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The ab-plicated in some general revolt against the Sovereign of the universe that a deadly corruption had infected the nature of man, and had left him under a sort of moral torpor. But how degraded nature was, to purge off the baser fire victorious, and return to its pristine purity, and how the dignity of Heaven's administration was to be consulted without the absolute perdition of every sinner, was a difficulty inexplicable to human reason. The resolution

which it was blended. straction of a simple spiritual worship must have been regarded_as impracticable and visionary. For though it is but fitting and seemly that God, who is a spirit, should be worshipped by the spirit of his creatures, and that he who searches the heart should find the heart prepared for his holy scrutiny, yet truths so obvious, have not always exerted a due influence upon the human race. It is impossible to contemplate without indignation the disgusting forms which idolatry has assumed in the various ages of the world.

But spiritual idolatry is a sin, more subtil, and even more offensive to God, than the sensual forms at which we are so justly shocked. For whilst a spiritual worship is the great and primary duty of all who hear the gospel, a spiritual apostacy is the great and primary sin. We deservedly pity those who live in such woful abdication of rational dignity, as to bend themselves to the senseless forms which their own hands have made out of the crude elements; but are they less deserving our commiseration who deny their Maker the spirituality of a hearty adoration, and surrender themselves to the spirituality of a hearty rejection of him? They may not, indeed, deify the sculptural marble or the carved wood, but they dishonour God by canonizing their passions, and by an unrelenting desertion of his

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of such a doubt was an occasion worthy the intervention of the Son of God, who has satisfied all the conditions of the question, in two leading propositions. first is, that sin, however aggravated, does not necessarily forbid salvation; and the second is, that moral goodness, however preeminent, is no procuring cause of it.

The first of these positions is explicitly affirmed in all the teachings of our divine Master. If there be any one point on which he has shed the light of indubitable certainty, if there be any one doctrine on which the stamp of inspired authority is laid, it is seen on this sublime peculiarity of his gospel. on this head.

Let him be heard "And it came to

pass as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners ? But when Jesus heard that, he said, they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye

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and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matt. ix. 10-13.) In the case of Zaccheus the publican, the Saviour holds the same doctrine. "And Jesus said unto him, this day is salvation come to this

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grace; subsequently too, it is wholly of grace. Human peni

tence then, does not modify the terms of salvation. Nay, the sorrow which is unto godliness is one of the component parts of salvation, and cannot therefore be a prerequisite to it, unless a part may be at once principal and adjunct, which is absurd.

house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke xix. 9, 10.) One of the best expositors of his doctrines, has certified the construction which such passages should receive. (Rom. x. 8-10.) "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, say not in thine heart, who Is it the reformation of the life? shall ascend into heaven? that Any amendment of morals must be is, to bring Christ down from allowed a due importance in the above; or, who shall descend into estimate of actions, but in the the deep, that is, to bring Christ utmost latitude of concession, again from the dead; but what good conduct can only have relasaith it? The word is nigh thee,tion to that part of life during even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is, the word of faith which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved; for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation." It is not needful to multiply quotations in proof of our position. It stands as a fundamental principle of christianity, runs through its whole structure, and is in truth that feature in it, which makes it suitable to our condition. Had any moral fitness on our part been necessary to secure the mercy of Heaven, then that mercy had never visited us, because there is nothing which we can do to place ourselves in a meritorious attitude. But should it be maintained by any, that some virtuous discipline must change our character before we are fit to be saved, we ask, what is that discipline?

Is it repentance? This, however deep and hearty, does not remove the guilt of sin from the penitent. His sorrow, however pungent, produces no translation of his inherent corruption, but leaves him still to the irritations of keen remorse. Anterior to repentance, salvation is wholly of

which it prevails. Present rectitude of deportment is no more than necessary to meet present obligations; and consequently, can supply no surplus virtue to make amends for past delinquencies. If, then, the idea of redundant meritin actions be impracticable, no reformation, however perfect, can have a retrospective operation; and hence the sinner, without the grace of God, must be in circumstances as hopeless after, as before his reformation.

