scholastic honour, what in an ecclesiastical | not this injunction destructive of a sentimental emolument, what in an archiepiscopal throne, union? Place ten thousand spectators in seveto indemnify for these losses! Jesus Christ gave ral circles around a statue erected on a spacious his life a ransom for men, not to empower them plain, bid some look at it through magnifying to enjoy these momentary distinctions; these glasses, others through common spectacles, are far inferior to the noble ends of his coming: some with keen naked eyes, others with weak the honour of God and the gospel at large; the diseased eyes, each on a point of each circle disinterested exercise of mental abilities, assi- different from that where another stands, and milating the free-born soul to its benevolent all receiving the picture of the object in the God; a copartnership with Christ in promoting eye by different reflections and refractions of the universal felicity of all mankind; these, these the rays of light, and say, will not a command are ends of religion worthy of the blood of to look destroy the idea of sentimental union; Jesus, and deserving the sacrifice of whatever and, if the establishment of an exact union of is called great among men. sentiment be the end, will not looking, the mean appointed to obtain it, actually destroy it, and would not such a projector of uniformity mark his system with imperfection? Thirdly, The destruction of the end by the use of the means employed to obtain it, is another character of imperfection. St. Paul calls Christianity unity, Eph. iv. 3, &c. He denominates it the unity of the Spirit, on account of its author, object, and end. God the Supreme Spirit, is the author of it, the spirits, or souls of men are the object, and the spirituality of human souls, that is, the perfection of which finite spirits are capable, is the end of it. The gospel proposes the reunion of men divided by sin, first to God, and then to one another, and, in order to effect it, reveals a religion, which teaches one God, one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, one rule of faith, one object of hope, 1 Tim. ii. 5; and, lest we should imagine this revelation to admit of no variety, we are told, Grace is given to every one according to the proportional measure of the gift of Christianity. Each believer is therefore exhorted to speak the truth in love, to walk with all lowliness, meekness, and long suffering, and to forbear another in love. Here is a character of perfection, for these means employed to unite mankind, are productive of union, the end of the means. Should men take up the gospel in this simplicity; and, accommodating it to their own imaginary superior wisdom, or to their own secular purposes; should they explain this union so as to suit their designs, and employ means to produce it; and should they denominate their system Christianity, it would certainly be, in spite of its name, a Christianity marked with the imperfection of its authors; for in the Christian religion, in the thing itself, and not in its appellation, shines the glorious character of perfection. Had Jesus Christ formed his Church on the plan of a ceremonial union, or on that of a professional union, it is easy to see, the same reasoning might be applied, the laws of such a legislator would counteract and destroy one another, and a system so unconnected would discover the imperfection of its author, and provide for the ruin of itself. These principles being allowed, we proceed to examine the doctrines of Christianity, as they are presented to an inquisitive man, entirely at liberty to choose his religion, by our different churches in their several creeds The church of Rome lays before me the decisions of the council of Trent; the Lutheran church the confession of Augsburg: one nation gives me one account of Christianity, another a different account of it, a third contradicts the other two, and no two creeds agree. The difference of these systems obliges me to allow," they could not all proceed from any one person, and much less could they all proceed from such a person, as all Christians affirm Jesus Christ to be. I am driven, then, to ex-amine his account of his own religion contain ed in the allowed standard book, to which they all appeal, and here I find, or think I find, a... right of reduction, that removes all those sus-**** picions, which variety in human creeds had excited in my mind concerning the truth of Christianity. The doctrines of Christianity, I presume to guess, according to the usual sense of the phrase, are divisible into two classes. The first contains the principal truths, the pure The Christian religion unites mankind. By genuine theology of Jesus Christ, essential to what common bond does it propose to do so? the system, and in which all Christians in our By love. This is a bond of perfectness, a most per- various communities agree. The other class fect bond. This is practicable, and productive consists of those less important propositions, every desirable end, and the more we study which are meant to serve as explications of the human nature, the more fully shall we be con- principal truths. The first is the matter of vinced, that we cannot imagine any religion to our holy religion, the last is our conception