sacrifice of himself he saw meet to accept, as the means of reconciliation and forgiveness of sins. The Christian religion exhibits to us a plan and design worthy of our great and gracious Creator, and so well adapted to the state of the human heart, that nothing appears to be wanting, but our acceptance of the terms on which it is offered. Yet the conditions on which only we can be true Christians, require us to deny ourselves, and take up a daily cross to our evil propensities. This doctrine, and that foundation on which it is built, are now, as formerly, to some a stumbling block, and to others foolishness. It is indeed to be feared, that many who adopt the Christian religion in theory, are but little acquainted with it in practice. True Christianity is more adapted to the heart, than to the head. It is not so much a system of doctrine, as it is the power of God unto salvation. Nevertheless, it necessarily includes doctrines; but then, it requires a union of the spirit with the letter, of faith and of works, of the power and of the form of godliness; To unite these in our hearts, and in our actions, is what appears to me to constitute the true and perfect Christian. R. Barclay, on the means appointed for our Redemption. GOD, out of his infinite love, who delighteth not in the death of a sinner, but that all should live and be saved, hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that whosoever believeth in him might be saved. The angel thus declared the birth and coming of Christ to the shepherds." Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people," he saith not, to a few. Now if this coming of Christ had not brought a possibility of salvation to all, it should rather have been accounted bad tidings of great sorrow to most people. God hath communicated and given unto every man a measure of the light of his own Son, a measure of grace, or a measure of the spirit, which the Scripture expresses by several names; as sometimes, of the seed of the kingdom, Mat, xiii. 18, 19; the light that makes all things manifest, Eph. v. 13; the Word of God, Rom. x. 17; or manifestation of the Spirit, given to every man to profit withal, 1 Cor. xii. 7; a talent, Mat. xxv. 15; a little leaven, xiii. 33; the gospel preached in every creature, Col. i. 23. The gospel is not a mere declaration of good things, but the power of God unto salvation, to all those that believe. Rom. i. 16. Though the outward declaration of the gospel be taken sometimes for the gospel, yet it is but figuratively, and by a metonymy. For to speak properly, the gospel is this inward power and life which preacheth glad tidings in the hearts of all men, offering salvation unto them, and seeking to redeem them from their iniquities; and therefore it is said to be preached in every creature under heaven, but there are many thousands of men and women, to whom the outward gospel was never preached. The apostle opens and illustrates this matter yet more, Rom. x, where he declares, that the word which he preached, (now the word which he preached and the gospel which he preached, and whereof he was made a minister, is one and the same,) is not far off, but nigh in the heart and in the mouth. Which done, he frameth as it were, the objection of some in our day, ver. 14, 15. "How shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ?'' This he answers in ver. 18. "But I say, have they not heard? yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world;" implying that this Divine Preacher had sounded in the ears and hearts of all men. For of the apostles this saying was not true, neither then nor many hundred years after; yea, for aught we know, there are yet many nations and kingdoms, that never have heard of Christ nor his apostles, outwardly.* The great cause of the apostacy hath been that Man hath sought to fathom the things of God in and by his natural and rational principles and to build up a religion in it, neglecting and overlooking the principle and seed of God in the heart. When the rational principle sets up itself there above the seed of God, to reign and rule as a prince in spiritual things, while the holy seed is wounded and bruised; there is Antichrist in every man, or something exalted above and against Christ. Nevertheless, we do not hereby affirm that man has received his reason to no purpose, or to be of *Peter saw that God had accepted Cornelius, who was a stranger to the law and to Jesus Christ, as to the outward, and he is said to fear God before he had this outward knowledge; therefore Peter concludes, that every one, in every nation, without respect of persons, that feareth God and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him. So he makes the fear of God and the working of righteousness, and not an outward historical knowledge, the qualification. They, then, that have this, wherever they be, are saved. no service unto him; in no wise; we look upon reason as fit to order and rule man in things natural. Even as the moon borrows her light from the sun, so ought men if they would be rightly and comfortably ordered in natural things, to have their reason enlightened by this divine and pure light. Which enlightened reason, in those that obey and follow the true light, we confess may be useful to man in spiritual things, as it is still subservient and subject to the other; even as the animal life in man, regulated and ordered by his reason, helps him in going about things that are rational. Some set up their natural power and will, denying that this seed, and small appearance of the light, is that supernatural saving grace of God, given to every man to save him. All confess they feel this, but they will not have it to be of that virtue. As Christ met with opposition from all kinds of professors in his outward appearance, so doth he also in his inward. It was the meanness of his outward man that made many despise him; so the meanness of this his inward appearance makes the crafty, the pretended rational, and the learned overlook it; desiring rather something that they might exercise their subtilty, reason, and learning about, and use the liberty of their own wills. It is the unmortified nature, the old Adam, yet alive in the wise and learned, in the most zealous for the outward knowledge of Christ, that denies it, that des pises it, that shuts it out to their own condemnation. The stone which the builders of all kinds have rejected the same is become the head of the corner. Glory to God for ever! Claye, Printer, Stockport. |