Sermons on Various Important Subjects Part 2

Of external, the chief are miracles and prophecy. Miracles carried conviction to beholders; and were designed to give credibility to special messengers. Prophecy is a standing evidence, by which testimony is borne to the truth of revelation; yea, it is a growing evidence, which gains strength by every fulfillment.

Some may envy those who lived in this age of miracles supposing them sufficient to banish every doubt. But the proof arising from the fulfillment of prophecy, which we enjoy above them, is equal if not superior to theirs.

The prophecies contain sketches of the history of man, and of the plan of providence, from their respective dates to the end of the world.

Those which relate _to the declensions of religion, which were to take place under the gospel dispensation_, will now only be considered.

From those declensions, arguments are drawn against the truth of Christianity. Was Christianity from G.o.d, he would verify the declaration made by him who claimed to be his Son. _The gates of h.e.l.l shall not prevail against it_. But they do prevail. What was once said of its author, _Behold the world is gone after him,_ will now apply to its enemy. This religion is not therefore from G.o.d, but of man's device. Propt up as it is, by human laws, and supported by "the powers that be," it totters towards ruin. Left to itself, it would soon fall and come to nought.

Such are the proud vauntings of infidelity, when "iniquity abounds and the love of many waxeth cold." So when Christ hung on the cross, and when he slept in the tomb, ignorant of consequences, his disciples "wept and lamented, and the world rejoiced;" but the time was short.

Soon the world was confounded and the "sorrow of his disciples was turned into joy." IF the declensions which we witness, are foretold in scripture, they are no occasion of surprize.

Yea, instead of weakening our faith, they may reasonably increase it.

And when we consider the a.s.surances given us, that these declensions were to antecede the universal prevalence of true religion; they may also serve to increase our hope.

To _shew that these declensions are foretold, and that we may expect yet greater abominations, than have hitherto appeared_, is attempted in the following discourse.

When _the son of man cometh shall he find faith on the earth_?

That Christ is here intended by the Son of man; and that faith will be rare among men at the coming of his, referred to, are not doubtful matters. But what coming of Christ is here referred to? This is first to be ascertained.

The coming of Christ refers in the scripture, to several events.

Sometimes to his incarnation; sometimes to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jewish polity; sometimes to his coming to judgment; and sometimes to the beginning of that universal dominion which he is to exercise on earth in the latter days. Each of these is the subject of several prophecies.

Christ's incarnation, or his coming to dwell with men, and to obey and suffer for their redemption, was a princ.i.p.al subject of the old testament prophecies. "To him gave all the prophets witness."

The divine justice executed on the Jews, in the destruction of their chief city, and polity, is also termed Christ's coming. This was the subject of several prophecies of old. It was foretold by Moses, and sundry others who lived before the gospel day; but more particularly by Christ, in person just before his sufferings. To this event the desolations foretold in the twenty fourth of Matthew, and its parallels in the other gospels, had a primary reference. The metaphors used to describe it are strong. They have been supposed to refer to the general judgment; and they have, no doubt an ultimate reference to it. But they refer, more immediately to another coming of Christ; his coming to render to the Jews according to their demerits as a people, soon after they should have filled up the measure of their iniquity by his crucifixion; which by the circ.u.mstances attending it, became a national act.

That this coming of Christ was particularly intended in those predictions, is, from several considerations apparent. That the Christians of that age, who were conversant with the apostles, and instructed by them, received this to be the meaning of those prophecies, and that they fled at the approach of the Roman armies, and escaped the destruction which came on the Jews, are matters of notoriety. And that this was the primary meaning of those prophecies, is further evident from an express declaration which they contain; "_Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pa.s.s away till all these things be fulfilled_." This closeth the prophecy. The whole must therefore have received a primary accomplishment, "before that generation did pa.s.s away." This was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem by t.i.tus.

Christ's coming to judgment, is often foretold in every part of the new testament, to pa.s.s over the intimations given of it in the old.

But none of these can be _the coming of the Son of man_, referred to in the text. That it cannot refer to his incarnation is evident, from the time in which the declaration in the text was made. His coming in the flesh had been then accomplished.

