prehended, as the plainest princi- the first cause of all things. ples in any art or science whatever. The way of salvation through the atonement of Jesus Christ, though it was above the invention of creatures, is agreeable to every person's sense of public justice. The truth of these remarks is corroborated by facts. Children have often learned the first principles of divine truth, before they have understood the first principles of Mathematics, of Astronomy, of Natural Philosophy, or any of the arts and sciences. Many have been taught the elementary principles of true religion, before they could read or write. The heathen nations were generally in a state of rude barbarism, who heard, understood, and savingly believed the gospel which was taught them by the apostles. No system of error can be understood with so little intellectual effort. It is proposed, in this essay, to state some of the elementary principles of true religion, and show why they are so easy to be understood. The existence of a God, who is the first cause of all things, and his infinite authority, and universal providence over all creatures, is perhaps the first and most obvious truth in the universe. This is asserted in the phrase, "his eternal power and Godhead," which the inspired apostle affirms, is obvious from the works of God. The most barbarous nations, in certain circamstances, have acknowledged this truth. The existence and supremacy of God are manifested by the works of creation, and the events of providence. The fact, that "the Lord hath made all things for himself," and that "for his pleasure they are and were created," naturally follows from the proposition, that God is There was no other being in the universe for whom God could have made all things. No intelligent man forms any thing, without some end in view. And can we believe that God would have commenced his labours without some wise and good design? We see evidence of design in all his works of creation; and the inference follows, irresistibly, that he has a design in the government of all things. But what design can, what design ought to fill the mind of the Eternal, in creating and causing all things? Nothing short of securing the greatest amount of general good, which centres in his own glory. If therefore God regards the greatest, wisest, and best object, he must have made all things for himself, and he must form and govern all creatures and all their actions for himself. This is the natural dictate of every person's reason, and agrees with the language of scripture. The infinite and immutable perfections of God, is an elementary principle of true religion. These are impressed upon our minds by his works. The existence of objects, and the revolutions in nature, fill us with a sense of his infinite power; the existence, capacities and enjoyments of creatures, evince his goodness. These perfections render him supreme in respect to creatures, and give him the throne of the universe. They give him authority to give law, and a right to bind all creatures to constant obedience. The absolute and entire dependence of all creatures on God for their existence, actions and motions, is another obvious and elementary principle of true religion, There is nothing that we appre hend earlier, than the fact, that No per every thing must have a cause of "senseless tautology." its existence. We hear the in- son ever looks any farther for guilt quiry from the lisping voice of in himself, or in others, than a sinchildhood, who made all these ob- ful choice, or a wicked intention. jects which appear? Nothing is more natural, than to reason from effect to cause. There is no idea more familiar to us, than that of our natural dependence on God for life, breath, and all things. We are almost involuntarily impressed with the truth, that "we are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." We are conscious of acting, and we know that we move; but from our reason and from revelation, we know, that we are dependant on God for our actions and motions, and that his agency stands in the relation of cause, to all our actions and motions. This is the voice of reason and of divine revelation. How the agency of God operates in moving matter or mind, we cannot comprehend. But the fact, that he does do it, we can easily apprehend. We can also see the utility and necessity of second causes. It is plain, that no person can choose, without having an object The moral obligation of manof choice presented to his mind. kind to do right in all things, is an The wisdom of the First Cause elementary truth in the gospel appears in the existence, variety scheme. This we feel, in conseand disposal of second causes ;-quence of our natural conscience, but no person can see how second which is a part of our rational and causes can be the first cause of any immortal existence. No moral action or motion, because this is agent can help knowing, and ocabsurd. casionally feeling, that he ought to love infinite excellence for its own sake, that he ought to submit to just authority which is over him, that he ought to love his neighbour as himself, that he ought to be grateful for acts of kindness, that all selfishness is wrong and ought to be avoided, and consequently that he ought to do nothing inconsistent with any of these duties. Every moral agent has a moral sense, by In connexion with the moral agency of mankind, may be mentioned their natural ability to do their whole duty perfectly. This is the foundation of all law, and of all moral obligation. It consists in those natural talents which are essential to moral agency, and which enable all