in God, and who thus, through faith, has caught a glimpse of the hidden mystery of godliness. But the state of the heart thus induced by faith and grace, is far different, and, indeed, is quite opposite to the most attainable condition of moral perfection. In it the Christian feels an utter disregard of all the hopes, promises, prospects, advantages, possessions, and pleasures, which constitute the worldly reward of mere moral virtue. His riches are in Christ t; - his reward is in heaven ‡; his pleasures are to be found at the right hand of God for evermore. § Whilst, therefore, he works out his salvation with fear and trembling, fulfilling the duties of his lot in life, in whatever condition it may be cast, he disdains either to seek or to value the dignity and honours of men; his affections spurn all earthly objects, and earthly passions, and soar away to some assured spiritual fruition, which moral nature, in the utmost plenitude of its worth, can neither imagine nor enjoy. But although the events of life are not designed as moral rewards and punishments, there is a design in them of deep and heavenly wisdom; a consideration of which will shew us the providence of God, as it is wisely ordained (without the necessity of a special interference, in particular cases, and in the favour of single * Col. iii. 3. † Eph. iii. 8. individuals,) to lead us to fulfil His merciful purpose in our redemption and salvation. St. Peter writes, that the Lord "is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance*;" and St. Paul exhorts us to "stand perfect and complete in the will of God t;" "for this is the will of God, even your sanctification." Again St. Peter writes, "for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God §;" and St. John says " he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." || Hence, as the providence of God is the exercise of His holy will, and as it is the will of God that we should come to repentance and sanctification, that we should go to Christ," and have life ¶:" the design of the events of natural life ¶:” is to bring us to a knowledge of the truth **, to wean us from the world, that we may be saved by grace through faith.tt But is this saving knowledge either the end of moral rewards and punishments, or the object of any moral system? On the contrary, the whole scheme of redemption is opposed to such a notion; and * 2 Pet. iii. 9. Ezek. xviii. 1 Thess. iv. 3. 1 John ii. 17. ** 1 Tim. ii. 4. † Col. iv. 12. § 1 Pet. iv. 1, 2. ¶ John v. 40. ++ Eph. ii. 8. the necessity of revelation rests upon the fact, that man cannot of his own natural powers discover, or walk in the way of eternal life. "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." * "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither, indeed, can be so; then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." The term, carnal mind, is here used by the Apostle in opposition to the term spiritual mind; and as the latter must have been the object of regeneration and sanctification, the former was unchanged from its natural or moral state. It, therefore, follows, that man by his natural or moral powers only, cannot please God, and therefore cannot accord with His will, and come to repentance unto salvation. That part, therefore, of the dispensation of Providence, which has for its object the bringing of men to Christ, is not the object of what are called moral rewards and punishments. And again, the law of Moses is holy ‡; and "if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."S "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, is evident|| ;" for the carnal mind is not subject to the law of If, God*, and the law made nothing perfect. therefore, the Jew could not keep the law of God, and become righteous (which Bishop Butler makes synonymous with morality), much less could the Gentile attain to righteousness by the moral law. If, therefore, there be a moral law natural to man, that law is perfectly useless as it regards our relation with God, having no object in its dispensation, and neither principle nor power to enforce a regard to its own exactions. Can such a law, then, be considered as holding any analogy to the law of righteousness in Christ? "For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (the moral law); "for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."S Our blessed Redeemer taught a doctrine far opposed to that of moral rewards and punishments. In the case of the blind man whom He restored to sight, He said, "neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents." And could there be a greater moral punishment than blindness? The men, also, whom Herod slew, and those upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, were not sinners above the rest. And our blessed Lord and His *Rom. viii. 7. † Heb. vii. 19. § Ibid. x. 4. ¶ Luke xiii. 1-5, Apostles, also taught that we should enter the kingdom of heaven through much tribulation.* But is tribulation a moral reward? Again, Christ our Redeemer washed the feet of His disciples as an example of humility to His followers and taught that the chief among them should be as he that doth serve. Is such the reward of moral life? No moral philosopher would teach that the natural obligations of the ties of blood ought to be wrested asunder for matters of faith. But the religion of Christ is paramount to all claims of kindred and bonds of affection, and calls for the renunciation of every feeling, and habit, and connection, which would ask a compromise of its demands upon the whole heart and soul. And not only friends and relations are to be left (for the reward of revealed religion) for Christ, but also the world is to be forsaken (by the heart), and all its possessions looked upon as utterly worthless, when compared with those riches which are in heaven. Can there, then, be an analogy between natural and revealed religion? The scheme of providence which this view embraces, accords both with the prescience of God, and the free agency of man, and also with * John xvi. 20. 33. Acts xiv. 22. John xv. 19. |