The Gospel a Do&rine according to NUMBER II. AVING fhown that the gofpel is adapted to promote real piety, by the view, with which it prefents us, of the one living and true God, I proceed to obferve, II. That the gospel is a doctrine according to godlinefs, may further appear, from the account given of the divine law, and the light in which it is placed in the gofpel. According to the doctrine of Chrift and his apoftles, the law of God requires perfect holiness, on pain of the divine wrath. It requires us to love the Lord our God, with all our heart and foul and mind, and our neighbour as ourselves; and pronounces a curfe on every one, who don't obey it perfectly. Chrift came not to deftroy, but to fulfil the law; and it is fo far from being made void, as a rule of duty binding on all, that it is established by the gofpel. For altho' believers, or true Chrif tians, are not under the law in the VOL. I. No. 8. form of a covenant--not bound to fulfil its demands as the only condition of life, or fuffer the curfe; but are under (being really in) the covenant of grace, which promifes and grants pardon and a title to life, to penitent believers, thro' the atonement and righteoutness of Chrift, in a way of grace; yet they are bound to keep the law a they are under it as a rule of life, to which they are bound to conform, in heart and practice. It is clearly held forth in the gospel, that God is fully determined, coft what it may, to fupport the authority and honor of his law. What more decifive proof of this can be exhibited, than God hath in fact exhibited, by fetting forth his own Son a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his right eoufnefs; that he might be just, and the juftifier of him who be lieveth in Jefus? Further, The gofpel teaches, that Chrift obeyed and died, not only to redeem men from the curfe of the law, and to furnish believers with a complete righteoufnefs for their juftification; but also, to recover his people to a conformity to the law. "What the law could not M m Jefus Chrift is a teaching prophet, an atoning and interceding prieft, and a reigning king; and perfectly qualified for the execution of these high and infinitely important offi ces, and faithful in the execution of them. He is infinitely benevolent, merciful and compaffionate, gracious and condescending. From his birth to his death, he was holy, do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God fending his own fon in the likeness of finful flesh, and for fin, condemned fin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the fpirit." And Chrift" And Chrift "gave himfelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zeal-harmless, undefiled, and separate ous of good works." In this re- from finners; and is made higher fpect, then, the gofpel is moft evi-than the heavens. He exhibited, dently a doctrine, not only confif tent with, but well adapted, and apparently defigned, to promote real godlinefs-true religion-real holinefs, in heart and life. III. That the gospel is a doctrine according to godlinefs, may ftill more fully appear, from fome further view of its doctrines, refpecting the perfon, character, offices and mediation of Jefus Chrift -his obedience, fufferings, refurrection and exaltation, with the defign and import thereof. According to the gofpel, Jefus Chrift is a divine perfon, the Son of the living God, and one with the Father. He is alfo Emmanuel, God with us, God in our nature, God and man united in one perfon. By agreement between the Father and the Son-by the Father's appointment and his own confent, he was invested with the office, and undertook to perform the work, of a mediator between God and men, to lay a foundation for, and to accomplish a reconciliation between them. In profecution of this great defign, he affumed human nature, took on him the form of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of men; that in the room and ftead of finful men, he might fulfil the law, and make a complete atonement for fin, by his own perfect obedience, unto the death of the crofs. while on earth, in his private life, and public conduct, a perfect example-an example of perfect holinefs, in the performance of every duty. This example is prefented to view, in the gospel, for us to eye, and to imitate. In his preaching, obedience and fufferings, confidering the end for which he obeyed and fuffered, he manifefted and expreffed, infinite regard to the glory of God, and to the good of creatures, and particularly, of mankind-infinite regard to the honor and authority of the divine law, and as real a defire, that the divine difpleasure against fin fhould fully appear, as that finners might be faved-that thefe two ends might be confiftently accomplished. He hath actually done, to the Father's acceptance, all that was Leceffary in the way of obedience and fuffering by a mediator, to lay a foundation for the confiftent and honorable falvation of finners. Of this, the most inconteftible proof is exhibited. For the Father hath exalted him