Neither can it refer to his coming to punish Jewish apostasy and ingrat.i.tude; or to his coming to judge the world in righteousness, because the moral state of the world at neither to those periods, answers to the description here given. _Shall he find faith on the earth_?

The ruin of the Jews by the Roman armies, happened about thirty six years after Christ's crucifixion. Long ere that time the spirit had been poured out, and many had embraced the gospel. The apostles and evangelists, had gone, not only to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but also into the way of the Gentiles;" had called "those who were afar off, as well as those who were near; their sound had gone into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." Neither had they labored among the Gentiles in vain. St. Paul spake by the Spirit when he declared to the Jews that the salvation of G.o.d was sent unto the Gentiles, and they would hear it. His word was verified.

"Many were added to the Lord, and the number of the disciples was multiplied."

Such was the state of the world, at that _coming of the Son of man.

Faith was then to be found on the earth_, if not among Jews.

When Christ shall come to judgment, we have reason to believe, that faith will also be found on earth; and more than at that period we have now considered.

The scriptures of both testaments, abound with predictions of the universal prevalence of religion, in the latter days; of the whole worlds rejoicing under the auspicious government of the Prince of Peace; of restraints laid on the powers of darkness, that they should not deceive and seduce mankind. And though we are taught that "the old serpent will afterwards be loosed, for a little season, and go forth to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,"

we have no intimation that the main body of the Church will be corrupted by his influence, or injured by his power. His adherents may "compa.s.s the camp of the saints, and the beloved city," but will make no attack upon them. "Fire will come down from G.o.d out of heaven, and destroy them." By some special, perhaps miraculous interpolation of providence, the people of G.o.d will be protected and delivered.

St. john, who gives more particulars of the latter day glory, than those who had gone before him, fixes the term Christ's reign on earth a thousand years, which he represents to be those _next preceding_ the judgment. And agreeably to the statement which he hath made, a numerous body of saints will then be found to welcome their Lord, and rejoice before him at his coming.

To this agree the other prophets who treat of this subject. No other limits the term of Christ's reign; or mentions Satan's being enlarged and permitted any measure of deceptive influence, after the restraints laid upon him at the beginning Christ's reign. But others foretell the happy day, and several seem to dwell delightfully upon it, and represent it as continuing to the end of time; and none give the remotest hint that it is to terminate, and iniquity again to become universally prevalent.

Isaiah often mentions it, and dilates more largely upon it than any other who lived before the gospel day. From his representations we should expect it to terminate _only with time_. "I will make the an _eternal_ excellency--violence shall _no more be heard_ in thy land; wasting nor destruction within thy borders--the sun shall be _no more_ thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee, but the Lord shall be unto thee _an everlasting light_, and thy G.o.d thy glory--the days of thy mourning _shall be ended_--thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land _forever_."

By the little horn in Daniel's vision, Antichrist is doubtless intended. When at his fall Christ is to take the kingdom; or it is to be given to his people, it is to be an abiding kingdom. "And there was given unto him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages, should serve him; _his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pa.s.s away, an his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed_."

This is a prophecy of the universal prevalence of true religion in the last days, after the reign of Antichrist shall have come to an end. By the explanation in the latter part of the chapter, the saints are from that period to have the dominion. It is no more to be taken from them.

"The saints of the most high shall take the kingdom, and _possess the kingdom for ever, even forever and ever_--and the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most high, _whose kingdom is an ever lasting kingdom_, and all dominion shall serve and obey him."

These representations agree with that made to St. John, who saw the church guarded and protected from infernal power and influence, at the close of the millennium. The only difference consists in the mention of a few particulars by the apostle, which were not communicated to the prophets; such as the term of Christ's reign on earth; and some fruitless attempts of the powers of darkness against his people, after that term shall have expired.

The coming to judgment cannot therefore be intended in the text.

_There will then be faith on the earth_. But if we consider "that which is noted in the scripture of truth," respecting the moral state of the world before and at the time of Christ's coming to reign upon it, we shall find it answering to this description.

