Page images
PDF
EPUB

they had despoiled one church, they went to spread havoc in another, till at length they acquired the general name of disorganizers. In one case it was found necessary to exclude a minister of this class, with all his adherents. But at length, the church saw the necessity of sternly setting their faces against them, and in process of time, their influence became greatly curtailed; and, as the churches introduced order and good regulations, they began to rise in character and influence, and increase in numbers, in piety, and in strength. And our churches have not the least idea of falling back into this state of anarchy and confusion, from which they have been, in some good measure, extricated, and from which, I trust, they will in a few years be fully redeemed.

I maintain, then, that the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, is the rule of the faith and the practice of the church, and that the church in her collective wisdom and understanding, is to be the judge of the true meaning of the divine rule, and is to regulate all things properly under her jurisdiction and direction in accordance with this rule, and from which she has no authority to deviate; and if she does, she does it at her peril. Now, to admit that, as ministers of the gospel, we are directed by the great Head of the church, to initiate converts into this very church by baptism, then, to maintain that the Bible is our only rule of faith and practice, and then go on to prove that this rule should be violated whenever a weakminded disciple may desire, and if the church does not do it, to call her sectarian, and declare she has introduced 66 a sectarian test." and she is bound in common honesty to renounce her Christian name, is, to me, the height of folly and the consummation of absurdity. To grant to us that we have "the truth on the subject of baptism," as Br. Russel does, and then press us with arguments to show that this precious truth should be cast down to the ground, and, at the same time, attempt to persuade us that we are walking in the truth, and obeying the divine rule; surely he must think that we are not a little wanting in common understanding.

ARTICLE X.
i

An Address delivered in the Christian Chapel, Fall River, April 7th, 1836, at the Reception of Eighty-five Members into the First Christian Church.

MY DEAR FRIENDS: You have this day made a public profession of the Christian religion, before many witnesses, by baptism; and you are now to be received as members of a Christian church. An event so solemn, and so deeply interesting, but seldom occurs;

and with you will, probably, never occur again, in the short scene of this transitory life. I shall, therefore, embrace the present opportunity, to make a few remarks, which, I humbly hope and trust, will prove beneficial to you, in establishing your minds in the true faith of the gospel, and in directing your feet in the true way of eternal life.

In order to become firm and stable Christians, it will be necessary for you to become settled in your religious opinions. A double minded man, says an inspired apostle, is unstable in all his ways. Having no settled opinions of his own, he will be ever fluctuating in his religious belief, and will be carried about by every wind of doctrine. It is not, however, always easy to apprehend the truth, even when we seek for it as for hid treasures. Passion, prejudice, and the force of education, frequently stand in the way of the sincere inquirer, and serve to darken the understanding, and pervert the judgment. In searching for the truth, we should, therefore, endeavor, in the first place, ar far as we are capable, to divest ourselves of all those passions and prejudices, which would serve to distort the form and features of truth, or give a false coloring to error. In this state of mind, we should come directly to the word of God, the fountain of truth. Sermons, commentaries, and confessions of faith, may be used as helps; but they are not to be received as the standards of truth, or to be placed in competition with the word of God. To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. We should also remember, that all the truths of Christianity are expressed in the language of the Bible; therefore, no sentiment, no doctrine, should be either inculcated or received as a Christian sentiment, or a Christian doctrine, but what may be expressed in the language which the Holy Spirit useth. If you follow these directions, you will, doubtless, be led to perceive and to embrace the true doctrine of the gospel. It is included, as apprehended by your pastor, in the following summary. I believe,

1. That the Holy Scriptures, including the books of the Old and New Testaments, contain a full revelation of the will of God concerning man, and are alone sufficient for everything relating to the faith and practice of a Christian; and were given by the inspiration of God.

2. That the Holy Scriptures are addressed to the reason of man and may be understood, and that every individual possesses the unalienable right of reading them; and of exercising his own judgment with regard to their true import and meaning.

3. That there is but one living and true God, the Father, Almighty, who is unoriginated, infinite, and eternal; the Creator and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible; and that this God is one spiritual intelligence, one infinite mind, ever the same and never varying.

4. That this one God is the moral Governor of the world, the

absolute source of all the blessings of nature, providence, and grace; in whose infinite wisdom, goodness, and benevolence, have origi nated all the moral dispensations to man.

5. That man is a free agent, never being impelled by any necessitating influence either to do good or evil, but has it continually in his power to choose the life or death set before him; on which ground he is an accountable being, and answerable for all his actions; and on this ground alone he is the proper subject of rewards and punishments.

6. That all men, in every age, country, and condition of society, sin and come short of the glory of God.

7. That Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the promised Messiah and Saviour of the world; that there is salvation in no other name, and that he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him.

8. That Jesus Christ, in pursuance of the glorious plan of salvation, and for the benefit of all mankind, without distinction, submitted to the painful and ignominious death of the cross; by which death the new covenant was sealed, ratified, and confirmed; so that, henceforth, his blood is the blood of the everlasting covenant, and the gospel is the new covenant in his blood; and that, on the third day after his crucifixion, he was raised from the dead, by the power of God.

9. That the pardon of sin is communicated through the mediation of Jesus Christ, through his sufferings and death; and is received by repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

10. That God freely forgives sin, on the ground of his own rich mercy, and not on account of any merit or worthiness in the creature; so that we are justified freely by his grace.