with his own right hand, to be a prince and a Saviour, committed all judgment to him, and given him to be head over all things to the Church. Repentance and remiffion of fins, are orderded to be preached in his name, among all nations. In him, it is declared, there is falvation, and in no other; by him, and by him only can men have access to and accept- | goodness of the Great Author of ance with God. He is the end of nature strikingly appear in fo conthe law for righteoufnefs, to every ftituting the economy of man, as one who believeth, and the au- not only to reader individuals nethor of eternal falvation, to all cesary to each other, but also to them that obey him. caft the inclination upon the fide of interest-to make what is neceffary to our being a fource of comfort and delight, and even to fweeten the delights of focial life, with many natural and endearing relations. Such is the doctrine of the gofpel concerning the perfon, character, offices, obedience, fufferings, refurrection and exaltation of Jefus Chrift, with the defign and import thereof. In what a majestic, glorious, awful and amiable light, doth this doctrine place the Deity before us? What a view doth it give us, of the facredness and unchanging obligation of his law? What an awful view doth it prefent, of the infinite evil and criminality of fin? How ineffably amiable and glorious, and worthy of our love and praife, efteem, trust and confidence, and unreferved obedience, doth it show the Lord Jefus Chrift? And how infinitely important and interesting to us, doth it prove it to be, to deny ourfelves, and take up our crofs, and follow him? And, of confequence, how admirably well adapted is it, to promote and excite to the exercife and practice of real piety and true religion? If, with this doctrine placed in full view, we are negligent and careless with refpect to religion, and indulge to ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, to vice and wickedness, we fhall be inexcufable indeed! (To be continued.) From this ground, that man is a focial being, and all his duties and comforts, his hopes and fears, his affections and paffions either immediately or ultimately connected with fociety, arifes alfo the duty of focial worship. The propriety and fitnefs of this, is at once difcerned by the confiderate ob server, and its inftitution strikes the benevolent mind with a still brighter difplay of the divine wisdom and goodness. That mankind fhould unite in a focial and public manner to worfhip the Great God, the infinite fountain of all being and bleffednefs, the light of nature teachesthe voice of reafon directs, and the authority of Revelation commands. In performing the duty, the true worshipper experiences the most fublime pleasure and fatisfaction. The principle of obedience is the fource of true enjoyment; and what he performs as a duty, he realizes as the higheft privilege. Whenever, in the spirit of true devotion, we unite our focial hom On the duty and importance of age to our Maker, and fay, as SOCIAL WORSHIP. NUMBER I. we are divinely directed, Our Father who art in heaven ;-what other impreffions do we feel, but AN is a creature formed love to God, and love to one ano der, and focial enjoyment. His rational powers and faculties are fitted both to receive and communicate good.-The wisdom and exprefs, but that all mankind are our brethren; that as children of God's numerous family we unite to addrefs our great common Pa rent, with an affectionate fenfe of | I remember these things, I pour out my foul in me, for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the houfe of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day." (Pfalm xlii. 5.) "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hofts! My foul longeth, yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord, my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea the fpar row hath found an houfe, and the fwallow a neft for herself, where the may lay her young-*thine altars, O Lord of holls, my king us and my God." (Pfalm lxxxiv.) our filial relation and dependence? By the fame expreffion we acknow ledge, that as members of the fame family, our interest is one-our duty of common obligation-our forrows and our joys, our hopes and our fears, our misery and our happiness the fame--that we are all fellow creatures made and pre ferved by the fame hand-of the fame moral character, by nature children of wrath-that we have one and the fame God to worship -one and the fame Mediator to redeem us-one and the fame Spirit to enlighten and fanctify us ;that we have common fins to confef and lament-common mercies to acknowledge--the fame pardon to feek-the fame falvation to work out, and the fame eternity, for which to prepare. The knowledge and realizing fenfe of thefe truths infpire the pious mind with un Speakable delight. "Knowledge and love make fpirits bleft, Knowledge their food, and love their reft." And as the duties of focial wor fhip in a special and powerful man. ner, tend to open these truths