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them and myself, and, according to the terms of that, they shall not be my people any more than the other nations: But the children of the New Covenant fhall be fo affifted and directed, as that they fhall always be of my family, and never totally depart from me.

"And they fhall not teach every man his neigh"bour, and every man his brother, faying, know the "Lord; for all fhall know me, from the least to the "greateft. For I will be merciful to their unrigh"teousness, and their fins and their iniquities will I "remember no more." That is, all who have his laws put into their minds, and written in their hearts, will favingly know the Lord, fo as to have their moral guilt taken away, their perfons received into favour, and their hearts engaged in ferving him; which was far from being the cafe, with the greatest number of those who were intitled to the privileges of the Mofaic difpenfation. Many of them really needed fome inftruction from their neighbours and brethren, concerning the true knowledge of God, according to the Gospel of the patriarchs, or otherwise they could not justly expect the removal of their moral guilt, and the bleffings of the life to come: But the cafe is different with every true difciple of Jefus. He needs not to be exhorted to "know the "Lord," though he may ftand in need, of being put in remembrance of what he has been already taught, of being informed of many particulars about his fervice as a babe in Chrift, and of improving in knowledge and the profeffion of his hope, by attending, together with the faithful, on that display of divine glory, which fhines forth illuftriously in every fociety of profeffing Chriftians, whofe faith and practice" are built upon the foundation of the Apostles "and prophets, Jefus Chrift himself being the chief "corner-ftone." Eph. ii. 20.

Upon the whole, thefe bleffed promifes moft explicitly declare, that there fhould be, in the true

Chriftian

Christian church, in every part of the world, the fulleft difplay of the divine perfections, fo that every individual should be acquainted with "the juft God "and Saviour," Ifaiah xlv. 21. know that it is he who speaks in the Gofpel, from the moft fatisfying evidence, and have no occafion to apply to the priest's lips, or to the temple, to learn the divine character, or to call any one Father, Mafter, or Doctor, here upon earth.

Now, the question here is, By what means do the children of God, under the new covenant, come to "know him?" Or, how is it he "puts his laws in "their minds," or "writes them in their hearts ?"

Mr. Barclay fays, "fo does the Scripture, and in this "we are agreed, that God does it," he adds, "by "immediate internal revelation." We think not. He appears evidently to take it for granted, contrary to experience and fact, that because it is afcribed to God, he does not ever therefore effect it, by external and inftrumental means: But furely a perfon must be very ignorant of the phrafeology of Scripture, not to know, that God is frequently faid to do a thing, when he effects it by inftrumental means, though thefe are not then mentioned. He is faid to "have taken away "Laban's cattle, and to have given them to Jacob" -To have "fent Jofeph into Egypt"-To "have "deftroyed the Canaanites"-To have "flain Saul"— and to "have granted repentance unto life to the "Gentiles*;" but, in every one of these inftances, we are affured, from the facred history, that he did not these things" immediately," but, by external and inftrumental means.

We come next to Mr. Barclay's formal fyllogifm; "Where the law of God is put into the mind, and - written in the heart, there the object of faith, and

* Gen. xxxi. 9. Gen. xlv. 1. Deit xxxi. 3. Acts xi. 18.

Chror. x. 14,

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"revelation of the knowledge of God, is inward, ❝immediate, and objective

"But the law of God is put into the mind, and <written in the heart, of every true Chriftian, under "the New Covenant

"Therefore the object of faith, and revelation of "the knowledge of God, to every true Christian, is ❝inward, immediate, and objective.'

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Here now, let it be obferved, it is the mind within us, that thinks, that knows, that judges, that believes: Can we therefore have any thoughts, any knowledge, any faith, but what is "inward " But does it then follow, that we received it by "internal, "immediate revelation ?"

