Part 3
Not only among the heathen, but even in the most enlightened parts of the christian world, there ever have been, and still are, in many, very gross misapprehensions concerning the divine character, as well as concerning the nature of true religion.--How grossly ignorant the most enlightened of the heathen were with regard to God, and how much they were plunged into strange and absurd idolatries and pollutions, we read, in the following passage of inspired truth. _Professing themselves wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed beasts and creeping things._ Not only the common people, the vulgar, but their wisest men--their orators, philosophers, and legislators did this.--They were even worse, than the vulgar. Does this look like reason's being a sufficient guide in matters of religion, or man's having any principle within him by whatever name it may be called, which is able to lead him to the saving knowledge of God? In order to know God, so as to be saved, we must know him as he is; the one only living and true God. None but he himself can tell us what he is. This he hath most plainly done in his holy word. The scriptures, which were spoken and penned by the special influence and inspiration of the holy Ghost, declare to us WHAT and WHO God is. We only know him, in a saving manner, when we know him, as glorious in holiness, wonderful in works, and fearful in praises:--as the greatest, the wisest and best of all beings;--as a sin-hating, and, at the same time, sin-pardoning God;--as infinitely gracious and merciful. We must see him as infinitely excellent and transcendantly glorious, as infinitely amiable and worthy of all possible praise and adoration. He is goodness and benevolence itself. He is possessed of all natural and moral perfections.--_And, Jesus said, why callest thou me good? there is none good, but one that is God._ He is a being of impartial, universal and infinite benevolence. Reason cannot tell us what the true moral character of God is.--This revelation alone teaches us. And we cannot be happy with, unless we know the true God--and how he will be worshipped--how he can, and will accept of us--how we may live to his divine approbation. The light of reason cannot lead us into this true and saving knowledge of God. It is above all that reason ever did, or can do. Says Paul to the learned Athenian philosophers and judges--_for as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an Altar with this inscription TO THE UNKNOWN GOD, him therefore whom ye ignorantly worship declare I unto you_. Christ, as the great teacher come from God, alone gives us the saving knowledge of the supreme Jehovah. _Whosoever denieth the son, the same hath not the father: All things,_ says he, _are delivered unto me of my father; and no man knoweth the son but the father, neither knoweth any man the father, save the son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him._ The gospel or christianity alone gives us a saving knowledge of the only one living and true God.--The divine character is to be known only from a divine revelation. If it could be discovered without a divine revelation, or by the highest efforts of reason--how could a divine revelation be absolutely necessary?--The essential glories therefore, and perfections of the Deity cannot be discovered by natural reason:--those glories and perfections which make him what he is, or constitute his infinite moral amiableness and transcendant excellence, and worthiness to receive from all intelligent creatures all the services, which they are capable of rendering unto him. He is light, all beauty and glory, and in him is no darkness at all. But the human mind is darkened by sin. The depravity of the heart brings on blindness of mind to the spiritual beauty and glory of the divine character.--_Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts._ What absurd and essentially erroneous apprehensions of the nature and perfections of the God of Israel had the Syrians, in the following proposal of theirs! _And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, their Gods, are the Gods of the hills; therefore were they stronger than we: but let us fight against them in the plain and surely we shall be stronger than they._ These heathen knew as much about the true God, as heathen in general. They supposed the God of Israel was only a local and tutelary divinity, who had taken the people of Israel under his peculiar patronage. But the Jehovah of the Jews was altogether different from any of the Idol-gods of the Gentiles.--And he must, by his own revelation, inform us of his real character and essential moral glories.