to the view of the mind, and to infix their genuine impreffions warm upon the heart of the true worshipper -he rejoices and bleffes God for his infinite wifdom and goodnefs manifested in the inftitution. The fame views, feelings and defires, in relation to the fame objects, poffefs the heart, and influ ence the conduct of every true worshipper of God. The foul that is born of God, loves to draw near to him in all the ways of his appointment, and to dwell in his immediate prefence. "Blessed are they that dwell in thine house; they will be ftill praifing thee. One thing," faith the Pfalmift, "have I defired of the Lord, that will I feek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and inquire in his holy temple." God is the former of our bodies and the father of our spirits, and he will be glorified by the works He feels an indiffoluble attachment to the fervice-a warm and fenfible delight in the duty. Witness the example of the man after God's own heart. In what language of devotion and zeal does he exprefs his defire towards the house of his God, and his delight in attending the duties of focial worship! "I was glad, when they faid unto me let us go into the houfe of the Lord." (Pfalm cxxii. 1.). “When It is believed by many that the word event, inferted in this place by the tranflators of the Bible, ought to have been omitted; and this idea is fully adopted by the writer. That sparrows and lay their young upon the altars of fac rifice is at best a very incongruous fuppofition. But with the omifhon of one word, the fenfe is plain and natural, and by a very animated apoftrophe expreffes the fervent zeal of the Pfalmift towards the worship and fervice of the Temple. fwallows fhould build their nefts, and joined the service of the lips. Thus we are taught by the prophet Hofea, in his devout exhortation to repentance. "O Ifrael, return unto the Lord thy God, for thou haft fallen by thine iniquity." Here is the facrifice of a broken and contrite heart, pointed out and enjoined by the expreffion, "return unto the Lord;" and then he goes on to direct the outward form and manner in which the duty is to be done. "Take with you words and turn unto the Lord of his hands. Tho' he needeth not our fervices, yet in his infinite wisdom he hath feen fit to enjoin them. He directs us in the manner of their performance, and in infinite condefcenfion is pleafed to accept them, through the media tion of his Son. And he requires us not only to worship him in humble heart fincerity, in fpirit and in truth; but enjoins the fervice of the whole man-Both foul and body are to be active inftruments of his glory-actively and jointly employed in the folemn exercife offay unto him take away all inihis worship, and confecrated to his quity, and receive us graciously, fo fervice. For, though the duty of will we render the calves of our prayer and praife, effentially con- lips." fift in the temper and views of the heart, difpofing the foul to cry after God to draw near to him as a child, in the exercife of repentance, faith, hope, joy, confidence and truft-yet in the complete exercife of worship, of focial worship, in a fpecial manner, there must be an offering up of the defires of our hearts in words, outwardly expreffive of our internal feelings and views. The heart and voice muft unite in the fervice, and mutually confpire in the worship of God. For tho' bodily exercife, separately confidered, profiteth little, and the outward form of prayer, without the fpirit of it in the heart, is but a vain oblation, a prostitution of the duty, and a fo. lemn mockery of God; yet we may fay of these two parts of worfhip, as the Saviour, in his reproof of the hypocritical Jews, expreffes himself concerning the effentials and ceremonials of the law-way of everlasting falvation-hold "These things (the weightier matters of the law) ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other (the circumftantials) undone." So the fpirit of prayer in the heart, muft not be wanting in every true worshipper; and with this must be To the fame point of instruction we read in the 50th Pfalm, laft verfe "Whofo offereth praife, glorifieth me." And the apostle improves the redeeming mercy and grace of God, as the highest and strongeft argument to enforce the duty of univerfal dedication in the worship and fervice of God. "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." Thus "with the heart man believeth unto rightcoufnefs, and with the mouth confeffion is made unto falvation." The faculty of fpeech is a dif tinguishing excellency in man, beflowed by the beneficent author of nature for the moft wife and important ends. Hereby we are enabled not only to communicate our thoughts and feelings to one another refpecting the things of time, but we inquire and learn the bleffed communion with the Father of our Spirits, and unite our hearts with our voices, in focial homage, to worship, praise and glorify the God that made us. Therefore it is that the tongue or faculty of speech is filed the glory |