We will therefore, first take a general view _of the prophecies respecting the moral state of the world, under the gospel dispensation? Then a more particular view of the great declensions which were to take place, with a special reference to the state of religion at the approach of the latter day glory_.

The Savior, in person, and by his Spirit, gave general intimations to the apostles, of the times which were to pa.s.s over them, and over his church. When they were ordered to preach the gospel in all the world, beginning at Jerusalem, they were forewarned that the Jews would reject their testimony, and persecute them, as they had persecuted their Lord--that soon after "there would be great distress in that land, and wrath upon that people--that they would fall by the sword; be led captive into all nations, and that Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles, till the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled."

The comforter which was to "teach them all things," not only explaining the nature of Christianity, and causing them to understand it, but also to unveil futurity before them, taught them, that after the Jews had rejected the gospel, the Gentiles would receive it, and the church grow and become great; that a falling away would afterwards follow, which would spread wide, and continue for a longtime, till it became nearly total; that when such was the state of the church, Christ would come, take the kingdom, and reign on earth.

Such were the outlines of futurity, relative to Christianity, as sketched out before the apostles. But if we descend to particulars, and examine the prophecies with attention, we shall find that the defections, which were to take place antecedent to the reign of the Redeemer, were to be of two kinds--that they were to arise at different times, and from different sources--that one was to be a corruption of religion, the other a rejection of it--that the former was to antecede and prepare the way for the latter.

This will be the subject: of another discourse.

SERMON IV.

_The Declensions of Christianity, an Argument of its Truth_.

Luke xviii. 8.

"_When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth_?"

That the coming of the Son of man, is here intended of Christ's coming at the commencement of the latter day glory, hath been alleged in the preceding discourse, and several considerations adduced in proof.

Additional evidence will arise from a view of the prophecies _relative to the great declensions_ which were to take place in the church, during the gospel day. These, we observed, are of two kinds, one, a _corruption of religion_, the other _its rejection_.

The intimations given of them in the new testament, are chiefly found in the writings of St, Paul, Peter and John. They are noticed also by Jude. The two former suffered martyrdom under Nero. When the time of their departure drew nigh, they had separately a view of the then future state of the church; "particularly of the declension which were to take place in the kingdoms of this world, shall become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ." St. John had the same opened to his view in the isle of Patmos.

St. Paul in his second epistle to the Thessalonians, after rectifying the mistake of those who thought the day of judgment then at hand, proceeded to inform them that there would be great declensions in the church before the end of the world. "Let no man deceive you, by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth himself above all that is called G.o.d, or is worshipped; so that as G.o.d, he sitteth in the temple of G.o.d, shewing himself that he is G.o.d." The antichristian defection is here evidently intended. The apostle toucheth on the same subject in his first epistle to Timothy, and directs him "to put the brethren in remembrance of these things,"

to prevent surprise when they should happen. This was the first great declension which was to be permitted in the church.

In his second epistle to the same Christian bishop, written not long before his death, he resumes the subject of the defections which were to happen in the church, but with a more particular reference to defections of a different kind, and of a latter date. Having exhorted Timothy to faithfulness in the discharge of official duty, he adds a reason; "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own l.u.s.ts, shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

This doth not answer to the Romish defection. It was never the character of that church to "heap to themselves teachers." They never ran after those of other persuasions, who brought new doctrines. Their errors were of the contrary kind. They rejected and persecuted every teacher who did not derive from their _infallible head_, and teach as he directed. But "itching ears" have misled many of those, who "are moved away from the hope of the gospel. By turning to fables they have made shipwreck of faith, and fallen a prey to those who lie in wait to deceive."

St. peter wrote with equal plainness of the general defections; but those of infidelity are the subject of his prophecies--"There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in d.a.m.nable heretics, _even denying the Lord that bought them_, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the truth shall be evil spoken of." The heresies here intended are depicted too minutely to be mistaken. The heresiarchs are described as immoral, vain and proud, pretending to superior knowledge and penetration, despising law and government, and trampling them under their feet.