Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

of light, and the regions of darkness, for they know that wherever they shall see the hand, they shall see the heart of God; and it will be impossible to discover any part of his character, or any instance of his conduct, which will not display his goodness. heart, who love to see God.

Blessed are the pure in Their desires shall be

completely satisfied, when they arrive at the kingdom of glory; and with this hopeful prospect they may possess their souls in patience, as David did. “As for

me,

I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness."

Let all take occasion from what has been said, to inquire whether they sincerely love the glory of God. This is something very different from loving their own happiness, and loving God for promoting it. To love the glory of God, is to love all his goodness, and all the perfections of his nature, which are under the influence of it. It is to be pleased with every part of the divine character, and every instance of the divine conduct. God has displayed his goodness towards angels and men; both in a state of holiness, and in a state of sin. He has discovered his feelings towards holy and unholy creatures. He has manifested the highest complacency and delight in those, who love him; and the highest displeasure against his enemies. He has provided a heaven of holiness and happiness for the righteous, and a place of everlasting torment for the wicked. He is now forming vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath, upon whom to display all his goodness in all its branches to all eternity. Now, do you desire to see the glory of God displayed in all these ways and upon all these objects? Are you wishing for the accomplishment of all God's designs to display his glory? Can you enter into his views and feelings, in the plan of redemption, which is to unfold

all his goodness? Can you desire, that this scheme of perfect benevolence should be carried into execution, whether it shall raise or sink, happify or destroy you forever? If these be your feelings, you are really friendly to God. And that goodness, which you love, will have a most friendly aspect upon your happiness. It will engage all the attributes of the Deity in your favor; and conduct you finally to that kingdom, which was prepared for you, before the foundation of the world. But, on the other hand, if you cannot enter into the benevolent views and feelings of the Deity, nor heartily acquiesce in all the displays of his goodness, you are real enemies to God and to all righteousness. And that goodness, which you hate and oppose, will engage all his perfections against you, He cannot display all his goodness, unless he makes his wrath and power known, in your everlasting destruction. The same goodness of God, which requires him to save penitent, believing sinners, equally requires him to destroy the impenitent and unbelieving. The same goodness of God, which prompts him to raise saints to the third heavens, will equally prompt him to sink sinners to the lowest hell. Let the goodness of God, therefore, both alarm and allure sinners to exercise that godly sorrow, which worketh repentance unto salvation. Amen.

SERMON VII.

THE TESTIMONY OF CHRIST TO HIS OWN

DIVINITY.

JOHN X, 33.

Because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

THERE have been various opinions of our Savior, ever since his first appearance in the flesh. Not only Herod, but all Jerusalem, were troubled with anxiety and doubt, when they heard the news of his birth. Mary herself hardly knew what opinion to form of her child, when she heard and pondered the saying of the angels, who had announced him to the world, as Christ the Lord. And when the appointed time was come, that he should emerge from the obscurity of private life, and appear in his public character, those who heard his doctrines and saw his miracles, were very much divided in their opinions of such an extraordinary Personage. Some said, he was John the Baptist; some said, he was Elias; some said, he was Jeremias, or one of the prophets; and some said, he was the Son of the living God. But though this last opinion was believed by his disciples, and propagated by the first preachers of the gospel, after his ascension to heaven; yet new and strange opinions of Christ soon sprang up and spread among his professed followers. Some denied his humanity; some denied his divinity; and some denied both. This diversity of opinions concerning the founder of our holy religion, proved the unhappy occasion of long and sharp disputes in the Christian Church. And though a milder

spirit now prevails among Christians; yet they are far from being united in their sentiments about the personal character of their common Savior. Four different opinions, upon this subject, divided them into four different denominations. These are commonly called, for the sake of distinction, Socinians, Arians, Unitarians, and Trinitarians. The Socinians believe, that Christ was but a mere man, though favored with the gift of Inspiration. The Arians make him more than man, and suppose him to be possessed of every divine perfection, except self-existence and independence. The Unitarians view him as a super-angelic Nature intimately united with the one true God. The Trinitarians conceive him to be a proper man mysteriously united with the second Person in the Godhead. But notwithstanding this variety of opinions concerning Christ, yet all his professed followers agree, that he was possessed of perfect purity and moral rectitude. And since they agree in the belief of his undoubted veracity, they ought to agree, that his own declarations concerning himself should settle their long and unhappy dispute. His enemies say, in our text, that he professed to be God as well as man. "Because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." These words very naturally lead us to consider what Christ did say concerning his humanity and divinity; and the grounds, upon which he asserted both.

I. Let us consider what Christ said concerning his humanity.

He was born of a woman. He gradually increased in stature and knowledge, until he reached the years of manhood. He then appeared and conversed like other men. And when he had occasion to speak of himself, he used a peculiar phrase, which clearly and -forcibly expressed his humanity. He commonly called

himself the Son of man. I will mention a number of instances. "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. The Son of man came eating and drinking. Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen from the dead. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him; but wo unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. The Son of man is come to seek and save that which is lost. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whom do men say, that I the Son of man, am?" It is needless to transcribe all the passages in which Christ calls himself the Son of man, since he calls himself so, more than sixty times in the New Testament. By this phrase, he always meant to assert his humanity. And the Jews always understood it in this sense. For they charged him with blasphemy, because he professed to be a man, and yet made himself God. If they had mistaken his meaning, he must have certainly known it, and as certainly rectified their mistake. But it does not appear, that he ever intimated to any person, that he had been misunderstood in calling himself the Son of man. By this phrase, therefore, he must have intended to assert his true and proper humanity.

II. Let us consider what he said concerning his divinity.

Though he professed to be man, yet he made himself God; and said more about his divine than about his human nature. He said a great many things, by which he meant either directly or indirectly, to assert his divinity. Here it may be observed, in the first place, that he called himself the Son of God. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only be

« EdellinenJatka »