moral agents to do their whole duty to God and man, whether they have any heart to do it or not. This is one of the most obvious truths conceivable. To deny it mocks all common sense, as well as insults our own consciousness. Unless sinners had " eyes to see," and "ears to hear," or natural ability to see and hear, no person could help perceiving that it would be unjust and absurd to require them to see and hear, either literally, or in the figurative sense of these scriptural requirements. The moral agency of all dependant rational creatures, is another plain and obvious truth. Of this we have infallible evidence, because we are conscious of its truth. We are conscious of choosing, and no person ever looks any farther in himself, than the choice, for moral agency. To say free choice, or free will, does not simplify moral agency in the least; but is a It is absurd to suppose, that a good heart is a natural talent; because a good heart is virtually all that can be required. 1 墅。 i of 2 consulting which he is capable of thy God with all thy heart, and thy constantly knowing his duty in every respect. This knowledge of right and wrong binds every moral agent to do right, and avoid doing wrong. It is a divine and infallible maxim, that "he that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Our knowledge of the divine supremacy and authority, binds us to constant submission to his will. Our knowledge of the divine perfections, binds us to love God, and confide in him with all our hearts and strength, constant. Our knowledge of the divine favours to us, binds us to constant gratitude. Our knowledge of the divine will, binds us to constant obedience. Our knowledge of our own sinfulness, binds us to constant repentance and self-abasement. Every natural talent, and every divine favour, creates corresponding obligation to use it, in the divine service. neighbour as thyself;" and we are informed, that on these two commands, hang all the law and the prophets." Some, indeed, affirm, that we may have some moral goodness without being willing to give up a less temporal or eternal good of our own, for the glory of God, or for the greater good of others: but this is absurd; for this is the very principle upon which all true obedience to the divine law is founded. Dr. Ely, in a late sermon published in the Philadelphian, has remarked, with much better logic than appears in the sermon generally, "that a true Christian must be willing to perish for the glory of God, is a legitimate inference from the proposition, that all righteousness consists in the disinterested love of universal being." If the disinterested love of Paul and Moses, led the one to be willing to be to be "accursed from That all moral goodness consists Christ," and the other to be willing in the various modifications of dis- 'to be blotted out of the book of life,' interested affection, is an obvious merely for the sake of the salvation and elementary principle of true of their brethren; most certainly religion. All our actions are either they ought to have been willing to selfish or disinterested; but who have endured as much self-denial, can believe, that there is any mor- if necessary to promote the glory of al excellence in selfishness? Our God. Indeed it is impossible to consciences never approve of sel- conceive, that disinterested love can fishness, but only of benevolent af- be the least selfish, or that any modfections. According to the scrip- ification of selfishness can be right tures, love is the fulfilling of the in the sight of God or man. This law. And as all selfishness, and will be more obvious from the exisespecially all religious selfishness, tence of another elementary truth: is condemned by our Saviour, who is an infallible interpreter of the divine law, we know that nothing but disinterested love can fulfil it. Indeed our Saviour hath expressly affirmed, that this is the sum and substance of what is required, in both the law and gospel. No language can define disinterested love more fully and accurately than the phrase, thou shalt love the Lord That all selfishness is sin. As early as we know any thing respecting right and wrong, we know that selfishness is wrong. Satan could not have conceived of a charge better adapted to refute the divine declaration respecting the moral excellence of Job, than to accuse him of selfishness in all his religion.— The bitterest enemies of missions, never attempt to bring a higher charge against those who are engaged in missionary exertions, than to accuse them of labouring for the sake of honour, and glory and wealth, which are selfish motives. It is impossible to bring a more degrading charge against any person, than to accuse him of perfect and constant selfishness. Those who believe there is nothing in religion, draw their inference from the assumed maxim, that religion is all selfish. That selfishness is the essence of moral depravity, is the language of common sense, and agrees with the universal practice of mankind, as well as with the scriptures, which represent it as the root of all evil.