2. Our rational powers and conscience, under the highest cultivation, unassisted by a divine revelation, cannot inform us what _kind_ of worship and obedience is to be paid to the true God. One of the disciples of Socrates, that great light of the pagan world, desired information from his Master concerning some difficulties attending prayer; and above all, particular requests made to God, which have proved injurious to the petitioners when granted. The philosopher owned himself utterly unable to satisfy the disciple upon this head, and concludes with these remarkable words, "We must continue in our ignorance, till it shall please God to send a person into the world to give us full information concerning our duty." The light of mere reason, as proved in another part of this discourse, teaches all men, over the whole face of the globe, provided they duly hearkened to it, and cultivated it, that they ought to honour and worship the divine Being. But it cannot tell _what sort_ of homage he will accept, or how we are to worship him. He alone can satisfy us, on this most material point--a point of supreme importance. He must tell us, in what way, we are to pay divine honours to his glorious Majesty. He dwells not in temples made with hands, neither is worshipped by men's hands as though he needed any thing from us. For he can neither be inriched by our services, nor impoverished by the want of them.--With regard to the worship of the heathen, St. Paul has these remarkable words; _Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened._ All their rites and forms of worship were absurd, unworthy of the divine nature, and disgraceful to ours. It may be proper here, to mention some striking instances of strange and cruel methods of worship, as a specimen of man's natural ignorance of the _right_ way of honouring and serving God. The Idol Baal, in scripture mentioned so often, was worshipped by acts of cruelty, which the sottish worshippers inflicted upon themselves. So desirous of ease are mankind, and so averse to pain that we should rationally conclude, that no methods of tormenting themselves could be introduced into their religious worship of their Idols. But the deluded Idolaters, in paying their homage to Baal, cut and wounded their own flesh--gashed and mangled themselves to please their Idol. _And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, AFTER THEIR MANNER, with knives and lancets till the blood gushed out upon them._--The Idol Moloch was worshipped by acts of the strangest and most unnatural cruelty.--Parents sacrificed their children to this Idol; and, it has been very common for parents to appease the anger of their fancied Gods, by sacrificing their tender offspring.--How contrary to reason--to nature! The image of Moloch was made of brass, in a hideous shape, and het red hot; and the devoted victim--the innocent child was brought by its own parents, and thrown naked into this burning brass, and burnt to death,--and no regard paid to its piteous cries. The Carthaginians were wont, as we are told in history, to sacrifice their children, when public calamities visited their state, to placate the resentments of their gods. And, their custom was to select, out of all, the fairest and most promising--such as were best beloved, and to offer them up in sacrifice: _to give up the fruit of the body for the sin of the soul._ Many nations have, and do to this day, worship their Idols, by acts of extreme cruelty--by consuming themselves in the fire. Modes of worship have been adopted, which are contrary to all the tender affections of human nature. And, no nation, people, or tribe ever yet could be found, in all the world, by voyages or travels, that ever had any rational or decent rites of worship, where the gospel never shined, whether in Europe, Asia, Africa or America. The most civilized and learned heathen nations were as absurd--as extravagant--as ridiculous, in their idolatries, as the rude and savage. And it is confidently affirmed by some modern travellers, that many tribes of men, in the interior parts of extensive countries, have no word in their language, for either a God, or any worship. Whether this be so or not, we cannot absolutely determine:--it rests upon the credibility of the reporters. What can, therefore, be more contrary to fact, than to pretend that man has any principle in himself, which can be a safe guide in matters of Religion?
DISCOURSE II.
That man has no principle within himself, by whatever name it may be called, which is adequate to all the purposes of his salvation, or a sufficient guide in matters of faith and practice.
EPHESIANS ii. 12.
_That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the Covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world._
The true character and state of mankind before savingly interested in the gospel are not generally acknowledged, or believed, in the world, to this day. Many thousand years have they had, to find out their own state and Character in respect to their Maker and things of a moral and religious nature; and they are now, as much as ever, divided in opinion, and are as far from an union of sentiment, on so important, and one would imagine, plain a point. An impartial inspection into the human heart and extensive view of the history of the world and moral things, we should conceive, would bring them all to one and the same conclusion, and to an exact uniformity of opinion concerning the state and character of mankind.
