SERMON XXXVI. I TIM. iii. 9. Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure confcience. HESE words contain one of those di THE rections mothy, when he left him to govern the church at Ephesus; that he fhould obferve this injunction himself, and alfo require it of those, whom he admitted into the miniftry of the church, "that they should hold "the mystery of the faith in a pure con"fcience." What the Apostle here calls the mystery of faith, he afterwards, in the end of this fame chapter, calls "the myftery of godli"nefs;" and what he means by this myf tery, tery, he explains in the words immediately following: "God was manifefted in the 66 flesh, juftified in the fpirit, feen of angels, "preached unto the gentiles, believed on in "the world, received up into glory." This mystery, then, was the incarnation of the Son of God, who took human nature upon him, and fuffered death to redeem mankind: an inftance of love and condefcenfion fo amazing, as could not have entered into the ftrongest imagination to conceive, or the moft fanguine heart to expect and yet, because it was a mystery, it has been foolishly rejected by many, and the most wonderful mercy in God has met with no better return than the baseft ingratitude in man; and every term of reproach, which the rage of infidelity could fuggeft, has been liberally bestowed on thofe, who have dared to stand forth as its champions and defenders. Now the complaints raised against us, for infifting upon the belief of the mysteries of the chriftian religion, are chiefly founded upon this it is pretended, that we thereby exclude the ufe of reafon in matters of religion, and require a blind and implicit obedience: I dience: nay indeed, fome have roundly afferted, that these mysteries were all human invention and fubtle priestcraft, to ensnare the confciences and understanding of men. This is indeed a heavy and interesting charge and had it been as true as it is heavy, we, who are the stewards of these myfteries, fhould then have justly deserved that obloquy and ignominious treatment, which fome have fo liberally bestowed upon us. Or, had we alone the cuftody of these mysteries, and others had not free access to examine the nature and evidence of them ; or had they been, like fome of the oracles of old, enveloped in impenetrable darkness; they would then have had room to expatiate against us, and fome colour of ground for their complaints. But where is the foundation for this malignant charge, which the patrons of infidelity are fo eager to faften upon us? Are not the fcriptures in their hands as well as in ours, and do we demand their assent to any thing that is not revealed in them? Nay, we are so far from encroaching upon the province of reason, that we glory in being its warmest advocates: We defire nothing VOL. II. R more more earnestly, than that men would examine into and search the fcriptures and the nature of their evidence: and we doubt not but upon a fair fcrutiny they would find, that these mysteries, proposed to them as objects of their faith, would appear to them, as well as the moral duties therein contained, to be not the words and invention of men, but, as they are in truth, the word of God. For we are certain, that whatsoever is offered to mankind as a divine revelation, ought to carry along with it fufficient evidence of the divine authority; and men are not only at liberty to use their reason, but it is their duty to inquire into the nature of the evidence, and the truth of the doctrines contained in it. And if the evidence appear to be fuch, as cannot be ascribed to any power but that of God, and the doctrines contain nothing unworthy of God, or contrary to reason, they are equally bound to acknowledge fuch to be a divine revelation. Let us apply this, then, to the Gospel re velation: The external evidence is fupported by undeniable facts: for the miracles wrought Our our Saviour and his apoftles were, both by friends and enemies, confeffed to be fuch, ast no man could do, except God were with him and fairer credentials could furely neither be expected nor defired. By a word fpeaking, to open the eyes of the blind, to unloose the tongue of the dumb, and to raise the dead to life, were fuch evident marks of the divine power, as were abundantly fufficient to folve all the doubts of the fceptic, and humble the pride of the philofopher. And the relation of thefe facts is conveyed down to us with fo many circumstances of truth, as no other history can parallel. We have, therefore, all the fatisfaction of the reality of our Saviour's miracles, which the nature of the thing will admit, and, consequently, fufficient evidence of the divine authority in the fupport of the Gospel. And if we look into the internal evidence : the moral duties contained in the Gospel are fo calculated for the univerfal happiness of men, that those very perfons, whofe vanity will not permit them to own that they reaffistance from its precepts in their R 2 ceive any rules |