of do more, nor need we desire more, for this an- the manner of its operation. In the first we swers every end of being religious. Had Jesus all agree, in the last our benevolent religion, Christ formed his church on a sentimental plan, constructed by principles of analogy, proporhe must have employed many means, which he tion, and perfection, both enjoins and empow has not employed, and he must have omitted ers us to agree to differ. The first is the many directions, which he has given. One of light of the world, the last our sentiments on his means of uniting mankind, is contained in its nature, or our distribution of its effects. this direction, Search the Scriptures, and call no In general each church calls its own creed man your master upon earth that is to say, ex-a system of Christianity, a body of Christian, tise your very different abilities, assisted by doctrine, and perhaps not improperly: but very different degrees of aid, in periods of very then each divine ought to distinguish that part different duration, and form your own notions of his system, which is pure revelation, and of the doctrines contained in the scriptures. Is so stands confessedly the doctrine of Jesus Christ, from that other part, which is human explication, and so may be either true or false, clear or obscure, presumptive or demonstrative, according to the abilities of the explainer, who compiled the creed. Without this distinction, we may incorporate all our opinions with the infallible revelations of Heaven, we may imagine each article of our belief essential to Christianity itself, we may subjoin a human codicil to a divine testament, and attribute equal authenticity to both, we may account a proposition confirmed by a synodical seal as fully authenticated as a truth confirmed by an apostolical miracle, and so we may bring ourselves to rank a conscientious disciple of Christ, who denies the necessity of episcopal ordination, with a brazen disciple of the devil, who denies the truth of revelation, and pretends to doubt the being of a God. But here, I feel again the force of that observation, with which this preface begins. How few, comparatively, will allow, that such a reduction of a large system to a very small number of clear, indisputable, essential first principles, will serve the cause of Christianity! How many will pretend to think such a reduction dangerous to thirty-five out of thirty-nine articles of faith! How many will confound a denial of the essentiality (so to speak) of a proposition, with a denial of the truth of it! How many will go further still, and execrate the latitudinarian, who presumes in this manner to subvert Christianity itself! I rejoice in prospect of that "day, when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to his gospel," Rom. ii. 16; when we shall stand not at the tribunal of human prejudices and passions, but at the just bar of a clement God. Here, were I only concerned, I would rest, and my answer to all complainants should be a respectful silence before their oracles of reason and religion: but alas! I have nine children, and my ambition is (if it be not an unpardonable presumption to compare insects with angels,) my ambition is to engage them to treat a spirit of intolerance, as Hamilcar taught Hannibal to treat the old Roman spirit of universal dominion. The enthusiastic Carthaginian parent going to offer a sacrifice to Jupiter for the success of an intended war, took with him his little son Hannibal, then only nine years of age, and eager to accompany his father, led him to the altar, made him lay his little hand on the sacrifice, and swear that he would never be in friendship with the Romans. We may sanctify this thought by transferring it to other objects, and while we sing in the church glory to God in the highest, vow perpetual peace with all mankind, and reject all weapons except those which are spiritual, we may, we must declare war against a spirit of intolerance from generation to generation. Thus Moses wrote 66 a memorial in a book, rehearsed it in the ears of Joshua, built an altar, called the name of it Jehovah my banner, and said, The Lord hath sworn, that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation," Exod. xvii. 14-16. We are neither going to contrast human creeds with one another, nor with the Bible; we are not going to affirm or deny any propositions contained in them; we only design to prove, that all consist of human explications as well as divine revelation, and consequently that all are not of equal importance, nor ought any to be imposed upon the disciples of Christ, either by those who are not disciples of the Son of God, or by those who are. The subject is delicate and difficult, not through any intricacy in itself, but through a certain infelicity of the times. An error on the one side 1 may be fatal to revelation, by alluring us to sacrifice the pure doctrines of religion to a blind benevolence; and on the other an error may be fatal to religion itself by inducing us to make it a patron of intolerance. We repeat it again, a system of Christian doctrine is the object of Christian liberty; the articles, which compose a human system of Christian doctrine, are divisible into the two classes of doctrines and explications: the first we attri bute to