However a perfon receives the knowledge of any testimony or truth, whether by reading or hearing, or any external means of information, it is, after received, "inward." He never believes, 'till the evidence ftrikes his understanding, which is within him, and when it ftrikes his mind, and he believes it, the truth which he believes is really in his heart: But we do not always fay, that he received this teftimony, truth, or evidence, by "internal, immediate revela❝tion," because it is now within him: No, it might have come from without, and by ordinary means of information, though it be now within him, as well as by "immediate, internal revelation."

The writer of this has feen J. Phipps, on the titlepage of his Obfervations; and has been told, by feveral of his friends, that it is Mr. Phipps, wine-merchant of Norwich. He believes the report: This truth remains in his mind, as long as he knows it, though his book be not before him, nor his friends who told him of it prefent. If he had it not within him, he could not now believe it: But does it therefore follow, that he must have received it by "internal, immediate revelation," without any external means of information?

That

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That Jefus of Nazareth is "the Son of the living "God," Matt. xvi. 16.. and now "at his right "hand," Eph. i. 20. " ever living to make inter"ceffion for thofe that come unto God by him,' Heb. vii, 25. is "put into his mind, and," (to use the facred metaphors)" written upon his heart," and it animates his prayers, and engages his fupreme affections. This is his faith, his real belief, the truth abiding within him, the grand article of the New Covenant; and he fees every other point of Chriftianity founded upon it, as upon an immoveable rock. Whilft believing this, in the apoftolic fenfe, he cannot doubt of the perfection and all-fufficiency of the atonement of Jefus of the prevalency of his mediation of the truth of his gracious declarations to the vileft of finners of the happiness which will attend the observance of his precepts of the importance, excellency, and glory, of his caufe, as it ftands in the New Teftamentor of his ability to fupport and protect him unto the end, in a zealous and conftant attachment to it.

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But, though this grand and most interesting article, with other truths evidently connected with it, are now the object of his faith, the truth within him, "written in his heart," abiding in him, as the fpring of all evangelical difpofitions and actions, yet, does it therefore follow, that he received it folely by " in"ternal, immediate revelation ?" No furely. He knows, by experience and fact, the contrary, and that it was communicated to him by plain declarations, and convincing evidences, in reading or hearing the words of the Holy Scripture, or, words expreffing the doctrine of the Bible; the Holy Spirit, (he is convinced) being the Agent, who caufed it to prevail against all his prejudices.

Let the judicious reader then judge, whether Mr. Barclay's fyllogifm will stand upon this bafis, "the laws

"of

"of God" being said, to be "put into the mind, and "written in the heart."

Now we come to the third and laft argument which he takes from "the anointing" which John fpeaks of, 1 Ep. ii. 27.

If this Apostle makes ufe of a term, which conveys fome ideas that ferve to illuftrate the subject, he oftentimes pursues it in a beautiful manner. It is well known that "Chrift," in the Greek, fignifies "anointed," as " Meffiah," "does in the Hebrew. There were some feducing teachers in that day, whom the Apostle oppofes in this paragraph, defcribing them as as "Antichrifts," meaning fuch, according to the fignification of the word, who were "con"trary to or oppofers of, the Anointed:" For though they retained the name of Chriftians, they might have broached fome new doctrines, quite contrary to the true character of Chrift and his religion, and hereby have separated themselves from the true church of Christ. "These," fays he, "went out" (from us) "that they might be made manifeft, they were not all "of us:" ver. 19. Then he adds, in allufion to the fignification of the word "Chrift," "But ye have the "unction," ver. 20. (or more literally "ointment”)* "from the Holy One," (Jefus Chrift who is fo called) "and ye know all things," (which it is neceffary for you to know, in order to detect the errors of thefe corrupt teachers.) He goes on to inform them, " that " he had not written unto them, because they knew not "the truth," ver. 21. (this being, I apprehend, either "the fame with "the ointment" or "anointing" beforementioned, or elfe that which it communicated, and what is called in oppofition to the lie," the "truth," ver. 27.) " but because they did know it, ❝and that no lie was of the truth :" ver. 22. "Who

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Xia, unguentum, the fame word used, ver. 27.
Mark i. 24. Luke iv. 34. A&ts iii. 14.

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