In the same manner, we might examine every supposed claim of moral fitness, and should find, that if our unworthiness were to constitute an impediment to the grace of God, then salvation would be hopeless and impracticable. Environed, as we are, with the guilt of our misdeeds, deliverance could never reach us, if that deliverance depended upon our good deservings. But since the highest mercy in the sight of Heaven came down to us whilst we were yet without strength and without goodness, without our diligence or solicitation, there is reason to conclude that subordinate and collateral mercies will assume the same gracious tendency. That, "God, who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us, will with him freely give us all things."

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Should the charge of repug nance to good morality be still urged against our view of salvation, we further reply, that this is a bold imputation upon the wisdom of God, and one which has been often made. It has not,

The second position by which reply that although our moral Jesus displays the genius of his baseness is no hinderance to the religion is, that human merit, grace of God, yet that grace is the however preeminent, is no procur- most efficient check to the licening cause of salvation. Hear him tious workings of sin. Had it also on this head. "For I say been possible for the law of Omunto you, that except your right- nipotence to assume an attitude eousness shall exceed the right- tenfold more vindictive than that ousness of the scribes and Phari- in which it appeals to us, still it sees, ye shall, in no case, enter could not have changed the heart. into the kingdom of heaven." It could have effected no more (Matt. v. 20.) "And he spake than it now effects. It might this parable unto certain which have pursued its enemies to death trusted in themselves that they with afflicting thunder, but they were righteous and despised would have remained enemies others. Two men went up into still, in the gall of bitterness and the temple to pray, the one a in the bonds of iniquity. Pharisee, and the other a pub-not, therefore, by the reign of terlican. The Pharisee stood and ror, but by the reign of grace, not prayed thus with himself. God I by legal coercion, but by merciful thank thee, that I am not as other discipline, that the Prince of life men are, extortioners, unjust, subdues and saves us. adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other." (Luke xviii. 9-14.) He inculcates the same principle in the house of Simon the Pharisee, in reference to the woman who was a sinner. (Luke vii. 36, 50.) The morality of human actions when limited to a proper sphere must not be undervalued. To deny that generosity and justice, charity and benevolence, and in a word, the whole train of social virtues are good, would be an insolent deviation from truth and common sense. But whilst these qualities are allowed to possess all due merit, they amount to nothing more than å sort of secular policy -earthborn virtues rising no higher than the cloudy atmosphere in which they originate.

Should it be apprehended by any that this doctrine brings any disservice to correct morals, we

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therefore, the credit of novelty. An Apostle informs us that they will meet a deserved damnation, who thus slander the grace of God. For, in truth, the salvation of the gospel consults moral integrity by the strong guard of an inward persuasion in favour of virtue and holiness it lays the stamp of a new character upon the whole interior man, and applies to the dormant conscience the sting of sanctified motives. It abolishes the inducements to folly, and gives a healthful action to all the springs of life.

DR.

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ADAM CLARKE'S LETTER ON
THE CHOICE OF TEXTS.

1. NEVER take a text which you do not fully understand; and make it a point of conscience to give the literal meaning of it to the people. This is a matter of great

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positively. I shall wave all strictures on the barbarism of "shewing negatively what a thing is not ;" and will only beg leave to

and solemn importance. To give God's words a different meaning to what he intended to convey by them, or to put a construction upon them which we have not the full-state, that the following instances est proof he has intended, is of this injudicious and dangerous awful indeed! Any person who is mode of handling the word of God but even a little acquainted with have fallen within the compass of spiritual things, may give a spiritual my own observation. interpretation (according to his own opinion) to any text: but it is not every person that can give the literal sense. The spiritual meaning must ever be drawn from the literal ; and indeed when the first is well known, the latter, which is its use and application, will naturally spring from it: but, without all controversy, the literal meaning is that which God would have first understood. By not attending to this, heresies, false doctrines, and errors of all kinds, have been propagated and multi-back to inform them that, he who plied in the world. believeth shall not make haste. I

A preacher took for his text, Isa. xxviii. 16. He that believeth shall not make haste. On this he preached two sermons. His division was as follows: "I shall first prove that he who believeth shall make haste: and, secondly, show in what sense he that believeth shall not make haste." On the first, which was a flat contradiction of the text, he spent more than an hour: and the congregation were obliged to wait a whole month, before he could come

