IX. CHRIST, THE FOUNDATION. BY REV. JOHN DOWLING, D.D., AUTHOR OF THE "HISTORY OP ROMANISM," AND PASTOr of the brOADWAY BAPTIST CHURCH, NEW YORK. "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."-Isaiah xxviii. 16. ONE of the most frequent and significant figures employed by the Holy Spirit to designate" the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood," is that of a stately and well-compacted building. Thus the apostle Paul addressing the Ephesian believers, as a portion of this redeemed church, tells them they "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone. In whom (or upon whom) all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord." (Eph. ii. 20, 21.) Of this building, it is the doctrine both of the Old Testament and the New, that the promised Messiah of the one, and the anointed Jesus of the other, is the sole and the secure foundation. We have the unerring authority of inspiration itself, as uttered in the language both of Paul and of Peter, for applying the prediction of our text to the Lord Jesus Christ. "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus," says the apostle Paul, "and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For, the Scripture saith, "Whosoever believeth on him, shall not be ashamed." (Rom. x. 9, 11.) Still more full and complete is the attestation of Peter to the Messianic application of this prophecy. "If so be that ye have tasted that THE LORD is gracious: to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious; ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ. Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture, Behold I lay in Zion, a chief corner-stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on HIM shall not be confounded." (1 Peter ii. 3-6.) Guided, therefore, by these inspired commentators on the words of our text, we cannot err in the application of this glorious prediction to our adorable Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Let us proceed, therefore, to contemplate I. THE FIGURATIVE DESCRIPTION WHICH IS HERE GIVEN OF CHRIST, AS THE FOUNDATION OF THE SPIRITUAL BUILDING, THE CHURCH. II. THE PROMISE WHICH IS MADE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE, AND THUS BUILD UPON THIS FOUNDATION. I. Yes, believer, it is to thy Saviour and thy Redeemer; it is to him on whom all thy confidence reposes, and all thy hopes are built, that this precious description applies-" Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation!" Were it possible that a doubt of this delightful truth might still remain, the words of Paul would at once remove it. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. iii. 11.) Christ, the foundation of his Church! how significant and how expressive the figure! and yet how perfectly simple and level, even to the comprehension of a child! A foundation is the base or groundwork of a building; it is that upon which the whole edifice rests, and which thus supports all the other parts of the building. Take away the foundation of the material edifice in which we are now assembled, and even a child can understand that the whole building must fall; and thus is it that the Church is built upon Christ, and the only reason why it has not, and cannot fall before the attacks of men and of devils is that it is founded upon a rock,-" the rock of ages," and that rock is Christ. Take away from the Christian system, the Lord Jesus Christ, in all the glory of his essential Godhead, and in all the fulness of his vicarious atonement and obedience unto death, and the whole fabric must fall-even as a building, when the foundation is removed from under it-a mass of undistinguishable ruin. The precious blood of Christ which was shed upon Calvary constitutes that "fountain for sin and uncleanness," in which every member of his true spiritual church is cleansed from the guilt of sin. There is not a saint in glory, who has not "washed his robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," and there never can be. The meritorious obedience and sufferings of Jesus Christ, are the grounds of all acceptance with God, the Father, the foundation upon which every individual believer builds all his hopes; and as the spiritual church of Christ is made up of believers and only believers in every nation and in every age, it follows that the foundation upon which that church rests collectively, is the Lord Jesus Christ, even "he who liveth and was dead, and is alive for ever The church which Christ purchased with his own blood consists of true believers of every land, of every age, and of every name. This spiritual church, thus founded upon himself, is bounded by the narrow limits of no visible organization. God forbid, therefore, that we should imitate those who proudly arrogate to themselves, as a visible hierarchy or organized community, the claim of being exclusively the church of Christ! The New Testament knows nothing of any such organization as exclusively the Church. It cannot be doubted that from the time of the apostles till now, there have ever existed true churches of Christ; yet neither any one of these visible churches, however pure its doctrine,--nor any collection of these true churches, much less of false ones, had any right to arrogate to themselves, as an ecclesiastical organization, the character of the alone church of Christ. We read nowhere in the New Testament of the church," in the sense of the visible churches, of a nation, or of the world, united under patriarch, primate or pope. True, we read of "the church of God," but it is that "which he hath purchased with his own blood," including all the elect of God, who are now in heaven, or who ever will be there, the purchase of a Saviour's blood, with whatever visible church they may have been associated upon earth, or even if connected with none. This church is Christ's mystical body, of which he is the "head," (Col. i. 18, 24,) and, therefore, includes all such, and only such as are his living and spiritual members. This is "the church of the first-born, which are written in heaven," (Heb. xii. 23,) and includes all those and only those, who are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Rev. xxi. 27.) Of this church it is said, "Christ is the head of the church, and he is the Saviour of the body," and "Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. v. 23-27.) But all this can be said of no ecclesiastical organization on earth. Where is the visible church of which it can be affirmed with certainty, that all its members are living and spiritual members of Christ? and that in its records not a single name is enrolled that is not "written in the Lamb's book of life?" This "glorious church" is not the Romish, nor the Greek, nor the Anglican church. It is neither Episcopal, nor Presbyterian, neither Methodist, nor Baptist; although it probably includes members of them all. It is no mere national church, bounded by state or geographical limits, but it consists of "a great multitude whom no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues." (Rev. vii. 9.) Nay, more than this, though all its members will, at last, together stand "before the throne and before the Lamb," yet this church is at present confined neither to earth nor to heaven. Part of the host have crossed the flood, and part are crossing now." Thus separated but not divided, the members of this church are both on earth and in heaven. 