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THEOLOGY.

the vanity of idols to Hie worship of the living God ; by the wordof knowledge, they preached the great doctrines of revelation bothto Jews and Gentiles, shewing them that there is none other nameunder heaven given unto men whereby they may be saved thanthe name of Jesus Christ , and by their gifts of healing and of mira-cles, &c. they were enabled to prove unanswerably that their doc-trines were divine. They taught every where the unity of God,the creation of the world, the fall of man, the necessity of redemp-tion, the divinity of the Redeemer, his sacrifice on the cross torestore mankind to their forfeited immortality, and the terms ofthe new covenant into which they had through him been gra-ciously admitted by God. It now remains to speak of the doc-trines which respect the terms of the gospel-covenant; and theseare explicitly stated by St. Paul and St. James, Our Saviourhimself has indeed taught with great plainness the necessity offaith and baptism to the salvation of those who have an opportu-nity of hearing the gospel preached with power ; and in his sermonon the mount, which is such a lecture of ethics founded on reli-gion, as the Son of God only could have delivered, we learn, thatunless our righteousness shall exceed tire righteousness of theScribes and Pharisees , we shall in no case enter into the kingdomof heaven; and that even the very first thoughts of vice are highlycriminal. The same doctrine of salvation by faith in our Lord JesusChrist is inculcated throughout the sacred scriptures. But much di-versity of opinion has arisen for want of duly considering the natureof this faith which here is so much insisted on. It does not consistin a bare assent to the divine oracles, or in any inward or outwardacknowledgment of the divinity of Christ , of his offices, or of hisdoctrines; but in simply and cordially receiving him in every re-spect in which he has presented and offered himself to man. Thusit is essential to faith that we hear his sayings; for it would be ab-surd to imagine we recieve Christ while we hearken not to hisdoctrines: this, therefore, implies the rejection of our own schemesand views, and reduces us to the simplicity of children, or scho-lars, listening to the instructions of our Divine Preceptor; and ofsuch is the kingdom of heaven. It is also essential to faith that itreceives the death and merits of Christ as the only plea for accep-tance with God, and the only foundation for happiness and eter-nal life; for if we reject this, we reject Christ entirely, and haveneither part nor lot in him ; hut he that has this foundation re-quires no other, and sinks into nothing as it respects himself andhis own works; and tints Christ is all and in all to him. Again,it is essential to faith that the will and affections he submitted tothe controul and influence of Christ ; for if we reject the govern-ment of the Redeemer, does not every one see that we rejectChrist himself? hut when his word and Spirit regulate our affec-tions, and influence our conduct, no doubt but the kingdom ofheaven is within us. If then this be the nature of faith, it is evi-dent that faith and works are intimately and inseparably united.Faith ’s genuine fruit is the love of G'od and man. It cannotexist without our feeling to hint the warmest love, and partakingof that disposition which characterize him as the God of love.See Faith. Hence then it is evident that the sum of Christianity ,as we are taught by the beloved disciple, is comprehended in thiscommandment of God, “ that we should believe on the name ofhis Son Jesus Christ , and love one another as he gave us com-mandment.” In perfect harmony with him, the great apostle ofthe Gentiles, from mistaking whose words much empty noise liasbeen raised about the question, assures us, that “ in Christ Jesus nothing can avail to our eternal happiness hut faith, which work-eth by lore;” and he informs Tims, that it “ is a true saying, andwhat he wills to be constantly affirmed, that they who have be-lieved in God be careful to maintain good works.” Thus gra-ciously has the divine goodness displayed itself in the restorationof our lost inheritance. But it stopt not here. The same bounti-ful Lord of life, for its further security, imparts to every true be-liever the strength and light of his Holy Spirit to support faithin working out our salvation. Our blessed Saviour, " who gavehimself for us, that he might redeem us not only from death, butlikewise from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar peoplezealous of good works,” promised, before he lelt this world, tosend to his followers the Iloly Ghost, or Comforter, to abide withthem forever, to guide them into all the truth, to bring all things totheir remembrance whatsoever lie hath said qnto them, and, as welearn from other passages of scripture, to “ work in them both to

