word of God:" he is "to give to each a portion in his season." The grand and distinguishing doctrines of the gospel are plain and easy; but they are also most comprehensive. Their truth may be readily acknowledged by all; but to detail and apply them fully is the labour of a whole life. It is easy, for example to admit that we are sinners; and undoubtedly the sinfulness of our nature forms a very important doctrine of the Gospel; but of how small importance is the mere loose and general acknowledgment of this truth! It must be explained. The workings of sin, in its diversified forms, must be pointed out. The numerous lusts of the flesh and spirit which lurk in the human heart, must be stripped of their disguise. The love of ease and of pleasure must be exposed. Pride, whether assuming the character of self-conceit, of boasting, of vanity, or the desire of praise, must be exhibited to view. Covetousness, with its several indications; worldly ambition, in its various shapes; the spirit of impatience, of envy, of resentment, in their secret operations:-all these must be developed, in order that we may truly display the nature and extent of that corruption from which it is the design of the Gospel to set us free. And, without doubt, he who thus exposes sin to view gives also the best proof of the necessity of a Divine Influence on the soul, and is preaching the Gospel as truly and effectually as if he were directly proclaiming the "glad tidings" of forgiveness in Christ Jesus. In like manner, he who largely explains the holy tempers which adorn the character of the renewed man; he who describes the fruits of the Holy Spirit, "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance;" may surely be said to preach the Gospel, provided he neglect not to add a clear and full exhibition of all the other parts of true religion. It is owing to a narrow and imperfect view of the Gospel, that we confine that name to the doctrine of faith in Jesus Christ; we ought to include in it all those other doc VOL. 1. 3 trines which were equally taught by Christ and his Apostles. It appears to have been the practice of our blessed Lord and his Apostles to turn their peculiar attention to the prevailing faults of those whom they addressed: these they forcibly and directly attacked. Our Lord saw that the Pharisees, for example, were the chief opposers of spiritual religion: he therefore constantly reproved them, and exposed their hypocrisy to the people. He perceived that false interpretations were put upon the law of Moses: he therefore gave a full and explicit view of its purity in the Sermon on the Mount. He "marked how the people chose out the chief rooms at a feast:" and hence he took occasion to rebuke pride, and to inculcate humility. He observed the Apostles to be worldly and ambitious: he therefore frequently commended to them heavenly mindedness, and deadness to the things of this world. A great part, also of the Epistles was directed against existing errors and vices. A Corinthian is guilty of incest, or disorderly practices prevail in the administration of the Lord's Supper: these require and receive the correction of the Apostle. It is this particularity of detail in the Epistles which renders them so instructive and interesting. It is thus that Scripture becomes "profitable, not only for doctrine," but "for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The Apostle, actuated by these views, commanded Timothy not only to preach the word, but to "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering;" knowing that "the time would come when men would not endure sound doctrine, but, after their own lusts, should heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." He was to watch against the rising evil, and thus "do the work of an evangelist," and "make full proof of his ministry." The Gospel, it is to be observed, was intended not only to convert men, but to build them up in the faith, Hence we find the love, and the obedience of Christ. By this accommodation of the instructions of the teacher to the circumstances of the hearers, an admirable pattern is afforded of the manner in which we ought to teach others; for, doubtless, the Apostles as much fulfilled the high commission they received from Christ, when they reproved sin, unmasked hypocrisy, and rectified mistakes, as when they first delivered the simple doctrine of Christ dying for sinners, and exhorted men to be reconciled to God. We must guard, then, against an imperfect or partial representation of the truth. Christ, indeed, must always be held up to view as the great agent in our salvation. He must be described as the Spring of all obeSen dience; the son of the system, whose influence will pervade every part; the centre, in which all the rays must meet. But yet the very perfection of preaching consists in filling up this extensive circle, in delivering the whole counsel of God, and in giving to each part a degree of attention that shall be exactly proportioned to its rank and importance. Of the relative importance and rank of these parts a perfect scale is afforded by the Scriptures. These observations may suggest several useful inferences, with which I shall conclude. In They may, in the first place, serve to correct the error of those who would confine the preaching of the Gospel to that particular class of doctrines which relates to the forgiveness of sins by Christ Jesus.-These doctrines, indeed, are the prominent part of the Gospel, but they are not the whole of it. The office of the Christian minister is much more arduous and extensive than this opinion would imply. It requires a deep knowledge of the heart, with all its movements; and a careful attention also to the state of the hearers. some congregations, the exposition of doctrinal truths is chiefly wanted; in others, that of the practical parts of religion is more immediately required; and the preacher must adapt himself to both. To preach the Gospel doctrinally, and to preach it practically, may perhaps appear to superficial judges to be two distinct and even contradictory strains of preaching. Such, however, was the case in respect to St. Paul and St. James. Both preached the Gospel with wisdom and ability; both were inspired by the same Spirit: yet to many the one has doubtless appeared to hold a language inconsistent with that of the other. Cool reflection and attention to circumstances, will serve in this, as in many other instances, to reconcile the apparent contradiction. We may further learn from these observations the necessity of caution in deciding what it is to preach the Gospel.-There are many sources of mistake on this point. Wise, and learned, and good men, have often differed, and even on some questions of importance. Let us not be rash or confident in our judgment. Who has not had occasion to retract errors into which he has fallen? I frankly own that I have varied in my sentiments on some points where I formerly thought that I had truth clearly on my side. I trust that the doctrines I now deliver are those which are clearly contained in the holy Scriptures. I can truly say, they have been adopted after a careful perusal of the Sacred Writings, after much observation of the state of mankind, and much serious reflection. But I would not be confident that I shall never see reason to alter my judgment in some particulars; though not, I trust, upon any material point. It certainly is my earnest and daily prayer to God, that where I am wrong I may be set right; and that I may both clearly perceive, and faithfully preach the whole truth as it is in Jesus. And this alSO I may affirm as before God, that I neither deliver any doctrine without a full conviction of its truth, nor keep back any from regard to man. Still I every day see more strongly the necessity of guarding against that spirit which decides upon great points hastily and dogmatically, and without candour or reflection. It is natural for men to form rash judgments. How striking were the instances of this even in the days of the Apostles! Could there be any doubt, while they were yet alive, as to what was the truth, or who were the preachers of it? Yet even in their congregations, and among the persons awakened by them, false teachers arose, who pretended that they knew the truth better than the Apostles themselves; and, strange to say, they were believed and followed! "Lord, what is man!" How blind and rash; how soon carried away by prejudice, or betrayed by a hasty judgment! Let us, my brethren, learn caution and humility. We may infer, also, from what has been said, that nothing new is to be expected in the preaching of the Gospel. What is new must, on that very account, be false. Yet many persons seem anxious to discover something which was never heard of before; something which is to operate as a charm in effecting their salvation. All that can be delivered by the ablest men has been already revealed in the holy Scriptures; and there truths will be found to be clear in proportion to their importance. Let none of us, then, neglect the treasure we already possess, in order to go in search of something new. Let us take the Bible into our hands, allowing to it its just weight and authority, and it will not fail plainly to make known to us the whole counsel of God. |