66 In this sense, but in this only do the Scriptures recognize, and do we believe, in a universal or catholic church. And whether we speak of the spiritual church in this general signification, or of the visible churches of Christ upon earth, either individually or collectively, it is true that as the foundation of the church, "God hath laid in Zion a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone," and that "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." But it is time that we proceed to consider the epithets that are figuratively applied to Christ in our text, as the foundation which God hath laid in Zion. "Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone," or a rock. The general idea included in this figure is undoubtedly that of stability, firmness, or strength. If Christ is indeed that rock upon which the church is built, then is it established upon a foundation strong, immovable, secure-and then may we with confidence believe, that even "the gates of hell shall never prevail against it." 66 There are some, however, who maintain that, not the Lord Jesus Christ, but the fallible mortal Peter is that "rock" upon which the church of Christ is built; and this belief they profess to derive from the conversation between our blessed Lord and Peter, recorded by Matthew, (chap. xvi. 15, etc.) Jesus said to his disciples, Whom say ye that I am? and Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The interpretations which Roman Catholic writers put upon this passage, viz., that Peter is the rock or foundation upon which the church is built, evidently conflicts with the declaration of the apostle Paul, already quoted, "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid--which is Jesus Christ;" this interpretation also is comparatively modern in its origin, and is adopted in flagrant violation of the creed of the Romish church itself. In that creed, called the creed of pope Pius IV., they solemnly profess to receive no interpretations of Scripture, "except according to the unanimous consent of the fathers," (nisi juxta unanimem consensum patrum.) Among the most eminent of the "fathers" here referred to, I will quote from only two, in order to prove my assertion, that, in their interpretations of Christ's words to Peter, they violate their own acknowledged principles. In a sermon of Augustine, the celebrated bishop of Hippo, that most eminent of all the fathers comments upon the words as follows: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock which thou hast confessed that is, upon myself, the Son of the living God, I will build my church." The opinion of Hilary, another of the most celebrated fathers, differs slightly from that of Augustine, and most entirely from that of the modern Romanists. "This one founda tion," says Hilary, "is immovable, that is, that one blessed rock of faith, confessed by the mouth of Peter, thou art the Son of the living God," and again "the building of the church is upon this rock of confession." I do not quote from these early fathers, because I imagine that their authority upon this or any other subject should settle the question-their opinions are to be judged, in precisely the same way as those of other fallible men,-but merely to show that, in this instance at least, Romanists have violated their own rule, to receive no interpretations except according to the unanimous consent of the fathers." It is evident, moreover, whatever may be the degree of weight attached to these writers, that if the promise referred to Peter, it failed of accomplishment; for when Peter, with oaths and curses, denied his Lord, certainly the gates of hell did prevail against him; and if the church had rested upon him, when he fell, the church would have fallen with him. Still more evidently is this true of the long line of corrupt and vicious men, so different in life and spirit from the apostle Peter, who for ten or twelve centuries at least, have claimed to be successors of the apostle, and vicegerents of God upon earth. No, no, brethren! Christ-and not a fallible, erring mortal-is the rock, the tried, the sure foundation; and "their rock is not as our rock, our enemies themselves being judges." "Be This foundation is, moreover, designated a tried stone. hold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone." Let us examine the application of this epithet to our Lord Jesus Christ. 1. Yes, my brethren, Christ is a tried stone! For in the first place, I remark, he was tried, when enduring the attacks of the serpent in his conflict on behalf of his people on earth. No sooner had Satan succeeded in introducing sin, and consequent misery into our world, than the bow of promise appeared in the cloud, and God declared to the serpent, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (that is, the promised seed), shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." For four thousand years had Satan been in awful expectancy of this formidable adversary, and been preparing himself for the conflict. At length the promised conqueror appears in our world; and it is a fine conception of our great English poet, Milton, that on the day of Christ's public baptism, when he was solemnly anointed to his work, Satan" with envy fraught and rage" hovered near the sacred scene, listened to the attestation from Heaven, "this is my beloved Son," then flew to the regions of darkness, to bear the alarming news to his compeers and associates in rebellion. XXIV. "And them amidst, With looks aghast and sad, he thus bespake ;- 8 |