Imatges de pàgina
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Dr. Greene's Discourse.

(Concluded from p. 414.) FURTHER specimens of the author's manner of writing.

"4. Whenever a house has been dedicated to God, it becomes incumbent that such prayer and praise as he requires, and such only, be offered to him in it; and that the unadulterated doctrines of the gospel be faithfully preached. That is not prayer, which is not truly made in the name of Christ; which does not explicitly confess and deeply bewail our crimson guilt; which does not entreat for pardon, for sanctification, for a final acceptance with God, and for the blessings of eternal life, all, all as the fruit of the Redeemer's righteousness and intercession, and to the glory of God's rich, and free, and sovereign grace. That is not praise, in which the same truths are not recognized, which does not exhibit spiritual blessings as the greatest of all, or which is refused to any person of the adorable Trinity. Prayers or

praises, which leave out of view the awful depravity and guilt of man, his recovery by grace, our infinite indebtedness to the eternal Son of God, and to the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, however suitable they may be in other respects, are so far from being acceptable to God, that they are an abomination in his sight. Nor is that the preaching of the gospel, which does not deliver these great principles clearly and frequently, in a doctrinal form, and press them continually on the consciences of men, as the very fundamentals of religion. Pulpit addresses may be as learned, as elegant, as eloquent, as profound, as the talents of men or the powers of an angel can render them,and yet, if these distinguishing truths of the gospel, in their purity and simplicity, be excluded from them, they shall be as empty and useless as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. These truths are the ark of God's strength, which he specially accompanies with the almighty energies of his grace. It is before them that he prostrates

all the idols of the depraved human hrt, lays low every barrier of opposition, opens to himself a way through the floods of corruption, enters in and easts out the strong man armed, and creating the soul anew in Christ Jesus, makes it an habitation of God through the Spirit. Hear the words of the Saviour and of his apostle. Sanctify them through thy truth.-I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. Mistake me not, my brethren. Every moral law, every social duty, every religious precept, injunction, threatening, promise and declaration, may, and ought to be regarded, in the dispensation of the gospel. What I inculcate is, that the great doctrines that have been specified, are the life giving spirit, which must animate, control, colour, warm, and breathe through the whole. It was, I here attest it in the presence and behalf of Christ my Lord, it was for the purpose of teaching and impressing these great truths of the gospel, that this house was erected. Such is in substance, the record made on a piece of parchment, which is enclosed in the bosom of its corner stone; and God forbid that any one under the name and garb of a gospel minister, should ever stand in this place to gainsay or slight them.

Sa

cred edifice! long the object of my wishes, my hopes, my labours, and my prayers, mayest thou never be profaned by unhallowed lips. May no false doctrine ever be uttered here. If it shall, let the stone cry out of the wall, and let the beam out of the timber answer it, and let them confound the wretch, who shall here attempt to pervert the word of life, and to beguile unwary souls. Gracious God, our hope is in thee. Let this place ever be the witness only of worship that is pure, and of doctrine that is sound; that many sons and daughters, through successive ages, may here be born to thee, and hence be translated to the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

"Brethren, your duty will at all times be connected with that of your pastors. See to it, then, that no love of novelty, no lust of innovation, ro cravings even of taste and fancy, per vert your minds, first making you boathe the worship and preaching Vol. I. No. 10. LLI

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"The public institutions of religion are unspeakably beneficial, perhaps I should rather say they are absolutely essential, to civil society. Never, in fact, has society existed, in any form above the lowest grade of savage life, without these institutions. Deserted, despised, and derided, as they are, by some who talk much of social happiness, to them they are still principally indebted for the safety and peace in which they live. These institutions soften the mind, they cultivate the manners, they improve the morals, and they give the highest sanction to all the ties and obligations which render the social state delightful, desirable, or tolerable. Abolish the observance of the Sabbath and its public worship, and you will see men rapidly decline into barbarism, rapine, and every ferocious and abominable vice.

"But though real Christians prize the advantages which men in the pres ent life reap from the public worship of God, yet they cannot be satisfied with these alone. They see in religion something infinitely better, than its being an engire of state. They know that the Christian system is in itself a system of truth; that it points beyond time to eternity; and that those, who are prepared for its eternal benefits, will best of all perform their duties even in this world. Eternity, eternity, therefore, grosses their views, when they think of religion for themselves or others. Nothing will. . . . . content them, but the spiritual benefits which ensure the everlasting salvation of the soul. Do you ask, what are these? I answer, brethren, they are in part experienc. ed when the soul of the believer is truly refreshed from the fountains of sacred truth; when a flame of heav

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enly love is enkindled in his soul; when the light of God's countenance is lifted upon him; when his faith is invigorated; when his hopes are brightened; when his penitence and humility are increased; when his industry in religion is quickened; when his zeal for the glory of God is augmented; when his views of eternal things are rendered clear, lively, and comfortable; when his devotion is truly animated and his heart enlarged; when a readiness.. ... for all duty is inspired . . . when, in a word, he sees the power and glory of God, in all that majesty and sweetness in which they are often seen in the sanctuary. Then he rejoiceth as one that findeth great spoil.

