“Religion! thou the soul of happiness;
And groaning Calvary of thee! There shine
The noblest truths; there strongest motives sting;
There sacred violence assaults the soul;
There nothing but compulsion is forborne.”Night Thoughts.
Its advocates have not been in general either “many, or mighty, or noble, or wise, according to this world;” but, on the contrary, riches, strength, philosophy, and opulence, have distinguished its enemies. Hypocrisy hath assumed its mask, to give religion its deepest reproach, to wound it in the house of its friends, and to arm its adversaries with plausible objections. And yet, amidst all the attempts of men of different complexions, to destroy or deny its existence, to abuse or blaspheme its doctrines, to pervert its nature, to divest it of its essence, or to obscure its lustre; still, religion is a glorious reality, and, like its divine Author, from whom it derives its origin and influence, is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. An attempt, at least, to illustrate, if not to prove this position, is the design of the following pages. The arrangement I propose, is, to consider religion in its origin, its foundation, its nature, its influence, its fruits, and evidences; and recommend it, principally from a consideration of its importance, its consolations, its loveliness, its end, and prospects.
1. As to the origin of religion, it requires little argument to prove it divine. As the very word itself implies something that binds the heart under the strongest ties of love, homage, and obedience to the Supreme Being; what can produce this disposition, and give force to those obligations, but that system of infinite grace which God himself revealed unto man immediately after the fall? which, in subsequent and brighter discoveries, formed the basis, and invigorated the principles of that religion, which distinguished the character of Old Testament saints, and afterwards attained its meridian lustre under the clear economy of the gospel, and in the lives of that noble army of martyrs; the history of whose sanctity, sufferings, and conquests, even unto death, is, in fact, the history of true religion exemplified in its influence, its origin, and its triumphs.
It is an established maxim of revelation, that “all things are of God.” No one doubts, but the credulous atheist, whether the universe be the result of his power. But the Creator of the universe and the great Author of our religion, is one and the same agent. John, i. 1. The former was created and arranged by Omnipotence, and the latter no less required the exertions of that attribute of Deity. The heavens declare his glory, as Creator. In religion, considered as a plan of redeeming mercy, shines “the glory of his grace.” The firmament, with all the orbs that move there, according to the rules of the most systematic contrivance, and regular though amazingly swift rotation, deciphers his wisdom. But it is in the plan of redemption that “the manifold wisdom of God” is more illustriously and advantageously displayed. Religion, considered as a system, applying itself to the state of man, not as in innocence, but under the ruin of the fall, is entirely of God. Man had no hand in forming it, nature no power in executing it. It equally surpassed, in every point of view, the expectations and the desert, the wisdom and power, of man. Considered in its renovating and practical tendency, as a system of morals, its origin is equally of God. This appears from the various representations of the purity of its precepts, as well as from the expressive epithets given to it in the sacred scriptures. It is called “the wisdom that is from above,—the kingdom of heaven,—the new creation,—the being born from above,—the new man, which, after God, is created in righteousness, &c.—the fruits of the spirit,” &c. If union to Christ be the root of true religion, and good works its fruit, both are from God. “Of him are ye in Christ Jesus.” 1 Cor. i. 30. “We are HIS workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Ephes. ii. 10. From whence we may deduce this scripture axiom; that religion, doctrinally or practically considered, is, as to its original, the offspring of heaven, and the sole glorious work of Him, “by whom, through whom, and to whom, are ALL THINGS.”
