SERMON XV.

CONFIRMATION IN THE DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL AN EFFECT OF DIVINE GRACE.

INSTALLATION OF REV. HOLLAND WEEKS, ABINGTON, AUGUST 9, 1815.

BE not carried about with divers and strange doctrines; for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace. - HEBREWS, Xiii. 9.

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THE primitive professors of Christianity were surrounded by enemies, who wished to draw them into their own fatal errors and delusions. The Jewish Scribes and Pharisees, and the Pagan priests and philosophers, were all hostile to the doctrines of the gospel, and employed their learning and subtilty, to subvert these doctrines, and to propagate their own. The apostles, therefore, frequently wrote to those who had professed to embrace Christianity, to guard them against their erroneous enemies, who lay in wait to deceive and to destroy. Paul seldom fails in any of his epistles, to inculcate upon christians the duty and importance of keeping the faith and avoiding error. the fifth chapter of this epistle, he reproves the Hebrews for neglecting to preserve the knowledge, which they once had, of the great truths of the gospel. "When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat." They had lost instead of gaining religious knowledge; which exposed them to be led astray by those who endeavored to overthrow their faith in the gospel. To secure them against this danger, he first exhorts them to remember the faith and example of their deceased teachers, who had spoken unto them the word of God; and then charges them, "Be not carried about with di

vers and strange doctrines; for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace." His obvious meaning is, that grace in their hearts would preserve them from fatal errors, and effectually establish them in the essential doctrines of the gospel. The spirit of the text may be expressed in this general observation:

That the subjects of grace are established in the essential doctrines of the gospel.

I shall endeavor to show,

I. Who are the subjects of grace.

II. What are the essential doctrines of the gospel. And, III. That the subjects of grace are established in these doctrines.

I. We are to consider who are the subjects of

grace.

All men are naturally destitute of grace, and under the entire dominion of a depraved heart. In this state they remain, until they are awakened, convinced, and converted, by the special influences of the Divine Spirit. He makes them sensible of their moral corruption, sets their sins in order before them, causes them to realize their just desert of eternal destruction, and then sheds abroad the love of God in their hearts, and turns them from sin to holiness. They now become conformed to the moral image of God, reconciled to his character, to his laws, to his designs, and to the terms of salvation proposed in the gospel. Their internal views and affections are essentially changed. Old things are passed away, and all things are become new. They have a spiritual discerning of spiritual things, and love holiness in God, and in their fellow creatures. They place God on the throne, and take their proper place at his footstool. They renounce their self righteousness and self dependence, and rely alone upon Christ for pardoning mercy, and choose to be saved through the grace of the gospel. Their selfish heart, which darkened their understanding, is removed, and a pure, benevolent heart is given them, by which they discern and love the glory of God, as it is illustriously displayed in the work of redemption. This pure and holy love reigns in the hearts of all the subjects of grace, and distinguishes them from the impenitent, unbelieving world, who are dead in trespasses and sins.

II. Let us next consider what are the essential doctrines of the gospel.

All christians are agreed that the gospel contains some essential doctrines; though they are not so well agreed in drawing the line of distinction between those doctrines which are essential, and those which are not essential. Some doctrines may be called essential, because they constitute the essence of

the gospel, and are necessary to its very existence; and some may be called essential, because they must be believed and embraced, in order to salvation. It is pretty easy to determine what doctrines are essential to the existence of the gospel, and lie at the foundation of it. There are some doctrines so essential to the gospel, that if any one of them should be denied, the denial would, in its just consequences, subvert the whole plan of salvation through a Redeemer. If God had not decreed to save any of mankind, it would necessarily follow that none of mankind would be saved. If God had not decreed that a part of mankind should be saved, it would necessarily follow that a part of mankind would not be saved. If God had not decreed that his Son, the second person in the Trinity, should die to make atonement for mankind, it would necessarily follow that none of mankind would be saved through the atonement of Christ. If God had not decreed to send his Spirit to begin and carry on a work of grace in any of mankind, it would necessarily follow that none of mankind would be saved. If God had not decreed that any of mankind should become sinners, it would necessarily follow that none of mankind would need a Saviour, or could be saved through the gospel. It is now easy to see that the doctrine of moral depravity, the doctrine of regeneration, the doctrine of saints' perseverance, the doctrine of the atonement, the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of election, and the general doctrine of the decrees, are all absolutely essential to the gospel, and must be maintained, in order to maintain the gospel itself. For if any man can fairly disprove any one of these doctrines, he may by fair reasoning disprove all the rest. But though all these doctrines are equally fundamental to the gospel, yet they may not all be equally essential to salvation. For many persons may not understand all these doctrines, nor discern their inseparable connection, but yet may understand, believe, and love some of them, while they are ignorant of others; and this ignorance may be consis tent with their final salvation. It is not, however, to my present purpose to say what doctrines a man must believe in order to be saved, but only to point out what are fundamental to the gospel, and necessary to its very existence; for it is to these doctrines that the apostle refers, in the verse which contains the text."Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines; for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." There was a serious question among the Jews who were converted to Christianity, whether they might, or might not, lawfully eat those things which were prohibited by the ceremonial law. This the apostle determines to be a