Yet

even this.... does not fully satisfy him. His religion is a religion of benevolence. He most tenderly feels for the souls of others, as well as for his own. He cannot, therefore, be contented, till he sees those, whose hearts have been obdurate, softened

under the invitations of the gospel; till he sees the careless become thoughtful; the tears of contrition flowing from the eyes which have been closed against the light of life; .... convictions of sin deep and lasting; conversions to God sound and numer

ous;-when he beholds these effects in the house of God, or following from the exercises there performed, then he has the desire of his heart; then he knows a pleasure which disdains comparison. Look back, for an illustration, to the day of Pentecost, when Peter preached, and thousands, pricked to the heart by the energy of the Holy Spirit, said, Men and brethren, what shall we do? or if you think this miraculous, and not to be expected now, bring the subject nearer home. Look back only to a period within the remembrance of some who are ye alive; to the period when the house, which is collegiate with this, was opened and dedicated; when a Whitefield, a Tennent, a Finley were the heralds of salvation. Then, and in that house, the preaching of the gospel was resorted to, as in deed and in truth the word of God. In deep and solemn attention men listened to re

ceive a message for their souls. They received it. Their eyes were opened; they saw themselves perishing; they bowed in the dust before a

sovereign God; they embraced, they rejoiced, they triumphed in the offer ed Saviour. Multitudes pressed into the kingdom of God. Great additions were made to the church. The religion of Jesus was adorned by the blameless, tender, zealous, comfortable, exemplary lives of his professing people. Most gracious God, though we are most unworthy, may the glory of this latter house be even greater than the glory of the former. Yes, dear brethren, for these inestimable benefits we are warranted to hope, if we diligently, conscientiously, purely, believingly, and perseveringly perform in this place the worship and service of our God. And that we may so do and be blessed, and that this house may be truly the Lord's, by being honoured and consecrated by his own sacred and special presence, accompany me now to the throne of his transcendent grace."

We have let this discourse

speak for itself. The ample quotations made are full of pious entertainment and instruction, and prove that the performance deserves high expressions of approbation.

It has evangelical

fervour. It has sacred dignity and elegance. It contains the riches of divine truth.

Two sermons on the atrocity of suicide, and on the causes which lead to it. Preached at Suffield, on Lord's day, Feb. 24, 1805, on occasion of a melancholy instance of suicide, which had recently occurred in that town. By JOSEPH LATHROP, D. D. pastor of the first church Second in West-Spring field.

edition, with additions and corrections. Springfield, Mas. Henry Brewer.

THE text, on this melancholy occasion, is the exclamation of the apostle Paul to the jailor in Philippi, Acts xvi. 26: Do thyself no harm. A brief sketch of

the preceding history, which gave rise to it, forms a natural and pertinent introduction; in the inspection of which, however, two or three motes may perhaps offend a microscopic eye. Such are the use of the copulative conjunction at the commencement of periods, and even of a new paragraph; the "sending" of an earthquake; and the change of time from the present to the past, in the most interesting part of the narration. The preacher proceeds to consider the text, first, as an express prohibition of self-murder; and, secondly, to improve it as a warning not to injure ourselves in any way. In the introductory part of the discussion, the following passages merit peculiar attention.

will have much influence. When God, as a lawgiver, prohibits any crime, he affixes to the commission of it such a penalty, as may reasona bly be supposed sufficient to deter But in the case of self. men from it.

murder, there is no room for penalty in this world, because the criminal dies by his crime, and is dead before cognizance can be taken of it. Cog. nizance can be taken only in the other world. But whatever may be the cause, which induces a man to this dreadful act, it first extinguishes the belief, or at least suspends the appre hension of future punishment. So that penal laws, human or divine, against this sin, will rarely have an effect on men's minds, after they have once formed the desperate reso lution. The effect must usually be in an earlier stage of the evil.”