Whether man be fallen or not, is now, in reality, the dispute. Such as reject with scorn, all idea of a revealed Religion as an impossibility in its own nature, (and some are absurd enough to reject it on this ground) affirm that the light of reason is entirely sufficient for all the purposes of discovering to us, the whole of our duty as rational creatures and to ensure infallibly our happiness here and hereafter; if there be an hereafter. These say that we are now just as we always were: that man never fell or apostatized from his Maker; of course, that he is under no worse circumstances, nor labours under any evils, under which he did not labour when he came forth from the hands of creative wisdom, goodness, and power. And, therefore, that he has an INWARD LIGHT sufficient for all the purposes of his salvation--a sufficient guide in all things of a moral and religious nature. The consequence is, that a divine revelation is wholly unnecessary. If wholly unnecessary, we may be certain, that a wise and good Being, who perfectly knows all things, would not vouchsafe to give one.--For he does nothing in vain.--
Others, who admit a divine Revelation, believe that man is not so fallen from God, but that he has a degree, though small, of real moral goodness or holiness, which being duly nourished and attended to, will issue in life eternal. But the Apostle, in the words now read, says that all men are, before the Gospel be preached unto and embraced by them, _without hope and without God in the world._--And, what was intended, in discoursing upon those words, was to prove that mankind, merely, by their own reason and wisdom, cannot attain to a saving knowledge of God, or, in themselves, are in a helpless and hopeless state--Two things were proposed to be largely considered,
I. How far the light of reason, unassisted, can go in the things of a religious and moral nature.--
II. And, to point out its insufficiency, in these respects, which are not only very important, but altogether necessary.----
The first of these has already been discussed.--And we entered, in the preceding discourse, upon the second--and illustrated the insufficiency of the mere light of reason.--1st. In regard to the essential glories and excellencies of the divine nature and character--and 2nd. in regard to the right way of worshipping and serving God.
We now pass--to observe----
3. The light of mere reason, or conscience of mankind is wholly insufficient to discover to us _whether God will accept_ of us, at all; and if he will, _upon what terms._ It can tell us that he is the Maker of all things, the Preserver of all things, the governor of all things; but can give us no instruction upon what terms he will receive us into his favour and friendship, or whether he will do it, at all. When we ponder deep on moral and religious subjects, we cannot be but conscious of many imperfections and Sins. We feel that there is a power on high whom we have offended. We dread his anger. When another world is seriously contemplated, we dare not appear in it without some firm hope. An invisible God--an incensed Judge is an alarming thought. The anxious enquiry is wherewith shall we come before him--and bow ourselves before a holy and pure God? Mere reason cannot satisfy the enquiry. It knows not how we may come before him, or with what sacrifices he will be pleased. Being truly humbled and deeply grieved for our offences seems the most natural way of hoping for pardon and acceptance. But, whether a holy and righteous sovereign, on our repentance, can forgive us consistently with his glories, or the safety of his Universe, reason cannot inform us. To cast ourselves upon his infinite clemency is what reason would advise. But, whether this would be safe or not, is a grand uncertainty. Without a revelation, therefore, we do not know whether we may be pardoned--or if we may, how it may be consistently done; or how we may be recovered from the evils, which all men feel, and of which the world is full. Reason can see the disease, under which all men labour, but can prescribe no method of cure. All the wise men of the heathen world for thousands of years together, have tried to discover a method of escape from the evils, which all felt, and of which they justly complained. But all in vain.--An infinitely wise God gave human nature a fair trial--all advantages--and time long enough to satisfy all reasonable men, how far it could go. Look round the world, at this day, and what success has boasted and almost idolized reason had in things of a moral and religious concern, among pagan nations?--Look back on past ages, and where alas! is the man--or the body of men that have found reason a sufficient guide? Even, in the countries blessed with the Gospel, what delusion, what Error, what superstition!--Without a divine Revelation all is darkness, in a moral view:--all is helpless and hopeless:--there is no pardon:--there is no salvation. Reason could never show one sin forgiven or lead a step beyond the grave--or have any idea of the resurrection of the body.
All mankind are, therefore, in themselves, without hope and without God in the world. Under all the pressures of adversity, or dismal pains and calamities of life, separate from revealed Religion, there is no relief for them. All would be darkness,--mystery--and despair. They could not conjecture for what the world was made--for what it is preserved--why there were made rational creatures--What design is aimed at, in the government of the world--or what the real and true character of the Maker of it is--or what will be the end of the whole.
