A summary of John's doctrine is there given by the
Apostle Paul in the following words, " John verily baptised with the bap
tism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him
who should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. "When they heard
this, (when the disciples of John heard John say this,) they were baptised
(by John) in the name of the Lord Jesus." If Paul, and not the historian,
be regarded as uttering these words, " When they heard this, they were
baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus," it will then appear that the
disciples who partook of John's baptism, were not re-baptised by the
Apostles. ¦f This is the sense of the bold figure used by John,"as explained by the
succeeding " revelation of the mystery which had been hid from ages." But
it is not supposed that John's own view of the subject went further than
the salvation of the most guilty and wretched among the Jewish people ;
they who, in the eyes of men, were the most unlikely to become objects of
the Divine favour.

LETTER II  MISSION AND WORK OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 307
The fruits required are not merely professions, but self-denied
acts of mercy to the poor ; and a faithful, just, and peaceable
conduct, in all your various stations and relations. There
fore, "he that hath two coats, let him impart to him who hath
none, and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." Ye publi
cans, " exact no more than that which is appointed you."
And ye soldiers, " do violence to no man, neither accuse any
falsely, and be content with your wages."
4. He further warned them of the danger of rejecting this
call, and of the total inefficacy of their carnal worship and out
ward obedience of the law, to constitute them subjects of the
kingdom which he had announced ; affirming, moreover, that
which necessarily implies the infinite dignity of its King, " And
now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees ; every tree
therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire. I indeed baptise you with water unto re
pentance ; but he who cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear ; he shall baptise you
with the Holy Spirit, and with fire ; whose fan is in his hand,
and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat
into the garner ; but he will burn up the chaff with unquench
able fire."
5. He baptised Jesus, after saying to him, " I have need to
be baptised of thee, and comest thou to me ?" And in conse
quence of what he saw and heard on that signal occasion, " he
bare record that this is the Son of God."
6. He pointed out to the people the person whose coming he
had announced, saying, " Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh
away the sin of the world." And thus, also, he more largely
testified, after other expressions tending to exalt the glorious
Redeemer, and to depreciate himself, " He that cometh from
above is above all ; he that is of the earth is earthly, and
speaketh of the earth; he that cometh from heaven is above
all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth ; and
no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his
testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom
God hath sent speaketh the words of God : for God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the
Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life ; and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abideth on him."
7. All this witness-bearing of John agrees with what was
prophesied of him before his birth by an angel, who said,
" He shall turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord
their God ;" and his prophecy is full of the supernatural qua-

308 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
lifications and efficacious ministry of John. So is that of
Zacharias, who says, " Thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet
of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the
Lord to prepare his ways ; to give knowledge of salvation
unto his people, by the remission of their sins, through the
tender mercy of our God ; whereby the day-spring from on
high hath visited us, to give light to them who sit in dark
ness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the
way of peace."
Instead, then, of considering John as one who did little more
than announce the preaching of the Gospel at an after period,
and call his hearers to outward reformation of conduct, let it
be confessed that he himself preached the glad tidings of salva
tion, and that " he was a burning and a shining light." Let
it not be forgotten that " he prepared the ways of Jehovah
(chiefly) by giving knowledge of salvation to his people by the
remission of their sins."
A mere glance of the prophetic description of his work, and
of the doctrine which he actually preached, is sufficient to con
vince an unprejudiced mind that the design of his ministry was
to level all distinctions among men, and to cut up by the roots
every disposition in their guilty hearts to seek reconciliation
with God on the ground of what they had done, or might after
wards do, either avowedly to merit the Divine favour, or to put
themselves into a more likely state for obtaining mercy.
All these " strongholds" of rebellion against God, and oppo
sition to his sovereignty, his wisdom, his righteousness, and
his grace, must be " pulled down," together with " every ima
gination, and every high thing which exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, that every thought may be brought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ."* In New Testament
times John had the honour of being foremost in the assault,
and engaging singly in this glorious work of God. This he did
roughly, and with an unsparing hand, like his prototype Elias ;.
but he did it with the utmost decision and effect. He took no
false step by which any advantage might have been given to
his besieged and powerful, but devoted foe.
With those " weapons which are mighty through God," he
immediately attacked the most inveterate prejudices of his
countrymen ; he gave no quarter to their self-righteousness on
the one hand, nor to their covetousness or sensuality, or living
in the practice of any sin, on the other. He began to " lay
unto the root of the trees" the axe which was to hew down a
race of carnal worshippers and rejecters of the Messiah, and
* 2 Cor. x. 4, 5.

LETTER II  MISSION AND WORK OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 309
to devote them to destruction " when wrath should come
upon them to the uttermost." He made known to them, as
the only means of escaping the wrath of God in this life, and
in that which is to come, the glad tidings of salvation through
Jesus Christ, who was to come after him ; and when he did
come, he directed their attention to him as the Son of God,
and as the all-atoning sacrifice for the sins of men ; extolling
in the highest terms his infinite dignity, his mission, his charac
ter, and his work ; lamenting that few believed the testimony
of Jesus ; and assuring them that they should have eternal life
in believing on him, and that unbelief would land them in ever
lasting misery.
Will it be said, in the face of all this, that John prepared the
way of the Lord merely, or chiefly, or in any degree, by
putting his hearers on a course of partial reformation, that by
this means they might be more disposed to listen to the
instructions of the coming Saviour, and of his Apostles ? Is it
not evident, on the contrary, that " he commended himself to
every man's conscience in the sight of God, by manifestation of
the (whole) truth, according to his measure of faith ;" that he
actually did make real converts, as we have seen, and that he
held out nothing but the unquenchable fire of God's wrath to
those who rejected his testimony, however unblameable and
devout their conduct might be in the eyes of men, and what
ever concern they might profess to have about the salvation of
their souls ?
It is true he called them to repentance and reformation, as
doth also the whole Bible from beginning to end. But what
human being ever repented of his sins and forsook them with
out believing the truth of God, which brings salvation, which
relieves the guilty conscience, softens the obdurate heart, and
purifies the soul ? Or how is it possible to bring forth fruits
meet for repentance, where there exists not that repentance
which God requires and approves ? There may be fruit of some
kind, but it cannot be that fruit which John demanded. As
well may you expect fruit from a lifeless tree as from the dead
and carnal hearts of men : there must be a principle of life in
the soul before any action can be truly good ; the only human
work which is well pleasing in the sight of God, is " the work
of faith ;" the only labour which he approves, is " the labour of
love." Dr Chalmers knows that these things are clearly stated in
the Word of God, yet he unaccountably imagines that much
good influence towards the salvation of the soul may be pro
duced by the diligent and serious performance of " dead works !"
for works of no other description can be performed by those

310 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
who are " dead in sins." The Scriptures uniformly maintain
that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ produces good works, while
Dr Chalmers labours to prove that good works produce faith !
Where do the Scriptures teach this ?
At the same time, I object not against a general view of
preparation, by means of a herald sent to proclaim to all men the
same glad tidings which were afterwards more fully revealed,
to represent to them their guilt and danger, to announce the
coming of the Just One, to declare the important events which
would then take place, and to call the multitudes who heard
him to repentance and all its genuine fruits. " How shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed ? And how shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard ? And how
shall they hear without a preacher ? And how shall they preach
except they be sent ?  So then, faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God." — Rom. x. 14, 15, 17.
The Lord may be said to prepare the inhabitants of a country
who have not formerly enjoyed the benefit of Divine revelation,
for obtaining the blessings of redemption, when he sends the
Gospel to them ; or an individual, when he is providentially led
to a place where he hears the Scriptures read, or the doctrine
of salvation preached, and is turned from darkness to light ; or
another, who by means of deep affliction is led to consider his
ways, and to seek and find his only consolation in the Gospel
of peace. And even the ordinary hearers of the Word, from
whatever motives they may be induced to attend places of
worship, or to read the Scriptures at home, are blessed with a
preparation for coming to the knowledge of the truth. While
the Gospel is sounded in their ears, the day of their visitation
continues, and they are the subjects of that hearing by which
faith cometh. But this is a preparation altogether different
from the present object of censure. In the one case, we see
the merciful providence of God affording means which never
fail to produce their native effects, except from the opposition
and enmity of the hearts of men : in the other case, we are
told that some persons may reform their lives, and thereby
render themselves more likely to become the objects of Divine
mercy, as if that mercy had respect to any thing in man, except
his guilt and misery.
Natural means, or means which God hath appointed for
bringing men to the faith, without which no person could be
saved, must not be confounded with a laborious preparatory
work of morality and devotion. It is however a cause of
deep lamentation that this is done by multitudes of professing
Christians. Could I hope to be the honoured though unworthy
instrument of convincing Dr Chalmers, of reaching an effectual

LETTER III  THE DANGER OF SELF-RIGHTEOUS LABOUR. 311
caveat to others, and especially of directing to the cheering
and all-discovering light of Divine truth some poor benighted
souls who groan under the bondage of this doctrine, I should
be truly happy. But with respect to stemming the tide of
popular opinion, and changing the bias of the human heart, I
am in complete despair. Indeed, the salutary effects of the
Word of God, in a smaller degree, nay, in the smallest possible
degree, can only be produced by the same power which created
the world, and raised Christ from the dead, and quickeneth
those who are dead in sins.
It is necessary, that I complete what was originally intended,
by endeavouring to show that persons who are taught to con
sider themselves as prepared by their own exertions, are in a
less favourable situation than others for becoming obedient to
the faith.
Edinburgh, March 2, 1816.

LETTER III.

In my two former letters I have shown, from what appears to
me sufficient evidence, that Dr Chalmers has no foundation in
the Word of God for asserting that some persons are prepared,
and brought into a more likely state than others for receiving
the Gospel, by a course of obedience to the law of God, such
as they are capable of yielding, before they be " created in
Christ Jesus unto good works;" and particularly, that the
doctrine of John the Baptist is completely adverse to every
idea of this kind. My next attempt shall be to show that the
persons whom be considers as prepared/are, many of them, in
a less hopeful condition than the hearers of the Gospel in
general. This was declared in plain terms by the Lord Jesus Christ
himself, when he thus addressed the chief priests and elders of
the people, " Verily I say unto you,' that the publicans and
the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John
came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed
him not ; but the publicans and the harlots believed him : and
ye, when ye had seen it, repented not, that ye might believe
him." * To the same purpose he said, upon another occasion
when describing John, " AH the people who heard him, and
the publicans, justified God, being baptised with the baptism
* Matt. xxi. 31, 32.

312 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel
of God against themselves, being not baptised of him." *
With respect to these sayings of Christ, Dr Chalmers, after
a positive affirmation that " the alone ground of acceptance is
the righteousness of Christ imputed to all who believe," and
having urged this all-important truth in his usual fervent and
impressive manner, thus proceeds : " But some are readier
to receive this truth than others. The reforming publicans and
harlots of John were in a state of greater readiness to receive
this truth, than either the Pharisees, or those publicans^ and
harlots who, unmindful of John, still persisted in their iniquities.
And who will be in greater readiness to receive this truth in
the present day? Will it be the obstinate and determined
doers of all that is sinful, and that, too, in the face of a call
that they should do works meet for repentance ? Or will it
be those who, under the influence of this call, do what the dis
ciples of John did before them, turn them from the evil of their
manifest iniquities, and so give proof of their earnestness in the
way of salvation?" — P. 21.
The following caution is also given in the Address, " Mark
well, that it was not the publicans and harlots who persisted in
their iniquities, but they who counted John to be a prophet,
and in obedience to his call were putting their iniquities away
from them, who had the advantage of the Pharisees. None
will surely say, that those of them who continued as they [were,
were put into a state of preparation for the Saviour, by the
preaching of John." — P. 33. Dr Chalmers then endeavours
to show that the reformation of the publicans and harlots was
more evangelical than that of the Pharisees, which I may be
permitted to doubt, if the former as well as the latter con
tinued in their natural state of unbelief and enmity against
God. But I shall attend particularly to the above quotations,
as they contain the substance of what the author has advanced
on this subject, and, in my humble opinion, show the ground of
his mistake.
If it were true that none of the disciples of John were be
lievers in the Messiah whom he preached, but only brought into
a state of preparation for receiving the truth by the ministry
of Christ himself, or after the down-pouring of the Holy Spirit,
still the question would remain, how are we to account for
the fact, which is so well authenticated, that many of his dis
ciples, let the sense of this term be what it may, were publi
cans and harlots, while so few of them were priests, elders,
scribes, or Pharisees ? No hint is given that this was an act
* Luke vii. 29, 30.

LETTER III  CHARACTER OF THE PHARISEES. 313
of mere sovereignty on the part of God. We are therefore
constrained to think, as we are also fully warranted to affirm,
that there was something in the characters, and pretensions,
and false religious principles of the latter classes, which fortified
them against conviction, and made them stand aloof from the
messenger of the Lords of Hosts, and treat with sovereign con
tempt all that he could say to them about salvation, and remis
sion of sins, and the tender mercy of our God, whereby the
day-spring from on high had visited them.
This is fully explained by the history of those self-righteous
men given by the Evangelists, upon which I cannot enlarge.
Their whole attitude and deportment distinctly spoke this lan
guage, " Stand by thyself; come not near to me, for I am
holier than thou," which rendered them peculiarly odious to
Him who " loveth righteousness, and whose name is holy ;"
for he says concerning them, " These are a smoke in my nose,
a fire that burneth all the day." * Their chief object was to
maintain a high religious character in the sight of men, by a
scrupulous attention to the outward observances of the law of
Moses, and to the traditions of the elders ; and by exemplify
ing what the world calls a blameless moral character. " They
loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." t And
with respect to their listening to the Gospel, or giving it a can
did or patient hearing, that they might see its Divine evidence
and believe it, this is stated as impossible by him who knew
their hearts : " How can ye believe who receive honour one of
another, and seek not the honour which cometh from God
only?"| Publicans and harlots, who were emphatically called sinners,
had no such pretensions. By the common consent of all men,
their own consciences bearing witness, they were sinners, no
thing but sinners, and therefore could not, in the nature of
things, be so far removed from a conviction of their need of
mercy, as those who preserved in general a decent outside ap
pearance ; who " did all their works that they might be seen of
men ;" who, upon the ground of their own fancied righteous
character, also justified themselves before God, and treated
sinners with disdain.
The best possible illustration of these two characters is given
in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. § The prayer
of the former is a mere vain-glorious boasting in the presence
of his Maker, though he uses the decent form of thanking him,
while there is no reason to doubt that he attributed his sup-
* Isa. lxv. 5. f John xii. 43.
± John v. 44. § Luke xviii. 9 — 14.
2 R

314 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GIIACE.
posed progress in virtue to his own good dispositions, and his
meritorious exertions. Beside the meagre recital of his nega
tive qualifications, and his good deeds, two things are particu
larly noticeable. The one is, the disdain with which he treats
the self-condemned and bleeding-hearted publican, and the in
solent superiority over him which he assumes. The other is
his extreme inconsistency and absurdity in professing to offer
up any prayer to God, while he had nothing to ask ; for there is
not one petition in the whole harangue. It would have affronted
him to suppose that he needed mercy.
But, with respect to the publican, his very attitude is expres
sive of self-abasement and deep contrition : — " He, standing
afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven." His
action indicates the violent emotions of his troubled soul : —
" He smote upon his breast." And his words, though very few,
express all the sensibility, and fervour, and importunity, of which
the most wretched of human beings is capable : — " God be
merciful to me, a sinner." His only description of himself is,
that he was a " sinner ;" and he wanted nothing at the hand of
God but " mercy," free and sovereign mercy, as it reaches the
helpless and otherwise desperate case of the vilest transgressor.
Finally, he neither envied the Pharisee, nor despised him, nor
resented his unprovoked abuse ; he had to do with God alone,
the judge of all.
Now, if Dr Chalmers will not admit that reformed expec
tants were farther from the kingdom of God than unreformed
publicans and sinners, I expect, from his candour, at least a fair
admission that the good effects which he affirms were produced
by John's doctrine on these same publicans and sinners, as de
scribed in his (Dr C.'s) Address, indicated a greater readiness
in them than in the self-righteous, to pay any sort of promising
attention to the Gospel ; and that this greater readiness, of
which they gave immediate tokens, was not occasioned by
reformation and long training, as he inculcates, but by their con
fessedly sinful characters, which left not the shadow of any
rational ground for self-justification. What other reason can
be assigned why persons of this description followed him, or
were baptised by him, or listened to his instructions, while those
who formed a higher estimate of their own characters, treated
him with disdain and neglect ?
This seems to have been the impression made upon John's
own mind by the complexion of his audience ; for " when he
saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism,
he said unto them, 0 generation of vipers, who hath warned
you to flee from the wrath to come ? * To attempt reconciling
* Matt. iii. 7.

LETTER III.  CHARACTER OF THE PHARISEES. 315
this with its being elsewhere affirmed that " the Pharisees and
lawyers were not baptised of John," would require too long an
investigation. But the words plainly intimate that John ex
pected publicans and harlots rather than Pharisees and Saddu-
cees to pay attention to his ministry, and that he could not sur
vey those of the two latter classes among his hearers, without
expressing his astonishment, describing them in appropriate
terms, and showing in the remaining part of his address that
they, on account of their vain-glorious boasting, were peculiarly
exposed to the vengeance of Almighty God.
Permit me here to observe that it would be doing too much
honour to the Pharisees, who are uniformly represented as the
grossest hypocrites,* to suppose that they were not at a greater
distance from the kingdom of God than the most notorious
sinners ; but merely not so well prepared to enter into it as
reformed sinners, who had put away the evil of their doings, in
consequence of the truth of God preached by John having had
some sort of partial influence upon their minds. It is very clear
that, in the passages under consideration, the Pharisees are
contrasted with sinners in their blackest colours, and in their
most odious and disgusting form. If the wisdom of Christ
saw this necessary for their conviction, why should any who
preach his Gospel endeavour to find means of evading so plain a
truth ?
Keeping in view what has been already stated, I shall at
tempt a further illustration of this interesting subject, which
appears to me intimately connected with just and simple views
of the Gospel of our salvation.
The Lord Jesus, who spoke always in plain and intelligible
terms, does not give a preference to those sinners who had been
reformed. The two descriptions of people whom he sets in op
position to Pharisees, are publicans and harlots. Some persons
of respectability might belong to the former, but there could be
none such among the latter class ; and he evidently speaks of
the two classes in general to which that well-known designa
tion sinners eminently belonged, declaring that they furnished
many converts, while the self-righteous excluded themselves.
Nor doth he affirm that the publicans and harlots were in a
state of preparation, or would afterwards go into the kingdom.
of God before the chief priests and elders ; but he affirms that
they did then go into that kingdom.
In proof of his assertion, he reminds them that " when John
* This is affirmed of them as a body, and not of every individual belong
ing to that sect ; for there were among them " Israelites indeed, in whom
was no guile."

316 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
came in the way of righteousness, the chief priests and rulers
believed him not, but the publicans and harlots believed him ;"
and that " the publicans justified God, being baptised with the
baptism of John," which was " the baptism of repentance for
the remission of sins," and therefore a visible token of humilia-
. tion in the sight of God, and of forgiveness through the blood
of Christ. Their actual contrition is expressed in another passage
— They were baptised of him in the river of Jordan, confessing
their sins.* Jesus affirms also, that they did not, like the Pha
risees and the lawyers, " reject the counsel of God against
themselves." It appears therefore that, loaded with guilt as
they then were, they believed the Gospel ; and, being thus for
given and purified, they entered the kingdom of God, as it
existed in the days of John.
Not that I suppose all his professed disciples to have been
true subjects of the kingdom of heaven. I am far from thinking
so. They only whom " he turned to the Lord their God,"
and who " believed him" testifying of Christ, were of that de
scription ; but there is the best authority for saying that these
were many.
From the way in which this subject is treated in the Address,
it might seem doubtful whether any person entered into the
kingdom of heaven till the day of Pentecost. And I admit that
this kingdom was not fully established till Jesus the mighty
conqueror rose from the dead, and ascended to his heavenly
throne ; and also, that it did not appear on earth in all its spi
ritual glory till the Apostles were endued with power from on
high. But surely the erection of this kingdom was begun when
the messenger of the Lord of Hosts announced the immediate
coming of its glorious King ; and received a further advance
ment under the ministry of Christ himself, who said to Nico-
demus, " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God;"f and who thus also
testified concerning its former progress by the ministry of John,
as well as under his own ministry, " From the days of John
the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,
and the violent take it by force." J These sayings of him who
best knew the nature, and the commencement and gradual rise
of his own kingdom, are decisive of the matter in question.
This surely was the best of all preparations for the disciples
of Jesus himself, and of his forerunner, to fit them for perceiving
and enjoying the more abundant revelation of Divine mercy,
when the glorious Redeemer in whom they now believed, should
finish his work, and rise from the dead, and sit down on the
* Mark, i. 5. f John, iii. 5. J Matt. xi. 12.

LETTER III.  THE DANGER OF SELF-RIGHTiiOUS LABOUR. 317
right hand of the Majesty on high ; from thence pouring down
upon his disciples the Holy Spirit of promise. With respect
to any other preparation than this, and the proclamation of the
Gospel to all men, the Scripture is silent, and therefore I can
affirm nothing with certainty ; though I question not that there
might be among the professed disciples of John many persons
who answered to the description in the Address, and thought
themselves in a more hopeful state than publicans and sinners.
But had they any scriptural grounds on which they could have
warrantably founded this good opinion of their own state ?
When the heart of a sinner is penetrated with deep convic
tion and remorse, trembling in the view of judgment to come,
and anxious above all things to know how he may be saved, it
appears to me that one of four things cannot fail to happen. —
1 . He will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus obtain
relief to his guilty conscience, peace with God, the hope of
eternal life, and a heart purified from the love of sin. Many
instances of this happy issue, blessed be God, are recorded in
the New Testament, particularly those of the convicted Jews,
persecuting Saul, and the trembling and prostrate jailer. Or,
2. He will reject the counsel of God against himself, continuing
under the deepest impressions of Divine wrath, and sink into
absolute despair as Judas did. Or, 3. He will suffer those
impressions to wear off, and return to his former state of indiffer
ence with respect to the life to come, and every thing which is
worthy of occupying the rational powers of man. This may
take place gradually, and by slow degrees, or instantly, as in
the case of Felix. Or, 4. He will get into a round of duties,
doing, as he thinks, all that is within the compass of his power
to reform his heart and life, and perhaps accompanying these
exertions with punctual attention to devotional exercises. And
then he will either conclude that all is well with him, or hope
that his good endeavours will succeed at last, though he should
labour in vain for many years.
The classes which have been mentioned, might be subdivided
and multiplied to any extent. But they give the outlines ; and
there seems to be no case of deep contrition which, with respect
to its issue, may not be ranked under one or other of those
classes. But observe, they only who belong to the first class
are held forth in the Word of God as approved examples of its
saving influence ; and all the other classes are set there as
beacons to give salutary warning of imminent danger. No
instance can be produced from the New Testament of any thing
in the least degree analogous to the tenets of the fourth class,
except the doctrine of the Pharisees, and the errors which
judaizing teachers maintained and propagated.

318 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
There are various methods of obscuring and darkening the
revelation of the free mercy of God to lost sinners through the
propitiation of his beloved Son, all of them, less or more,
savouring of the doctrine of the Pharisees. But the persons
whom I have chiefly in view are those who, though they readily
admit that there is no salvation without Christ, and maintain
the pure doctrine of the Scriptures with respect to the infinite
dignity of his person, the suitableness of his character and
offices, and the perfection of his Divine atonement, yet render
all this of no avail by pleading for the necessity of some good
thing being done on the part of a sinner, before he can. actually
partake of the benefits which the Son of God hath purchased.
According to their doctrine, no person can believe the testi
mony of God concerning Christ, and obtain forgiveness, and
be accepted, guilty as he stands ; but he must have something
in himself to distinguish him from his fellow-sinners, without
which he can have no prospect of receiving a welcome, should
he, as a lost sheep, think of returning to Jesus the Shepherd
and Bishop of souls.
Notwithstanding unfavourable appearances, I hope better
things of Dr Chalmers, because he does not seem to prohibit
any one, on his first hearing the truth, from receiving by faith
all the blessings of the everlasting Gospel. On the contrary,
he frequently insists on the call of the Gospel being imme
diately addressed to all who hear it, and shows that he con
siders every person without exception as not merely warranted,
but invited, besought, and commanded to believe to the saving
of the soul. There are however several passages in the
Address, which seem expressly to limit the immediate call of the
Gospel to those who possess distinguishing qualities, and thus
to throw an insurmountable bar in the way of all who " have
no hope, and are without God in the world." The following
is one of the passages to which reference has just been made : —
" I tell you a very plain thing, and, if it be true, it is surely
of importance that you should know it, when I tell you that,
if you are a servant, and are visited with a desire of salvation,
then a faithful performance of your daily task is a step with
out which the object you aim at is unattainable. If you are
a son, a more punctual fulfilment of your parents' bidding is
another step. If you are a neighbour, a more civil and obliging
deportment to those around you is another step. If you are a
dealer, the adoption of a just weight and a just measure is
another step." Were the persons who are thus addressed
considered by Dr Chalmers as believers of the Gospel, it might
be thought that he has in view their obtaining, in the world to
come, " the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls;"

LETTER III.  THE DANGER OF SELF-RIGHTEOUS LABOUR. 319
and then his admonition would agree with the uniform doctrine
of the Scriptures, that " without holiness no man shall see the
Lord." But when he assures all who are visited with a desire
of salvation, (which certainly is consistent with total ignorance
of the Gospel,) that their object is unattainable without a more
punctual fulfilment of various duties, it seems to be his imme
diate wish, and his earnest endeavour, to convince them that
they cannot otherwise be brought into a state of salvation in
this world ; or that they cannot, without being so qualified,
obtain justification through the death and resurrection of the Son
of God. Thus mere sinners, who constitute the far greater
part of mankind, seem to be excluded from every ray of hope,
because, with respect to them, salvation is unattainable till they
become reformed sinners ; and consequently, not one of them can
be immediately called to partake of the glorious remedy which
God hath provided.
Very different is the account which the Scriptures give of the
way in which the first Christians were justified and saved. Their
characters while ignorant of the truth are thus described : —
" We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, de
ceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and
envy, hateful, and hating one another." And the means of
their deliverance are expressed in the following terms : — " But
after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards
man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to his [mercy he saved us, by the washing
of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit ; which he shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour ; that,
being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life." * Surely, then, it is a palpable
error to say that salvation is unattainable without human works,
when the Scriptures affirm that we are saved according to the
mercy of God, and not by works of righteousness which we
have done. Would it have suited the case of the dying thief,
the convicted Jews, or trembling and astonished Saul, fallen to
the earth under an overwhelming load of guilt, to tell them that
Jesus was the Saviour of sinners, but that, unless they should
perform such works as would prepare and qualify them for re
ceiving mercy, salvation was unattainable ? The opposite of
this is the truth, namely, that salvation is unattainable, if in
any respect, or in any degree, it depend on the works of sinful
men. Dr Chalmers must have some method, which I cannot per
ceive, of reconciling in his own mind the preparation for believ-
* Tit. iii. 3—7.

320 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
ing the Gospel, for which he contends, with the doctrine of Divine
grace, and the absolute freeness of salvation through Jesus
Christ alone, for which he also most earnestly pleads. But his
doctrine on this head, which I hope he will not long continue
to preach, is more likely to persuade his hearers to begin or
lengthen out a fruitless work of reformation, than to shut them
up to the necessity of fleeing for immediate refuge to lay hold
on the hope which God hath set before them. And it is wor
thy of his most serious consideration, that death and judg
ment may overtake them, while they are only in a course of
preparation for that without which they must perish for ever.
In a matter of infinite concern, it is a tremendous thing to speak
of years to a mortal being, who knows not what a day may
bring forth.
He deviates from the rule of the Word of God, in my appre
hension, chiefly with respect to those persons who have received
serious impressions, but are yet ignorant of the truth which
saves. So soon as he perceives or supposes any thing of this
kind, he sets then to work, urging them vehemently to fulfil the
law in some degree, by doing all that is within their reach, for
the express purpose of bringing them nearer to the kingdom of
God, preparing them, and placing them in a more likely situa
tion for entering into that kingdom than those can be supposed
to occupy, who, as the Pharisees expressed it, were " altogei-
ther born in sins." '
Now, surely that doctrine which represents a prepared per
son as more likely than a mere sinner to obtain salvation
through Christ, so far accords with the doctrine of the Phari
sees, who considered themselves as the only persons on earth
who were prepared for enjoying the favour of God ; while they
abhorred notorious sinners, denied that they could become sub
jects of the kingdom of God, and held them as accursed. Yet
those very sinners went into the kingdom of God before them.
The Apostle Paul adverts to the same thing as excluding, ge
nerally, the people of Israel from the blessings of salvation,
while the idolatrous and atrociously wicked Gentiles " heard
the word of the Gospel, and believed."
" What shall we say, then ? That the Gentiles, who followed
not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the
righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, who followed after
the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righte
ousness. Wherefore ? Because they sought it not by faith,
but as it were by the works of the law." * Israel as here de
scribed seems to point out those of that people who knew
* Rom. ix. 30—32.

LETTER III  INEFFICACY OF SCHEMES OF PREPARATION. 321
something of the Gospel, and were labouring to attain justify
ing righteousness, either by connecting their obedience to the
law of Moses, and their other good deeds, with the all-perfect
righteousness of the Son of God, or by some preparatory work
which they supposed would qualify them for being justified by
faith ; for the Apostle affirms that " they had not attained to
the law of righteousness, because they sought it not by faith,
but as it were by the works of the law." As it were, not
avowedly, but in a sort of covert way, probably in words extol
ling the grace of God, while other symptoms appeared, show
ing that they had " confidence in the flesh," and were not,
therefore, " the true circumcision."
A humbling view is thus given of the total inefficacy of all
attempts to gain a foundation of hope towards God, by any
human scheme of preparation. The persons who are censured
by the Apostle were seriously engaged in the work of self-refor
mation, and most earnestly desirous of obtaining a perfect
righteousness, by which they might be justified from all things ;
being convinced, by a partial influence of the doctrine of the
Apostles, that they could not thus be justified merely by the
law of Moses. They completely failed ; and no other person
ever made the same attempt with better success. *
But the Gentiles who followed not after righteousness, and
therefore had no preparation whatever, except the most consum
mate guilt and wretchedness, are in this passage, as indeed
often elsewhere, represented as entering into the kingdom of
God before the Jews, who thought themselves fitter and more
prepared. There is a contrast here between Jews and Gen
tiles, similar to that which the Lord himself had drawn between
respectable Pharisees and profligate sinners, in such terms as
to confound the wisdom of man, to reverse all his ideas of the
fitness of things, and to mortify his pride. But it was this
which made the Apostle cry out, " O the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how unsearch
able are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! For
who hath known the mind of the Lord ? or who hath been his
counsellor ? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be re
compensed unto him again ? F'or of him, and through him,
and to him, are all things : to whom be glory for ever. Amen." t
Thus, it appears that all the attempts of sinners to amend
* Some of them, I freely admit, obtained salvation ; for " a great company
of the priests were obedient to the faith." But surely this was in no respect
owing to " the fire which they kindled, and the sparks with which they
compassed themselves about." They were saved in a way opposite to all
their preconceived ideas, and found that which they never sought before.
t Rom. xi. 33—36.
2s

322 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
their ways, with a view to get into a more likely situation for
believing the Gospel, are pharisaical, and remove them to a far
ther distance from the kingdom of heaven than publicans and
harlots. No one can enter into that kingdom who has, or
imagines himself to have, any ground of glorying over his
fellow-sinners, or who entertains a secret thought that he is fitter
or more prepared than the vilest malefactor. In affirming this,
I say no more than is expressed in a merciful declaration of our
blessed Lord, which is a healing balm to the conscience of the
most guilty wretch, fitted only for destruction ; especially when
attention is paid to the occasion on which these soul-reviving
words were spoken — " I came not to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance." *
Edinburgh, March 16, 1816.

LETTER IV.

In considering what may profitably be added to my former
Letters, in which Dr Chalmers' method of preparing sinners for
the Gospel has been pretty fully discussed, a variety of sub
jects crowd upon my mind. Some of these I shall now take
the liberty of stating, having selected, for the first article, an
attempt to show the way of obtaining an interest in Christ.
This is a matter of great importance, and most deeply in
teresting to self-condemned sinners. Even the Gospel itself,
good and precious as the tidings are which it proclaims, could
give no consolation, did it not reveal in the most simple, clear,
and intelligible terms, how its inestimable blessings may be en
joyed. Multitudes of Christian teachers have spoken and published
the most excellent things concerning the person of Christ, as
God manifest in the flesh, his mission and offices, the whole of
his mediatory work, the freeness of the grace of God, which
reigneth through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ
our Lord ; and in fine, every thing connected with the all-suffi
ciency, and the absolute security, of that foundation which God
hath laid in Zion. But when they come to apply this doctrine
to the consciences of awakened sinners, or sinners of any de
scription, it is completely thrown into the shade by a confused,
complex, and indecisive manner of stating in what way a poor
Matt. ix. 10—13.

LE'lTER IV  CORRUPTIONS OF HUMAN TEACHERS. 323
dying sinner may be made an actual partaker of salvation and
eternal glory ; or by throwing insurmountable barriers in his way
— conditions, qualifications, and pre-requisites of various kinds,
which his conscience tells him he is incapable of performing ;
and which, if he could attain them all, would not bring him to
the desired haven of rest.
With a view to aid their hearers in this preparatory work,
some preachers inculcate chiefly mental exercises, relating to
the extent of their convictions, the genuine nature of their
repentance, the purifying of the inner man, and the great
exertions which must be made to reach the promised good.
Others dwell principally on reformation of external conduct;
and in many instances, a great deal has been said relative to
a due concern about religion, without sufficiently expressing a
definite object ; the sincerity of wishes and strivings to obtain
deliverance ; the necessity of the new birth, representing this
as having much dependence on their energetic labour ; and the
evidences of true conversion ; while little comparatively has
been spoken about the all-atoning sacrifice of the Son of God,
as the alone foundation of a sinner's hope.
There are those also who have gone so far as to insist that
because the corrupt state of the hearts of men, their alienation
from God, and their love of sin, prevent them from believing
the Gospel, therefore all those evils must be remedied before
they can understand and give credit to the revelation of Divine
mercy. And this change they attribute to some influence of the
Spirit of God distinct from the truth revealed in the Scriptures,
and preparatory to the faith of it ; though the Word of God
never gives us the smallest hint of any saving operation on the
minds of men, except by means of revealed truth, which is
mighty through God to accomplish all the purposes of his grace,
and by which the Holy Spirit uniformly operates. Men are
" born again by the incorruptible seed of the Word of God ;" *
" begotten by the word of truth ;" t and Jesus thus prays
for those whom the Father had given him, " Sanctify them
through thy truth, thy word is truth." X The Holy Spirit, who
is also designated by him " the Spirit of the truth," || acts as
the Spirit and soul of the truth, or of the Word which preaches
peace to guilty men ; he is " the Spirit of wisdom and revela
tion in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ," § which
knowledge is all contained in the writings of the Old and New
Testaments, left on record by " holy men of God, who spake as
they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
These are samples of the many grievous lets and hinderances
* 1 Pet. i. 23. f James, i. 18. X John, xv"- '7.
II John, xiv. 17, xv. 26. xvi. 13. § Eph. i. 17.

324 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
which have been thrown in the way of broken-hearted sin
ners obtaining rest to their souls in Christ ; while speculative
professors have turned them to self-righteous purposes, and
others, who have partially felt the influence of the Gospel, have
been " ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge
of the truth." Such leaders, instead of " going through the
gates, preparing the way of the people, casting up the high
way, gathering out the stones, and lifting up a standard for the
people," * as was done by the forerunner of the Prince of Peace,
throw stumbling-blocks in the way of the people, and " cause
them to err."
How, then, are the forgiveness of sins and all the blessings of
salvation to be obtained ? Most readily I answer, By faith
alone, in opposition to all works, and labour, and good disposi
tions, and merit of every kind, on the part of him who is justi
fied. This is so often repeated, and so fully explained in the
Word of God, that one would think every person who carefully
reads the Scriptures would clearly perceive it. " He that
believeth shall be saved." t " The just shall live by faith." X
" Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." ||
" 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." § " If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness ; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on
him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek ; for the same Lord over all is rich
unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved." f
That the will of God in this particular might be the more
clearly perceived, and that we might relinquish all attempts to
procure his favour by our own works of any description what
ever, faith and works are often brought to view in the Scrip
tures at once, and contrasted in the strongest terms. " By
grace are ye saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves ;
it is the gift of God : Not of works, lest any man should
boast." ** " We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of
the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works
of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have be
lieved in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by. .the faith
of Christ, and not by the works of the law ; for by the works
of the law shall no flesh be justified." ft " Wheie is boasting
* Isaiah, lxii. 10. f Mark, xvi. 16. X Hab. ii. 4.
1 Acts, xvi. 31. § John, xx. 31. f Rom. x. 9—13.
" Eph. ii. 8. ft Gal. ii. 15, 16.

LETTER IV  WAY OF OBTAINING AN INTEREST IN CHRIST. 325
then? It is excluded. By what law ? of works? Nay; but
by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude, that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law." * And if it be
possible to give a still more explicit and decisive verdict on this
point, which many consider as a dangerous extreme, you have
it in these words : " Now to him that worketh is the reward
not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh
not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith
is counted for righteousness." t Faith corresponds with grace,
and with the promise, while works are opposite to both. " It
is of faith, that it might be by grace ; to the end the promise
might be sure to all the seed."$ Faith arrogates nothing to
itself; it gives full place to free and sovereign mercy, and
ascribes salvation solely and exclusively to our God who sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
On this subject it seems only necessary to add, that the life
of faith must continue as it began. A redeemed sinner, ani
mated by the motives of the Gospel, " serves God acceptably."
But how much soever he may abound in the work of the Lord,
he cannot thus lay any other foundation of hope than that which
relieved his guilty soul when he first obtained, by faith, without
works, the justification of the ungodly. While praying for daily
forgiveness through the blood of atonement, he still finds occa
sion to say, " If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord,
who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou
mayest be feared." || And in this point of view, totally discard
ing good works, he says with Paul, " God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." §
Nor can he obtain relief to his troubled mind, when conscious
of having departed from the living God, by seeking to find
evidences of his calling and election. At such a period these
are fled ; and the recollection of former experience only aggra
vates his present consciousness of ingratitude and rebellion.
* Rom. iii. 27, 28.
t Rom. iv. 4, 5. — I cannot deny myself the pleasure of transcribing part
of Dr Owen's illustration of this text, not as an authority, but to show with
what clearness and precision he could write on this important subject : —
" It must be granted that God justifieth the ungodly. That is, say
some, those who formerly were ungodly, not those who continue ungodly
when they are justified. And this is most true. All that are justified were
before ungodly ; and all that are justified are at the same instant made
godly. But the question is, whether they are godly or ungodly antece
dently in any moment of time to their justification ? If they are considered
as godly, and are so indeed, then the Apostle's words are not true, that
God justifieth the ungodly ; for the contradictory proposition is true, God
justifieth none but the godly." — Owen on Just. eh. xviii. p. 553, Glasg. edit.
X Rom. iv. 16. 1 Psal. cxxx, 3, 4. § Gal. vi. 14.

326 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
Nothing is capable of relieving his soul except the same glad
tidings which are preached to all men, and when believed
give peace and joy to the most vile and wretched. He must
resume the attitude of the publican, which indeed he ought
never to have left, and say, " God be merciful to me a sinner."
Having thus completely set aside all human works and
merit in relation to our acceptance with God, and ascribed
every thing to faith, the next question will naturally be, What
is faith ?
Were this understood to mean, What am I called to believe
as the ground of my justification and peace with God? the
question would be rational, and in the highest degree import
ant. But when the object in view is to get a definition of faith
or belief as it exists in the human mind, the inquiry is trifling
and unnecessary, were it not that the subject has been already
darkened and perplexed. There were no disputes of this kind
in the apostolic age. Both Christians and infidels knew, with
out any teaching, what was signified by believing the Gospel ;
and the only ground of controversy which then existed was,
Whether is the testimony of the Apostles true or false? In my
opinion, the mist which in later ages has been artfully thrown on
this subject, which excels in plainness and simplicity, must have
owed its origin to the prince of darkness and his chief emissary
the Man of Sin. A philosophical or scholastic definition of
faith, which cannot be understood by plain and illiterate men,
ought to have no place among Christians as any part of their
religion. Why is not as simple and decisive an answer given to the
question, What is faith ? as would be given to, What is hope,
love, or joy? or, What is fear, hatred, or grief? which, so far
as the Gospel is concerned, are, every one of them, as well
understood by all the world as by the most acute philosopher.
This may be accounted for. Faith is much extolled throughout
the Scriptures. Every spiritual enjoyment is attributed to it,
not indeed for its own intrinsic merit, but because it is the
means of receiving freely all the blessings of redemption, which
cannot otherwise be enjoyed ; and particularly the leading and
capital blessing of justification. " We are justified by faith;
and faith is imputed for righteousness," without which there
could be no justification. Therefore the self-righteous bias which
is natural to man, predisposes him to approve of descriptions,
or reasonings, the object of which is to show that faith cannot
be merely that which is signified by the term in other cases ;
but that, in its own nature, it must be considered as " doing
some great thing," instead of viewing it simply as hearing the
voice of God in his oracles of eternal truth.

LETTER IV  OF THE NATURE AND IMPORT OF FAITH. 327
Of all the untenable and contradictory things which have
been avowed by men of talents, learning, and piety, this is the
most wonderful, that faith, which is every where in the Scrip
tures contrasted with works in the matter of justification, has
itself been converted into a meritorious work, containing in
its nature or essence almost every Christian virtue and excel
lence. We have heard much of the great work of believing ;
and all its various acts and qualities have been largely described
by many eminent theological writers ; producing this among
other evils to which I implore the serious attention of the reader,
that awakened sinners are induced to pay more regard to the
exercises of their own minds, than to the glorious Gospel of
Christ, which is the only sovereign remedy for all the evils of
the human heart.
In no other case does any man suppose that he performs a
great task, or one in which there is any merit, when he believes
a well attested fact. If the evidence produced for the truth of
a human testimony be clear and satisfactory in all its parts, and
corroborated by many circumstances, the truth of which is be
yond all dispute, we are laid under a necessity of believing it,
and the whole merit of this is due to the evidence by which we
are convinced ; we cannot reasonably claim the smallest portion
of that merit. No subject has been so much darkened by irra
tional speculations, as that which is in itself the most luminous
of all subjects — the religion of Him who is the Light of the
world. The use which has been made of metaphorical expressions,
such as, " receiving Christ, coming, and fleeing to him, trusting
in him, eating his flesh and drinking his blood," &c, tends to
darken the mind with respect to the nature of faith. Instead of
explaining the metaphorical term by the simple one, which is
the just and natural way, the simple term is explained by that
which is metaphorical, and every thing is thrown into inextri
cable confusion. To receive Christ, is to receive or believe
the testimony concerning him. Coming and fleeing to him, and
trusting in him, are immediate effects produced by faith. " He
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him." * So, also, we flee
not to a place of refuge, till we first believe that it exists, and
will afford us safety. Nor do we trust or put confidence in any
object, till we believe that it is capable of yielding expected
aid. Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of man,
is a most lively description of the real enjoyment of the bless
ings which flow from his Divine atonement, and is confessedly
* Heb. xi. 6.

328 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
metaphorical. This, also, is evidently the effect of believing
in him. It is equally clear that eating and drinking are not
terms of the same import with believing, and that faith in Christ
does not exist in that soul where there is no relish for this Divine
food, by which alone the soul can live.
Faith, therefore, is neither more nor less than credence or be
lief, whether it respect a Divine or a human testimony. True,
indeed, " if we receive the witness or testimony of men, the
witness or testimony of God is greater." * But this compari
son shows that the nature of faith is the same in both cases,
though the degree of it, whatever this may be in reality, ought
to be immensely different. The testimony of God relates to
things infinitely better and more important, and it justly demands
an incomparably higher degree of faith, as being the testimony
of " Him who cannot lie."
To believe God, is to assent to the truth of what he hath
spoken. Thus it is said, " He that hath received his testimony
hath set to his seal that God is true;"t while " he that be
lieveth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth
not the record which God gave of his Son." | Faith recog
nises the Divine and infallible evidence by which the Gospel
proves itself to be the truth of God, " judges him faithful who
hath promised," || and " receives the word which he hath spoken,
not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the Word of
God." §
In the simple description of faith which has here been given,
there is a perfect coincidence with a principle which cannot be
contradicted without dishonouring the great Author of Divine re
velation, namely, that if God hath been pleased to reveal to us
a way of salvation, not confined to any one class of men, but
extending to all nations, ranks, and characters, it necessa
rily follows that he speaks to us in a language which all un
derstand — in simple, clear, and unequivocal terms, equally
adapted to the capacity of the most accomplished philosopher
or theologian, as to that of the meanest peasant. Holding this
as a self-evident principle, which few will venture to deny, how
is it possible to reconcile it with dark, mysterious, and unin
telligible views of the nature of faith, which God requires of
all the hearers of the Gospel, and without which no person can
be saved?
Faith then, or belief, as the term is used in the Word of God,
signifies that which all men, in the common transactions of life,
understand it to mean ; there is in it no mystery, no ambiguity,
* 1 John v. 9. + John iii. 33. J 1 John v. 10,
|| Heb. xi. 11. § 1 Thess. ii. 13.

LETTER IV  OF THE NATURE AND IMPORT OF FAITH. 329
nor in short any thing but what the term itself expresses. * The
Gospel too is, in its own nature, equally clear and intelligible,
and would appear such to every rational being, were it not that
" the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth
it not."

* The candid, enlightened, and independent mind of the late Dr Erskine,
(who,, as Dr Chalmers now does, refused to be held in systematic fetters,)
perceived that faith, as it respects the Gospel, is the same intelligible thing
which every oneftnows it to be when it has reference to a human testi
mony. He has treated the subject with so much perspicuity and strength
of argument, that I am induced to present the reader with a few extracts
from his " Dissertation on the Nature of Christian Faith," which I did not
re-examine till after my Letters were finished. This work is valuable, as
it contains simple and Scriptural views of what faith or belief is, and of
what the truth is which we are called to believe — two things which are
essentially and inseparably connected. It contains, also, many useful re
marks on the internal evidence of the truth of the Word of God ; on the
necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit in communicating to the minds
of men that glorious light which shines in the Gospel, and thus enabling
them to perceive its Divine evidence ; on the sanctifying influence of the
truth, when it is received as the AVord of God ; and on the experimental
proof which results to believers from their being the subjects of Divine
teaching. Throwing off the restraint which is generally imposed by popular opinion,
and assuming the calm intrepidity which becomes a champion for the truth,
he proceeds thus : —
1. " The Holy Ghost, in the sacred oracles, means to be understood,
and therefore speaks to men in their own language, and uses words in their
common acceptation. Faith, therefore, in the Scripture, does not signify
choice, affection, temper, or behaviour ; for, in common language, it does
not signify these, but merely persuasion or assent, and commonly a per
suasion founded on testimony.
" The meaning of the word believe, in the following Scriptures, is plain
to the most cursory reader :— Exod. iv. 1, 'But, behold, they will not
believe me.' Ibid. ver. 5, ' That they may believe that the Lord God
of their fathers hath appeared unto thee.' 1 Sam. xxvii. 12, ' And
Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to
abhor him.' Prov. xxvi. 25, ' When he speaketh fair, believe him not.'
Hab. i. 5, 'I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe
though it be told you.' John iv. 21, 'Woman, believe me, the hour
cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, wor
ship the Father.' James ii. 19, 'Thou believest that there is one God:
the devils also believe and tremble.' — I may venture to say, if Christians
had consulted systems less, and Scripture and their own experience more,
they would not have affixed to believing, in other passages, a sense entirely
different from what it bears in these.
"Faith purifies the heart, Acts xv. 9 ; worketh by love, Gal. v. 6. ; and
discovers itself sincere by the performance of good works, James ii. 18.
Faith, therefore, is not holiness, love, or new obedience, unless the effect
is the same with the cause, or the evidence with the thing proved. He
who confounds faith with any of these, might as well plead that there is no
difference between the sun in the firmament, and the fruits of the earth
brought forth and ripened by his genial rays ; or between natural life, and
2 T

330 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
When these two incontrovertible facts are perceived, an im
mense advantage is gained by those who have been labouring
in the dark, or enjoying only a very dubious and partial relief
the actions of. a living man. And yet many writers on the nature of faith
seem to have forgot, that it is one question, what is faith ? and another,
what is inseparably connected with it ? and what are the fruits that spring
from it ?
2. " Other ideas of faith, substituted in the place of persuasion, are bet
ter calculated to flatter the pride of man, that his acceptance with God is
founded on something worthy and excellent in the frame of his mind, in
the choice of his will, and in the bias of his affections. For that very
reason these ideas must be false. The office assigned to faith in the plan of
salvation, is assigned it for this purpose, that all pretences to merit may
be borne down, and the sovereignty and freedom of God's grace in bestow
ing salvation may appear. Rom. iv. 16, ' Therefore it is of faith, that
it might be by grace.' Faith has no moral efficacy towards procuring
our pardon and acceptance. If one is proud of assenting to a truth, when
that assent is constrained by evidence, may he not with equal reason be
proud that he believes that the sun is in the firmament, when his eyes are
struck with the meridian splendour of that glorious luminary?
3. " Assent or persuasion is the only notion of faith, which, without
straining, will apply to every Scripture, where any kind of faith is men
tioned. Let the unbiassed reader consult his Bible, and judge for himself.
»•***» * # * * «
" Dr Owen, in his Catechism, has judiciously decided the question I am
now canvassing. ' Faith (says he) is in the understanding, in respect of
its being and subsistence ; in the will and heart, in respect of its effectual
workings.' 4. " It does not invalidate my reasoning, that it is said, Rom. x. 10,
' For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.' The heart is
there opposed, not to the assent of the understanding, but to the profession
of the lips ; for it immediately follows, ' and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation.' Nor are other places wanting in the sacred oracles,
where the heart means the intellectual powers. Thus Exod. xxviii. 3,
' Thou shalt speak unto all the wise- hearted, whom I have filled with the
spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments.' Deut. xxix. 4,
' Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see,
and ears to hear unto this day.' 1 Kings iv. 29, ' And God gave So
lomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart,
even as the sand that is on the sea-shore.' " — Theological Dissertations, Id
edit. p. 158—163.
This able and judicious writer likewise gives the following decided opi
nion on the whole merits of the case : —
" I account that faith only saving, which is accompanied with an appro
bation of the Gospel scheme of salvation in all its parts, which leads us to
come to God through Christ for pardoning mercy, and sanctifying grace,
which purifies the heart from immoderate love to the world, and produces
an unfeigned love to all God's commandments. Yet I cannot see that
confounding faith with its inseparable attendants, or necessary effects, is
consistent with the important doctrine of justification by faith."  Ibid.
Preface, p. 4, 5.

LETTER IV  THE MEANS BY WHICH FAITH IS PRODUCED. 331
from the Gospel. The question will not then be, How am I
to believe ? What shall I do to prepare myself for receiving the
mercy of God ? By what means shall I stir up my soul to the
exercise of faith in Christ, which, though it be so named, is yet
a most laborious work, requiring all the exertion of which the
human mind is capable ? No. It will be, What doth God tes
tify concerning the person and work of his beloved Son ? What
hath Jesus done for the salvation of lost sinners ? And to whom
is the promise of salvation made ? If the enquirer find what he
now seeks, and believe the truth which is plainly and simply
revealed in the Gospel, he then says with Paul as the chief of
sinners, " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta
tion, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." *
His conscience is relieved ; he is " reconciled to God by the
death of his Son ;" his heart is renewed ; he " worshippeth God
in the spirit;" he " rejoiceth in Christ Jesus, and hath no con
fidence in the flesh."
Another object of inquiry which may now be briefly consi
dered, is, by what means is the faith of the Gospel produced ?
on which some remarks have already been made. The means
there described, are chiefly those which are used by the Lord
himself in the execution of his gracious purpose ; and it ought
to be always kept in view, that no means short of those which
he alone can employ, will ever communicate the saving know
ledge of the truth. The exceeding greatness of Divine power
which wrought in Christ, when God raised him from the dead,
can only quicken dead sinners, illuminate their darkened minds,
and make them obedient to the faith.
But it may be further remarked that the Holy Spirit, though
never without the Word, operates on the minds of men by means
of rational motives, which in the Word of God are addressed to
the understanding, the conscience, and every passion of the
human heart. By man's apostasy from God, all his faculties are
depraved. But he still possesses an understanding to discern
good and evil ; a conscience to approve the one and to condemn
the other ; affections which may be employed in loving, serving,
and enjoying God, and which may be alarmed with the fear of
future evil, or made joyful in the hope of future good ; and a
will by which, as a free agent, he may choose that which is good,
and refuse that which is evil. By these I mean the natural
powers of man ; for he certainly does not possess moral ability
to love and obey his Maker. And why ? Just because his cor
rupt and perverse inclination will not suffer him to do so. Were
* 1 Tim. i. 15.

332 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE' GRACE.
he decidedly to will this, it would be accomplished ; but he de
lights in sin, and chooses that which God abhors.
Now, the Word of God contains every thing which is suited
in the highest degree to enlighten the understanding, 'to alarm
the conscience, to fill the heart with anguish and dismay ; to
allay the fear and grief which it hath occasioned, by presenting
an all-sufficient remedy of God's providing ; and to subdue the
obstinate, perverse, and rebellious will.
Two leading truths are eminently the subjects, and may in
deed be considered as the sum of Divine revelation — the lost
and ruined state of man, and his recovery by Jesus Christ. In
an astonishing variety of expression and argument, and often
accompanied with entreaty and earnest expostulation, these
are brought forward in every way which can be supposed to
affect the hearts and consciences of men. What then is the
design and the natural tendency of such merciful and energetic
representations ? Is it not to lead the hearers of the Gospel to
make a solemn pause in their mad career, to consider their
ways, and to search the Scriptures, where they will see opened
up and unfolded all the circumstances of their guilt and danger,
and all the counsels of redeeming love ?
Following out this train of things, it is not only lawful, but
highly necessary, to urge upon the consciences of sinful men
their great and imminent danger ; the demands of the law and
justice of God, in their full extent : the call of the Gospel to
believe in Christ for salvation, and to bring forth fruits meet
for repentance. And I can see no other way in which any per
son can believe the Gospel than by an attentive consideration
of its evidence and its import, which is hardly to be expected
till he have some conviction of his lost and perishing condition.
This searching of the Scriptures by those who heard the doc
trine of Paul at Berea, is mentioned as an example of the way
in which faith cometh. " These were more noble than those
of Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readi
ness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily whether these
things were so. Therefore many of them believed." *
These are means of Divine appointment, and must always
accompany the supernatural teaching of the Holy Spirit, or be
considered as a part of that teaching, whether the person be
immediately or gradually brought to the knowledge of the truth.
They present no obstacle ; they impose upon him no grievous
and impossible task ; they fill him with no conceit of his re
formed life or mental exercises ; their direct tendency is to bring
* Acts xvii. 11, 12.

LETTER IV— EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 333
him to the light of God's truth, and to convince him that he
cannot be justified as righteous in his own person, but as " a
sinner and without strength ;" they afford him no ground of
consolation except this — " God justifieth the ungodly."
In order to show more fully what is here intended, I shall
give a few hints respecting the evidence of the truth of Chris
tianity, by which it is demonstrably proved that God himself,
the judge of all, speaks to us in the glad tidings of great joy
which are preached to all people, and which therefore are with
the utmost propriety called " the glorious good news of
the blessed God."
Men are not required to believe the Gospel without the most
complete and satisfactory evidence of its truth. And this evi
dence is not placed at a distance, so as to render it perceptible
only in consequence of a long and laborious investigation of
arguments on both sides, or deep researches amidst the dark
regions of antiquity ; for none of these attempts are within
the reach of the ignorant and the unlearned, who are constantly
represented in the Word of God as at least not being in less
favourable circumstances for Divine teaching than men of eru
dition and science. No. The Gospel is a revelation from the
God of heaven, and the proof of this requires no foreign aid.
Its import is its evidence. There is in it divine simplicity
and majestic glory ; it is a complete delineation of the character
of the true God, and gives an infinite display of all his glorious
perfections. The truth which he hath revealed, namely, that
God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for all his
people, is that which could not have entered into the heart of
man ; and seeing it transcends all his conceptions, and baffles
all his wisdom, it is utterly impossible that it could have been
a cunningly devised fable.
" The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament
showeth his handiwork;" * by giving a visible display of his
infinite wisdom, his almighty power, and his abundant good
ness to his creature man. And so with regard to all his other
works, of which the Apostle Paul affirms in general terms,
" The invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead." f We cannot
meditate on any of his stupendous works, nor even survey his
workmanship in its minutest form, without clearly perceiving
the finger of God, the manifest and indelible traces of the
incommunicable perfections of the great Jehovah. And shall
we attribute less to the Gospel, which in an infinitely higher
* Psal. xix t Rom. i. 20.

334 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
degree manifests his glory ? How dim and feeble are the rays
of the sun in the firmament, who, as he runs his race, pro
claims to all nations the existence and the glory of the invisible
God, when compared to the bright and healing beams of the
Sun of righteousness, the Word made flesh, who showed forth
" his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father,"
when " he dwelt among men full of grace and truth ;" who
declared his Father's name ; who, in his death as an atoning
sacrifice for sin, gave the fullest evidence that " God is
love ;" and who is himself " theHmage of the invisible God?"
In the testimony of the Gospel, we perceive the fulfilment
of a prophecy thus describing the power, and dominion, and
ineffable glory, with which the King of Zion was to be
environed, |when " the Lord God should give unto him the
throne of his father David." " Then the moon shall be eon-
founded, and the sun ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall
reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients
gloriously." J
Certainly, therefore, it can be none of the dictates of true
wisdom which has led the advocates of revealed truth to throw
into the shade, or to shut up in a corner of their voluminous
works, the most conclusive and irresistible evidence that the
Bible is in very deed a revelation from God, and to publish
hundreds, or perhaps thousands of volumes on the other
evidences, which are less attainable, as well as less convincing
and satisfactory.
It is far from being my intention to depreciate the evidence
of the truth of Christianity which arises -from miracles, the
fulfilment of prophecy, the success which attended the labours
of the first ministers of the Word, not only without human aid,
and destitute of every qualification which the wisdom of man
judges necessary for the successful promulgation of a new reli
gion, but under the weight of the most determined opposition
on the part of those in power, and the whole world up in arms
against them. These and other external evidences prove the
Divine ^original of the sacred Scriptures. They co-operate
with the Gospel in reaching conviction to the minds of unbe
lievers, and they confirm the faith of those who believe. Con
sidered apart from the evidence which is inherent in the Gos
pel, they stop the mouths of gainsayers, arrest the attention
of the thoughtless, and confirm the faith of believers. They
may frequently also prevail so far as to convince an avowed
infidel, and to make him a professing Christian of some sort.
But I venture to affirm that no person was ever made a true
* Isaiah xxiv. 23.