2. Remember you are called, would not be thought to insinunot only to explain the things ofate, that the first sermon was not God; but also the words of God. sound doctrine and good sense, as The meaning of the thing is found to its matter; but I say it was in the word and if the word injudicious.-And besides, it was which comprises the original idea, absurd to found his work upon a be not properly understood, the text, the very letter of which it meaning of the thing can never be contradicted in the most palpadefined; and on this ground the ble manner. edification of the people is impos- Another, a citizen of no mean sible. We often take it for grant-city, not a thousand miles from ed, that the words which are in the place where I write, took his common use are well known, es- text from Psa. xxxiv. 19. Many pecially when we understand are the afflictions of the righteous, them ourselves but this is a very but God delivereth him out of false opinion, and has bad conse- them all. His division was as quences; for elementary matters follows: "In handling this text, being not well known, it is no I shall first prove, that there is wonder if the intellectual im-none righteous. Secondly, That provement of the people do not the afflictions of the righteous are keep pace with our labours. No many and, thirdly, That the man can read a language, the al- Lord delivereth him out of them phabet of which he has never all." learned. Every mathematician feels it a matter of imperious necessity to define all the terms he uses in his demonstrations.

3. Never appear to contradict the Holy Spirit by what is called treating a subject negatively and

The honest man's meaning and design were undoubtedly good:-but who could hear his division, without trembling for himself and his text!

Another took Luke xii. 32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to

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give you the kingdom. In oppo- mean nothing.-I travelled once sition to the letter of his text, the with two preachers who trifled the preacher laboured to prove, that whole year in this way. Their the flock of Christ is not a little, texts were continually such as but a very large flock and in these. Adam, where art thou?— order to do this, brought in multi--I have somewhat to say unto tudes of pious heathens, vast thee-If thou wilt deal justly and numbers who sought and found truly with my master, tell me.. mercy in their last hour, together I have put off my coat, how shall with myriads of infants, idiots, &c. || I put it on ?—Thy mouth is most Who does not see, that in each sweet, &c. I need not add that of the above cases, ignorance of, these solemn triflers did the peoor inattention to, the literal mean-ple no good: and it will not suring of the text, was the grand prise you to hear that they are cause of this absurdity and con- both, long since, fallen away. tradiction? Choose, therefore, Such texts as the foregcing may such texts as you understand; be preached from without any and, after having conscientiously study; for two reasons: first, given the literal interpretation, Because they are not subjects for improve the whole in the best study, and should not be studied ; manner you can, to the edifica- and, secondly, Because the pertion of your hearers. son who takes such, speaks on 4. Seldom take a very short them whatever comes uppermost, text; because a short one may not as one explanation will suit them afford you sufficient matter to en- just as well as another: for, taken tertain and instruct your congrega-out of their proper connection tion. There are not many to be they mean-nothing. Beware of found who have the ability to use a this, and never do violence to the few words of Scripture, as Addison word of God, by taking a text out and Steele did the Greek and of the connexion in which his Latin mottos of their Spectators: Spirit has placed it. Let God and those who have the ability, speak for himself, and his words should not use it in this way, for will bear convincing testimony this plain reason; that in preach-to their own excellence. ing, God should be heard more than man. But where imagination and invention are put to the rack to supply the place of the words of God, the hearers may admire the address of the preacher, but are not likely to be fed with the bread of life.In such cases man speaks most, God least. Such preaching must leave the people ignorant of the Scriptures. With many at present, preaching is become more of a human art, than of a Divine science and when this is considered, we need not wonder that the pulpit is so often employed, without becoming the mean of salvation to them that hear.

5. Never take a text which out of its proper connexion can

6. It might be very proper to say something here concerning the abuse of Scripture, by what is termed allegorical preaching; but as the good sense both of preachers and people has nearly banished this deceitful handling of the word of God from the nation, observations on this head are rendered comparatively unnecessary.

Yet the custom still lives, though it does not prevail. A very great man, and one of the most learned of his day, ORIGEN, was the father of this most thriftless and unedifying art. His learning and reputation have gained it a sort of credit in the world with superficial people; though every scholar knows, that Origen himself, far from deriving any credit

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