Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

ceedingly apt to call that unjust in God toward his creatures, which would be unjust in them toward one another. Justice in all beings is the same in its nature, but its acts and exercises may be different according to the different relations and authorities of the agents. God is supreme and infinitely wise. His ways and thoughts are not as ours. The world and all creatures in it, men, and all they possess, are God's property and at his disposal. Though he will injure none of his creatures, yet he has a sovereign right to deal with them, as his perfect rectitude shall choose, and his unerring wisdom shall direct. Though one man, or one nation, has not a right to dispose of the property of other men, or other nations, yet God has a right to order and change the conditions of men and nations according to his own will.

We find in scripture many things done by divine command, which, without such warrant, no man would have had a right to do; as in civil society, law may require or allow things, which no man may do without law. But it does not hence follow, that the law is wrong; for in the government there is that authority, which no private person may assume to himself. When we censure the ways of God, because he has ordered certain things, which men had no right to do of their own will, we, in our thoughts, place the supreme Being on a level with ourselves.

This piece of history instructs us, that the wickedness of nations

is the cause of their destruction. The land of Canaan was promised to Abraham and his seed, 400 years before they took posses

sion. This promise was made on a divine foresight, that the Canaanites would so fill up the measure of their guilt, as to be no longer the subjects of divine forbearance. They were finally destroyed, because their iniquities were full. God threatened his own people, that if they practised the same iniquities, for which the Canaanites were destroyed, they must experience the same marks of his displeasure.

God's threatenings were awfully verified; and they are recorded for our admonition. The Jews were broken off from the covenant of God by their unWe stand by faith. Let belief. us not be highminded, but fear. ERASTUS.

SURVEY OF NEW ENGLAND CHURCHES.

Concluded from page 402.

ALTHOUGH the design of this Survey is unfinished, I must now offer to the churches of Christ my closing address. And I know not in what better way I can do this, than by unfolding to them the affecting and awful sentiments contained in the following parable of him who spake as never man spake.

The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

And when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? from whence

then hath it tares? He said unto them, an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, nay; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together till the harvest; and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.

To his disciples Jesus afterwards gave the following explanation of the parable.

"He that sowed the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gath ered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them who do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear let him hear."

From our apostate race, Christ is raising up a spiritual kingdom. This kingdom he has for a time stationed on earth, in the midst of a wicked world. Nevertheless it is a distinct body. it is a distinct body. Though his people are in the world, they are not of the world, but are citizens of heaven. They have a character in some measure suited to their final home. Christ has chosen them out of the world, and ordained them that they should be holy, the sons of God without rebuke, bearing the resemblance of their Saviour and King.

Upon them he sets the marks of his special love, forms them into one family, and lets the world know, that it is the place of gracious abode and rest. The real members of Christ's kingdom are truly good. Though by nature the children of disobedience, they are renewed in knowledge and holiness after the image of God. Oh, how beautiful is Zion, the holy city and habitation of God!

But the parable teaches, that the church in the present state is not pure; that it has a mixture of the children of the wicked one. The field had tares among the wheat. All who belong to the visible kingdom of Christ are not of the same character. Α part of those who number themselves among the people of God are the servants of sin. The church universal, and perhaps almost every particular church, contains some, who love the creature more than the Creator, and are slaves to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. This was the in the first and purest of Christianity. Some,

The first sentiment which presents itself from the parable is this; that Jesus Christ has a people in this ruined world; a people redefined by his blood, sanctified by his Spirit, and set apart for himself. "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom." age

case

who confessed Christ before men, forsook the doctrines and practice of Christianity, and thus manifested that they had never been washed from their sins. "They went out from us," says John, "but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest, that they were not of us." It is to be feared, that our best churches embrace many, who are in reality foes to truth and holiness. Of those, who surround the same sacramental table, eat of the same bread, and drink of the same cup, some are travelling in the way to Zion, others in the way to death. Those, who belong to the same visible church, will hereafter, in many instances, be separated from each other, and have the impassable gulf placed between them. A foundation for such a difference in their future condition is now laid by the difference which marks their characters. Some professors are as distant from others in the temper of their minds, as the boson of Abraham is from the dreadful fire of perdition.

You will further learn from the parable, that mingling the children of the wicked one with the children of the kingdom is the work of the enemy. It is a la mentable circumstance of the church in the present world, that it contains such a mixture of characters; that so many profess the religion of Christ, without knowing its power. Though for wise ends it is divinely permitted, yet, in itself, it is a great evil. It is evidently desirable, in itself considered, that the church should contain

[blocks in formation]

In like manner, when we survey the visible church, and find that it contains many, who are strangers to grace, we must conclude that an enemy hath done it. Satan and his adherents hate the purity, and envy the happiness of the church, and therefore strive to introduce corrupt principles, false teachers, and hypocritical members. In this way the peace of the church is disturbed, the excellence of religion is sullied, and great advantage put into the hands of the adversary. It gratifies his malignant spirit to see those profess religion, who are dead in trespasses and sins; for he well knows, it will occasion offences, injure the church, and open the mouth of the opposing, blaspheming world.