LETTER IV  EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 335
convert to Christianity without perceiving the decisive, over
powering, and Divine evidence, which shines like a sunbeam
in the truth itself, and infallibly proves that God is its author.
It must be so, if the Gospel be that which it declares itself to
be, " the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ." *
This evidence, it is true, cannot be discerned in all its cap
tivating excellency, till " He who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness" make this very light of the Gospel to shine
into benighted hearts. And on this account, it is generally
thought better to attempt the gradual conquest of rebellious
souls, by means of arguments which are deemed to be fully
within the compass of man's rational powers, than to use in a
more summary way those weapons which, in the highest
sense, " are mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds." A copious refutation of this argument seems unnecessary,
because it will be sufficient to remark that the unenlightened
hearers of the Gospel are as incapable of understanding the
revelation of the mercy of God in Christ, as they are of per
ceiving the best evidence of its truth. " The natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolish
ness to him ; neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned." f If, then, it could be argued justly
that because men, in a spiritual sense, are blind, therefore there
is no propriety in urging upon them the most powerful and con
vincing evidence that the Gospel is the testimony of God ; it
evidently follows, that there would be an equal degree of im
propriety in preaching the Gospel to those "who have the
understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness
of their hearts ;" X or in calling them, while in this state of
ignorance, to repent and believe the Gospel ! The reverse is
the just conclusion. It is impossible to give a stronger argu
ment than the deplorable ignorance of men, for calling their
attention to the light which shines in the Gospel, and to the
evidence by which it clearly manifests itself to be from God.
We cannot have just views of this part of the subject, with
out considering the nature of that spiritual darkness in which
all unbelievers are involved. Indifference towards the Gospel,
contempt of it, or opposition to it, arise not, in any case, from
mere ignorance. They who reject the counsel of God know
as much of it as tends to provoke their aversion ; for " Every
one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
* 2 Cor. iv. 6. f ! Cor- "¦ 14- $ EPn- iv- 18

336 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVtNE GRACE.
lest his deeds should be reproved." * And Jesus said to the
Jews, " Why do ye not understand my speech ? Even because
ye cannot hear my word ;" f that is, ye cannot endure my word ;
it is so offensive that ye are incapable of giving it a patient
hearing. The condition of such persons is thus truly and
emphatically described, "Their eyes have they closed, lest they
should see with their eyes, and should be converted, and God
should heal them." J Still, however, their consciences bear
witness for God, while the sinful bias of their hearts prevails ;
for the Apostles, " by manifestation of the truth, commended
themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." ||
There is ample room, therefore, in declaring the testimony
of God, for showing " the self-evidencing light and power of
the Scriptures," as Dr Owen justly terms this Divine evidence ;
and for endeavouring to convict those who lend a deaf ear to
the Gospel, of their wilful, obstinate, and perverse rejection of
this glorious light. " The marvellous light of God" shineth
around them ; and, in order to perceive it, they need only that
their eyes should be opened. Nay, it requires the most crimi
nal exertion on their part, aided by the prince of darkness, to
prevent them from seeing it. They suffer their minds to be
blinded by the god of this world ; they close their eyes that
they may not see the light of Divine truth ; they shut their ears,
lest they should hear the terrible voice of the law, or the mild
and merciful, though humbling call of the Gospel ; and they
harden their hearts against the fear of God.
This subject is well worthy of a more full consideration ; but
to do justice to it would require a volume devoted solely to so
great a purpose.
. A few thoughts on the practical influence of the Gospel, will
form the subject of the two following Letters.
Edinburgh, March 30, 1816.

LETTER V.
The nature of the discussion in which I am engaged, has led
me to dwell chiefly on the doctrine of the true grace of God ;
the inviting and unfettered way in which the Gospel was preach
ed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and by his inspired messengers ;
the inefficacy of all attempts on the part of any man to render
* John iii. 20. f John viii. 43.
X Acts xxviii. 27. I 2 Cor. iv 2.

LETTER V.  CONNEXION OF FAITH WITH WORKS. 337
himself a more fit object of Divine mercy, and the self-right
eous tendency of several schemes which, under the specious plea
of using means for bringing sinners to Christ, foster their pride,
and seem to turn the Gospel itself into a law of works. In a
comparative sense, therefore, I have treated sparingly of those
works which correspond with faith, and are its native and never-
failing fruits. This deficiency I shall now attempt in some
measure to supply, by showing that faith without works is
dead. In reference to the justification of sinners, two things more
opposite in their nature, or more avowedly and strongly con
trasted in the Word of God, than faith and works, do not exist.
But, in another point of view, there are not two things within
the compass of human thought which more completely and har
moniously agree. Not only, indeed, does the most perfect
harmony subsist between them, but that very faith which, in the
sense explained, is the opposite of working, and refuses all con
nexion or compromise with the best works which man can per
form, is, notwithstanding, the only principle from which works
acceptable in the sight of God can flow.
Dr Chalmers has with great propriety endeavoured to con
vince those who have any sort of religious profession, however
flimsy, that there can be no sincerity in such profession, if they
continue in the practice of those sins which even from worldly
motives they might lay aside ; and I would especially add to his
catalogue of sins — " taking the name of God in vain," as being
in a peculiar manner totally inconsistent with " fearing his glo
rious and fearful name." When this is urged for the purpose
of alarming the conscience, and not with a view to make works
produce faith, it meets with my entire approbation.*
He also justly exposes the hypocrisy of another class, who
make an apparently serious profession of Christianity, talk much
about religion, and perform many outward acts of devotion ;
* Whether his plan or mine be more likely to produce a moral reform
in society at large, I cannot determine. But while this, in the estimation
of every well-informed Christian, cannot fail to be a most desirable object,
and may be aided by a partial influence of the doctrine or precepts of the
Gospel, it does not appear that the Apostles in this respect assumed the
character of reformers ; nor is the smallest hint given of their doctrine
having effected this, in any city or country where they preached the Gos
pel. Their aim was the utter destruction of " the old man with his deeds."
The message which they brought was the savour of life unto life to all
who believed it, and the savour of death unto death to every one who
rejected it, whether he were a notorious sinner, or a reformed moralist, or a
hypocritical devotee. The writers of the New Testament have recorded
and approved nothing which has any respect to human reformation, either
internal or external, other than the saving influence of the truth alone.
2u

338 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
but while they pretend to be chiefly occupied with mental exer
cises, and speculations about cleansing the inner man, they pay
little or no attention to their external conduct, and indulge
themselves in the habitual practice of many darling sins.* Here
I am but partially satisfied with the doubtful censure pronounced
in the Address ; for such persons are a disgrace to the Chris
tian name : they act in a manner similar to those who are thus
described, " They profess that they know God, but in works
they deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and to every
good work reprobate." t
But there are others of whom better things should be expect
ed, persons who are enlightened in the knowledge of the truth,
who seem to have all their happiness in it, and also in many
respects live so much under its influence that we dare not say
they are false professors, while yet, in some parts of their con
duct, they are greatly deficient, and appear to have imbibed
rather " the spirit of the world than the Spirit which is of God."
They have, it is true, escaped the gross pollutions of the world,
and they will not be guilty of flagrant crimes which all agree
to condemn. But they give no marked display of the spirit of
true Christianity, and seem not to have learned that the influ
ence of the Gospel, without any ostentatious effort, manifests
itself in the whole tenor of a Christian's life. It pervades all
his intercourse with mankind, and teaches him to live soberly
and righteously, as well as godly. It accompanies him in his
closet, in the solemn ordinances of public worship, in all the
bustling scenes of life, and in his becoming and lawful amuse
ments. X It is the grand moving spring of all the duties which
are incumbent on him, in the various stations and relations in
which he may be placed. It regulates all his proceedings in
* This character is somewhat different from that referred to in the Address,
because it appears to me, as it does to the reviewers, that the latter is one
which can scarcely be supposed to occur in real life.
t Tit. i. 16.
X There may be some who will startle at ranking amusements, however
qualified, with the other particulars mentioned above. But if it be admitted,
as it will be in general by the most serious, that there is such a thing as
innocent recreation, I know not how it can be more effectually circum
scribed within lawful bounds, than by maintaining that upon all such occa
sions a disciple of Christ must be under the influence of the Gospel. I
am persuaded that no true fearer of God would attend the theatre, or balls,
assemblies, horse-races, and other public diversions, were he uniformly
acting under a deep conviction that he ought to pray for the Divine bless
ing on every thing in which he is engaged, this being evidently included
in "praying always." No such person, I believe, would venture so to
pray, whether the amusement Were immoral in its own nature, or foolish
and inexpedient ; and much sinful conduct in other respects might thus be
prevented.

LETTER V  THE SANCTIFYING NATURE OF THE GOSPEL. 339
the family to which he belongs, whether he be a master, or a
servant, or an inmate of any other description. It prescribes
to him, and leads him to practise, every thing which is just,
and honourable, and praiseworthy, in his lawful calling, spur
ring his industry and curbing his ambition. And I request
particular attention to this one remark — There may be much
righteousness and sobriety* where godliness is totally wanting ;
but there cannot be a spark of true godliness without right
eousness and sobriety.
Some of the arguments which prove the sanctifying nature
of the Gospel may now be considered.
It has often been observed and clearly proved from the Scrip
tures, that freedom from the dominion of sin in this life, and
complete deliverance from it in the life to come, form an essen
tial part of that salvation which Jesus came to bestow, and are
inseparably connected with believing the Gospel of the grace
of God. This of itself is sufficient to confound the adversaries
of the doctrine of grace, who never seem to understand, or at
least have not the candour to admit, that the Scriptures intend
any thing more by the salvation of sinners than deliverance
from the wrath to come. But this is a false view of the sub
ject, as appears from innumerable passages, and indeed from
the whole tenor, of Divine revelation. When Jesus, according
to the import of his name, is represented as " saving his people
from their sins ;" when God the Father is said to have " saved
them, and called them with an holy calling ;" when "all the ends
of the earth are invited to look unto Jesus and be saved ;" and
when salvation is promised to him that believeth ; — salvation
from the power of sin, as well as from deserved wrath, is most
certainly intended. And, indeed, the latter without the former
would be no blessing ; for while a person is not delivered from
the love of sin, and renewed in the spirit of his mind, he is
incapable of serving and enjoying God in this world ; and could
we suppose him, with the same dispositions, to inhabit the man
sions of the blessed, he would be completely miserable.
But more than this is included in the " good news" of sanc-
tification, which we may safely consider as one-half of the im
port of the Gospel. Deliverance from sin is the ultimate design
of God in the wonderful display of his mercy towards guilty
rebels. It is natural for us, when conscious that we are sinners
who deserve everlasting condemnation, to be peculiarly struck
with the exceeding riches of Divine grace, which hath provided
* By these are meant the same actions, as to outward appearance, which
" the grace of God teacheth," but flowing from selfish or prudential
motives, or from a person's desire of establishing his own righteousness,
in opposition to "the grace of God, which bringeth salvation."

340 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
a ransom, that we might be delivered from the pit of destruc
tion ; and to consider the restoration of the image of God, the
new heart which he giveth, and holiness in all manner of con
versation, though in themselves highly important, yet as com
paratively of inferior moment, and not so much a leading object
in the plan of redemption, as following of course from our being
justified, and brought into a state of favour with God. And
it is true that, in the order of nature, forgiveness and the hope
of eternal life are prior to sanctification, and that all acceptable
service flows from the influence of the love of God, manifested
in the free forgiveness of sins through the atonement of his be
loved Son. But does it not from this also appear that the end
which God hath in view is to cleanse us from our natural pol
lution, and that his redeeming our souls from destruction, and
giving us good hope, are the means employed for that purpose ?
An end worthy of God, and means beyond expression great
and suitable, and which eminently display his glory !
This may serve to give us higher views of the great blessing
of sanctification, which, though very partially enjoyed in this
imperfect state, is yet experienced by all the children of God
from their first perception of the saving truth, and goes on pro
gressively till they be " without fault before the throne of God."
The whole of the Divine procedure in the work of redemp
tion, and all the motives of the Gospel, lead directly and power
fully to this glorious issue.
God the Father, in making choice of his people from ever
lasting, and giving them to Christ to be redeemed by him, had
this special purpose in view. " He hath chosen them in Christ
before the foundation of the world." With what intent?
" That they should be holy and without blame before him in
love." * " Those whom he did foreknow, he also did predes
tinate." To what enjoyment? " To be conformed to the
image of his Son." t They are likewise affirmed to be " his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained that they should walk in them." |
And the means by which this is effected are also plainly and
simply declared; " God hath from the beginning chosen them
to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of
the truth." || It thus appears that the decree of God em
braces, as its ultimate and crowning object, the complete
deliverance of his redeemed from sin ; and, with a view to this,
ascertains their sanctification by the faith of the Gospel in this
present life. Here, then, the matter rests upon the firm decree
* Eph. i. 4. t Rom. viii. 29. J Eph. ii. 10. | 2 Thess. ii. 13.

LETTER V  SANCTIFYING INFLUENCE OF THE PROMISES. 341
of Him " whose counsel shall stand, and who will do all his
pleasure." The promises of God also make ample provision for the
sanctification of his people. This is specially contained in the
new covenant, wherein Jehovah saith, " I will put my law in
their hearts, and write it in their inward parts." * And again,
"Anew heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you ; and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put
my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes,
and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." f In short,
every promise of the new covenant either expresses or implies
this great design of Him who made it. The Apostle Peter
shows this, when he affirms that " God hath given to his people
exceeding great and precious promises ; that by these they
might be partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust." X And the
Apostle Paul uses this argument on the same subject ; " Hav
ing therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God." ||
All the promises, therefore, whether they have a direct
reference to salvation from wrath or from sin, have a purifying
tendency on the minds of believers ; and being the promises of
Him whose faithfulness is everlasting, they must and will be
fulfilled. With respect to this ground bf consolation also, as
well as the hope of the eternal inheritance, he hath interposed
his oath ; for the prophecy of Zacharias, after blessing God for
visiting and redeeming his people, proceeds thus : " To per
form the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his
holy covenant, the oath which he sware to our father Abra
ham, that he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out
of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in
holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our
lives." §
This was also one great end of the death of Christ, and of
necessity, therefore, must be accomplished. The Apostle Peter,
when recommending to Christians an imitation of the patient,
submissive, and holy conduct of the Lord Jesus, brings forward,
as the Apostles often do, the highest instance of his love and
obedience, saying, " Who his ownself bare our sins in his own
body on the tree." This no doubt signifies redemption from
the curse of the law. But for what purpose were they thus
* Jer. xxxi. 33. t Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. X 2 Pet. i. 4.
|| 2 Cor. vii. 1. § Luke i. 72—74.

342 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
redeemed ? He gives the answer, — " that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness." * The Apostle Paul
declares the same thing to the Galatians : " Our Lord Jesus
Christ gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from
this present evil world, according to the will of God and our
Father." t He likewise affirms, in writing to Titus, that " the
great God and our Saviour gave himself for us, that he might
redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a pecu
liar people, zealous of good works." $ And in his epistle
to the Ephesians, he declares that " Christ loved the church,
and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word ; that he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy, and with
out blemish." |]
All these, and many other passages, include sanctification
in this world, and agree in representing salvation from wrath
as the means of deliverance from sin. To deny this, as well
as to affirm " that righteousness comes by the law," would be
to say " that Christ is dead in vain."
It is only following out the same train of thought to remark
further, that all the leading motives to Christian obedience are
derived from the Gospel of the grace of God, though not to
the exclusion of our obligations to him as our Creator, and
Preserver, and the Author of all our temporal mercies. The
love of God in giving his only-begotten Son for the redemption
of a lost world ; the love of Christ in giving himself a ransom
for his guilty people ; the enjoyment of the free gift of justifi
cation, and of all the blessings of the new covenant by those
who believe ; and the glorious prospect of life and immortality ;
— these are the powerful arguments which are chiefly urged
upon redeemed sinners, to induce them to do the will of God.
They are " besought by the mercies of God," " constrained
by the love of Christ," and taught to consider themselves as
" not their own, but bought with a price," and therefore bound
by the most endearing of all ties to " glorify God in their body,
and in their spirit, which are God's." §
Not only are believers often thus addressed in general
terms ; but particular duties are enforced in the same manner.
Love to enemies is enjoined as an imitation of the love of God.
Jesus commands his disciples to " love one another as he hath
loved them," and this peculiar love is " for the truth's sake
which dwelleth in them, and shall be with them for ever."
* 1 Pet. ii. 24. f Gal. i. 4. + Tit. ii. 14.
|| Eph. v, 25—27. §Rom. xii. 1. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20.

LETTER V  GRACE THE SOURCE OF ALL TRUE HOLINESS. 343
They exercise mutual forgiveness, " as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven them." Contributing to the necessity of the
saints, flows from the knowledge of " the'grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ ; who though he was rich, yet for our sakes became
poor, that we through his poverty might be rich." " Hus
bands love their wives, as Christ also loved the church ; and
wives are subject to then- own husbands, as the church is sub
ject to Christ." It is unnecessary to enlarge further. The
motives which have been mentioned are completely sufficient to
sanctify the church ; and though they be resisted by many who
profess to know God, yet they will always regulate the temper
and conduct of true beUevers, except when they fall under the
power of temptation, and " depart from the living God by an
evil heart of unbelief."
Where there is no principle of love and gratitude, there can
be no acceptable service of the Most High. Men in their
natural state rebel against his righteous government ; " their
carnal minds are enmity against God, for they are not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be." * How, then, is
this rebellious spirit to be overcome, and this enmity to be
destroyed ? By what means is love, supreme love to God, the
constraining principle of all obedience, to take possession of
those hearts where nothing but enmity now dwells ? Not
surely by any effort of the carnal mind, which may vary its
course, but stall retains its enmity, whether by avowed hostility
or under the mask of friendship. This enmity cannot be re
formed ; it must be slain ; and there is here " a new creation,"
the work of Him who said, "let there be light, and there was
light." Grace, therefore, and grace alone, is the source and
spring of all true holiness in the hearts and lives of redeemed
sinners ; and, with respect to them, this influence will continue
till sin as well as death shall be finally and completely destroyed.
It is admitted, however, that a bad use may be made of the
doctrine of Divine grace. The worst of all sinners are those
who " sin that grace may abound ;" and there is no crime which,
under the influence of a principle so base and ungenerous, may
not be perpetrated. This is the utmost extent to which the
carnal mind can go ; its hellish gratification is here complete.
Those in whom this principle fully operates are observed, gene
rally, to have their consciences more seared, to be more daring,
and to proceed to greater lengths in committing all manner of
iniquity, than the most ungodly men who never made any pro
fession of religion. I admit this reproach, therefore, with all
* Rom. viii. 7.

344 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
its aggravations, provided it be allowed to rest merely on the
guilty heads of those who justly deserve it.
To this objection it might be a sufficient reply to say, that
the evil arises solely from the corrupt hearts of men, " who
turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness," in direct oppo
sition to its native influence, and to the most solemn remon
strances and awful warnings, often pressed upon their con
sciences in the Word of God. But further I ask, can it be
thought that any person who despises the most dreadful threat
enings of Divine wrath, and " runs upon the thick bosses of
the Almighty's buckler," does really believe the holy Gospel,
which slays the enmity of the stoutest and most rebellious heart?
And if he be an unbeliever, as he most certainly is, what justice
is there in attributing his iniquity to a doctrine which, in reality,
he abhors, whatever speculations he may entertain respect
ing it ?
The most melancholy part of the subject now presents itself;
for candour and faithfulness oblige me to add, that the true dis
ciples of Christ are in danger from a partial influence of the
same ungodly principle. But neither does this furnish any just
argument against the Divine inspiration, and the sanctifying
influence of the Gospel; for it is "the doctrine which is according
to godliness," .whatever use they may make of it. Every thing
good in their conduct arises from this source : and all evil flows
from the remaining corruption of their own wicked hearts — a
subject which is often dwelt upon in the Word of God, for their
warning and admonition. The former is the work of God ; the
latter is exclusively their own.
For their sakes, as well as from a desire to reach conviction
to false professors, I earnestly entreat all to consider that the
reality and the genuine nature of faith in the heart cannot be
proved in any way whatever, independently of its sanctifying
influence. " Faith without works is dead ;" * it is unproduc
tive, and of no avail ; or, in other words, it does not exist. The
Apostle James demands of some vain talkers, whose tongues
were loose and ungovernable, who spoke about religion, and
boasted of their faith, " Show me thy faith without thy works,
and I will show thee my faith by my works" f — implying a flat
and peremptory denial that such persons were believers. He
asks them, " Can a fig-tree bear olive-berries, either a vine
figs ?" X agreeably to the doctrine of the Lord Jesus, who gives
a decisive criterion by which false prophets and false professors
may be detected. " Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ? Even so,
* James, ii. 20. f Ver. 18. % Chap. iii. 12.

LETTER V  OF THE FRUITS OF FAITH. 345
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit." * This principle is inculcated in
the parable of the sower ; in the description of Christ as the
true vine, from whom his people as the branches derive all their
life and nourishment ; in all the epistles to the churches, and
throughout the whole of Divine revelation.
All serious professors of Christianity admit, that the faith of
a disciple of Christ cannot otherwise be known to those around
him, than by tho good fruits which it produces. But some
consider their consciousness of believing the Gospel, of enjoy
ing its blessed hope, of love to Christ, a disposition to obey
him, and other inward experiences of the power of the truth,
as sufficient evidences of the sincerity of their profession, f and
deny that any proof arises to their own minds from their exter
nal conduct ; though it be very plain that if the latter be an
evidence in its own nature, it must of necessity be such, both
to the person whose conduct justifies his profession, and to those
who have an opportunity of observing him. Others go so nicely
to work as to distinguish between committing sin and doing
good, acknowledging that, were they to live in the fulfilment of
the lusts of the flesh, 'they would have no reason to judge favour
ably of their own state, but avowing that they pay no regard,
in this view, to the positive fruits which the Gospel uniformly
produces in the lives of all who believe it.
Some exclude this sort of evidence altogether, that they may
ease their consciences in the commission of sin. These I do
not call serious professors, whatever pretensions they may have
to faith, and extatic joy, and fervent devotion. Others adopt
nearly the same sentiments, as I charitably hope, from a fear
of making their own works in any respect the foundation of
their hope before God. Taking both into view, I shall endea
vour to state the doctrine of the Scriptures on this very impor
tant article of Christian experience.
The Word of God doth not suppose that any man is a com
plete judge of the principles by which he is animated, without
close attention to the effects resulting from those principles.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."
No man, not even a sincere fearer of God, knoweth the extent
of the deceitfulness and wickedness of his own heart. Of this
* Matt. vii. 15—20.
f These experiences of the power of the Gospel on the inner man, are
certainly evidences of true faith. But the whole extent of my argument
is, that they are such only in connexion with practical godliness. Where
real and substantial fruit is not produced, all knowledge, and inward feel
ing's, and dispositions, and enjoyments, are nugatory and delusive ; if they
exist at all, they are used for the purpose of self-deception.
2 x

346 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
the Scriptures furnish us with many deplorable instances. And
with respect to those of another description, did not Judas, and
Simon Magus, and Demas, and many others who made ship
wreck of the faith, and even those who committed the unpar
donable sin, at one period of their lives esteem themselves
true believers ? And how shall stony grouDd or thorny ground
hearers be undeceived, if they be kept always poring upon their
mental exercises, and be withheld from considering what fruits
they are bringing forth ? The joy of the former class is tem
porary. Those who belong to the latter class may go on, enter
taining a high conceit of themselves, till they land in everlast
ing misery ; and even the true children of God, deceived by
this false principle, may stray from the fold of the good Shep
herd, " leave their first love," cease from " doing their first
works," and become " lukewarm, neither cold nor hot " *
That there is a difference between the knowledge and faith
of those who are said to " believe for a while," or others who,
with much apparent knowledge, make a creditable profession
to the end of their lives, without really bringing forth fruit —
and " those who, having heard the word, keep it in an honest
and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience" f — I am
not at all disposed to deny. But I have not hitherto found,
nor do I expect ever to find in the Word of God, after a search
of more than forty years, any explanation of the difference
which could enable a believer to judge of the state of his own
mind, without reference to his life and conduct.
Believers are never treated in the Scriptures as persons who
are beyond the reach of fear and caution, while in this imper
fect state. Self-examination is enjoined as a habitual duty, and
the most alarming considerations are often presented to their
view. " Fear him who, after he hath killed the body, hath
power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, fear him." X " If
ye call on the Father, who, without respect of persons, judgeth
according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourn
ing here in fear." || " Let him that thmketh he standeth, take
heed lest he fall." § "Be not high-minded, but fear." ^f Nay,
Christians are often thus warned against falling into the grossest
sins, and reminded of the awful consequences. "If ye live
after the flesh, ye shall die." ** " Be not deceived : God is not
mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corrup
tion." ft " Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God ? Be not deceived." XX And then follows
* Rev. ii. 4, 5. Chap. iii. 15, 16. f Luke viii. 15. J Luke xii. 5.
P 1 Pet. i. 17. § 1 Cor. x. 12. f Rom. xi. 20.
** Rom. viii. 13. ft Gal. vi. 7, 8. *t 1 Cor. vi. 9.

LETTER V  THE NECESSITY OF GODLY PEAR. 347
a list of the characters which shall be for ever excluded from
the kingdom of God.
Such warnings and admonitions are frequent in the apostolic
epistles, and in those addressed to the seven churches in Asia.
They are designed to affect the hearts of believers, and indeed
can ultimately be beneficial to them alone. Of necessity, there
fore, we must admit that they are so intended, or deny that
they answer any good purpose in the churches of Christ, to
whom, unquestionably, they are addressed.
Those rousing motives are not inconsistent with the certainty
of salvation to him that believeth, though they do not permit any
man to think that he is a believer without just grounds. Nor
are they in the least unfriendly to the doctrines of election,
and the perseverance of the saints. On the contrary, those
who disregard them have no reason to expect that they shall
endure to the end and be saved ; for they are God's appointed
means for effectuating all the purposes of his grace. He wills
that his people should be delivered from slavish fear, but not
from cautious fear arising from a sense of danger, which acts
in a way precisely similar to the principle of self-preservation
with respect to natural life. Immediately on perceiving any
cause of alarm, this principle or instinct is feelingly alive, and
without waiting for the more tedious operation of reason, exerts
itself for the preservation of the body. In like manner, in
stinctive fear is one of the qualities of every renewed soul, and
spontaneously operates in the moment of danger, unless when
the soul is disqualified for this exercise by spiritual diseases,
such as self-confidence, apathy, or sloth.
Not only are believers often solemnly reminded in general
terms, by our Lord and his Apostles, that all unsanctified per
sons are unbelievers, and that all who keep the commandments
of Christ from love to his blessed name, are his disciples indeed ;
but they also strongly assert, that believers know their interest in
Christ by the practical influence of the truth on their hearts
and conduct ; indeed, there is no other possible way of prevent
ing self-deception in this greatest of all concerns.
The first epistle of John is " written to them that believe on
the name of the Son of God, that they may know that they have
eternal life ; and that they may believe on the name of the Son of
God.* The former object he accomplishes in the way which
I have mentioned ; and the whole of his doctrine corresponds
exactly with this saying of Christ, " Ye are my friends, if ye
do whatsoever I command you." t He says, " Hereby we do
know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He
* 1 John, v. 13. | John, xv. 14.

348 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is
a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected : hereby know
we that we are in him." " We know that we have passed from
death unto life, because we love the brethren : he that loveth
not his brother abideth in death. My little children, let us not
love in word, neither in tongue ; but in deed, and in truth. And
hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our
hearts before him." *
Paul, also, the Apostle of the Gentiles, who gloried in the
exceeding riches of Divine grace, and would not suffer this
doctrine to be tarnished with a single particle of human worth,
expresses his confidence in the Hebrews, because they were
engaged in " the work of faith and labour of love, which God
is not unrighteous to forget ;" and then gives them this exhor
tation, " We desire that every one of you do show the same
diligence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end : that ye
be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises." t And Peter, the Apostle of
the circumcision, who opened the door of faith both to Jews
and Gentiles, exhorts those who " had obtained precious faith,
to give diligence, to make their calling and election sure, by
adding to their faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience,
godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity ;" and concludes thus,
" for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall : for so an entrance
shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." X
Every attempt to give another explanation of the above texts,
which are so very clear and explicit, if it proceed not from
ignorance, shows a desire to evade the plain meaning of the
Scriptures. But it must be carefully observed that external con
duct, should it even be carried so far as to " bestow all our
goods to feed the poor, and to give our bodies to be burned,"
is not that alone which the Word of God proposes as a conclu
sive evidence of being in a state of salvation. And, therefore,
principles as well as practice must be taken into the account ;
the highest attainments, and the most active services, are
nothing without "charity," or love. || All other Christian vir
tues must be " added to faith ;" § and if our whole life, both
with regard to comfort and holiness, be not " a life by the faith
of the Son of God," we have no right to say with Paul that
" He loved us, and gave himself for us." ^

* 1 John, ii. 3—5. iii. 14, 18, 19. f Heb. vi. 10—12.
X 2 Pet. i. 1, 5— I ]. || 1 Cor. xiii. 1—3. § 2 Pet. i. 5.
f Gal. ii. 20.

LETTER V  INFLUENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 349
This removes all objections on the score of self-righteous
ness. When a Christian "proves his own work, that he may
have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another," * what does
he prove, and wherein does he rejoice ? It is not his object to
establish a claim to the favour of God by any of his own works.
His desire is to obtain scriptural evidence, that, under a deep
conviction of his guilt and wretchedness, and of his total ina
bility to do any thing towards his own deliverance, he has
renounced all self-dependence ; that his hope is founded, solely
and exclusively, on the finished work of Christ ; and that he
deceives not himself when he says, " in the Lord have I right
eousness and strength." t Nor does he rejoice on the suppo
sition that he has discovered the comparative perfection of his
own Christian character, as the means of supplying an appre
hended deficiency in the Gospel, by itself alone, to give full
relief to his guilty conscience. He rejoices that his natural
opposition to free and sovereign mercy is removed ; that his
enmity against God is destroyed by an infinite display of the
love of God in giving his only-begotten Son for the redemption
of lost sinners ; and that he has some Scriptural evidence of
believing the truth which saves, by experiencing its power to
engage him in the habitual practice of works flowing from love
to God, to his Christian brethren, and to all men ; while, in a
stronger point of view than ever, he perceives the exceeding
sinfulness of sin, the many evils which still cleave to him, and
his continual need of forgiveness through the blood of atone
ment. He recollects and deeply considers the agonies which
the Son of God endured, thus expressed by the poet : —
" Say, Faith, who bleeds on yonder tree ?
Know'st thou that visage marr'd and torn ?
My Lord ! My God ! — Ye angels, see
Your dread Creator crown'd with thorn !
" Step nearer ; — view these ghastly wounds !
See how his yearning bowels move !
See how his breaking heart abounds
With streaming pledges of his love !"
And then, with increased conviction of guilt, but enjoying the
assurance of hope, the believing sinner thus exclaims,
" Lord what am I, that I am loved,
Till wrath pour on thee all its storms !"
Believers are conscious of bringing forth the fruits of right
eousness, while they have no dependence on these as the ground
* Gal. vi. 4. t Isaiah, xiv. 24.

350 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
of their hope ; and their chief concern is, " that they may be
found in Christ, not having their own righteousness, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is
of God by faith."* Each of them, according to his measure of
faith, adopts the language of the Apostle Paul, as formerly
noticed, " God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto
me, and I unto the world." t But the case of unbelievers is
very far indeed from being parallel. They perceive not the
manifestation which God hath given of his free mercy in Christ
Jesus. If, therefore, they be alarmed, and feel the necessity
of a better righteousness than they 'now possess, to procure
them acceptance with God ; what can they do, while " ignorant
of God's righteousness, but go about to establish their own
righteousness, not submitting themselves unto the righteousness
of God?" that is, " the righteousness of our God and Saviour
Jesus Christ." This is one of the deeply rooted principles
of the human heart, which cannot be eradicated except by the
Gospel breaking in with Divine light and energy upon be
nighted souls.
In stating this marked distinction between believers and
unbelievers, and the experience of the former with respect to
their attainment of the assurance of hope by the means which
God hath appointed, while they completely disavow every claim
of merit, and uniformly live by free pardoning mercy, it will be
noticed that those of them only are described who act in
character, who walk by faith, and cleave to the Lord Jesus
with purpose of heart. For believers may go astray, not only by
following sinful practices, but by departing from the faith of
Jesus ; and indeed the latter is the cause of every other evil
with which they can be charged. Many exhortations are given
them " to abide in Christ , to hold fast the faith ; to continue
in the faith grounded and settled, and not to be moved away
from the hope of the Gospel ; to put on the shield of faith ; to
fight the good fight of faith ; to hold fast the profession of their
faith, without wavering ; to build themselves up on their most
holy faith," &c. Many among the Hebrews, in the churches
of Galatia, in the church of Corinth, and in other places, were
addressed as having been partially subverted from the faith,
and in the utmost danger of final apostasy ; and therefore, in
the most solemn manner, and in the most rousing terms, they
were called to repentance. It thus appears that no room is
left for self-confidence and carnal security, or for indulging in
sloth and listless inactivity. All the powers of the soul must
* Philip, iii. 9. t Gal. vi. 14.

LETTER VI  THE INFLUENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 351
be exerted in " keeping the commandments of God, and the
faith of Jesus ;" and if we would overcome the roaring lion, the
great enemy of our salvation, we must resist him steadfast in the
faith. In fine, we are real Christians just in so far as we
account the faith of the Gospel infinitely precious, regard it as
the life of our souls, and treat with the utmost jealousy every
sentiment or doctrine which tends to sully and debase it, or to
spoil it of its Divine simplicity and glory.
Edinburgh, April 16, 1816.

LETTER VI.

In a former Letter I endeavoured to evince, by a variety of
arguments, the sanctifying nature of the doctrine of grace, or
free salvation through the blood of Jesus, and to show from
the Scriptures that the reality of a man's faith cannot be
proved, otherwise than by its producing those good fruits which
are ascribed to faith in the Word of God. Some hints have
hkewise been given with respect to the practical influence of
the Gospel on the whole temper and conduct of those who
believe it. But a particular statement of Christian duties
cannot be attempted; nor is it my design at present to
delineate the peculiar laws of the kingdom of heaven, some of
which are misunderstood and neglected by many who in other
respects adorn the Christian profession. To them I shall only
say, regarding this part of their subjection to Christ, that it is
their bounden duty to " become followers of the churches of
God which in Judea were in Christ Jesus." *
What I now intend is, to remind my fellow Christians of the
influence which the Gospel, when believed, must have on the
ordinary transactions of life, confining myself to one branch of
duty as a sample of the whole, and descending to minute parti
culars, because general hints often pass unregarded. When we
hear the doctrine which is according to godliness, and the out
lines of its purifying influence, described in general terms, we
may be apt to ward off conviction, by thinking chiefly of those
duties with the neglect of which we are not chargeable in a high
degree, and of those sins of which we may be comparatively
free. But when the sins of which we are verily guilty are specified,
and justly exposed in their true colours, the charge is brought
home, and our consciences verify our evil deeds.
* 1 Thess. ii. 14.

3,V2 ON THE D0C1RINE OF DIVINE GK.VCE.
The duty which I have in view, is that of labouring six days
in the week. I say the duty ; for some appear to consider this
rather as a thing which they may do if so inclined, than as an
express commandment of the God of heaven ; and to be jealous
of this labour, not merely in its excess, or its guilty motives,
but in its very nature as not being congenial to the exercises
of a spiritual mind. This sentiment again I call pharisaical,
though many pious and devout persons have less or more been
infected by it.
I regard the ancient law of working six days, as applicable to
believers of the Gospel in all ranks and conditions of life ; ser
vants of every description, as well as masters ; Christian wives
and mothers, as well as husbands and fathers ; and even those
who, being wealthy, have no occasion to labour for their daily
bread. A Christian who is capable of engaging in active scenes,
or sedentary employment, is not on any account warranted to
be an idle and useless member of a church of Clirist, or of
society. That diligence in business is a most essential Christian duty,
appears from its being very often enjoined in the Word of God.
There are many instructions and admonitions to this effect in the
Book of Proverbs, where industry is applauded, and its beneficial
consequences are pointed out ; where idleness and sloth are most
severely stigmatized, and their ruinous effects described. The
sluggard is represented in a despicable point of view, as a useless
being, incapable of doing good to himself, or to any other per
son. On this account the wise man places him in a degraded
state, below the meanest of the animal creation, and sends him
to learn wisdom from the ant.
In the New Testament, Christians are frequently addressed
on this subject ; and in one instance, in the most rousing and
animating terms. The Thessalonians, mistaking the doctrine of
Paul, supposed that the Lord Jesus was immediately to be re
vealed from heaven. Some of them declined working, at first
solely from a religious principle, while they eagerly looked out
for the coming of their Lord. If nothing worse had occurred,
and no censure had been passed upon them, we might have
been led to think that they were truly spiritual men, and more
devoted to God than the church in general was. But what
ensued ? " They walked among their brethren disorderly,
working not at all, but were busy bodies." The Apostle fre
quently repeats the epithet disorderly, " commanding them and
exhorting them by our Lord Jesus Christ to be quiet, to cease
from their tattling, to work at their lawful callings, and to eat
their own bread." Nay, in extreme cases, he would have this
evil cured by making them feel the effects of their indolence ; for

LETTER VI.  DILIGENCE IN BUSINESS A CHRISTIAN DUTY. 353
he also commanded with apparent severity, but with real com
passion and mercy, " that if any would not work, neither should
he eat."
Not only did he thus admonish the offenders ; but " he com
manded the church, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to
withdraw from every brother who (in respect of idleness and its
pernicious effects) walked disorderly ; to note that man, and
have no company with him, that he might be ashamed " — that
is, to keep up no idle conversation with him, but to oblige
him to work, by making him feel that if he Would talk unsea
sonably, though it should be about religion, his most respected
friends would give him no countenance. This seems evidently
to have been the Apostle's object, and not immediate exclusion
from Christian fellowship ; for he adds, " yet count him not as
an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." It appears how
ever, throughout the whole of this impressive admonition, that
he was extremely anxious to remedy so great an evil, and that
he considered peaceable and industrious labour as a material
part of the allegiance which the disciples of Christ owe to their
Lord and Master.
The necessity and importance of this duty, further appear
from the high examples proposed for our imitation. The Thes
salonians were urged to it by the example of the Apostle Paul.
Though "he had power to refrain from working, and might have
been burdensome as an Apostle of Christ, yet he wrought with
labour and travail night and day, for the purpose of making
himself an example to them to follow him." * And he gave the
same example to the elders of the church at Ephesus, urging
them in strong and moving terms to imitate his conduct, t
Would he have done this, if he had not considered working with
their own hands as highly beneficial to those who are so employed,
and ornamental to the Christian profession ?
Another example, to which sufficient attention has not been
paid, cannot be mentioned without the deepest reverence. Its
absolute perfection can admit of no doubt, because it is the
example of the great Lawgiver himself. The reason which is
assigned for the original sanctification of the Sabbath-day, and
for enjoining upon man the keeping of that day, is, because God
rested from the work of creation on the seventh day. And,
which is exactly parallel to this, the reason why man is com
manded " to labour six days, and to do all his work," is, because
"in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that in them is." Indeed, it seems to me highly probable that
there was no other reason why six days were employed in the
* 2 Thess. iii. 6—15. t Acts xx. 33—35. 2 Y

354 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
work of creation ; for we know that " he who stretched forth
the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth," could have
brought into existence, and set in order, all his stupendous
works in the twinkling of an eye. At any rate, He himself
hath declared that one reason for it was to show to his creature
man what respective proportion of his time he must employ
in common labour, and in the immediate service of his great
Creator. *
Ought not this fully to reconcile every Christian to the
Divine commandment, which obliges us to labour six days, and
to rest with God in the contemplation of his works one day in
seven ? The seventh day Sabbath, indeed, though part of
God's moral law, was also a token of his covenant with the
seed of Abraham, who " entered into his rest" in the land of
promise, f In this respect it was typical and temporary, and
has been set aside. X Its moral obligation, however, cannot
cease ; and the first day of the week is the Christian Sabbath,
on a ground precisely similar — because on that day which the
Lord hath made, Jesus rose from the dead, ceased from his
works, and entered into his rest, as on the seventh day God
rested from the work of creation. || The name, too, which is
given to the Christian day of rest — "the Lord's day"§ — is simi
lar to the former name — " the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,"
or the Lord's Sabbath. In either ease, therefore, a day devoted
to the peculiar service of God is evidently intended.
This digression, I trust, will be pardoned, the subject being
important, and having come so naturally in my way. It is not,
indeed, an entire deviation from the point in hand ; for the two
distinct parts of the fourth commandment serve to illustrate and
confirm each other. They who admit the moral obligation of
the one, cannot with any consistency deny that of the other.
Every duty has its appropriate motives, and in the present
case these are clearly specified in the Word of God.
The leading motive, and that which ought to regulate all our
schemes and all our labour, is, " that we may walk honestly
toward them who are without." ^f And in another passage,
this is contrasted with theft ; " Let him that stole steal no more ;
but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing
which is good." ** If a Christian, therefore, be negligent in his
work, or if he labour, perhaps even to excess, without having
constantly in view the principle of justice, and thereby render
himself incapable of paying his lawful debts, he is a breaker of
* Gen. ii. 1—3. Exod. xx. 8—11. f Exod. xxxi. 13—15.
X Col. ii. 16, 17. || Heb. iv. 3—11, particularly ver. 10.
§ Rev. i. 10. f 1 Thess. iv. 12. " Eph. iv. 28

LETTER VI.  MOTIVES TO DILIGENCE IN BUSINESS. 355
the eighth commandment ; and this is the more to be regretted,
because " to do justly" is the first lesson in that branch of
practical Christianity which regards the second table of the
law. " To do no ill to our neighbour," though often and
strictly enjoined upon us, is the lowest effort of love ; and what
Christian virtue can we suppose a professor of religion to possess,
if he be deficient in common honesty ?
In one of the above quotations, honesty is enjoined " toward
them that are without," because the opposite practice occasions
the name of God and his doctrine to be blasphemed by unbe
lievers, who are quicksighted to perceive the bad conduct of
serious professors ; and this is a heart-rending thought to those
who are alive to the connexion between " having our conver
sation honest among the Gentiles, and their seeing our good
works, and glorifying God in the day of visitation. * But this
gives no warrant for using more freedom in such matters with
Christian brethren. To use such unwarrantable freedom is an
aggravation of the crime, and an abuse of the disinterested
friendship and unsuspecting confidence which ought to subsist
among Christians. The injustice practised by some among the
Corinthians, is thus reproved, " Ye do wrong and defraud,
and that your brethren." t
Another motive is, " That we may have lack of nothing ;
that we may not eat any man's bread for nought ; that each
may eat his own bread." j Thus doth the Apostle inculcate
a lawful and praiseworthy spirit of independence, quite in unison
with all the principles of the Gospel, and all the generous feel
ings of the heart. This independent spirit, though apparently
similar in its effects, has yet in itself no affinity with miserable
selfishness, or ostentatious vanity and pride.
This is a powerful motive, and so enwarped with dutiful self-
love, that one should think it could scarcely fail to operate on
all the disciples of Christ. Yet there were melancholy instances
of its having lost its influence on the minds of some in the Church
at Thessalonica ; and that due warning might be given in other
places, and throughout the world in all ages, the Apostle thus
writes to Timothy, " If any provide not for his own, and espe
cially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and
is worse than an infidel." |j The context does not prohibit the
use which I now make of this quotation ; for the pious domestic
work of supporting aged near relations, which is there enjoined,
is not placed in the light of mere bounty : it is a requital of
benefactors who are now reduced to want, and who form part
* 1 Pet. ii. 12. f 1 Cor. vi. 8.
X 1 Thess. iv. 12. 2 Thess. iii. 8—12. || 1 Tim. v. 8.

356 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
of a believer's " own house," whether living under his roof or
elsewhere. Their claim is the same in kind as that of his chil
dren and other dependents ; and if he use not lawful means,
according to his ability, to provide for all these, or if he with
hold support from a principle of covetousness, you see where
he places himself. How admirably is the Word of God adapted
to reach every spring and motive of the human heart ! And
how inveterate must be that corruption which often prompts it
to resist not only the mercies, but also the terrors of the Lord !
— which renders a man deaf to the loudest and most urgent
calls of nature, that he may indulge his favourite lusts !
Those who are apt to be misled by a false religious principle,
are entreated to observe, that whatever may be the extent of
their knowledge and Christian experience, they cannot con
sistently profess to trust in God for all needful blessings, nor
to depend upon him for daily bread, though that is also pro
mised, if they use not the means which he hath appointed ; for
there are no promises to the indolent and slothful. On the
contrary, " He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand ;
an idle soul shall suffer hunger, and drowsiness shall clothe a
man with rags ;" while " the hand of the diligent maketh rich."
When a person expects any other fruit of his industry or of his
idleness, because he thinks himself too religious to be actively
engaged in daily labour, he is misled by a principle of rank
enthusiasm, which in this instance is equally opposite to sound
reason, and to the revealed will of God.
In the apostolic exhortations a third motive is urged upon us,
— " That we may have to give to him that needeth." * Our
object therefore in pursuing our worldly callings, is not merely
to provide for ourselves, and our relatives, and other depend
ents, which would be criminal self-love ; but to supply the
wants of the poor, " to do good to all men as we have oppor
tunity, especially to them who are of the household of faith." 1
Here is a wide field for exertion. This duty is much insisted
on in the Word of God, and without it there is no true Chris
tianity ; for " pure religion, and undefiled, before God and the
Father, is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their afflic
tion, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." { It is
that by which the sheep of Christ will be distinguished at the
last day ; and there is a present blessedness in performing this
self-denied labour of love, agreeably to the gracious saying of
the Lord Jesus, " It is more blessed to give than to receive." ||
* Eph. iv. 28. f Gal. vi. 10.
% James i. 27. || Acts xx. 35.

LETTER VI  DILIGENCE MUST BE IN THINGS LAWFUL. 357
But in order to all this, we must " labour, working with our
hands the thing which is good."
Let it be carefully observed, that unless the strictest atten
tion be paid to the object pressed upon us in the first motive,
the other two objects are unattainable by any lawful means.
A person indeed may provide for his family, and give to the
poor, while he is not possessed of sufficient funds to pay his
just debts. But what is he doing ? He is living upon other
people, and not eating his own bread ; nor can he in those cir
cumstances perform any legitimate act of beneficence, for all
his apparent bounty must be at the expense of his creditors.
The motives which have been mentioned, seem to be the
whole of those which are set before Christians in the New
Testament in order to stimulate their industry, except a gene
ral one which applies to every part of their conduct, namely,
" serving the Lord ;" and it is a great satisfaction to know, that
we may glorify him in all the common actions of life. When
professing Christians are diligent in their worldly callings, with
a set purpose " to walk honestly, to have lack of nothing, to have
to give to him that needeth, and to do all to the glory of God,"
they are in the line of duty ; they do every thing which, with
respect to industry, the law of Christ enjoins, and may expect
the blessing of " him who feeds the ravens, and clothes the
grass of the field," while they depend on his providential care,
and regard the admonition of Christ, " seek ye first the king
dom of God, and his righteousness ; and all these things shall
be added unto you." * But let them beware of other motives,
lest they should become worldly-minded, and fall under the
dominion of covetousness, ambition, and pride.
It deeply concerns every one who would have a conscience
void of offence in this matter, to know by what means he may
so conduct his worldly affairs as to make sure of " walking
honestly." One essential requisite is steady and persevering industry, as
appears from the former part of this Letter. And I now only
request your further attention to another apostolic exhortation,
which is thus expressed, " Not slothful in business, fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord." f Where business of an important
nature, which requires a combination of wisdom, prudence,
caution, activity, and prompt decision, is conducted in a drawl
ing and lifeless manner, success is hardly to be expected.
Fervency of spirit, therefore, in opposition to the apathy of
the sluggard, is absolutely necessary ; and when this proceeds
from the motives of the Gospel, it is accounted " serving the
* Matt. vi. 33. t Rom. xii. 11.

358 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
Lord." Thus believers, in the relative condition of servants,
are commanded to do their work " heartily, as unto the Lord." *
The expressions are similar. That which is done " heartily,"
is done with " fervency of spirit ;" and doing the work in which
we are engaged " to the Lord," is of the same import with
" serving the Lord." The reason, too, why fervency of spirit
is required in both cases, is because all the persons in their
respective callings " serve the Lord Christ," who cannot be
served at all, except with cheerfulness, alacrity, and fervour.
All the three injunctions, therefore, in the text referred to, are
applicable to the right management of our temporal concerns,
and the diligence and activity which this requires ; though cer
tainly they do also apply to every spiritual service in which we
can be engaged.
Due attention to frugality is likewise indispensable ; for with
out this the greatest industry will often prove abortive. An
unsuitable degree of expenditure, going on regularly, or per
haps progressively, from year to year, with a fluctuating income
liable to all the reverses of trade, will sooner or later make
fatal inroads on a moderate stock, and derange the affairs of
its proprietor. Wastefulness is criminal in every case ; for
Jesus, after feeding thousands by a miracle, commanded his
disciples to " gather up the fragments which remained, that
nothing might be lost." t But in some cases there is a ne
cessity for the most minute attention to the smallest things ;
and when this proceeds from a determined resolution "to do
justly," and not from covetousness, it indicates a truly Christian
spirit. The real expenditure of persons in trade ought always to be
considerably less than their apparent gain, otherwise their law
ful debts never will be paid. And in order to this there must
be self-denial, watchfulness against being led by fashion and
imitation, and a firm though gentle resistance to the unsuitable
and importunate demands of their children, which indeed is a
part of this duty, if they would " bring them up in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord."
Another very necessary precaution is to beware of plunging
into debt. Many Christians who have limited and known
incomes, would do well to follow this precept literally, " Owe
no man any thing but love." If they want some article which
is not an absolute necessary of life, and such things are most
frequently tne cause of this evil, let them Jwait till they have
money to purchase it, and in the mean time " be content with
such things as they have." If those of them who have com-
* Eph. vi. 5—7. | John vi. 12.

LETTER VI  CRIMINALITY OF INCURRING DEBT. 359
fortable subsistence according to their line of life, would pay
every article as they get it, and always when it is possible have
some reversion, till it be equal to the amount of six or twelve
months' wages, they would not be involved, and their situa
tion would be far more honourable and happy than it often is.
When once they begin to pay last week's provisions with the
wages of the next, there is no saying in what difficulties they
may ultimately land themselves by this imprudent conduct. It
is criminal to be drowned in debt ; and it is not virtuous and
praiseworthy to be unnecessarily from hand to mouth, as we
familiarly express it.
I have known persons who, with very slender means of sub
sistence, brought up large families in the most creditable man
ner, and who, with respect to the happy use of all needful
things, were as rich as princes. They had no lack ; there was
fulness and hospitality in their neat, well-ordered, and cleanly
houses ; they had always something to spare for the relief of the
distressed, pitying even those who, by neglecting their wise and
frugal management, had reduced themselves to poverty ; and
they could not fail to walk honestly, for they suffered no man
to have a claim against them. Reference is here made to times
which are past, not because there are no present instances,
though indeed, these are always rare, but because less restraint
is felt in praising the dead than the living.
Others who are engaged in trade, are in general under a neces
sity of being in debt. But justice requires that, at the very
utmost, this should go no further than they have present ability
to pay ; and that they should be punctual in discharging their
debts, for surely we owe a man something more than love, if he
have a just demand upon us, which, for months or years after
it is due, we neglect to pay. A trader ought particularly to have
no old family accounts unsettled, and no promises to any of his
creditors unfulfilled. Those, again, who are in affluent or easy
circumstances, and not dependent on manufactures or com
merce, are without excuse if their tradesmen's accounts be not
punctually discharged. This is a great injury ; it cripples the
exertions of the most active and industrious men, whose pros
perity depends on the honourable fulfilment of their own engage
ments. As bad, or perhaps worse than any thing which has yet been
mentioned, are all ambitious schemes of trade. I beseech those
who fear God, as they value their own temporal and spiritual
happiness, to avoid these, or to get out of them as fast as pos
sible, escaping as a bird out of the snare of the fowler. They
prove the ruin of multitudes, and are totally opposite to many
Divine precepts, and to the whole spirit of Christianity. " They

360 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and
perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil ; which
while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Such are the
awful consequences which the Apostle ascribes to their not
being " content with food and raiment." *
There are various degrees of the evil which is here described
in its utmost extent, and in all its horrors. It is most fully
verified in those whose love of money and boundless ambition
prompt them to engage in schemes of trade so hazardous, and
so extensive, that their object seems to be that of " gaining the
whole world." But the same principle has its influence on all
ranks, from the highest and most adventurous merchant or
speculator, down to the lowest mechanic. And it appears to
me, that no other effectual remedy can be prescribed than con
tentment with our lot, whatever that may be ; supposing always
that " we have food and raiment," without which we are not
required to be content. The same precept, in opposition also
to covetousness, is given in these words, " Be content with
such things as ye have ;" t and it is a truth revealed in the
Scriptures, and confirmed by experience, that no change of cir
cumstances can remove discontent. It often grows with pros
perity ; one object gained, another immediately presents itself;
the desires of the corrupt heart expand ; and this painful thirst
cannot be allayed by the greatest possible enjoyment of worldly
things ; for " he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with
silver ; nor he that loveth abundance with increase." X
From this, however, it does not follow that believers of the
Gospel are prohibited from attempting in any way to better
their circumstances. If there be an opening in providence for
a servant becoming a master, or one already in trade safely
extending his business on such a foundation as will form a
security against injuring his creditors, or another in being more
advantageously placed by an entire change, let each accept
with thankfulness that which God liberally bestows. But if
the person seem to go before providence, carving his own lot ;
if there be no rational prospect of success in the hazardous
scheme which he has formed, nor any fitness on his part to ren
der this probable ; if his plan of advancement far exceed his
means ; if it necessarily involve in it a sporting with other people's
money to a great extent, and a perpetual straining to keep
up an immense load of factitious credit by dishonourable means
— then it appears that he is impelled to it by discontent, or
* 1 Tim. vi. 8—10. f Heb. xiii. 5. J Eccles. v. 10.