will and to do of his good pleasure.” How amply this promisewas fulfilled to the apostles we have already seen; but we are notto suppose that it was restricted to them. As man is designed fora supernatural state in heaven, he stands in need of supernaturaldirection to guide him to that state. “ No man (says our Sa-viour) can come to me except the Father draw him ; for as no manknoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is inhim, even sb none knoweth the tilings of God but the Spirit ofGod.” This omniscient Spirit indeed “ searchelh all things, yeaeven the deep things of God,” and revealeth them to the sons ofmen, to enlighten their understandings, and purify their hearts.Tlie grace which he siieds abroad is either external and general,or internal and particular. The former has been extended to thewhole church of God under the patriarchal, Mosaic, and Christian dispensations, in such a revelation of the divine will as was suffi-cient to instruct men unto eternal life, whether they had a clearview or not of that stupendous plan of redemption, by which thekingdom of heaven was opened to them after the forfeiture of theterrestrial paradise; for there have been “ holy prophets ever sincethe world began ; and prophecy came not at any time by the willof man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by theHoly Ghost.” lienee it is that all scripture was given by inspira-tion of God, to teach us every tiling which is necessary for us toknow and believe; and the scripture is that work of the Spiritwhich is extended to the universal church. The same Holy Spi-rit which thus generally reveals the objects of faitli to the church,cloth likewise particularly illuminate the minds of individual be-lievers, working in them an assent to that which is taught themfrom the written word. It was thus that ” the Lord opened theheart of Lydia, that she attended to the things which were spokenby Paulit is thus that “ the word preached doth not profit, if itbe not mixed with faitli in them who hear it:” and it is thus that“ God deals to every man the measure of faith ;” for “ by graceare we saved, through faitli, which is not of ourselves; it is the giftof God.” This illumination of the Spirit was conveyed to theapostles “ in a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,because it was meant to testify to the world, that they were cho-sen ministers of the gospel; but the ordinary Christian receives itin the “ still small voice,” because it is conveyed to him only toopen his understanding that he may understand the scriptures:Another operation of the Spirit on the minds of believers is thatwhich in scripture is called regeneration ; for “ according to hismercy God savelli us by the washing of regeneration and renew-ing of the Holy Ghost , which he sheds on us abundantly throughJesus Christ our Lord.” And, ” except a man be born again ofwater and of the Holy Ghost , lie cannot enter into the kingdomof God.” This change in our dispositions, from an immoderateattachment to earth to a relish for the tilings of heaven, is in scrip-ture called “ a renewing of our minds, a new creation, a newman ;” in opposition to our natural disposition, which is railed“ the old man, corrupted according to the deceitful lusts.” Athird office of the Holy Spirit is to lead, direct, and govern usthrough all the period of our lives. Without such a leader orguide, the temptations with which we are surrounded would cer-tainly overcome us, ami we should faint long before we arrive atthe end of our journey. By the very constitution of our naturewe are subjected to the influence of sense, of which the objectsare present, whilst t he enjoyments of heaven are future, and seen,as at a distance, only by the eye of faith : but “ the law of theSpirt of file, in Christ Jesus , hath made us free from the law ofsin and deatli; ter God workelli in us both to will and to do of hisgood pleasure ; and as many as are thus led by the Spirit of God,they are the sons of God ; and while they walk in the Spirit, theydo not fulfil tlie lusts of the flesh.” Without the aid of the sameSpirit, we could not even make our prayers acceptable ; for since“ our confidence in God is, that he hearetli us only when we askany thing according to his will ; and since we know not what weshould pray for as we ought, the Spirit itself maketh intercessionfor us with eioanings that cannot be uttered.” A fourth opera-tion of tlie Iloly Ghost, as lie is the sanctifier of Christians , is tojoin them to Christ , and make them members of that one body ofwhich lie is tlie head. “ For by one Spirit are we all baptizedinto one body ; and as tlie body is one, and hath many members,and all the members of that one body being many are one body,so also is Christ, ” “ Hereby we know, that God abideth in us>

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