But although this corrupt mixture in the church is to be mainly ascribed to the malice and subtlety of the enemy, the real servants of Christ are not excusable. It is partly through their supineness and sloth, that men of the world are so often found within the pale of the church. The enemy came and sowed tares, while the servants of the husbandman slept. Had they, according to their duty, maintained a strict and unremitting watchfulness, the enemy would have found it more diffi

cult to sow his tares. If church- evil. When the servants, see

es and pastors were suitably watchful; if they would attend with sufficient care to the characters of those, who offer themselves for admission; if they would faithfully and devoutly examine their exercises and sentiments, and observe their conduct, and seriously endeav, our, according to the rules of the gospel, to keep the church pure; we might hope, there would be a much smaller proportion of unbelievers joining in profession with the followers of the Lamb. But, alas! Christian churches, what matter of lamentation it is, to see so much negligence in this great concern. How little do Christians watch against the designs of the enemy? How does almost every one care for his own things, and not for the things of Christ? And have we not cause to fear, that some not only neglect to guard against the work of the enemy, but, with their own rash hand, sow tares among the wheat? Does not this charge lie with peculiar force against those who, without any discriminating regard to character, are earnest to gather as many as possible into the visible church?

Another observation, which naturally occurs, is, that seasonable watchfulness and resolution may prevent evils, which, having once taken place, cannot be removd. Faithful attention to the admission of members will do much more to secure the church from corruption, than equal exertion afterwards. By unremitting vigilance the servants might have kept the enemy from sowing tares. But after they were sown, it was too late to avoid the

ing what was done, and willing to make some amends for their negligence, proposed to go and gather up the tares, the Master said, nay; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. This is not intended to forbid the proper exercise of church discipline towards offenders; which cannot be neglected without great guilt. The intimation in the parable is evidently designed to guard against rash and irregular proceedings. The work, which the servants proposed, was of a hurtful tendency. So, should the servants of Christ proceed at once to extreme measures with every erring brother; especially, should they enter on the rash design of expelling all the ungodly, of gathering out all the tares, and purifying the church, they would not meet the approbation of their Lord. He would tell them, "nay." It is a diffe cult, and, to you, an impossible work. Timely care and faithfulness would, indeed, have done much to prevent these evils. But now they must be left to the greas day. There may be many persons in the church, who give little evidence of the Christian spirit, and are far from conducting themselves according to their profession, who must, nevertheless, be suffered to continue in the church. There are many ways of manifesting the want of religion, for which a church cannot publicly censure a mem ber. His conduct may be such, as to give the church just reason to fear he is unrenewed, and yet may not be such, as to authorise any direct proceeding against him. That a church censure

may be unexceptionable, there
must be a manifest violation of
gospel rules.
There must be

satisfactory evidence of palpable
immorality. As, on the one
hand, a person out of the church
may have many seemingly good
qualities, and yet not give that
evidence of godly sincerity,
sincerity,
which justly entitles him to a
place in the church; so, on the
other hand, the conduct of a vis-
ible member may be such, as de-
notes the want of piety, at least
such, as leaves his piety very
doubtful; and still may not be
such, that the church can justly
exclude him. Many must be
continued in the church, who,
with the selfsame character,
could not properly be admitted,
if they were out of the church.
We must let the tares continue
in the field where they are sown,
though we ought not willingly
to suffer them to be sown there.
To introduce them is the design
of the enemy; to let them remain
till the harvest is the dictate of
Christian prudence.

Here we may reflect on our inability to know the hearts of men, and our consequent inability to make a certain distinction between the good and the bad. The fruit of tares, is, indeed, essentially different from that of wheat, and when come to maturity and carefully examined, may be clearly distinguished from it. So when the whole practice of the impenitent is taken into view, and sufficiently understood, there is no difficulty in distinguishing them from the penitent. But at present, we cannot survey the whole conduct. Many parts of men's lives are concealed from our view, which, if known, might help us at once to determine

their character. Many sins are committed in secret, the discov ery of which would leave no doubt in our minds respecting those who commit them. But while men's sins are undiscovered, we may be totally deceived concerning their character. And most of all does our ignorance of the heart disqualify us for deciding the question of character. So ignorant are we of the heart, which essentially constitutes the character, that if we should take upon us the office of judge, we should be in great danger, in many instances, of clearing the guilty, and condemning the innocent. Many of those, whom we regard, as the disciples of Christ, may be false professors. Many that we esteem as gold, and silver, and precious stones, in the building of the church, may be hay, and wood, and stubble. While others, whom our wayward judgment condemns as worthless and vile, may be numbered among Christ's jewels. When we look with the most discerning eye upon the churches, we are unable to determine, who will be approved of God, and who will be rejected.

This introduces our last particular.

There is a time at hand, when the characters of men will be made known, and a complete eternal separation take place between the righteous and the wicked. This is a most important sentiment in the parable. "In the time of harvest, says the householder, I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them ; but gather the wheat into my barn." "The harvest is the end. of the world, and the reapers are

« AnteriorContinua »