11. That the Holy Spirit is the power and energy of God—that holy influence of God, by whose agency, in the use of means, the wicked are regenerated, sanctified, and converted to a holy and virtuous life; and that the saints, by the same Spirit, in the use of means, are comforted, strengthened, and led in the path of duty.

12. That the souls of all truly penitent believers may be cleansed from all the defilements of sin, and be brought into a state of holiness and purity with God, and, by continued obedience, live in a justified state before him.

13. That the whole period of human life is a state of probation, in every part of which a sinner may repent and turn to God, and also in every part of which a believer may relapse into sin, and fall from the grace of God; and that this possibility of rising, and. liability to falling, are essential to a state of trial or probation.

14. That all the promises and threatenings of the gospel are conditional, as they regard man with reference to his well-being, here and hereafter; and that on this ground alone, the sacred writings can be consistently interpreted, or rightly understood.

15. That Jesus Christ has ordained two institutions, which are to be perpetually observed, baptism and the Lord's supper: baptism is to be administered on a profession of faith in the Christian religion, by which the candidate engages to renounce his sins and walk in newness of life; the Lord's supper is to be frequently observed by all true believers, in commemoration of his sufferings and death, by which death the new covenant was confirmed.

16. That there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

17. That there will be a day of judgment, after which, all will be rewarded according to the deeds done in the body.

This summary, it is believed, contains all the essential principles of Christianity, which properly come under the rule of faith. In these principles, we should, therefore, be fixed and decided. If we consult the opinions of those around us, we shall be continually wavering in our judgment, and fluctuating in our practice. It is not from the vain conjectures of men that we are to form our sentiments, but from the testimony of God. Let them speak as they will respecting these things, our judgment must not be in the least altered, unless they will undertake to convince us from the Holy Scriptures. The word of God is the only standard of true doctrine, and to this we must adhere, though the whole world should oppose us. Truth is the same, whether its advocates are few or many; and when we have ascertained and embraced it, we should suffer no considerations to invalidate its force, or obstruct its influence.

Permit me, then, to urge upon you the importance of being true to your principles, and of maintaining them by a well-regulated life and conversation; for he who is not true to his principles, is not true to his God, nor to his own soul.

We should, also, have correct views on religious experience; for the service which God requires of us is not a mere bodily service, but the service of the heart, and the entire devotion of the soul. God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. By Christian experience, we mean that religious knowledge which is acquired by any exercises, enjoyments, or sufferings, either of body or of mind. Nothing, however, is more common than to despise what is termed religious experience. Infidels sneer, the cold-hearted condemn, and the ungodly ridicule it. Being unacquainted with it themselves, they suppose it all the work of imagination, or the heat of enthusiasm, in others. But it seems not a little remarkable, that while the term is admitted when applied to those parts of science which are founded on sensible trial, it should be rejected when applied to religion. Why should not experimental divinity be equally as reasonable as experimental philosophy? Indeed, we must be at a loss to know what real religion is, without experience; for, however excellent it may be as a theory, we know it is nothing except it engage the affections, and regu

late the conduct. To become, then, experimental Christians, we must not only, be made acquainted with the theory of religion, but enjoy its power; subduing our corruptions, animating our affections, and regulating our actions. Hence, in the language of Scripture, experience is tasting, eating, and drinking. O, taste and see the Lord is good. A person who has tasted of aliment, has some experimental knowledge of its qualities. So he who has tasted that the Lord is gracious, cannot be ignorant of Christian experience.

If we examine the character of man in his lost state, as described in the word of God, and the nature of that holy religion by which he is saved, it must appear evident to every reflecting mind, that no person can become a Christian, and remain ignorant of religious experience. The Scriptures fully testify that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All unregenerate men are described as being in a state of moral degradation and depravity, under the influence of irregular desires and corrupt appetites. They are alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, and are his enemies by wicked works. The moral energies of the soul are paralyzed; and, therefore, the wicked are said to be without strength. This is that lost and perishing condition, in which the Scriptures represent the world of unregenerate men. Christianity proposes a remedy for this sinful and perishing world, and is, therefore, suited to its character and condition. Jesus Christ is to be regarded as sustaining a higher relation to us than a moral Teacher; he is a Saviour, he is a Redeemer. A work of grace must be wrought in us. The fountain of iniquity and corruption of sin is in us. Salvation is a deliverance from the power and dominion of sin. Hence the Scriptures testify that God has wrought all our work in us. Christ in you, the hope of glory. He effectually worketh in them that believe. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure. Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistles of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.

Christianity proposes to reform a wicked and sinful world; and, therefore, all its divine precepts are aimed directly at the heart. It never goes about to change the exterior of man. To merely external duties, it is a stranger. It forms the lives of men no otherwise than by forming their dispositions. It never addresses. itself to their vanity, caprice, selfishness, or any other corrupt propensity. On the contrary, it declares open war against every evil disposition of the human heart. It tolerates none. Of the most odious vices, such as disobedience to parents, dishonesty, injustice, and murder, it speaks with abhorrence. It says they ought not to be named among Christians. But this is not all. It descends into the heart; it puts forth its hand, and plucks out every root of bitterness, which, springing up, would pollute the soul, and defile the life. Many principles, which the world approves, and on many

« PreviousContinue »