Christ, and call Christian doctrines, the last to some of his disciples, and these we call human explications; the first are true, the E last may be so; the first execrate intolerance, the last cannot be supported without the spirit of it. I will endeavour to explain my meaning by an example: Every believer of revelation allows the au thenticity of this passage of holy Scripture, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John iii. 16. If we cast this into propositional form, it will afford as many propositions as it contains ideas. Each idea clearlycontained in the text I call an idea of Jesus Christ, a Christian sentiment, a truth of reve lation, in a word, a Christian doctrine. Each of these ideas of the text, in forming itself into a proposition, will naturally associate with itself a few other ideas of the expletive kind, these I call secondary ideas, in distinction from the first, which I call primary; or, in plainer style, ideas clearly of the text I name Christian doctrines, or doctrines of Christ, and all the rest I call human explications of these doc trines; they may be Christian, they may not; for I am not sure, that the next idea, which always follows at first in my mind, was the next idea to the first in the mind of Jesus Christ; the first is certainly his, he declares it, the second might be his; but as he is silent, I can say nothing certain; where he stops, my infallibility ends, and my uncertain reason begins. The following propositions are evidently in the text, and consequently they are Christian doctrines emanating from the author of Chris tianity, and pausing to be examined before the intelligent powers of his creatures.-There is an everlasting life, a future state of eternal happiness-the mediation of the only begotten Son of God is necessary to men's enjoyment of eternal happiness-believing in Christ is es sential to a participation of eternal felicity t every believer in Christ shall have everlasting life-unbelievers shall perish-all the blessings of Christianity originate in God, display his love, and are given to the world. These, me thinks, we may venture to call primary ideas of Christianity, genuine truths of revelation: but each doctrine will give occasion to many questions, and although different expositors will agree in the matter of each proposition, they will conjecture very differently concerning the manner of its operation. One disciple of Christ, whom we call Richard, having read this text, having exercised his thoughts on the meaning of it, and having arranged them in the propositional form now mentioned, if he would convince another disciple, whom we name Robert, of the truth of any one of his propositions, would be obliged to unfold his own train of thinking, which consists of an associated concatenation of ideas, some of which are primary ideas of Jesus Christ, and others secondary notions of his own; additions, perhaps, of his wisdom, perhaps of his folly, perhaps of both: but all, however, intended to explicate his notion of the text, and to facilitate the evidence of his notion to his brother. Robert admits the proposition, but not exactly in Richard's sense. In this case, we assort ideas, we take what both allow to be the original ideas of our common Lord, and we reckon thus; here are nine ideas in this proposition, numbers one, three, six, nine, genuine, primary ideas of Christ; numbers two, four, five, secondary ideas of Richard; numbers seven, eight, secondary ideas of Robert; the first constitutes a divine doctrine, the last a human explication; the first forms one divine object, the last two human notions of its mode of existence, manner of operation, or something similar: but, be each what it may, it is human explication, and neither synod nor senate can make it more. 1 No divine will dispute the truth of this proposition, God gave Jesus Christ to believers; for it is demonstrably in the text. To this, therefore, Beza and Zanchy, Melancthon and Luther, Calvin and Arminius, Baxter and Crisp, agree, all allowing it a Christian doctrine: but each associating with the idea of gift other ideas of time, place, relation, condition, and so on, explains the doctrine so as to contain all his own additional ideas. One class of expositors take the idea of time, and by it explain the proposition. God and believers, says one, are to be considered contemplatively before the creation in the light of Creator and creatures, abstracted from all moral considerations whatever; then God united Christ to his church in the pure mass of creatureship, without the contemplation of Adam's fall. Another affirms, God gave a Saviour to men in design before the existence of creatures: but in full contemplation, however, of the misery induced by the fall. A third says, God gave Christ to believers, not in purpose before the fall: but in promise immediately fter it. A fourth adds, God gives Christ to believers on their believing, by putting them in possession of the benefits of Christianity. In all these systems, the ideas of God, Christ, believers, and gift remain, the pure genuine ideas of the text; and the association of time distinguishes and varies the systems. A second class of expositors take the idea of relation, and one affirms, God and believers are to be considered in the relative light of governor and subjects, the characters of a perfect government are discernible in the giving of a Saviour, justice vindicates the honour of government by punishing some, mercy dis VOL. I.