UNCONSCIOUS SPIRITUAL DECAY.

“Thou hast a name to live, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the thing that remain that are ready to die."-REVELATION, iii. 1, 2.

BETWEEN the diseases of the body, and the sins of the soul, there are many features of a striking and instructive resemblance. They originated together in rebellion against God; they advance together in the production of suffering and misery; and, if unremedied, they terminate together in temporal and spiritual death. But in no circumstance is the resemblance more striking, than in that fatal self-deception with which they are so often accompanied. It is owing to this self-deception that though man can never become insensible to pain, nor hope to evade the universal sentence of death; it is yet by no means uncommon to find him acting as if perfectly unconscious of the progress of years, or the ravages. of disease, and resting in the confident anticipation of long life, and enjoyment, and success; while, to every eye but his own, he appears under the most manifest symptoms of approaching dissolution. And just so it is with the sinner. He acknowledges the general charge, that he is, indeed, guilty before God; he admits the general belief, that he must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; yet voluntarily ignorant of the demands of the law; unacquainted with the determined alienation of his heart from God; forgetting the renovation and conversion which the gospel requires; he is supported by the baseless hope of an undiscriminating mercy, and rests contented with the name and profession of an outward religion, though unaccompanied with one single movement of the life of God in the soul.

This coincidence between bodily and spiritual disease, may still further be traced. In the maladies of the natural body, our restoration, in a great degree, depends upon the knowledge of our disease, and sensibility of our danger; our watchfulness against the causes of injury, and in the application of appropriate and timely remedies. So in the case of spiritual malady described in our text, the church is informed plainly, and faithfully, of the deadly nature of her disease, and the extent of her danger; is exhorted to the exercise of lively watchfulness against the causes of defection; and instructed to strengthen the few remaining principles of spiritual life, which though yet surviving in name, were, in reality, ready to die.

We propose, then, as a main inquiry, the question, "When may said of a church, Thou hast a name to live, and art dead ?'” I answer : I. When a church has the name of Christian, WITHOUT THE DOC

TRINES OF THE GOSPEL.

1. The most important discovery in the word of God, is that of redemp tion by the Lord Jesus Christ from sin and death. One of the most vital doctrines must therefore be that which relates to the person and

work of the Redeemer. On this subject we may view the opinions of professing churches under three heads.

By some, the Redeemer is considered a mere man, in all respects, as to nature, like ourselves. By others he is considered an angel, or created spirit, in union with human nature. By others he is held to be the WORD that was with God and was God-"God manifest in the flesh."

With respect to the first-if the Redeemer were a mere man, in all points like ourselves, subject to prejudice, error, weakness, sin; then may we say of our faith, "surely we have preached in vain, and you have believed in vain! we are yet in our sins." If we know our own hearts, we must feel that a Saviour, no better, or only a little better, than ourselves, can never be a fit object for the faith, the hope, the dependence of sinners; nor give movement or life to the church of God.

But should the Redeemer be of a more elevated nature; should he rank among angels, as one of those spirits who, during the innumerable ages that have elapsed since the commencement of creation, have been advancing in wisdom, and holiness, and power; still, though the Saviour were an angel, man is but a little lower than the angels, and would therefore have to depend on an arm little stronger than his own. Nay, as all but God himself is liable to change; as God is declared to have even charged his angels with folly; this Saviour, this Redeemer, might fall from God, and be banished into that misery from which the gospel, by him, proposes to rescue sinful man.

The power of a creature, however exalted, can never give life to the church. There is, in the awakened conscience of a sinner, a fear that can find no repose but in the bosom of the Eternal; and can put no confidence in any redemption but that which is effected by the arm of Omnipotence. The first movement of the life of hope in the penitent sinner, and, consequently, of the life of holiness in the church, originates from receiving Christ as "God made manifest in the flesh."

The life of the soul is, to know God, with feelings of love and conformity. Now God is not known to his creatures, even in innocence, but by means of some external manifestation. Let us suppose, for example, that in the wide circuit of the world there existed nothing but God; let us suppose God to call into being some man or angel of mighty mind; let him exist without any external world; let him have no sun, no moon, no stars, no earth, to contemplate; let him stand dark and solitary in the universe. From the fact of his own existence, he may infer an eternal being; but how little more can he discover of the attributes and will of his Creator. But let us now suppose the deity to arise in the act of creation. He forms the heavens and the earth; he says, Let there be light, and there is light; he sets the sun his tent in the heavens; he garnishes the skies with all his stars; he plants the earth with trees, an 1 decks it with flowers; he forms innumerable orders

and varieties of animated things; and, in the midst of these, stands that creature who lately was solitary in the universe! The things of God are now speedily discovered, being understood by the things that are made; even his eternal power and Godhead (Rom., i. 20). And ir the mighty power that created the heavens and the earth, in the profusion of kindness that supplies the creatures, in the admirable adaptation of means to so many ends, the intelligent creature discovers those attributes of omnipotence, and wisdom, and goodness, which constitute the essential elements of the divine character.