LETTER VI.  ON GUIDING OUR AFFAIRS WITH DISCRETION. 361
covetousness, or ambition ; and if he should succeed, which
does not generally happen, he will still be chargeable with the
indulgence of one or other, if not the whole, of those lusts.
Such a person loses sight of the legitimate objects of lawful
industry. When he becomes deeply involved, or " falls into
temptation and a snare," and still goes on without remorse,
honesty and good faith are not to be expected from him. He
turns that which is in itself a blessing, and a sacred duty, into
an instrument of rebellion against God ; and if sovereign grace
prevent not, he will " drown himself in destruction and per
dition." To enable a conscientious person to walk honestly, nothing
is more essential than that he should " guide his affairs with
discretion." This is a leading part of the description of " a
good man who feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly in his
commandments." In all respects his character, as described in
Psalm cxii., is suitable and consistent. " He is upright ; he is
gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous ; he showeth
favour, and lendeth ; he hath dispersed abroad, he hath given
to the poor ; his righteousness endureth for ever." Yet, while
no man can justly accuse him of falsifying his promise, or of
procrastinating the discharge of any lawful claim ; while he dis
tributes of his substance to the poor with a liberal and unspa
ring hand, " showing favour also, and lending ;" — amidst all this
profusion, which many will consider as the high-road to poverty,
" wealth and riches are in his house." By the blessing of God,
" he scattereth and yet increaseth, while another withholdeth
more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty." He trusts in the
Lord, and casts all his care upon him. But observe, he gives
evidence of this, without which all his professions would be vain ;
for his own exertions to render himself capable of such muni
ficence are not wanting — " He guides his affairs with discretion."
So indispensable, indeed, is this qualification, that he must
excel in the benevolent parts of his character, and also in his
righteousness and integrity, just in proportion as he excels in
this. Some may think this a singular description, and consider it
as applicable only to a few eminently distinguished individuals ;
as if it were our duty rather to admire than to imitate. This
is a great mistake. It means to represent the spirit and con
duct of those in general who fear God, to every one of whom,
if it do not, it certainly ought to apply, according to their vari
ous means and opportunities.
Order, if we understand by it not mere form, which may be
carried to a ridiculous and hurtful extreme, but a regular and
2 z

362 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
uniform plan for the discreet management of our affairs, is essen
tial to our ease and comfort, and to the performance of moral
duty. It has a respect to every thing which concerns our per
sons, our families, and our lawful callings. With regard to the
latter, which alone is my present object, as many things have
been already stated which bear upon this point, I shall add
only a few more particulars, relative to that prudential conduct
which will enable Christians to act fully up to their character
as honest men.
It is no uncommon thing to see persons in trade going on
without any fixed and regular plan, wading in the midst of con
fusion, doing every thing at random, and spending a great part
of their time in endeavouring to rectify blunders committed for
want of thought. They know not the amount of their personal
and family expenditure ; whether it be less or more than all
their free profit ; 'nor what is the state of their funds. Nay,
in some cases it is doubtful, and they are not at the pains to
examine, whether upon the whole their trade be a losing or a
gaining one. At the final issue of such concerns, it is generally
pleaded by the bankrupt that he considered himself, till very
lately, as possessed of funds more than sufficient to pay all his
debt, though it then appears likely, if not absolutely certain,
that he had been for several years in a state of insolvency.
And this ignorance which, if it be real, shows a most regardless
disposition with respect to the law of justice, and has too often
been sustained as an extenuation of the crime when it became
a subject of Christian dealing, though the insolvent person
should not have met with any material recent losses, nor be
able to pay little more than one-fourth of his lawful debts.
Every proper allowance ought to be made for human im
perfection. But this must stop somewhere ; and surely there
is a rule by which we can judge whether a person's con
duct has upon the whole been regulated by the principles of
justice. Many other evils arising from confusion and disorder might
be exposed, but the task is painful and ungracious. I shall
mention two or three particulars. In cases where no rational
plan is steadily followed, great loss is often sustained by selling
goods on credit, and neglecting to place them to the accounts
of the purchasers. This could rarely happen, if, as a part of
a general plan, there were a determined resolution to make
such entries at the very moment, in preference to any other
business which might then solicit their attention.
Two things appear to me indispensable on the part of every
honest trader, which, with due attention to the subjects handled

LETTER VI.— ORDER INDISPENSABLE IN BUSINESS. 363
in the preceding part of this Letter, would lead Christians to
exemplify every thing which is just and honourable in the
management of their temporal concerns.
One of them is that of keeping regular books, containing a
fair and complete statement of all transactions on both sides,
that is, every account due by the trader, as well as every
account for articles which he has sold on credit ; also a cash-
book, or some other method of distinctly recording all his
receipts and disbursements, balanced daily, or at farthest
weekly. This has the double advantage of showing whether
any cash transaction has been omitted, and what is the amount
of his money sales and family expenses. If it be objected that
some are incapable of performing this task, I answer, that
formal and elegant book-keeping is not required ; and if any
person cannot accurately, though in a simple and awkward
manner, do all which is here most earnestly recommended, he
ought not to be the conductor of any business.
The other indispensable requisite is, that every one who is
engaged in trade should make out, and record in a book kept
for the purpose, a correct annual state of his affairs. This
requires an inventory, at or below cost prices, of his goods and
utensils, to which is to be added the sum total of the accounts
due to him by his customers, after writing off every bad debt,
and any other property of which he may be possessed, except
household furniture, which is no fund for the payment of debt ;
fixing a price on every article rather below than above its
wholesale value. The other side consists of the whole amount
of debts due by him for goods and for borrowed money, as well
as every other engagement for which he will ultimately become
liable. The balance of these two is the amount of his free
stock, or of his deficiency. This regulation may be still more
easily followed than that which requires perpetual- attention
every lawful day. But if the incapacity of some of those con
cerned be insisted on in either case, what should hinder them
from taking assistance ? This will be far less expensive than
insolvency. In no instance where these two precautions are adopted from
a determined resolution to act justly, will there be any danger
of a Christian materially injuring his creditors. His anxiety
to owe no man any thing but love, proved by his jealous
attention to the state of his affairs, will prevent him from
over-rating his stock in trade, or forming sanguine hopes of
future prosperity without any rational ground. He will know
how he stands, and timeously perceive the approaching evil, if
it must come. This will induce him to stop while he is pos
sessed of means sufficient, or nearly sufficient, to pay all his

364 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
debts. At least, if he should err in some degree, he certainly
will not go on till there be a shameful deficiency, of which he
can give no satisfactory account.
Nothing can be farther from my intention than to censure
those who have been reduced to a state of insolvency by losses
in trade, or other misfortunes, within a short period of their
resolution to make a final settlement. The affairs of the most
active, prudent, and conscientious traders, may be deranged by
providential occurrences over which they have no control. This
situation is one of the most painful and distressing to an honest
mind ; and such persons are objects of tender sympathy, but
not of blame. They have not in the smallest degree forfeited
their claim to the confidence and support of their friends, nor
have they done any thing that is dishonourable to the Christian
profession. Neither is it inconsistent with the strictest prin
ciples of justice, that a trader, after meeting with heavy losses,
and being conscious that his funds are not adequate to the
payment of his debts, should attempt to make up the deficiency
by carrying on business with renewed vigour, if it be clearly
ascertained that it yields considerably more than is sufficient to
cover all its own expenses, and those of his family. Dishonesty
begins at that point where there is already a shortcoming, and
the defaulter goes on without having good reason to expect
any thing but increasing deficiency. When such is the real
state of the case, it does not appear to me that he ought to
be excused because he has deceived himself with an exaggerated
and flattering opinion of the extent of his funds, and has
strengthened his opinion by fallacious written statements.
But the evil which most generally prevails is that of going
on without a plan, and with a resolution to avoid attentive
scrutiny. When professing Christians neglect every precau
tion ; when they continue for a long period willingly ignorant
of the state of their affairs, and thus render themselves almost
totally incapable of paying their just debts; although, at any time
during several years, some of them could have put together, in
the space of one hour, as many of the sums due to their prin
cipal creditors as would have proved them irretrievably bank
rupt ; — how does it appear that " in all things they are willing
to live honestly ?" Perhaps they cannot be charged with any
particular transactions which the world would call fraudulent.
They do not " make the ephah small, and the shekel great,"
nor do they falsify the balances by deceit, nor keep a " bag of
deceitful weights." But in the view we are now considering,
their whole conduct is one undeviating course of injustice. And
very often, too, this is connected with a train of falsehood,
palliated with untenable excuses, and so habitual and familiar,

LETTER VI  THE DANGER OF OVER-ANXIOUS CARE. 365
that they become hardened under it. Many promises are made
to parry off urgent demands, when the debtor knows that he
cannot fulfil them. These, of course, are broken ; and this
often happens when no apology is offered to those with whom
he deals unfaithfully. At last he becomes so notorious that no
person who knows him will place any confidence in his word,
at least with respect to the payment of his debt ! The whole
procedure bears evident marks of injustice and falsehood ; and
it is evident they who lead such a life are not walking in the
fear of God.
The same industry, enforced by all its Scriptural motives,
and the same precautions which have been urged for the pur
pose of preventing future insolvency, are equally incumbent on
those who continue in business after having been unhappily
placed in that situation, whether in consequence of adverse
providences, or of personal blame ; and especially in the latter
case. Nay, a strong obligation is thus laid upon them to redouble
their diligence. A just man never reckons his debt discharged
until it be really paid, though no person may have a legal claim
against him. After all his honest and persevering exertions, he
may not be able to pay the whole. But if he can accomplish it by
his utmost endeavours, he will show his ardent inclination to do
justice by discharging a part of his former debt, taking special
care that he do not thereby injure his present creditors ; and
however small this dividend may be, it will give a convincing
evidence of what he is disposed to do.
Finally, it is necessary to remark, that there is a danger
ous and hurtful extreme in prosecuting any worldly calling,
however ^lawful, with so much avidity and anxious care, as
indicates want of sufficient attention to the salutary admo
nitions of the Lord Jesus Christ. " Labour not for the
meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth
to everlasting life." * " Take no thought for your life, what
ye shall eat ; neither for the body, what ye shall put on." t
These warnings are illustrated and enforced by the reproof
which Jesus gave to Martha, one of his true disciples, when
she was engaged in the most laudable service, that of prepa
ring an entertainment for her blessed Lord. In order to check
her excessive care about any thing pertaining to the concerns
of this life, and to show the infinite superiority of that which
occupied the whole attention of Mary while she " sat at the
feet of Jesus, and heard his word," he thus addressed her,
" Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
* John, vi. 27. t Luke> xii- 22.

366 ON THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE.
things"; but one thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen that
good part, which shall not be taken away from her." *
To give a decided preference, therefore, to that enduring
food which feeds the soul, that good and never-failing portion
which Jesus gives ; and habitually to show this determined
preference by rising above the hopes and fears of this mortal
life, and " casting all our care upon God," is essential to the cha
racter of every one who in truth and sincerity calls Jesus Lord.
The strong plea which has been urged in favour of indus
try is not, I trust, inconsistent with " being careful for nothing ;
but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiv
ing, making our requests known unto God." f On the contrary,
to be diligent in business from those legitimate motives which
have been stated, and not from ambitious or sordid views, nor
from a desire of " laying up treasures upon earth," seems to be
the best method of preventing sinful and distracting care ; for
the direct tendency of those guilty motives is to overwhelm the
soul with distrustful anxiety about present things, and the same
evil results from the want of dutiful industry. In either of these
cases, the nature of the burden which we bring upon ourselves
is such, that we are not permitted to " cast it upon the Lord."
We have no ground to expect Divine support till we confess
and forsake those evils which bring us into a state of sinful care.
So long as we continue in that unhallowed way, we must be
deprived of the great consolation arising from such a text as
this, " Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him, and
he shall bring it to pass ; X f°r it would be impious to suppose
that we are invited to commit any sinful way to God, to trust
in him respecting it, or to indulge a hope that " he will bring
it to pass."
Therefore, when we are engaged in the most innocent and
lawful pursuits, we ought never to forget that this world is one
of our greatest enemies, and that our souls may be ruined by
setting too high a value on its best enjoyments. We need per
petually to watch, and pray, and strive against it in all its
threatening and enticing forms, and to preserve upon our spirits
a deep conviction that we can " overcome the world only by the
faith of the Son of God." ||
" Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter ; Fear God,
and keep his commandments ; for this is the whole (duty) of
man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." §
Edinburgh, May 1, 1816.
* Luke x. 39—42. f Phil- iv. 6. J Psalm xxxvii. 5.
Jl 1 John v. 4, 5. § Eccles. xii. 13, 14.

THE SCRIPTURAL RULE

FORBEARANCE IN CHURCHES,

BEING A REPLV TO A PAMPHLET ENTITLED

" OBSERVATIONS ON FORBEARANCE IN CHURCHES.'

NOW FIRST PUBLISHED FROM THE AUTHOR'S MANUSCRIPT.

[ 367 ]

INTRODUCTION.

The principal thing attempted in the following pages, is to
show the nature and extent of true Christian forbearance, and
that it forms no excuse for churches permitting their members
to disobey the laws of Christ.
With deep regret, the Author perceives the injury which
Divine truth may sustain by the publication of loose principles
under the specious name of forbearance, combined with a strong,
but inconsistent plea in favour of unity.
It is, therefore, with the view of pointing out the evil of such
principles, and of placing the subject of forbearance in its
Scriptural light, which have induced him at present to enter
on this discussion.

3 a

[ 369 ]

SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE,
&c.

The obligation which lies upon all the followers of Christ to be
of one mind, as it relates to the doctrine of his word and the
practices it enjoins, as well as to mutual love and affection, is
most important. Many, however, have considered unity as an
evil, and represented those who plead for it as infringing on
the liberty of Christians, and attempting that which is totally
impracticable in this imperfect state. Some who have imper
fect views on this subject, consider unity as attainable in churches,
but look upon it as a thing which is yet future ; and express a
confident hope that the time will come when the multitude of
them that believe will be of one heart and of one soul, as were
those who composed the church at Jerusalem.
So far they and I are of one mind, though we may not in
all respects pursue the same means for promoting unity.
Indeed, nothing in the spirit and conduct of those who seem
to understand the truth, and in many other particulars to be
instructed in the things concerning the kingdom of God, is
more astonishing than their aversion to this doctrine. What
ever may be the extent of their forbearance on other points,
they cannot patiently hear any thing favourable to this ; they
even revile and slander those who plead for " brethren dwell
ing together in unity." Do they not know that God anciently
promised to give his people " one heart and one way ;" that
Jesus earnestly and repeatedly prayed, " that all his disciples
might be one ;" that his prayer began to be answered when the
church at Jerusalem was " of one heart and of one soul ;" and
that his Apostles, partaking of his spirit, besought the churches
in his name " to speak the same thing, and to be perfectly
joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment ?"
Are the opposers of this not aware that the law of Christ,

370 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEAI! ANCE.
by which they profess to be regulated, is a perfect and infallible
system of truth and duty ; that all who have obtained mercy,
are laid under the deepest obligations to revere and to obey
every iota of it ; that every deviation in heart or life is a sin
against God ; and that, consequently, all differences among
Christians relative to Divine commandments, are, on one side
or other, not only imperfections, but really criminal in their
nature, as being opposite to God's holy law ?
To argue against unity, is to argue against universal subjec
tion to the will of God. We never can be of one mind till we
be " holy in all manner of conversation," and in our measure
" holy, as God is holy." Is this a thing to be depreciated ?
Will any one who fears God venture to affirm that it is not our
duty to press after universal holiness, or to say that we err
against the law of forbearance, or any law which God hath
given, when we urge this upon the consciences of our brethren,
and are willing on our part to suffer the word of exhortation ?
Let such, then, beware of condemning those who desire Chris
tian unity ; for it is neither less nor more, than desiring that
the churches " may stand perfect and complete in all the will
of God."
Amidst the extensive knowledge of Divine truth lately
acquired by many Christian professors, there seems no revival
of the spirit of unity which was exemplified in the primitive
churches. Instead of one church, comprehending all the be
Uevers who dwelt in a city or district, there are now many
parties, each of them torn with disputes and quarrels, thus
augmenting daily the number of separate classes, and threaten
ing the very existence of every congregation which has any
resemblance of the apostolic churches.
Having no intention to widen differences, or to overlook
commendable things, while I wish, in all humility of mind, to
give a solemn caution against " that instruction which causeth
to err from the words of knowledge," I shall first notice two or
three other things in which we are agreed.
That there is no inconsistency whatever between unity and
forbearance, I am fully persuaded. To convince us of this,
nothing more ought to be necessary than merely to reflect that
both duties are commanded in the Word of God, which never
enjoins upon us opposite things, or things in their own nature
impossible. All that I request therefore is, that unity shall
not be so stated, or pursued in such a way, as to prevent the
full exercise of true Christian forbearance ; and that forbearance
shall not be exercised so as necessarily to exclude or mar
Christian unity.
I am farther completely satisfied, though in this we have some-

UNITY AND FORBEARANCE NOT INCONSISTENT. 371
times practically failed, that in our present imperfect state, for
bearance not only does not prevent unity, but tends to promote
it. If we would " endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit," we
must do this " in the bond of peace," and in the exercise of all
lowliness and meekness, with "long-suffering, forbearing one
another in love."
It is affirmed by some, that the law of forbearance, as well as
all the other commandments of Christ which regulate the faith
and practice of Christians, are plain and simple. To this also I
agree, though perhaps on principles somewhat different from
those to whom I refer.
The resolution which many have adopted, seems to be, that
of forbearing every thing which appears to them exceptionable
in the principles and practice of those who in other respects,
according to their judgment, give evidence of their faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, and of their love to all the saints ; the object
being to collect into one society the true children of God from
among all the various and contending parties of professing
Christians, without convincing them of any error, or requiring
any change of conduct — Independents of various descriptions,
Presbyterians, Moravians, Methodists, Episcopalians, and
Roman Catholics — all of them unbaptised ; although they cer
tainly cannot be very bigoted if they join such a church, yet
each of them maintaining, less or more, the peculiarities of his
own sect, and doing as he pleases, provided they conform to
the leading parts of its form of worship, which after all, I sup
pose, is not included amongst forbearable things.
As a necessary consequence of a church being formed of
such discordant materials, they are willing to forbear every
thing except doctrines subversive of the Gospel, immoral con
duct, and personal offences, or breaches of the law of love.
All the positive institutions of Christ, are with them matters of
forbearance. . Any of these may be neglected and opposed by
their brethren, or they may occasionally observe such precepts
in any way most conformable to their prejudices.
This scheme is new only in respect of its being adopted by
those who have disavowed the corrupt doctrine and practices
of the Man of Sin, and who hold themselves obliged to follow
the example of the primitive churches. The principle is simi
lar to that which has been long contended for and extolled in
the religious world — that all parties should so far lay aside their
peculiar marks of distinction as to hold free communion, at
least in their own places of worship, with serious professors of
all other descriptions.
It appears to me that there is little reason to complain so
loudly of the want of forbearance, in this view of it, among

372 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
professing Christians. The number of those who cannot adopt
such an extensive plan of religious fellowship, is very small
indeed when compared with the immense multitudes who are
willing to go as far as they can possibly wish. We may see,
however, from long experience, that those loose methods of
proceeding have had no tendency to produce Christian unity ;
and this shows, that the fond expectation of being able to teach
many who are now weak in the faith, by indulging their pre
judices and habits, is not very well founded.
It may be proper here to note the inconsistency which would
arise from explaining weakness in the faith in the way in which
my opponents understand it ; reserving my own views of it to
be introduced in the proper place. They seem to consider all
who differ from them in relation to Divine ordinances, as weak in
the faith. Consequently, those who maintain that the pre
sence of an elder is necessary to the due administration of the
Lord's Supper ; that persons unbaptised ought not to be
admitted to the fellowship of the church; and that the whole
merits of every case of discipline ought to be laid before the
church, to enable them to form a proper judgment of it, are deno
minated weak in the faith : probably those also who have not
freedom to eat blood. Now, I am far from taking it as an
affront to be classed among the weak ; if this be a mistake, it
is one of less consequence than any other into which they have
fallen. But, were the churches who differ from them to follow
the same rule of judging about weak and strong — which, if it
be scriptural, they are equally bound to follow — persons of
the very same description would there be denominated strong
in the faith ! Can it be believed that such express contradic
tions are warranted by any thing which God hath spoken ?
One of the chief arguments in favour of this unscriptural
forbearance is, that it is necessary, in order to free the disciples
from the trammels of human authority in matters of religion,
and that the conscience of every one of them may in all things
be immediately subject to the authority of the Lord Jesus
Christ. * They consider all churches, Independents and Bap
tists not excepted, as following the tyrannical footsteps of the
Church of Rome, if they have fixed principles, and require of
those who join them, so far as they are yet instructed, an
acquiescence in their order, worship, and government. This,
they think, must prevent believers from seeking fellowship with
them, and lead those who are already joined, to be more under
the influence of the fear of the church than the fear of God,
* It seems wonderful that any person of principle should attempt to
establish the authority of Christ by tolerating the neglect of his laws.

OBJECTIONS AGAINST FORBEARANCE ANSWERED. ,373
and rather to act opposite to their conviction than run the
hazard of incurring censure. Here, again, I must be permitted
to make a general reference to such uncharitable conclusions.
Such evils may have happened in Independent and Baptist
Churches ; for I do not maintain that there are no unprincipled
persons among them. But those evils are not the necessary
result of a church adhering to the precepts and examples of
the New Testament, in relation to its worship and order. If
some of the people of God stand aloof from them, is it not
because they are averse to the simplicity of the Christian wor
ship, purity of communion, and other things which are clearly
exemplified in the approved conduct of the first churches ?
And would it be any evidence of a church's subjection to Christ,
were its members avowedly permitted to neglect his institutions,
or to observe them in a manner essentially different from the
pattern set before us in the Word of God ?
If there be any who remain in churches, opposite to their
own conviction of duty, and conceal their real sentiments, or
act against their light, from the fear of being separated, why
should this be imputed to the arbitrary procedure of churches ?
This argument concludes equally against excommunication on
any ground. Were a man sober and honest merely because the
church would put him away if he were a thief or a drunkard,
he would be destitute of the fear of God. But although the
terror of excommunication in such cases be held out to all,
1 Cor. v., this does not prevent any one from having a con
science towards God in living soberly and righteously, under
the influence of his grace which bringeth salvation. It ought
to be remembered that He who excludes certain characters from
the kingdom of God, hath also commanded them to be separated
from churches ; and that it ill becomes a disciple of Christ, to
make the fear of one of these, incompatible with that of the
other. This has the appearance of setting the authority of the
judge against the authority of the Lawgiver.
To threaten an offending brother with excommunication from
a church, appears to me not very consistent with the spirit of
love and meekness, as it is also beyond the province of an indi
vidual, and not likely to produce a good effect. But it is termed
" a punishment inflicted by many," and certainly is intended to
move the person with fear, both before and after his exclusion.
He is put away " for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus ;" and thus is
reminded of the final separation which shall take place between
the righteous and the wicked. To what purpose are we com
manded to tell our brother his fault, to take with us one or two
more, and then to tell it to the church, if he have no cause to

374 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
be alarmed by this procedure, and if such alarm can have no
tendency to produce genuine repentance, but on the contrary,
as is asserted, to harden him against the fear of God ?
In answer to this it may be said, that, when the discipline of
a church is conducted agreeably to the Word of God, and when
nothing is made an offence except that which, unrepented of,
really deserves exclusion, then there is just cause of fear, and
the most salutary consequences are to be expected from this
Divine appointment. But if churches make arbitrary laws,
and if disciples are afraid of excommunication for not submit
ting to these, they depart from the fear of God. This I admit,
and we seem to be agreed in peremptorily refusing that churches
are authorized to make laws, while my opponents give them
the power of permitting brethren to disobey some of those
which God hath made.
It would be well if opponents, especially when Divine truth
is concerned, would allow themselves to discern, and freely to
admit, where the difference really lies. This would prevent
much confusion and vain jangling, and many personal accusa
tions for which there is no just and solid ground.
That which requires the most impartial consideration, and
the most unfeigned respect and deference, is the appeal to
the Scriptures ; at least these are all due to the texts which are
quoted for the confirmation of this doctrine. It is affirmed
that the Word of God expressly enjoins that sort of forbearance
for which they plead. If this assertion be well founded, all
reasoning is utterly futile, all opposition is vain and presump
tuous. Two passages of Scripture are chiefly insisted on ; the one
respecting weak Jews, Rom. xiv. 15, the other relating to the
case of weak Gentiles, 1 Cor. viii. The argument adduced
from these is briefly this — God had received Jews who were
weak in respect of their attachment to the law of Moses, and
weak Gentiles who had conscience of an idol, and he com
manded the strong to receive these weak believers. We are there
fore under the same obligation to have fellowship with disciples,
how much soever they may differ from us about the observance
of Christ's ordinances. They are persons weak in the faith, and
is it our bounden duty to receive them.
I shall first consider the forbearance enjoined by the Apostle
towards Jews who were weak in the faith.
He directs the church at Rome to " receive him that is weak
in the faith," to beware of despising him, to treat him with the
utmost tenderness, and to make no such use of their own liberty
as might tend to stumble their weak brother, or make him fall
into sin, bv acting in opposition to the conviction of his own

REMARKS ON ROMANS XIV. XV. 375
mind. He concludes thus : " We then that are strong ought
to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us,
to the glory of God."
The weak person was a Jew, who was attached to the law
of Moses, and made a distinction of meats and days, refusing to
eat the flesh of animals rendered unclean by the appointment of
God, and keeping days which had been set apart by the same
authority. His weakness appears, not merely from his being
incapable of perceiving that the ceremonial part of the law was
fulfilled and virtually abolished by the death of Christ ; but
from the excess of his scrupulosity leading him to abstain from
meats, which never were prohibited since the grant of animal
food to Noah. " Another who is weak eateth herbs." In
mixed companies he might be at a loss to know which of the
meats offered to him were prohibited articles, and whether any
of the animal food was completely free from a mixture of blood ;
therefore he ate no flesh, that it might not be possible for him
to commit sin in this respect. The principle on which he acted
was not that of following the traditions of the elders, which
certainly the Apostle would not have treated with so much
respect ; it was a fear of sinning against God.
Let it be remarked that though there were doubtless weak
Gentiles at Rome, yet their scruples of this sort, if they had any,
could not have been so indulged; for they were prohibited from
keeping the law of Moses, as shall afterwards be more fully
explained. Those among the Gentile believers who were established in
the faith, are in some respects included among the strong, as
seems to be intimated by the expression " God hath received
him," which has an immediate reference to the strong, and
agrees with Acts xv. 9, " God put no difference between us
(Jews) and them (Gentiles,) purifying their hearts by faith."
It appears, likewise, that Jews and Gentiles are included
when the Apostle says, " Receive ye one another as Christ
also received us, to the glory of God," Rom. xv. 7 ; for he
immediately describes the mercy of God towards both, and
particularly dwells upon the calling of the Gentiles. Those
of them who were strong in the faith, were under the same
obligation as were the Jews to receive the weak, to bear their
infirmities, and to beware of putting any stumbling-block in
their way.
Yet I cannot think that Jews and Gentiles are contradis
tinguished as being weak and strong, 1st, Because those epithets
were not justly applicable to each class respectively. Paul, who
was a Jew, includes himself among the strong, and some of the
3 B

376 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
Gentiles might rank among the weak. 2d, Because Gentile Chris
tians were absolutely prohibited from conforming to the law of
Moses. They were delivered from that yoke by the decree of
the Apostles, and elders, and brethren at Jerusalem, Acts xv.,
occasioned by " some having troubled them with words sub
verting their souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep
the law of Moses ;" of which decree the Apostle James, and all
the elders, afterwards said, " As touching the Gentiles who
believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no
such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things
offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and
from fornication," Acts xxi. 25.
It is impossible, surely, that Paul, who magnified his office
as the Apostle of the Gentiles, could enjoin upon them absti
nence from meats prohibited by the law of Moses. He was a
bold and zealous advocate for the liberty of the Gentiles ; and
it appears, from his Epistle to the Galatians, not only that
both Jews and Gentiles departed from the true grace of God,
when in any respect, less or more, they sought justification by
the deeds of the law, but that the latter could not obey the
peculiarities of the law of Moses, without some way having an
eye to this as the ground of their acceptance with God. They
never were under that law ; they were completely freed from
it by an express revelation ; they had no just reason, therefore,
to fear that they would sin against God by not conforming to
the law ; on the contrary, where they did conform to it by the
influence of judaizing teachers, they disobeyed God.
What, then, should tempt the Gentiles to return to those
weak and beggarly elements, had they not expected thus to
perfect their Christian character as a ground of their hope
towards God ? The strong reproof which Paul gave to Peter
for laying a snare before the Gentiles in this respect, and the
way in which he connects their freedom from the ordinances of
Moses with being justified, not by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ, Gal. ii. 11 — 17, places the sub
ject in the clearest light, and shows that, when a Gentile con
formed to the law of Moses, he denied the faith.
So far then as the strong, addressed in Rom. xiv., are
directed to abridge themselves of their Christian liberty lest
they should stumble the weak ; and so far as the latter are
indulged in their scruples about meats and days, I am obliged
to consider them all as Jews exclusively. The ceremonial part
of the law of Moses, as has been observed, and indeed the
whole law, as God's covenant with a typical people, a nation of
this world, was virtually abrogated by the death of Christ.
But it seems evidently to have been the design of God, in con-

REMARKS ON ROMANS XIV. XV. 377
descension to the weakness of his people among the Jews, to
bring them off gradually from their attachment to the law given
to their fathers ; and consequently, that at least till the Epistle
to the Hebrews was written, and perhaps till Jerusalem wa3
destroyed, Jewish Christians were not sinning against God by
keeping the law of Moses.
This is put beyond all dispute by the decision of the ques
tion at Jerusalem, Acts xv. How else could the Apostles have
issued a decree containing merely the charter of Gentile liberty?
On what other ground can we conceive that the souls of the
Gentiles, and not of the Jews, were subverted by being cir
cumcised and keeping the law ? Not a word is said on that
occasion about the criminality of the Jews attending to the
institutions of Moses. And, about eight years after that period,
the Apostle James remarked, without censure, that " many
thousands of the Jews were all zealous of the law ;" while he
says, " as touching the Gentiles, who believe, we have written
and concluded that they observe no such thing."
Paul himself " walked orderly, and kept the law," Acts xxi.
24. He circumcised Timothy, Acts xvi. 3. This fact clearly
shows that as yet a Jew might lawfully be circumcised ; while
its being said that he did this " because of the Jews who were
in those parts," seems to prove that the continuance of Jewish
rites was not an express obligation, but a merciful indulgence.
Compare this with Paul's conduct in relation to Titus, who was
a Greek. He resisted all the attempts of the zealous Jews
"to compel Titus to be circumcised," and gave place "by
subjection to false judaizing brethren, no, not for an hour, that
the truth of the Gospel might continue with the Gentiles,"
Gal. ii. 3—5.
The Apostle Paul, and those of his Jewish brethren who were
strong in the faith, and who saw clearly that the coming of the
Just One and his obedience unto death put an end to the typical
dispensation, " believed that they might eat all things" except
what the law of God still prohibits, namely, things offered to
idols and blood. " I know, (says Paul,) and am persuaded
by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself." *
It was, however, the duty of such to imitate the long-suffering
of God, to pity the weakness of their brethren, and never to
" General expressions, in many cases, must be understood with some
limitation. When Christ said, " Not that which goeth into the mouth
defileth a man," he referred to a man's ordinary and lawful food, though
eaten with unwashed hands ; and had no intention at that time to reverse
the prohibition of Moses with respect to unclean beasts, as is supposed,
for they never were unclean in the sense in which the Pharisees under
stood them to be so ; they were such only as being prohibited by God.

378 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
use their privilege in this respect when there was a danger of
stumbling their brother, and " of destroying him with their
meat, for whom Christ died." The principle of the Apostle's
reasoning is this, " All things indeed are pure ; but it is evil for
that man who eateth with offence."
From all that has been stated, it appears that the Apostle
does not require the Church at Rome to forbear the breach of
any moral precept, or the neglect of any ordinance. The
weakness of those whose infirmities were to be borne, so far from
operating in the way of setting at nought any thing commanded
by God, led them to the strict observance of ancient Divine
institutions, which were now ready to vanish away, and even to
go beyond what the law of God required, that they might avoid
sin. With what propriety, then, can an injunction to receive
them, be made an argument for receiving those who will not
obey the laws of Christ? Or what affinity is there between the
most scrupulous attention to Divine precepts, and the entire
neglect, or perhaps the avowed contempt, of them ?
What practical use, then, it may be said, are wre to make of
the Apostle's injunctions respecting forbearance ? There are
The object of the Pharisees was another thing altogether, both as to motives
and outward form. It was to enforce a superstitious tradition of the elders,
tending to obliterate all just ideas of moral good and evil ; and which surely
we ought not to confound with Divine precepts, by imagining that our
Lord's censure applies to both ! Nor is it possible to show that the doc
trine taught on this occasion reverses the prohibition of things offered to
idols and blood, for these were never allowed to the people of God, neither
before nor since the law ; they are most solemnly and expressly prohibited
by that very decree which ascertains the liberty of Gentile Christians,
Acts xv. It is true the Apostle gives this permission, " Whatever is sold
in the shambles, eat — and whatsoever is set before you, eat." But the liberty
here given is in connexion with some very awful expressions referring to
the same prohibition, " Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup
of devils : ye cannot he partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of
devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy ? Are we stronger than he ?"
Wheu he affirms, 1 Tim. iv. 4., that " every creature ef God is good, and
nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving ;" he adds, "for
it is sanctified by the Word of God, and prayer." Now, surely, nothing is
thus sanctified which the Word of God prohibits.
In like manner, when he says, " I know and am persuaded by the Lord
Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself;" the meaning is, "it is not
unclean by virtue of any thing inherent in the food, and it can only be
made such by a Divine prohibition." On the other hand, " it is unclean
to him that esteemeth it to be unclean," and this estimation, in the case
referred to, was not mere fancy or superstition ; it was founded on a part
of Divine revelation, which they considered as being yet obligatory on
Jewish Christians.
Let Christians now beware of tampering with Divine prohibitions, and
founding, on their supposed nullity, doctrines subversive of the laws of
Christ.

REMARKS ON ROMANS XIV. XV. 379
now no disputes among Christians about Mosaic institutions,
but there are many differences ; and why should not all these
be treated in the same manner ? This, I am afraid, would be
putting a stumbling-block in our brother's way, more dangerous
than any thing against which the believers at Rome were cau
tioned by the Apostle. What ! shall we put the false worship
of the Man of Sin on a level with former institutions of Divine
appointment, and say that there is no greater evil in refusing
to keep the ordinances of Christ, than there was in scrupulously
adhering to the law of Moses, after it was fulfilled in Christ,
while as yet their observance of it was not prohibited by express
Divine authority ?
Still, however, lessons of forbearance are taught us in the
passage under consideration. It gives an eminent display of
the sympathy and tender compassion of God towards weak
believers, which we are called to imitate. It is our bounden
duty to receive him that is weak in the faith, to sympathize
with him, to bear his infirmities, to respect his conscientious
scruples, to beware of saying or doing any thing which might
be the occasion of stumbling him ; to pity without despising
his ignorance, and to teach him gradually as he is able to bear
it, recollecting that Christ so taught his disciples, who were
"slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."
These are general principles which ought always to operate
on the minds of Christians. But further, it is a mistake to
suppose that nothing can now occur among them similar to
the disputes at Rome about meats and days.
The prohibition of blood is none of the typical things which
were to give place to the great antitype. Had it been such,
the people of Israel would rather have been commanded to eat
blood, as a type of living by eating the flesh and drinking the
blood of the Son of Man. The reason given for this prohi
bition also still remains, and is stronger now than ever, namely,
reverence for that which atones for sin and placates God, who
spoke thus to his ancient people, " I will set my face against
that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among
his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood ; and I have
given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your
souls :for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul,"
Lev. xvii. 10, 11. And the same thing is hinted at in the first
prohibition, delivered along with the grant of animal food to
man; " But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof,
shall you not eat," Gen. ix. 4. Former laws on this head are
obligatory, because blood is prohibited in the plainest terms,
Acts xv. 21, where two methods of using it are stated and for
bidden ; " things strangled, and blood."

380 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
There is no weakness in abstaining from blood, as some erro
neously think. But a weak believer may scruple to eat fowls,
considering them as things strangled, though it be plain that
the manner of killing animals is not intended, but merely blood
in every way in which it can be used, whether mixed with the
flesh of the animal, or separated from it. This scruple is pre
cisely similar to that of him who confined himself to herbs,
though he was not prohibited by the law of Moses from eating
flesh ; only the use of blood as food is more clearly unlawful,
than eating any sort of flesh without blood would have been to
a Jewish Christian.
This is one instance out of many which might be adduced,
to show what class of things seems to be intended, when the
Apostle uses such gentle terms in describing persons weak in
the faith, and considers them more as objects of compassion
than of censure. The evil of their not discerning that the
ceremonial law was abolished by the death of Christ, and the
danger of their being in this respect weak in the faith, has been
greatly magnified.
It is true that weakness in the faith is not a blameless thing,
and that the persons so described by the Apostle were in circum
stances of danger, arising, however, chiefly from the manner in
which they were treated by their stronger brethren. But Paul
represents the weak as not only being in the faith, but as scru
pulously conscientious, as doing all that they did to the Lord ;
and whatever might be the real extent of their guilt, he charges
them with no offence against the law of Christ except that of
judging the strong ; all their deficiencies, which appear so highly
criminal to my opponents, are denominated infirmities.
It is evident, therefore, that the forbearance which the Lord
enjoins, must be something else than permitting our Christian
brethren to neglect, alter, or modify, the institutions of the
Gospel. Let us now examine whether forbearance towards weak
Gentiles " who had conscience of an idol," will justify this
plea; or whether indeed any forbearance ever was enjoined
towards those who partook of heathen sacrifices in heathen
temples. They surely do not mean to say that Christians
ought to forbear idolatry, when they represent the weak brother
who sat at meat in the idol's temple, " as having some awe or
dread of the idol on his mind ; yet not only were his prejudices
to be borne with, but great care was to be taken lest he should
be led to imitate his stronger brethren, and thereby act con
trary to his conscience."
Aside from conscience altogether, there is, in all that con
cerns moral duty, something right and something wrong in its

REMARKS ON I COR. VIII. X. 381
own nature, which cannot be affected by the bold speculations,
or the timid scruples of fallible men. What then is right in
the present question, which is treated at some length, 1 Cor.
viii. x., and 2 Cor. vi. ? It is said that they who sat at meat in
the idol's temple did right, provided " they knew that an idol
is nothing in the world, that there is no other God but one,
and that meat commendeth us not to God," if by so doing they
did not stumble weak brethren, who had not the same degree
of knowledge, and " who with conscience of the idol did eat
(the food) as a thing offered unto an idol."
The Apostle admits the principle on which some of the
Corinthians attempted to justify their idolatrous practice. But
he is far from admitting their application of it, though in the
eighth chapter he] states only the danger of wounding the con
sciences of the weak by inducing them to follow the same prac
tice with a scrupulous and doubtful mind, as if he had said,
" Were it so that you could justify your conduct on the ground
of your knowing that an idol is nothing in the world, an ima
ginary being, a mere nonentity, and that there is only one
God, the sole and exclusive object of worship, whom you
think you can honour in a heathen temple, partaking with
idolaters, * still much evil may result from your making this
use of what you conceive to be Christian liberty. You may
lead others who have not your knowledge to act as you do,
while their own consciences do not free them from the guilt of
worshipping idols."
That the Apostle, far from approving of the conduct of those
reasoners, who no doubt thought themselves men of very liberal
and enlarged sentiments, utterly abhorred it, appears from the
awful and alarming manner in which he addresses them, chap.
x., where he calls upon the church as his dearly beloved to flee
from idolatry, and shows the impossibility of having commu
nion in the body and blood of Christ, in the ordinance of the
Supper, if they should partake of heathen sacrifices. He
refutes the argument of the enlightened men at Corinth, with
out denying their assertions. " Behold Israel after the flesh.
Are not they who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar ?
* The argument of the Corinthians is similar to that which at one time
gave an enlightened clergyman of the church of Ireland freedom to dis
pense the sacrament to every human being who required it. He con
sidered that rite as having nothing to do with the religion of Christ. It
was a mere invention of men, and a part of the political order of the state
in which he was hired to officiate ! By such reasoning we might justify
all the superstition and idolatry of the church of Rome, and deny that
idols can be worshipped, or that the ordinances of Christ can be pro
faned !

382 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
What say I then ? That the idol is any thing, or that which
is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing ? But I say, that the
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and
not to God ; and I would not that ye should have fellowship
with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup
of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and
of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy ?
Are we stronger than he?" In 2 Cor. vi. 14, to the end,
there is a most pathetic address to the same purpose, conclud
ing with these words, " Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the
unclean thing, and I will receive you." Surely, then, it
cannot be supposed that Christians, whether weak or strong,
were permitted upon any principle to go into a heathen temple,
and to partake of their altar by eating of their sacrifices ?
I am doubtful whether we must necessarily conclude that
he who ate with conscience of the idol, had any respect or
veneration for the idol ; indeed I am sure that, if he had no
such respect, so much the more would his conscience condemn
him. It appears to me that he might be in the same state of
mind with him who said, at an entertainment in a private house,
1 Cor. x. 28, " This is offered in sacrifice unto idols," sup
posing the objection to be started by a conscientious brother.
Although he went farther than was intended by the Divine
prohibition, yet nothing appears in his scruple except a fear of
sinning against God. He still considered the food, after it had
been sold in the shambles, as not sanctified by the Word of
God ; it was polluted in his views, as having been once offered
in sacrifice to idols. If he ate while this was his conviction,
he must have defiled his conscience ; he must have eaten it "Las
a thing offered to an idol," for so it appeared to him, not be
cause he venerated, but because he abhorred an idol.
In like manner, he who partook in the heathen temple mighf;
be convinced of the impiety of worshipping any except the true
God, without being able to discern that no other gods exist, or
that meat commendeth us not to God ; for it is admitted in one
sense that " there are gods many and lords many," and that
we please God by doing his will. Consequently, the enlight
ened men had a salvo which he wanted ; they acted in opposi
tion to a Divine precept; he not only did the same, but
rebelled against the light of his own conscience.
Shall we then attempt to justify those who provoked the Lord
to jealousy by their specious reasoning and ungodly conduct?
or shall we affirm that some awe or dread of an idol, and other
idolatrous prejudices, were treated by an Apostle as matter of
forbearance ? The truth is, that the things which are considered

REMARKS ON I COR. VIII. X. 383
as forbearable in this case, as well as in the case of Jewish
Christians, are mere infirmities— ignorance, weakness, timidity,
over-scrupulosity, leading the person to deny himself the use
of some lawful enjoyments, from a fear of encroaching upon an
express Divine precept. And the same compassion and ten
derness, and care to avoid wounding the weak consciences of
our brethren, or giving them an occasion of falling, are strongly
enjoined. It is not my intention to affirm that none of those who boasted
of their knowledge at Corinth, actually did eat without remorse
in the idol's temple, on the principle stated in 1 Cor. viii., nor
do I say that no weak brother defiled his conscience by doing
the same thing, without being fully agreed in their principle. All
that I insist upon is, that such practices were accounted by the
Apostle Paul totally un-forbearable.
I have only to remark farther, on the views adopted by many
on this subject, that they seem to consider Jewish and Gentile
prejudices (the one relating to the typical worship and ritual
which God had instituted, the other to the heathen mythology
and the worship of false gods) as in some way resembling each
other, and both entitled to the indulgence and forbearance
of Christians. And then, if this be admitted, it seems com
paratively not unreasonable to demand the same indulgence for
all the false worship of the Man of Sin, which erring creatures
may think compatible with faith in Christ.
The mere stating of these things will, I trust, be sufficient
to produce a serious doubt in the minds of those who make
such bold assertions.
Having given an outline of some of the most material things
which appear censurable in this view of Christian forbearance,
it is proper that I should now endeavour to state my own, so far
as that has not been already done. Impartial readers will proba
bly see enough in the preceding pages to convince them that
non-forbearance is not a principle held by me and many others,
against whom it has been repeatedly charged. If it is meant
non-forbearance with respect to certain things only, which I
really think is the case, why is it not uniformly so expressed ?
The want of forbearance is frequently imputed by them to their
opponents, apparently in a general way, and they describe them
as "those who oppose forbearance." Now, I must be permitted
to say, that this accusation is entirely groundless, so far as prin
ciple is concerned, though I certainly will not affirm that I have
never deviated from it in practice. Even in that respect, how
ever, I might deny the charge in the unlimited manner in which
it has been brought forward.
Ascertain what true Christian forbearance is, and I shall
3 c

384 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
admit in some respects the obligation which lies upon the
people of God to exercise it in its full extent, without restric
tion or limitation of any kind. It has been remarked justly,
that when we consider any commanded duty as obscurely reveal
ed, this is a clear evidence that we do not understand it ; the
obscurity is in our minds, not in the manner in which God hath
revealed his will. So, also, when we imagine that we may go
too far in yielding obedience to a Divine precept, there must
be some mistake in our perception of the import of that pre
cept. Who, among all the followers of Christ, ever imagined that
he could exceed in love to God and to the brethren ? There
may, indeed, be a spurious sort of love, which prompts us to
be partial to its objects, to overlook or excuse their faults, to
flatter their pride, and to indulge them in sin ; and all those evils,
with many others in their train, which accompany the exercise
of a spurious and unscriptural forbearance. But true and
genuine love " worketh no ill to his neighbour ;" and with all
safety we may affirm the same of that forbearance which God
enjoins. His law in its general tendency, and in all its minute
requirements, is holy, and just, and good.
Many religious professors have long been groping in the
dark on this subject, and yet some of them, confident of their own
knowledge, and notwithstanding their great professions of for
bearance, treat with much severity and contempt all who differ
from them on this favourite point, which seems to be, in their
view, almost the sum total of pure religion. Never yet, how
ever, have they been agreed among themselves in relation to the
extent of forbearance ; for few of them have gone so far as to
adopt my principle, and fairly to avow that we cannot exceed
in this duty. Why ? Because they have not a just view of
the nature of the duty. They who have any principle of religion,
cannot propose to make all the laws of Christ matters of for
bearance ; and, therefore, the inquiry has generally been, what
things are essential or non-essential, of small or of great im
portance,* clearly or darkly revealed, and in what manner shall
visible Christianity be satisfactorily distinguished ?
It is not asserted, however, by my opponents, that a certain
number of duties enjoined in the Word of God are in this view
non-essentials, or of small importance, or doubtfully and unin-
* It is not my intention to deny that some things in distinction from
others are essential to true Christianity, nor to affirm that all the laws of
Christ are equally important. But nothing is so unessential or unimportant
as not to require implicit obedience. It is essential to the character of a
Christian that he desire to know the will of Christ, and that he cheerfully
obey it, whatever self-denial this may require.

FORBEARANCE EXPLAINED. 385
telligibly stated. But it is said, if I be not mistaken, that all
the laws of Christ relative to New Testament worship and the
order of churches, however plain and explicit, ought to be
matters of forbearance at the present time, while it is confessed
that they were not such in the apostolic age.
I would ask, is this " counting the Son of God worthy of
more glory than Moses," whose ordinances were not so treated?
Is there any difference between saying that -we forbear baptism
or the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, or blood eat
ing, or any other positive law, and saying that we permit certain
persons to disobey those laws ? And who gave us authority to
act thus ? Did the God of heaven establish plain and simple
laws for the government of his churches, and at the same time
give to any individual, or to any church, a power to dispense
with those laws ? Is it possible that any person can allow the
acknowledged laws of Christ to be avowedly disobeyed by mem
bers of his own church, without considering such laws as of
very little importance, or even without doubting whether they
be in reality enjoined by the authority of God ? At least, if
human nature were consistent, this would be a fair conclusion.
A scriptural term, is used which tends to mislead the unwary
professors of the faith of Jesus. Allowing our brethren to
neglect and oppose the commandments of the Lord is called
forbearance, as if that were the forbearance which is so strongly
and affectionately enjoined upon the churches by the Apostles
of our Lord ! But that term is never used in reference to the
permission of disobedience to the laws of Christ throughout
all the New Testament, except in Rev. ii. 2, and there a church
is commended because she could not thus forbear. " Thou
canst not bear them that are evil."
So much for the negative side of the question, to which I
may occasionally yet return. It may be more difficult to give
a summary view of my sentiments on the positive side, and
certainly I cannot go into a full detail. But, as I have nothing
to conceal on a subject so intimately connected with the peace
and comfort of the people of God, and with the purity of their
communion in churches, several things shall be simply stated,
in order to give some idea of what I conceive to be the mind
of God with respect to this important duty.
Many are the cautions given us in the Word of God to take
heed to our own spirits, to repress and mortify every inimical
disposition towards our brethren, to avoid all offensive speech
and behaviour, to love them with pure hearts fervently, to
abound in all the outward expressions of that love, and, in the
whole of our correspondence with them, to please them for
their good to edification. We are corrupt and imperfect crea-

386 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
tures; and as there is much within ourselves to impede the per
formance of those duties, so also, much discouragement arises
from the natural and moral infirmities of our brethren. These,
however, can form no excuse for our neglect of duty. But they
evidently impose upon us the necessity of forbearing one another
in love.
For the sake of perspicuity, I shall place under distinct heads
the various branches of the subject which occur to me.
I. The disciples of Christ are all of one mind with respect
to the way of salvation through him ; this truth is held without
controversy among them, and no sentiment which is subversive
of it can be forborne. But it is not expected that, on every
subject relating to this, they will all think alike, or express them
selves in the same manner. Nor can it reasonably be supposed
that they will give the same explanation of every scripture
text, though there be upon the whole no difference among them
relative to the doctrine of the Gospel. If there be any thing
in these various modes of thinking which requires forbearance,
it may easily be forborne, and need not be an occasion of stum
bling to the lovers of unity ; for the variety of sentiment here
referred to, is consistent with having "one faith, one hope, one
Lord, one baptism, one God and Father of all."
II. There are many things disagreeable in the natural tem
pers and dispositions, and even in the manner of some brethren,
which are either not sinful in themselves, or merely indicative
of the imperfection which in one way or other pervades every
human being. These are not offences against the law of Christ,
at least not such as are cognizable by us who are daily trans
gressors, and they ought to be accounted matters of forbear
ance. This, indeed, is universally acknowledged. But while
we admit the principle, our practice may not sufficiently cor
respond with it ; for that which hurts our pride, and seems to
deny us the respect to which we suppose ourselves entitled, is
frequently thought, or at least is treated, as if it were more
unbearable than offences of greater magnitude.
III. It is no less true that there are many partial deviations
from moral duty in the general conduct of all Christians. Sin
cleaves to them in every thing in which they are engaged,
whether it be the immediate service of God, the business of
life, or the duties of love which they owe to one another and to
all men. This imperfection appears in various degrees, and in
some persons so conspicuously, that the sincerity of their pro
fession is rendered in some measure doubtful. Hence arise
frequent opportunities for giving serious and friendly admoni
tions, when there is no offence which ought to be esteemed a

FORBEARANCE EXPLAINED. 387
proper ground for exclusion from a church. And observe,
when discipline cannot be thus finished, there is no good reason
for beginning it ; much evil has frequently resulted from taking
this unwarrantable step.
Here is full scope for the duty of forbearance. But we do
not really exercise it merely by doing nothing towards the ex
communication of our brother, if we do not also treat him in a
kind and friendly way, and avoid distressing him with frequent
chiding, manifesting by our general conduct that we " can
reasonably bear with him," and that we have no desire to
reproach him on account of his infirmities, nor to traduce his
character. Where lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, and
unfeigned love are wanting, there can be none of that forbear
ance which the law of Christ requires.
IV. Forbearance towards the weak, whose scrupulous con
sciences will not allow them to go to the full extent of their
Christian liberty, is unquestionably the duty of their stronger
brethren, who should beware of speaking or acting in such a way
as might embolden the weak to do that which, although not
sinful in itself, is opposite to the light of their consciences ; or
which, if it be sinful, is in them doubly so, because they know
that they are doing evil. But this has already been fully
discussed. V. Others may be apt, through ignorance and the sinful
bias of their hearts, to overstep the bounds of Christian liberty,
and to come far short in the practice of many duties, some of
which they need to learn after being added to a church. For
bearance is likewise due to them ; for I have no idea that per
sons must know and give their assent to all the principles and
practices of a church before their admission. They may be
ignorant of many things, while they give satisfactory evidence
of having been taught to know the truth by which the guilty
are saved, and of their willingness to be subject to the autho
rity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is expected that they should have no fixed principle against
any law of Christ, so as to preclude conviction, and that they
should be of a teachable spirit, by which I do not mean that
they are implicitly to receive all our instructions at first hear
ing, or in a short period. Some may continue long ignorant,
and others may not acquire much knowledge all their days ;
but provided they do Dot resist the authority of God in his word,
nor act in opposition to the laws of Christ, they are to be
treated with patience and long-suffering : And when they offend
in this manner, our conduct towards them ought still to be
marked by the same spirit, even while we are employing the

388 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE. •
means which God hath appointed to be used for their recovery
It is surely possible to distinguish between simple ignorance,
which is no proper ground of offence, and acting upon an avowed
principle against some of the laws of Christ, after every endea
vour has been used to convince them of their error.
This is another branch of legitimate forbearance, which gives
no sinful latitude, but has a tendency to promote the safety,
the edification, and comfort of a church of Christ.
VI. A right temper and state of mind towards our brethren,
is that which I conceive to be principally intended by forbear
ance, and to this I earnestly request the close attention of
the reader.
A meaning has been affixed to the term forbearance, alto
gether different from, and inconsistent with, that which we
understand by " bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of
mind, meekness, long-suffering, forgiveness, and charity," all
which are joined with it, Col. iii. 12 — 14.; and in Eph. iv.
1 — 3, it is thus associated : " I therefore, the prisoner of the
Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation where
with ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-
suffering, forbearing one another in love ; endeavouring to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." When we are
exhorted to meekness, kindness, patience, and long-suffering,
we never think ourselves called upon to indulge our brethren
in the perpetual neglect of Divine commandments ; but the
term forbearance, is the only one that has been resorted to for
that purpose. Yet surely there is some affinity between all
these terms which have been mentioned ; patience and long-
suffering, in particular, are not easily distinguishable from each
other, or from forbearance.*
From this it may fairly be concluded that forbearance
refers chiefly to our patient and kind treatment of brethren who
have something about them displeasing to us, and who may
have given us a ground of personal offence. We are com
manded to be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving
one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us, Eph.
iv. 32. I call this forbearance. Again, " See that none ren
der evil for evil to any man ; but ever follow that which is
good, both among yourselves, and to all men," 1 Thess. v. 15.
I call this forbearance, and it is not confined to our brethren
in Christ ; it extends to all men. Much of this doctrine is to be
* Patience is not in any of the texts quoted above: but in many others
it is so applied. " Be patient towards all men," 1 Thess. v. 14. See
also, 2 Tim. ii. 24, Rev. xiv. 12, 1 Pet. ii. 20, James v. 7, &c.

FORBEARANCE EXPLAINED. 389
found in our Lord's sermon on the Mount, and in many other
passages of Scripture, which are just so many calls to the
exercise of forbearance, and instruct us in the nature of that
duty. It appears, therefore, that a meek and inoffensive behaviour,
non-resistance of evil, patient bearing of injuries, forgiveness of
these, and long-suffering in all our dealings with our brethren,
constitute the very essence of forbearance. Even when our
brother's offence is immediately against God, we may find
occasion for the exercise of patience and long-suffering, not
only because we ought to be offended when God is dishonoured,
but because it will frequently happen that our brother will
give us some personal offence, by resisting our attempts to bring
him to repentance. Should we have no guard upon our own
spirits, and transgress the law of forbearance in this view of it,
that which was originally a sin against God may become a mere
personal quarrel ; and our attempts to convince our brother,
while we are in this state of mind, may really tend to harden
him in sin.
Differences may occur among brethren which arise chiefly
from the pride and humour of contending parties. The matter
in dispute is of no importance, in comparison of living in peace,
and imitating the meekness and gentleness of Christ. A
strong view is taken of it ; the difference, if there be any that
is worth contending for, is magnified beyond all bounds ; hard
words ensue; personal offences are multiplied; and every one
pleads conscience, while, with respect to the love of God and of
the brethren, his conscience is fast asleep!
In such cases there is no cure for the evil but " putting off
the old man with his deeds, and putting on, as the elect of God,
bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
and long-suffering." This is the true spirit of forbearance. It
extinguishes all unfounded personal quarrels ; it reconciles all
differences1 which do not really affect the truth concerning
Christ, or the allegiance which we owe to him, the King of
Zion. It is manifest also, though perhaps very little attended to,
that forbearance relates not merely to the evils which we see
in our brethren, and which call for the exercise of it, but to
those which are in ourselves, whether we duly perceive them
or not. In the sense in which forbearance is generally under
stood, we naturally seek it both from ourselves and others, to
an extent which would be extremely injurious to our true in-
-terest. In opposition to this, it is our duty " to crucify the flesh
with its affections and lusts," to give no quarter to our own malig
nant passions, to refrain from " all bitterness, and wrath, and

390 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, with all malice ;" and if
there be any other thing which is contrary to the genuine influ
ence of the Gospel of peace. The Apostle's injunction to " put
away all these," is a call to mutual forbearance, and shows the
various particulars in which it consists. *
Thus, when masters are commanded to " forbear threaten
ing," they may notwithstanding be justly offended, and give
firm and temperate reproofs. But they must not threaten in a
high, arbitrary, and domineering way, as if they were forget
ting that they also have a master in heaven. Or if " mode
rate threatening," or " remitting threatened punishment," be
preferred, it comes to the same thing. The duty enjoined is
forbearance towards servants, without any approbation of their
bad conduct, or any permission given them to disobey lawful
commands ; and that forbearance is to be exercised by their
Christian masters in the way of mortifying their own pride and
other evil passions, and preventing their just displeasure from
exceeding the bounds of Christian moderation.
In the exercise of forbearance, therefore, we have as much
to do with ourselves as with our brethren, who are the objects
of it. And if laying aside every inimical passion, together
with a patient, kind, and merciful treatment of our brethren,
be the thing intended, how amazingly different is this from the
view of it which is generally entertained ! And how much better
is it to maintain the universal obligation of the law of Christ,
and the necessity of our subjection to it in some of its most
trying precepts, in order to qualify us in any degree for the
exercise of forbearance, than to suppose that forbearance itself
is an avowed permission to disobey certain things which he hath
commanded !
VII. Another mistake about the nature of forbearance,
which has been cursorily noticed, merits further attention.
So awkwardly and unnaturally has this subject been treated,
that among many professing Christians, we seldom hear about
forbearance except when they begin to tell us ho w much opposition
to the acknowledged laws of Christ, or what important differences
about the Gospel itself, they can bear in those whom they
receive into their fellowship. Then, after they are received,
forbearance has little or no respect to any thing else, till they
begin to differ still more widely ; and if those who have intro
duced new errors be allowed to continue members on any terms,
this is called Christian forbearance ! They have no idea of
* The prohibition, Matt. vii. 1, " Judge not, that ye be not judged," is
of the same nature, and a most essential branch of this duty. Not to judge
our brethren, is to forbear them.

FORBEARANCE EXPLAINED. 391
forbearance being necessary in a society professing to hold
settled principles, and to agree in their views of the doctrine
and commandments of the Lord, yet admitting imperfection in
unity, as in every thing else.
What occasion, then, was there for the exercise of forbear
ance in the first churches, among whom no departure from the
truth, or from its practical influence, was sanctioned by the
Apostles ? We have seen that those differences which were
permitted by the Apostle Paul, were not in themselves abso
lutely sinful, and that the real evil on both sides of the ques
tion, about meats and days, lay in their state of mind towards
each other. Neither of them would have sinned against God,
if they had not " walked uncharitably." Nor does it appear,
among all the evils which existed in the apostolic churches, that
they refused to admit believers, or that any were unjustly put
away except in a single instance, where only one person is
blamed ; and certainly Diotrephes cast none out of the church
for want of subjection to the laws of Christ. *
That forbearance has a respect to receiving into a church, and
retaining in it, persons weak in the faith, I by no means intend
to deny. But this may be done where there is not really that
forbearance which ought to pervade the body of Christ. The
Church at Rome did not separate their weak brethren, nor is
there a hint given that they wished to do so ; yet they seem to
have thought themselves under no obligation to bear their infir
mities. A clearer proof than this cannot be given that a church,
without rejecting any who profess to believe in Christ, may,
after all, be an un-forbearing church.
When brethren are not treated with respect and kindness ;
when, instead of mutual affection, unity, and peace, there are
" debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, baekbitings, whisperings,
swellings, tumults," what privilege is there in being retained in
achurch ? And are not some of those evils to be expected where
opposite principles and practices are tolerated, giving scope to
disputes, and grieving the hearts of many of the brethren who
fear God, and tremble at his Word ?
VIII. The explanation which I have given of forbearance,
seems corroborated by some things revealed in the Scriptures
concerning the forbearance of God. It is mentioned in con
nexion with " the riches of his goodness, and long-suffering,"
Rom. ii. 4 ; and when it is said, in the same connexion, " not
knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance,"
* The divisions in the first churches were schisms in the body, not
separations from it, 1 Cor. xi. 18.
3 D

392 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
this teaches us that the Divine long-suffering is abused when
men take encouragement from it to sin ; that the design of God
is to overcome their stubborn hearts, and to make them see
the evil of sin, that they may repent and believe the Gospel ;
as Peter also affirms, " the long-suffering of our Lord is sal
vation." It is said, indeed, that the God of Israel " suffered their
manners in the wilderness about the time of forty years." But
the meaning is, he did not punish them as they deserved; "he
did not stir up all his wrath." The nature of his forbearance
is described by Nehemiah in his confession of the sins of Israel,
and of the manifold mercies of God amidst all their provoca
tions, chap. ix. 30, 31. " Yet many years didst thou forbear
them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets ;
yet would they not give ear : therefore gavest thou them into
the hand of the people of the lands. Nevertheless, for thy
great mercies' sake, thou didst not utterly consume them, nor
forsake them ; for thou art a gracious and merciful God." His
forbearance, therefore, is his mercy, his patience and long-suf
fering towards guilty rebels ; and it is perfectly consistent with
his testifying against them, and admitting no excuse for trans
gressing his law.
Is there no difference between the Lord's delaying punish
ment, or pardoning sin for which the blood of Christ hath
atoned, Rom. iii. 25, and permitting men to sin, or leaving it to
the choice of any person to obey or disobey his laws ? If we
admit that this is not the nature of God's forbearance, how can
it be justly affirmed that such is the forbearance which he hath
enjoined on his people ?
The forbearance of God respects not only his own children,
but men in general, wicked men, " the unthankful and the
evil ;" those who " treasure up unto themselves wrath against
the day of wrath." Did we properly consider our obligation
to imitate God in the exercise of forbearance towards all men,
this would tend to correct false ideas respecting the nature of
the duty. It does not consist in palliating their sin, nor telling
them what parts of the law of God they may safely disobey.
We may treat them with meekness, patience, and forbearance,
while we affirm that " he who offendeth in one point, is guilty
of all," and that " the wages of sin is death."
On the other hand, when we think of the amazing extent of
God's long-suffering and forbearance towards his own people,
and towards all men, and how much we ourselves stand in need
of it, what an argument is this for putting on, as the elect of
God, bowels of mercies, long-suffering, and forbearance ! The

OUR DUTY TO THOSE WHO DISOBEY THE LAWS OF GOD. 393
example set before us is infinite. So far, therefore, from our
being in any danger of exceeding here, our deficiency must be
greater than I am able to express.
It is pleaded that many of the people of God are at pre
sent in antichristian societies, even in the church of Rome
itself ; ignorant in many respects of the simplicity of the Gospel,
the nature of Christ's kingdom, and the order of New Testament
churches ; yet in these circumstances God hath received them,
and he commands us to receive those who are weak in faith.
This I think is the substance of the argument in question ;
and I freely admit the assertion, that many believers of the
Gospel are in national and other corrupt churches, and that
it is our duty, so far as we can perceive the truth in them,
however obscured, to love them for its sake, " to acknow
ledge every good thing which is in them in Christ Jesus," to
endeavour occasionally to instruct them with meekness, and to
maintain that sort of friendly intercourse and fellowship with
them of which their present circumstances admit.
But the question is, Whether shall we for their sakes take
it upon us to make new laws for the regulation of churches,
unknown to the first Christians, or shall we invite them to keep
the ordinances as they were delivered by the Apostles, and assure
them that we are not debarring them from any privilege which
God hath given to his people, but that, on the contrary, they
exclude themselves, by not being willing to follow Christ in
the way which he hath appointed ?
I have decidedly adopted the latter plan, because we dare not
presume to form churches not resembling those which in Judea
were in Christ Jesus, or to esteem any other way preferable to
that which the Lord commanded, and which his Apostles
faithfully executed, under the infallible guidance of his Holy
Spirit. Every thing of this nature depends entirely on the sovereign
will of our Almighty Lord, to whom all power in heaven and
earth is given. And his commandment is, " Go ye therefore
and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ; teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and lo,
I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," Matt.
xxviii. 19, 20. Is it not plain from this that the nations, or
those among them whom God had ordained to eternal life, were
first to be made disciples, then baptised, and taught to obey all
the commandments of Christ ? These, although not exclusively
applicable to commandments relative to the duties of disciples
in their associated state, (as they seem to think who speak of the
all things which Christ hath commanded,) yet surely must include.