-5 plays the benefit of government by pardoning others, and royal prerogative both disculpates and elevates the guilty; however, as the governor is a God, he retains and displays his absolute right of dispensing his favours as he pleases. A second says, God and believers are to be considered in the light of parent and children, and Christ is not given to believers according to mere maxims of exact government: but he is bestowed by God, the common Father, impartially on all his children. A third says, God and believers are to be considered in the light of master and servants, and God rewards the imperfect services of his creatures with the rich benefits of Christianity. A fourth considers God and believers in the relation of king and consort, and say, God gave Christianity as an unalienable dowry to his chosen associate. In all these systems, God, Christ, believers, and gift remain, the pure genuine ideas of the text; and the association of the idea of relation distinguishes and varies the systems. In general, we form the ideas of the Supreme Being, and we think, such a Being ought to act so and so, and therefore we conclude he does act so and so. God gives Christ to believers conditionally, says one; for so it becomes a holy Being to bestow all his gifts. God gives Christ unconditionally, says another; for so it becomes a merciful Being to bestow his gifts on the miserable. I repeat it again, opposite as those may appear, they both retain the notions of the same God, the same Jesus, the same believers, the same giving: but an idea concerning the fittest way of bestowing the gift, distinguishes and varies the systems. I call it the same giving, because all divines, even they who go most into a scheme of conditional salvation, allow, that Christ is a blessing infinitely beyond all that is due to the conditions which they perform in order to their enjoyment of him. Let us for a moment suppose, that this proposition, God gives Christ to believers, is the whole of revelation on this subject. A divine, who should affirm, that his ideas of time, relation, and condition, were necessarily contained in this Scripture; that his whole thesis was a doctrine of Christianity; and that the belief of it was essential to salvation; would affirm the most palpable absurdities; for, although the proposition does say, Christ is God's gift to believers, yet it does neither say, when God bestowed this gift, nor why he bestowed it, nor that a precise knowledge of the mode of donation is essentially requisite to salvation. That God gave the world a Saviour in the person of Jesus is a fact affirmed by Christ in this proposition, and therefore a Christian doctrine. That he made the donation absolutely or conditionally, before the fall or after it, reversibly or irrevocably, the proposition does not affirm; and therefore every proposition including any of these ideas is an article of belief containing a Christian doctrine and a human explication, and consequently it lies before an examiner in different degrees of evidence and importance. Suppose a man were required to believe this proposition, God gave Jesus to believers absolutely; or this, God gave Jesus to believers conditionally; it is not impossible, the whole proposition might be proved original, genuine, primary doctrine of Jesus Christ. Our proposition in this text could not prove it, and were this the whole of our information on this article, conditionally and unconditionally would be human explications: but, if Christ has given us, in any other part of revelation, more instruction on this subject; if he any where affirm, either that he was given on certain conditions to be performed by believers, or that he was not given so, then indeed we may associate the ideas of one text with those of another, and so form of the whole a genuine Christian doctrine. When we have thus selected the instructions of our divine Master from the opinions of our fellow pupils, we should suppose these questions would naturally arise, is a belief of all the doctrines of Christ essential to salvation? If not, which are the essential truths? If the parable of the talents be allowed a part of his doctrine, and if the doctrine of proportion taught in that parable be true, it should seem, the belief of Christian doctrines must be proportioned to exterior evidence and interior ability; and on these principles should a congregation of five hundred Christians put these questions, they must receive five hundred different answers. Who is sufficient for these things! Let us renounce our inclinations to damn our fellow-creatures. Let us excite all to faith and repentance, and let us leave the decision of their destiny to Almighty God. "When Christ cometh he will tell us all things," John iv. 25; till then let us wait, lest we should scatter " 'firebrands, arrows, and death," and "make the hearts of the righteous sad, whom the Lord hath not made sad," Prov. xxvi. 18, 19; Ezek. xii. 23. How many doctrines are essential to salvation, seems to me exactly such a question, as how much food is essential to animal life? We will venture to go