non-essential point; and exhorts believers not to break charity with one another on account of such things as were neither fundamental to the gospel, nor essential to salvation. But he recommends it as a good thing, by which he means an important thing, that christians should be established in those doctrines which are essential to the gospel, and which cannot be denied and rejected, without denying and rejecting the gospel itself.

III. Having specified the essential doctrines of the gospel, it remains to show that real christians, who are the subjects of grace, are actually established in them. The apostle represents them so established, as not to be carried about by divers and strange doctrines; and this we find verified by the conduct of real saints under both the Old and New Testament. Moses was a subject of grace, and he kept the faith in the court of Pharaoh, where he was surrounded by idolators and the most artful deceivers. When religion was at the lowest ebb in Israel, there were seven thousand men of grace, who kept the faith and refused to bow the knee to the image of Baal. All the pious men in Judah kept the faith, while the ten tribes of Israel fell away, under the seduction of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego kept the faith, amidst all the threats and machinations of the enemies of truth to corrupt and destroy them. When many of Christ's professed followers went back, and walked no more with him, "Jesus said unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God." Thus the apostles were established in the faith before Christ's death; and afterwards we find that not only Stephen the first martyr, and James the second, but all the rest of the apostles, except Judas the apostate, sealed their faith by their blood. And it is well known that since their day, multitudes have sacrificed their lives in testimony of the truth and importance of the essential doctrines of the gospel. All Christian martyrs might have saved their lives, if they would have only renounced the essential truths of the gospel, and embraced divers and strange doctrines. Why then did they not renounce their peculiar religious sentiments, and embraced those which would have saved their lives? No other sufficient reason can be given, but that their hearts were established with grace. These instances afford a strong presumption that good men are really established in the essential doctrines of revealed religion. And this leads me to say that they not only may be, but must be so established; for several reasons:

1. Because they know that the essential doctrines of the gos

pel are true. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things." The subjects of grace have a peculiar, certain knowledge of the essential doctrines of grace, which establishes them in the faith. All the essential doctrines of the gospel are doctrines of grace. The whole scheme of salvation was devised on purpose to display the riches of divine grace in the salvation of sinners. It was grace in God to decree to save any of our fallen race. It was grace in God to decree to send his Son into the world, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. It was grace in God to send his Holy Spirit to renew and sanctify the elect, and form them vessels of mercy, and fit them for the kingdom of glory. These doctrines of grace the subjects of grace know to be true, by their own experience. They have seen their own wretchedness and guilt, and felt their need of that salvation which the gospel offers. They have been partakers of the divine nature, and possess the very same spirit of benevolence which moved God to provide a way of salvation exactly suited to their case. They know, therefore, that the doctrines of grace are true, by the effects which they have produced in their own hearts. Hence says the apostle John, "He that believeth in the Son of God, hath the witness in himself." And again he says to christians, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth; but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth." Christ himself said, " My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." All the subjects of All the subjects of grace, "have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that they may know the things that are freely given to them of God." According to these declarations of scripture, all christians, or subjects of grace, not only think, but know experimentally and certainly, that the essential doctrines of the gospel are true; and this knowledge must establish them in the truth. When men know any thing to be true, they cannot divest themselves of that knowledge at their pleasure, but are morally obliged to retain it. So when the subjects of grace know that the first and fundamental doctrines of the gospel are true, they must necessarily be confirmed and established in them.

2. They must be established in these doctrines, not only because they know them to be true, but because they love them. All the subjects of grace sincerely believe the gospel; and their

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