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and I will proclaim the name of we may live to his glory, and be happy in the enjoyment of him for ever.

If we would thus live. to the glory of God and be hap

the Lord, before theeAnd the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-py, we must endeavor to extend suffering, and abundant in good the knowledge, advance the honess and truth; keeping mercy nor, and promote the success of for thousands, forgiving iniqui- the Christian institution, letting, ty, transgression and sin; and our conversation be as it becom that will by no means clear the eth the gospel of Christ. guilty. Goodness is the es- 2. If God make his glory the sence, and the glory of the end of all his plans and operadivine nature; and wisdom and tions, and the same ought to be holiness, justice and truth are the greatest object of all intellithe modifications of love and gences, then we see the pergoodness. These attributes of verseness of those, who, instead Deity appear more glorious to of aiming supremely at the dius in the wonderful scheme of vine glory, employ all their redemption, than they appear in strength to dishonor God, and any other way known to us. to destroy the good which he And likewise in this scheme, the has in view. God is infinitely greatest and most precious bles-wise, great and good, the source sings that were ever known, are of all being, perfection and hapreceived and enjoyed by men.piness. There is none good but The apostle says, We have re- God; and in him centres every demption through Christ's blood, perfection which can compose even the forgiveness of sins, ac- the greatest and most amiable cording to the riches of the grace character possible. It is only of God, wherein he hath abounded by the display of his character toward us in all wisdom and pru- that good can be enjoyed by dence. If therefore, the scheme creatures; and the more it is of redemption is wisely calcula displayed, the greater is the lated, above every thing else that quantity of happiness communiever appeared, to advance the cated to them. It is perfectly great objects, the glory of God reasonable, therefore, that God and the good of the general sys-alone should be exalted, and have tem, how excellent is the Chris-glory from all his works. Hence tian institution! How worthy is how perverse are they, who the gospel of our most cordial | would rob God of his glory and reception and grateful acknowl-set up self? Such act contrary edgment of our admiration and to the reason and fitness of esteem of our attention, peru- things; yea, and contrary to sal and daily study! How pre- their own interest. For we have cious should it be in our eyes, no sufficiency of ourselves but and to our hearts! All other all our sufficiency is of God. knowledge is of little importance All whose hearts are under compared to this. This only is the dominion of sin, quarrel able to make us wise to salva- with the plory of God; for sin tion. This makes a wonderful is opposed to God, and fills the discovery of the glorious char-heart with enmity to him. All acter of God; and shews how who have not God in their tho'ts,

and regard not his authoritywho cast off fear and restrain prayer-who live in the neglect of the instituted means of grace, and in the habitual practice of any known sin-bring reproach upon the religion of Christ, and cause his doctrine and the name of God to be blasphemed, and manifest great perverseness of heart. They are enemies to God and Christ, to the divine government and holiness, to every thing that is amiable, to the happines of man and the whole universe. They discover an unwillingness that the only Fountain of good should be poured forth; they judge themselves unworthy of the favor of God; and instead of doing all things to his glory, and their own good, through a false bias, or a wrong conception of things, they do all things to his dishonor and their own hurt, and set up self to their own ruin.

glory of his grace, the wicked shall be to the praise of the glory of his justice. What if God, says the apostle, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory? Thus it appears that the glory of God shall not fail; but that he will get glory to himself whether men be righteous or wicked. The difference in their characters only affects their own condition. If they are reconciled to his character and government, and have a single aim at his glory in all they do, they will meet with an everlasting blessing and reward :But, if they continue obstinate, and will not seek after the things which God requires, they will meet an everlasting punishment from the presence of God and the glory of his power. Let all, then,

3. If God has made his glory the end of all his conduct, and made it the duty of all intelli-be exhorted to examine themgences to do the same, then we selves and become acquainted may rest assured that this ob-with the motives of their actions, ject shall not fail. Sin tends to and for God's sake, for Christ's dishonor God and produce mis-sake, yea, and for their own ery; but God can overrule it to a different issue. He can make it subservient to his glory and the eventual happiness of his obedient subjects. This he will do; for he is unchangeable, and will not give up the object which he has always pursued. In this world, while the righteous glorify him by bearing much good fruit, the evil fruit of the wick

soul's sake, renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, and pursue the great end of all created existence, even the glory of God displayed in the general good of the system, and whether they eat or drink, or whatever they do, do all to his glory. A. U.

ed, both as individuals and pub- On the Commands of the Old Tes

lic bodies, he will turn to good, and cause it to redound to the glory of his great name. And whilst the righteous shall be everlastingly to the praise of the

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there are numbers of people in New-England, who profess themselves Christians, and yet avow the opinion, that no commands in the Old Testament are at present binding on men, unless such as are repeated in the New Testament, and on account of such repetition. This amounts to the assertion, that the ancient dispensation, like an old will, is set aside, or superseded by the new.

It is thought, that a short essay on the obligation and perpetuity of the laws and commands of God, may be useful in discussing this subject.

And

now binding upon men.
that there might now be no
doubt whether their obligation
had ceased, and whether all their
ends as laws were answered,
God has been pleased to give us
express information, that they
have answered their ends, and
are no longer laws to the world.
The whole typical and ceremo-
nial system of Moses is of this
nature, and the distinction be-
tween meats clean and unclean,
and between Jews and Gentiles.
The vision of Peter, when God
directed him to go to Cornelius,
was given for this purpose. The
epistle to the Hebrews, and a
number of observations in the
other writings of the apostle
Paul, teach us, that since Christ
the antitype has arisen from the
dead, these distinctions and sha-

present obligation. Let no man
therefore judge you in meat, or
in drink, &c. which are a sha-
dow of things to come, but the
body is of Christ. It may be
incorrect to say that these laws
are repealed, in any other sense
than it is proper to say, that the
command to Noah to build the
ark is repealed. It may be
more proper to say, that God has
informed us, that having answer-
ed their end, they have ceased
to be laws.