394 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
separation from the world in religious worship, brotherly
love, the order of churches, and every thing relating to his
kingdom. The concluding sentence clearly shows that no
alteration was to take place at any future period ; for Christ
promises to be with them always, even to the end of the world,
that is, wherever his faithful servants, to the latest ages, should
preach the same Gospel, and pursue the track which he then
laid down.
His Apostles did as he commanded. They preached the
Gospel with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven ; as many
as gladly received "the Word were baptised ; the baptised
disciples were added to the church, and taught to observe all
things commanded by the Lord. Accordingly, it is said of
them, that " they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doc
trine, and in the fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and
in the prayers," Acts ii.
My opponents will admit, that no preacher of the Gospel is
warranted to baptise any person who does not appear to be a
believer in Christ. Why ? Because that would be opposite to
the commandment of the Lord, to the example just referred
to in Acts ii., and to every other instance of baptism re
corded in the New Testament. And is it not equally unwar
rantable in a church to receive unbaptised members, in oppo
sition to the same commandment, and to the same uniform
example? It is not maintained that there were unbaptised
disciples in the primitive churches, or that they had more
than " one baptism." But it is insisted that we must
now forbear their prejudices"in favour of an antichristian rite,
by which the nations have been made nominal Christians, be
cause prejudices in favour of Jewish rites instituted by God
himself were made the subject of a temporary forbearance !
Upon the same principle, forbearance may be exercised with
those who place baptism and the Lord's Supper among the
carnal ordinances which are now abolished, and those who
think themselves too spiritual for any of the forms of worship
in which the first Christians were engaged.
The rule of forbearance is the Word of God, and not, as is
asserted, the sincerity, the devotion, and the general good
character of those who transgress the laws of Christ. " The
Lord knoweth them who are his ;" but we never can be so
sure of the Christian character of any person, as we may be of
that which the Word of God makes our indispensable duty.
With respect to him who has trespassed against his brother,
and hath resisted all the attempts of the injured person, and
of one or two more, and of the church, to bring him to repen
tance, the law of Christ is this : " Let him be unto thee as an

OUR DUTY TO THOSE WHO DISOBEY THE LAWS OF GOD. 395
heathen man and a publican." There may be various opinions
about the character of the offender, but there can be only one
sentiment with respect to the commandment of Christ in such
cases, among those who are willing to be governed by it. And
even if all had the same views of the former good character of
him who now stands guilty before them, could they plead, in
arrest of that judgment which the Head of the Church obliges
them to pronounce, that he is an eminent Christian, and that
this has been proved by the whole tenor of his life for many
years ? There is no rule in the Scriptures to this effect ; but
there is one in direct opposition to it : "I charge thee before
God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that
thou observe these things, without preferring one before
another, doing nothing by partiality," 1 Tim. v. 21.
I will not deny that, in some cases, the children of God may
thus be put away from his churches. Nay, I could not affirm
with absolute certainty that the wicked person, 1 Cor. v., was
not a believer in Christ, who had been left to commit a shock
ing crime, as was the case with David king of Israel. But,
whatever he might really be in the sight of God, the duty of
the church was clear ; the commandment was express, " Put
away from among yourselves that wicked person."
It is not therefore our duty, whether the offence be of a
private nature, or a public crying sin, to suffer our judgments
to be swayed by former good appearances, or what some have
called a decided character. We ought to proceed in the straight
line of duty, and to do what God commands, without imagin
ing that we are answerable for the consequences. If some of
the persons whom his Word obliges us to put away, should be
those whom he hath called by his grace, he will seek and find
his straying sheep, and make his own ordinance of excommu
nication the means of bringing them back to his fold.
Such being the duty of a Christian church in relation to their
own members, it is equally incumbent on them to " stand fast,
and to hold the traditions which they have been taught," by
the writings of the Apostles, though their doing this should
seem to debar from their fellowship some of those who know
the truth, and in many respects live under its influence. Cer
tain it is that if we really do so, we give them no just ground
of offence. When we endeavour to walk by the rule of the
Word of God, and say in connexion with this, " Let us go
speedily to pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of Hosts,"
they should rather be induced on that account each of them to
say, " I will go also."
Whatever imperfections and evils we may be called to for
bear, and many indeed they are, avowed opposition to the laws

396 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
of Christ, whatever may be the cause of it, can be none of
these. This would be to set aside in some degree the infallible
standard which God hath given us, showing us how we ought
to walk and to please him, and we should thus leave ourselves
without any other guide than our own fallible and erring judg
ment of the real character of professors, which in many cases
is known only to the Searcher of hearts ; and though it were
perfectly known to us, could give us no authority in any one
instance to depart from the rule of the Word of God.
Without seeking after mattersof forbearance unknown under
that name to the first Christians, we shall have enough to do, if,
in the true spirit of Christianity, we bear with the deficiency of
our brethren as to their knowledge of the truth itself, their natu
ral and moral infirmities, their mistaken scruples of conscience,
their ignorance of many things clearly revealed in the Word of
God, and the difficulty of communicating farther instruction —
if upon all occasions we exercise towards them lowliness and
meekness, with long-suffering, non-resistance of evil, patience,
and forgiveness — if we mortify every hurtful passion — and if
we endeavour to imitate the forbearance of God — though we
should consider the law of Christ as inviolable, and revere the
greatest and the least of his commandments.
I have stated every thing which appears to me, and perhaps
more than really is necessary, on the controverted subject of
forbearance ; and I now ask permission to give some friendly
cautions to those who may have been stumbled by the argu
ments to which I have now replied.
F'irst, I would entreat such to consider that, in all departures
from the precepts and examples contained in the New Testa
ment with respect to positive institutions, which have not only
no moral obligation, but no existence, aside from the will of the
great Institutor, there is a fatal progress.
When they began to plead for the presence of an elder not
being necessary in the due administration of the Lord's Supper,
was it conceived that any other person would go so far as to
maintain that two believers, meeting either statedly or occa
sionally, might lawfully partake of that ordinance, and that
these two might be females ? Was it imagined that the same
arguments which led many to this conclusion would at last
embolden some of them to assert, with the utmost confidence,
that one solitary disciple has a right to eat the Lord's Supper,
not merely on the first day of the week, but at, any time he
pleases, provided he attend to it in a proper spirit ? Was it
within their contemplation that some would absolutely deny that
there is now any use for elders, or any warrant for appointing

FRIENDLY CAUTIONS. 397
them in churches, though the same persons admit that there
was such an office in the days of the Apostles ? Or was it at
all foreseen that they would now have so faint an impression
of the obligation of all Christian duties, which depend solely on
the will of the Divine Lawgiver, as to make the whole of them
matters of forbearance ?
It is not for me to say how much farther such loose principles
may be carried. But certainly it is time for persons who in
any degree are infected with them, to consider their ways, and
particularly to think whether there be not some reason to sus
pect that, in a general point of view, the authority of God in
the Scriptures weighs less with them than it formerly did ; and
whether, by proceeding in the same course, they will not be
exposed to the danger of apostatizing from the Christian faith.
They who are humble, and of a contrite spirit, and who tremble
at the Word of God, will venerate all that bears the stamp of
his authority — that which is morally binding in its own nature,
and that which is made such by the revelation of his sovereign
will. Second, Offences against the law of love are not among the
things which my opponents deem forbearable. By these I do not
understand every thing which displeases and offends us, or mere
deficiencies in the exercise of love, but real injuries, and evident
transgressions of God's law. They are right in considering
these as faults which are not to be forgiven to the extent of
confirming our love towards the offender, without repentance.
Does it not then occur to them, that at least we ought to be
as much offended when the sin is immediately against God,
and equally disposed, in the sense here intended, not to for
give our brother unless he repent ? Shall we who are conscious
of much sin in ourselves, demand satisfaction from a brother
for injuries done to us, and ask nothing of the kind when he
sins against God only ; but, on the contrary, give him a license
to act opposite to the acknowledged laws of Christ ? In some
cases, ignorance is the cause ; in others, much aversion and
contempt ; in a third class, a fear of the reproach of men ; and
in all, great inattention to the Word of God, in which his will
is plainly revealed. Do not these things offend God ? And
shall we treat them as matters of indifference, while we make
offences against ourselves a ground of serious dealing, and of
exclusion from a church of Christ ?
I may be permitted here also, to object against confining the
law of discipline, Matt, xviii., entirely to personal offences, as
has been done. That it does refer to these, I readily admit ;
but that other cases fall under it also, there is no reason to
doubt. Every private sin known, or thought to be known, only

398 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
to an individual brother, ought to be treated in the same way,
because love dictates this, and the spirit of the whole procedure
in Matt, xviii., is that of love.
This is one conclusive argument against intimating the faults
of brethren to all the world, whether they be ultimately peni
tent or impenitent ; for this cannot be known till they hear or
" neglect to hear the church." Nay, even when the sin is
public and notorious, and cannot be finally settled in private,
love requires that some one, in the first instance, should give a
private admonition ; or, at any rate, that intimation should be
made to the offender before his case be made known to the
church. Third, There is a deception in all reasoning about that sort of
forbearance which is now sought to be established by those I
am opposing. They do not think that it strikes at Christian
unity, or that it tends to lessen the importance of Divine ordi
nances, or to make those who understand the order of New
Testament churches, less strict in observing it. On the con
trary, they are persuaded that it is essential to the promoting
of unity, and that those who forbear the neglect of Divine
ordinances, and those who cannot do this, are equally disposed
in all respects to pay a conscientious regard to them.
Now, when I say that I believe them to be sincere in all
this, they ought to admit that I have some forbearance, for
without it there could be no such concession. As for myself, I
am willing to allow that all the things which I profess to forbear,
appear to me of far less importance than those which I con
ceive to be un-forbearable, and that my conscience would be
much more deeply affected by transgressing in the latter, than
in the former case. Is it not so in other matters ? A father
knows that he cannot make his children perfect ; but were he
much disposed to favour the opposite principle, this could only
tend to make them more imperfect. If he pay proper attention to
the duty of bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord, he must draw a line of distinction between bearable and
unbearable faults. Is it possible that he can have the same
idea of the importance of each of these, or that he can be
equally careful to avoid, in his own conduct, that which he
reckons a matter of forbearance, and that which he would
severely punish in his children ? It cannot be, nor will any
thing of the same kind ever take place in churches ; their
attempts to produce it may be faithful, and sincere, and zeal
ously exerted, but they will be utterly vain and fruitless.
With respect to the promoting of unity, and putting an end to
the existing divisions among the people of God, by bringing
some of all classes into one church, I have no idea that this

FRIENDLY CAUTIONS. 399
would answer the end. Were they to succeed in collecting a
great number, which seems doubtful, would there be any more
real unity than there was before ? Would not this rather be
opening a wide door for the introduction of disputes and
wranglings, while each would be pleading the rights of con
science, adhering to his own way, and censuring those who
differed from him ?
I can see how a mixed numerous body may subsist without
any actual breach among them, when those of them who wish
to follow the plan of New Testament churches yield their own
principles, and when the things which concern the church are
not seriously treated as matters of conscience. But when there
are various and discordant parties, all determined to follow
the light of their own consciences, there seems no rational
probability that they will keep together, far less that Chris
tian unity can prevail among them.
In all cases there must be great imperfection in that unity
which ought to subsist, and much occasion for the exercise of
real long-suffering and forbearance in our endeavours to main
tain it. We have little need therefore of churches established
on the very principle of tolerating internal schisms.
Some of my expressions may appear uncharitable, though
I am conscious of no irritation, nor of a wish to exaggerate ;
and, if I have freely censured some of the tenets of my oppo
nents, I have not inconsistently connected this with pro
fessing to forbear them. The matters of difference which I
cannot agree with them to forbear, must appear of less import
ance to them than to me. Perhaps I forbear other things as
great in my view as those are in theirs.
I am anxious to have it fully understood, that the difference
in question respects only the obligation to regulate the worship,
order, and government of churches by the precepts and ex
amples of the New Testament, from which arises this contro
versy about the nature of Christian forbearance. They have
no just idea of the ground of difference betwixt me and my
opponents, who imagine that they have espoused the cause of
forbearance, and that I have dared to oppose it. We differ
not about the excellence, or the obligation, or the extent of a
most amiable Christian virtue, but solely respecting what it is ;
and particularly whether permitting our brethren to disobey the
laws of God be that forbearance which he hath enjoined.
The candid reader must have observed, that my aim through
out the discussion of this question, has been to exhibit what is
really the doctrine of the Word of God respecting the duty of
forbearance, and to show that there are no grounds whatever for
the application of that term to the laws and ordinances of
3 E

400 SCRIPTURAL RULE OF FORBEARANCE.
Christ ; and that, as in the present case, when the Scriptures
are misunderstood, and a theory endeavoured to be established
upon them, it follows, as an inevitable consequence, that such
a theory must be false. When it is considered how ready
our pride of understanding and self-esteem are to be enlisted
in upholding principles we may have espoused and advocated,
how unwilling we are in that case to relinquish them, it ought
to make us cautious in embracing sentiments which rest on
any thing short of the clear and express declarations of the
Word of God.
And I would also guard my readers against a disputatious
disposition ; for there are some so fond of controversy, that they
are never happy except when disputing on difficult subjects,
or employed in making simple expressions dark and dubious.
If they can strike out any thing new, they are just in their
element; their favourite point is forbearance, and they will
reason upon it, or at least hazard one bold assertion after
another, till their opponents are completely tired ; and con
vinced that much disputation, were it even about the Gospel
itself, if it do not begin with vain jangling, is sure to end with
it, and that perpetual disputes are not favourable to godliness.
And further, let my opponents seriously ask themselves what
service they can do to the cause of Christ by calumniating some
of those who are endeavouring, though with much imperfection,
to keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,
and how extremely inconsistent this is with the strongest pro
fessions of forbearance, and with the heavy complaint made
against all individuals and churches who oppose their favourite
scheme, as if they were totally destitute of that Christian vir
tue. The beam, I am afraid, must be cast out, before they
can see clearly to pull out the mote.
Finally, let every one beware of falling into the same spirit,
by indulging resentment towards their accusers, treating them
with asperity, or intermeddling with their affairs. " To their
own master they stand or fall." We shall act suitably to what
we profess, if we bear injuries with patience, " not rendering
evil for evil, or railing for railing ; but contrariwise, blessing,
knowing that we are thereunto called, that we should inherit a
blessing." This is a most essential part of that forbearance which God
approves ; and they only who exemplify it in this particular,
and in others of a similar description, have a right to think
that they really do espouse its neglected cause.
Edinbutigh, August 26, 1811.

MISCELLANEOUS PIECES,
REPRINTED FROM THE EDINBURGH QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,
LIVERPOOL THEOLOGICAL REPOSITORY,
EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE, &c.

[ 403 ]

REMARKS ON A SERMON,
ENTITLED, " THE JOY OF PARENTS IN WISE CHILDREN." BY THE
REV. GEORGE LAWSON, MINISTER OF THE ASSOCIATE
CONGREGATION IN SELKIRK.

We have not the pleasure of any personal acquaintance with
this author ; but we know that his character and abilities are
extremely respectable. We have also perused with satisfaction
many parts of a former work by him, respecting the power of
the civil magistrate in religion. We sat down, in consequence of
this, to the present discourse, with strong prepossessions in his
favour. Let it not then be imputed to the force of prejudice,
but to the love of truth, if we find ourselves obliged, amidst
our approbation of many things, to express our dissent from
certain passages in the sermon, and to set forth, at same time,
the momentous nature of our difference.
We request the author, and the readers of the sermon, and
our own readers also, to give no regard to any thing which we
have to advance but in so far as that shall accord with the
sacred Word of God, and those portions of it which we shall
produce, in direct contradiction, as we think, to doctrines at
the very threshold of the author's discourse.
These, we doubt not, and the remarks in general which we
have to make, may extend to a greater length than we could
wish, or think fit for the review of a single sermon ; but the
subject appears to us interesting in no ordinary degree.
The subjects considered by the author are, " I. Who is the
righteous and wise son ? II. The joy of parents in a right
eous and wise son. III. The reason why Solomon so often
speaks of the joy of parents in the wisdom and good behaviour
of their children." On each of these he makes very pertinent
and edifying remarks ; and his ardent, desire to be useful to the
rising generation, is conspicuous throughout the whole sermon.

404 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
So far as it has that tendency, it will most certainly be approved
of by every lover of the Gospel, and of mankind. No service
of which we are capable, can more promote the happiness of
society, and the prosperity of the kingdom of Christ, than the
education of children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
It is matter of thanksgiving and joy to see persons at present
contributing their best endeavours to second the efforts of godly
parents, to supply the deficiency of such as are careless and
inattentive, and to counteract, as far as possible, the fatal effects
which often proceed from the bad instruction and the worse
example of wicked parents.
We beg leave, however, to lay before the readers of the
sermon one of its first principles, which seems to us opposite
to the doctrine of the Gospel. After premising writh great
propriety, that " if we keep up the forms of religion merely
to please men, we cannot expect acceptance from the Most
High," the author proceeds thus: " Yet those are in a
more hopeful condition who practise religion to please those
whom they ought to please, than persons who regard men, as
little as they fear God ; and choose rather to be openly profane
in their conduct, by gratifying their own corrupt inclinations,
than to gratify their parents and friends by a decent behaviour,
and a regular observation of the ordinances of religion. Those
who seldom or never read the Bible, or pray, or hear the word
of God, are open despisers of God, as well as of those, whether
teachers or parents, who endeavour to awaken a sense of ever
lasting things in their souls. But young persons, who, from
respect to their parents or teachers, observe those institutions,
may probably one day be effectually persuaded to turn from
their sins unto God by Christ. The word which they read
and hear, may become in their souls a seed of eternal life.
The thoughts excited in their hearts by their own prayers
may be blessed of God, as means of sincere impressions
that will never be effaced." He maintains the same doc
trine towards the conclusion : — " But the diligent use of
the means of grace, with a decent outward behaviour, will
give unspeakable joy to your parents. They cannot judge of
your state before God by any other means, but by that kind of
behaviour which is always the effect of converting grace, and
often an introduction to it. The sight of your good conduct
will persuade them, that you either are already true Christians,
or that you will in all probability be made partakers of the
grace of God in some future part of your life. If you deny
them this pleasure, what shall I say of you? You are un
doubtedly destitute of natural affection, of gratitude, and of
every amiable and endearing quality. Were you not worse than

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING OF CHILDREN. 405
heathens, would you rather consume the days of your parents
in anxiety, than rejoice their hearts, by doing what your own
interest still more than their comfort requires ?"
Is it then the duty of persons who have no religion, in order
to please their relations, or their teachers, to put on the out
ward appearance of it ? The position, surely, is diametrically
opposite to the genuine influence of the Gospel, to every thing
that is taught in the Scriptures with respect to religion, and
even to common honesty and uprightness among men. Yet we
are persuaded that something of this kind is too generally
received among some who are reckoned strictly orthodox ;
though we have not often seen in the writings of Calvinistic
authors, such an open and undisguised avowal of Arminian
sentiments as in this sermon. Mr L. has not produced any
part of the Word of God to establish these positions, but many
texts may be brought to confute them. We beg leave to sub
mit a few of these for serious consideration.
There was a sect among the Jews, in the days of our Lord,
who " thanked God that they were not as other men, extor
tioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as the publicans. Theyfasted
twice in the week ; they gave tithes of all that they possessed ;"
they were in appearance exceedingly devout, and they were scru
pulously attentive to outward forms. What does Christ say to
these men ? " Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you,
saying, " 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." Or, as the translators have ren
dered the passage in Isaiah xxix. 13, " Their fear towards me
is taught by the precepts of men." The Pharisees, notwith
standing their high pretensions to sanctity, were precisely such
persons as Mr L. declares to be " in a hopeful condition."
" They were not truly religious ; God had not created in them
a new heart, nor renewed a right spirit within them." " Christ
knew them that they had not the love of God in them. While
they paid tithes of mint, anise, and cummin, they omitted the
weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith." He
therefore pronounced them " blind guides, who strained at a
gnat and swallowed a camel," concluding a long catalogue of
woes in Matt, xxiii., with these awful words, " Ye serpents,
ye generation" of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of
hell ?"
As those whom Mr L. deems in a more hopeful condition
than others, resemble the Pharisees in their attention to out
ward forms, and in their real state before God ; so they also
resemble them in one of the leading motives from which all

406 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
their religious conduct is supposed by him to proceed. " They
practise religion to please them whom they ought to please ;"
that is, "their parents or teachers." In like manner, the
Pharisees " did all their works to be seen of men, that they
might have glory of men : they loved the praise of men more
than the praise of God." And they actually obtained the
praise of men ; for our Lord says, " they have their reward."
They were in high estimation with a deluded multitude, who
thought, as they did, that religion consisted merely in a punctual
observance of the ordinances of the law of Moses, though the
persons thus employed were, many of them, destitute of faith,
mercy, and the love of God. Nay, Mr L., in this respect,
goes beyond even the Pharisees themselves, for he considers
those who practise religion merely to please their parents, as
some way in a hopeful state; but the hopes of the Pharisees were
founded on the belief of being already possessed of the love and
fear of God. They said that God was their Father. They
boasted of their relation to him, and of their zeal for the honour
of his law. It cannot be supposed, therefore, that they would
consider any person as in a hopeful state, who had no religion
except what he assumed in order to please his parents. Our
Lord, however, charges them with teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men, or having their fear towards God taught
by the precepts of men. By which we are to understand not
only that they were subject to human influence in the things of
God, but that they added many things to the Divine law, for
which they had no better authority than the tradition of their
fathers. This we see they actually did ; and there is no doubt
that the same practice will in general be pursued by all who
plead for a mere outward show of religion.
It must surely be admitted, that "having a form of godliness,
but denying the power thereof," is a high aggravation of the
guilt of those persons who are represented, 2 Tim. iii. 1 — 6,
as practising all manner of wickedness, under a false profession
of Christianity. How then, can it be supposed, that having
such a form, renders them in any respect better than if they
wanted it ? It is true, it may be said, that the persons con
demned in the above passage, not only denied the power of
godliness, but indulged themselves in all manner of open pro-
faneness and iniquity ; whereas Mr L. requires children " to
gratify their parents and friends by a decent behaviour," as
well as " a regular observation of the ordinances of religion."
It seems very improbable, however, that persons who are so
much lost to every principle of sincerity and uprightness, as to
put on a cloak of religion with a view to please their friends,
will follow a decent line of conduct in all other respects. It is

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 407
certain that no such thing is supposed in the Word of God :
false professors of Christianity are therein uniformly repre
sented as acting in direct opposition to all that they profess, if
their profession itself be good. But though it were otherwise
in some cases, is there no crime in hypocrisy and deceit ? Is
not the guilt of such conduct highly aggravated, when it takes
place in the concerns of religion ? Does it not then become a
solemn mockery of the Most High ? What would Mr Lawson
think of a person who should teach children to lie, in order to
please such parents as wish them to do so, when it suits their
worldly interest ? He would consider this as most iniquitous
conduct; yet we conceive that no falsehood which can be uttered,
is of equal enormity to that train of hypocritical formality which
he has enjoined.
But he recommends the cultivation of this form of godliness
by another motive. " Those (says he) who observe the insti
tutions of reading the Bible, prayer, &c, may probably one
day be effectually persuaded to turn from their sins unto God
by Christ." He mentions also a " kind of behaviour which is
always the effect of converting grace, and often an introduction
to it." " The sight of your good conduct, (says he,) will per
suade your parents that you are either already true Christians,
or that you will in all probability be made partakers of the
grace of God in some future part of your life." Is it possible
that Mr L. can suppose that gross hypocrisy has any tendency
to introduce men to converting grace ? Although he had pro
posed nothing but good works, to be performed with simplicity
and godly sincerity, does he imagine that such conduct, were
sinners capable of it in their natural state, would procure for
them, or lead them to trust in, the grace of God ? Then, sal -
vation is no more of grace, and Christ came only to call the
righteous to repentance ; though some are compelled to smite
on their breasts, and to say, Lord be merciful to us sinners !
Those who consider good conduct on the part of the creature
as an introduction to converting grace, or as affording any pro
bability that persons will afterwards be made partakers of the
grace of God, misunderstand the nature of that grace which
is revealed in the Gospel. It is free favour to the utterly worth
less ; sovereign, distinguishing, boundless grace, which has no
respect to any thing in its objects, but their complete misery
and wretchedness. Thus the Apostle Paul, after giving a most
awful and melancholy account of the former state of the Ephe-
sians, says to them, " But God who is rich in mercy, for the
great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ — that in the
ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace,
3 F

408 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace
are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves ; it is
the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should boast."
This is truly the Gospel, and there is no doctrine which differs
from it, that deserves the name of glad tidings to guilty perish
ing sinners.
But Mr L. considers " those who practise religion to please
their parents, .as in a more hopeful condition than persons who
are openly profane in their conduct." Far be it from us to
plead the cause of open profaneness, or to say any thing that
would have the smallest tendency to weaken the obligation which
lies upon Christian parents, to bring up their children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord, or even to prevent them
from being riotous or unruly. We may, however, be permitted
to say, that neither the self-righteous, nor the openly profane,
are in a hopeful condition. Nothing can be more certain, than
that both are " in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of
iniquity." It is not always easy to determine which of two
moral evils is the greatest. We forbear therefore to form any
estimate of the comparative guilt of these two classes. But
with respect to " the probability of their being made partakers
of the grace of God," we cannot hesitate to affirm the very
reverse of what has been stated by Mr Lawson ; for Christ
says to the Pharisees — men who, according to the world's
reckoning, were generally decent in their conduct, or as Paul
expresses it, " concerning the righteousness which is in the
law, blameless ;" men who fasted, prayed, paid tithes, and went
all the round of outward devotional duties — " The publicans,
and the harlots enter into the kingdom of God before you.
For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye
believed him not ; but the publicans and the harlots believed
him. And ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards,
that ye might believe him." The same thing is declared in
Rom. ix. 30, to the end ; in connexion with which, read the
following chapter, and hearken to the voice of him who saith,
chap. ix. 15, 16, "I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have com
passion." Observe also, the conclusion which the Apostle
draws from this, " So then it is not of him that willeth, nor
of him that runneth, but of God who showeth mercy."
When persons in an unconverted state are told, that their
attention to religious duties renders their condition more hope
ful, and that their good conduct makes it probable that at some
future period they will be made partakers of the grace of God ;
such doctrine can have no other tendency than to lead them to
found their hope on their own good works, or devotional duties.

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 409
Those who admit in its full extent the account which is given
us in the Scriptures, of the total corruption of human nature,
will perceive that Mr L.'s plan is morally impossible. Can he
who hates the Gospel desire to believe it, or can he pray to
God that he may enlighten him in the knowledge of that truth
which is foolishness to him, and which opposes all his darling
lusts ? Is it possible, that any one who is at present a lover of
sin, can wish or intend to repent and be converted at a future
period ; or that the forsaking afterwards of all that is now dear
to him, can be the object of his hope and desire? Either his love
to sin is so great, that he has no proper conviction of the
evil of it, and no wish to be delivered from it, though he
may earnestly desire to escape the punishment due to his
sin ; or the spirit of the truth has already in some measure
convinced him of sin ; which is an essential part of true religion,
and therefore does not apply to those who are religious only
with a view to please their friends. Nothing can be more
opposite to the very constitution of human nature, than the sup
position that a person may sincerely desire the accomplishment
of an event which of all things in the world he most abhors :
and perhaps there are none who have a greater dislike to the
practice of true Christianity, than some of those who inten
tionally put on a false appearance of it.
What then ? It may be said, Must unconverted sinners
be left to perish in their iniquities? Are no means to be
used for their recovery? Ought not Christian parents to
be solicitous about the eternal salvation of their children ?
Is it not their bounden duty to " bring them up in the
admonition of the Lord : to teach them from their childhood
the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make them wise unto
salvation ;" and to give them an example in their own conduct,
of that sobriety, righteousness, and godliness, which all who
believe the Gospel are taught to practise ? Most certainly.
And parents who neglect these important duties, will have
much to answer for ; the blood of their own children may be
required at their hand. But the matter under consideration at
present is, Whether shall parents teach their children true reli
gion, or a false and hypocritical profession of it ? They are not
only bound to teach them all the doctrines and duties of Chris
tianity, so far as man is capable of this, but to bring these things
home to their consciences, as matters in which they are most
deeply interested ; telling them plainly that they are sinners, that
they need salvation, and that it can only be obtained through the
blood of Christ. Children ought to be led also to consider the
practical influence of the truth ; that the Word of God, when
it is received, must necessarily comfort, sanctify, and bring

410 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
forth fruit, and that every profession of faith in Christ, when
these effects are not produced, is vain and hypocritical. And
without all doubt they ought to be instructed to read the Word
of God, and regularly to attend public worship ; for " faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." At
the same time, it is the indispensable duty of parents to teach
their children, that a mere outward form of religion is unavailing
in the sight of God, and that nothing is more hateful to him
than hypocrisy and deceit. A father, instead of being grati
fied by seeing his children follow the plan recommended to them
by Mr Lawson, should consider this as one of the greatest
evils that could have befallen them ; he should lament it before
God ; nor should he cherish or acknowledge any appearance
of religion in them, produced by such principles.
Mr L. pleads for " a regular observation of the ordinances of
religion," as the means of conversion. Does he include the ordi
nance of the Lord's Supper ? This ordinance is plainly intended
for those only who are already converted ; for Christ says to
those who are entitled to partake of it, " This is my body which
is broken for you;" and this solemn ordinance is profaned
when it is kept by hypocrites and unbelievers. Nay, even be
lievers themselves may " eat the bread, and drink the cup of
the Lord unworthily, and thus eat and drink judgment to them
selves, not discerning the Lord's body." Can we suppose, then,
that a person is using proper means for his own conversion,
when he profanes the ordinances of the Lord, and thus exposes
himself to the righteous judgment of " our God," who " is a
consuming fire?" Unconverted persons ought to be cautiously
instructed even with respect to the ordinance of prayer. It is
certainly the duty of all the rational creatures of God to pray
to him, and to praise him. " But without faith it is impossible
to please him ; for he that cometh to God must believe that he
is, and that he is a re warder of them who diligently seek him."
And when the Apostle Peter commanded a person who was
" in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity," to
pray, he commanded him at the same time to repent. " Repent
therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the
thought of thine heart be forgiven thee." This repentance in
cludes in it faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom alone
sinful men can have access to the living God. And therefore,
every exhortation to pray, when it is addressed to unconverted
sinners, ought to be accompanied with an exhortation (either
express or implied) to repent, and believe the Gospel. Parents
who teach their children merely to repeat a form of words, and
call this prayer, and " saying their prayers," &c, do nothing
more than teach them a form of godliness. They ought rather to

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 411
instruct them concerning the nature of prayer, their own guilty
and destitute situation, and the fulness which is treasured up
in Christ to supply the wants of perishing sinners ; and to
encourage them to express the real desires of their souls to the
great and merciful hearer of prayer, in the way that he hath
appointed. By following a plan of this kind, which we cannot
enlarge upon at present, they will, at least, have the consola
tion of reflecting, if their children should not become real
believers of the Gospel, that they have conscientiously used
their utmost endeavours to make them truly religious, and to
prevent them from assuming the most odious character among
men, that of religious hypocrites.
Let not what has been said, lead any person to suppose that
Christian parents should use no means to produce in their chil
dren that sort of decent behaviour which renders young persons
respectable members of society. Mr L. might have said more
upon this subject. In relation to this, Christian parents have
much in their power ; and they ought to consider themselves
as under an obligation not only to teach their children what
ever is good and praiseworthy, but to watch over their con
duct, to prevent them from falling into bad company, to exer
cise over them a constant, gentle, but absolute authority, and
to train them up in habits of virtue, industry, and sobriety. A
great deal is said on this subject in the book of Proverbs, and
much encouragement and hope of success is given to diligent
and conscientious parents in such labours. But they ought
never in any case to give the smallest countenance to insincerity
in their children, nor to palliate or excuse it in any respect
whatever, though it should arise from the most trifling occur
rences, and be perfectly innocent in its effects. And they ought
to distinguish in a clear and pointed manner, between their
good behaviour as members of society, and what is generally
and properly called religion. The former is often exhibited
when the persons who exemplify it are ignorant of the Gospel,
and strangers to the grace of God. The latter, (true religion
we mean,) can only be the effect of Divine and supernatural
influence. Parental authority, therefore, may produce the most
salutary effects in the one case, but it avails nothing in the
other. Parents have no dominion over the consciences of their
children, nor any right either to command or to persuade them
to profess the faith and hope of the Gospel, till they appear to
be taught of God. All that they can lawfully do in this case
is, to use the means of instruction, and to pray to God for his
blessing on their endeavours. Let them also pray that the
God of truth may prevent them from teaching their children
such doctrine as has a direct tendency to make them hypocrites.

412 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
Some may think that we have expressed ourselves rather
strongly on this subject ; but it is one of that importance that
we consider it right to do so, especially when situations such
as that held by the author — who is much respected as divinity
tutor to the students for the ministry among the Burgher Se-
ceders — tend to give currency to such opinions. We enter
tain not the smallest dislike towards him, but, on the contrary,
believe him on many accounts most worthy of esteem, and will
very readily give him an opportunity of making any explanations
which he may think proper upon the subject.

[To the above review Mr Lawson made a lengthened reply,
in which he endeavours to vindicate the sentiments contained
in his sermon ;* and what follows is a further elucidation of
the doctrine and principles brought forward in the review, with
some animadversions upon his defence.]
In Mr L.'s defence of what he has written, he has not taken the
smallest notice of the arguments against his doctrine, from our
Lord's description and condemnation of the Pharisees; from
Paul's account of those who have a form of godliness, but deny
the power thereof ; from several passages of Scripture, which
show that good conduct never procured converting grace ; and
from other passages, which clearly prove that those who are most
employed in outward forms of religion from false principles, are
not in general more likely to enter into the kingdom of God than
other men ; and that salvation being of God who showeth mercy,
is opposed to its being of him that willeth, or of him that
runneth. Nor has he attempted to say any thing, in reply to
our remarks on " the impossibility of those who hate the Gos
pel desiring to believe it, or praying to God to enlighten them
in the knowledge of that truth which is foolishness to them,
and which opposes all their darling lusts :" for though he adverts
to this, it appears that he does not understand it. He has also
neglected to show, that we are mistaken in what we have
advanced respecting the manner in which unconverted persons
ought to be called upon to present their supplications before God.
Thus it appears, that he has passed over in silence most of the
arguments which have been urged against his doctrine ; nay, how
ever strange it may appear, the fact is, that he has not fairly
met and combated any of one them. His defence, though in
some respects ably written, we cannot help saying, appears to
us to consist principally of evasive arguments, contradictory
* See Quarterly Mag. for 1/98, Vol. I. p. 289.

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 413
assertions, and some unsuccessful attempts to show that we have
misrepresented him.
Though we might rest the controversy here, we rather choose
to proceed ; and shall now make some additional observations,
which are intended both for the purpose of elucidating our
real sentiments, and of establishing and confirming the impor
tant doctrine maintained in the review.
1 . It is necessary to explain our sentiments more fully with
respect to the means which God hath appointed for the con
version of sinners. We have not then affirmed, as Mr L. would
insinuate, that persons who never hear the Word of God, are
as likely to be converted as those who do hear it, for this would
be to deny that " faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
Word of God ;" a text which we formerly quoted as a strong
argument for teaching children to read the Word of God, and
regularly to attend public worship. Nor did we at all conceive
that the persons whom he considers as in a peculiarly hopeless
condition, would never hear the Gospel. It was saying the
worst that could be said of them, when they were classed with
publicans and harlots ; yet these gave more ear to the doctrine
of John the Baptist and of Christ, than others did who were
outwardly decent and religious. But the generality of those
whom Mr L. places at so great a distance from salvation, are
indeed careless sinners, who have no concern about religion,
but are not more immoral in their conduct, nor more averse to
the doctrine of Christ, than many of those hypocritical profes
sors, of whom he entertains better hopes.
We strongly plead for the necessity of the means of grace.
We maintain that sinners ought to be induced by every con
sideration, except those which are sinful, to search the Scrip
tures, to examine the evidence of the truth of the Gospel, to
believe it, to seek the Lord, and to call upon his name. And,
for these purposes, every motive of hope and fear that can
affect the human soul, ought to be set before them ; such as,
their guilt and danger, the certainty of punishment, the impos
sibility of their doing any thing for their own recovery, the
freedom and suitableness of that salvation which is proclaimed
to sinners in the Gospel, the greatness of the love of God in
Christ Jesus, and the blessedness of enjoying peace with God,
and the hope of eternal life. By such means as these, the
servants of God, who invite the poorest wretches to partake of
the Gospel-feast, are instructed to compel them to come in
from the highways and hedges, where they perish with hunger,
and cold, and nakedness, that the house of their bountiful Be
nefactor may be filled. But the motives of seeking to please
men by a false profession of religion, and to place themselves

414 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
in a more hopeful condition with respect to conversion, by " a
diligent use of the means of grace, and a decent outward be
haviour," are sinful motives, and ought therefore to be dis
carded. It is even a mistake to suppose, that we object to the strong
est language that can be used in describing the effects which
are produced by the Word of God, through the instrumentality
of men. Not only are enlightened and faithful Christian teach
ers represented as saving themselves and their hearers, by the
precious truths they declare ; but a Christian brother, who is
not a teacher, is supposed to " convert a sinner from the error
of his way, to save a soul from death, and to hide a multitude
of sins," James v. 20. Though these passages of Scripture
seem principally to refer to the salvation of persons already
converted to the faith of Christ, and to the recovery of the
sheep of Christ who have strayed from his fold, we fully admit
the principle also with respect to the same means " opening
the eyes of men, and turning them from darkness unto light,
and from the power of Satan unto God."
There is, however, some reason to doubt whether it can be
said with propriety that sinners use these means, or that means
are really used for the conversion of sinners, except by God
himself, and by those who have tasted that he is gracious ; if
it be right to make any distinction between the use and the
abuse of means. Reading and hearing the Scriptures are most
undoubtedly means which God hath appointed for the salvation
of lost sinners ; and every one who lives by the faith of Christ,
will be extremely solicitous that his fellow-sinners should be
found in the use of them ; and, at any rate, that they should
have frequent opportunities of hearing the Word of God, how
ever much indisposed they may be to listen to it as the means
of their salvation. But when the means of grace are attended
in a formal way, or from such motives as are recommended by
Mr L., does not this abuse of them, far from being in its own
nature an introduction to converting grace, incur the punish
ment which God has threatened to inflict on those who despise
his grace ? The means are good in themselves, and will assu
redly prove effectual towards all those whom God hath ordained
to eternal life ; but none of them, after being brought to the
knowledge of the truth by the almighty power of Jehovah, will
see any cause to boast of the good use which they have made
of the means of salvation, or to think that on this account they
were made partakers of the grace of God. A proper use of
the means of grace, is always the effect of grace in some mea
sure already received, for which no reason can be given, but
that " God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy."

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 415
2. We shall next consider the duties which are incumbent
on men, while they are in a state of alienation from God.
A good deal of Mr Lawson's argument seems to proceed on
this ground, that nothing is the duty of unconverted sinners
which they cannot perform from natural principles ; and there
fore he seems to think it right to urge them to attend Divine
ordinances, from such motives as usually animate the corrupt
hearts of men. Without affirming positively that he holds this
principle, we maintain that it is the duty of all men to " love
God with all their heart, and soul, and strength, and mind, and
their neighbour as themselves ; for on these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets." We know indeed from
the Scriptures, and from experience, that men are unable thus
to love God and their neighbour ; but while the Divine law
requires this perfect obedience, and threatens everlasting con
demnation to all who come short of it, nothing can be more
certain than that this is the duty of all men without exception.
The obligation is not lessened by their inability, for this arises
from the carnality and aversion of their own wicked hearts :
" The carnal mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be," Rom. viii. 7. In
like manner, they are indispensably bound by the command
ment of the everlasting God, to believe on Christ for salvation,
" to repent and be converted, and to turn from their wicked
ways, and live." It is true the power of the Spirit of God is
necessary, to effect such a wonderful change in the hearts of
guilty men, but it does not on that account cease to be their
duty, which could easily be proved from the Scriptures at
large. Now, surely it cannot be justly argued, because it is the duty
of all men to repent and believe the Gospel, and to do works
meet for repentance, that therefore unconverted sinners ought
to put on a feigned appearance of performing these duties to
please men, in the hope that, while they are so employed, God
will bestow upon them converting grace. We confess indeed
that many persons, both old and young, will be influenced by
such motives in reading and hearing the Scriptures, in conver
sation, prayer, and other spiritual exercises, whatever may be
said against it. ,But so much the more ought we to avoid
teaching them that it is their duty, while it is indeed their sin,
and a cause of the Lord's displeasure against them. Whatever
may be their practice in relation to Divine ordinances, we can
not exhort them to observe these from such motives as have
been just mentioned, nor from any other motive which does
not include, or at least imply faith in Christ, as the end of the
law for righteousness to every one that believeth ; for we are
3 G

416 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
certain that no worshipper of any other description shall find
acceptance with God.
3. It may be useful to enquire who are the persons whom
we are warranted to consider as nearer the kingdom of God
than others.
Let it be observed, that in stating our objections to Mr L.'s
doctrine, we had no respect whatever to the concerns of this
life, nor to that which may appear most amiable and praise
worthy in the eyes of worldly men, or most conducive to the
interests of human society. We had nothing in view but the
eternal salvation of the souls of men, what is good and evil in
the sight of God, and what is declared in his Word concerning
the manner in which he bestows his free and sovereign mercy
on the fallen race of Adam. We admit that some of those
young persons whom he describes, may be better members of
society than the openly profane ; and they certainly will be
such, when they add to " the diligent use of the means of
grace a decent outward behaviour," as he exhorts them. Yet
there is no principle more debasing to the human mind, or
which renders it more callous, or prepared to commit all man
ner of iniquity, than hypocrisy and false religion. It may
therefore be expected, that others of them will manifest a degree
of insincerity, covetousness, and pride, beyond the generality of
irreligious men, and perhaps indulge themselves without
remorse in some of the lusts of the flesh. We forbore to pro
nounce any decision with respect to the comparative guilt of
the self-righteous and the profane. We only asserted, on the
authority of him who knoweth what is in man, that " publicans
and harlots enter into the kingdom of God before the self-
righteous ;" and on this ground opposed Mr L.'s assertion,
which is the very reverse of this.
There may be persons of another description, who have a
general conviction of the truth of Christianity, and a knowledge
of its doctrines, obtained by education, and confirmed by their
own examination of the Scriptures ; though they are not taught
of God to know the truth as it is in Jesus. They are not so
much concerned about religion as to become eminently self-
righteous ; nor have they so little conscience about it as to
imagine that there is any religion in observing Divine ordinances
with a view to please men. But they observe these from a
persuasion that it is their duty to God, and their moral cha
racter is decent and respectable. Though we would say to
such persons, " except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,"
yet we do not consider them as farther from the kingdom of God
than the openly profane. Nothing, except hypocrisy and self-
righteousness, can place a man at a greater distance from the

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 417
kingdom of God than avowed infidelity, and an unrestrained
propensity to fulfil the lusts of the flesh ; for these are strong
holds which, in a very high degree, fortify the souls of men
against the influence of the truth.
Mr L. writes in his sermon of some young persons who are
represented as resembling the lawyer to whom our Lord said,
" thou art not far from the kingdom of God." But on what
ground was this said to him ? Not because he practised reli
gion to please men, but because he admitted the demands of the
law in their full extent, the tendency of which was to convince
him that he could not please God ; and because he treated the '
Messiah of Israel with respect, as Nicodemus also did, who,
though extremely ignorant of some things, seems to have been
another who was not far from the kingdom of God. Mr L.'s
general position, however, is incontrovertible, that " the state
and condition of some sinners is worse than the condition of
others, and that some, compared with others, are not far from
the kingdom of God ;" though in applying this doctrine to par
ticular cases, it becomes us to speak modestly, except when
they are positively decided in the Word of God.
4. Another argument from the Scriptures in confirmation of
the very interesting doctrine which we have endeavoured to
defend, shall conclude this part of the subject.
Mr L.'s sentiments are opposite to the leading features of the
doctrine which was delivered by Jesus Christ and his Apostles.
They never speak of such persons who he affirms are in a more
hopeful condition than others, without the strongest marks of
disapprobation. In none of their addresses to unconverted sin
ners, their warnings to flee from the wrath to come, their calls
to faith and repentance, or their warm expostulations, to bring
sinners home to Christ, did they ever give such directions as
those which Mr L. has given to young unregenerate persons.
They declared to all men that they were in a lost and ruined
situation as transgressors of the Divine law ; they proclaimed
the Gospel, or the glad tidings of salvation through Christ
crucified, to all without distinction ; and assured them of sal
vation in believing the truth. They uniformly represented
conversion as the effect of the free and sovereign mercy of God,
through the atonement of Christ, and never as the consequence
of the devotional exercises and good conduct of unconverted
sinners. Much is said in the New Testament, of the dreadful wicked
ness of the first Christians before they believed the Gospel,
but not a single word in commendation of the sobriety and good
behaviour of any of them in their unconverted state ; though
it cannot reasonably be doubted that some of them were sober,

418 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
and performed many outward acts of devotion, before they
knew the truth. Of this, indeed, we have complete evidence
in 1 Cor. vi. 11, where, after the Apostle had enumerated many
wicked characters, he says, "such were some of you," evidently
implying that others of them had not been guilty of the same
enormities. Yet none of them obtained mercy on that account ;
they were all "washed, and sanctified, and justified, in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." This,
we think, ought to satisfy every one who trembles at the Word
of God, that there must be something palpably wrong in such
a system of religion as Mr L. wishes to establish.
5. It is proper that we should rectify some mistakes in Mr
Lawson's statement of the charges which we have brought
against him.
We have not represented him as maintaining, that young
persons who put on a form of religion, with a view to please
their parents and teachers, are already accepted of God. On
the contrary, we understood him in both the passages of his
sermon, on which we took the liberty to animadvert, to be deal
ing with unconverted persons, whom he himself considers as in
the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Far less
did we imagine, or in the smallest degree wish to make our
readers conceive, that he had intentionally recommended a
system of hypocrisy and lies. We are fully persuaded that,
whenever his plan of educating young persons shall appear to
him in that light, he will in the most public manner recant all
that he has advanced in support of it.
Most readily do we also acknowledge that incidental expres
sions, which may seem exceptionable or ambiguous, ought to
be explained by an author's own illustration of the subjects to
which they relate, and by the general tenor of his writings.
But we have taken no advantage of any unwary expres
sions in Mr L.'s sermon ; two complete paragraphs were the
subject of our animadversions, and there are many similar
advices given to young persons throughout the sermon. No
injustice, therefore, was done to him by understanding his words
in their obvious and natural meaning ; and he himself has con
firmed the sense in which they were taken, for he avows the
sentiments imputed to him, though he rejects the consequences
which appear to us necessarily to result from such sentiments.
He makes no apology for any of his expressions, except by
admitting, in relation to one of them, that the " language is
perhaps strong," while he affirms, at the same time, that " it is
authorized by Scripture." He in the strongest manner justifies
every syllable of what he has advanced, and therefore has no
claim to indulgence with respect to his manner of expression.

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 419
In his defence, he labours to support his former opinion, that
young persons ought to " practise religion to please their
parents," and that those who do so, " are in a more hopeful
condition than others." They may probably one day be effect
ually persuaded to turn from their sins unto God by Christ ;
their decent outward behaviour is often an introduction to con
verting grace ; and their good conduct will persuade their
parents that they will, in all probability, be made partakers [of
the grace of God, in some future period of their lives. Have
we imputed to him any other sentiments than these ? Is there
any cause why he is so much offended, but our having con
demned these sentiments ? Nay, does not every one who reads
his defence perceive, that he would have been still more dis
pleased, if we had represented him as maintaining any oppo
site doctrine ? He has written nearly as much as his whole
sermon for the express purpose of defending it !
We are accused by Mr Lawson of having misrepresented
his sentiments, but we shall presently show that this is not the
case. He expressly denies that " he has represented it to be the
duty of persons who have no religion, to put on the appearance
of it to please their parents, and that he teaches them to trust
in such empty forms of religion." Yet in the very next para
graph, he admits that " he has said that attendance on religious
ordinances by young persons to please their parents, is better
than the neglect of them ;" and he affirms that such persons,
" compared with others, are not far from the kingdom of God."
Is not this expressly advising them to put on a false appear
ance of religion in order to please men, and to trust in this
empty form, as an evidence that they are not far from the king
dom of God ?
But " he hath not taught them to trust in empty forms of
religion," for " he hath said at the same time, that they cannot
expect acceptance with God, unless they act on higher princi
ples." That we may not seem to approve of this expression,
let it be observed, that no actions, from whatever principles
they may be performed, can be the foundation of a sinner's
acceptance with God ; for " a man is justified by faith, without
the deeds of the law," Rom. iii. 28. But supposing Mr L. to
have nothing more in view than to assert, as in the sermon,
that " if we keep up the forms of religion merely to please
men, we cannot expect acceptance from the Most High," with
out expressly declaring what is the ground of our acceptance
in the sight of God ; by what means will he prove the consis
tency of these two discordant sentiments — that those who have
no religion, except what proceeds from a desire of pleasing men,

420 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
cannot find acceptance with God ; and that it is the duty of
young persons who are not truly religious, to practise the out
ward forms of religion in order to please men ? We did him
the justice to quote with marked approbation the introductory
clause of his sermon, to which he now frequently resorts as his
defence against all our censures ; it will, however, avail him
nothing to that end. He does not indeed propose to young
persons a hypocritical profession of religion, as the ground of
their acceptance with God ; but he affirms that it renders their
situation hopeful, and makes it likely that God will bestow upon
them converting grace.
He challenges us for asserting, that " he commends a religion
in children which is intended merely to please their parents,"
and quotes several passages of Scripture to show how absurd
and how profane it would be to interpolate the word merely,
as he alleges we have done in his case. He might easily have
discerned, however, that we intended nothing more than to
represent the religion which he commends, as proceeding from
no higher motive than a desire to please men. The persons
engaged in it may have other motives, but none of them can be
spiritually good ; for by Mr L.'s own confession, " they are
not partakers of saving grace ;" and the only motive to which,
in his sermon, he attributes their conduct, is a desire to please
their parents ; while we have represented it as proceeding also
from insincerity and self-righteousness. Why does he say, in the
beginning of his sermon, " if we keep up the forms of religion
merely to please men ?" &c. Perhaps no one will avow that he
does so, but this may be the ruling motive with thousands. Nay,
in his defence, in the midst of a loud and bitter outcry against us
in imputing this expression to him, he himself uses it ! " But
since a religion intended merely to please men, cannot please
God, why do I urge children to practise religion from the regard
they owe to their parents ?"
But without any hesitation he frequently asserts the most
opposite and irreconcilable things. He declares, that " he
neither said nor meant that children should practise religion,
merely to please their parents." And what other motive does
he ascribe to them ? "A human faith of the truth of religion,"
which he explains by adding, " that dutiful children are dis
posed to believe that what their parents tell them is true." * If
this be any thing different from pleasing their parents, it is at
* Before it can be admitted, in an unqualified sense, that it is the duty of
children to "believe that what their parents tell them is true," it must be
proved that they tell them nothing but what is really so. And with
respect to the truth of the Christian religion, Mr L. surely does not mean

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 421
least very nearly allied to it. Every candid person, therefore,
will perceive, that, even though Mr L. himself had not used
the word merely, our statement of his doctrine would have been
perfectly just, and that there is no similarity between our use
of the word, and his interpolating it in several Scripture texts,
none of which teach children to practise religion in order to
please their parents.
The following texts would have been more to the point than
any that he has quoted : " The hypocrites love to pray stand
ing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen of men," Matt. vi. 5. " Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites ; for ye make clean the outside of
the cup and of the platter, but within, they are full of extor
tion and excess," Matt, xxiii. 25. " All their works they do
to be seen of men," ver. 5.
It is still, if possible, more extraordinary that Mr L. should
deny that he reckons those in a hopeful condition who are most
attentive to his instructions. He asks, " What do you mean
by this observation, or what meaning did you think that your
readers would put upon that expression, a hopeful condi
tion ? " Would not all who read this suppose, that an ex
pression so offensive to him was none of his, and that we had
palmed it upon him ; had they not seen it faithfully copied in
our extract from the first page of his sermon ? Are we then to
understand, as he now affirms, that he did not mean to say
that such persons are in a hopeful condition, or that he now
retracts his former sentiment ? By no means. He still main
tains it in the most tenacious manner? But " he had said only
that they were in a more hopeful condition than young
profligates." And then he endeavours to show, from some
Scripture texts, that one person may be in a more hopeful
condition than another, while neither of them is in a hopeful
state. The situation of the one, however, cannot be so des
perate as that of the other ; and therefore, in a comparative
sense, it must be hopeful. This may be affirmed even of
the fool mentioned by Solomon, in comparison of a man who is
hasty in his words, or a man who is wise in his own conceit,
unless we should suppose that the improvement of the under
standing is attended with as great difficulty as the mortification
of pride, anger, and other unruly passions. But Mr L. ought
not to cavil in this manner ; for the whole of his defence clearly
shows that he entertains very considerable hopes, not indeed of
to say, that children ought to believe it on the authority of their parents,
though there are multitudes of professing Christians who have no better
foundation for their faith.

422 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
the present safety, but of the future conversion of those who
practise the outward forms of religion from worldly motives.
We shall now reply more particularly to Mr L.'s arguments
in support of his doctrine.
The Scripture passages which he quotes to exemplify the
strong language of hope, have no connexion with the present
subject. None of them hint at any such hope as a foundation
for that which is proposed in the sermon ; and we should have
had no objection to the strong language used in the latter, had
a sufficient ground been laid for it. Our hope with regard
to the influence of the Word of God on particular persons,
though apparently well founded, may be often disappointed,
and God may speak to us on this subject, and on many others
in the language of men, as he has often done, while no cause
of triumph is given either to Arminians or infidels.
Mr L. asserts that Solomon teaches children " to practise reli
gion from the regard they owe to their parents," in Prov. xxiii.
15, 16, 24, 25. From these verses it appears, (and who will
deny it ?) that the wisdom and righteousness of children are a
source of great joy to their parents, and it will unquestionably
be an addition to the happiness which children find in the ways
of wisdom, when they perceive how much their conduct grati
fies their parents. But when children put on the outward
appearance of righteousness and wisdom, while they are known
to be really destitute of both, nothing, we apprehend, is more
likely to bring down the grey hairs of godly parents with sorrow
to the grave. To make this, or the joy of angels, a motive to
true repentance, we consider as harmless, though we doubt the
efficacy of such motives. The fact is certain, that there is joy
in heaven and earth over one sinner that repenteth, whether
the foresight of it has any influence to produce repentance or
not. But we may be perfectly assured, that there is no joy in
heaven, and that there ought to be none on earth, over sinners
who put on a feigned appearance of repentance, in order to
please men.
Mr L.'s next authority is the practice of the Apostle Paul,
who says, " I please all men in all things." Our readers will
be pleased to recollect, that the question is not whether it be
the duty of children to please their parents, of servants to
please their masters, or of Christians to please all men in all
things not inconsistent with their duty to God ; for if it were,
there could be no dispute. But the question is, whether it be the
duty of any one to observe the solemn ordinances of Divine
worship from the motive of pleasing men, while it is certain
that he is not a believer of the Gospel, and therefore cannot
please God ; for without faith it is impossible to please him."