— Every child adopts this maxim, when he complains of injury; which proves, that we know that selfishness is wrong, as early as we know any thing respecting moral conduct. The doctrine of future rewards and punishments, agrees with the common apprehensions of mankind. Though we are dependant on divine revelation, for a knowledge of the future destiny of creatures; yet what is revealed respecting this subject, agrees with the spontaneous dictates of every person's reason and conscience. Sin and suffering are connected by the plainest principles of justice and righteousness. No person can help feeling, that sin deserves punishment. This feeling is impressed upon us in childhood, in youth, and especially in seasons of danger and death. From the obvious perfections and feelings of God, we should naturally expect, that he would make a difference between the holy and profane, "between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." These first principles of true religion, are some of the most plain and obvious truths in the scriptures, or in the system of natural theology. Indeed, they are so obvious, that the sacred writers generally take them for granted, whenever they are treating on subjects of a moral nature. This is the case whenever appeals are made to the conscience. And human authorities always adopt these truths, or the substance of them, as the basis of all law, and of all moral obligation. These are the sincere milk of the word of life, which is adapted to the capacity and apprehension of babes in knowledge and it is easy to see several reasons why they are so easily apprehended. Some of these I shall mention, in the sequel of this essay. [To be continued.] For the Hopkinsian Magazine. AN EXPOSITION OF ISAIAH, IX. 7. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. There can be no doubt that the word government here implies the administration of the affairs of Christ's kingdom and the displays of wisdom, majesty and goodness which it involves. And peace in the Old estament is frequently used to denote prosperity, and here it implies the whole happiness of Christ's kingdom. Government and peace, as they are here used, stand related to each other, as cause and effect. Wherever Christ extends his reign, the empire of peace and happiness is enlarged and confirmed. Happiness is the end of his government, and we may consider the one as implying the other. The sense of the text then is this, that Christ's government, implying all the displays of God's perfections, which are made in its administration, and the happiness produced by it, is eternally to increase. God, in his infinite wisdom, did not choose to set up his kingdom in all its perfection, at the beginning. But having planted it as a grain of inestard seed, he ordained to promote its growth by perceptible degrees, in order that the glory of his power and goodness may be seen at every succeeding step, and thus a more full and vivid impression be made on his intelligent creatures. If God could have accomplished all the ends of his kingdom by a single effort of omnipotence, this one event could not bring out to view so much of the skill and power of the great efficient cause, as would a succession of connected events. In this present system, omnipotence and omniscience are, as it were, analyzed and exhibited in their parts; and thus brought down nearer to our comprehension. The perfections of God are exhibited in ten thousand modes and forms, of which otherwise we must have been ignorant. As God is brought out to view in the results which he brings from the opposite principles which he has given to matter; so trom the continual triumphs of the principles of his kingdom over those of darkness from his bringing order from confusion, good from evil, and light from darkness, is he shedding around the lustre of his perfections. The sentiment ofthe text is fully exemplified in the history of the past. The progress of the Church on the whole has ever been increasing. The first ray of celestial light, which greeted fallen man, has, unobstructed and unclouded, been continually spreading and brightenLing into perfect day. But in prophetic perspective, we can behold a still more glorious increase-can behold a day in which the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold as the light of seven days, in one day. The present glory of the Church is but the morning star, the precurser of millennial splendours. In prophetic vision, we can see thrones crumbling, and empires dissolving, and their elements combining to enlarge and confirm the realms of the Prince of Peace, till all nations under the whole heavens shall be subject to his government; and then the Church shall continue to increase with the population of the world, till the end of a thousand years, till the winding up this earthly scene, till all its members are collected into one body, and their stations fixed for eternity. And even now its increase has not come to an end. Follow it on through the trackless abyss of eternity, and it shall continue to increase. I do not say it will increase in numbers. Happiness is its end. and an increase of happiness is all that is essential. And the nature of the human soul lays a foundation for an eternal increase of happiness. It is in its nature progressive in all its faculties. No bounds can be set to its improvement in knowledge. Every new idea which it gains is an accession to its strength. And it cannot rest till it has compassed all things with their qualities and relations throughout the universe-til! it has measured the heights and depths of infinity. And its capacity for happiness will keep pace with its intellectual powers. The faculties of reason are the inlets of pleasure or pain to the soul, according as they are directed by holiness or sin. And every new idea which enters the mind of the perfectly holy, brings a new occasion of joy. So long then as there is any thing to be learned of God and his works, so long will the soul be rising higher and higher in wisdo:n and bliss.Of course, so surely as God is infinite, so surely will the increase of its happiness be infinite. And the same truth is confirmed |