a step further. Were we as capable of determining the exact ratio between any particular mind and a given number of ideas, as we are of determining how many feet of water a vessel of a given burden must draw; and were we able so to determine how much faith in how many doctrines was essential to the holiness, and so to the happiness of such a soul; we shall not then entertain a vain notion of exacting by force these rights of God of his creature. For, first, the same proportion, which renders a certain number of ideas as essential to the happiness of an intelligent mind, renders this number of ideas so clear, that they establish themselves and need no imposition. Secondly, the nature of faith does not admit of imposition; it signifies nothing to say, kings command it; if angels commanded it, they would require an impossibility, and exact that of me, which they themselves could not perform. Thirdly, God has appointed no means to enforce belief, he has nominated no vicegerents to do this, he has expressly forbidden the attempt. Fourthly, the means that one man must employ to impose his creed on another, are all nefarious, and damn a sinner to make a saint. Fifthly, imposition of human creeds has produced so much mischief in the world, so many divisions among Christians, and so many execrable ac [tions, attended with no one good end to rellgion, that the repetition of this crime would argue a soul infested with the grossest ignorance, or the most stubborn obstinacy imagin able. Sixthly, dominion over conscience is that part of God's empire, of which he is most jealous. The imposition of a human creed is * a third action, and before any man can perform it, he must do two other exploits, he must usurp the throne, and claim the slave. How many more reasons might be added! From a cool examination of the nature of God-the nature of man—the nature of Christianity— the nature of all powers within the compass of human thought to employ the history of past times-the state of the present-in a word, of every idea that belongs to the imposition of a human creed, we venture to affirm, the attempt is irrational, unscriptural, impracticable, impossible. Creed is belief, and the production of belief by penal sanctions neither is, nor was, nor is to come. The project never entered the mind of a professor of any science except that of theology. It is high time theologists should explode it. The glorious pretence of establishing by force implicit belief, should be left to the little tyrant of a country school; let him lay down dry documents, girdi false rules close about other men's sons, lash docility into vanity, stupidity, or madness, and justify his violence by spluttering, Sic volo, sic jubeo, stat pro ratione voluntas. Were Christians sincere in their professions of moderation, candour, and love, they would settle this preliminary article of IMPOSITION, and, this given up, there would be nothing else to dispute. Our objections lie neither against surplice nor service-book; but against the im position of them. Let one party of Christians worship God as their consciences direct: but let other parties forfeit nothing for doing the same. It may appear conjectural; but it is sincerely true, theological war is the most futile and expensive contest, theological peace the cheapest acquisition in the world. Although the distinction of a divine revelation from a human explication is just and necessary, although the principles of analogy, proportion, and perfection, are undeniable, and although, considered as a theory, the nature and necessity of universal toleration will be allowed to be as clear and demonstrative as possible, yet, we are well aware, the allowance of these articles in all their fair, just, necessary consequences, would be so inimical to many dispositions, and so effectually subversive of so many selfish interested systems, that we entertain no hopes of ever seeing the theory generally reduced to practice. Heaven may exhibit a scene of universal love, and it is glorious to Christianity to propose it; it is an idea replete with ecstatic joy, and, thanks be to God, it is more than an idea, it is a law in many Christian churches, alas! little known, and less imitated by the rest of their brethren. There "a remnant of Jacob in the midst of many people, as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men,' "Micah v. 7. These may cheerfully adopt the prophet's exultation, Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy! If I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me, he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness," chap. vii. 8. "In the day that my walls are to be built, in that day shall human decrees concerning conscience be far removed," ver. 11. On these general principles the sermons in this volume are selected, and on these the reader will at once perceive why it does not contain the whole system of any one subscriber, or the whole system of the author. Each contains primary truths, which all allow, and secondary explications, which some believe, which others doubt, and which some deny. I have not been able to form the volume wholly on this plan; but I have endeavoured to approach it as nearly as my materials would permit. The first sermon is introductory, and exhibits Jesus Christ on the