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 423
Mr L. maintains, that it is the duty of unconverted persons to
please men, in the sense last mentioned ; but in what respects
he finds an example of this in the conduct of the Apostle Paul,
it is not easy to conceive. Was Paul an unbeliever ? Is it not
manifest that a desire to please God was the governing motive
of all his conduct, though he thereby incurred the hatred and
contempt of men? We need not quote particular passages
which show this ; his writings are full of them ; his whole his
tory proves that there never was a person on earth, except his
Lord and Master, who paid less regard to the approbation of
men ; and Mr L. himself quotes a remarkable saying of his, in
which he flatly denies that he pleased men, and affirms that, if
he did so, " he could not be the servant of Christ." It is
enough for us at present to observe, that there is not a single
instance on record of Paul doing any thing after his conversion
with a view to please men, in which he did not also please God.
Why then does Mr L. produce the example of Paul, which is
as opposite to the principles and practice which he recommends
to unconverted sinners, as light is to darkness ?
Having made so little of Paul, he turns abruptly from him,
and goes back to Moses, from whom he had more reason to
expect some shadow of argument, as it may seem to inattentive
readers, in support of his doctrine. Moses himself acted from
the same principles by which the conduct of Paul was regu
lated, Heb. xi. 24 — 29. The nation of Israel, to whom he
delivered the law, was however a nation of this world, a race
of carnal men, though they were the peculiar people of God in a
typical sense, to whom carnal ordinances alone were suited, and
few of whom could worship God in spirit and in truth. Their
obedience therefore to the letter of the law, which is all the
obedience that was, or could be given by the generality of that
people, must have been the effect, in part at least, of worldly
motives, and of such principles as are natural to man. Accord
ingly they were encouraged to obey the God of their fathers,
by promises of being blessed in their basket and in their store,
of victory over their temporal enemies, and of a long and pros
perous life in the land of promise. These, and suchlike, were
the rewards that were promised them ; and their law was also
sanctioned by temporal curses; the capital punishment of
death was inflicted for many crimes, and others of less magni
tude were punished in exact proportion to their just demerit.
Is this the religion which Mr L. would have us to con
sider as forming a part of the religion of Christ, the anti
type of Moses, by whom came grace and truth ? Would he
persuade us to return to these weak and beggarly elements, a
yoke which neither the first Jewish converts to Christianity nor
3 H

424 MISCELLANEOUS 1IECES.
their fathers were able to bear ? Does he think himself war
ranted to make men Jews, in order that they may become
Christians, though the New Testament plainly shows him,
that, when the Gospel of Christ was first preached, it had no
greater enemies than the Jews, who also crucified the Lord
of glory, and pleased not God, and were contrary to all men ? [
Can any thing be more opposite to the Apostle Paul's de
scription of a real Jew, than the outward and insincere reli
gious character which Mr L. recommends ! " He is not a Jew,
says he," who is " one outwardly, neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh ; but he is a Jew who is one in
wardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and
not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God," Rom.
ii. 28, 29. Those who highly venerate the letter of the Old
Testament dispensation, without much regarding its spirit,
would do well to attend to this text, which we earnestly recom
mend to Christian teachers as a directory never to be departed
from, when they wish to describe true religion, or to urge it
on the consciences either of converted or unconverted sinners.
Mr L., however, asserts that, " from the beginning to the
end of the Bible, we find religion urged upon men by consi
derations not of a higher or nobler kind than that which Solo
mon urges in his text." That is, according to his explanation
of the text, religion is urged upon them by the motive of pleas
ing men, and by other worldly considerations, such we suppose
as he mentions in his sermon, that " religion tends to make us
happy in this world. It procures a good name, which is better
than gold and silver, and which is a mean of procuring gold
and silver." Whatever Mr L.'s real sentiments may be, these
words savour too much of an opinion which some held in the days
of the Apostles, and which has been embraced by an innumer
able multitude, since the Man of Sin began to reign, namely,
" that gain is godliness." One would think from this, the pro
curing of gold and silver is stated as the principal thing ; a good
name conduces to that end ; and in order to procure a good
name, we must be religious. We are far from imputing these
principles to Mr L., but his doctrine, we must say, tends to
disseminate them.
He places " a concern for salvation" on the same footing
with a desire in children to please their parents by performing
outward acts of devotion. This we conceive to be a very great
mistake ; it almost totally confounds the distinction between
the proud Pharisee and the self-condemned publican. Will he
maintain that they who " were pricked in their hearts, and said,
Men and brethren, what shall we do," and he who " sprang in
and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 425
said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved," were not in a more
hopeful condition than those who prayed that they might be
seen of men ? or that the latter were as much disposed to
confess their sins unto him who is faithful and just to forgive
them, as were the convicted Jews, and the trembling jailer ?
What does the event prove in relation to the state of this
fact? He says, further, " if you are right in this censure, the Mis
sionary Societies are guilty of a great and pernicious error, in
sending forth men to preach the Gospel, and in instructing their
missionaries to gain the good-will of men, who cannot be moved
by spiritual considerations." What sentiment have we advanced,
from which it can be inferred that we disapprove of the most
zealous exertions to call the attention of sinners to the glorious
Gospel of Christ, by every lawful means ? There is nothing
unlawful surely, in endeavouring to gain the confidence and
good-will of strangers ; for it is the duty of Christians, in
every situation, to " strive as much as lieth in them to live
peaceably with all men." And more especially must they
be called to this, when they go to proclaim the glad tidings
of salvation to sinners ready to perish, who have never
before had an opportunity of hearing the Gospel. They can
not fail to be exceedingly anxious that their fellow-sinners
should repent and turn to God ; and they know that this can
only be effected by the Word of truth which they have gone to
declare to them. But is there no difference between attempts
to induce men to hear the Gospel, and using influence with
them to put on a form of godliness, in order to please their
parents or teachers ? The former is absolutely necessary to
salvation, for the Holy Spirit of God operates on the minds
of men only by means of the truth ; the latter aggravates the
condemnation of poor sinners. The Lord promises that his
blessing shall accompany his own Word, but no blessing is pro
mised to those hypocrites, whose fear towards God is taught
by the precepts of men.
We have a great respect for the memory of Dr Owen, and
consider him as one who had an extensive knowledge of Divine
truth. But both he and Mr L. seem to have forgotten them
selves, when they affirm that " God stepped out of his way to
save a persecuting Saul." There were very singular circum
stances in the manner of Saul's conversion ; but he himself
represents it as " a pattern of all long-suffering to those who
should hereafter believe on Christ to life everlasting ;" and
expressly affirms that "for this cause he obtained mercy," 1 Tim.
i.^ 16. Blessed be God that this and many other examples of
his infinite mercy to the greatest sinners, are recorded with such

426 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
precision, and such irresistible evidence, as makes them shine
forth with unsullied splendour, amidst all the clouds which
human ignorance has raised to darken them. Besides, Saul,
in his unconverted state, was "instantly serving God day and
night ; he was zealous of the law," and strictly attended to all
its ordinances, among which was the reading of the law and the
prophets. How, then, according to Mr L.'s idea of this mat
ter, could God be said to step out of his way to save Saul ?
Would it not have been more consistent with his sentiments, to
have made this an instance of the Lord's ordinary way, who
he says " honours his own institutions, by dispensing his sav
ing grace to those who attend upon them ? " He will doubtless
perceive where this would land him.
In Mr L.'s defence, he endeavours to show the necessity of
admitting that, when persons attend upon religious ordinances,
" there is a probability at least of their deriving from them the
advantage in question," otherwise they will cease to attend upon
them ; and he asks, " if we ever heard of a physician who urged
his patient to use his medicines, but at the same time assured
him, that the man was a liar who should tell him that they
were likely to do him any good ?" To which we reply,
" The advantage in question," namely converting grace, does
not depend on attention to Divine ordinances from a desire to
please men, though it cannot be obtained without hearing the
Gospel, because the grace by which men are converted and
saved, is therein revealed. This grace is altogether free and
sovereign ; no good conduct on the part of sinners can be an
introduction to it, or the means of obtaining it ; nor can it lay
a just foundation to hope, that in some future part of their lives
they will be made partakers of it, though Mr L. has affirmed
all this. God may indeed save many of these formalists, at
the very moment when they are profaning his ordinances by
attending on them from the basest motives, in like manner as
he converted Saul when he was breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against his disciples, and by the irresistible power of
his grace saved three thousand false worshippers in one day,
and made even a great number of Jewish priests obedient to
the faith. But none of these persons had any reason to hope
that they were more likely to obtain salvation than other men,
on account of their conduct in their unconverted state.
The encouragement which we propose to all our fellow-
sinnners, without distinction, is not a mere peradventure, but
an absolute certainty that " he that believeth shall be saved."
We tell them that Jesus Christ the Son of God hath offered
up the true atoning sacrifice ; that God is well pleased ; that
he hath given the highest demonstration of this in the resur-

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDREN. 427
rection of Christ from the dead ; that repentance and remission
of sins are preached in his name to all nations, and to every crea
ture of whatever rank, age, sex, or character ; and that whoso
ever calleth on the name of the Lord shall be saved. This is
the only medicine that can be of any"service to a wounded soul ;
and we assure the diseased, that all who partake of it shall infal
libly be cured. He deceives men, who would make them believe
that a counterfeit medicine, or a mere pretence of taking the
sovereign remedy, will prove beneficial to them. Did ever any
physician give his patients hopes of being cured by his medicines,
when he knew that they despised them, and that, while they pro
fessed veneration for him, they were actually regulated by the
prescriptions of some unskilful person in whom they had greater
confidence ?
Mr L. imagines that we keep men at a distance from the
Gospel, by teaching them that a hypocritical outward form of
religion does not give them any reason to hope that they will
be made partakers of saving grace. And, because we affirm
that they expose themselves to an aggravation of punishment
by profaning the ordinances of the Lord, therefore he says that
we lead them to abstain from every religious exercise, to fulfil
their lusts, and to make a near approach to the unpardonable
sin ; of the nature of which, however, he does not seem to have
any just idea.
It is astonishing that he did not perceive that he was endea
vouring to fix these horrid consequences on doctrine which is
directly taken from the Word of God ! When the Scripture
says, that " The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to
the Lord ; but the prayer of the upright is his delight ;" does
it prohibit the wicked from prayer ? Is not this rather to be
considered as a warning of their danger, and an incitement to
repent, and to pray for forgiveness in God's appointed way ?
Jesus Christ condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and
their manner of performing all their religious duties, their
giving of alms, their fastings, their long prayers, and vain repe
titions. All these were an abomination to the Lord, on
account of the motives from which they were performed ;
and their leading motive was a desire to obtain the praise of
men. Will Mr L., therefore, affirm that our blessed Lord for
bade the Pharisees to give alms, to fast, and to pray?
We might multiply instances of this kind, but we shall only
mention farther what Christ says with regard to the additional
condemnation which men shall endure on account of their rejec
tion of the Gospel. His words are, " This is the condemna
tion, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil," John iii. 19,

428 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
We beseech Mr L. to consider whether his doctrine has a ten
dency to bring men to the light, or to make them, in a great
measure, pleased with their darkness ; and whether the general
strain of his argument, in the latter part of his defence, might
not rather be expected from one who impugns the doctrine of
Christ. That there is a peculiar danger in hearing and rejecting
the Gospel, which is " the savour of life unto life, or the savour
of death unto death ;" and that a greater punishment awaits
those who do not repent, cannot possibly be denied, without
expressly contradicting the Word of God. Men ought to be
aware of these things; and they are undoubtedly their best
friends who endeavour to cut up by the roots all their false
hopes, and who faithfully set life and death before them.
Mr. L. frequently supposes that religious duties and good
works are performed by unconverted sinners, though he also
admits, that " they can do no work that is spiritually good."
Which of these ought to be considered as his real opinion, we
cannot tell. But whatever may be his sentiments in relation to
the good works of unregenerate persons, of whom the Scrip
ture says, that " there is none that doeth good, no not one," he
might have uniformly admitted, at least, that outward acts of
devotion, performed with an eye to please men, and not pro
ceeding from the love and fear of God, are none of these.
To his observations respecting regenerate persons, who are
doubtful about the safety of their state, or the purity and spi
rituality of their motives in the service of God, we reply by
asking him, if he will venture to affirm that any other persons
than real believers, and those who worship God in spirit and in
truth, are accepted of him ? If not, then he is left in the same
dilemma in which he would have us to be placed. Or does
he mean to say, that when believers cannot worship God in a
spiritual manner, they may do it without remorse in a carnal
manner? They certainly ought never to cease from waiting
upon God in his ordinances ; for how else can they expect to
be revived and made spiritual ? But neither ought they to be
satisfied with a mere bodily attendance, and an outward form.
And to his question, how we, upon our principles, can com
mand our dependents to walk in the way of the Lord, we reply,
that it is not more difficult for us to instruct or command ac
cording to our principles, than it is for him to do so according
to his. The difference between him and us respects the way
of the Lord itself, and has no relation to teaching or command
ing others to walk in it. We never imagined that Christian
parents are not under an express obligation to command their
children to read the Scriptures, and to attend to other means
of religious instruction, both in public and private ; however

REMARKS ON A SERMON ON INSTRUCTING CHILDHEN. 429
much we may blame them for teaching their children, in oppo
sition to the doctrine of the Scriptures, that it is their duty
to be religious from worldly motives, and that they have reason
to expect converting grace, in consequence of their devotional
exercises and good behaviour.
It is not a sufficient argument against any doctrine, that it is
liable to abuse ; for Divine truth has been often abused, and
made subservient to the lusts and corruptions of men. But that
doctrine which, in its own nature, tends to foster the pride of
men, and to lead them to place their confidence in their own
righteousness, is not of God ; and such, we apprehend, is the
tendency of the doctrine which we have censured. MrL.
endeavours to retort this charge, on the groundless supposi
tion that we set aside the means which God hath appointed for
subduing the pride of the human heart. Had we really done so,
the tendency of our doctrine would have been rather to promote
the cause of infidelity, than to encourage pharisaical pride and
self-righteousness. And though he had convicted us of so great
a crime, of which he has completely failed, he could not
thereby have freed himself from the charge of having recom
mended the religion of the Pharisees, to whom Christ said,
" Ye are they who justify yourselves before men ; but God
knoweth your hearts ; for that which is highly esteemed among
men, is abomination in the sight of God," Luke xvi. 15.
Mr L. seems very much displeased with some persons, whom
he sigmatizes as prejudiced, malicious, revilers of inspired
men, disseminators of doctrine more mischievous than all
the pestilent doctrines of the church of Rome; persons
who have not seven devils (merely,) but devils with worse
devils within them; who present to sinners the wine and
milk of the Gospel, in a vessel burning hot with fire from
hell; who teach men to throw off every restraint, to fulfil
their lusts, and to commit the sin against the Holy Spirit ! ! !
And he concludes with a woe to the teachers of lies, and another
woe to the false answers of the teachers of truth. We chari
tably suppose that he does not intend to apply to us all these
opprobrious epithets. But though he should intend this, as
there is no argument in abusive language, and as it cannot hurt
an opponent, especially when it ascribes to him such a compli
cation of wicked principles and conduct as is probably not to
be found in any one person, corrupt as human nature is ; it does
not merit a reply. Instead of rendering evil for evil, and rail
ing for railing, we assure him that our remarks have been dic
tated by friendship to him, and to all who listen to his doctrine,
and that we most sincerely wish his temporal and eternal happi
ness.

430 MISCELLANEOUS TIECES.

EXAMINATION OF MR FULLER'S TREATISE ON FAITH.
Mr Fuller has just published a Tract, entitled, " The Gos
pel worthy of all Acceptation;" " with an Appendix on the
question, Whether the existence of any holy disposition of heart
be necessary in order to believing in Christ ?" I perfectly agree
with this author in considering it as the duty of unconverted
sinners to believe in Jesus Christ. In handling this subject,
he has shown very considerable talents ; and many of his argu
ments are scriptural and conclusive, except the doctrine con
tained in the Appendix. In it he has principally attacked
Mr M'Lean, whose sentiments, with respect to the nature
of faith, are the same with my own. I do not mean, however,
to write in his defence. He is fully capable of defending him
self, if he should so incline. I shall not, therefore, attempt any
explanation of what he has written upon the subject, nor any
exposure of the misrepresentations and false glosses imposed
upon him, I hope not intentionally, by Mr Fuller. My design
is, to throw out a few hints respecting the doctrine contained
in the Appendix, as an antidote against its hurtful tendency,
till a more full reply shall be written by one more competent for
the task.
Mr F. endeavours to prove, that " holy dispositions of heart
are necessary in order to believing in Christ ;" * or that " faith
in Christ is a persuasion influenced by the moral state of the
heart, and partaking of it."f He farther affirms, that " what
ever proves faith to be a duty, proves it to be a holy exercise
of the soul towards Christ, arising from the heart being turned
towards him." | In this manner he openly and avowedly pleads
for holy dispositions, as pre-requisites in order to fit a person
for believing in Christ; and he makes faith itself, thus pro
duced, a holy exercise of the soul. At the same time, he
would persuade us, that he is a strenuous supporter of the
freedom and sovereignty of Divine grace, and that the strange
system which he wishes to establish, is alone consistent with the
spotless purity of the law of God. On the contrary, it appears
to me, that the leading tendency of the Appendix, whatever its
author might design, is to confound faith and works, the law
and the Gospel, Divine grace and human merit. These irrc-
* Title-page. f Appendix, p. 171. :|: Ibid.

REMARKS ON MR FULLER'S TREATISE ON FAITH. 431
concilable opposites are most carefully and accurately distin
guished in the Word of God ; and it is of the utmost conse
quence that the distinction should be clearly perceived, and
steadily maintained, against all who would darken or impair it.
Allow me to make some remarks on the above description
of faith.1 . The distinction between faith and works is thus marked
by the Apostle Paul : " Where is boasting then ? It is ex
cluded. By what law ? of works ? Nay ; but by the law of
faith. Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law." * " Now to him that worketh
is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him
that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the un
godly, his faith is counted for righteousness." f " By grace
are ye saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves : it is
the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should boast." }
" But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God,
it is evident; for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is
not of faith ; but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." §
In all these passages, and many others which might be men
tioned, human works, including surely the good dispositions of
heart from whence they flow, are entirely set aside in the matter
of justification before God ; while the grace of God, the right
eousness of Christ, and faith in him as the Lord our right
eousness, are set in opposition to all the works and holiness of
men. In this point of view, the latter are represented as the
ground of legal justification. But that justification which con
demned criminals obtain, comes to them freely by the grace of
God, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus ; and is
enjoyed by faith, in opposition to all human works and merit.
It is remarkable, that the Apostle does not merely affirm that
we are saved or justified by grace alone, through Christ's obe
dience unto death ; he very often contrasts with this the works
of the law, to which all men naturally cleave as a foundation
of hope, that he may the more effectually establish the one,
and demolish the other. It was not enough for him to say,
that " boasting is excluded by the law of faith ;" he must also
declare, that it is " not excluded by the law of works." He
did not merely conclude that " a man is justified by faith ;" but
likewise added, " without the deeds of the law." He was not
satisfied with affirming, that the people of God at Ephesus were
" saved through faith, and that not of themselves, because it
was the gift of God ;" he reminded them also, that salvation
* Bom. iii. 27, '2S. t Rom. iv. 4, 5.
X Eph. ii. 8, 9. S Gal. in. 11, l->.
3 i

432 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
was " not of works, lest any man should boast." The Scrip
tures uniformly treat the subject in the same style. And I
would ask, is it consistent with such a clear and decided method
of contrasting faith and works, to represent faith as " a holy
exercise of the soul towards Christ, arising from the heart being
turned towards him ?" Many are the distinctions which have
been made by Mr F., with an uncommon degree of penetration
and acuteness. But he seems incapable of comprehending, or
rather indisposed to admit, one of the clearest and most im
portant distinctions which is any where to be met with in the
Word of God ; namely, that faith is not works, or that justifi
cation by faith is the very opposite of justification by the deeds
of the law, which requires all holy dispositions and exercises of
heart towards God, as well as perfect conformity to its precepts
in the whole tenor of our lives. If holy dispositions of the heart
be necessary in order to produce faith in Christ ; if faith itself
be a holy exercise of the soul towards Christ, arising from the
heart being turned towards him ; and if this be the faith which
justifies, is it not manifest that we are justified by the deeds of
the law ? For what reason are good works not expressly men
tioned in Mr F.'s description of faith, and of the source from
which it springs ? He knows well, surely, that holy conduct is
the necessary and the immediate effect of holy dispositions and
exercises of heart. Thus are sinners made debtors to do the
whole law, in order to obtain the faith which justifies !
2. Mr F. has a subterfuge here, but it will yield him no
shelter. He represents the doctrine which excludes our holi
ness from being necessary to our acceptance with God, under
any consideration whatever, as founded, if he mistake not, only
on the phraseology of a single passage of Scripture, Rom. iv.
4, 5. By him that worketh not, and the ungodly whom God
justifieth, he does not understand " persons who at the time
had never done any good thing in the sight of God, but persons
who work not with respect to justification, and who, in their
dealings with God for acceptance, come not as righteous, but
as ungodly." " He that worketh not," says he, " is said at the
6ame time to believe ; but whenever this can be said of a man,
it cannot with truth be affirmed of him that he hath done nothing
good in the sight of God. It may, however, be truly affirmed
of him, that he worketh not with respect to justification ; for
it is of the nature of faith to overlook and relinquish every thing
of the kind."
Mr F. certainly is mistaken if he imagines that the justifica
tion of those who were ungodly till they were justified freely by
the grace of God, is only revealed in Rom. iv. 4, 5. Several
other texts, which explicitly declare the same truth, have been

REMARKS ON MR FULLER'S TREATISE ON FAITH. 433
already quoted ; and these are only a sample of the uniform
doctrine of the Scriptures in relation to it. But we must not
conclude, it seems, that the persons denominated ungodly had
" never done any good thing." They were believers, and there
fore, " by the grace of God, had done what is right in giving
credit to what God says." He never can want evidence that
a believer has done good before he was justified ; for if every
thing else fail him, he produces faith itself as a good work, al
though the inspired writers repeatedly declare, that believing
is not working, and that there is no unbeliever who doeth good ;
no, not one.
Let us now attend to his manner of attempting to reconcile
all this with justification by grace. The holy person, whom he
represents as being justified, worketh not with respect to jus
tification, and the faith which he possesses, is " a holy exercise
of his soul towards Christ, a persuasion influenced by the moral
state of his heart, and partaking of it !" The Scriptures affirm
that we are made righteous by Christ's obedience, and not by
our own holiness ; that we obtain an interest in what he hath
done and suffered for sinners, or are actually " justified by
faith, without the deeds of the law," which is precisely the same
thing with " not working, but believing." Good works undoubt
edly are performed by justified persons ; but the Word of God
no where affirms that they are justified by any of these. * It
declares, however, that we are justified by faith ; and were it
true that holy dispositions precede faith, and that faith itself is
a holy exercise of the soul, the conclusion would be ine
vitable, that we are justified by works. Mr F. himself must in
part be sensible of what I now urge ; for he could not other
wise have failed to state, that holiness of life precedes faith,
and is included in it. What need hinder him to say, that the
Spirit of God produces, in those whom he intends to justify,
all holy conversation and godliness ; and that love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, and all the fruits of the Spirit, belong to the
nature and essence of faith ? Upon this plan, he could still
show that such persons are not justified by works ; for although
they have every good work which the law of Christ requires,
yet " they work not with respect to justification."
He appeals to the examples of Abraham and David, Rom. iv.,
in proof of his assertion that justification by faith without works,
does not imply that the person so justified is destitute of true
* The Apostle James affirms, it is true, that " a man is justified by works,
and not bv faith only ;" but he has quite a different subject in view, viz.
God's approbation of his people, already justified by faith, when they glo
rify him by doing his will.

434 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
holiness before he is brought into a state of favour with God.
This, by the way, shows that he does not exclude works, pro
perly so called ; for surely the father of the faithful, and the
man according to God's own heart, were not deficient in these :
of the former it is said, " Seest thou how faith wrought with
his works ?" From the instance of Abraham he affirms, that
" it is manifest that the character described by the Apostle in
Rom. iv., is not that of an enemy but a friend of God ; * and
that it is not merely applicable to a Christian at the first mo
ment of his believing, but through the whole of life. " We
have," says he, " to deal with Christ for pardon and justifica
tion more than once ; and must always go to him as working
not, but believing on him that justifieth the ungodly."
It is unquestionably true, that believers need daily pardon ;
for they sin daily. But how Mr F. could suppose that " they
have to do with Christ for justification more than once," I can
not understand. The Scriptures declare, that " there is no
condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. It is God that
justifieth. Who is he that condemneth ?" It is opposite to the
nature of the thing, as well as to the express declarations of
the Word of God, to suppose that justification needs to be re
peated. But perhaps this has dropt from him inadvertently.
If, however, he admit that believers are only once justified, and
never afterwards come into condemnation, it will be extremely
difficult for him to maintain his position. What were they during
the former period of their lives, and immediately before they
were justified by grace ? " Dead in trespasses and sins ; ful
filling the desires of the flesh and of the mind ; alienated, and
enemies to God in their minds by wicked works ; without
Christ, having no hope, and without God in the world," — either
leading an openly immoral life, as the avowed enemies of God
— or, by outward sobriety, forms of religion, and some fancied
amendment of heart, endeavouring to make their peace with
him, and thus pouring contempt upon the exceeding riches of
Divine grace displayed in Christ Jesus towards the utterly
worthless. I might quote almost the whole of the New Tes
tament in proof of this doctrine, and give other solid reasons
why Mr F.'s affirmations, with respect to holy dispositions of
* A judicious author, whose works are often cited by Mr F., expresses
a very different opinion : — " All that are justified were before ungodly ;
and all that are justified are at the same instant made godly. But the
question is, Whether they are godly or ungodly antecedently at any mo
ment of time unto their justification ? If they are considered as godly, and
are so indeed, then the Apostle's words are not true ; for the contradictory
proposition is true — God justifieth none but the godly." — Owen on Justi
fication, Glasgow Edit. 1760, p. 553, 554  This reasoning is just, forcible,
and conclusive.

REMARKS ON MR FULLER'S TREATISE ON FAITH. 435
the heart antecedent to faith, cannot be true. But this is
another branch of the subject, which it is not my design at
present fully to investigate. I certainly do not maintain, as
Mr F. unjustly insinuates with respect to Mr M'Lean, that a
person who is actually justified is at that moment the enemy of
God. That which justifies him, also reconciles him, and makes
him the friend of God. I can conceive no time to intervene
between the production of these two leading effects of the
Gospel by the power of the Spirit of God. But justifica
tion is first in order. The enmity of a sinner's heart can
not be slain, but by his discerning and crediting that which
frees him from condemnation, and gives him peace with
God. And what is it ? " We are justified by the blood of
Christ, reconciled to God by the death of his Son, reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death." And all true holiness
proceeds from the same cause ; for " the grace of God, which
hath appeared to all men, bringing salvation, teacheth us, that
denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world."
It is most readily admitted, that a person who has believed
the Gospel and served God for many years, obtains Divine for
giveness, and has his peace renewed, precisely on the same
ground with the vilest sinner, immediately brought to the know
ledge of the truth. But as the people of God are justified
when they first believe in Christ, and are not afterwards per
mitted to fall from that state ; for " whom God justifieth, them
he also glorifieth ;" we may therefore conclude, with all safety,
that when the Apostle describes a justified person, Rom. iv. 5,
he is not telling us what his character is1 long after his conver
sion, but what it was before, and until he was " washed, and
sanctified, and justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by
the Spirit of our God."
3. If Mr F.'s description of faith be a just one, it will bear
to be introduced into some of those texts of Scripture in which
faith and works are contrasted. Let us try how it will suit in
this way. " We conclude that a man is justified by a holy
exercise of soul towards Christ, and not by the deeds of the
law. To him that worketh not, but exerciseth a holy disposi
tion of heart towards him that justifieth the ungodly, his holy
disposition of heart is[counted for righteousness. But that no man
is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident ; for the
just shall live by a holy exercise of the soul towards Christ.
And the law is not of a holy exercise of soul ; but the man that
doth them shall live in them. Being justified by a persuasion
arising from the moral state of the heart, and partaking of it,
we have peace with God !" No comment is necessary. Every

4156 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
one who relishes the doctrine of Divine grace, as it is clearly
stated in thepureand unadulterated Word of God, will be shocked
at this corruption of it, by which a law of works is presented
to us under the semblance of the glorious Gospel of Christ.
The author's reasoning is subtle, and some of his arguments
are specious, and calculated to ensnare the unwary. I hope
those who know the true grace of God wherein Christians stand,
will be on their guard against them ; and that inquirers will dili
gently search the Scriptures, to see whether his sentiments or
mine are confirmed by that only infallible standard of truth.
Without taking any farther notice of what Mr Fuller has
advanced with respect to holy dispositions of heart antecedent
to faith in Christ, I beg leave to make some additional remarks
on his description of faith itself; leaving it with Mr M'Lean
to discuss the former point, and to enter into a more full inves
tigation of the latter than can with propriety be admitted in a
periodical publication. I have already shown that faith and
works are most accurately distinguished in the Word of God,
and that the subterfuge by which Mr F. would evade the
force of an insurmountable objection, by endeavouring to make
it appear, that, although faith be of tho nature of working, yet
it justifies, not as a work, but as it unites the soul to Christ,
can yield him no shelter ; and that his description of faith will
not bear to be introduced into those texts of Scripture in which
faith and workB are distinguished and contrasted. My argu
ment will be confirmed by observing, in general,
4. That when two things are contrasted, or set in opposition
to one another, in the sacred writings, and not merely stated
in the way of comparison or preference, they are always either
wholly, or in some leading respect, essentially different in their
natures. Innumerable instances of this might be produced.
A few of them will be sufficient to prove that the manner in
which faith and works are contrasted, in relation to the justifica
tion of sinners in the sight of God, does not leave us at liberty
to imagine that faith and holiness are one and the same thing.
When the Apostle Paul says to the Romans, " Ye are not
under the law, but under grace," Rom. vi. 14, and " Ye are
not in the flesh, but in the Spirit," chap. viii. 9, is it possi
ble for us to conceive that there is no material difference
between the law and grace, and that their being led by the
Spirit of Christ, and living and walking in the Spirit, was not
precisely the opposite of being under the dominion of tlie fleshly
corrupt principle which they had Lderived from fallen Adam ?
Yet the law and grace, the flesh and the Spirit, are not more
clearly or energetically opposed to one another in the Scrip-

REMARKS ON MR FULLER* S TREATISE ON FAITH. 437
tures, than faith and works are. He affirms that " God hath
saved us, and 4 called us with an holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began," 2 Tim.
i. 9 ; and that "he saved us, not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according , to his mercy," iii. 5. And
shall we say that there is no essential difference between our
own works being the cause of our salvation, and its being
effected by the grace and mercy of God our Saviour, in con
sequence of his own eternal purpose ?
The same Apostle gives this edifying account of his own
experience in the life of faith : " For Christ Jesus my Lord I
have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung,
that I may win Christ, and be found in him ; not having mine
own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by
faith," Phil. iii. 8, 9. Here it is manifest that he sets in oppo
sition to his own personal righteousness the all-perfect right
eousness of the Son of God, disclaiming the one, and embracing
tlie other, as that alone in which he could appear with accept
ance at the last day ; and that he likewise contrasts faith with
the law, while he declares that his own righteousness was of
the law, but that the righteousness in which he desired to be
found was by the faith of Christ, consequently not of the
law, in any sense in which that expression can be justly
explained. The contrast between grace and works is most emphatically
stated, when the Apostle informs tlie Romans that at that time
there was a remnant among the Jews " according to the elec
tion of grace." He adds, " And if by grace, then is it no more of
works ; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works,
then is it no more grace ; otherwise work is no more work,"
Rom. xi. 5, 6. Language more express, or reasoning more simple
and conclusive, never was nor can be employed by any writer,
upon any subject, human or Divine. Yet I conceive myself
fully warranted by the nature of the thing, and by the whole
current of Scripture, to hold the same language with respect
to faith. If salvation be through faith, then is it no more of
works ; otherwise faith is no more faith. It is utterly incon
sistent with its nature, to suppose that they w ho are saved
by faith, obtain salvation by their own works or holy disposi
tions of heart, in any respect whatever, qualified or unqualified.
Therefore the promise, or the righteousness contained in it, " is
of faith, that it might be by grace," Rom. iv. 19. It could not
be by grace in any other way. But if faith itself be a work,
as Mr F. affirms, then surely we must be saved by what we

438 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
reckon a good work, if we are saved by faith. He says, in
deed, that " it is not supposed to justify as a work." But how
can it justify as any other thing than what it really is ? If it be
a work, and yet considered, when we are justified by it, as no
work, then it must be admitted that we carefully divest it of its
true nature, and adopt a false idea of it in relation to the justi
fication of sinners. There is an affectation of humility, and a
trimming work here, which could never have been imposed
upon us by a holy and righteous God ; nor is there a single
word in all the Scriptures which can be fairly construed into
any such meaning.
I shall only take notice of another text in which faith is
opposed to sight, an essential quality which is frequently attri
buted to it in the Word of God, and which will not be disputed.
Paul, when describing his own experience, and that of his fel
low Christians, says, " We walk by faith, not by sight,"
2 Cor. v. 7, which implies that nothing which falls within the
cognizance of our senses can properly be considered as the
object of faith. The things which we are called to believe are
" things not seen as yet," eternal things, the evidence of the
existence and reality of which, is not within ourselves, but com
municated by the testimony of God ; and the same observa
tion holds true in relation to worldly things, in which we our
selves are conversant, and those things for which we have no
other proof than the testimony of credible witnesses. In both
cases our knowledge may be increased ; in the latter only, we
can,, in strict propriety, be said to believe. But however indis
putable this quality of faith may be, an ingenious man might
find plausible arguments against it. When the Spirit of
God descended like a dove and abode upon Christ, John Baptist
said, " I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." And
Christ himself says to Thomas, " Because thou hast seen me,
thou hast believed; blessed are they who have not seen, and yet
have believed." Now, whatever be the import of these and other
similar sayings, would it not be strange to argue from them that
seeing is believing, and that believing is seeing, in opposition to
the express declaration of the Apostle already quoted? And does
it not betray at least an equal degree of prejudice and want of
simplicity, to affirm, upon any ground whatever, that believing
is working, although the Word of God hath testified that a man
is justified by faith, and not by the deeds of the law ?
5. " What, then, is faith ?" Some will be ready to exclaim,
" The faith of God's elect, the faith of the operation of God,
and without which it is impossible to please God. Will you
venture to disparage the great work of believing, and to repre
sent it as a thing of nought ? Is there no virtue, no moral

REMARKS ON MR FULLER'S TREATISE ON FAITH. 439
worth in it, no holy exercise of the soul towards Christ, nor
any act of obedience to the Divine law ? Does its heavenly
nature consist of nothing more than simply believing what God
says, without including the consent of the will, and the exer
cise of grateful and devout affections ?"
I answer — Great is the virtue of faith in Christ. It is the -
gift of God, and therefore must be good. It is truly precious,
for they only who believe are justified, and shall obtain ever
lasting life. It humbles the soul under a deep and abiding
sense of sin. It leads perishing sinners to that which alone
can relieve and comfort them— the all-atoning sacrifice of the
Son of God ; they are filled with all joy and peace in believing,
and abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
It purifieth the heart ; it worketh by love to God and man ;
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our
faith. It animates all who are possessed of it, to " offer, by
Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is,
the fruit of their lips, giving thanks to his name ; and to do
good, and to communicate, knowing that with such sacrifices
God is well pleased." I should never have done, were I to
recapitulate all the virtues of faith. See how it wrought in
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, &c, Heb. xi. ; and how other
Old Testament worthies " through faith subdued kingdoms,
wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths
of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the
sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in
fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." Christians
live by the faith of the Son of God ; and when they die, it
tunes their hearts to sing this song of triumph : " O death !
where is thy sting ? O grave ! where is thy victory ?" They
overcome all their enemies " by the blood of the Lamb, and
by the word of their testimony," and " receive the end of their
faith, even the salvation of their souls."
But still, whatever may be the causes, the concomitants,
and the beneficial consequences of faith, I maintain that nothing-
more is included in its nature than simply believing or crediting
the Divine record. Mr F. has not produced, nor is he able to
produce, a single text, which, by a fair interpretation, can be
otherwise explained. Indeed, the Apostles, in preaching the
Gospel, never gave their hearers a scientific definition of faith.
They seem to have proceeded on the well-grounded supposi
tion, that all who heard them knew as well as they did what it
was to believe a testimony. Their hearers were in general
ignorant of the truth as it is in Jesus, which therefore they
declared, and illustrated with great plainness of speech ; they
likewise confirmed it by the most satisfactory evidence, and
3 K

440 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
commanded all men every where to repent, and believe the
Gospel which they preached ; but they never gave any explana
tion of faith or believing. One would think, however, that
nothing could have been more necessary, if Mr F.'s description
of it be just. The people to whom the Apostles preached the
Gospel, at least most of Paul's hearers, were totally unac
quainted with theological disputes. Even the » Jews, among
whom there were theological controversies in abundance, did
not deal much in enquiries about the nature of faith. If, how
ever, they had conceived it to be a work, it is not unlikely that
they might have adopted it into their system ; for their plea in
favour of justification by works, was open and undisguised. But
they perceived the distinction between faith and works, with
sufficient clearness to draw forth all their enmity against the
former. We may therefore conclude, that none of the Apostles'
hearers understood that faith was " a work, a moral excellency,
a holy exercise of the soul towards Christ." Why, then, did
they not inform them of a thing which, if true, was so essen
tially necessary to be known, when they connected salvation
with the faith of what they declared ? Just because no such
idea every entered into their minds. The introduction of con
fused, irrational, and unscriptural definitions of faith, was
reserved for an after period, when the simplicity of the Chris
tian doctrine was so much corrupted, that men began to make
a merit even of faith and repentance ; which, for any thing
we know from the writings of the Apostles, was not so much
as heard of in their days.
It appears to me unnecessary to enlarge farther with respect
to the nature of faith. Indeed, it is much to be lamented that
it should ever have become a matter of dispute among profess
ing Christians, or that any of them should have imagined faith
or belief to be any thing else than what all men, except those
whose judgments have been perverted by false religious prin
ciples, understand it to be. I shall therefore only observe,
in addition to the foregoing simple account of it, that, what
ever virtue or excellency faith possesses, it is derived solely and
exclusively from the glorious object of faith, Jesus the Son of
God. If it be a living faith, it is so because it unites the soul
to Christ, who liveth for ever at the right hand of God, and is
mighty to save, and because they who believe, hear the voice
of the Son of God, and live ; if it be precious, it is so because
the righteousness of our God and Saviour, in which believers
glory, is infinitely precious ; and if it produces hope, and charity,
and every disposition and practice which God approves, these
effects are owing to the transforming influence of the glory of
God shining in the face of Christ, and discerned by faith in

REMARKS ON MR FULLER'S TREATISE ON FAITH. 441
him who is the image of the invisible God. To him there
fore, and not to guilty mortals who presume to talk of faith as
their work and their holiness, be all the glory.
6. Mr Fuller supposes that he has gained a complete triumph
over some of his opponents, who admit that faith is a duty, and
yet deny that it has all that intrinsic moral worth for which he
pleads. I am one of those who not only cannot deny that it is
the indispensable duty of unconverted sinners to repent and
believe the Gospel, but who assert and maintain this as an im
portant article of Divine truth. Undoubtedly, " God com-
mandeth all men every where to repent ;" and " the Gospel is,
by the commandment of the everlasting God, preached to all
nations for the obedience of faith." In this argument, on which
he seems to lay the greatest stress, he takes it for granted that,
because faith is commanded, and works are commanded, there
fore faith, as well as good works, must be " influenced by the
moral state of the heart," and have in it, not as the principle
of holiness, and subjection to God, but in its own nature, " and
aside from its good effects, something of conformity to the
Divine law."
Now, it is certainly true that no work is acceptable to God
unless it be a good work, that is, if it do not arise from the
moral state of the heart, and a holy disposition of soul towards
God ; or, in other words, if it do not flow from love to him,
for " this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments ;
and he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love."
But is there no difference between a commandment to believe
the Gospel, and a commandment to love God, and to
be actively employed in doing his will ? The former, I
am persuaded, is a commandment to cease from working, by
which unbelievers can only " go about to establish their own
righteousness, not submitting themselves to the righteousness
of God." It is a commandment to believe that the work on
which alone we ought to depend for salvation, is already finished,
that God is well pleased, and that he justifieth the ungodly,
not working but believing. This is " the law of faith," by
which boasting is excluded.
The best quality of faith is, that it does not consist in doing
any thing for ourselves, but in believing that God in his infinite
mercy hath done every thing for lost sinners which their perish
ing situation required. How absurd, then, is it to represent
faith as an act of obedience to a law of works, in opposition to
the express declarations of Scripture formerly quoted,! There
is, therefore, no inconsistency in acknowledging that faith is a
duty, and at the same time denying that there is any thing in it
of the nature of working. On the contrary, one of the greatest

442 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
evils of unbelief is, tbat it opposes the faithful testimony of
the dying Saviour, " it is finished," and puts wretched sinners
upon the arduous task of endeavouring to obtain the favour of
God by their own holy dispositions, good works, or devotional
exercises. The duty of faith strips men of all their boasted
qualifications ; the sin of unbelief prompts them to glory in
their fancied attainments ; and there is good reason to sus
pect, that they who entertain Mr F.'s notion of faith, are not
reduced, in their own eyes, to the condition of mere sinners,
needy suppliants, and persons who can only live by free and
sovereign mercy. It is remarkable that the quality which Mr
F. ascribes to faitb, as the opposite of the sin of unbelief, is
inseparably connected with the sin which unbelief never fails
to produce, namely, self-confidence ; for the man who has a
great deal to say about the holiness and the moral worth of his
faith, by which he professes to be justified, cannot consistently
hold that he is " justified by faith without the deeds of the
law." Instead of saying, with the Apostle, " Knowing that a
man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith
of Jesus Christ, we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we
might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works
of the law : for by the works of the law shall no flesh be jus
tified;" such persons can only affirm, that they cannot be justified
without faith in Christ, nor by that either, if it be not " a holy
disposition of heart, and a conformity to the Divine law."
Thus they virtually set aside the distinction between faith and
works, which the Apostle so anxiously maintained, and with
out a clear discernment of which it is impossible to have a just
idea of what is meant by justification through the faith of
Christ. Alas ! how much is it to be regretted that a principal
teacher among that body of professing Christians maintaining
the doctrine of free grace, should thus be employed in using
his utmost efforts to subvert it, and that many who admire
him as a preacher " love to have it so." That he has not
formed any such design, I fully admit. Nay, I have no
doubt that he thinks his Appendix will be of great service to
the cause of truth. But it is not on that account the less dan
gerous. I would therefore take the liberty to intreat those who
may have opportunities of hearing such doctrine, to be con
stantly upon their guard, and to avoid " the instruction which
causeth to err from the words of knowledge."

A CAUTION AGAINST EXCESS IN INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 443

A CAUTION TO CHRISTIANS AGAINST EXCEEDING IN
THE USE OF INTOXICATING LIQUORS.
The Word of God not only gives general instructions with re
spect to sobriety, righteousness, and godliness ; but particu
larizes all the duties of the Christian life, and guards us against
the commission of every crime. The first Christians were not
taught to think themselves degraded, or to imagine that un
worthy suspicions were entertained of the sincerity of their
profession, when they were " besought as strangers and pil
grims to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul."
In the doctrine of our Lord, and the inspired epistles to the
churches, we frequently meet with solemn cautions against
theft, against uncleanness in all its forms, and even against
murder. That there should be any occasion to address such ex
hortations to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, is a most
humbling consideration. But he who supposes himself beyond
the reach of temptation, in any respect whatever, and feels no
necessity for crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, is
ignorant of his own heart, and peculiarly in danger of falling
into sin.
Permit me, then, to remind you of an exhortation given by
the Apostle Paul to a Church of Christ, Eph. v. 18, " Be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess ; but be filled ivith the
Spirit." The evil which we are here cautioned against, is drunken
ness, or excess in the use of strong liquors ; for although wine
alone is mentioned, this term includes every other sort of
drink by which men can be intoxicated ; and in this extended
sense it must be understood in the whole of this address.
The same caution is given by the Lord Jesus Christ to his
own disciples, Luke xxi. 34, " Take heed lest at any time
your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness."
It is an essential requisite in the characters of elders and
deacons of Christian churches, that they shall be " not given
to wine," and Titus is commanded to enjoin the same thing
on aged women. Other admonitions are given on this subject
to the disciples of Christ in general, as in Rom. xiii. 13,
1 Pet. iv. 3. Drunkards are ranked among the characters
which are excluded from the kingdom of heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 10,
Gal. v. 21 ; and the curse of God is upon them while they
drag out a wretched life in this world, Deut. xxix. 19, 20.
This practice is so frequent and so general, that it is often

444 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
treated lightly, even by the sober and respectable part of
society, and seems to be considered by them, not as a heinous
crime, but as an infirmity of a trivial nature, and often as a sub
ject of mirth and entertainment ! At least, if a man do not ren
der himself incapable of transacting business, and of paying his
just debts, he may drink as much as he'pleases without sustaining
any essential injury to his character in the world. Nay, the
horror of this crime, which, at a former period, may have pos
sessed the minds of those who fear God, is too often abated by
seeing instances of it every day. It is the more necessary that
we should pay close attention to the Scriptures, and take from
thence all our ideas of sin and duty on this subject. I shall
consider it under the following heads.
I. The proper use of strong drink. II. The boundary,
beyond which we cannot go without criminal excess. III.
An exposure of temptations which lead to this practice. IV.
An illustration of that which is stated by way of contrast, " Be
filled with the Spirit."
First, I begin with a remark upon the proper use of wine, and
other strong liquors. These ought to be reckoned among the
bounties of Divine Providence. They are good in themselves,
however much they may be abused ; for " every creature of
God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with
thanksgiving : for it is sanctified by the Word of God and
prayer," 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5. " Wine, that maketh glad the heart
of man," is one of the blessings mentioned in a song of praise
to God for his goodness to the whole creation, Psalm civ. 15.
It is a medicine to the weak and diseased, and was in this
view recommended to Timothy, " Use a little wine for thy
stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities." But mark the ex
pression — a little wine. The benevolent intention of the great
Creator in bestowing this gift, as in every other which he bestows,
is to promote the comfort of his creature man ; hence it is written,
" Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to
those that be of heavy hearts," Prov. xxxi. 6. Its exhilirating
influence is well adapted to the circumstances of the persons
who are here described ; and their being the subjects of that
influence is not sinful, otherwise all interference with that which
so operates upon us, must be unlawful.
Wine may likewise be considered, in a more general point
of view, as one of the many comforts provided for us by our
bountiful Creator, which, indeed, is expressed in the passage
already quoted from Psalm civ. It forms a part of the
nourishment and support allotted for the human body, and is
meant to contribute to our happiness, and to give a relish to
other innocent enjoyments. It may lawfully be used both on

A CAUTION AGAINST EXCESS IN INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 445
ordinary occasions, and at feasts. In the latter case, my remark
is confirmed by the example of Christ, who attended a marriage
feast in Cana of Galileo, and miraculously provided wine for
the entertainment of the guests.
We should judge erroneously, therefore, were wo to suppose
that the use of strong drink is absolutely prohibited, or that
the Lord's own people, whose constant duty it is to watch and
be sober, commit any crime, when, with due moderation and
thankfulness, they partake of what God hath freely given them ;
" when they eat in due season" (that is, at timely hours) "for
strength, and not for drunkenness."
Second, I shall endeavour to mark the boundary, beyond
which we cannot go without criminal excess.
You will observe that the thing condemned by this Apostle
is immoderate or excessive drinking. " Be not drunk with
wine, wherein is excess." And it is of the greatest conse-
quenco to our own happiness and safety, that wo should have
some criterion by which we may know, with certainty, what is
meant by excess ; for wherever that begins, there is the trans
gression of the Divine law, though we should never be in a state
of complete intoxication.
In general, a man does not exceed in the use of strong drink,
except when, in one respect or other, he does an injury to him
self, or to those with whom he is connected. I am not acquainted
with any Divine law, either preceptive or prohibitory, w hich
does not essentially contribute to the happiness of those who
obey it. Men, indeed, will not be subject to the law of God.
They would consider themselves as completely miserable in
yielding to its restrictions. But this arises from the sinful
bias of their nature, and their putting evil for good, and good
for evil. On tlie contrary, they who are redeemed by the
blood of Christ, and are made alive to God through him, not
withstanding all their imperfections, know experimentally, that.
" in the keeping of God's commandments there is a great
reward," and that every thing which he hath prohibited, has.
in its own nature, a tendency to mar their true happiness. The
use of wine, therefore, is forbidden only in that degree in which
it proves hurtful to mankind.
The evil of excessive drinking will best appear by stating
somo of its effects ; and in those you will perceive, also, what
the crime is, or when, or by whom it is committed.
1. Drinking to excess generally produces partial or complete
deprivation of reason, the most distinguished blessing which
God hath given to man. When wo see a fellow-creature, from
other causes, in a. state of mental derangement, especially if
wo have known him in his bettor days, our hearts are pained

446 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
with sympathy and regret ; we mourn over a human being
bereaved of all that constitutes the dignity of his nature ; and,
as soon as possible, we turn with pain from the afflicting
scene. What, then, is the guilt of that man who voluntarily
brings himself into those degrading circumstances, merely for
the sake of a momentary sensual gratification ? He disregards
equally the authority of God, and his own happiness ; nay, he
sinks below the level of the brute creation, which are incapable
of such base and unworthy conduct ! They may equal him
in sensuality ; but they cannot indulge in it at so great a cost.
This effect of immoderate drinking, may be produced in a
greater or in a less degree. But if a man's mental powers be
at all deranged, to that extent he is intoxicated, or drunk with
wine, wherein is excess. He may still have as much recollec
tion and self-government, as will enable him to transact ordi
nary business, and to conceal from others his real situation, while
he feels in himself undeniable symptoms of a confused judg
ment and a disordered imagination, sure indications of the guilt
which he has contracted.
I have formerly noticed that the Scriptures speak of the exhili-
rating or cheering quality of wine without censure ; but it is not
easy, at all times, to distinguish between that and its inebriating
tendency. The latter is nothing more than the former carried to
excess. But the danger here, although very great, is no reason
why we should confound two things which are perfectly distinct.
In one respect, if we judge impartially, we may arrive at a clear
solution of this difficulty. When the heart is heavy, and when
a man is ready to perish, strong drink, administered within
due bounds, instead of deranging his intellectual powers, will
give relief from that lassitude and depression by which his
whole frame has been disordered. His understanding will
become less clouded, his imagination less disturbed, and all
his faculties more lively, vigorous, and active. In the case
referred to, and in every other, we ought not merely to avoid
doing ourselves harm, but to refuse taking any more strong
drink than can reasonably be supposed to do us good. This
would keep us at so great a distance from forbidden ground,
that we should scarcely be in danger of insobriety, so far as it
consists in the intemperate use of liquor.
2. Intoxication, producing in any degree the effect which has
been mentioned, as it never fails to do, unfits us for the imme
diate service of God. And do you think that we can innocently
put ourselves into a situation which forbids our approaching to
God, or which would lead us to draw near to him without hav
ing a full recollection of his infinite greatness and majesty, of
our own utter un worthiness, and of the living way into the holiest

A CAUTION AGAINST EXCESS IN INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 447
of all, by the blood of Jesus ? It is the high privilege, as well
as the duty of Christians, " to pray always, with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit, and to watch thereunto with all
perseverance for all saints ;" and every thing that tends to
interrupt these exercises, or to indispose the mind for attending
to them, must be evil. If you should be at a loss to know,
upon any occasion, whether you have exceeded the bounds of
sobriety, let conscience impartially decide this question, " Am
I in a proper state of mind for praying to God ?" And you
may yet put another question, still more awful and important,
" Should I be seized with no remorse, should my soul this night
be required of me ?"
3. Many other injuries to a man's self and family are the
fruits of immoderate drinking. To me it is doubtful if there
be any other practice common in the world, which is so fatally
and extensively ruinous both to soul and body. It consumes
time, and cuts the sinews of industry. And here I would
remark that a professing Christian who has, in some measure,
got into the habit of tippling, supposing him never to have been
in the smallest degree inebriated, loses precious time, neglects
his business, wastes his substance, and gives a bad example to
others ; while he himself is in the utmost danger of becoming
a complete drunkard, and at any rate can have little relish for
spiritual enjoyments, when he delights in the company and con
versation of bottle companions. But this is not all. A real
drunkard exposes himself to many dangers in his nocturnal
rambles ; his health is impaired, his affairs are deranged,
his wife and children are reduced to a state of wretchedness
which would break any heart except that of a drunkard ; he is
despised and avoided by all who have any character to lose ;
and while thus deprived of almost every human comfort, if he
think at all on the world to come, he sees nothing before him
but everlasting perdition ; for he reads in the Scriptures of truth,
that " drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Is it
possible to conceive a more affecting display of human misery ?
But you shall presently see where it is better described ; for
the Word of God excels, not only in the purity and truth of
its doctrine, but in the simple and energetic manner in which it
communicates instruction and reproof.
In the Book of Proverbs, chap, xxiii. ver. 29, to the end, a
description is given of the accumulated misery arising out of
the crime of drunkenness. ".Who hath wo ? who hath sor
row ? who hath contention ? who hath babbling ? who hath
wounds without cause ? who hath redness of eyes ? They
that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his
3 L

448 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it
biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eye3
shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse
things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst
of the sea ; or as he that lieth on the top of a mast. They
have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick ; they
have beaten me, and I felt it not. When shall I awake ? I
will seek it yet again !"
Is he a rational creature who is here described ? What
pretensions can he have to reason, while he laughs at the dul-
ness of sober men, placing all his own happiness in the enjoy
ment of frantic mirth, yet plunging himself into the deepest
sorrow, and from the troubled ocean in which he swims, decla
ring his unabated attachment to the source of all his wo ? Every
candid person, however, will admit that the melancholy picture
is drawn from life. It is animated and impressive, but just and
natural, and such as we have seen exemplified in thousands of
those who reckon themselves the votaries of pleasure. Plea
sure ! believe them not; their joy is deceitful and transitory ;
their misery is real and irretrievable, if sovereign mercy, the
object of their impious and sarcastic raillery, do not save them
from the pit of destruction !
4. There is no crime whatever, to the perpetration of which
a drunkard is not peculiarly exposed. In the Scriptures, men
are said to be "inflamed with wine." The passions are roused,
and every lust is excited by its pernicious and debasing influ
ence. Some of those evils are mentioned by Solomon in the
passage already quoted. " Thine heart shall utter perverse
things ; tracing the evils of the tongue to the corruption of the
heart, from whence proceed all those things which defile the
man." In some convivial meetings, every thing is spoken that
is profane, obscene, and blasphemous. " Their throat is an
open sepulchre ; with their tongues they have used deceit ; the
poison of asps is under their lips ; their mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness." Solomon farther predicts, " Thine eyes shall
behold strange women" — another evil in many cases resulting
from insobriety. Violence, strife, and debate, are streams
proceeding from the same polluted fountain ; as are also theft,
robbery, and murder ! Nay, there is reason to conclude that
a very great majority of those who perish on a gibbet, commit
the crimes for which they suffer in a state of intoxication, or
in consequence of a habit of drinking rendering them callous
to every principle of justice, honour, and humanity !
Having thus stated many of the dreadful consequences result
ing from the immoderate use of strong liquors, nothing more,
I think, is necessary to impress upon your minds the evil of

A CAUTION AGAINST EXCESS IN INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 449
that practice, its hatefulness in the sight of God, and the dan
ger to which you will be exposed, if you tamper with it in any
degree ; and the recapitulation of so many of its bitter fruits
will, I trust, leave you at no loss to perceive what is meant in
the Scriptures by excess of wine. Though you may suppose
that you have departed from the strictest rules of sobriety only
in a very small degree, in so doing you are not guiltless ; and
you exceed when this involves you in the least of the evils which
have been mentioned. If any doubts remain, rather deny your
selves part of that which you might lawfully enjoy, than run
the risk of going at all beyond the bounds prescribed by the
law of God. So far as conscience is concerned, all the danger
lies on the side of self-indulgence.
The bad effects which I have attributed to excessive drink
ing, may be in part avoided by men of strong constitutions,
who have been in the habit of using great quantities of liquor.
They tarry long at the wine without losing their recollection
or the power of speech, or being carried home in a state of
insensibility. But this is equally the crime of drunkenness, as
in other cases where the effects of liquor are more visible ; and
there is a peculiar Divine threatening against those who exceed
in this manner. " Wo to them that are mighty to drink wine,
and men of strength to mingle strong drink," Isa. v. 22. There
is in one view an aggravation in the guilt of that man who,
without intoxication, extensively abuses the blessings of Divine
Providence; who, by his example and persuasion, ensnares
others, and who can deliberately enjoy the malicious satisfac
tion of seeing his companions drunk with wine, and reduced to
a most deplorable state of degradation and misery ! This plea
sure is truly diabolical, and gives a striking proof that the heart
of man is desperately wicked.
Third, The next thing which claims your attention, is an
exposure of the temptations which lead to excess of wine.
1. A very ensnaring temptation, which has a more general
influence than any other, is company and example. It is
not your duty, as Christians, to avoid all civil intercourse with
worldly men, to behave towards them in a shy and distant
manner, or to decline eating and drinking with them in a social
and friendly way. Our blessed Lord who did no sin, on various
occasions attended feasts, and ate and drank with publicans and
sinners ; and he warns us against self-exaltation when we are
bidden to a feast, implying surely that our accepting the invita
tion is not unlawful, if we give an example of humility, and of
moderation in the use of temporal enjoyments.
It is likewise supposed by the Apostle Paul, that the Corin
thians might be invited to a feast, and that they might be

450 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
" disposed to go." To this he does not object ; but gives in
structions how their conduct ought to be regulated. And
when he prohibits " keeping company," or being on terms of
intimacy, and even eating a common meal with excommuni
cated persons, he thus qualifies the prohibition, " Yet not
altogether with the fornicators of this world, &c.'; for then
must ye needs go out of the world," — plainly admitting familiar
intercourse with worldly men sustaining the characters there
mentioned, 1 Cor. v. 9 — 11. Mark his expression, however,
" yet not altogether ;" and the reason why the prohibition did
not extend to all men, because it would have placed the fol
lowers of Christ in a state of exclusion from the world, and
rendered them incapable of " making their light to shine before
men." From the manner in which this liberty is given to Christians,
and from the spirit of that religion which they profess, so com
pletely opposite to the course of this world, it is plain that
those of them who, without necessity, are much in the com
pany of worldly men, abuse their liberty in this respect, and
wantonly expose themselves to many temptations. To those
who are lovers of the truth, and exercised to godliness, their
fellow Christians, in distinction from all others, will be " their
own company," and like the Psalmist, they will be " the com
panions of all those who fear God," accounting them the ex
cellent ones of the earth, in whom is all their delight.
But supposing that you are not disposed to plead for any
further extent of liberty than will clearly show that you have
not gone out of the world, and that you do not altogether avoid
social intercourse with worldly men, temptations to be drunk
with wine wherein is excess, will still assail you from this quar
ter. Example has an ensnaring influence, often unperceived
by those on whom it operates ; and even persons who are sanc
tified by the truth, have as much remaining corruption as
disposes them, on some occasions, to follow a multitude to do
evil. Among the middle and higher orders of society, the bar
barous practice of what may be styled compelling men to
drink, is nearly exploded. But there are not a few who will
be officious enough to persuade and entreat you, without
assuming any thing like a commanding influence ; and it is not
easy for persons of little experience to resist so much kind
importunity and flattering attention. Nay, it frequently hap
pens, in large companies, that the majority consists of sober
men, who are extremely averse to excessive drinking, and yet
retire, not perhaps really intoxicated, but conscious, less or
more, of having gone beyond the rules of strict sobriety. Your

A CAUTION AGAINST EXCESS IN INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 451
own safety, therefore, requires that you should not be often in
such companies ; and when you are thus within the reach of
temptation, that you should watch against it with the utmost
diligence. You are not without danger in smaller, and more select
companies, and those even which consist only, or chiefly, of
your fellow Christians. Wherever there is a feast, that is, any
thing beyond our ordinary meals, and a degree of mirth and
happiness which may innocently be indulged in the society of
our friends, we meet with temptations to excess in eating and
drinking, and to the ebullitions of foolish mirth, tending to
dissipate the mind, and to wear off the impressions of Divine
things. Those who are much given to company in this way,
do not, in general, give themselves time for serious reflection ;
nor is their practice consistent with " taking heed, lest at any
time their hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunken
ness." I would wish to discourage the practice of frequent supper
parties. The late hours which are now so prevalent ; * , the
neglect of family duties, or of private reading, meditation, and
prayer ; the confused state of mind in which the parties, though
not intoxicated, must go to rest ; and their unfitness for early
rising, and active employment on the succeeding day ; are evils
which ought to prevent this practice from becoming fashionable
among those who feel the obligation to " watch and pray, that
they enter not into temptation." I do not affirm, however,
that supping abroad can be justly censured in every instance.
My remarks are directed, not so much against the thing itself,
as against making it a common practice, or overlooking, upon
any occasion, the evils which, in the present state of society,
are almost inseparably connected with it.
2. Weakness and bodily diseases, especially of the nervous
kind, have in many instances been the occasion of inducing a
habit of drinking. Depression of spirits, and disorders in the
stomach and bowels, the usual attendants of a debilitated ner
vous system, call for an immediate remedy ; and the patient
has not fortitude to wait for the more slow and effectual ope
rations of nature, assisted by means which are within the reach
of all. He therefore has recourse to strong drink, which, if it
do not effect a cure, will, by its stupifying influence, give ap
parent ease, and make him forget his pains and sorrows. The
* It is probable that few persons recollect, when pleasing themselves
with having retired at a timely hour, that the servants, if not also the mis
tress of the family, must spend perhaps another hour, before they can
accomplish the remaining work of the evening.