2. The foundation of religion. This foundation the scriptures have expressly laid in the life and death of him who was the Mediator of the new covenant, having been made, as a surety, responsible for the performance of its grand and awful stipulations. “Behold,” says Jehovah, “I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.” Isa. xxviii. 16. 1 Pet. ii. 6. “Other foundation can no man lay,” says St. Paul, “than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. iii. 11. This foundation, when it is laid in the heart by FAITH, which produces a dependence on the salvation of the Son of God, becomes the only basis of the sinner’s hopes, and forms within him a living and permanent principle of real godliness. Convinced of the evil of sin, and justly apprehensive of suffering its awful penalty, as a transgressor of the law, he looks for relief from his fears, and pardon for his offences, to “the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world.” Whatever is not built on this foundation may satisfy the conscience and comport with the religion of that man, who never saw his guilt in the mirror of God’s law; but every hope not founded on the Redeemer’s righteousness will prove infinitely presumptuous and dangerous, and nothing give peace to the conscience, but what secures the honour of the broken law, and provides an adequate satisfaction for the inflexible justice of Heaven; and nothing can do either, but the atoning blood of Jesus Christ applied by faith in that gospel testimony, which declares, that he who shed it, thought it no robbery to be equal with God, and presented himself on the cross a sin-atoning victim to Almighty God. However, therefore, we may admit the dictates of candour respecting some points of “doubtful disputation,” and embrace in Christian love the differing parties respectively; we can never give up the doctrine of the atonement, without yielding up to our adversaries, at the same time, the very essence of truth, the glory of the gospel, and the only foundation of our hopes and prospects for ever. Nay, we may boldly affirm, that the scheme of religion that is not formed upon this plan, wants every thing essential to the glory of the divine perfections, and every thing that can consistently secure the peace and salvation of man, as a sinner. All the opponents of this truth, who choose to discriminate themselves by names flattering to their pride, or declarative of their attachment to some stale and long-exploded heresy, are in the same predicament with Jews and Greeks; the basis of whose religion was pride and self-righteousness. What men call natural religion, rational religion, or New Jerusalem doctrine—those pompous schemes of human contrivance, emblazoned with glittering epithets to catch the unwary, and only suited to the wild fancy of visionaries and deists—I say, what men thus call religion, if not founded on the propitiation and righteousness of the Son of God, is the religion of Satan, and must lead to his kingdom. For, how that system, which leaves out the infinite virtue of the death of Jesus, as an expiation for sin, can ever bring a man to heaven, I cannot conceive, when I find it written, “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin,” when that is denied or degraded, “but a certain fearful looking-for of judgment.” Heb. x. 26, 27. So that, as true religion is in its origin of God, who planned its system, and plants its celestial seed in the heart; so, in its foundation, it is equally divine, being built on the knowledge of Christ crucified, and “through faith in his blood.” Rom. iii. 25.
3. The nature and influence of religion demand our next consideration. To judge accurately both of the one and the other, it will be necessary to abstract whatever is circumstantial, external, nominal, or adventitious, and to confine our ideas to that which is essential and intrinsic. And in this disquisition, we only act by the same rule, which we observe when forming a judgment of the real worth of an individual. We leave out the accidents of birth, office, titles, fortune, and form our idea of the man from his mind, from the state of his heart, from his virtuous excellence. Any other mode of forming an estimate of characters in a moral point of view, only tends to confound our ideas, and leads to a servile admiration of what is neither great nor excellent in itself: which lays the foundation of all the false homage men often pay to profligacy and meanness, because they happen to be titled and rich. Apply this to religion. We cannot form a true estimate of its nature from the pomp and dignities with which the profession of it is invested in some of its ostensible patrons; nor from any external forms, however excellent in themselves, if men rest in them, and go no farther. Forms no more constitute religion, than the external trappings of rank and retinue constitute the man. On the contrary, St. Paul classes with the very worst of characters, those, “who have only the form of godliness, but deny its power.” 2 Tim. iii. 5. So does the prophet Isaiah, when describing those who “drew nigh to God and honoured him with their lips, while their hearts were FAR FROM him,” Isa. xxix. 13; though in the language of pomp and delusion they vainly boasted, “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.” True religion is the religion of the heart. For God is a spirit; and they who worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Solomon describes its nature, when he demands, in the name of Jehovah, “My son, give me thy heart.” Prov. xxiii. 26. So does St. Paul, who says, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink,” does not consist in outward things, “but is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Rom. xiv. 17. And again, when endeavouring to undeceive the Jews, who were blind on this very point, he says, “He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of men but of God.” Rom. ii. 28, 29. Forms may be excellent; the means of grace are necessary, and of divine institution. They are however but means, and operate, through the blessing of God, as the transparent medium does, which admits the light of the sun into a place of worship. But he who rests in them, and supposes a regular attendance upon them to be the whole of what is required in religious homage, thinks and acts as absurdly as a man, who, trusting to a transparent medium still to give him light, after the sun had quitted the horizon and ceased to illuminate the hemisphere, should find himself involved in the darkness of night. A sad but true emblem of the situation of the sinner, whose heart is not given up to God and changed by his grace; who sits down contented with the formalities of religion, though in the “region and shadow of death,” till death dissolves the delusion, and consigns him to the blackness of darkness for ever.