throne in the Christian church, solely vested with legislative and executive power, prohibiting the exercise of either in cases of religion and conscience to all mankind. The twelve following sermons propose four objects to our contemplation, as Christianity represents them. The first is man, in his natural dignity, his providential appointment, and his moral inability. The second is Jesus Christ mediating between God and men, and opening, by what he did and suffered, our access to immortal felicity. The sermon on the dignity of our Lord, in this part, will be considered by some as a principal, essential doc=trine, while others will account it Mr. Saurin's explication of a doctrine of ineffable dignity, which they allow, but which they explain in another manner. The third object proposed is the mode of participating the benefits of Christ's mediation, as faith, repentance, and so on. The fourth consists of motive objects of Christianity; so I venture to call the Christian doctrines of judgment, heaven, and hell, belief of which gives animation and energy to action. The last sermon is recapitulatory, and proves, that variety is compatible with uniformity, yea, that uniformity necessarily produces variety. When I call this volume, Sermons on the principal doctrines of Christianity, I mean to affirm, it contains a general view of the most obvious, and the least disputable articles of Christian theology, according to the notions of the French reformed churches. [lity, such as the sermons of Mr. Saurin afford.. Had the author drawn them up with a particular design of exhibiting a full view of the subject, he would have assorted and arranged ideas, which now lie dispersed and intermixed. However, we trust the arrangement will appear neither improper nor unedifying. I have only to add my sincere prayers to the God of all grace, that he may enable us all to "put on this armour of God, that we may be able to withstand in this evil day, and having done all, to stand; for we wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places," Eph. vi. 11-13. May he grant, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive," Eph. iv. 14, 15. " Speaking the truth in love, may we into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ, to whom alone be dominion over conscience for ever and ever!" Amen. R. R. Chesterton, July 10, 1777. grow up There are two general opinions among divines concerning the origin of morality and religion. Some suppose, that all the knowledge which the world ever had of these subjects, was at first revealed, and hath been continued to this day by tradition. Others, on the contrary, think, that without revelation, men may, and actually do, by the mere exercise of their natural powers, discover the being of a God, and the consequent obligations of men. Both classes, however, affirm, that revelation gives force to moral duties, and so is essential to the practice of real virtue. This is not the place to enter into disputation; we will content ourselves with a few plain remarks on the nature and obligations of men, and on the moral influence of the gospel; and, for this purpose, we will divide the subject into three parts, and consider first, nature; secondly, obligation; and lastly, motive. 1. NATURE. There is hardly a word in the English language of more vague and indeterminate meaning than the word nature. In this place I mean by it the native state, properties, and peculiarities of men. If man be a creature consisting of soul and body; if each individual hath properties, powers, or faculties, peculiar to itself; obligation to employ these to the ends for which they were intended by the Creator, must necessarily follow. Ancient philosophy, therefore, connected together the natural with the moral state of man, and reasoned from the one to the other. Without superior information by revelation from God, there is no other way of determining what men are, or what they are not expected to perform. It would be easy to lose ourselves in metaphysical speculations concerning the nature, the operations, and the duration of the soul; and it would be as easy to lose ourselves, in attempting precisely to determine, among an infinite number of feelings, ideas, perceptions, aversions, sensations, and passions, where the last power of body ends, and where the first operation of spirit begins. Perhaps we are to expect only a general knowledge of such subjects. That the happiness of both depends on a certain harmony between thought and action, is beyond a doubt; and that in a life made up of a course of thinking and acting, thinking ought to precede action is equally clear. To act is to do something; and every intelligent creature ought to do whatever he does for a reason. In the nature of man, then, avoiding all perplexing refinements, and confining our views to plain and useful observation, there are three things considerable: happiness, the end of men's actions; notions, the means of ob taining the end; and reason, which discovers, selects, and enforces rules of uniting the means with the end. 2. OBLIGATION. We divide this article into two parts, obligation, and sense of obligation. We begin with the first. By exercising our reason to find out proper means of obtaining happiness, we collect a set of ideas concerning |