452 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
relief is temporary ; the former symptoms return with increased
violence ; and if the same remedy be applied, it is thought ne
cessary, day after day, to use it in larger quantities, till at last
the patient becomes a complete drunkard; and then his ner
vous system, instead of being restored to its former vigour, is
diseased beyond the possibility of being cured by any medicine
except sobriety.
There are no instances of ardent spirits having proved a
radical cure for nervous disorders. And among the few instances
which I have seen of persons delivered from a habit of drink
ing, those of them who adopted it for the sake of health, enjoyed
no health or comfort while they followed that practice; and
when they were entirely delivered from it, health of body, as
well as peace of mind, uniformly attended the happy change.
Were it otherwise, it would still be the duty of the people of
God " to crucify the flesh, with its affections and lusts." But
we ought thankfully to remark the close connexion which
God hath established between our duty and our true hap
piness. Aged persons are peculiarly in danger from their weakness
and growing infirmities (which require every lawful and at
tainable means of support) of desiring the stimulating aid
of strong drink ; and although in certain cases a moderate
quantity may be considered necessary, they nevertheless re
quire, with the utmost caution, to guard against excess. To
this effect aged women are exhorted, Tit. ii. 3. The tempta
tions more incident to men, are those arising from company
and example ; while women are more in danger from nervous
and hysterical affections, to which the weakness of their frame
renders them peculiarly subject. And I may be permitted to
remind them, that " excess of wine" is not only in all cases evil
in itself, extremely hurtful to those who indulge in it, and dis
honouring to God ; but also destructive of all that is justly
accounted amiable in the female sex.
In some violent and sudden diseases, when better remedies
cannot be obtained, it may be necessary to use large quantities
of ardent spirits ; but these ought to be taken as we receive a
loathsome medicine, and continued no longer than absolute ne
cessity requires. Very great advantage may be derived from
a judicious and temporary use of strong liquors, while nothing
can possibly be worse for the human body than habitual excess ;
and nervous disorders, perhaps more than any other, are in
creased and confirmed by this destructive habit. Let those
who have made the attempt without success, try the effect of
temperance, industry, early rising, and daily exercise in the
open air, and they will probably experience relief from a general

A CAUTION AGAINST EXCESS IN INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 453
debility, which, if not occasioned, has been greatly increased, by
their own sinful and unworthy conduct.
3. Idleness is another source of temptation to excess of wine.
It is proverbial, indeed, that an idle man is a prey to every temp
tation, and in nothing is this more remarkably verified than in
the practice of drinking. Thousands of those who almost daily
frequent the tavern, or spend much of their time in private
drinking parties, would be perfectly sober were they to pay
that close attention to business, which justice to their creditors
and the wants of their families imperiously demand. So great
is the advantage of industry.
To be slothful in business, as some were in the Church of the
Thessalonians, is represented by the Apostle Paul as " walking
disorderly, and not after the tradition which they have received of
him." The natural consequence is, that such become busy bodies ;
and while sauntering about, and talking of matters which do
not concern them, either for the purpose of telling their foolish
and hurtful stories, or perhaps merely to waste the time, which
the vacant mind of an idle man knows not how to improve,
they land in the tavern, and proceed from evil to worse. Or
when, through the mere want of industry, " poverty cometh
upon them as one that travelleth, and want as an armed
man," incapable of the exertion which, in many cases, might
still retrieve matters, they sink into a habitual state of despon
dency, and resolve by frequent intoxication to purchase a tran
sient and delusive peace.
4. Some have been led into a habit of drinking, by following
the dangerous practice of doing business in taverns, or of fre
quently taking refreshment in such houses, when it was in their
power to have got it at home.
In the first of these, I have in view the ordinary trade of
cities and towns, without extending my remark to business done
at fairs and other public markets, or by travellers, who must
often live in taverns. There are many shopkeepers, and other
traders, who frequently leave their places of business to take
orders and settle accounts in public-houses, not from choice, as
some of them affirm, but because they cannot otherwise carry
- on their business. How, then, does it happen, that a great
number of persons in similar situations have, each of them,
conducted a prosperous trade for many years, without any such
practice ? This of itself is sufficient to prove that success in
our lawful callings has no dependence on a practice so
unworthy of the followers of Christ, and opposite . even to
the conduct of sober worldly men. But supposing that it
was in some degree against your temporal interest to settle all
your matters of business in your own shops or houses, or in

454 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
those of your employers, why should you, on that account, study
the humour or the corrupt inclination of any man, by doing
that which is in itself mean and dishonourable, and which mani
festly tends to make you drunk with wine, wherein is excess ?
The other practice of frequenting taverns for the mere pur
pose of getting refreshment when it is thought necessary, seems
to have no excuse, unless some who do so, allege that their own
houses are at too great a distance. If, however, they cannot
spend as much time as to go home, far better were it that they
should want till they can go, or find some other method of
supplying their necessity, which one would think might be very
easily contrived.
My intention is not in all respects to decry public-houses.
When they are applied to useful purposes, such as receiving
and gladdening the heart of the weary traveller, they prove a
blessing to mankind. But when a professing disciple of Christ
is in the habit of frequenting them without necessity, he exposes
himself to great temptation ; nay, he shows that he has already
begun to fall before it.
5. A temptation to exceed in the use of strong drink arises
from being engaged in selling it, and from being employed in
manufacturing or preparing it for sale.
I do not mean to insinuate that there is any thing in the
smallest degree criminal in the nature of such employments, or
that persons so employed may not be exemplary for sobriety
and every Christian virtue. But, unquestionably, many have
fallen into a course of drunkenness in consequence of their
having been exposed to this temptation ; and some of them are
persons who for many years had adorned the doctrine of God
our Saviour. Let every one, therefore, who constantly has
strong drink among his hands daily pray, " lead me not into
temptation, but deliver me from evil ;" and let him who is
unable to withstand this temptation, at all hazards renounce
that trade which might otherwise land him in everlasting
misery. 6. The next temptation against which I shall take the liberty
to admonish you, is the general, I may almost say the univer
sal, practice in this country, of using ardent spirits not diluted
with water.
It must not be supposed that my object is to charge with
drunkenness, or with any degree of insobriety, all those who
follow the practice now alluded to ; for many of the most
sober and regular people, through the force of habit, seem
perfectly reconciled to it. I am not the less persuaded, how
ever, that the practice in question is hurtful and dangerous.
It cannot be denied that spirits of the strength usually drunk

A CAUTION AGAINST EXCESS IN INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 455
without mixture, are much stronger than wine ; that habit alone
renders it possible for any one to take a single glass of this
liquor without great pain, accompanied by a sense of suffoca
tion, and probably some real injury to the health of the person ;
and, accustomed as we are to this unnatural drink, that yet, in
many cases, the second glass will produce intoxication ! Can
any good reason be assigned why people who have no disease
requiring so violent a medicine, should take a certain quantity
of it every day ? We might by slow degrees accustom ourselves
to swallow an astonishing quantity of opium, of vitriol, and even
of arsenic. But what advantage could we reap from it ? These,
it is true, are poisons, though occasionally used as medicines.
And by what better name can we justly call a corroding liquor,
by the abuse of which millions have perished ? It has killed a
far greater number of the human species than all the other
poisons in the universe !
I have heard of persons who had been long in the habit of
drinking immoderate quantities of ardent spirits, at last mixing
them with Cayenne pepper when their proficiency in the art
of drinking had rendered their palates insensible of the burning
quality of the strongest spirits ! If this appears shocking, why
should you give countenance to that which leads to it ? All
strong liquors produce intoxication, but none so rapidly as
ardent spirits. And if you should never exceed in point of
quantity, ought you not seriously to consider that, by drinking
a single glass, or half a glass, you sanction the use of the most
dangerous of all liquors ? Besides, as multitudes have thus
been ensnared and overcome, how shall you know with cer
tainty that none of you, at a future period, will exceed the
limits which all sober people have hitherto prescribed?
7. There is another temptation, or rather a method of train
ing persons to the habit of drinking, in some cases probably
extending its influence through the whole lifetime of its un
happy objects. I mean the vile practice of teaching children
to drink ardent spirits. If inveterate custom should make you
doubt the truth of what I have advanced in relation to adults,
you can have no doubt with respect to children. Their food
is milk in distinction from strong meat, which belongeth to
men of full age. And shall the strongest drink be given
them ? This treatment is not merely thoughtless and incon
siderate. It is cruel, because it does an immediate injury to
the poor helpless children ; and it may be productive of a long
train of pernicious and fatal consequences. The desire of spi
rituous liquors, imbibed at an early period, may continue when
they attain the age of manhood. Such is the dreadful hazard
to which some children are exposed by their own parents ; and
3 M

456 MISCELLANKOL'S MUCKS.
not merely dissolute and regardless parents, but some of those
who maintain an irreproachable character for sobriety !
Can you seriously contemplate; so many temptations arising
both from things lawful and unlawful in their own nature, with
out perceiving a necessity for that cautious fear which is very
often inculcated in the Word of God? " Blessed is the man that
feareth alway." This state of mind is recommended to a church
of Christ by tho Apostle Paul, " Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling, for it is God who worketh in you both
to will and to do of his own good pleasure ;" and there is no
wisdom in neglecting such admonitions, for " he who trusteth
in his own heart is a fool."
Before attempting to show the import of that which is enjoined
by way of contrast, " Be filled with the Spirit," allow me to
remark that the prohibition and the commandment arc evidently
irreconcilable opposit.es. Not only is it impossible that any
person can at the same moment be drunk with wine; and filled
with tho Spirit ; but the latter is a privilege; which at no time
can be enjoyed by an habitual drunkard. The line; of conduct
in which he is engaged, clearly pre>ves that he; " has not the
Spirit of Christ, and is none of his ;" for drunkenness is one of
tho works of the flesh, and tho fruit of the Spirit is temper
ance, Gal. v. 19, to the end.
Drunkards, indeed, may talk about matters of religion. They
may have a great deal of speculative knowledge, and bo very
zealous in maintaining their creed. Yet they rescmhlo Ksau,
who for one morsel of moat sold his birthright. " Ye; shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles ?"
A religious drunkard, or one who is such by profession, for
he cannot be truly religious, is one of the most profane and
hateful characters, lie speaks of the solemn truths contained
in the Word of God as if he believed anel relished them, while
he must be conscious that they pn)dnco no suitable influence
upon his heart and conduct. lie extols the rii-hes of Divine
grace revealed in the Gospel, while; he sins, that graces may
abound. As he proceeds inflaming himself with wine;, he
becomes more eloquent in speaking of the; most serious and
awful things, and dares to offer an affront to the; God of heaven,
by approaching him in prayer, perhaps in the midst of his family,
when his intellectual faculties are more than half deranged by
bis intemperance ;- thus making his children witnesses, and pro
bably imitators, of his own sinful conduct.
If you seriously admonish him in his sober moments, his
mind, weakened by riotous living, is unable to withstand your
reproof. Hois alarmed; he; confesses his great wickedness,

ON BEING FILLED WITH THE SPin.IT. 45T
apparently in tlie most penitential manner ; he sheds abundance
of tears, and promisos future amendment. But very soon " ho
returns with the dog to his vomit, and with tho sow that was
washed to her wallowing in tho miro." His habits are beastly,
and no just principle can make a lasting impression on his
degraded mind.
Edinhuikjh, Nov. 18, 1808.

ON BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.
For illustrating this apostolic exhortation, "• Be filled with
the Spirit," 1 remark,
1. In tho writings of the Now Testament, the Apostles and
others arc frequently said to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is affirmed of Zacharias, of Elizabeth, of John the Bap
tist, and of all the Apostles, of whom it is said that, on the day
of Pentecost, " they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance." When our Lord said to his disciples, " Ye shall
bo baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days hence," he
evidently referred to that which took place on the day of Pente
cost ; and both expressions intimate an abundant communica
tion of the Holy Spirit, producing the signs, ami wonders, and
miracles, and gifts, which are specified in Acts ii. and in many
other parts of the apostolic writings. The same thing also seems
intended in those words of Jesus, " Ho that believeth on me,
as the Scripture hath said, out of his holly shall flow rivers of
living water ;" for it is added, " But this spake ho of the Spirit,
which thoy that believe on him should receive, for the Holy
Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."
And tlie Holy Spirit being compared to rivers of living water
flowing out of those1 who received him, shows that they were
thus tilled not merely for their own sakes, but for the salvation
of many others.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit in the sense now explained,
was peculiar to tho Apostles and tho other first ministers of the
Wore!, who thus preached the Gospel by immediate inspiration,
and infallibly confirmoel the truth of their doctrine by the
miraculous works which thoy performed in the name of Jesus of
Nazareth. 2. All the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ possess this
inestimablo privilege, iu the sense in which it is necessary for
their present comfort, and their eternal salvation.

458 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
By the almighty and irresistible power of the Spirit of God,
they are made disciples ; for in relation to the conversion of the
world — a work far beyond the power of human eloquence, or
wisdom, or reasoning — his effectual operation is thus described
by our blessed Lord : " When he the Spirit of truth is come,
he shall convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment." He only is a Christian who is convinced, by the
Spirit of God, tbat he is a sinner ready to perish ; that he has
been guilty of the highly aggravated sin of making God a liar,
by not believing the record that God hath given of. his Son;
that the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ,
or his obedience unto death, is all-sufficient to justify him in
the sight of God, without any thing else to recommend him to
the Divine favour, and that " whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord, shall be saved." This is that truth which flesh
and blood cannot reveal, and of which the Spirit of God con
vinces all those whom he turns from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan unto God, enabling them to perceive
the glory of the almighty Saviour, and the perfection of his
atonement fully manifested by his resurrection from the dead,
and his sitting down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high. Through this truth the Spirit of God also sanctifies. The
whole work of regeneration is described by the Apostle Paul,
and attributed to the Holy Spirit, when, after naming many
wicked characters who shall not inherit the kingdom of God,
he affirms of the Corinthian church, " And such were some of
you. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are jus
tified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our
God." The new birth is likewise ascribed to the same Spirit
by our Lord himself, in his discourse with Nicodemus : " Ex
cept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God." And again we are taught by his
Apostle, that, " after the kindness and love of God our Saviour
towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Sa
viour." In like manner, all the spiritual enjoyments and consolations
of the people of God, depend upon the gracious, reviving, and
sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit
of grace, the Comforter, who shall abide with the disciples of
Christ for ever. The God of hope fills them with all joy and
peace in believing, that they may abound in hope through the
power of the Holy Spirit. They are strengthened with all

ON BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. 459
might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in
their hearts by faith ; that they, being rooted and grounded in
love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the
love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that they may be filled
with all the fulness of God. He is the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Christ Jesus, opening the eyes
of their understanding, that they may know what is the hope
of his calling ; and he dwells in all true believers as the Spirit
of adoption, teaching them to cry unto God, Abba, Father ;
and as the earnest or first-fruits of the heavenly and eternal
inheritance, sealing them unto the day of redemption.
The Divine life in the soul is begun, and carried on, and
perfected by the same Spirit, in all which operations he acts as
the Spirit of truth, taking of the things which are Christ's, and
showing them to his people.
As there is " one body," so there is " one Spirit," anima
ting the whole of Christ's mystical body, giving it life and vigour,
maintaining its union, which is declared to be " the unity of
the Spirit," edifying this body, and making it " to grow up in
all things unto him who is the head, even Christ." By the
agency and divine influence of the Holy Spirit, beUevers main
tain their communion with God. Thus " the fellowship of the
Spirit" is mentioned as a distinguished blessing, and fervently
requested in prayer, or pronounced in the form of a benedic
tion. All Christian virtues are "the fruits of the Spirit;"
and it is " through the Spirit" that believers " mortify the
deeds of the body." In relation to the saving influence of the
truth in all respects, the Apostle Paul affirms of the Corin
thians, " Ye are the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written
not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not in tables
of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart ;" referring to the
promise of the new covenant, " I will put my law in their
hearts, and write it in their inward parts," in contradistinction
from writing the law of the old covenant on tables of stone,
and showing that writing on the tables of the heart is performed
by the Spirit of the living God.
Were I to attempt a full consideration of this subject, it would
lead me through the whole of the New Testament, where it is
to be met with almost in every page. I shall only farther take
notice of a few passages, where the truth which I am now esta
blishing is very clearly stated.
The sacred historian affirms of the disciples in general, as I
understand him, that " they were filled with joy, and with the
Holy Spirit," Acts xiii. 52. From this it appears, that being
filled with the Spirit in the latter sense, above explained, is the

460 MISCELLANEOUS PtECES.
common privilege of Christians. Of the same import is the
affirmation of the Apostle Paul, " We have been all made to
drink into the same Spirit," 1 Cor. xii. 13. A similar idea is
presented to us in these remarkable words, " If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit," Gal. v. 25. To live in the
Spirit, and walk in the Spirit, are very strong expressions, and
bring to my recollection the manner in which our dependence
upon God for natural life is expressed ; " In him we live, and
move, and have our being." So with respect to spiritual life,
there is no such thing among fallen men, except that which may
justly be termed living and walking in the Spirit. Believers
being in the Holy Spirit, or he in them, are expressions of simi
lar import ; and the latter frequently occur in Scripture. " If
the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit which dwelleth in you," Rom.
viii. 11. In fine, the bodies of believers are said to be "the
temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in them, which they have of
God," 1 Cor. vi. 19. No words could have expressed this truth
in a more clear and decisive manner.
There are other passages of Scripture which have a respect
both to the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, and to his ordi
nary operations, of which all the people of God are the subjects.
" The hand of the Lord was with them who preached the Word at
Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, and a great number believed,
and turned to the Lord." Indeed, whoever was the preacher,
" God" upon all occasions " gave the increase." He did so by
enabling his Apostles and others to speak under the immediate
inspiration of the Holy Spirit with energy and boldness, which
defied all opposition — by confirming the Word with miraculous
works — and by the influences of his Holy Spirit on the hearts
of those who heard the Word, bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ. All these operations of
the Holy Spirit are included when the Apostle says, " Our
Gospel came not to you in word only, but in power, and in the
Holy Spirit, and in much assurance," 1 Thess. i. 5.
3. The exhortation relating to this subject makes it the duty
of Christians to be filled with the Spirit ; as it is likewise their
duty " to abide in Christ, to build themselves up on their most
holy faith, to pray in the Holy Spirit, and to keep themselves
in the love of God."
In one respect, every thing of this nature is exclusively the
work of God, who quickeneth whom he will, and who, by the
refreshing influence of his Holy Spirit, cometh down on his
people " like rain on the mown grass, as showers that water
the earth." This " dew from the Lord tarrieth not for man,

ON BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. 461
nor waiteth for the sons of men." But when God promises
many blessings to his people, and particularly that " he will
put his Spirit within them," he adds, " thus saith the Lord God,
I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do
it for them," Ezek. xxxvi. 37. And Jesus speaks in the same
way to his disciples, " How much more shall your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ?" "Ask
then, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you." Make it manifest to your
own consciences that this is the habitual state of your minds,
by importunity in secret prayer, and by waiting upon God, and
seeking his face in his public ordinances, as you see them exem
plified in the first churches.
How can you expect to be filled with the Spirit, if you have
but slight impressions of the value of so high a privilege, if
your souls never thirst for God, for the living God, and if you do
not cultivate a state of mind suitable to this Divine enjoyment ?
No man can desire to be filled with the Spirit, till he be
enlightened in the knowledge of the precious truth of the Gos
pel, and taught to glory in the cross of Christ alone ; to love
God supremely, to hate sin, and to delight in spiritual enjoy
ments and consolations, especially the hope of eternal life, for
which the Spirit of God teaches all believers, " to groan in this
tabernacle, being burdened; not for that they would be unclothed,
but clothed upon with their house, which is from heaven, that
mortality might be swallowed up of life."
Such persons will " offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ." They will delight in praising him for
his infinite mercy. And this is enjoined in connexion with being
filled with the Spirit; " Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and
hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your
hearts to the Lord." Not that any one can be always engaged
in devotional exercises, or in contemplating spiritual objects,
or in speaking about the things of God. There is certainly
much deficiency in those respects among many professors. But
it is not right to imagine, as hath been insinuated by others who
go to an opposite extreme, that all speech relating to worldly
things is carnal conversation ; for if that were true, their atten
tion to lawful callings, and to many relative duties, would be
employment fit only for carnal men. In devotedness to the
service of God, there can be no extreme. But a believer is
thus employed only so far as he is conscientiously engaged in
the practice of every Christian virtue, and careful to avoid all
that is offensive to God and hurtful to men.
He who is so engrossed with worldly concerns as in a great
measure to forget the one thing needful, and he who is so much

462 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
occupied with religious exercises as to neglect the duties of
life, are both acting a very sinful part. Neither the one nor
the other can justly be said to be filled with the Spirit, who,
by shedding abroad the love of God in the hearts of his people,
confirms their hope, and fits them for every duty. If, there
fore, they be remiss in any one thing that God hath commanded,
this must be owing to some very opposite cause. Allowance
may, and ought to be made, for a deficiency of natural talents
necessary for industry and exertion, in some pious people. But
carelessness about their families, and the state of their affairs,
about keeping their word, or paying their just debts, ought
never to be supposed to flow from piety, or in any good or par
donable sense to be occasioned by it. " All unrighteousness is
sin," by whomsoever it may be committed.
They who attend to the exhortation, " Be filled with the
Spirit," will be peculiarly careful to abstain from " the works
of the flesh," which are enumerated Gal. v. 19 — 21. They
will cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
"perfecting holiness in the fear of God," lest they should "grieve
the Holy Spirit of God, whereby they are sealed to the day of
redemption." And if the church of which they are members
can justly be considered as the temple of God, they will regard
this awful threatening, " If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy." On the other hand, they will endea
vour also to abound in all the fruits of the Spirit ; for God's
holy and gracious design in condescending " in very deed to
dwell with men on the earth" by his Holy Spirit, is to conform
them to his own blessed image. " He that loveth not, knoweth
not God, for God is love. He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth
in God, and God in him."
4. To guard against false ideas of being filled with the Spi
rit, it is proper to remark, that the Scriptures of truth are the
means by which the Spirit of God uniformly operates on the
minds of believers. " Holy men of God,"- who in ancient
times committed the Divine oracles to writing, spake as they
" were moved by the Holy Spirit;" and the " Spirit of Christ
which was in them, testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ,
and the glory that should follow." When the Apostles declared the
fulfilment of these glorious things, " it was not they who spake,
but the Spirit of their Father who spoke in them." The
sacred Scriptures have been completed. Therefore no new
revelations, no dreams, or visions, or private whispers, aside
from the written Word of God, or additional to it, are now to
be expected.
If, then, you would know whether you be really filled with the
Spirit, you must bring all your experience to the test of Di-

ON BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. 463
vine truth. If the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you,
and dwell in you, he will establish you in the faith which, by
the ministry of the Apostles, he once delivered to the saints,
and sanctify you through the truth, producing in you all those
fruits which the Word of God ascribes to his influence ; and
you will be able to give a reason from the Scriptures for all
your peace, and joy, and hope, and for all your service of the
living God. Any other sort of Christian experience is enthu
siastic delusion, and may lead to the most dangerous errors,
while its votaries are exposed to all the foolish imaginations of
their own deceitful and wicked hearts.
Having thus endeavoured to show the import of " being
filled with the Spirit," permit me to entreat you, as brethren
professing the faith of Jesus, to avoid the one, and to desire
the other, recollecting the absolute impossibility of loving both.
There is excess in drinking wine ; but you cannot exceed
in the Divine enjoyments and privileges which are communicated
by the Spirit of God : your Lord says, " Eat, O friends ; drink,
yea drink abundantly, O beloved." But whatever produces
any of the bad effects which I have justly attributed to wine,
although the constitutions of some may be so strong as in gene
ral to resist these effects, yet that which usually produces them
is excess ; and also whatever is in any degree inconsistent with
being filled with the Spirit.
I have likewise reminded you of the temptations to which
you are exposed. The most effectual way of escaping all these,
is your duly considering that " your bodies are the temples of
the Holy Spirit." The Apostle most conclusively reasons from
this, that " the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord,"
and that " he who committeth fornication sinneth against his
own body." May we not affirm the same things in relation to
him who is drunk with wine, wherein is excess ?
You are peculiarly called to be watchful against exceeding
in the use of strong drink, because, though the crime is really
great, it is too often an object of laughter and amusement, not
in general of lamentation and abhorrence — because a very
great proportion of those who, in this country, have been put
away from the churches of Christ, have fallen by this enemy
of the souls of men — because few, comparatively speaking,
have been recovered from its destructive influence — and because
it often deceives, and steals on imperceptibly by slow degrees.
The deceitfulness of sin appears remarkably in this instance ;
and when any one falls under the power of this lust, there is no
habit more enslaving.
If some of you be disposed in any degree to excess of wine,
be alarmed. Trifle no longer. Take decisive measures. Break
3 N

464 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
through every difficulty. " Cut off the offending right hand ;
pluck out the right eye. It is better to enter into life maimed,
or having one eye, rather than having two hands, or two eyes, to
be cast into hell-fire."
Beware of self-confidence. Depend solely on the grace and
strength which are in Christ Jesus. Labour to obtain a due
sense of the fear of God, that you may say, when temptations
occur, " How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against
God ?" And remember that, in order to your mortifying this
and every other lust of the flesh, you must be filled with the
Spirit. Be alive to the infinite importance of enjoying so great
a blessing, as it stands connected with obtaining eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I hope it is unnecessary to make'any other apology for thus
addressing you with unreserved freedom, than to assure you
that concern for your temporal and eternal welfare has con
strained me to do so, and that I am, with sincere and fervent
love, yours in the bonds of the Gospel.
Edinburgh, December 12, 1808.

ON THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH IN THE CASE OF MURDER.
IN A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.
Your correspondent Humanitas has endeavoured to prove
that the ancient law, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man
shall his blood be shed," is not of moral obligation ; and this
he has done with considerable ability. Permit me, therefore,
to attempt furnishing your readers with an antidote against his
specious but inconclusive reasoning.
He represents the law in question as having remained in
force only from the time of the deluge till that of Moses ; and
as having operated while unrepealed with the same severity
towards wilful murderers, and towards those who, by some
accidental cause, might be made the unwilling instruments of
extinguishing human life. The mere recital of this is sufficient
to condemn it ; for who can suppose that the just Lord, who
cannot do iniquity, would inflict the well-merited punishment of
murderers on those who, for the most part, are objects of sym
pathy rather than of blame ?
A reason is assigned for this extensive and indiscriminating
vengeance, namely, " the unpopulated state of the world at
that time," on which account " the life of man must be care-

ON THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH. 465
fully preserved," that the few persons in it after the deluge
might " be fruitful and multiply," as the Lord commanded im
mediately after the denunciation of his wrath against murderers.
But, granting that this were a just law, would it have had any
tendency to preserve the life of man ? Were we at present to
take the lives of all man-slayers, we should add greatly to the
list of criminals devoted to the gallows. Nor would the terror
of suffering so severe a punishment, be in general the means of
preventing those melancholy accidents ; for in many cases un
foreseen providential circumstances render them unavoidable ;
while it is obvious that granting unrestrained liberty to avengers
of blood, instead of preserving the life of man, would give oc
casion to the death of thousands.
It thus appears, however, that Humanitas not only admits
but overstrains the import of the law in Gen. ix. ; for our own
unbiassed innate sense of right and wrong must convince us that
by " shedding man's blood," is there meant exclusively the
malicious, wilful, and premeditated murder of a fellow creature ;
and our just and merciful Creator could never have promul
gated any law respecting murder, which inflicted the punish
ment of death on persons innocent of that crime. He takes
advantage of the general expression " shedding the blood of
man," not considering that the punishment awarded, determines
in the most conclusive manner what is intended byafeshedding
blood," nor perceiving that he puts an unfair consmiction on
the Word of God. But he seems to have carried the matter
to this extent, with a view to show that the institution of cities
of refuge was a limitation of the absolute law in Gen. ix. 6 ;
and he affirms that " the previous law was thus repealed and
abrogated," while he admits that it still required the death of
wilful murderers.
There was, it is true, no written law, so far as we know, to
regulate the procedure of judges, and the sentiments of all
men, in relation to man-slayers, till the Divine appointment of
cities of refuge. " But we are sure that the judgment of God
was according to truth," as much when he spake to Noah, as
when he revealed his will to Moses ; and it is truly astonishing
that a sensible man, and one who professes to fear God, should
be so far led aside by fondness for a favourite system, as to
represent " Jehovah who changeth not," as in one age invol
ving murderers and man-slayers in the same "condemnation, and
in another age commanding the one to be spared, and the other
to be put to death !
Let it however be supposed, for the sake of argument, that
during a period of 800 or 900 years, judges or private avengers
could lawfully plead the authority of God for inflicting the

466 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
punishment of death on every man-slayer, what would this avail
to the argument of Humanitas ? The point of difference is not
the punishment of him who " slays a man at unawares," but
of him who maliciously kills a human being ; and the whole
procedure enjoined respecting those who might flee to the cities
of refuge, ascertains beyond a doubt that death alone is, in
God's account, the just temporal punishment of murderers.
This will be apparent to everyone who will read with attention
chap. xxxv. of the Book of Numbers, where the law respecting
those who claimed the privilege of man-slayers, is more fully
detailed than in any other part of the law of Moses, though
there are frequent references to this subject. Every case was
to be judicially tried ; the most accurate descriptions are given
of murder and of manslaughter ; all the circumstances were to
be minutely examined, and scrutinized with anxious care ; and
the whole process was instituted for the express purpose of
preventing a murderer from escaping the punishment of death.
In the concluding part of the chapter, the ancient law is re
peated in terms the most forcible which could have been used,
" Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to
death ; but one witness shall not testify against any person, to
cause him to die. Moreover, ye shall take no satisfaction for
the life of a murderer who is guilty of death ; but he shall be
surely put to death. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein
ye are ; for blood it defileth the land, and the land cannot be
cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of
him that shed it." It follows, of course, " that the great value
which God put upon the life of man" after the deluge, which
is noticed by Humanitas, was the same in the time of Moses,
and verily it is the same at this day, and will never cease till
time shall be no more.
It is now incumbent on me to follow your correspondent to
the New Testament, which I do with the utmost cheerfulness,
being of one mind with him regarding the infinite dignity of the
Author, the peculiar excellency and perfection of this part of
Divine revelation, and the superior glory of the dispensation
of Christ to that of Moses. But with all this in view, I cannot
admit that we ought to take no aid from the Old Testament
in relation to moral duty, unless the same duty be enjoined in
the New Testament ; or that the latter is to be considered in a
detached and separate point of view, as " containing all things
that are necessary to be either known or done." It is the glory
of the New Testament, that it gives a faithful narrative of the
fulfilment of all that was written in the law of Moses, and in
the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Christ. We now
find the types and shadows, and figurative representations of

ON THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH. 467
the Old Testament fulfilled, explained, and substantiated in
the glorious antitype, and in the spiritual blessings of his eter
nal kingdom. The connexion between the two great parts of
Divine revelation, is close and indissoluble ; and if we consult
our own edification, we shall study both, comparing spiritual
things with spiritual.
There are numerous references to the Old Testament in
the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles on subjects of all kinds,
particularly the moral law as delivered at Mount Sinai, which
is frequently urged on the consciences of the disciples of Jesus,
both in its letter and in its spirit and principle. The highest
respect is paid by an inspired writer to the Scriptures of the
Old Testament, when he says of these, which were the only
Divine records then extant, " All Scripture is given by in
spiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness ; that the man
of God (or the Christian teacher) may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works." Moses and the prophets
therefore, at this day, claim our strict attention and regard ;
and the more so that the vail is removed, and the former reve
lation of God now shines forth in all its native splendour,
exceeded only, but not degraded, by " the glory which ex
celled." Besides, there are some moral duties which, in my opinion,
cannot be satisfactorily proved to be such without reference to
the Old Testament. Of these, I shall produce one instance,
which appears to me exceedingly important. That "the Sab
bath of the Lord," so far as it was a token of his peculiar
covenant with the seed of Jacob, is abrogated ; that the day
is changed from the seventh to the first day of the week ; and
that the first Christians regularly assembled on the Lord's day
to observe all the ordinances which he hath instituted in his
churches, are facts clearly established in the New Testament.
But it is more difficult to ascertain from it alone, that God now
requires the sanctification of the whole day ; and this is denied
by some lawless Christians, who plead that no such thing is
enjoined or exemplified. To set this matter at rest, therefore,
it is necessary to refer to the first institution of the Sabbath,
and to its re-enactment on the same grounds in the law of the
ten commandments, both of which undeniably prove that it is
of moral obligation, while the duty is enforced by the example
of our great Creator working six days and resting one ; and
therefore, although the day has been changed, yet the duty
cannot be abrogated as it respects either the days of labour,
or the day of rest.
The present matter of difference relates to moral duty ; and

468 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
it seems almost a hopeless task to use arguments on this sub
ject with a person who denies that the law in Gen. ix., con
demning murderers to death, was of a moral nature. What
was it then ? It was not typical ; and I trust he will not say
that it was political, as if the righteous Judge of all the earth
had no other means of causing a few rational beings to be fruit
ful and multiply, so as to repair in this respect with sufficient
rapidity the destruction occasioned by the deluge, except that
of punishing some of them with death for the crime of man
slaughter, where no murder was committed. Not being able
to perceive any reason why it should be thought that awarding
the just judgment of God to a murderer is not a moral act, nor
why inflicting the same punishment on a man-slayer is not an
immoral act, instead of reasoning on so plain a subject, I refer
every man to the decision of his own conscience, being confi
dent that, if he permit this monitor to speak, it will sufficiently
plead my cause, which, indeed, is the cause of every human
being. There ought to be no greater difficulty about the indispens
able obligation which lies upon all mankind to obey every moral
precept, whether it be found in the Scriptures of the Old or of
the New Testament. Indeed, this is acknowledged by Huma
nitas, who says, " If it (i. e. the ancient law respecting mur
der) should prove to be of moral obligation, then it will be
obvious that it must be universal and perpetual ; and that every
legislature is bound to appoint it, and no other mode of pun
ishment, for wilful murder." Still, however, he insists that
this law is abrogated, because it is not re-enacted or broadly
stated in the New Testament, while " he would presume that
all which is of moral obligation upon Christians can be found
there." If I be mistaken in this and other inconsistencies,
which I confess their palpable nature leads me to suspect, I
can at least say with truth, that I have not wilfully misrepre
sented him.
Authority cannot be produced from the New Testament in
the precise form which he requires. But surely the God of
the New Testament hath not permitted the earth to be filled
with unrestrainable violence during the peaceful reign of the
King of Zion, without an adequate remedy for the greatest
crime which a man can commit. No, verily. He hath appointed
civil powers " to be a terror to evil doers, and a praise unto
them that do well." So universally true is this fact, that even
wicked Nero is said to have sent governors to the various pro
vinces of the Roman empire for those salutary purposes.
This wonderful institution, by which good men and bad are
employed to protect the just, and to keep the world in awe,

ON THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH. 469
demonstrates that there is a God who ruleth in the"earth.
The civil power, acting thus by Divine authority, " is the mini
ster of God to us for good ;" and, for the accomplishment of
this gracious purpose, "he beareth not the sword in vain ; for
he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath on them
that do evil," Rom. xiii.
At the same time, it is admitted that no specific directions
are given in the New Testament with respect to the nature and
extent of those punishments which ought to be inflicted on cri
minals, according to the just demerit of their various offences,
though it appears beyond a doubt, that for this purpose they are
vested with authority by the God of heaven, and of consequence
that legislators, judges, magistrates, and, which is not the least
important in this favoured country, jurymen, are accountable
to God for every decision which they pronounce. They have
nothing, therefore, to guide them in this particular, but the
clearly revealed object which the Lord has in view in appoint
ing civil rulers, their innate sense of right and wrong, the gene
ral principles of justice and equity, the hints given in the New
Testament that death is the just punishment of murder, and
the criminal code of Moses, so far as its enactments may not
have been peculiar to the circumstances in which the ancient
people of God were placed.
Private persons, in all the relative conditions of life, are
often addressed in the apostolic epistles, and most of all, sub
jects of civil governors ; yet, though the rulers of nations may
also know their duty from the instructions given to their subjects,
there is no personal address to them in their official capacity.
Shall we therefore conclude that they are left to do as they please?
Far be it. But deprived as they are of this advantage, for which
it may perhaps be a sufficient reason that no supreme rulers
were members of the first churches, they have the more need
to regard all other Scriptural means of information, and deeply
to consider that, if they make any thing less than death the
punishment of murder, they do " bear the sword in vain," and
cease to be " the ministers of God, and revengers to execute
(his) wrath on them that do evil."
But let me not be mistaken, as if I approved of our own
sanguinary criminal code in all its terrific forms. In many
respects it has no affinity to the benign spirit of the Gospel,
and it is offensive in a high degree to the best feelings and
sympathies of our nature. To what precise extent the punish
ment of death ought to be carried, I pretend not to judge ; but
I very much doubt whether the mere loss of property by an
injured individual justly entitles the public, in any case, to
demand the life of the criminal.

470 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
Humanitas farther attempts to convince your readers that to
punish even murder with death, is opposite to the Spirit of the
Gospel, by referring to these words of Christ, " Ye have heard
that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say unto you that ye resist not evil, love your enemies,
do good to them that hate you," &c. Matt. v. Here again it
gives me pleasure that I cordially agree with his view of the
doctrine of non-resistance, the evil of resentment or avenging
ourselves, and our obligation to forgive all injuries, and to feed
and clothe our most inveterate enemies, when their destitute
circumstances require it ; though I consider this as the duty of
Christians, acting not in a public, but in a private and indivi
dual capacity ; and I do maintain the lawfulness of self-defence
in cases of unprovoked attack. I admit also that it is a cri
minal thing in Christian brethren to go to law one with another ;
nor do I hesitate to affirm, though this seems unconnected with
the subject in hand, that eating blood has been always strictly
prohibited from the time that animal food was granted, and is
still forbidden under the Gospel.
What difference then, it may be said, is there between us ?
A very great one. The mistake of Humanitas seems to
arise from confounding the duty of private individuals with
that of the administrators of public justice, supposing that the
latter as well as the former ought to do to the enemies of the
public, that which, if they act as the disciples of Christ, they will
be disposed to do to those who have injured them personally,
not resisting evil, not retaliating by rendering evil for evil, but
doing all the good in their power to their bitterest enemies. It
will be seen at once that no judge can treat in this manner
convicted criminals, who would thus be encouraged to multiply
depredations and murders, till the whole nation should be ut
terly ruined.
The manner in which I have endeavoured to state private
forgiveness and public vengeance, is strikingly visible in Rom.
xii. and xiii. Some of the strongest, things which are any where
to be met with in Scripture, are said against retaliation in the
end of the twelfth chapter, " Recompense to no man evil for
evil," &c. And immediately after, as if the Apostle had fore
seen the bad use which some would make of this, he enforces
in the most energetic, terms the duties which we owe to " the
powers that be," and the advantages which result to ourselves
from their administration with all its legitimate terrors, repre
senting them as armed with power by God himself, for the
purpose of restraining the unruly, and punishing evil doers.
The vengeance of the law is not, as Humanitas seems to think,
that of private parties who may have been deeply injured. We

ON THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH. 471
need to watch over ourselves, I confess, when placed in such
circumstances. But it is surely possible'for us to do all that
duty requires of us, for our own and the public safety, without
the smallest tincture of a spirit of vengeance, nay, with sym
pathetic feelings, and with deep regret. And I request my oppo
nent to consider, what I suppose from his silence on the legi
timate power of civil rulers, he has not yet duly appreciated— that
the vengeance of good human laws, duly administered, is the
vengeance of God himself ; for it is written, as formerly quoted,
" He (?". e. the power or ruler) beareth not the sword in vain ;
for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath on
him that doeth evil ;" and on this account all who are thus
disposed, are commanded by the sovereign Lord of heaven and
earth to " be afraid." Let him, therefore, beware lest he be
finding fault with Divine vengeance, while he strongly reproves
his fellow men for attempting to exercise this prerogative of
the Almighty. There is some need for this caution, because
he will not admit that death is the just punishment of murder,
though God hath said, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by
man shall his blood be shed ;" and he considers all who main
tain this as acting opposite to the spirit of love which breathes
in the Gospel, as if using severe but lawful means to defend all
mankind against the worst of criminals, were no part of that
love which we owe to our neighbour, but the dire effect of
malice and revenge !
Humanitas will now be pleased to return with me to Matt. v.
In the remarks which he has made on verse 38, he includes
" life for life," along with an eye for an eye, &c, because the
former expression is in the context, Exod. xxi. But the omis
sion seems to me to have been intentional; for Jesus had
already finished what he meant to say with respect to murder
and its punishment, ver. 21. "Ye have heard that it was
said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever
shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment." He does not
here correct, nor modify, nor apparently reverse " the saying
by them of old time," as he does in relation to several of those
which follow. He takes the sixth commandment in the pre
cise form in which it was given, when it was written with the
finger of God, and annexes to it the threatened punish
ment which was intimated to Noah, and often repeated,
and strongly enforced in the Old Testament Scriptures ; for
it is obvious that the words, " Whosoever shall kill shall
be in danger of the judgment," plainly express the punish
ment of death, being the only punishment which ever was threat
ened for that crime. And, instead of showing that there was
any mistake in the ancient saying which might open the way
3 o

472 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
for evading the charge, or escaping the just punishment of
murder, he does nothing but aggravate the charge, and extend
the judgment which God had pronounced against this awful
crime, by declaring that " Whosoever shall be angry with his
brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment,"
as a breaker of the sixth commandment, not in actual deed, but
in the unrestrained indulgence of those inimical passions which
are uniformly the cause of murder.
Jesus gives a similar illustration of the seventh command
ment, charging multitudes with the crime of adultery, who, with
out reference to their having actually had unlawful intercourse
with the female sex, have yet " in their hearts committed adul
tery." Thus it is that the great Preacher of righteousness
displays the spirituality and extent of his holy law, and makes
it reach our inmost souls.
How different, in the above respects, is his doctrine on the
law of divorce, ver. 31, 32 ? He merely states the permission
which had been given them to divorce their wives, and reverses
it altogether, " saving for the cause of fornication," declaring
that either of the parties, by marrying another, would commit
adultery. From these premises, or rather from the Lord's own illus
tration of the sixth commandment, we may safely conclude that
the ancient preservative of the life of man, instituted by the
Giver of that life, who best knows its value, and our natural
and moral feelings in relation to it, is sanctioned and enforced by
Him who " came not to destroy mens' lives, but to save them."
It may not be improper to notice here a circumstance in the
history of the Apostle Paul, which, incidentally as it were, is
decisive of the present point of difference. When standing
capitally accused before a Roman governor, he said, with a
noble and undaunted spirit, " If I be an offender, or have com
mitted any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die," thus
unequivocally denouncing some crimes as being worthy of death ;
and no one surely will take it upon him to say that he made any
exception of murder.
And now, permit me to give you a hint ? Probably you have
admitted your correspondent's essay merely for the purpose of
its being answered. Yet as you did not refuse to publish it, as
it seems to have merited, would it not have been proper to have
cautioned your readers against it, and to have invitee! a reply ? *
* The following note is appended to the above article in the " Evan-
felical Magazine :" — " The Editor receives in good part the admonition of
is " old" and much valued " friend" — stands reproved for his conduct,
and is much obliged by the favour conferred on him in transmitting so
able au illustration of this difficult and important subject.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 473
But perceiving the regard which Humanitas expresses to other
principles truly Christian, I am not without hope that he will
seriously consider the preceding remarks, comparing them with
the Word of God ; and if this should produce a change of mind,
I humbly and affectionately advise him to give his new senti
ments the same extent of circulation as he has unhappily given
to his present erroneous views. I trust he will pardon me for
writing so freely.
Edinburgh, March 25, 1823.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE
ILLUSTRATED, AND OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
The following remarks are intended as an answer to the objec
tions which are with great zeal urged by many, against the doc
trine that was taught the late William Mills, in the faith of
which he died* — a doctrine which is now, as it was in the days
of the Apostles, every where spoken against.
1. It is objected, That this doctrine levels all mankind ; the
most respectable moralist differs nothing from the hardened
wretch, who is justly condemned to suffer death by the laws of
his country ; thieves and robbers are as good men as those who
are sober, just, and temperate. Can any thing be more absurd
than this ? Is it not equally opposite to the plainest declara
tions of Scripture, and to all the principles of reason, justice,
and humanity ?
I believe it is as far from your intention as it is from mine,
to lessen the crimes of any ; and I am decidedly of opinion,
that all men are not equally sinful. There are some who
" have sold themselves to commit iniquity, whose consciences
are seared as with a hot iron, and who work all uncleanness
with greediness." Crimes which are hurtful to society, require
to be punished ; and those who suffer as murderers, thieves,
and evil-doers, must of necessity appear more sinful in the eyes
of men, than the sober and decent part of mankind. They are
also criminal in the sight of God, in exact proportion to the
* This individual was executed at Edinburgh on 21st September 1785.
Before his death his mind was in the most distracted state, in consequence
of the self-righteous labours enjoined on him by the teachers of the popular
doctrine of Christianity. But on being visited by the late Mr H. D. Inglis,
.one of the pastors of the Baptist Church then assembling in Richmond
Court, a zealous and indefatigable labourer in the Christian vineyard, his
mind received joy and peace in believing the doctrine of the atonement
through the finished work of Christ, and he died rejoicing in the hope of
the Gospel. . . . - ¦

474 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
just demerit of their evil deeds. The most specious acts of
injustice and oppression, which mankind in general practise
with impunity, such as going beyond and defrauding one
another in their dealings, shall not escape his notice ; for he is
the avenger of all who are thus defrauded. * Theft is a great
crime in his account; for "the unrighteous, thieves, and covet
ous, shall not inherit the kingdom of God." f But, above all,
a murderer is exposed to the vengeance of the Almighty ; for
while his law, as it respected human society in the kingdom of
Israel, required only restitution from a thief, it declared, in the
most express terms, " Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life
of a murderer, who is guilty of death ; but he shall be surely
put to death." X
There is evidently therefore, in God's account, a difference
in the demerit "of crimes, both as committed against himself
and against our fellow-men. This is manifestly implied in the
doctrine we contend for. Do we not affirm, that there are
many instances particularly noted in the Scriptures, of the vilest
sinners being saved by the grace of God ? And do we not
also maintain, that his grace could not appear in all the lustre of
its greatness, freedom, and sovereignty, if it did not save those
who are, both in his account and ours, more heinous trans
gressors than their fellow-men, and deserve to be accounted the
chief of sinners ?
Yet men often judge, not according to truth, when they
determine who are the greatest sinners in the sight of God.
This depends upon a variety of circumstances, of which no
cognizance is taken by human laws, such as, the motives of
their hearts, which God alone can fully know, the opportuni
ties they have had of being instructed, and the peculiar temp
tations to which they were exposed. At any rate, when this
is possible, it requires more attention to the Word of God
than most people are disposed to give to it ; for the generality of
mankind are guided more by caprice and custom, than by that
unerring standard, in judging of the true demerit of crimes. It
is not uncommon, for instance, to see blasphemers and adul
terers joining in the general cry against thieves and robbers,
insulting them, and loading them with reproach and infamy ;
while they do not consider that their own crimes are more
highly aggravated in the sight of God, being such as he com
manded to be punished with death in the kingdom of Israel. ||
While, then, it is acknowledged, that some are greater sin
ners than others, this is no objection to the doctrine of the
* 1 Thess. iv. 6. t 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10.
X Num. xxxv. 31. |j Lev. xxiv. 16, and xx. 10.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 475
Scripture, which represents all men as involved by nature in
one condemnation, and therefore equally needing that salvation
which comes freely to the vile and worthless, through the blood
of Christ, Rom. iii., Eph. ii. All are equally destitute of any
just claim to the Divine favour ; for " all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God." * The Psalmist says, " If
thou, Lord, shouldstmark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand ?"t
Those who shall not stand when he marks iniquities, are not
merely such as may be reckoned, in comparison of others,
ungodly and profane, but all who have committed sin ; for it is
not said, if thou shouldst mark great offences, or uncommon
and highly aggravated transgressions, but if thou shouldst mark
iniquities, who shall stand ? And again, " Enter not into
judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living
be justified ;" J which agrees with the Apostle's declaration
when treating of the same subject, " By the deeds of the law,
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." ||
Are not all mankind thus placed on a level in point of justi
fication before God ? The same grace that saves the most pro
fligate wretch in the world, is necessary to found the hope of
those who plume themselves on their freedom from gross sins,
and their comparatively blameless characters.
This will appear still more evident, when it is considered that
the Scriptures represent all men, in their natural state, as
" enemies unto God in their minds by wicked works ;" § as
" dead in sins ;" 1" the slaves of sin ; ** " free from righteous
ness," and thus incapable of any thing but sin. ft The enmity
of the hearts of men against God and his law, is expressed in
different ways : in some, by such a desire of pleasure, riches,
and honours, as is reputable enough in the world, but con
demned by the Word of God ; in others, these lusts become so
prevalent, as to hurry them on to the commission of crimes
which bring them to" an untimely end ; but the root of every
evil is naturally in the heart of every man. XX And no one is
prevented from the most daring acts of wickedness by the love
of God, or a desire to glorify his name, till he is made to under
stand this joyful truth, that God is just, and the justifier of
him that believeth in Jesus ; for thus alone is the enmity of the
heart destroyed.
2. Another objection is, This doctrine leads to licentiousness.
Profane sinners will be hardened in their guilt, by presuming
* Rom. iii. 23. t Psal. exxx. 3. X Psal. cxliii. 2.
1 Rom. iii. 20. § Col. i. 21. f Eph. ii. 1, 5.
** Rom. vi. 17. ft Rom- vi- 20, and iii. 11, 12, and vm. 7, 8,
XX Matt. xv. 18—20.

476 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
that they may sin with impunity ; for they are taught to ima
gine, that they have as good a chance for heaven as those who
are virtuous and sober. Whatever course of life they pursue,
they will be happy when they come to die ; for, according to
this doctrine, the grace of God is free to the worst of man
kind, and is even magnified in proportion to the greatness of
their guilt.
This objection is as old as the days of the Apostles ; for
some affirmed that they said, " Let us do evil that good may
come." * An awful reply is made to this : " Whose damna
tion," says Paul, " is just ;" implying, that those who drew
such conclusions from the doctrine which he taught, exposed
themselves to the utmost danger. He nevertheless, in that
and the two following chapters, opens up the doctrine of jus
tification through the righteousness of Christ alone, and sets
forth the grace of God in all its riches, freedom, and sove
reignty. He then asks, " Shall we continue in sin, that grace
may abound ?" f This thought he rejects with the utmost
abhorrence : " God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to
sin, live any longer therein ?" X
It must be allowed, indeed, that there were men in the days
of the Apostles, " who turned the grace of God into lascivious-
ness ;" and many such there are still. Of these Jude speaks,
in language the most pointed and severe of any that is to be
met with in all the Word of God, showing the hatefulness of
their iniquity, and the certain destruction to which they were
doomed. These are the most detestable of all characters.
Whatever pretensions they may have to the knowledge of the
grace of God, they are represented as " denying the only
Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." || — " They profess
that they know God ; but in works they deny him, being abo
minable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate." §
Professors of the faith are often reminded, not only of the dan
ger of this, but also of unfruitfulness in the profession of the
name of Christ. if Those whom the grace of God, which
bringeth salvation, hath not taught to deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in
this present world,** have the fullest reason to conclude that
they know it not ; and even believers themselves, when they
disobey any of Christ's laws, or become lukewarm and inactive,
are thus alarmed and roused to a sense of their danger ; for no
* Rom iii. 8. t Rom. vi. 1. J Rom. vi. 2.
|| Jude 4. § Tit. i. 16.
If Matt. vii. 2), to the end ; John, xv. 1—6 ; 1 John, ii. 4 : James, ii.
15, to the end. ** Tit. ii. 11, 12.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 477
man has any right to esteem himself a believer of the Gospel,
unless he now obeys the commandments of the Lord and Sa
viour, however much he may have formerly appeared to do so.*
Men may speculate about the grace of God ; they may have
distinct and accurate notions of the doctrine of justification
through the righteousness of Christ, so as to enable them to
speak fluently upon the subject, and perhaps also boast of their
enjoyments, while they are totally ignorant of the true grace of
God, as it gives relief to a guilty conscience. They never were
pained with a sense of guilt, nor afraid of the just indignation
of God ; therefore, all the high-sounding expressions they make
use of, about grace, have no meaning as to them. They see not
how much they stand in need of grace, and thus it yields them
no solid consolation or joyful hope. It is no wonder that the
influence of what such men profess to believe, does not appear
in their practice. The reason is plain, because, whatever they
may say about it, they do not really believe. Let none there
fore impute to the doctrine, that which is diametrically opposite
to its nature and tendency, and arises solely from the corrup
tion and hypocrisy of the hearts of men.
The nature of that salvation which we attribute to the riches
of sovereign mercy, is such as to exclude the possibility of
those who really enjoy it, being thereby encouraged in the
ways of sin. It does not merely consist in freedom from con
demnation, the enjoyment of the favour of God, and eternal
glory ; but deliverance from the power of sin is also an essen
tial and important branch of this salvation. Those who now
partake of that abundant mercy which is revealed in the Gos
pel, were predestinated to be " conformed to the image of
Jesus Christ." t They are " elect according to the foreknow
ledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit,
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." X
" He hath chosen them in Christ before the foundation of the
world, that they should be holy and without blame before him
in love." || All which passages, and many more that might be
mentioned, evidently show that the purpose of God to save
his people, equally respects their deliverance from wrath and
from the power of sin. This is also one of the great promises
of the new covenant : " I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts." § And when " the Lord God
of Israel actually visited and redeemed his people, and raised
* John, viii. 31, 32. John, xiii. 13—17 ; chap. xiv. 21, 24; chap. xv.
8, 9, 10, 14. 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Gal. vi. 3—10. Heb. vi. 4—12. 2 Pet.
i. 5  11. 1 John, iii. 14, to the end.
t Rom. viii. 29. X J Pet- *• 2- II EPh- L 4- § Heb- vui- 10-

478 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
up an horn of salvation for them in the house of his servant
David," this was one part of his grand design, that they,
" being delivered out of the hands of their enemies, might
serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before
him, all the days of their lives." * This is also declared to be
one of the great ends of the death of Christ; for " he loved
his church, and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word; that he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy, and
without blemish." t This, too, is what God intends by all the
blessings and privileges which he confers upon his people ; for
the reason given why " they are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people," is, " that
they should show forth the praises of him who hath called them
out of darkness into his marvellous light." j Thus, it is mani
fest that the doctrine we maintain cannot fail to purify the
hearts of all who believe it, || and lead them to perfect holiness
in the fear of God ; § unless the objectors can make it appear,
that God's eternal purpose may be frustrated, that his promise
may fail, that Christ is dead in vain, and that all the blessings
which the Lord freely bestows upon his people, with the de
clared intention to make them holy, can only lead them to
delight in sin. If these suppositions are profane, the objection
which leads to them must be so too.
The doctrine which was declared to the poor criminal, must
deeply impress the hearts of all who believe it with the most
awful view of the malignity of sin, and the punishment it
deserves ; and is that alone, which can furnish with sufficient
motives to obedience.
Was ever any such display given to men of the Divine indig
nation against sin, and the impossibility of its passing un
punished, as when the Son of God hung upon the accursed tree,
and there expiated the sins of the ungodly? If it was neces
sary for the salvation of sinners that the Prince of life should
be killed,iT that God should bruise his own Son, put him to
grief, and make his soul an offering for sin, ** doth not this
loudly proclaim that he is the most holy Lord God ? And
must not those, who see his character thus displayed, serve him
with reverence and godly fear, knowing that our God is a con
suming fire ? tt
There is also, in the cross of Christ, the highest possible
* Luke, i. 68, 69, 74, 75. t Eph. v. 25—27. J 1 Pet. ii. 9.
|l Acts, xv. 9. § 2 Cor. vii. 1. f Acts, iii. 15.
** Isaiah, liii. 10. ft Heb. xii. 28, 29.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 479
display of the goodness and mercy of God to sinners. His
love, thus manifested, infinitely transcends all that is to be seen
among men.* It is in this wonderful transaction, that we see
him rich in mercy, t By this it is fully manifested, that God is
love. $ And is it possible to discern this without loving him ?
" We love him," says the Apostle John, " because he first
loved us." | The stoutest and most obdurate hearts are thus
subdued. This we know is the ease even among men. Who
would not love a kind and disinterested benefactor, especially
if our own conduct had been such as led us to expect nothing
but resentment ? Much more surely will the hearts of sinners
be filled with love and gratitude to God, when, conscious that
they deserved nothing but wrath and destruction, he makes
known to them the exceeding riches of his grace, pardoning
all their sins, and filling them with the joyful hope of his sal
vation. If we thus love him, we must surely keep his com
mandments. § We must be constrained by the love of Christ,
" to live not unto ourselves, but unto him that died for us, and
rose again." ^ Thus, believers of the Gospel are besought by
the mercies of God, to the performance of every duty. ** They
consider themselves not their own. but bought with a price ;
and therefore bound to glorify God in their bodies, and in their
spirits, which are God's, tt
The unspeakable blessings they have already obtained, the
forgiveness of their sins, peace with God, the spirit of adop
tion, and deliverance from all their spiritual enemies, must
deeply impress upon their souls a grateful sense of the love of
God, and lead them to think that they never can do enough
for Christ- The hope of that life and immortality which the
Gospel reveals, produces in them the very same effect ; for,
says the Apostle John, " Every man that hath this hope in
him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure." ii And Peter, when
assuring those to whom he wrote of the coming of the day of
God, the destruction of the world, and perdition of ungodly
men, thus improves the subject : " Seeing then that all these
things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to
be in all holy conversation and godliness ; looking for and
hasting unto the coming of the day of God ?" ||| And again,
" Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be
diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot,
and blameless." §§
* Rom. t. 7. S t Eph. ii. 4. 11 John, iv. 8, 16.
I 1 John. iv. 19. § John, xiv. 15. 21. «f 2 Cor. r. 14, 15.
** Rom. xii. 1. tt 1 Cor. vi. 20. jj 1 John, iii. 3.
[| 2 Peter, iii. 11. 12. 55 2 Peter, iii. 14.
3 p

480 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
Is not this doctrine according to godliness ? Doth it not
powerfully enforce upon Christians every motive that can fill
their souls with detestation of sin, fervent love to God, a fear
of offending him, and an earnest desire to glorify his name ?
As to that part of the objection which supposes that the doc
trine of the grace of God, which levels all distinctions among
mankind, will harden men in their guilt, from, this considera
tion, that they have as good a chance for heaven as those who
are decent and sober — I answer, the Word of God speaks
nothing of any having a chance for heaven, but places this
matter upon the surest footing, " He that believeth, shall be
saved ; he that believeth not, shall be damned." * The evi
dence of believing the Gospel has been already mentioned,
which fully shows, that we consider none as partakers of the
grace therein revealed, whose hearts and conduct are not regu
lated thereby. Such persons, therefore, have no encourage
ment to continue in that situation, which excludes them from
the kingdom of heaven. And as to the hope of their being
afterwards delivered by the grace of God, his Word declares to
all, " Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." t
The hardened sinner, who this day rejects the Gospel of salva
tion, may be consigned ere to-morrow to everlasting misery. X
Where, then, is the encouragement given to delay faith and
repentance, in the hope of afterwards obtaining them, suppo
sing it were possible for men to do so ? But the true reason
why they do not believe, is because they hate the truth ; and
they repent not, because they love their sins ; and must not
every one, who knows any thing of the Word of God, and the
workings of the human mind, perceive that this situation is
totally inconsistent with any wish, ever to obtain faith and repen
tance ?
Let none, then, grudge salvation to this poor thief, from an
apprehension that others will be led, by that which was the
ground of his hope and joy, to injure their fellow-men ; for not
only would their enjoyment of this hope produce the very oppo
site effect, as hath been already shown, but it is also suffici
ently manifest, that the most profane sinners are not easily
induced to believe the same doctrine. Even they are affronted,
if it should be supposed that they stand in need of free and
sovereign mercy ; they too, however foolish it may appear,
must have in themselves a ground of glorying, so that, in this
respect, there is no difference between them and their decent
neighbours ; both are perfectly agreed in opposing the grace
of God. * Mark, xvi. 16. f 2 Cor. vi. 2. X L"ke, xii. 20.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 481
At same time, I readily acknowledge that there is more hope
of openly profane and abandoned sinners listening to the Gos
pel of the grace of God, than those who plume themselves on
their freedom from gross sins, and their outward sanctity and
devotion. These last are fortified by a religious principle,
against all that can be said to them about sovereign mercy, and
can scarce be brought to allow that they are sinners ; whereas
the former lie open to conviction, and must, in some measure,
be sensible, if they think at all, that they are justly exposed to
the vengeance of the Almighty. Thus Jesus says to the Phari
sees, who " trusted in themselves that they were righteous,
and despised others,* Publicans and harlots go into the king
dom of God before you." t The parable of the publican and
Pharisee, shows also how much these self-righteous men are
above being indebted to mercy, and how hateful they are on
this account in the sight of God ; whereas they, who, like the
poor self-condemned publican, have nothing to say, but " God
be merciful to me a sinner," X are justified, and not the other.
Is it not unreasonable, in the highest degree, to exclude
from the benefit of the Gospel those who are acknowledged by
all to stand most in need of it ? The outwardly righteous men
among the Jews acted thus, || when the Saviour himself preached
the glad tidings of salvation. They gave him this name as a
term of reproach, " a friend of publicans and sinners," and
often complained that he kept company with such persons, and
even ate and drank with them. He owned the charge, but he
gloried in it ; and persisted in showing compassion to the most
vile and worthless, saying, " The Son of man is come to seek
* Luke, xviii. 9. f Matt. xxi. 31. X Luke, xviii. 10 — 15.
|| I have considered this and the foregoing objection in their fullest ex
tent, as they plead the cause of the most specious and devout opposers of
the grace of God, whose conduct, in many respects, is irreproachable in
the eyes of men. The answer will therefore apply with still greater force
to profane swearers, drunkards, unclean persons, and suchlike ; many of
whom, on this occasion, have had effrontery enough to urge the same ob
jections. To them it may be fitly said, " Thou art inexcusable, O man,
whosoever thou art that judgest ; for wherein thou judgest another, thou
condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things," (or
things as manifestly excluding from the kingdom of heaven.) " But we
are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them who
commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them
who do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judg
ment of God ? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbear
ance, and long-suffering ; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth
thee to repentance ? But, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest
up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the right
eous judgment of God ; who will render to every man according to his
deeds." — Rom. ii. 1 — 6.