When we say that religion is the religion of the heart, we mean to extend our description of its nature far beyond outward form, or mere moral decency. Religion includes morality, but it comprehends much more. A sinner may be outwardly moral, and inwardly immoral, as the pharisees were, full of self-righteousness, pride, love of the world, and hypocrisy. The civilization produced by morality alone, is like the whiting of a sepulchre, which is full of rottenness within. Our Lord’s advice to such characters among the Jews, was, “cleanse first that which is WITHIN.” The essential characteristics of the religion of the heart, are faith, humility, and love: the first of these graces, leading the renewed sinner to eye nothing for the justification of his person before God, or the peace of his conscience, but the complete work of Jesus finished on the cross; the second, making him abhor himself and repent as in dust and ashes; and the third, prompting him to love, with a supreme and ardent affection, that gracious God, who hath loved him in his Son; and to whom, from that sacred and noble principle, he wishes heart and life to be solemnly and unreservedly consecrated. But, in the religion of a mere moralist, these three graces make no constituent part. His faith is dead, being made up of speculation, and some general notions, without any regard to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His humility, if he pretend to any, is feigned, or consists in condescending to let the Redeemer have a share in the honour of his salvation. And his love, having no gospel root, is servile, or imaginary, or absolutely false, not springing from a sense of the pure love of God to sinners in his crucified Son. In short, he has every thing of religion but its essence. And, wanting that, nothing remains in his possession to boast of, but the shadow, and the form; whereas, religion itself is a sacred flame kindled at the cross of Christ; which, while contemplating the love that bound him there, has, like the living creatures in St. John’s vision, Rev. iv. “eyes within,” to view with sorrow the fallen and guilty nature, which requires his blood to cleanse it, and his love to conquer. A sight that softens the heart, and diffuses throughout all its powers a sense of the love of God, the strongest incentive to gratitude and obedience. Hence, a celebrated Christian poet of our own says,
“Talk they of morals? O thou bleeding love!
Thou Maker of new morals to mankind!
The grand morality is love of thee!”
4. In describing the influence of religion, we mean not to extend it so far as to suppose it extirpates every vestige of the fall, or destroys all the relicks of human frailty. It is not the religion of angels, nor of “the spirits of just men made perfect,” but the religion of the soul imprisoned in the body, and embarrassed by that enclosure, in the exertion of its faculties, that is the subject of our consideration. It is the religion of sinners, saved by grace; and, as sinners, to the very last moment of life, depending upon grace alone: in whom, amidst their various conflicts, and numberless infirmities, it nevertheless produces the most surprising effects. Observe its influence on the heart of a sinner. It softens what was obdurate as the rock, and fixes what was inconstant as the wind; arrests the fugitive in his flight from the ways of God, and brings the once profligate prodigal back to his father’s house with a heart pierced with sorrow for past transgressions, and more deeply still by a sense of the love that pardons them. It makes the stout-hearted tremble before the majesty and power of Jehovah, and constrains the abandoned to give up the most beloved lusts. It produces greater wonder still, in obliging the pharisee to give up his self-righteousness, and the formalist to trust no longer in his forms. It can light up a sacred flame in the breasts that had been frozen with formality, and dilate with sentiments of pure benevolence a heart long contracted by self-complacency or worldly-mindedness. It bursts the bonds of the captive who had been “tied and bound with the chain of his sins;” and makes the self-conceited rationalist, who is no less a captive than the profligate, to sit down, Mary-like, at the feet of Jesus, in the character of a pupil, a novitiate, a fool. It pours the balm of comfort into the breast of the afflicted, tempted mourner, and makes “the bones that had been broken to rejoice.” Psal. li. What was it that so instantaneously stopped Saul in his career of cruelty and persecution, and changed a blasphemer into a preacher of the faith, which once he destroyed? What was it that brought Magdalen, a prostitute, to bathe the feet of Jesus with tears of penitence and joy, and to wipe them with the hairs of her head? What was it that tore Zaccheus from an occupation of worldly-mindedness and extortion, and disposed him to make restitution, and to give half his goods to the poor? What was it that made Paul and Silas sing praises to God, though smarting under the lashes they had received, and when confined to a loathsome prison? that kept Stephen composed, and filled him with rapturous views of the glory of God, even when his murderers were taking his life; and that enabled those pious heroes of antiquity, mentioned in the Epistle to the Hebrews, to perform so many wonders? It was the sovereign influence of religion in the first instance, its softening and converting power in the second, its expanding efficacy in the third, and its victorious operation in the last.