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It is scarcely necessary for me to observe, that Jews, Christians, Mohammedans, and Infidels, have derived this knowledge wholly from the Scriptures.

4thly. No account exists of any individual, who by the mere exer cise of his Reason discovered the existence of one God.

Immense multitudes of great and learned men have, in different ages, employed themselves laboriously in speculations of a theological nature. Had any one of them made the discovery in question; an event so important, so new, so singular, so honourable, could not have been unnoticed, or unrecorded, amid thousands of discoveries, of infinitely less consequence and distinction, carefully treasured up in the volumes of History. In truth, the idea of one perfect God is neither so obvious, nor so pleasing, to such minds as ours, as, when once lost, to be with any probability ever recovered again by the mere efforts of Reason. When known, and admitted, by the early descendants of Noah, it was soon lost; and without the direct aid of succeeding Revelation, would have been lost for ever. In the same manner, the Israelites wandered, notwithstanding the presence of the Shekinah, and the awful denunciations of their prophets, continually fulfilled before them; notwithstanding the wonderful miracles, which they beheld, and the terrible punishments which they suffered, almost yearly, into Polytheism and Idolatry. Such a God, as, when known by us, we are unwilling to acknowledge and to worship; a God, whom we do not like to retain in our knowledge; we cannot be supposed, with any probability, to seek after, when unknown; nor to search with earnestness for arguments to prove his being, or perfections.

III. I shall now inquire, what has been the influence of Revelation on the reception, and continuance, of this doctrine.

On this subject I observe

1st. That God revealeth himself to Adam, and to the succeeding Patriarchs, down to the time of Moses.

2dly. In the written Revelation, begun by Moses, and completed by the succeeding Prophets and Apostles, the existence of the one perfect God is declared by himself, in every manner, from the beginning to the end; and made the foundation of all the doctrines, precepts, and ordinances, contained in the Sacred Volume.

3dly. This doctrine is directly attested by a great variety of miracles, wrought, either immediately or ultimately, as testimonies to this truth.

4thly. All the declarations, of this import, are proved by the cha racter of the Testifier, as unfolded in the works of Creation and Providence.

5thly. The same declarations are evinced to be true by the character of the Testifier, as unfolded in the Scriptures.

On this Character I shall have occasion to dwell particularly hereafter. At the present time, I can only observe summarily, that it is evinced by the perfect accordance of his declarations with facts:

Of his promises, with his performance of them;
Of his predictions, with their fulfilment ;

Of his precepts, with absolute rectitude; and

Of his doctrines, so far as they can be examined by us, with truth.

It is also illustrated, in a glorious manner, by the perfect holiness of the scheme of worship prescribed, and of the system of Pro

vidence recorded.

In all these several ways, one Eternal, self-existent, immutable, and perfect JEHOVAH, is directly and abundantly declared on the one hand; and on the other, all Gods, beside him, are proved with the same evidence to be false and imaginary. The character, given of this great and awful Being, is such, as to banish from the mind the remotest suspicion of a second; even if a second were not directly denied. All perfections are ascribed to him; and all things declared to proceed from him, and to be under his absolute control. The Universe is exhibited as nothing in comparison with him, as holden in existence and harmony by his hand, and as formed to be the instrument of his glory.

This evidence, furnished by Revelation of the Unity of God, is such, that it preserved this doctrine among the Patriarchs; and in spite of all their tendencies to Idolatry, continued it among the Jews, till the Babylonish captivity; and after that event, established it beyond a question. Since the completion of the Christian Canon, there has been, among those, who have acknowledged its divine origin, scarcely a debate on the subject; Christians, with the exception of a few gross Heretics, who never deserved the name of Christians, having with a single voice acknowledged, and worshipped, the one JEHOVAH, the only living and true God. They have not probably regarded these arguments, as amounting to a logical demonstration; but they have justly regarded them, as removing every rational doubt, and as furnishing them, when coming to God, with an immoveable foundation for believing with full assurance, that he is, and that he is the rewarder of all them that diligently seek him.

Two REMARKS shall conclude this discourse.

1st. This doctrine of the Unity of God strongly exhibits the wickedness of Mankind.

The one perfect God was anciently, and fully, known to all Nations; and has been, since, often declared to a great part of the habitable World. Yet singular, solemn, and interesting, as this great object is, and impossible as it seems, that it should be lost by any man, who has once possessed it, it has still been wantonly forgotten, or wilfully rejected, by the great mass of mankind. In the place of JEHOVAH have been substituted Gods innumerable, sinful, stupid, blind, deaf, and dead; and these have been zealously wor shipped in preference to the glorious Creator of all things. Man has made his Gods, and then prostrated himself before them.

The true and only reason of this conduct is, that men loved not to retain God in their knowledge. No higher proof of Corruption. can be given than this. God is infinitely excellent and lovely. A good mind naturally regards him as infinitely more desirable than all other objects; and delights to contemplate, love, and obey him, in entire preference to all other enjoyments. A gross and guilty mind, therefore, is the sole cause of this apostacy and rebellion. The degree of this guilt is strongly seen in the completeness of the Apostacy. God has been totally banished; and creatures, totally opposite to him in every attribute, have been worshipped in his stead. Thus the mind has loved to recede as far as possible from its Maker; and not only refused its proper love and homage to him, but rendered them to the vilest and most unworthy of his

creatures.