4. The reason and conscience of mankind do not _clearly_ discover a future state, nor place before them rewards and motives sufficiently strong and powerful to induce them, amid the attractions, temptations and vanities of this world, to act with a wise reference to another.
Conscience is God's monitor, reprover or counsellor within the soul. In many important cases, it dictates what ought to be done, and what ought not to be done in regards to our behaviour towards our fellow men, and towards ourselves as connected in society. It shows us plainly what moral ties, in a multitude of instances, which cannot now be enumerated, bind us. When we do wrong, it punishes us by severe remonstrances and upbraidings. When we do well, it testifies in our behalf, and administers rich consolation by self-approving reflections. It, consequently, serves as a natural law to all men. It is the Deity's law written or imprinted on all minds. From its present severe reproofs for vicious, and pleasing joys, for virtuous and upright conduct, we may gather, fairly, that there will be a future reckoning--a day of judgment--a world to come--a place to remunerate the just, and to inflict punishments on the incorrigible. At least, we may conclude all this to be highly probable. Conscience, then, points us to a future state as a probability. Accordingly the most, though not all of heathen nations and tribes have had some faint and confused idea of another life after death. Some wavering belief of it. They conjectured that there might be, or would be a future existence. The rational and sober livers among them hoped there would be another life. But no nation, not favoured with revealed light, ever entertained any tolerably consistent or rational notions of it, either of the rewards to be conferred upon the good, or the evils to be endured by the wicked.--With their Poets and Orators all was fable and fiction. They described, with much ornament of language, their ELYSIAN FIELDS--and represented, in a terrifying manner, their FURIES.--
Few, indeed, if any, had a just idea that one holy, righteous and good Being made and presided over the whole universe. Some have doubted whether ever one of the heathen philosophers really believed, unless he had seen the Old or New Testament, the unity of the Godhead. Socrates is represented by some as dying a Martyr to this belief--but, in his last moments, he ordered sacrifice to be offered to the idol-gods of his country--thereby giving his dying testimony to polytheism. However this may be, it is certain to a demonstration that the heathen have universally been polytheists or have admitted a plurality of Gods. They had their great and their household or domestic divinities--their terrestrial and celestial divinities, more than thirty thousand in all. Almost every thing in nature, as well as the sun, moon and stars, was worshipped--such as groves of trees, fountains of water, rivers, various plants and insects. _As concerning, therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifices to Idols, we know that an Idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called Gods whether in heaven or in earth (as there be Gods many and Lords many) but to us there is but one God the father of whom are all things and we by him._
The right way to know what reason can do, in things moral and religious, is to see what it actually hath done, in past ages, among the most learned and polished nations. They had great men--learned men--philosophers--poets--statesmen--and orators: especially the Romans and Greeks. They were opulent, and had many schools of wise men. These cultivated science, and spared no pains in their researches, to discover truth. They did all that reason could do, when learning is most liberally encouraged and happily flourishes, as to a discovery of a future world--and what rewards await the virtuous, and what punishments will be the portion of the wicked. After all, their notions were ridiculous, childish, self-repugnant, and contradictory.
It is true, they had some judicious, weighty, moral, sayings; for in this argument, I would allow them as much as can be allowed them, consistently with fact. But no system of heathen morals proposed any thing, as motives drawn from another world of any force to induce people to act with any due reverence to it--or to prepare for a happy immortality. Reason, consequently, doth not, properly speaking, look into another world. It merely conjectures about it.--The Gospel, or a divine revelation only fully discloses an Eternity to man.--It lays before him Immortality: an Immortality of blessedness, when life is no more, if it have been improved in a pious and virtuous manner.--It denounces on the wicked everlasting misery. _But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel._-----We can now look through all the wastes and glooms of death and the grave to a resurrection of the body--to a judgment-seat--to an endless existence after death--to eternal rewards for the pious--and everlasting woe to the despisers of God and Virtue. By the Gospel, therefore, we have hope, pleasing enrapturing hope--we have light, like the glorious luminary of the sky in his meridian altitude--we have life, spiritual and divine--we have the saving knowledge of God--we have a fulness of felicity opened before us, and promised to us, upon our repentance, faith, and new obedience.