and wicked but God cannot be otherwife than just and holy. For the only reasons of our failing to do right are, that we either perceive not what is fo, or else are tempted to act contrary to our perceptions: but God is fubject to no mistake, or weaknefs of any kind. And, which is the happiest attribute of all for his Creation, he must be likewise good. For goodness is plainly a right thing; and therefore he must fee it to be fo it is plainly a perfection; and therefore the perfectest Being muft poffefs it in the highest degree. We should be always good curfelves, if nothing milled us and him nothing can mislead. But the most valuable proof is, that we experience his goodness: for we live in a world full of it. All that we enjoy, and every capacity of enjoyment that we have, proceeds from him. Moft of what we fuffer proceeds from our own faults and follies. And fo much of it as comes wholly from his providence, is defigned for our present im provement and future reward; unless by obftinate misbehaviour we become unfit for reward: and then we have only ourselves to blame. For as God is knowing and wife; he cannot but obferve the difference between good perfons and bad as he is just and holy; he cannot take pleasure in thofe, who are otherwife: and as he is the Governor of the world; he cannot fail to fhow his displeasure, in that effectual manner which the ends of government require. And they certainly do require the bad to be punished, as well as the good to be made happy. Such then is the nature of God: to whom in the Creed the name of Father is given, as he is both the Father of the Creation by forming it, and alfo the Father of our Lord Jefus Christ, and thro' him our gracious, and reconciled Father, as fhall hereafter be explained. The next word, Almighty, denotes, not barely his irrefiftable power, but principally that rightful and absolute authority, with which his kingdom ruleth over all*. And the last words of the description, Maker of heaven and earth, are added; partly to exprefs the ground of that authority, his being the Creator, and therefore the proprietor, of the world; and partly in oppofition to the errors of the heathen, who worshipped many beings in the heavens and the earth, as gods; which, in thefe terms of our Creed, are by evident confequence declared to be no gods, because they *Pfalm ciii. 19. they are the work of his hands, of whom and through whom and to rubom are all things The duties, owing to this our awful Sovereign, will be specified in expounding the ten commandments, particularly the firft. At present therefore I shall only beg you to remember the apostle's exhortation: Take heed, brethren, left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Godt. Nothing but an evil heart can make unbelief defiraþle, or even supportable. For to every good heart it must be the greatest joy, to know that the world is governed by infinite wisdom, juftice and goodnefs; and the greatest affliction,' to have any doubt of it. If therefore you find the thought of fuch a governor unwelcome; if you could inwardly with there were none; be affured, your heart is not right. And thought you could, with fuch a difpofition, bring yourself almost, or completely, to imagine there is none: what poffible fecurity can shutting your eyes give you against danger; or what excufe can wilfully denying God make for disobeying him? But then obferve further, that fuppofing you do not disbelieve a God at all, yet if you never think of him, this is not, to any good purpose, believing in him at all: and if you think of him but feldom, it is believing in him but little. He, on whom we depend continually, to whom we owe duty conti nually, in whofe prefence we continually are, ought never to be far from our thoughts: but we should set him before our eyes fo conftantly, as to live in his fear always. Doing this needs not keep us from common business; it needs not keep us from innocent pleafures. But it should influence us all effectually, (and happy are we if it doth,) to conduct ourselves in every thing, as perfons who act under the inspection of a wife and juft fuperior: whom we may indeed forget, if we will; but fhall be remembered by him from whom we may depart, but cannot efcape. In our choice it is, whether we will be the better or the worse for him. But one we must: and that beyond expreffion. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing; whether it be good, or whe 'ther it be evil §. LECTURE VII. CRE E D. Article II.And in Jefus Chrift his only Son our Lord." To believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, is the univerfal Creed of nature and reason. But Divine Revelation adds further profeffions to it; of which the first is, that of faith in our ever bleffed Redeemer : whofe direction was, Ye believe in God: believe alfo in me*. Therefore, that we may believe in him as we ought, he is described, in the Creed, by his name and offices, his relation to God, and to us. 1. His name, Jefus: by which indeed many of the Jews were called: but it was given him in obedience to an appointment from heaven, made with a peculiar regard to its proper meaning. For it fignifies, a Saviour: which is a title conferred, in a lower sense, on several perfons in fcripture, who delivered others from confiderable dangers or evils, or obtained for them confiderable benefits and