482 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
and to save that which was lost." * — " They that are whole
need not a physician, but they that are sick : I came not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." t The very
intention of his coming into the world was to save sinners,
which would have been entirely frustrated, if such had not
been called to repentance. Happy is it for sinners, that while
thus excluded from mercy by their fellow-men, the Lord of
heaven and earth hath openly acknowledged himself their
friend, abasing the pride of those who glory in their own worth,
and condemning all who grudge salvation to the very worst of
men. It hath pleased him thus to magnify the riches of his
grace, and who can say unto him, " What doest thou?"
3. There is still another objection of equal importance with
any of the former, and that is, You make no account of repent
ance, contrition, and godly sorrow on account of sin, and lead
people to think lightly of devotional exercises ; for whatever
you may say about these things, the strongest incitement to
them is undoubtedly removed, when salvation is made to de
pend entirely upon the finished work of Christ, and no place
is given to these exercises, as forming any part of a sinner's
hope. Nothing can be a greater mistake than this ; for so far from
setting aside repentance, prayer, and other devotional exer
cises, these can only be produced by the doctrine against which
the objection is levelled. Men indeed, without any view of the
atonement of Christ, may be convinced that they are sinners,
and exposed to the wrath of a sin-avenging God. If these con
victions are deep and lasting, their souls will be filled with
slavish fear, and the most dreadful apprehensions of that wrath
of God, which will undoubtedly come upon the children of dis
obedience : these, if not removed by a view of the mercy of
God in Christ, or, which often happens, by worldly pursuits
and amusements, will land them in absolute despair. A situ
ation of this kind, or any thing that approaches to it, has surely
no tendency to make any one draw near unto God, or humbly
to confess those sins which he is convinced must bring upon
him everlasting destruction. All his efforts, while in these cir
cumstances, must be to ease his conscience, by persuading
himself that he is not quite so sinful as he had been led to
imagine, or by acts of devotion and greater strictness in his
future conduct, to atone for his past sins ; and, alas ! he will
find many to encourage him in this fruitless labour. Will this
produce repentance, godly sorrow, and an ingenuous confession
of sin ? Are not all the attempts of men to please God in this
* Luke, xix. 7, 9, 10. f Matt. ix. 10—12. Luke, v. 29 — 33.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 483
way, set in direct opposition to a full conviction and acknow
ledgment of their ruined, helpless, and miserable situation ?
I mean not, however, to speak lightly of such convictions.
The situation of those who labour under them is very moving,
and claims the sympathy of all who, like them, have expe
rienced the terrors of an awakened conscience, and have ob
tained that relief which the atonement of Christ alone is suited
to give. The salvation proclaimed in the Gospel meets exactly
the situation of those, to whom nothing presents itself from any
other quarter but guilt, despair, and death. Indeed, this must
be the case, in some measure, with all who are comforted by
these glad tidings of salvation ; for they have no meaning but
in relation to the guilt and wretchedness of those to whom they
are preached. Far be it from me, therefore, to say any thing
that would have the smallest tendency to lessen the guilt of the
most trembling self-condemned sinner ; or, on the other hand,
to mock his misery, by telling him, as some have done, that his
convictions are self-righteous. Nothing surely can be more
' opposite to self-righteousness, than a full conviction in a per
son's mind, that he is the chief of sinners. The view he has
of his sin and misery is just and proper, though he may greatly
err as to the means of obtaining relief. Those who know the
truth, should therefore set before him that all-sufficient remedy
which God hath provided, whereby " he healeth the broken in
heart, and bindeth up their wounds." *
This was the course the Apostles followed ; for when the
convicted Jews " were pricked in their hearts, and said, Men
and brethren, what shall we do ?" Peter seems to have con
sidered their question rather as expressive of their anguish and
despair, than of any desire they might have to live by their
own doings ; for, without saying any thing of self-righteous
ness, he immediately answers thus : " Repent, and be baptised
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission
of sins ;" leading them at once to that very Saviour whom they
had crucified, for peace to their guilty consciences, t In like
manner, when the jailer, trembling and astonished, fell down
before Paul and Silas, and said, " What shall I do to be
saved ?" they do not reproach him with self-righteousness, but
make known joyful tidings, as the only means of relief to a
despairing guilty sinner : " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto
him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." % ||
* Psalm cxlvii. 3. f Acts, ii. 37, 38. X Acts, xvi. 30—32.
II I do not at all mean to insinuate, that a convicted sinner, or indeed any
man in the world, is free of a desire to establish his own righteousness,

484 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
Such is the view I entertain of those convictions produced in
the conscience by the law of God, which worketh wrath ; but
whenever people begin to imagine, that there is some sort of
merit in their convictions, prayers, and tears ; that their state
is safe, because they are convinced and humbled ; or that their
hope depends on seeing their past guilt in a less formidable
point of view, and resolving in future to amend their ways,
they set themselves in direct opposition to the Gospel ground of
hope, and thus become self-righteous. But is not this the most
pitiful ground of hope that could well be imagined ? Is it not
strange indeed that men should thus boast of their convictions ?
We are naturally disposed to be proud of knowledge; yet surely,
knowing that we are sinners, should have no effect but to
humble and abase us. Can a man deserve eternal life, be
cause he confesses that he is worthy of death ? Is it not beyond
measure inconsistent for such an one to plead any thing but
mercy ? It may be said, perhaps, that one who confesses his
sins, is not such a hardened sinner as those who deny them ;
but what shall we say of his humility, if he so inverts the na
ture of things, as to build his hope of obtaining favour upon
his conviction of those very sins, which are the cause of his
condemnation, and ought only to fill him with shame and self-
abhorrence ?
There are, perhaps, few more hardened sinners in the sight
of God, however decent they may be in the eyes of men, than
those who thus boast of their humility. They are even more
inconsistent than the ancient Pharisees, for a humble confes
sion of sins was none of those things on which they founded
their hope : they, on the contrary, thanked God that they were
not as other men, which, if true, was surely a more rational
footing to proceed upon, than the method pursued by those cor
rupters of the Gospel, who own that they are as other men,
and by virtue of this acknowledgment think themselves entitled
to mercy. It is therefore evident, that those who lay any
while ignorant of the way of peace revealed in the Gospel ; but when we
begin to distinguish characters, it must require something more than this,
to denominate a man self-righteous in comparison of others ; and surely
conviction of sin is none of the things by which this character is marked
out. Many of those Jews to whom Peter preached on the day of Pente
cost, were, no doubt, men who gloried in their own worth ; but was their
self-righteous pride increased by their being " pricked in their hearts,"
and forced to cry out, " What shall we do ?" It would be absurd to say so.
They were then humbled to the dust, and fully persuaded that they had
no claim to the favour of God, on account of the things in which they for
merly boasted ; and that they, above all others, had reason to fear the just
indignation of God, as being the murderers of his beloved Son, and as
" God had made that same Jesus, whom they had crucified, both Lord
and Christ."

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 485
stress in this way upon contrition and godly sorrow, know
nothing at all about the matter.
A man truly convinced of sin sees nothing between him and
everlasting destruction, but the sovereign mercy of God mani
fested to guilty sinners in the atonement of Christ. When this
sure foundation which God hath laid in Zion, presents itself to
his view ; when he sees that Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth, and that he hath
redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of all his
sins, no reason can strike his mind why he should then be
anxious to conceal his guilt. He will confess it fully to the
glory of that grace by which he is saved : he will confess his sins
without reserve unto him who is faithful and just to forgive him
his sins, and to cleanse him from all unrighteousness. Is not this
a motive to repentance and godly sorrow, far more powerful
than any other ? Will not he who thus sees himself redeemed
by the blood of Christ, be led to hate those sins which were
the cause of the sufferings of the Son of God ? Conscious that
he lives by mercy, will it not be his daily employment to ," come
boldly to the throne of grace, that he may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need ? " How then can such a per
son make light of repentance, devotion, and prayer ?
The reason why God is so often represented in Scripture as
delighting in a broken and contrite spirit,* dwelling with such, t
and giving grace to the humble, X is because those who are
thus contrite and humble, see nothing in themselves in which
they can glory, and have all their hope in the blood of atone
ment ; so that his dwelling with those who are humble and of
a contrite spirit, is just the same with his taking pleasure in
them that hope in his mercy. Nothing could be more absurd
than to suppose it a meritorious thing to hope in free sovereign
mercy, to which we have no claim or title ; and it is equally so
to imagine, that the deepest convictions of sin are any other
wise well-pleasing to God, than as they flow from a sense of
his forgiving mercy, and lead us to have all our confidence in
that grace which reigneth through righteousness unto eternal
life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the true grace of God
wherein we stand. May the Lord reveal it unto many, and
fill them with deep repentance and godly sorrow, for the oppo
sition they have shown to its freedom and sovereignty, mani
fested in saving the chief of sinners !
From the foregoing account of our principles, and these
answers to objections, it will be evident to all who judge accord
ing to the Word of God, that we regard the glorious Gospel
* Psal. xxxiv. 18 ; and lvii. 15. f John, xv. 17. X l Pet. v. 5.

486 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
of Christ, not only as it gives peace with God, and delivers
from the wrath to come, but as it produces in all who believe
it the deepest repentance and self-abasement, love to God,
obedience to his commandments, and a strict attention to devo
tional duties. We cannot, therefore, justly be suspected of
having any principle that would lead us to treat with indiffer
ence or contempt the convictions of awakened sinners, the
experiences of the people of God, or zeal for the interests of
practical godliness.
We indeed most peremptorily deny, that the hope of any one
who believes the Gospel is founded upon such things. The most
experienced Christian, after all he has enjoyed, and suffered,
and obeyed, has nothing else to look to for pardon and peace,
but the same glad tidings which are declared to all mankind
without exception, and in which he at first rejoiced when on the
brink of everlasting destruction. The hope of the Gospel, which
strengthens, animates, and enlivens his soul, is the same that
" is preached to every creature who is under heaven." * It
was thus with the Apostle Paul ; after all his labours, afflic
tions, and unwearied diligence in the service of Christ for many
years ; and though he had much experience of the love of God,
patience in tribulation, and the joyful hope of eternal glory ;
yet neither his experience nor his labours are mentioned by him
as constituting any part of the foundation of his hope towards
God. In the most solemn manner he disclaims every thing else
but the blood of atonement, when he says, " God forbid that
I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." f
And to the believing Hebrews he thus writes, " We are made
partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast unto the end." X
Yet we maintain with equal firmness, that no man can be a
Christian, unless he is convinced of the evil of sin, the need
he has of pardon, and the sufficiency of the blood of Christ for
this purpose, leading him daily to approach unto God, " con
fessing his sins unto him who is faithful and just to forgive him
his sins, and to cleanse him from all unrighteousness." || Nei
ther can any man be a Christian, unless he experiences, in some
measure, the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy
Spirit, and lives by the faith of Jesus Christ, looking for his
second and glorious appearing.
As the necessary effect of these enjoyments, a Christian is
one who overcometh the world through the faith of the Son of
God ; § he places his chief delight in the enjoyment of God,
* 1 Col. i. 23. f Gal. vi. 14. X Heb. iii. 14.
|| 1 John, i. 9. § 1 John, v. 4, 5.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 487
and makes every thing else subservient to this his main pur
suit. It is his firm belief, that " one thing is needful, and he
hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away
from him." * He gives a decided preference to the blessings of
the kingdom of heaven, the service of Christ, and even to suffer
ing with him here, in the prospect of future blessedness ; when
laid in the balance with all the riches, honours, and pleasures
of this life. He is like-minded with the Apostle Paul, who
said, " What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for
Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ; for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them
but dung, that I may win Christ." t Here is an example
of the true spirit of Christianity, which must appear in every
believer of the Gospel, regulating the whole of his conduct.
Being risen with Christ, " he seeks those things which are
above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God ; setting
his affection on things above, not on things on the earth." X
The hearts of the disciples of Jesus, being thus set on ob
taining the heavenly inheritance, and raised above the perish
ing things of time, their chief concern is to preserve upon their
spirits a lively sense of the importance of eternal things, and to
stand fast in the faith amidst all the opposition they meet with
from the world around them, and from their own deceitful
wicked hearts. They are careful to avoid every thing that
would interrupt their communion with God, and " grieve his
Holy Spirit, whereby they are sealed to the day of redemp
tion." || But they are sensible of much weakness, and many
shortcomings in their duty, and are fully persuaded that they
can only " work out their own salvation with fear and trem
bling, when God worketh in them both to will and to do of his
good pleasure." § This leads them continually to have recourse
unto him for that grace and strength which they stand in need
of; to " pray always, with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, and to watch thereunto with all perseverance." if Thus
Jude exhorts those to whom he wrote, as an antidote against
the dangers to which they were exposed, particularly from un
godly teachers, who corrupted the Gospel of Christ : " But
ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of
God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life." **
* Luke, x. 42. f Phil- iii- 7—15. X Col. iii. 1, 2.
| Eph. iv. 30. § Phil. ii. 12, 13. f Eph. vi. 18.
** Jude, ver. 20, 21. 3 Q

488 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
These are Christian exercises, which require all the vigi
lance, exertion, and activity, of which the human mind is
capable ; and those only who are thus employed, by the ani
mating influence of the faith and hope of the Gospel, deserve
the name of Christians. Believers of the truth are represented
in Scripture as " fighting the good fight of faith," * " running
with patience the race that is set before them,"t and " striving
for the mastery ;" X which surely implies, that their whole
hearts and souls are engaged in the religion of Christ, and that
every thing else must give way to this grand object of their
pursuit, the unfading inheritance, the incorruptible crown.
Accordingly we find, that he who would run the Christian
race, must " lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth
so easily beset him." || He must " keep under his body, and
bring it into subjection, lest he should be cast away ;" § and he
who would strive so as to overcome and obtain the crown, must
strive lawfully,^ and be temperate in all things.**
In prosecuting this warfare, much experience is obtained by
the disciples of Christ, both of their own ignorance, weakness,
ingratitude, and rebellion ; and of the Lord's infinite mercy in
forgiving their sins, and of his almighty power in establishing
their souls, and making them conquerors over all their ene
mies. A great part of the New Testament is taken up in giving
us an account of the experience of the Apostles and those who
obtained like precious faith with them. It is of the utmost
consequence to attend to this ; for real believers of the truth
are more distinguished from hypocrites and false professors,
by the effects which the Word of God produces in their hearts
and conduct, -than by any difference in their knowledge ; and
it is thus that the Scripture guards men against self-decep
tion, for it supposes that those who fall away may be enlight
ened ; tt that they may have known the way of righteous
ness ; XX nay» tnat, at first they might receive the Word with
joy;" |||| and it gives us no infallible criterion whereby we
may know that our faith is genuine, but our experience of its
power to convince and humble us, to give us full relief and per
manent joy, and to make us bring forth the fruits of righteous
ness, which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
Thus Paul gives an account of the experience of the Thes
salonians, when he says, " Our Gospel came not unto you in
* 1 Tim. vi. 12. f Heb. xii. 1. f ] Cor. ix. 25.
II Heb. xii. 1. § 1 Cor. ix. 2/. «|f 2 Tim. ii. 5.
** 1 Cor. ix. 25. ft Heb. vi. 4. H 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21.
UJ Matt. xiii. 20.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. 489
word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in
much assurance." * The Gospel was not with them a matter
of speculation or indifference : it came with power upon their
hearts and consciences, while it was attended with the demon
stration of the Holy Spirit, making known its import and its
evidence ; the consequence of which was, that they firmly be
lieved it, for it came unto them in much assurance. This
appeared by their " becoming followers of the Apostles, and
of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction, with
joy of the Holy Spirit." t They found all their happiness in this
Word. It made them joyful in the midst of sufferings for its
sake, and led them cheerfully to become " companions with the
Apostles in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus
Christ."! He also says to these Thessalonians, " When ye
received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it
not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the Word of God,
which effectually worketh also in you that believe." || The evi
dence of this he likewise mentions, which was, their becom
ing followers of the churches, and suffering persecution for the
sake of the truth. §
Instances of this sort might be multiplied without end, but
we must now come to a conclusion. In general we may ob
serve, that the history given us of the first Christians in the New
Testament, is a description not of worldly, but of regenerated
men. They were converted by the power of the Word of
God ; they were born again by this incorruptible Word,^[ and
actuated by motives, hopes, and principles, entirely new, and
opposite to those which influenced their conduct when they
knew not God. They were men under the lively impressions
of eternal things, and " had their conversation in heaven, from
whence they looked for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." **
Though burdened with a sense of sin, and groaning to be de
livered, tt they were assured of their interest in Christ, and
joyful beyond expression even in a state of suffering and dis
tress ; for it is said concerning them, that " though they were
in heaviness through manifold temptations, they rejoiced in
Jesus Christ with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." XX They
were happy without any outward visible cause, nay, in such a
situation as would have made all men miserable but them
selves. ? 1 Thess. i. 5. t 1 Thess. i. 6. X Rev. i. 9.
|l 1 Thess. ii. 13. § 1 Thess. ii. 14. «|[ 1 Pet. i. 23.
** Phil. iii. 20. tt Rom- vii. 23. 1 Cor. v. 2, 4.
XX 1 Pet. i. 6, 8.

490 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
This account of Christian experience will no doubt differ
very considerably from the views of many professors of religion
in our day, some of whom pay little attention in any way to
experimental Christianity, and others think that nothing deserves
the name of experience, but those deep exercises of mind which
keep them always in darkness and perplexity, refusing the com
fort which the Gospel affords to the most trembling guilty sin
ner, and labouring to obtain relief by means of their repentance,
devotion, or some good thing towards God, which they expect
to find in themselves. They cannot think of coming to Christ,
guilty as they are, but must be prepared and qualified for
receiving him ; and so they labour all their lifetime to obtain
an interest in Christ, " ever learning, and never able to come
to the knowledge of the truth." These are the persons who
are esteemed by many the most experienced Christians ; yet
they seem more to resemble the Israelites on Mount Sinai, than
those who " are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of
the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ;" * for these last " have
not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit
of adoption, whereby they cry unto God, Abba, Father." t
It may be thought that the account here given of Christian
experience carries it too high, that the situation of the first
Christians was some way different in this respect from ours,
and that such comforts cannot now be enjoyed by those who
believe. But where is the difference ? Is not the Gospel the
same in all ages ? Doth it not present to the view of Chris
tians now, the same object of hope that filled the hearts of those
ancient believers with such unspeakable joy ? And must not
the truth, when it is really believed, produce the same effects
now, that it did in the days of the Apostles ? Christians may
depart from God, and lose their relish for the Gospel, and their
enjoyment of that blessed hope which it reveals ; they may
become lukewarm, and leave their first love, even while they
continue strict in their outward conduct; X and in so far as this
is the case, till they again become zealous and repent, they
cannot be free of the spirit of bondage. But those who are
habitually in this state of mind, have reason to fear that they
are not Christians at all ; and that if they continue " luke
warm, and neither cold nor hot, Christ will spue them out of
his mouth." ||
Let all, therefore, who wish to enjoy true Christian expe
rience, carefully peruse the New Testament, and observe what
were the effects produced by the Word of truth on those who
* Heb. xii. 18, 22. t Rom. viii. 15.
X Rev. ii. 2—4. j| Rev. iii. 15, 16.

ON THE SONG OF SOLOMON. 491
first believed it. Let them examine their own hearts and con
duct, as in the sight of God, before whose judgment-seat they
must soon appear, and see if the Gospel has produced the
same effects on them, and if they are now living by the faith of
the Son of God, and acting as his faithful servants. Thus shall
they be able to determine whether they are believers of the
same truth, or empty, formal, and hypocritical professors of
the name of Christ.
I shall now conclude this publication, earnestly entreating
all sorts of men to consider their situation in the same point of
view as the Word of God represents it, and as it shall soon
appear at the judgment-seat of Christ ; and in this accepted
time and day of salvation, not to harden their hearts, but ap
proach to that Lord who is rich in mercy to all that call upon
him. Edinburgh, November 5, 1785.

ON THE SONG OF SOLOMON.
IN A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE EDINBURGH EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.
It is to me a matter of deep regret, that some professing
Christians incautiously join with infidels and scoffers, in con
sidering the Song of Songs as descriptive merely of human
love. A paper of that sort appeared some time ago in your
Magazine. Soon after its publication I read it once, and only
in a cursory manner, because it was far from being agreeable
to my taste or judgment, and I do not mean to peruse it again,
or to take any further notice of it. You may perhaps think
this a strange introduction to a few remarks, intended as an
antidote to the paper alluded to. If we would maintain the
truth, it is impossible to avoid controversy while error is pro
pagated in the world. But the cause of truth is not in general
promoted by attacking individual persons, and criticising per
haps with equal severity their unguarded expressions and their
erroneous sentiments. Their pride is hurt, their resentment is
excited, and the contest too frequently turns out on both sides
a struggle for pre-eminence in critical investigation and subtle
reasoning. I rather choose, with your approbation, to assume
the privilege afforded to all, of simply stating my own opinion,
not scrupling, however, to show the pernicious tendency of bad
doctrine.

492 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
In the various attempts which have been made to explain
the Song of Solomon, there are two extremes. On the one
hand, some have discerned in it nothing more than the union
and love of an earthly husband and his spouse ; and to this in
ferior subject they have endeavoured to accommodate all the
glowing images, the bright descriptions of the most fervent and
transporting mutual affection, with its longings, its languish-
ings, and its reiterated efforts to obtain possession of the be
loved object ; and the high, overpowering, and ecstatic enjoy
ments of love, with which this beautiful Song abounds. One
would think it might be easy to convince any serious Christian,
that a just esteem of lawful wedlock is not the only effect that
is likely to be produced by thus limiting the scope of this Divine
Song. They who suppose that a whole inspired book has been writ
ten solely with a view to celebrate the mutual love of Solomon
and one of his queens, may feel temptations to impurity, which
never could have occurred if they had regarded it chiefly as
descriptive of the union which subsists between Christ and his
redeemed people. The importance of the subject solemnizes
the mind, and banishes from it all those carnal ideas which
might otherwise be suggested by many tender and passionate
expressions. After all, the figurative representation of Christ
as the husband of his church, honours and sanctions the mar
riage relation, infinitely more than the most intoxicating things
that can be said of its union and its endearments.
To set aside the spiritual meaning of the Song of Solomon,
is not more unfriendly to chastity than it is to godliness. It is
no favourable symptom that we delight in God ; that we esteem
the blessed Jesus " the chiefest among ten thousand, and alto
gether lovely ;" that we are duly sensible of the languid and
listless state into which we are apt to fall ; or that we earnestly
desire to be revived, and to enjoy communion with our exalted
Lord, if the difficulty of explaining every thing in this sacred
book, or the ingenuity of perverse reasoners, or the scoffs of
infidels, shall induce us to believe that it doth not testify of
" him of whom Moses, in the law and the prophets, did write,
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nor will trie adoption
of such a sentiment add any thing to our spiritual-mindedness,
the fervour of our devotional exercises, our desire after the
enjoyment of God in this life, and our hope of being " pre
sented as a chaste virgin to Christ" in the life to come.
Nay, I must be permitted to go a step farther, and to
affirm, what I seriously believe, that such unworthy explana
tions of the Word of God, tend directly to deism. It would
be more easy to convince a thinking person, who is not well

ON THE SONG OF SOLOMON. 493
established in the faith of the Divine oracles, that the Scrip
tures which record a love song, not intended to convey spiritual
instruction, cannot be the Word of God, than to persuade him
to believe that, while language highly figurative is used, and the
glory of Solomon displayed, " a greater than Solomon is here."
For this song is replete with lively representations of the most
earnest desire and love. It contains the most enthusiastic personal
admiration, the most mournful and heart-rending complaints of
absence, and the most passionate description of the joy which
the spouse obtained when she " found him whom her soul
loved, and held him, and would not let him go, till she had
brought him into her mother's house, and into the chamber of
her that conceived her." The more extravagant these tokens
of love appear to Christians, when applied to earthly objects,
the more, I am persuaded, will they be disposed to reckon them
descriptive of what we owe to the church's husband, who is
justly entitled to the highest degree of admiration, gratitude,
and love.
On the other hand, many well-meaning Christians have gone
to a great extreme in spiritualizing the Song of Solomon. The
figures have been strained. Bold metaphorical expressions
have been too minutely explained, and applied to Divine sub
jects ; and persons, venturing to go beyond what is written in
other parts of the Word of God, have soared into the regions of
fancy without any guide, and entertained themselves and others
with many conceits for which there is no foundation in the
Song, or in any part of Divine revelation. By endeavour
ing to find out the exact spiritual meaning of every expression,
and to apply every verse and every clause to the connexion
which subsists between Christ and his church, they lessen the
dignity of the subject, and sometimes expose it to ridicule.
Their own art and ingenuity appear conspicuous, but their
remarks are impious ; and for the most part they contribute
little to the illustration of Divine truth. With all due respect
towards expositors of the latter class, who are far less danger
ous than those of the former, I would humbly advise them to
take a more general and comprehensive view of the spirit and
design of the Song in question, to explain it by other passages
of Scripture, which unquestionably represent the union of
Christ and his church under the idea of marriage, and, where
they cannot find parallel texts, to attempt no explanation of
metaphorical expressions in the Song, or to do it with modesty
and self-diffidence, and in a manner worthy of a subject which,
without controversy, is unspeakably great and glorious.
That the song of Solomon is a marriage song, and that the
enjoyments of virtuous love are described in it, I have not any

494 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
doubt. Nor am I at all disposed to controvert the opinion of
those who think that it had a respect to the marriage of Solo
mon with the daughter of Pharaoh. All that I contend for is,
that, on whatever occasion it was penned, and however clearly
it describes some of the best enjoyments of human life, it is
principally intended as a figurative representation of a spiritual,
an indissoluble and eternal marriage, not similar in all respects
to the earthly figure, yet fitly and strikingly pointed out by it.
There is no reason surely why we should startle at this view
of the Song, on account of its being eminently figurative ; for
there are in the Sacred Scriptures innumerable examples of
the same kind. Perhaps bolder figures are not to be found in
any part of the Song of Solomon, than those used by the
Apostle Paul when treating of the same subject, Eph. v. 30.
" We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."
Indeed, the objection is stronger against the exclusive applica
tion of the 'Song of Songs to Solomon and his queen. " A
head like Carmel, a nose like the tower of Lebanon, a neck
like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there
hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men," seem
rather unnatural descriptions of a delicate and beautiful woman.
Nor is it easy for us to conceive how it could be justly said of
her, that she was " terrible as an army with banners," though
this applies well to the church of Christ. See Micah, v. 8. It
seems equally impossible to account for Solomon's favourite
queen being exposed to such barbarous treatment from his
watchmen as that complained of, chap. v. 7. " They smote
me, they wounded me ; the keepers of the walls took away my
vail from me." Or to conjecture how it could happen that she
would dare to resist the entreaties of Solomon, and to refuse
him admittance, when he addressed her in the most tender and
affectionate manner, ver. 2, 3. Yet there is no difficulty in
applying all this to the spouse of Christ, who has often been
cruelly used by those who ought to have protected her, and
who in her turn has too frequently become indolent and luke
warm, and treated her Lord with neglect and ingratitude,
amidst all his kind entreaties and expostulations. See an ex
ample of this in Rev. iii. 14, to the end, particularly verse 20,
which is exactly parallel to Song v. 2, " Behold I stand at the
door and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with
me." It must be confessed, indeed, that there are many things in
this Song, which cannot be literally applied to Christ and his
church. But it is enough for my purpose, if it can be proved
that " the testimony of Jesus," delivered by himself and his

ON THE ASSURANCE OF HOPE. 495
inspired Apostles, is the spirit of the Song of Songs, which
from its very name we are led to expect. In the greater part
of the figurative and typical representations of the Old Testa
ment, there are some things which apply more directly to the
type, and others to the antitype. To give instances of this
would be superfluous ; many of them will be recollected by all
who have read the Scriptures with attention. The Song of Solo
mon is singular, though perhaps not entirely so, in this particu
lar, that it contains descriptions which it would be extremely
difficult to apply strictly and literally, either to the figure or to
the thing signified. But it is easy to discern the spirit, that is
to say, the meaning and design, the main scope and tendency
of the whole, which is summed up in these words, " Blessed
are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb."
These hints, imperfect as they are, might suffice to convince
any sober-minded and candid enquirer. But the importance
of the subject still urges me to a farther discussion of it, which
however must be delayed till some future period. I intend, if
the Lord will, to send you a summary of a few additional argu
ments, by which it appears to me that the general view of the
Song of Solomon for which I plead, is completely established.*

ON THE ASSURANCE OF HOPE, &c. &c.

IN A LETTER TO

Your three letters lately received, contain an avowal of your
agreement with Mr Walker in various particulars, and accusa
tions against the church in  , of unbrotherly conduct to
wards some of their members. You will excuse me for taking
no farther notice of the latter, till I hear the party concerned,
which I think is in all cases an essential requisite for prevent
ing unrighteous judgment. As to your other charges, in these
I feel myself implicated, and called upon to say something in
reply, not merely for my own justification, but that I may do
what in me lies to vindicate the truth of God, and if possible,
to convince you that the situation in which you have suddenly
placed yourself, is one of much guilt and danger. The strong
and peremptory way in which you express yourself, gives me
no great encouragement; but a sense of duty, fervent Christian
love, and an earnest desire to promote your best interest, re
move every obstacle, and leave me no alternative.
* It does not appear that the author ever fulfilled the intention here ex
pressed, as no additional paper njion the subject occurs in the Magazine
from which the above is taken. 3 R

496 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
In a confident style of writing, very different from that of
your former letters, you affirm that Christians in all situations
ought to observe the Lord's Supper, as well as prayer and
other ordinances, without hinting at any argument in favour of
this practice which has not been often refuted, or referring to
any text of Scripture ; and it would be giving you and me un
necessary trouble now to repeat the opposite arguments, and
to prove them by the authority of the Word of God. Did you
ever hear of a Christian husband and his wife, in the time of the
Apostles, keeping at home on the Lord's day, and there par
taking of the Lord's Supper ? Or, is there any instance on
record of brethren withdrawing from a church of Christ on any
ground ? I shall only take particular notice of one of your as
sertions on this head, which I think you will not justify. You
say, " Nothing can have such a tendency to perpetuate cor
ruptions in the churches, as the opinion that elders are neces
sary to enable disciples to obey every Divine institution." Has
not this the appearance of throwing a stigma on the Divine
appointment of elders ? For, if there had been no such institu
tion, the supposed source of corruption would not have existed.
And what evil is there in maintaining, that, where the office
itself is not, other things dependent upon it must be wanting,
unless we should suppose that the Lord has appointed a stand
ing office in his churches for the sake of mere form, and not for
the accomplishment of any valuable purposes? In their absence,
how can disciples " obey those who have the rule over them," or
reap any benefit from their " oversight and watching for their
souls, or esteem them highly in love for their work's sake,"
&c. &c. Impute corruption, if you will, to elders ^being put
out of their due place, and to the misconduct of pastors them
selves ; but consider the institution itself as pure and spotless,
and the plea that many things are wanting where it does not
exist, as corresponding with every just idea of the wisdom, and
faithfulness, and mercy of our heavenly Father.
" Whenever," you say, " a person is called upon publicly to
unite in prayer and praise, he is called upon also to observe
the breaking of bread." This I suppose you apply merely to
assembling on the Lord's day. But why publicly ? Do you not
plead for doing the same thing in private ? " They are both of
the same Divine obligation." This is most certainly true ; but
what should hinder its being the, will of God " that men pray
every where," and that, in an organized body of Christians, and
there only, they should partake of the bread and the wine as
the visible body of Christ ?
You attempt to justify your withdrawing from a church, on
the ground of " disciples being commanded to withdraw from

ON THE ASSURANCE OF HOPE. 497
every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradi
tion which he received of the Apostles," 2 Thess. iii. 6, as if
the Apostles had commanded believers to separate from one
another in their public worship, in opposition to " their stand
ing fast in one spirit, with one mind," &c. " The tradition,"
referred to, is fully explained in the following verses, in
which the Apostle strongly reprehends those among them who
were disorderly, " working not at all, but were busy bodies ;"
reminding them of his former command, expressly in relation
to this, and now again he repeats the same command, and
directs the church in general how they were to act : " If any
man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and
have no company with him, that he may be ashamed," evidently
meaning, ' Give him no countenance in his idle sauntering
way ; hold no conversation with him when he ought to be other
wise employed ; tell him to go to his work, and that, if he will
be idle, it shall not be in your company, that thus he may be
ashamed, and apply himself to his honest calling.' This ex
planation is confirmed by the following words, " Yet count him
not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." To exclude
him from the church, is surely not to admonish him as a brother ;
and it is at least equally inconsistent to say, that you admonish
a church as brethren by entirely forsaking them, and by refu
sing to join in prayer with all or any of them. Here I must
plainly say, that Mr Walker perverts this text, as often as he
adduces it in support of his mode of separate worship, and as a
ground of saying even to acknowledged believers, " Stand by
thyself; come not near to me, for I am holier than thou." It
is worthy of remark that many of those who endanger the holi
ness of the truth, by an extreme and unscriptural definition of
self-righteousness, " despise others ;" and that those who carry
visible separation in worship to an extent unknown in the Scrip
tures, instead of thereby uniting real Christians among them
selves, as is manifestly the Lord's design, produce only dis
union in this respect ; and so extensively, that two persons
whom I esteem, and whose present situation I deplore, cannot
find another in the great city of London, who is accounted
worthy to join in their addresses to the God of heaven ! Of
this, verily they have cause to be ashamed before God and
their Christian brethren. " Wot you not what the Scripture
saith of Elias ?"
I am extremely sorry to observe that you have adopted Mr
Walker's capital and most dangerous error, by which I mean
his doctrine of the assurance of hope. You affirm that in the
church of  " the saints are taught to maintain their peace
with God, not by the truth itself, but by their gracious tempers

498 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
and dispositions," and you deny that " the assurance of hope
is obtained and preserved by taking cognizance of the fruits of
faith." The former sentiment, I think, would not be declared
by the persons whom you accuse ; for they know that, " being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ." You must therefore have put your own con
struction on their words, though it may be that neither they
nor I have always expressed ourselves with strict propriety on
this very delicate subject. It is not, however, my object to
free them from censure, but to defend that which I understand
to be the doctrine of the Scriptures.
Most cordially do I agree with you, that the finished work
of Christ is the only and all-sufficient foundation of a sinner's
hope, and that the most eminent saint on earth has no other
ground of glorying ; from the moment when his guilty soul was
thus relieved, till he close his eyes in death, he lives the whole
of his life in this world by the faith of the Son of God. That
which supports his soul, and gives him confidence in drawing
near to God — which leads him to expect daily forgiveness —
which procures him peace, joy, hope, and all the blessings of
the everlasting covenant, is simply and solely that precious
truth which is preached to every creature under heaven, and
which saves the most guilty wretch who believes it. He never
can be in circumstances which require him not to say, " God
be merciful to me a sinner." Were all true believers uni
formly in this state of mind, they would experience, more than
they often do, the blessedness of the man whom the Lord
chooseth and causeth to approach unto him ; they would be
filled with the fruits of righteousness, and possess Scriptural
evidence that they are called, and chosen, and faithful.
But surely the Word of God does not authorize all vrhopro-
fess the faith of God's elect, to be assured that they are now in
a state of salvation, that they shall never fall away, and that
they shall ultimately receive the end of their faith, even the
salvation of their souls, whether they be fruitful or unfruitful ;
whether they perfect holiness in the fear of God, or live in
sin ; whether they be lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, or
hearken to the rebukes and chastisements of the Son of God,
and are zealous therefore, and repent. While you think it
a fatal error to maintain that, by the sanctifying influence of the
truth, " the corrupt nature of man becomes daily less corrupt,"
and thus seem to affirm that believers are as much under the
power of sin as other men, you will of course admit that your
own heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.
How then can you be sure that you are a true believer, with
out any other evidence than that which is furnished by a heart

ON THE ASSURANCE OF HOPE. 499
deceitful above all things, or by your inward consciousness that
you certainly do believe the Gospel? And I know not on
what principle you can say with confidence, that you shall never
perish, if you be not equally confident that you believe ; for
" he that believeth not, shall be damned." Some farther
evidence, therefore, than the soundness of a man's creed, and
his favourable thoughts of what passes in his own mind, must
be necessary to lead him to conclude with safety and without a
peradventure, that he shall be saved.
The truth of these general remarks is confirmed by many
things in the Scriptures. The Apostle James makes light of
that man's pretensions, who saith " he hath faith and hath not
works." He puts a question upon this, of which it requires
more than a superficial knowledge of the Word of God to judge
fairly. " Can faith save him?" And, when he still continues
to boast of his faith, he tells him, " The devils also believe
and tremble." The Lord Jesus sets before us an awful spec
tacle, when he represents " many saying unto him in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ?" &c. To
'whom he will say, "I never knew you ; depart from me," &c.,
condemning them, not for the unsoundness of their profession
of faith, but for their want of those fruits by which his true
disciples are distinguished ; as appears from the preceding and
following verses, in Matt, vii., from his solemn account of the
judgment, Matt, xxv., and from many other passages. Indeed,
the Word of God is full of this doctrine, and no description is
given of the future judgment, which does not either express or
imply that professors of the faith, as well as all other men, shall
be judged according to their works. Yet vain men, who would
be wise, try to persuade us that we ought not now to judge
ourselves by this rule, and that we are in no danger of " think
ing ourselves to be something when we are nothing, deceiving
our ownselves," though this admonition should be neglected.
" Let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have
rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another ; for every man
shall bear his own burden." Nay, they would have us to be
lieve, that if we be so occupied we deny the faith !
In the Word of God, also, Christians are often called to the
exercise of cautious fear : " Take heed, brethren, lest there be
in any of you an evil heart of unbelief," &c. Let us therefore
fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any
of you should seem to come short of it. Let us labour there
fore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief. " Thou standest by faith ; be not high-
minded, but fear. Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed
lest he fall." All these refer to the example of Israel, who

500 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
came short of thepromised rest through unbelief, and were over
thrown in the wilderness ; and also were at last given up to judi
cial blindness and hardness of heart, when the kingdom of God
was taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof. But there are likewise many examples in the
New Testament, of professors of the faith drawing back unto
perdition ; some of them corrupting the doctrine of the Gospel,
or holding tenets totally subversive of it ; others led aside by
fleshly lusts, and returning with the sow that was washed to
her wallowing in the mire ; others overcome by the love of
money, who wishing to be rich, drowned themselves1 in destruc
tion and perdition. Even Demas, a fellow-labourer of the
Apostle Paul, forsook him, having loved this present world.
Shall we hear all this, and much more which time would fail
me to recount, and confess, with much contrition for what is
past, our liableness to fall before temptation, and yet say that
we may possess the assurance of hope, by presumptuously enter
taining a good opinion of ourselves, without reference to Chris
tian tempers and dispositions, or to a conversation becoming
the Gospel?
There are, besides, many declarations in Scripture expressly
affirming that for which I plead. In the first epistle of John,
" written to believers, that they may know that they have ever
lasting life," the Apostle affirms, Hereby we do know that
we know him if we keep his commandments. Whoso keepeth
his Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby
know we that we are in him. We know that we have passed
from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Let us
not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth ;
and hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure
our hearts before him; for if our hearts condemn us not, then
have we confidence towards God, &c.
You take notice of Heb. vi., " We desire that every one of
you do show the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope
unto the end ;" and 2 Pet. i., " Giving all diligence, add to your
faith, virtue," &c. " Wherefore the rather, brethren, give dili
gence to make your calling and election sure ; for if ye do these
things, ye shall never fall," &c. So saith the Spirit of God ;
and the words are plain, forcible, and determinate. They may
be tortured by the ingenuity of man, but they will speak to the
consciences of those who tremble at the Word of God ; they
will pierce even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit
of him who lacketh these things, if he be not absolutely and
irrecoverably blind ; and they will comfort true disciples so
long as they forsake not their own mercy.
It appears to me that these quotations admit only of one

ON THE ASSURANCE OF HOPE. 501
rational sense; namely, that taking cognizance of the fruits of
faith, is inseparably connected with truly enjoying the assu
rance of hope. Indeed, privilege and duty are never disjoined
in the Word of God. " They who walk in the fear of the Lord,
walk in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. When we live in peace,
the God of love and peace shall be with us. When we are
careful for nothing, &c, the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, will keep our hearts and mind through Christ
Jesus." And Jesus himself says, " He that hath my com
mandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; and he
that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father," &c. It is a vain
and fruitless task to attempt making our calling and election
sure, without living in the exercise of the Christian virtues, and
abounding in the work of the Lord ; not with a servile spirit,
but from the motives of love and gratitude. Do you not admit
that there is such a thing as grieving the Holy Spirit of God,
and that if we Christians live after the flesh, we shall die ?
You object against all this, by asserting that my views are
contradicted, as you think, by Matt. xxv. 37, 38, and Heb.
iii. 14. But if your reference to the former text were just, by
which I suppose you mean that believers in this world are un
conscious of doing to the Lord himself that which they do to
his brethren, it would follow, that none of them can be at all
engaged in this service of Christ, which yet he promised to
reward; that a cup of cold water was never given to one of his
little ones in the name of a disciple, and that the greatest
labour of love must lose its reward, because on your principle
there is no labour of love to his name. And as to the latter
text, it says nothing to your point ; for it refers simply to our
holding fast that which is the ground of our confidence and
hope, not leading us surely to this impious confidence and
defiling hope, that the impure in heart and life shall see God.
You remark also on Heb. vi., and 2 Pet. i., that the assu
rance of hope is not a state (which I do not understand,) " but
the common privilege of all the saints." If you mean that it is
attainable by all, I agree with you. But certainly all do not
actually possess it. You add, it is their privilege " whilst they
are preserved abiding in the truth, and walking in the fear of the
Lord." This is giving up your principle, and expressing full
agreement with me. Stand to this and I shall be happy, and
require of you no farther concession. Only it seems proper to
add, that there will be always in churches persons who are strong
and weak in the faith ; and perhaps also, those who are strong
in a bad sense, and therefore termed unruly. And this will be
so much the worse, if the latter boast of the assurance of hope
— this must tend to make them fearless sinners, and so totally

502 MISCELLANEOUS TIECES.
ungovernable. Well do I know the unchristian temper and un
godly conduct of such persons. But you have as yet had no
experience of the bitter fruits produced by your principles.
These I have seen among loose and regardless men in this
place, who most unjustly called themselves Bereans.
But something opposite to the close connexion of the fear of
the Lord with the comforts of the Holy Spirit, falls next to be
considered. You complain of those who affirm " that believers
become progressively meet for heaven ; including, of course,"
you say, " the idea that the corrupt nature of man becomes
daily less corrupt, opinions in opposition to the plainest testi
mony of the Sacred Scriptures, Rom. vii., Col. i. 12., Gal. v. 17.,
and opinions, wherever they are thoroughly imbibed, com
pletely subversive of the hope of the Gospel." Now I fairly
acknowledge that meetness for heaven is stated in Col. i. 12, as
a thing past and not future; consequently, that all the people of
God, so soon as they are called to the faith, partake of this meet
ness. How else could we understand the gracious answer which
the thief on the cross received from the dying Saviour. But this
does not invalidate " the notion," that sanctification is, or ought
to be, progressive ; and that human nature becomes less corrupt
in those who know the truth, " who increase in the knowledge of
God, whose faith groweth exceedingly, whose charity aboundeth,
who grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, who increase more and more in brotherly love, that
the Lord may establish their hearts unblameable in holiness be
fore God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who grow up in all things unto him who is the head,
even Christ, whose path is the path of the just, which, as the
morning light, shineth more and more unto the perfect day,"
&c. &c. No more, I think, is necessary to convince you
of your mistake, though I confess that in many cases the
motion is retrograde instead of being progressive ; the latter
alone, however, is the will of God, and the influence of the
saving truth, while the uniform doctrine of the Sacred Scrip
tures abundantly shows, that the former is totally inconsistent
with any just pretensions to personal assurance; nay, that " if
any man draw back, my soul (saith God) shall have no pleasure
in him." And every man draws back who ceases to keep the
commandments of God, though he may still profess to have the
faith of Jesus.
Two things are necessary to make a corrupt and guilty
human being meet for the inheritance of the saints in light,
namely, that he should be reconciled to God by the death of
his Son, and made a partaker of the Divine image ; and, surely,
the more he is thus " transformed from glory to glory," the

ON THE ASSURANCE OF HOPE. 503
more he is made meet for the heavenly Jerusalem, into which
no unclean thing can enter.
You have not done well in quoting Rom. vii. and Gal. v. 17,
to prove that human nature in one who is alive unto God, who
has his fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life, is as
corrupt as it is in him who is dead in sins and wallowing in
the lusts of the flesh ; or that the former cannot acquire, by
the influence of the sanctifying truth, more freedom from sin,
and more conformity to God than he now possesses. He who
duly maintains the energetic struggle described in these two
passages, will make progress in the Divine life, and at last ob
tain the victory which the Apostle Paul anticipated. If we
resist the devil, he will flee from us ; if we make no provision
for the flesh, it will starve ; if we resolutely abstain from fleshly
lusts, they may still war against our souls, but they shall, be
foiled ; if we unsparingly mortify the deeds of the body, we
shall live ; if we incessantly, and with undaunted courage,
fight under the banners of our victorious Lord, we shall not
fall in the combat. In all things, how threatening soever
their aspect may often be, we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us.
But what is the effect of your principle ? Why, it is on the
one hand self-confidence the most daring and presumptuous,
and, on the other, a dastardly giving up of the cause which you
declare to be untenable and hopeless. You merely look at the
field of battle — you say a lion is there, ravenous beasts go up
thereon, appalling enemies are found there, and you flee with
out either attacking or resisting your deadly foes. You even
decline putting on the harness ; and yet against all reason you
boast, as he who put it on with modest firmness succeeds, and
putteth it off with triumph ! Nay, you declare opinions such as
I have expressed, to be thoroughly subversive of the hope of
the Gospel ! The Apostle John affirms that every man that hath
this hope, purifieth himself even as the Lord is pure. And
you pronounce such purification to be morally impossible, and
represent all attempts of that nature as implying a denial of
the hope itself !
I might use many other arguments, supported by the autho
rity of the Word of God, which never gives any man credit for
a profession of faith, or hope, or charity, unless this be accom
panied with the corresponding fruits. But I have already en
larged beyond proper bounds, and I shall only farther remark
on this head, that a just view of the whole evidence which the
Sacred Scriptures require to prove that our faith is genuine,
and that we do not merely say to Jesus, Lord, Lord, what
ever use we may make of it, has in itself no tendency to move
3 s

504 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
us away from the hope of the Gospel ; on the contrary, it tends
to establish uS in the firm belief, that " other foundation can
no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." So
the Lord himself expressly says, " If any man will do his will,
he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God. This, as
well as the first effects of the truth in illuminating the benight
ed soul, convincing and humbling the proudest rebel, fur
nishing him with a healing balm for his wounded spirit, and
filling him with joyful hope, gives him an experimental evidence
of the Divine origin of those words of eternal life which Jesus
spake. And when we insist that the fruits produced by faith
are evidences of its genuine nature, what do we mean to esta
blish ? Not that we have whereof to glory before God ; for,
assuredly, the work of faith and labour of love can never flow
from that spirit. But our desire is to ascertain this great point
by all the means which God hath prescribed, that we really do
believe the testimony which God hath given of his Son ; that,
as those who profess this humbling faith, we have ceased to
glory in any personal qualifications ; and that we glory only in
the Lord ; for we are deeply convinced that such persons alone
are capable of bringing forth the fruits of righteousness. We
wish to be satisfied that, while we seem to be religious we de
ceive not our own hearts ; that our religion is not vain ; and
that we really are partakers of the true grace of God. The
doctrine which sets aside all this, I consider as the very essence
of Antinomianism, which appears to me, in some respects, the
worst of all principles, singularly base and ungenerous in its na
ture, and completely opposite to the whole of Divine revelation.
Permit me now, my dear brother, to give you a solemn and
affectionate warning. On receiving your first letter, I loved
you sincerely and fervently for the truth's sake. You were
then in an unsettled state of mind, and I was glad when I after
wards heard of your joining a church of Christ, where I
trusted you would find edification and comfort. Now again, I
find you in the former state, for I am not so confident as you
are that your sentiments are now unalterably fixed ; but I am
more deeply concerned about you than before. Still, however,
I oonsider you as an erring brother, whom it is my bounden
duty to exhort and admonish. I beseech you, therefore, that
you receive not the grace of God in vain ; that while you
extol that grace, and probably think that very few beside your
self know any thing about it, you do not misrepresent and dis
honour the grace of God which bringeth salvation, by disjoining
it, in the minds of believers, from all- its practical effects, as if
God meant to save his people from misery, and not from sin ;
and, above all, that you consider the awful danger to yourself,

ON TUB ASSURANCE OF HOPE. 505"
of resisting all that is testified in the Word of God concerning
the necessity of your attending to the practical evidences of
your own faith in Christ, and the means whereby you are
directed to make your calling and election sure.
You blame yourself for " giving up to the weight of human
authority, aided by the successful arts of Satan, the sentiments
in which you are now confirmed, and of which you were
partly convinced some time ago." And to what authority do
you now yield? So far as I am able to perceive, you are
now disposed to follow Mr Walker ; and this I would by no
means say, had he taught you nothing but the pure doctrine of
the Scriptures ; for certainly men may be instrumental in lead
ing us to observe and to understand what God hath revealed.
But he has taught you various things, which, as I have en
deavoured to show, are opposite to the Word of God, and has
led you far astray. Whether he be aided by Satan or no, I
cannot say ; but sure I am, that his contemptuous treatment
of little ones who believe in Christ, his splenetic temper, and
some material parts of his doctrine, are not of God.
Allow me to recommend to your serious perusal Mr M'Lean's
Notes under the article Faith: Commission, Pp. 74 to. 107.
The various and opposing sentiments respecting the assurance
of hope, seem to me judiciously and fairly treated in these
Notes. And I request your particular attention to his stric
tures on John Barclay's doctrine, Pp. 92, 93, 103, 104. Will
you bear with me if I tell you as a faithful friend, who wounds
without breaking, the head, that you need such instruction as
that which, of all the men I ever knew, Mr M'Lean was the
most capable of giving ; for, with all my respect and attach
ment towards you, I really think that you have rashly and
confidently written on subjects which you but very partially
understand. This, I can honestly say, proceeds not from re
sentment, nor envy, nor any other inimical passion ; nor yet,
I trust, from that of which, at least on this occasion, I am
more in danger — the pride of knowledge and experience.
Remember also, that you lately gave me full permission to
treat you in this manner.
The church with which I am connected, will not lose sight of
sending out itinerants, if they can only find qualified brethren
in whom they can have full confidence. The difficulty lies
there. Please accept my thanks for your great attention and friend
ship to my nephew. Your kindness will be gratefully remem
bered by all his friends ; and it may be satisfactory to you
to be informed, that you have caused the widow's heart to sing
for joy.

506 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
May I ask the favour of you to show this letter to Mr
B. and Mr J. I am very desirous . of this ; but I am not
entitled to require any thing opposite to your own inclination
and feelings. I shall be extremely anxious to know the state
of your mind, after farther deliberation. Meanwhile, hoping
that you will yet again refresh my spirit in the Lord, I am, &c.

A SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION, CONTAINING
THE SUBSTANCE OF TWO DISCOURSES ON
ROMANS xvi. 16.