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Now, were we even to admit, what the Scriptures will by no means warrant us, that the works of nature afforded to man, at his creation, a perfect revelation of the being, attributes, and will of God; still this revelation could serve no longer than man continued to hold his original and natural relation to his Creator. Should it then appear that man, by sin, has fallen into a new and unnatural relation to the Creator, there is required a new manifestation of God, that man may again be enabled to know God, and again have spiritual life in the knowledge of God. Philosophers have darkened our eyes with the discoveries, and stunned our ears with the praises, of "natural religion;" but alas! of what avail to man is “natural religion," since the condition of man himself is natural." His natural state was innocence and immortality; his unnatural state is sin and death. Just of so much avail as light to him that is blind, music to him that can not hear, and food to him that is dead, are the discoveries of natural religion to him that is in the unnatural condition of sin and death. Now that man is capable of discovering his unnatural state of rebellion appears, not only from the confession of some of the wisest heathens, but the apostle informs us (Rom., i. 32) that the Gentiles, when guilty of wickedness, and taking pleasure in wicked persons, yet knew the judgment of God, that they who committed such crimes were worthy of death; their consciences (Rom., ii. 15) bearing witness, and their thoughts, the mean while, accusing, or else excusing one another; while (Rom., iii. 19) every mouth is thus stopped, and all the world becomes guilty before God. Man, thus self-condemned by his own conscience, requires a manifestation of God which proclaims PARDON. Ignorant of pardon, man is ignorant of While God. Ignorant of God, he is dead in trespasses and sins. obedient to God, man knew God loved him; but where has God told him he will save him though guilty? And even if God can love and pardon the guilty sinner, where shall the sinner look for the evidence of that love and pardon? If the solution of these questions be not fur nished by creation, we have internal evidence, that in order to hi restoration to spiritual life, another manifestation of God was necessary to sinful man. Let us then examine creation, that we may find whether. as the source of natural religion, it afford to the sinner any manifestatio of God as ready to pardon his iniquities

Ascend we with astronomy to the sun, the moon, and the stars: in all their pages of light and of glory, we read not a record of pardon. Descend we to the earth, the scene of our sin, our misery, and our death · and neither in the sea, the land, the mountain, the plain, the qualities of plants, or the nature of animals, do we find one evidence how, or whether, God will pardon. Or enter we into the secret recesses of our souls: conscience has there recorded our sins; but instead of revealing to us whether God will pardon, her eye wanders unsatisfied by a ray of reviving hope; and to every visitant, it is her earnest, but unsatisfied inquiry, "What shall I do to be saved ?" Here, then, there is internal evidence that there was required a new manifestation of God, to meet the new situation into which man was reduced by sin; to supply to the awakened conscience the deficiency of nature, which did only reveal the Creator, but not "the sin-pardoning God," and, to save him from ignorance, and sin, and misery, and death, by restoring him to the knowledge and love of God wherein consisteth his spiritual life.

2. The second doctrine upon which depends the life of the church, is the atonement or sacrifice which Christ, our Lord, has offered for sin. The supreme deity of our Saviour demonstrates this his power to save, if he would. The sacrifice he has offered exhibits the power exerted and salvation accomplished. The humble, and cordial, and efficient acceptance of the doctrine of Christ's atonement, is the very life-pulse of the church

The evidence of this important doctrine I shall merely review in the order of time. It may be viewed as figured in the sacrifice of the law. From the days of Abel, who offered the firstlings of his flock, till the days of Christ, who offered himself without spot to God, the sacrifices bear testimony, that "without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin." We may view it also as foretold by prophets: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we were nealed. The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. For the transgression of my people was he stricken; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

We have the same doctrine declared by John the Baptist, when he came to prepare the way of the Lord. John was our Saviour's witness that all men through him might believe; and pointing to him with the finger to direct the people's faith: "Behold," saith he, "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." Moreover, we may con sider the doctrine as taught by our Saviour himself: "This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for the remission of the sins of many." We have it, also, as explained by the inspired apostles of our Lord: "In whom we have redemption through his blood-the forgive. ness of sins."

And, finally, we have the doctrine explained as understood by saints in glory, who had already entered int: their everlasting rest. Now,

though all men on earth should have expected salvation by inadequate means, or to arrive at glory by an erroneous road, there can be no hesi tation in believing, that those who had already attained to heaven, must have known the means of their success, and the road they had traveled. Let us listen to them: "And I beheld, and lo! in the midst of thei throne, and of the beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb, as it had been slain; and when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, and they sung a new song, saying, 'Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood.'" Let any man examine this series of evidence; it commences nearly coeval with creation; it is exhibited in sacrifices; it is foretold by prophets; it is announced by the Baptist in our Saviour's presence; it is recorded by our Saviour himself a few hours before his death; it is preached by apostles to Jews and Gentiles; it is the theme of saints in the kingdom of their rest; it runs uninterrupted and unvarying along the stream of four thousand years, till the testimony is sealed, and revelation completed; let all this be examined, and must we not then conclude, that the doctrine of the atonement is a necessary principle to the life of the church. The believer lives because Jesus died for him. He bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness.

3. The third doctrine upon which depends the life of the church, is that of the Holy Spirit and his influences. The doctrine of the exist ence and energy of the Holy Spirit is revealed in the very commencement of the Word of God: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." That this Spirit is the moving power in restraining from sin, in exciting to faith, repentance, love, and obedience, is manifested in the historical record of Noah: "My Spirit shall not always strive with men." For this pure Spirit to renew his heart, David prays; of the outpouring of this Spirit Ezekiel prophesies; of this Spirit our Saviour promises: "Your heavenly Father will give his Holy Spirit to them who ask." And of this Spirit the apostle declares, he makes the heart of the believer his temple; and witnesseth with our spirits, that we are the children of God. The supreme deity of the Holy Spirit is manifest from the following Scriptures: "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie unto "The the Holy Ghost? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile that temple, him will God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." "Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." "Ye are the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you."