advantages. Thus the judges of the Ifraelites, that freed them from the oppreffion of their enemies, are faid to be faviours, whom God raised up to them. And Joshua, who brought them out of the wilderness into the land of Canaan, fubdued it, and put them in poffeffion of it, not only was in these respects a faviour to them; but from a forefight that he would, was called fo, as his proper nåme. For Joshua and Jefus are, in the original, the fame word; only pronounced a little differently. And hence Fofbua is conftantly called Jefus in the Greek language, and even in our tranflation of the New Teftament, the two only times that he is mentioned there ‡. But if he deserved to be named a Saviour, how much more did that perfon, who hath taught and enabled us to overcome our fpiritual, which are infinitely our worst enemies who hath obtained for us, on moft equitable terms, deliverance from the punishment due t VOL. IV. * John xiv. 1. M m † Judges iii. 9, 15. Nehem. ix. 27; † Acts vii. 45. Heb. iv, 8. our guilt; who hath defroyed, on our behalf, death, and him that had the power of death*; and will bestow on us eternal falvation, in the kingdom of heaven? With perfect juftice there, fore was the order given to his Virgin Mother, Tho:: falt call his name, Fefus: for he shall fave his people from their finst: on ly let us remember, that none will be faved from them hereafter, that continue to live in them here. For is the holy Jefus the minifter of fin? God forbid ‡. " 2. His offices are expreffed by the word, Chrift. This and the Hebrew word, Meffiah, to which it anfwers, in their li teral meaning fignify, anointed. Oil was anciently in very high esteem among the eastern nations on various accounts. And, as they were wont to exprefs almost every matter of importance by actions, as well as words; one way of fetting any thing apart, and appropriating it to an honourable use, was by anointing it with oil. Therefore we find Jotham, in his parable, makes the olive tree speak of its fatness, as that wherewith they honour God and man §. Accordingly the tabernacle, and temple, and their furniture, were confecrated by anointing them. And almost every facrifice had oil, mixed with flour, added to it, when it was offered up. Nor was it ufed only to fuch things, but fuch perfons, as were diftinguished in honour above others: To kings; who are thence frequently ftiled in fcripture, The Lord's Anointed: To priests, concerning whom God commands, in the cafe of Aaron and his fons, Thou shalt anoint them, that they may minifter to me in the Priefs office : And lastly, to prophets; as where Elijah is directed to anoint Elisha prophet in his room¶. ? And when once, by custom, anointing came to fignify raifing any one to a station of dignity, the fame word was used, even on occafions where no oil was actually employed*. Thus when Elijah was bid to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, and Elifba for prophet in his own room: we find not that he ever did * Heb. ii. 14. + Matth. i. 21. || Exod. xl. 15. Gal. ii. 17. § Judg. ix. 9, it The Jews fay that w, Unction, fignifies, principality and greatness, ;1771731 m'ap y. Reland. Ant. Hebr. ar. 2. c. 8. § 6. and fee this further proved, ib. c. 9. § 6. it literally. Again, when God is introduced, as faying of the Jewish Patriarchs, before Mofes, Touch not mine Anointed, and do my Prophets no harm †: we have no ground to think, that they were ever intitled to this name by any folemn outward unction, performed upon them: but only by the distin guished favour and regard of Heaven. And in this sense it was, that God anointed our Saviour with the oil of gladness above his fellows: that is, exalted him to a rank of dignity and honour beyond all creatures. For in his perfon were united thofe three offices, in the highest degree, to which, you have feen, perfons were anciently set apart by anointing. is He is the greatest Prophet, that ever was having given to mankind the fullest knowledge of God's will, and confirmed his doctrine by the moft illuftrious miracles and predictions. Hence Isaiah, speaking in his name, long before his appearance, gave that description of him, which he fo juftly in the Synagogue applied to himself: The Spirit of the Lord upon me, he hath anointed me§ to preach the gospel to the poor ||. And St Peter, after his refurrection, fays, that God anointed Jefus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghoft and with power. What these words mean, the next explain: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him ¶ and the whole means just the fame thing, with what he elsewhere says, that he was a man approved of God by miracles and wonders and figns*. : 1 In the next place, he is a Prieft of an order, ftrictly speaking, confined to his own perfon, and of which no other ever was or can be; though in fome refpects the Priesthood of Melchizedeck peculiarly resembled and prefigured it. He offered up himself for the fins of mankind, as fhall hereafter be explained to you. With this facrifice he appeared before. God, not in the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but in heaven itfelft; made reconciliation for us with him, derives to us continually bleffings from him; and thus remains for ever an High Prieft over the house of God: M m 2 compa * See 1 Kings xix. 15, 16. Comp. v. 19. and 2 Kings viii. 13. |