INTRODUCTION.
That the duty which I have attempted to illustrate in the two
following discourses, is commanded and exemplified in the New
Testament, admits of no doubt ; yet less attention has been
paid to it than its importance, and its intimate connexion with
brotherly love, seem to deserve. Indeed, I have never seen it
discussed at any considerable length, except in a recent publi
cation by Mr Walker, late of Dublin, now residing in London,
who proceeds on a gratuitous supposition, that a weekly form
is established by a Divine precept, which merely enjoins mu
tual salutation. And he refers to no example of a periodical
form, except that of the primitive fathers and their disciples,
after the apostolic age ; nor to any thing in nature, or in sacred
writ, which is analogous to such a form.
It may be proper, therefore, to attempt a farther illustration
of the arguments by which the principle maintained in the Dis
courses is established, and more expressly to mark some of the
consequences which may be expected to flow from converting
a sign of love into a matter of form.
Complete evidence, it is thought, has been given in the fol
lowing pages, that salutation by a kiss is essential to the nature
of man — that those only who are knit together in the bonds of
love and friendship are the proper subjects of this propensity
— and that even they are not constrained by nature to indulge
it without a suitable occasion, which produces in them an un
usual degree of tender sympathy, and other kind emotions of
sincere and fervent love.
On what other ground could we perceive the fitness and pro-

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 507
priety of the Divine precept enjoining Christian salutation?
While the disciples of Christ see nothing else to which it can have
any reference but the changing customs of the world, or while
they scruple to admit that the precept itself leads to the consi
deration of that which nature dictates, and for which there can be
no artificial substitute, they give occasion for a doubt respect
ing the perpetuity of the Lord's commandment. True, indeed,
his precepts admit of no challenge, and are all holy, and just,
and good, though we should not be able to perceive, with re
gard to some of them, in what respects they tend to his glory,
and to our spiritual advantage. But I hesitate not to affirm,
that the supposition of necessary ignorance on our part is totally
unfounded; and that our obeying commandments we know not
why, would be altogether different from the " reasonable ser
vice" which God requires.
There is not, in all the New Testament, a precept or a pro
hibition for which we can give no reason, or wherein we do not
perceive a wise and gracious design, provided our minds be
" spiritual," and thus capable of " judging or discerning all
things." This remark applies to all positive institutions, as
well as to laws which are moral in their own nature, none of
the former being dark and inexplicable, nor yet arbitrary in
any other sense than that of their flowing from the sovereign
good pleasure of God.
It is therefore competent for us to enquire into the nature
as well as the import of the precept in question, that we may
" do the will of God from the heart," and in the full possession
of that love which we profess to exercise towards our brethren ;
thus accomplishing the intention of God in giving us this pre
cept, and many illustrations of it in his Oracles of Truth. **
Beside the notices in the Discourses respecting the seemingly
disproportioned length of that part of the second head which
describes various instances of Scriptural salutation, it may be
necessary to anticipate an objection which is not there formally
answered. The reader may thus object,
Why should you give so particular a description of the good
conduct, and the mutual endearments of love which appear in
the history of a number of persons who lived many years ago ?
Your professed object was to give a Scriptural view of Chris
tian salutation. But a small part only of your narrative has
any reference to the point in hand. The far greater part of it
seems a digression, and intended rather to move our feelings
than to inform our judgments, or to give us sober and just ideas
of this important subject.
In answering this objection, I may be permitted to assure
the reader, that nothing could have been farther from my in-

508 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
tention, than an attempt to blind the judgment of any person
by a moving appeal to his feelings. Of this indeed all may be
convinced, by considering the manner in which the narratives
are given. It has been my endeavour to let the Scripture
speak for itself, and to avoid every thing extraneous, and all
artificial colouring. True indeed it is, that I have gained by
this procedure ; for no mode of representation, nor any para
phrase of which I am capable, could have borne a compari
son with the simple, and impressive, and, it may well be added,
the inimitable statements of the sacred historians. But it may
be candidly admitted that to do this, is to do no more than to
show becoming reverence for the Word of God ; and that no
person can be justly blamed for " showing that which is noted
in the Scriptures of truth," unless he appear to be influenced
by a sinister motive, or some irrelevant and foolish designs.
At the same time, I most freely confess that a mere refer
ence to the fact of certain persons having saluted each other on
various occasions, would have been very far indeed from answer
ing my purpose. The evil of which I complain is, that many
of those whom I sincerely love, have disjoined salutation from
almost every circumstance by which it ought to be charac
terised; at least they do this when they attend to it as a periodi
cal form. And it did not seem possible to present this subject
to their view in all its own attractive beauty, without bringing
forward, in the language of inspiration, the particulars which
are evidently intended to show us the very hearts of those who
were thus employed, and to convince us that we ought to be
in some degree like -minded with them, when we engage in the
same duty.
If the propriety of attending to the historical facts indicative
of the state of mind which led to mutual salutation be not per
ceived and admitted, my labour will be in vain. For the con
sciousness of certain essential qualities of our nature which are
exemplified in the cases here referred to, and in all their de
tails, form a leading, and what appears to me an unanswerable,
part of my argument. In this view of the matter, not one sen
tence will be found in any of the narratives, which does not
strikingly bear upon this subject, except that respecting the
pedigree of David king .of Israel.
There is another point which is worthy of serious considera
tion. The reader will find a hint given respecting the dan
ger of losing a just impression of what is meant by the Chris
tian brotherhood, by attending to a periodical form, bearing
none of the marks of that distinguishing love which ought to
subsist among Christian brethren.
No duty is more frequently enjoined on believers of the Gos-

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 509
pel, in the Word of God, than love to one another as mutual
partakers of free salvation through the name of Jesus. The
peculiar nature of this love, its fervency, and the wonderful
source from whence it flows, are most emphatically described
by the Apostle John, 1 John iv. 7 — 12, and ver. 16, " Be
loved, let us love one another, for love is of God ; and every
one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that
loveth not, knoweth not God ; for God is love. In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent his
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through
him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved
us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Be
loved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to
us. God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,
and God in him."
It is worthy of remark, that in this passage alone we find an
expression so eminently descriptive of the character of God in
its most amiable point of view, but which, if it had not been
contained in Divine revelation, we never could have dared to
use, namely — that " God is love ! " It is noticeable also, that
this singular and highly interesting expression occurs twice,
and both times in reference to the love which subsists among
the children of God — once when repelling the claims of those
who do not love — " He that loveth not, knoweth not God ; for
God is love;" and once for the purpose of showing from
whence all true love is derived, and that the possession and
exercise of it, from the motives urged by the Apostle, is
the best evidence of knowing the grace of God in truth —
" God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,
and God in him."
The same things are presented to our view when we read
the new commandment which Jesus gave to his disciples, imme
diately before his agony in the garden, and his bearing their
sins in his own body on the tree. " A new commandment I
give unto you, that ye love one another ; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know
that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." His
love is represented as that which kindles theirs, as the pat
tern for their imitation, and as the distinguishing mark of his
true disciples.
That love which claims so high an origin, and is demonstra
tive of the saving influence of the Word and Spirit of God on
the hearts of those who believe the Gospel, is never compared
in Scripture to any love known amongst men, except that of
near relatives and bosom friends. But it is often illustrated

510 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
and enforced by the love which subsists among the dearest
friends ; parents, children, and more frequently brethren of the
same family. The latter term is peculiarly suitable, as deno
ting equality in the family of God ; and it is in reference to this
circumstance that Jesus cautions his disciples against accept-
ting of pre-eminence, or usurping authority, in his kingdom ;
" Be not ye called masters : for one is your master even Christ,
and all ye are brethren."
For evident reasons, conjugal attachment, though it belongs
to the nearest connexion in life, bears no part in this compari
son. But a more illustrious monument has been erected" to the
honour of the first and the most intimate of all human ties ; for
" the Church's maker is her husband, whose name is the Lord
of Hosts. He hath loved her, and given himself for her ; she
is now espoused to one husband, even Christ," and in due time
shall appear " as a bride adorned for her husband, and shall
be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb."
Agreeably to the above remarks, and to a variety of similar ob
servations more fully stated in the following Discourses, it appears
to me that a manner of salutation which would not be acceptable
among brethren according to the flesh, is not only an offence-
against that which love requires in this particular instance, but
also inimical to the general exercise and to the true spirit of love.
If we can allow ourselves to give our Christian brethren a
token of love which ought to call forth all our energies, in a
manner so cold and unanimated, has not this an evident ten
dency to make us perform other duties of love in the same for
mal and lifeless manner ?
Were any of us, from a sense of propriety, or from a mere
conviction of duty, to give one of our brethren, under peculiar
circumstances of distress, a formal call, similar to that which
often happens in the general intercourse of society, and neither
by suitable words, nor by a kind and affectionate manner, to
express our sympathy towards him, nor to make any attempt
to pour the balm of consolation, with which the Word of God
abundantly furnishes us, into his wounded soul, could we say
that this is to " remember them who suffer affliction as being
ourselves also in the body, or to weep with them that weep ?"
Yet, so deceitful is the heart of man, that such an one might
suppose that he had done his duty, because he had actually
visited his afflicted brother.
This is an extreme case, but such as may occur ; and there
may be great deficiency when there is not a total want of Chris
tian sympathy, as there may be also in the performance of all
other active services of love. We ought never to forget that
a Church which the Lord commended for " her works, and

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 511
her labour, and her patience, nevertheless had left her first
love," and was reproved, and threatened, and at last deserted,
by " Him who walketh in the midst of the churches."
Surely, then, we ought to beware of maintaining any prin
ciple, or persisting in any habit, which has a tendency to render
the essential duty of love of less importance in our estimation,
and to endanger at least the partial neglect of " the work and
labour of love," which is intimately connected with knowing
experimentally that " God is love, and that he who dwelleth
in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him."

DISCOURSE I.
** Salute one another with an holy kts5."— Rom. xvi. 16.
The interesting subject of Christian salutation, in the course
of lectures on this epistle, has come in my way ; and I shall
therefore now give what appears to me a Scriptural view of it,
faithfully, and without reserve, hoping for your indulgence. And
if you hear with candour, divesting yourselves of every prejudice,
and trying all that may be spoken by the infallible standard of
Divine truth, you will then fulfil my utmost wish. To act
under these impressions, directly tends " to join us perfectly
together in the same mind and in the same judgment ;" and
you know " how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity."
I propose to consider the subject under the following heads : —
I. The nature and import of this precept.
II. Its universal obligation in all ages, and in every country
where the Gospel is received.
III. On what occasions it ought to be observed.
IV. Replies to the leading arguments for periodical saluta
tion in churches.
V. Conclusion.
I. Let us begin with the nature and import of this precept.
These appear at once from the designations which are uni
formly given to the Christian salutation by the Apostles of
Christ  " an holy kiss, a kiss of charity"— intimating that it
flows " from the holiness of the truth," and from " love to one
another for the sake of the truth which dwelleth in us, and
3 T

512 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
shall be with us for ever." This influence of the Gospel on
those who believe it, is clearly described by the Apostle Peter,
when he says to those who had obtained like precious faith
with himself, " Seeing ye have purified your souls by obeying
the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brethren,
see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently,"
1 Pet. i. 22. Their guilty selfishness, their ungodliness and
worldly lusts, formerly rendered them incapable of either feel
ing or expressing this pure and fervent and undissembled love.
But now the enmity of their carnal hearts was subdued by an
infinite display of the love of God, and their old man was
crucified with Christ, who groaned and bled and died for them.
This was the first effect of their being reconciled to God by
the death of his Son ; and the next, without a moment's interval,
was love to one another, in imitation of the love of Christ to
them. This peculiar love, therefore, cannot be exercised by
worldly men who are ignorant of all its motives, nor by Chris
tians, except towards those who appear to be "fellow-citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God." And where
this love does not really exist, a visible token of it, however
endearing in itself, is nothing, and worse than nothing ; for it
must proceed either from hypocrisy or self-deceit.
In the " purity of heart," which is required as essential to
Christian love, must be included a prohibition of every thing
which relates, in thought, word, or deed, to unlawful intercourse
between the sexes, against which there are many cautions in
the Word of God. One of these is peculiarly applicable, as
it has a reference to close and intimate conversation between
males and females, where entreaty is recommended, and rebuke
forbidden. " Entreat the elder women as mothers, the younger
as sisters, with all purity," 1 Tim. v. 2. To apply this to the
present case — If there should be any approach to filthiness, or
foolish talking, or (foolish) jesting, of which, however, I am
not aware that there is any ground among us to complain, a
salutation combined with such circumstances would be a lie
against the truth of the Gospel, for it is " the doctrine which
is according to godliness." When the salutation is promiscu
ous — and this, on proper occasions, is not only allowable, but
indispensable, that the unity of the body of Christ may be
consistently maintained, and that all may have an opportunity
of obeying the commandment of their Lord and Saviour — in
such cases, men salute women with precisely the same senti
ments and feelings as those of men saluting men, or women
saluting women. This remark, so far as it regards indiscri
minate salutation, applies with equal force to high and low,
rich and poor, bond and free, among whom there is no dis-

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 513
tinction in the sight of God, nor any preference with respect
to the blessings of the Gospel.
As holiness is essential to the Christian salutation, so also
is love, not on account of the ties of blood, or habits of intimacy
and friendship arising from similarity of dispositions and pur
suits, or any thing that relates to this present life, but as mutual
partakers of the blessed hope of salvation through Jesus Christ.
We cannot, however, form a just idea of this salutation, which
rests on spiritual grounds, without considering what love in
certain circumstances dictates to all who are susceptible of its
joys and griefs, its hopes and fears, its sympathies, and gratu-
lations, and complacencies. For it surely cannot be admitted
that salutation among Christians ought to be a less real, or a
less visible token of love, heartiness, and familiarity, than it is
among beloved earthly friends. If a cold and distant form in
exchanging this tender and delicate expression of love would
be displeasing in the latter case, such it must necessarily be
also in the former case, to all who duly respect the common
feelings of human nature, and perceive to what extent the love
of God calls for the sanctified exercise of those feelings ; while,
on the other hand, it is fully granted that all the endearments
of spiritual fellowship form no excuse for overstepping the
limits of genuine modesty, respect, and deference.
Such, then, appears to be the nature and import of the pre
cept enjoining this Christian duty. There is no ground for
supposing that the churches were ignorant of it till they re
ceived the epistles wherein it is enjoined. They could not
refrain from saluting those whom they fervently loved, nature
itself taught them this ; and there is no reason to doubt that
the Apostles, when present with them, both taught and exem
plified this sign of love. Nor is the smallest hint given, which
should lead us to suspect that they had begun to neglect this
practice. It is very improbable that they would be less atten
tive to this outward expression of love than the world around
them were, among whom it was generally practised. The
spirit of the duty, however, might^ecline, while the outward
form remained ; and therefore the Apostles not only reminded
them of this as of all other duties, but led them deeply to con
sider that salutation among Christians is " a holy kiss, a kiss
of charity." The immovable basis on which this precept stands,
is the truth by which we are saved, and the whole of its super
structure is holiness and love; for "the end of the command
ment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience,
and of faith unfeigned."
II. It is now incumbent on me to show the universal obli-

514 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
gation of this precept, in all ages, and in every country where
the Gospel is received.
With respect to this we shall obtain the most complete satis
faction/if we be willing to hear, and to obey the plain and sim
ple testimony of the Word of God. The salutation is enjoined
five times in the apostolic epistles to the Churches, viz., in the
Epistle to the Romans ; first and second Epistles to the Co
rinthians ; first Epistle to the Thessalonians ; and in the first
Epistle of Peter, near the conclusion of each of these Epistles.
In all these places, salutation by a kiss is expressly mentioned.
I think also that the same thing is more briefly enjoined, Phil.
iv. 21, " Salute every saint in Christ Jesus." Now, if this
had been only once commanded, in terms so intelligible, so
peremptory and decisive, that it is impossible to affix to them
any other rational meaning, this should have been quite suffi
cient to procure the cheerful obedience of all who tremble at
the Word of God. If, however, the Scriptures had given no
farther light upon the subject, there might still have been some
doubt at what times and seasons we ought to salute the bre
thren, concerning which not a single hint is given in any of the
precepts ; but the absolute certainty of the duty being required
of us on some occasion, is unquestionable.
Nothing which has even a specious appearance of argument,
so far as I know, has been urged against complying with this
precept, excepting only that which is taken from the customs
and habits of different countries. In the apostolic age, and in
those parts of the world where the Gospel was first preached,
the fashionable mode of showing kindness was salutation by
a kiss. Here it is otherwise, for in general we manifest our
friendly disposition towards any person by shaking hands with
him ; and therefore, say the opposers of Scriptural salutation,
a kiss in the land of Judea, and other places, 1800 years ago,
signified nothing more than in our country is testified by shak
ing of hands, while equal love and sympathy, and every tender
emotion, glow within us.
I freely acknowledge that on this ground there might be room
to hesitate, were it not that salutation by a kiss is founded
in nature ; it has therefore no dependence on the varying cus
toms or fashions of any country ; in every part of the world
it is universal on some Occasions, not among the whole com
munity, but among near relations and beloved friends, who are
always attached to one another, and whose affections, when
moved by providential circumstances, must have vent in this
way. Any thing more extensive than this becomes of neces
sity a variable custom, because it is not founded in nature.

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 515
There are many instances of salutation in the Word of God
which we need only to read, with an appeal to our own hearts,
in order to convince us that, were we ourselves to act other
wise in the same circumstances, we should appear to be des
titute of human feelings. In some of them, indeed, the art
less and unaffected simplicity of the description is so moving,
that it is scarcely possible for us to refrain from mingling our
tears of grief or joy with those of the interesting persons of
whom we read. All is pure and innocent nature — the recital
of the historian, the passions which he describes, and the sym
pathetic feelings of our own hearts. Imagination transports us
to the scenes of action. We see the parties, we hear their
moving speeches, we admire their expressive looks and ges
tures, and their demeanour in all respects appears to us the
genuine and spontaneous fruit of love. It may he useful to
remind you of some of those exquisitely beautiful narratives,
which are not only admirable in themselves, but unembellished
with fiction, and absolutely true. When our obdurate hearts
are thus softened and melted down, they may be rendered more
susceptible of those deep impressions which the love of God
and the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ are in an infinitely
higher degree suited to make.
Permit me to begin with the Old Testament, not forgetting/'
however, carefully to remind you before I proceed, that "what
soever things were written aforetime, were written for our
learning." The meeting of Jacob and Esau, Gen. xxxiii., confirms the
fact that salutation is not a fanciful or arbitrary custom, but
unalterably founded in nature. After taking every precau
tion for the safety of his family, Jacob advanced with a slow
pace and a trembling heart, conscious that he had formerly
given his brother just ground of offence. In his approach to his
hostile brother, as he supposed him to be, he showed the utmost
deference, bowing himself seven times to the earth. Meanwhile,
brotherly affection resumed its throne in the heart of Esau ; he
could not brook the delay ; " he ran to meet Jacob, embraced
him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept." How
brief — how simple — how expressive of that of which a long
laboured description would have tried in vain to give us so just
and so forcible an idea !
A more affecting account of a similar interview is also given
by Moses respecting Joseph and his brethren, Gen. xiv. On
the conclusion of the very affectionate and impressive speech
of Judah, ch. xliv  the leading character of which is deep con
cern for his aged father, most eloquently expressed, because
his heart dictated more than his lips could utter, and the im-

516 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
petuosity of his spirit raised him above all fear — Joseph could
not refrain himself. He cried, " Let every man go out from
me. He wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pha
raoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph ;
doth my father yet live ?"' Consider what fearful forebodings
must then have filled the hearts of those guilty men. So great
was their alarm, that they offered no reply. " And his brethren
could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence ;
and Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray
you : and they came near," — not impelled, it would seem, by
fraternal love, but because they durst not do otherwise than he
commanded. " And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom
ye sold into Egypt ;" — stating this, not for the purpose of in
creasing their alarm, though such must have been its immediate
effect ; but that he might instantly dissipate all their fears ;
for he adds, " Now, therefore, be not grieved nor angry with
yourselves that ye sold me hither, for God did send me before
you to preserve life," &c. " Haste you and go up to my fa
ther, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath
made me lord of all Egypt ; come down unto me, tarry not ;
and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, thou and thy chil
dren, and thy children's children," &c.
After delivering to them this gracious message, abounding
with the most natural and energetic expressions of filial attach
ment, he still observed in them a mixture of astonishment and
admiration, of grief and terror. They were like men that,
dreamed, and they remained speechless. Therefore, in the
most affectionate and condescending, as well as ingenuous and
earnest manner, he assured them that he was really Joseph,
that Joseph could forgive, or even in a sense excuse their
shocking crime, and that all his promises would be faithfully
performed. " And behold your eyes see, and the eyes of my
brother Benjamin, (who knew him best,) that it is my mouth
that speaketh unto you." There is in these words a degree. of
kindness and of anxiety to relieve their troubled souls, which
no other words can exceed, or even fully explain. This must
be left to your own understanding and feelings, if you have
hearts in any degree resembling the heart of Joseph.
Still they needed something more than kindness, verbally
expressed, to convince them that Joseph was their best and
truest friend ; for after this assurance, accompanied, we must
suppose, with every outward mark of that benignity which
reigned within, not a word dropped from the lips of any of
them. Even intrepid and eloquent Judah had not yet regained
his confidence ; he could not so much as tell his affectionate
brother with what joy he would communicate to his father the

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 517
heart-reviving message, nor how greatly this would contribute
to renew his strength, and to smooth the rugged path of his
declining years. But what should be this additional proof of
love, after Joseph had exhausted all his store ? For it may
well be presumed, that they knew not what would give them
full relief. Think it not a trifle when I say, it was a kiss of
love. " And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and
wept, ^,nd Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover he kissed
all his brethren, and wept upon them." Their broken hearts
were then healed, and their mouths were opened ; for " after
that his brethren talked with him ;" and no doubt the conver
sation would be interesting in a high degree, and the chief
speaker, I dare say, was Joseph their brother, whom they sold
into Egypt, but without any farther reference to that atrocious
deed. Having dwelt so long on the first avowal of Joseph's filial
and fraternal love, I shall now, with more brevity, remind you
of similar occurrences regarding him and his family. His first
interview with his father is simply told, Gen. xlvi. 29, 30, from
which it appears that he instantly obeyed the message brought
him by Judah from his anxious father, intimating his expected
arrival in Egypt: " And Joseph made ready his chariot, and
went to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented him
self to him ; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a
good while." The satisfaction of the aged patriarch is likewise
most energetically expressed : " And Israel said unto Joseph,
Now let me die since I have seen thy face, because thou art
yet alive." A display of reciprocal affection, which, in few
words, lays open to us the hearts of both the parties !
The two sons of Joseph also, when he brought them to his
father to receive his blessing, obtained from the dying patriarch
the same token of his love, when he was scarcely able to
" strengthen himself so as to sit upon the bed," Gen. xlviii. 10.
" Joseph brought them near unto him, and he kissed them,
and embraced them." He did not merely kiss them ; he
clasped them in his withered arms, and pressed them to his
bosom, the seat of love, which very old age had not dimi
nished !
After the venerable patriarch had ceased to be conscious of
the kind attentions paid to him by his beloved Joseph, when
he had gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the
ghost, Joseph fell on his father's face, and wept upon him, and
kissed him. At this time he fulfilled the promise which God
had made to Israel, Gen. xlvi. 4. : " And Joseph shall put his
hands upon thine eyes." This, however, did not suffice. The

518 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
bleeding heart of Joseph caused a flood of tears, and prompted
him to kiss even the lifeless remains of his beloved father !
If you would be instructed and gratified by a singular dis
play of paternal, filial, and fraternal love, read and consider
well the history of Joseph. You might search all the annals of
the world, were it possible, without being able to find, in pro
fane history, or romance, or fable, so just and so interesting an
encomium on all the charities of father, son, and brother. The
picture is so true to nature, that its aspect is recognised by
every attentive eye, and awakens the sensibility of every feeling
heart. No eulogy, however, is pronounced upon Joseph by
the sacred historian ; he gives merely a simple narrative of
authentic facts, leaving the construction which ought to be put
upon them to correspondent feelings in our own breasts, aided
by reason, and conceived by the light of nature, and above
all, by the revealed will of God. This character of the
narratives by inspired men, which is general throughout the
Scriptures, I think fully justifies my urgent plea in favour
of the pure and uncorrupted feelings of nature. Had we been
so formed as to be necessarily in danger of falling into great
mistakes, the good or evil implied in those narratives would
have been clearly stated. Why then, it may be said, do we
often err ? The answer is short and conclusive, Because we
depart from nature. It is the principal aggravation of some
of the most shocking crimes, that those who commit them do
" that which is against nature." There is a very wide dis
tinction between innocent and criminal nature, which is not
sufficiently regarded, and in many instances the latter is the
abuse of the former. But if every thing which is natural to
man were opposite to the law of God, then it would be sinful
to love our parents or our children, as it would be also to eat, or
walk, or sleep ! In the excess of these we often sin ; but such
propensities and actions, abstractly considered, are altogether
blameless. It so happens that all the persons hitherto mentioned who
were engaged in the mutual offices and endearments of love,
were males. But I now embrace with cheerfulness an oppor
tunity of bringing forward a similar instance, which is highly
creditable to the female sex, as it exemplifies, in the case of
ordinary persons, reduced for the time to a state of abject
poverty, all the gentleness, and kind sympathies, and tender
feelings which peculiarly adorn the female character. It is not
my design, however, to attempt any embellishment of the simple
narrative, for this could have no effect but to spoil its native
beauty.

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 519
At a time when there was a famine in the land of Israel,
Elimelech, with his wife Naomi, and their two sons Mahlon
and Chilion, went to sojourn in the country of Moab. Naomi's
husband died. Her two sons married Orpah and Ruth,
daughters of Moab ; and in process of time Mahlon and Chi
lion died also. Naomi, thus bereaved of her husband and her
two sons, arose with her daughters-in-law to return to her
own country, " for she had heard that the Lord had visited his
people in giving them bread." Here were three desolate
widows, having no human protector nor any guide, so far ad
vanced on their journey to the land of Judah.
Naomi, recollecting her destitute and forlorn condition, thus
affectingly addressed her daughters-in-law : " Go, return each
to her mother's house : the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye
have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you
that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.
Then she kissed them : and they lifted up their voice, and wept."
At first, however, both of them protested that they would not
leave her. Then she said, with stronger expressions of maternal
love, " Turn again, my daughters ; why will ye go with me ?
Are there yet any more sons in my womb that they may be
your husbands ? Turn again, my daughters ; why will ye go
with me ? go your way ; for I am too old to have an husband,
&c. Nay, my daughters ; for it grieveth me much for your
sakes, that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me." What
expressions of maternal tenderness ! From the whole of Naomi's
second speech, and especially her concluding words, it ap
pears that she regarded their happiness more than her own.
Her daughters " lifted up their voice, and wept again ; and
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her."
Naomi took leave of them both when she saluted them, and
now Orpah in the same manner bade farewell to her mother-
in-law. As yet there seems to be no difference between Orpah and
Ruth, except that the latter still clave to Naomi. But it will
appear in the sequel, that Ruth was immovably fixed and de
termined in her choice, not merely on account of her strong,
and generous, and grateful attachment to Naomi ; but because
she feared the God of Israel, and would no more live among
the heathen though they were her kindred.
With a view, it would seem, to try her on this point, Naomi
said, " Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people,
and unto her gods : return thou after thy sister-in-law." And
Ruth said, with exquisite sensibility and undaunted courage,
" Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following
after thee ; for whither thou goest, I will go ; and where thou
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520 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
lodgest, I will lodge ; thy people shall be my people, and thy
god my god. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be
buried : the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but
death part thee and me." Besides the exquisitely tender affec
tion to Naomi expressed in these words, to the extent of sharing
with her the fatigues and perils of the journey, her mean lodging,
her homely fare, and at last a place by her side in " the house
appointed for all living," she expressly avows her choice of the
people and the God of Naomi, and uses the language of those
who feared the Lord in Israel, to show that her purpose was
unalterable. That Ruth was not only a proselyte to the Jewish religion,
but also one of those who " looked for redemption in Israel,"
farther appears from the testimony of Boaz, ii. 11, 12, " It
hath been fully showed me all that thou hast done unto thy
mother-in-law since the death of thine husband ; and how thou
hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy na
tivity, and art come unto a people whom thou knewest not
heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward
be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings
thou are come to trust." This prayer was answered, and so
far as it related to the temporal condition of Ruth, Boaz him
self was made the instrument of fulfilling it. And he also ob
tained a full reward ; for " the price of a virtuous woman" (as he
denominates Ruth) " is far above rubies. The heart of her hus
band doth safely trust in her. Her children rise up and call her
blessed ; her husband also, and he praiseth her." But these
encomiums in their full extent are exclusively due to a woman
" that feareth the Lord," Prov. xxxi. In this case, however, they
are justly applied, without any other limitation than is always
prescribed by a consciousness of the imperfection of every
human being.
Nor did the kind, the disinterested, and motherly Naomi, lose
her reward. She obtained her highest wish in the consummation
of her daughter's happiness, • to which her prudent advice had
eminently contributed. And with regard to herself, when
Ruth bare a son, " the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the
Lord, who hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that
his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee
a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age; for thy
daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better to thee than
seven sons, hath borne him." And so deeply were her neigh
bours interested in her welfare, that they kept out of view the
name of Boaz, whom, nevertheless, they greatly respected,
and thus exultingly intimated the truth, " There is a son born
to Naomi." But this she well deserved ; for, besides all her

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 521
former kindness to Ruth, she now acted the part of a mother
to the son of her daughter-in-law, " She took the child, and laid
it in her bosom, and became nurse to it." No complaint was
made of the excessive toil which this would occasion to an
elderly woman who had waded through a long course of adver
sity, because Naomi's service was a labour of love.
Such is the conclusion of this wonderful scene, which is
remarkable for another circumstance, unknown to the actors in
it — that this son of Boaz and Ruth was destined to be the
grandfather of David, king of Israel. And here it may be
remarked that the history of Naomi, and Ruth, and Boaz, with
all its moving circumstances, was merely incidental ; for the
leading object of the historian was to give an accurate account
of the house and lineage of David, from whom the great Mes
siah was to descend.
The narrative gives abundant evidence that these three emi
nent persons, Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth, were fearers of God ;
and a number of others who congratulated Boaz and Naomi,
as well as the servants of the former, seem to have been of the
same description. They are to us also eminent examples of
love, with its soothing attributes of constancy in adverse cir
cumstances, sympathetic feeling, benevolent wishes, fervent
prayers, active services, and joyful acclamations when happi
ness is restored to suffering friends.
A more full account, perhaps, than was necessary, has been
given of the incidents in this history, and of those in a former
one of a similar kind. But it is pleasant to dwell upon them ;
and every circumstance which has been narrated, tends to illus
trate the subject in hand, as it teaches us in what state of mind
salutation is not only a duty, but a natural and most gratifying
token of love.
I now request your attention to the examples of salutation
which are recorded in the New Testament, premising that the
whole of them took place in like manner on particular occa
sions, which evidently called for this expression of love.
The parable of the prodigal son, Luke xv., although it is
not to be considered as a relation of an historical fact, yet
gives a just representation of what would actually happen when
such a father should meet with such a son, under all the cir
cumstances narrated in the parable. If any doubt remain, I
appeal to the hearts of parents ; the compassionate mother,
and the stronger-minded, but relenting father, will corroborate
my assertion. Nay, every attentive reader who possesses
human feelings, will commiserate the lost condition of the son,
and applaud the tender mercy of the father, participating with
him in his inexpressible joy. Does not every generous and

522 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
sympathetic heart condemn the selfish disposition of the invi
dious elder son, and admire the conciliating and merciful treat
ment which he also met with from his injured father ?
The great design of the parable is, to give us a most won
derful and overpowering display of the infinite compassion and
mercy of our heavenly Father towards his rebellious children,
whose guilt has rendered them utterly wretched and forlorn.
But, in our just conception of this, we surely cannot be aided
by paying no respect to the letter of the parable, or by con
sidering it a mere fiction. If it had no spiritual meaning, it
would still be a more faithful and a more affecting description
of human wretchedness, filial anguish, and paternal love, than
any which ever came from the pen of a human writer.
Is it not then an unquestionable fact that a kind, and merciful,
and tender-hearted father, on seeing his returning prodigal,
overwhelmed with misery and want, but giving signs of deep
repentance, would act as Jesus says this father did ? " But
when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
After this, he began his humiliating and just confession, in
which he seems to have been interrupted by his overjoyed
father saying to his servants, " Bring forth the best robe, and
put it on him ; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his
feet : and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it ; and let us
eat, and be merry : for this my son was dead, and is alive again ;
he was lost, and is found." It is not more evident that in all
these particulars human nature, in its best attitude, is described,
and not overdrawn, than it is, that such a flow of compassion,
and mercy, and paternal love and joy, must be gratified by
saluting the beloved object ; and that if this had been omitted,
the wretched son would not have been fully convinced that he
had found grace in the sight of his father. The latter is repre
sented as saluting his son in the same complacential and im
passioned manner as we have seen exemplified in the history
of Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brethren, and Joseph and
his father, " He fell on his neck, and kissed him."
If the father himself is supposed to have experienced the
blessedness of Divine forgiveness, does this weaken the force
of my argument ? Was he thus obliged to show nothing but
calm sentimental forgiveness towards his son, and to receive
him with stoical apathy ? To affirm this would be a complete
denial both of the letter and spirit of the parable. Does
Christianity extinguish, in place of regulating, the feelings of
human nature, or at least repress them in all matters which
have any thing to do with religion ? Were this admitted, there
would be an end of religion itself, in which the sanctified pas-

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 523
sions of our nature bear so great a sway ; under this restriction,
we could duly perform no religious act whatever, nor appear
as " living stones" in God's spiritual building. And, were we
to be occupied in our religious services as mere machines, the
Christian salutation would not then be worth speaking about,
it would be divested of all its meaning !
An example of salutation, under the impulse of genuine and
fervent love, is recorded, Acts xx. 37, 38. The parties were
the elders of the Church at Ephesus, and the Apostle Paul.
This eminent apostle was now taking leave of them, after
residing among them during the period of three years. He
addressed them in the most affectionate manner, recount
ing his own incessant " labours night and day, with tears;"
reminding them that "he had not shunned to declare unto
them all the counsel of God ;" informing them that " they
should see his face no more ;" that they would be exposed to
imminent danger from " grievous wolves entering in among
them, and from false teachers of their own body ;" protesting
that " he had been free from covetousness," and that he had
given them an example of industry and of bounty ; beseeching
them to remember that Jesus said, " it is more blessed to give
than to receive." He also solemnly commanded them to take
heed to themselves, and to the flock over which the Holy Spirit
had made them overseers ; to feed the Church of God, which
he hath purchased with his own blood, and to watch against
the dangers of which he had forewarned them. In the foresight
of these " he commended them to God, and to the word of his
grace ; and kneeled down and prayed with them all."
This zealous and affectionate concern for their spiritual wel
fare, produced in their souls the most lively emotions of love
and gratitude, and also of sympathy on account of the " bonds
and afflictions which he had told them awaited him in every
city," as well as the deepest sorrow and regret in the view of
instantly losing so valuable a teacher, who had " exhorted,
and comforted, and charged every one of them, as a father
doth his children." They all wept sore, and fell on Paul's
neck, and kissed him, " sorrowing most of all for the words
which he spake, that they should see his face no more." The
narrative is not yet finished ; for the historian adds, with
beautiful simplicity, " And they accompanied him unto the
ship" — not attempting to inform us with what reluctance they
tore themselves from him whom they so ardently loved and ve
nerated, nor how many additional tears were shed when the
vessel sailed, and carried him out of their sight ! There is no
instance of salutation among the dearest friends, recorded in
the Word of God, which exceeds this in the kindness of the

524 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
expressions of sincere and fervent love. Joseph himself could
do no more than fall on the necks of his brethren, and kiss
them, and shed a flood of tears !
Scriptural narratives alone are here compared with each
other. But if (as has been formerly noticed) these are deci
dedly more excellent than the best of all human compositions,
let it be confessed, that " He that knoweth what is in man,"
guided the pens of the sacred historians ; and let no vain man
suppose, (whatever may be the extent of his ingenuity, his ta
lents, and his learning,) that he can give a better display, either
of the passions which afflict, or of those which solace, the human
mind. It is true, indeed, that the same degree of tender emotions
cannot take place on all occasions ; and the great variety of
natural tempers and dispositions prohibit us from expecting
that every person will be equally affected by the most moving
and interesting scenes. But something less or more of this
kind, which always depends on providential occurrences, seems
essential to the Christian salutation, if we wish to avoid redu
cing it to a mere form. Three instances of less remarkable
occasions will be found in the history of this same Apostle,
Acts xviii. 22 ; xxi. 7 and 19. In each of these cases he sa
luted his brethren on seeing them after a time of absence;
and, in the last instance, he introduced himself to James and
all the elders, by giving his pledge of his Christian love, before
proceeding to " declare what things God had wrought among
the Gentiles by his ministry."
So far as I recollect, the New Testament contains no other
instances of salutation which can possibly be considered as ex
amples to Christians ; and I am sure that none of them warrant
the practice of saluting by way of form.
This second head, besides being too long, may perhaps be
considered as merely a continuation of the first. In some re
spects, indeed, it illustrates the nature and import of the pre
cept in the text. But all the examples which have this effect,
at the same time clearly show, that no other sign of love can
supply the place of mutual salutation ; and that, on some occa
sions, we are irresistibly led to it by the constitution of our na
ture, as it came from the hands of God. Therefore the only
specious cavil (for it is not an argument which can be brought
against a commandment so plain and so often repeated, namely,
that of giving any token of love which may be most prevalent
at the time, ought to be considered as obedience to the apos
tolic injunction) is completely refuted, leaving Christians under
an express obligation to " salute one another with an holy
kiss."

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 525

DISCOURSE II.
" Salute one another with an holy kiss."— Rom. xvi. 16.
III. The next object of inquiry is, on what occasions are we
called to render obedience to this precept?
Were I confined to answer this in two words, I would just
say, Follow nature. Many words, however, have already been
employed in bringing to your recollection a variety of examples
recorded in the Holy Scriptures for our learning ; and these
show very clearly the nature of those occasions which demand
of us this tender and delicate pledge of our Christian love.
Thus has the second head of my discourse trespassed both
upon the first and third, which, if it was unavoidable, will be a
sufficient apology for its length. But I shall now state more
particularly some of those which appear to me proper occa
sions, and the greater part of which are of frequent occurrence.
Among these I would mention a state of severe bodily distress
— other great and overwhelming calamities — recovery from
deep distress — escape from imminent impending danger — when
we take farewell of brethren going to a distant place — when we
joyfully meet with them after long absence — when we receive a
member into the church, and partake of the joy which is in
heaven over one sinner that repenteth — still more, when a pro
digal, who has strayed from the fold of Christ, returns and
gladdens our hearts — at the settlement of the grounds of quar
rel or offence, when the parties are reconciled — and at, or
some time before, the solemn hour of death, when we take a
long and last farewell, in the hope of meeting our departing
brother or sister before the throne of God.
Another occasion, which would be more general, and would
occur more frequently than any of the former, seems to be
hinted at, or perhaps expressed not very doubtfully, in Luke
vii., where Jesus speaks thus to Simon : " I entered into thine
house ; thou gavest me no kiss ;" from which it may be sup
posed, that it was then customary for the master of the house
thus to receive his guests, at least those of them whom he
highly respected. I have no desire, however, to introduce
this practice ; it would be very liable to misconstruction and
to abuse, and also to the objection tbat the general practice of
the world is no rule to Christians, especially when they use the

526 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
most tender expression of love for the purpose of showing po
liteness and respect.
Now, it appears to me, that formal and periodical salutation
wants some things which are essential to a kiss of love. When
the wise man says, Ecclesiastes iii., among a variety of similar
remarks, " There is a time to embrace, and a time to refrain
from embracing," no one surely can suppose that he means to
recommend fixed periods for each of these, an idea which is
totally inapplicable to every one of the times there mentioned.
His design, then, is to show that there are fit occasions for em
bracing, and this is the just explanation of all his other times,
except the birth and death of human beings, over which man
has no control. It seems equally improper to say that there is
a time to embrace, when nothing has occurred which can dis
pose the mind to it, as it would be to affirm that there is a time
to love, when nothing lovely is presented to our view, or a time
to hate, when we see no hateful object either mentally or ex
ternally. But it may be thought that I have recommended more oc
casions of salutation than are exemplified in the Scripture,
where it would seem we find nothing except the meeting and
the departure of friends. There is, however, the instance of
Jacob embracing his grandsons, and of Joseph kissing the
dead corpse of his father, and it cannot be doubted that in
many other cases this expression of love was given and received
though it has not been mentioned. Naomi and Orpah saluted
twice. Naomi and Ruth, according to the narrative, only once.
But who, on account of this silence of the historian, will affirm
positively that Naomi did not with increased emotions of com-
placential love and tenderness embrace her beloved daughter a
second time, after hearing her express in such moving terms her
final resolution to cleave to her, and to her people, and to her
god? Let nature speak, and then objectors will be dumb. Or
who can think that the Apostle Paul did not salute with an
holy kiss the twelve disciples whom he met at Ephesus, and
whom he had never seen before, and could not therefore be
moved by recollections of former happy interviews ? On many
other occasions, too, when the fact is not recorded, he could not
fail to have given this pledge of love to his brethren in the faith
of Jesus. These you will truly say are only suppositions, how
ever probable they may be. Well, then, my argument is, that
all the occasions which I have mentioned are precisely of the
same nature with the examples which are recorded in the Old
and the New Testament ; and, which is still more to be
regarded, every emotion of the soul which can be excited by
the proposed occ asions, is strikingly apparent in some of the

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 527
Scriptural instances, particularly those of Joseph, Naomi, the
prodigal's father, and the elders of the church at Ephesus. It
may here be remarked also, that if salutations were given gene
rally on the recurrence of the one-half of those occasions, this
duty would be more frequently practised among us, and more
suitably to its true spirit and design, than it has hitherto
been. While I speak of salutation in the church at a set time on the
Lord's day as formal and periodical, and call this a cold and
distant form, permit me to caution you against supposing
that I am averse to form when it is Scriptural, and as in that
case it must always do when it tends to cherish the spirit of
true religion. Without all the instituted forms which indeed
are few and simple, we could not worship God according to his
will, nor follow the pattern of the primitive churches, who were
commanded to " do all things decently, and in order."
My objection, in the present case, is not against form, which
must be in whatever way the salutation be conducted, and the
form or manner of it ought always to be inoffensive, cautious,
and respectful, as well as kind and affectionate. But my objec
tion lies against a form which is neither commanded nor exem
plified in the Scriptures, and because it is unsuitable to the
nature of salutation. To say in answer to all this," that we
may likewise become formal and lukewarm in observing the Lord's
Supper, is reasoning which, I affirm, has no connexion what
ever with the point in hand. The Lord's Supper is a Divine
form; it sets before us every thing which ought most deeply to
affect our souls, and, if become formal, the blame is wholly ours.
The form of salutation of which I complain, is, on the con
trary, such as must render us formal whether we will or no,
because it wants that which is necessary to give it vitality.
Or perhaps my sentiment may be better expressed by saying,
that we must be culpable lovers of form before we can give our
consent to salute one another formally at stated times. To do
it at all in this way, is that which I represent as an object of
censure ; and I entreat you to recollect that none of my repre
sentations have a Tespect to the danger of its becoming an
empty form by frequent repetition. If it were a Divine form,
I should think it highly criminal to make such an objection,
because this would be an attempt to " charge God foolishly."
In the contrast which has been drawn between the Lord's
Suppper and weekly salutation, let me beseech you to mark
well the vast superiority of Divine to human forms in religion.
Those which God hath appointed, uniformly and directly tend
to warm the heart and set in motion all its amiable and devout
affections ; while those of man's devising, chill the soul and in>
3 x

528 ] MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
prison all its faculties. Either this or the opposite extreme of
soaring to the heights of irrational and enthusiastic fervour, is
naturally produced by forms which the wisdom of man pre
scribes without the sanction of Divine authority.
As a farther evidence of the truth of my affirmation, I may
be permitted to remark, that those who plead for periodical
salutation, pass slightly over all the tender emotions with which
it ought to be accompanied, and many of the instances record
ed in Scripture, which are amiable and affecting in the highest
degree. But this they must either do, or quit their plea in
favour of a mode of salutation, which can only be consistently
maintained on the principle of denying that any occurrence in
the course of providence, ought to dispose, or to indispose us for
observing this token of fervent love. Not that I plead for the
necessity of impassioned feelings in every case. There are in
the Scriptures, as has been already noticed, instances of that
sort, and also of a more ordinary kind ; but none in which we
cannot perceive that which tends in some degree to call forth
the kind emotions of a loving heart.
IV. Another task which I have imposed upon myself is, to
give some replies to the leading arguments for periodical salu
tation in churches.
First, It is pleaded that the commandment makes this duty
mutual, " salute one another," and is addressed to churches ;
therefore it ought to be observed simultaneously in churches,
for thus only can it be mutual, or general, or suited to the
precept — •" Greet all the brethren — salute every saint in Christ
Jesus." Nay, so far has this plea been carried, that some of
those who urge it, have affirmed that there is no other way in
which we can obey this precept in the sense intended by the
Apostles. How then do they certainly know that the mode which they
have adopted, and no other, is the will of God ? Can they
affirm that their view is expressed in any text of Scripture, or
that it is supported by the authority of any one example ? The
commandment is nowhere given in such terms as these, Sa
lute one another on the Lord's day, or at fixed periods when
ye are assembled together ; nor is this duty included among
the standing ordinances of the house of God, Acts ii. 42 ; nor
do we find, on appealing to the New Testament, that saluta
tion in this way ever was observed, either in an orderly or a
disorderly manner, in any of the apostolic churches.
And by what means can the examples which are on record
be nullified ? Will it be maintained that the Apostle Paul and
his brethren at Miletus did not " salute one another with an

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 529
holy kiss?" or that, although they did this, yet they were not
obeying the Divine precept ? Might we not rather say that it
never was more completely obeyed ? For surely this Apostle
knew well how to obey a precept which he had already de
livered in writing to one church, and which he afterwards en
joined in his epistle to four other churches.
Again, why is not salutation mutual if it take place any
where? It is more strictly mutual, wheresoever it may be
attended to, than almost any thing else ; for without two per
sons it cannot be observed at all — in every case they salute one
another, and this is done at the same moment by both parties,
which is not the case with respect to other mutual duties.
The precept in the text differs not in the smallest degree
from the uniform style used in the epistles, and by our Lord
himself, when the duties enjoined are incumbent upon all.
These are very numerous, and I shall recapitulate a few of
them. " Love, exhort, comfort, edify, teach, and admonish
one another. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep
with them that weep, (or sympathize with one another in all
your joys and griefs.) Bear ye one another's burdens. Use
hospitality one to another. By love serve one another. Ye
ought also to wash one another's feet." *
These are all mutual or reciprocal duties, enjoined upon
churches, and upon every individual in the churches, whose
bounden duty it is to obey them, according to the ability
which God giveth, and as opportunities may occur. Yet none
of us require that, on the Lord's day, every one should speak
to the edification of the whole ; that something should be done
by all, expressive of their fellow-feeling, their hospitality, and
their active services of love; or that each of us should wash his
brother's feet. If, however, it be incumbent on us to salute
after this form, we are equally bound in the same public and
social manner to fulfil all those other duties.
Let it not be supposed, however, that I am against saluta
tion in churches, nor that my proposal has any tendency to
prevent this. No less than ten fit occasions have been men
tioned, of which only the first and last, and in some cases the
second, cannot occur in our church assemblies. When there
fore, brethren, I request you to embrace on at least seven oppor
tunities in place of one which does not appear to me a fit occa
sion, you can with no propriety say that I am unfriendly to
public salutation, though I disapprove of that which is periodi
cal, and unaccompanied with any circumstance which renders
the time appointed a time to embrace.
But it is said, salutation confers nothing, and is valuable
only as a token and pledge of fervent love ; it alone, therefore,

530 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
is capable of being observed in a formal manner, for in no case
i3 it in itself more than a mere form, which may be either a sign
of friendship, or the deceitful kiss of an enemy.
The remark is just, but in my opinion very ill applied. If a
kiss of charity bestow no favour, and be a mere outward ex
pression of love, surely on that very account we ought to feel,
that we are under a more deep and solemn obligation to observe
it only in such circumstances as have a tendency to produce
lively affection, and thus to make the heart true to the most
delicate expression of love.
I beseech you, my brethren, to consider how far we may be
led astray even when the object in view is obedience to an
acknowledged Divine precept, and when our motive is a sincere
desire to do the will of God. The facts stated, namely, that
the duty is mutual, and that it is enjoined on churches, are un
questionably true ; but the conclusions drawn from them are
quite unfounded. Yet such is the influence of a fond attach
ment to an imposing form, which is easily and instantaneously
observed, that many persons have not only adopted this form,
but think it so essential to the duty of mutual salutation, that,
yielding to the occasional impulse of nature, and proceeding
according to the uniform tenor of Scriptual example, is by
them accounted nothing in comparison of a standing form, no
where exemplified in the Word of God !
Periodical salutation in churches is very far indeed from being
general, as you shall afterwards hear.
Second, All other modes of salutation, it is argued, are prac
tised by the world ; more is expected from us ; we stand in the
closest connexion with each other, and it would be quite un
suitable if we did not observe this token of love in such a man
ner as to distinguish us from those who have no centre of
union except earthly ties. Jesus hath said, " What do ye
more than others ?
With respect to the world at large, their love and hatred are
certainly no examples to us ; " they hate the good, and love
the evil ; and they are hateful, and hating one another," as we
ourselves also were before we knew the truth. But the per
sons of whom I have all along spoken, were not the world in
general ; they were near relatives and beloved friends, the far
greater part of whom also were the true fearers of God ; indeed
only two of the examples admit of a doubt whether both parties
were persons of that description. We are expressly command
ed not to be conformed to this world ; and if we be Christians
indeed, we must in many respects love what they hate, and hate
what they love. In relation to them, our only care should be
that we follow not their pernicious ways, and tbat we do not

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 531
suffer even the decent and respectable part of the world, to ex
cel us in any thing which is truly praiseworthy.
But shall we, therefore, pay no regard to the natural affection
of parents and children, and brethren and sisters, and please
ourselves with the false supposition that our Christian love is
far superior in degree to the love of kindred ? Happy should I
be, could I say with truth that they do not far excel us. Ob
serve, however, that I am not considering to what extent the
disciples of Christ ought to love one another, but merely to
what extent they actually do love in this imperfect state. They
who profess more love to their fellow- Christians than the most
tender-hearted parents exercise towards their children, or than
affectionate children of the same family exercise towards each
other, know not their own hearts, and thus are guilty of vain
glorious boasting.
Why are Christians denominated " brethren — the family of
God — sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty ?" Why are
the collective body of disciples termed " the brotherhood ?"
Why are we taught to entreat old men as fathers, the younger
men as brethren ; the elder women as mothers, and the younger
as sisters ? The love which we are commanded to exercise to
wards the people of God, is usually called " brotherly love ;'
and when an apostle would show us how we ought to love, he
gives this direction, " Love as brethren." The same apostle
terms this love " brotherly kindness ;" and another apostle
uses a similar, but a still more endearing expression, " Be
kindly affectioned one to another ;" which is explained by the
words that follow, " with brotherly love," that is, the kindness
of an affectionate brother. And what is still more remarkable
and striking than any thing which has been mentioned, is the
description which Jesus gave of his disciples. When he was
informed that " his mother and his brethren stood without,
desiring to speak with him," " Who is my mother, and who
are my brethren ? And he stretched out his hands towards his
disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren ! for
whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, the
same is my brother, and sister, and mother."
The love which Christians owe to each other, is therefore the
same which generally prevails among the nearest connexions in
life, and is accompanied with the same complacency and delight;
but it flows from motives altogether different, and is enforced
by infinitely higher examples. These are — " the love of God
even our Father, who hath loved us, and hath given us ever
lasting consolation, and good hope through grace" — and " the
love of Christ, who hath loved us and given himself for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savour."

532 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
Be assured, then, my brethren, that we are destitute of
Christian love if we have no emotions and feelings similar to
those of the nearest and dearest friends, and if these are in
capable of being excited on such occasions as would move the
hearts of fathers, mothers, brethren, 'and sisters. Let it be
duly considered also, that natural affection, to which the love
of Christians is in the Scriptures so often assimilated, never
can prompt the most affectionate family to institute a periodical
form of salutation. They would consider this as an unmeaning
external show, and the mere proposal of it would be treated as
an impeachment of the sincerity and fervency of their love. It
is evident, therefore, that with all our pretensions to do more
than the world, we actually do less than is done by those of
them whose example we ought to follow. A periodical sign of
love does not prove itself to be a token of " brotherly kind
ness ;" it resemble? more the general salutation, by which
friendship is or may be testified in civil society, though there is
nothing so formal either in families or in the world at large.
Do I then propose any thing more or less than the Word of
God enjoins, when I request you to " salute as brethren, with
the kindness of an affectionate brother — to salute the aged men
as fathers, the young men as brethren ; the elder women as
mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with all purity ?"
— not with the cold indifference of those who can scarcely, in
any sense, be called friends, but with love resembling the love
of kindred. A practice opposite to that which I recommend, is
not merely wrong in itself; it tends to wear off from our minds
a just impression of what is meant by the Christian brother
hood, the complacency and the fervour of brotherly love.
Third, It has been said, to decline public salutation at stated
times, may lead to the disuse of it. This is always a remem
brancer, and of itself perpetuates the practice.
Would not this, if it were a just argument, prove that we
ought to exemplify every mutual duty formally on the Lord's
day ? And if this be impossible, as it certainly is, why should
one mutual duty, not expressed in less general terms than many
others, be alone considered as obligatory once a-week, or more
liable to be neglected than a great variety of other duties, some
of which have been already mentioned ? Not surely because
the external sign of love is of greater importance than love
itself, and all its active and beneficial services, without which
there is no sincerity, nor any legitimate meaning, in the kiss of
charity. Our deficiency in all those duties is readily admitted,
and we need much to pray that " the Lord would make us to
increase and abound in love one towards another, and towards
all men ;" but it is more than doubtful if we can be aided in

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 533
this by a constrained and unnatural manner of summoning our
attention to them, or by converting them into lifeless forms.
There is no reason, however, to suppose, that observing the
salutation on those other occasions which correspond with its
nature, would be less apt to perpetuate the practice. No per
son who is capable of thinking, can really be of this opinion ;
though he may suspect, and perhaps not unjustly, that such
occasions will often be neglected. The occurrences which
appear to me suited to dispose us for spontaneous salutation,
are numerous ; we often meet with them ; and if fervent love
prevail among us, these will be cheerfully embraced, and salu
tation will become far more general and frequent than it now is.
If otherwise, it will be an empty form, in whatever way it may
be observed ; and this is always to be dreaded when there is
any other constraint than that of love. To be consistent, the
argument ought rather to have been against frequent salu
tation. I may now ask, would not periodical salutation, partial and
defective as it must be, satisfy many, to the exclusion of that
which is natural and rational, and which agrees with Scriptural
precedents ? But if our love were as fervent as that of the
persons whose example we ought to follow, it would break
through all stated regulations and forms ; nay, these would
utterly be contemned. Nature would teach us to salute on
proper occasions, and love would constrain us to obey — love !
the most amiable of all principles, the distinguishing character
istic of which is, that, while it cannot be forced, it gently rules
with unlimited sway, and with the entire consent of those who
feel its. influence.
Fourth, Primitive example has been referred to as an argu
ment for periodical salutation. In the writings of those who are
called the Fathers, there are several testimonies in favour of it.
At the time of observing the Lord's Supper, after the prayers
and thanksgivings, and before partaking of the elements, the
brethren saluted those on each side of them with a kiss of
charity. I am not disposed to call in question the fact that the primi
tive Christians, under the guidance of the fathers, did actually
thus salute one another, nor that the practice was introduced
at an early period. But my answer is, that the evidence which
this testimony affords, is not primitive enough ; for nothing
short of apostolic authority ought to satisfy the minds of those
who now desire to know the will of God. It is a very com
mon opinion that human tradition confirms revealed truth, and
many who "profess to believe the Scriptures are happy when
they can find this prop of their faith in the ancient writings of

534 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.
either the religious or profane. But this is a great and dan
gerous mistake ; when a true believer suffers it to pervert 1 is
judgment, which may happen, it then cannot be said of him,
" great is thy faith." In matters of religion, the traditions of
men are nothing unless they be confirmed by the Word of God.
But the latter stands in no need of confirmation, and there is .
more evil in this thought than is generally perceived. If tra
dition agree with the Scriptures, it is well, and we ought to
rejoice that the author, and those who adhere to him, maintained
the doctrine of the Word of God. But here we must stop j
God alone can confirm the Word which he hath spoken.
It will be said, however, that all that is wanted is, to con
firm an opinion of the meaning of certain texts, or rather an
opinion respecting \he"time and m-anner of obeying a command
ment, which is abundantly plain in itself- But does not this
again imply that the Word of God is deficient, because, though
it clearly points out our duty, yet it withholds from us the
means of knowing how to perform it ? And do not those who
agree with me in the general principle of rejecting the autho
rity of human tradition, and yet in one respect look to it for
support, manifestly show that they themselves do not perceive
Divine evidence on their side of the matter in question ? They
cannot fail to be conscious also, that there is abundance of evi
dence on the other side ; for there is nothing more easily dis
cernible in sacred history, than that which constitutes " a time
to embrace ;" nor any thing more essential to man than an
instinctive sense of this, which regulates every class of man
kind except misguided Christians !
The ancient authors who have transmitted to us an account
of the practice of Christians in their times, relative to the kiss
of charity, are Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, and Chry-
sostom, the earliest of whom, Justin Martyr, (for I mention
them in their order,) wrote about the middle of the second
century, and the latest towards the end of the fourth, or in the
beginning of the fifth century. Many deviations from the
purity and simplicity of the Christian profession had taken
place at, and before the first of those periods, as some of you
well know. Without giving you any general account of these,
I shall only mention one, as it is sufficient for my purpose,
besides their periodical salutation itself, is singled out because
it is immediately connected with the present subject, and
avowed by the authors whom I have mentioned.
The Christians of those days, when they met to observe the
Lord's Supper, before which they saluted each other, made an
avowed separation of the sexes ; for this purpose they arranged
themselves on opposite sides of the house, and no brother was

SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CHRISTIAN SALUTATION. 535
permitted to give this token of Christian love to a sister ! This
I consider as a practical denial of an essential and a most
joyful truth ; that " there is neither male nor female in Christ
Jesus." Yet afterwards, in the times of Chrysostom, they
seem to have excluded females altogether, by confining the
public salutation to the male part of their churches ! Who knows
to what extent they might have carried these Anti-christian
(distinctions ?) or separations ? The text to which I refer is
in Gal. iii. 28. " There is neither Jew nor Greek ; there is
neither bond nor free ; there is neither male nor female, for ye
are all one in1 Christ Jesus." Nothing more is necessary to
show how little dependence we ought to have on the example
of Christians after the time of the Apostles. They were not
in this case under the same temptation to separate " Jews
and Greeks, bond and free ;" but if some other favourite
innovation had interfered with their visible unity, it is impossi
ble to say what they might have been disposed to do.
V. In conclusion, I have now to express the hope which I
fully entertain, that my brethren in the faith of Jesus, will
give heed to what I have said, so far as it may have been con
firmed by the doctrine of the Scriptures, and that it will
appear to you that periodical salutation in a church, while
it professes to be universal, is not even general, and that pre
tensions to a salutation of the whole church are fanciful and
delusive, unworthy of the gravity and simplicity of Chris
tians. Indeed, it is remarkable for nothing more than for
its extremely limited diffusion, which could not have been
exceeded if the wisdom and ingenuity of man had been em
ployed to make it such. We must therefore go back for its
origin as far as the days of Justin Martyr, sixteen hundred and
fifty years ago.
But it is to the Scriptures alone that our appeal must be
made, and with a candid and teachable disposition to search
them, joined with earnest prayer to the Father of lights, the
God of love and peace, that he would guide us into all truth,
to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
THE END.

EDINBURGH : PRINTED BY J. RITCHIE & CO. 3 Y