The arguments, adduced against suicide, are, that it is a manifest opposition to the will of God; that any act of sin is more criminal in proportion as it is more contrary to nature; that the violation of a trust is, in any case, a crime; that this act is one of the greatest injuries, which a man can do to his friends; that "the issues of death belong to God," that suicide is an act full of ingratitude; that the present life is our probation for future and eternal happiness, and the only probation that will be allow, ed us; that it leaves no opportu nity for repentance, and there fore, while it destroys the body, it ruins the soul. The seventh ar

"Some ancient philosophers taught, and some modern infidels have adopted the sentiment, that when the pain of existence exceeds its pleasure, every one has a right to withdraw himself from it; and that it is a weakness in man to complain of his burden, when it is always in his power to throw it off. Among the Greeks and Romans self-murder was often committed, not merely from philosophy, or impatience of life, but often from false notions of honour, liberty and magnanimity. Among the Britons and the Americans it frequently proceeds from gloominess and dejection of mind. With such causes the sentiments of infidelity usually concur: hence we find, that since the notions of fatalism, universalism and annihilation have been avowed, and the doc-gument, taken from the proba trine of a future retribution discard- tionary state of man, is thus ined, instances of suicide have been terestingly illustrated: multiplied beyond all former examples.

"The divine law has not so explicitly and particularly forbidden this, as it has most other crimes. And the reason is obvious. For before one can bring himself to perpetrate this act, he must have prostrated all consideration of law and penalty. If the law of nature within him will not restrain him, no external law

"There is no work nor device in the grave." A guilty life and impenitent death will be followed with misery eternal and extreme. A great salvation is now offered, and may be obtained; but if we finally neglect it, there is no escape. Death terminates our only probation, and fixes our future condition. "As falls the tree," so it lies." What rashness and presumption must it then be to contact

this already contracted term of life- posed escape of his prisoners hurried to shorten this short space of trial, on the jailor to draw his sword on himself. the improvement of which depends In the "more general" and our escape from endless misery, and monitory application of the text, our enjoyment of everlasting felicity? What madness and infatuation to cut the "particular evils" mentionourselves off from all remaining op. ed, "by which men often do portunity of securing our final salva- themselves harm," are intempertion, and to run the dreadful hazard ance, idleness, a melancholy spirof falling into intolerable and inter- it, immoderate passions, irreligminable wo? However severe presious and licentious principles,

ent sufferings may be, they cannot justify an impatience of mind, which urges to so awful a step. No man knows, in what ways, nor how soon, God may send him deliverance from his troubles: no man knows, what strong consolations may be imparted to soften his adversities, and cheer his desponding mind: no man knows, what blessings may result from the things, which seem to be against him. And, which is more, no man knows, what a wretched exchange he shall make, when, to throw off his present burdens, he plunges himself into the eternal world.

"They, who in the exercise of reason, (if reason, in such a case, can be said to be in exercise,) have taken this tremendous step, have generally been urged to it by worldly disappointments, by the distresses of poverty, by blasted ambition, by the appre. hension of disgrace, by the fear of punishment for some infamous crime, or by the horrors of a guilty despairing conscience. The motives prompting them to it are criminal in their nature, or in their cause; for they have their existence in the vices and corruptions of the mind; in pride, impatience, avarice, or some previous wickedness. Saul, in the haughtiness of his spirit, fell on his own sword, lest he should become the sport and mockery of his insolent and victorious enemies. Ahitophel, by disappointed ambition, was urged to hang himself, when he found, that the counsel of another was preferred to his own, and that his political scheme would be utterly frustrated. To the like fatal act was Judas driven by the horror of guilt and the frenzy, of despair, when he reflected, that he had betrayed innocent blood, and perceived that the cruel and perfidious action could not be recalled. The fear of punishment for the sup

presumptuous sins, and living in a course of sin.

ious and licentious principles" Under the head of "irrelig are the following important remarks:

"Men, who admit and entertain irreligious and licentious principles, do themselves infinite harm, and if they avow and diffuse such principles, they do immense injury to others.

"Religion is the only solid foundation of comfort in this world, and of happiness in the next. This, embraced in the heart, banishes envy and malice, impatience and discon tent, anxiety and fear; inspires with benevolent affections, calm resignation and cheerful hope; and gives a sure title to glory and immortality. The man, who renounces religion, abandons all his rational comforts and future prospects. He makes himself a prey to temptation, vice and fear. He becomes a creature exposed, defenceless and forlorn. If he should see his condition, he would be a terror to himself. If others should see his heart, he would be a terror to all about him. If all men were like him, he would have no security from the violence of his neighbours. He has now no security from the violence of his own hands; nor have others any security from this violence, but the laws of society. There is in him no principle to restrain him from any outrage, which his passions may dictate, whether against himself or mankind."

Dr. L. then notices those free thinkers, "who view this life as the only term of human existence;" those, “who, though they profess to believe a future existence, yet deny all future

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