صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

everything; "all things"-all blessings in time and in eternity are purchased for us by the Son. If you derogate from the Sonship, the Deity of Christ, you derogate from his humanity.

Now for the essence of the doctrine of the Trinity. If there were no Trinity, no covenant could have been entered into; it is a contradiction to suppose the contrary. "Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I

66

brought forth." Rejoicing in the habitable

part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men." 1 His Sonship and covenant engagements are contradistinguished. But for a Trinity no sacrifice would have been offered by the Spirit; this sacrifice or atonement must be the work of a divine person, and a divine person must accept the sacrifice. Our eternal welfare depends upon this glorious doctrine. If not a Trinity, Deity could not have become incarnate, and the whole human race must have perished as the fallen angels perished. If no Trinity there would have been no regenerating spirit, none to quicken those who were dead in trespasses and sins, and to make us like unto him in possessing his holy image: there would not without the Trinity have been any access to God; "through him, we both

Prov. viii. 25, 31.

(meaning Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father.' As the three primary colours inhabit every particle of light, so does the Trinity pervade every particle of true religion. If you worship God in spirit and in truth, you have no confidence in the flesh ; you worship God in Christ alone-his merit is your only plea, and in faith, which is the operation of God through the Spirit, you worship Trinity in unity, and unity in Trinity. All who deny this doctrine deny the divinity of the Father, in denying the divinity of the Son. When we travel beyond the grave into the presence of God, the adorable Trinity will occupy our worship for ever; it will be the theme of heaven: then we shall forget ourselves, and the glory of God-Father, Son, and Spirit---will be the subject of our praises for ever and ever. "And they rest not day and night, saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”2 Here is worship-here is friendship. Now unto God, Father, Son and Spirit, be ascribed, as are most justly due, all Majesty, dominion, and power, both now and ever. Amen.

1 Ephes. ii. 18.

2 Rev. iv. 8.

Sunday Morning, July 3, 1831. (Short notes.)

SERMON LII.

THE JUSTIFICATION OF MAN AS A SINNER.

How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?-JOB xxv. 4.

THESE are the words of Bildad; in this passage he glances at what Job had before said in the twenty-third chapter, verses eleven and twelve,

66

My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." In this Job was not justifying himself as righteous before God, but only repelling the charge of hypocrisy; there is much that is sublime and instructive in the words of Bildad, and they claim our attention. In the second verse he says, "Dominion and fear are with him." God is the only monarch

that cannot abdicate his throne-his throne is planted on universal being; his dominion pervades all things-all our concerns are under his cognizance, even little things are under his notice-he reigns gloriously in little, as in great things. "Dominion and fear are with him." He is to be feared on account of his greatness and his goodness; this fear involves obedience, a fear inspired by the sublimest motives of action-founded on the perfections of Jehovah ; he is to be feared also, because he is merciful; Bildad continues, "he maketh peace in his high places." Wheresoever peace is found, it emanates from God and from no one else. In the third verse he proceeds, "Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?" All beings are his armies; if he commands a fly to be the minister of his vengeance, a giant falls before him; he sent lice and locusts against the people of Egypt, and these are the most contemptible creatures. Universal being takes up arms to vindicate the honour and the justice of God. Then follow the words of my text: "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?" Here Bildad introduces all the glories of God's providence and grace. Many will not believe in the doctrine of original sin. I shall consider,

1

I. THE STATE OF MAN BY NATURE,

II. WHAT IS NECESSARY

IN GOD'S SIGHT.

то JUSTIFY HIM

I. HE IS DESTITUTE OF THE IMAGE OF God. There is no positive moral evil in the bosom of an infant; positive moral evil cannot find existence in the bosom of a moral agent, except by positive transgression, and that is his own. Hell is conscious transgression and the wrath of God consequent thereon; this consciousness cannot be in an infant. Another error upon this subject is, that the posterity of Adam are punished for his transgression considered as one insulated offence; we are considered as one with Adam in his transgression, because he was our federal head. Infants have, it is true, in their bosom that which is the parent of every sin, namely, a principle of exclusive selfishness; how then can he be clean that is born of a woman? Though the infant cannot be the subject of positive spiritual evil, it can be the subject of positive spiritual good; the evil in them is negative; but they appear in the presence of God, and my belief is, that all their faculties are expanded, and that they are instantly made meet for the presence and worship of Jehovah. Man, by the fall, lost nothing that is due to him; he lost none but sovereign

« السابقةمتابعة »