1. The obligation of all commands eeases, when all the purposes for which they are given are known to be fully answered. Of this nature is a multitude of divine commands, which are re-dows are out of use, as to any corded both in the Old Testament and the New. They were once obligatory on certain men, but they have long since answered the particular purposes for which they were given, and their obligation has ceased. The commands to Noah that he should build the ark, to Abraham that he should offer up Isaac as a burnt offering, to Moses and Joshua that Israel should be led from Egypt, and put in possession of Canaan, and to Thomas that he should reach his hand, and feel out the wounds of Christ, have answered their purposes, and are not now obligatory on any men. There are numerous commands, which, on this account, are similar to those just mentioned.

2. There are some commands, which were a law to many successive generations of men, which have so answered all their ends as laws, that they are not

3. All laws and commands, which respect things which no more exist, are no longer laws to men; such are the commands which respected the service of the tabernacle and temple.

There are indeed useful instructions to be derived from the commands of God respecting the temple, the ark, the types and the directions to Noah, Abraham and Thomas; and on this account they still answee

valuable ends, and are by the the duties arising out of the rewisdom of God judged worthylations in which we stand to God,

of a place in his word, though as laws they are no longer of any obligation.

as good, as our Creator and our Redeemer, and in which we stand to our fellow men. They derive their authority, both from the commands of God, and from the nature of those relations, and are as perpetual as the relations themselves.

4. There are no intimations, either in the Old Testament or the New, that any laws or commands have ceased to be such, except those which either relate to things that no longer exist, 7. All positive commands, or of which the ends are already once enjoined, remain for ever answered. People indeed are binding, unless God repeal them, not under obligations to obey, as he did the command to offer where some natural impossibili-Isaac, or the reasons of them are ties withstand them. Such as certainly at an end, as the comsickness in relation to the command to build the ark; for the mand directing us to attend pub- authority of God is perpetual, lic worship: but no repeal of and therefore where the reasons any other laws is suggested nor of his command or prohibition are any intimations given, that are unknown, and he does not they have ceased to be obligato-expressly revoke it, it would be ry. Nor is there any intima- arrogance in us to presume that tion that the New Testament we are absolved from its obligawas given to abrogate the Old, tion. only as by bringing the world into different circumstances, many of the ancient types are superseded by their antitype.

8. There is no instance in which the New Testament professes to receive, confirm or reenact any law of doctrine or practice enjoined in the Old. Testament; but when it has occasion to speak of them it is as of laws already in full force. And it assures us expressly, that all scripture is given by inspira tion of God and is profitable,that Christ came not to destroy the law or the prophets; and it often quotes the Old Testament as an authority, as Christ did when he said, It is written, thou

5. All laws and commands are of perpetual obligation, respecting doctrines which relate to God, his perfections and administrations, which relate to Christ and his mediation, and which relate to the natural state of mankind, their relation to God as his creatures, their regeneration, and the only foundation of their final justification. They are the laws of our faith, and are immutable in their na-shalt worship the Lord thy God, ture and obligation, whether found in the Old Testament or in the New, or in both; and therefore their omission in the New Testament, or the Old, cannot affect their present authority.

6. The same is true of all moral precepts, which respect

and when he summed up the decalogue, not as re-enacting it, but explaining it, saying, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, &c. It in no instance derogates from its authority, but always honors it. When it supersedes its rituals, it is by fulfilling their end, and

hot by abrogating or repealing | A Dissertation on the Atonement.

the Old Testament, either in

whole or in part, and it ever acknowledges and asserts its excellence and authority.

9. There are some things commanded in the Old Testament and not repeated in the new, which are of such a nature, that the very heathen, by the light of nature, consider them as binding. Such are the prohibition of marriages, where the parties are in the nearest relations of consanguinity, as those of mother and daughter, and other unnatural alliances.

It therefore appears, that the commands of the Old Testament do not derive their present authority from being re-enacted, in the New, but are as binding as the commands in the New Testament; there is no difference in their obligation. Both are equally not binding when the ends for which they were given are clearly answered, as the direction to the fishermen to cast their net on the other side of the boat; both do not bind us, when the things or circumstances respected in the command do not exist, or when by reason of sickness or other natural inabilities, they cannot be obeyed; and both are binding in all other

cases whatsoever.

Hence it is plain, that those who disbelieve the authority of the Old Testament at present, are far advanced in the path of infidelity, and manifest a strong inclination to absolve themselves as much as possible, from the obligations of divine authority.

VOL. VI. NO. 6.

MYRIS.

I

(Continued from p. 166.) ́

NOW proceed to observe,

II. The offering and sacri fice which Christ hath made of himself, on our account and for our sins, answers the aforementioned purposes, which the penalty of the law was designed to answer; and so declares the righteousness of God, that he can be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus.

To illustrate and establish the truth of this observation, it may be proper to descend to several particulars, viz.

1. Christ is truly a man, possessed of all that is essential to human nature; and truly God, possessed of all divine attributes and perfections, as fully as the Father. "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." He is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his personHe assumed the human nature into such union with his divinity, that though he is both God and man, yet his person is one-both natures being so united in him, as to constitute but one person. Therefore, although the divinity, abstractly considered, cannot; be supposed to have suffered; yet the person that obeyed andr offered himself a sacrifice, was truly a divine person, and conse-, quently of more dignity and worth than the whole race of mankind, or even the whole system of mere created intelligences.

2. In conformity to the agree-ment between the Father and the Son, he was made under the law, and took on him the form

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