2dly. From the observations made in this discourse, appears, in the strongest light, the necessity of Revelation.

Revelation, as I have shown, originally began, and has always continued, the knowledge of the true and living God in the world. This is infinitely the most important of all knowledge, and the most absolutely indispensable to the well-being of Man. From God, all the good, which will ever be enjoyed, must be derived. But no permanent or solid good can be expected from him, unless he be pleased. To be pleased, he must be obeyed, and to be obeyed, he must be known. But without revelation he has never been known in this World. Thus to the attainment of permanent and solid good, Revelation is indispensably necessary, and infinitely important.

The love of God, also, is wholly built on the knowledge of his existence and character. But the love of God is the best of all characteristics, the foundation of all other good, and in itself the best good. Thus, in order to our moral and natural good, to our holiness and happiness alike, Revelation is supremely necessary to Man.*

* See these subjects further pursued in the Sermon on the Second Command

ment.

SERMON V.

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD-ETERNITY AND IMMUTABILITY OF GOD.

PSALM Cii. 24-27.....I said, O my God, Take me not away in the midst of my days = thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the Earth; and the Heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

IN the preceding discourses, I have evinced, by such arguments, as appear to me conclusive, the existence of God; considered the objections and schemes of Atheism and the influence of those schemes on the understanding, heart, and life, of Man, compared with that of the Christian System, and examined the manner, in which the Unity of God is presented to us by Reason, and by Revelation. I shall now proceed to consider such attributes of this great and glorious being, as demand a particular discussion. Those, which naturally claim our first attention, are his Eternity and Immutability; subjects so intimately connected, as to be most advantageously considered together, in the manner in which we find them

in the text.

After a series of discouraging and distressing thoughts on his own troubles, and repeated supplications to God for deliverance; and after various hopes, and predictions, of the kindness of God to himself, and to the Church, recited in the context; the Psalmist takes up his final consolation in the perfections, particularly in the power, wisdom, goodness, eternity, and immutability of his Creator. In the text, these are exhibited, as certain proof, that the children of God shall endure for ever, and their seed be established before him. In the sublime language of this divine writer, the foundation of the Earth and the formation of the Heavens are presented to us, as the handiwork of JEHOVAH; who is considered as building the Universe, as a man erects his own habitation. With no less magnificence is the same wonderful Agent represented, as taking these Heavens and folding them up as a decayed garment is folded by its owner; and laying them aside, as useless to any future purpose. In this imagery there is obviously a direct reference to the consummation of all things; when the preser Heavens and Earth, being set on fire, shall be dissolved, and flee away; and no place be found for them any more. Mutable in their own nature, and destined to temporary purposes only, they will be continued while their use continues, and then perish for ever. To this changing character of even these great and splendid works of his hands, the Psalmist studiously contrasts the character of God. They shall perish, but

thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same; and thy years shall have no end.

In these words, is presented to us, not only a direct assertion, but a highly poetical, sublime, and glorious exhibition, of the Eternity and Immutability of God; strongly impressed on the mind by the contrast, which it forms to the vanishing character of these great works of his hands. The passage is indeed declared by the Apostle Paul, to be a description of the character, and agency, of th Lord Jesus Christ, the second person in the divine Trinity. but to us, who regard Christ as being unquestionably God, it has exactly the same import, as if applied to the Father, or to the Godhead at large. In this light I shall, therefore, consider it; and proceed, under its guidance, to examine these illustrious attributes of the Creator.

I. God is Eternal; or, in other words, his existence is without beginning, or end.

Of this doctrine the text is a direct assertion, and therefore a complete proof: but it is only one, among a vast multitude of such assertions in the Scriptures. No attribute of God is perhaps more frequently declared, more variously recited, or more universally diffused, throughout the sacred pages. In the very first verse of Genesis it is said, In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. He existed, therefore, before the beginning of created things; or, in other words, from everlasting. In the last chapter of the Apocalypse, Christ solemnly declares this character of himself: I am Alpha and Omega, saith he, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last. In the xc. Psalm, and 2d. verse, the divine writer exclaims, Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the Earth, and the World, even from Everlasting to Everlasting, thou art God. I lift my hand to Heaven, says God, Deut. xxxii. and 40th, and say, I live for ever. I am; that is, I exist alike in all times and places, in Eternity and Immensity. JEHOVAH and Jah: that is, Existence illimitable by space or duration; are, you well know, the peculiar and incommunicable names of the Godhead; in accordance with which the Eternal God, and the Everlasting God, are current Phraseology of the Scriptures. From this source, then, it cannot be necessary to adduce any further proofs of the doctrine.

To this full evidence from the Scriptures, Reason subjoins her fullest attestations. That God existed before all things, has been heretofore, as I trust, sufficiently proved. The Universe was plainly derived from him, the first or original Cause. Consequently he was uncaused, underived, and, of course, from Eternity, or without beginning.

That God will for ever exist is plain, also, from Reason, beyond dispute. He cannot be supposed to terminate his own existence. Without insisting on the natural impossibility of this fact, it may be

VOL. I.

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