render it, can be only such as enabled by a pure faith-and, beyond all doubt, it is at once the means and the expression of a holy life.' So that the connection of this mark of the true Church, is indissoluble alike with the one that precedes it, and the one that follows it. 5. The deepest and most enduring element of our nature, is its religious element. Human nature must have a God, a religion, a worship. Each one of us knows that we are finite-each one feels that there is an infinite, from which that finite comes, and to which it returns. In its presence, our sense of dependence, of accountability, and of blameworthiness, is explicable alike to our reason and our conscience; and our susceptibility of restoration, a sense of which was never utterly lost, is no sooner demonstrated by the very fact of being restored-than the infinite object of so many convictions, is demonstrated too. Our utter helplessness, in our natural estate, to all that is spiritually good -our unalterable assurance of a life beyond death-our sense of an eternal judgment, of our unfitness to appear in it, and of the fear of God in what manner is it possible to evolve such convictions as these common convictions of our race-without disclosing a God—a religion—a worship? But, if the God of the Bible is not God-if the religion of Jesus is not true and divine if the worship of that God, through that Saviour, in Spirit and in truth, is not an infallible mark of the restoration of the soul: then it is infallibly certain, that all the fundamental convictions of our nature are false, and utterly destitute both of cause and result-and that there is no God-no religion-no worship. So that every way, the same result follows. And from the side. of God-of the Saviour of revelation-of religion in its widest sense—and of human nature in its profoundest convictions; the result is that true and spiritual worship, as the Lord has taught us, is the only worship acceptable to the infinite Spirit-the only worship taught or tolerated by Messias-the Christ." 2 II.-1. It is the Church, considered not merely in its individual elements, but chiefly in its social life, that we are at present seeking to distinguish. It is the life, the worship, of a divine Kingdom, which is to be determined. And this of necessity gives the broadest significance to the term, which, for lack of one more 1 Deut., xii. 3; Matt., xv. 9; John, xiv. 6; 1 Tim., ii. 5; Eph., ii. 18. 2 John, iv. 19–26. comprehensive, I am forced to use. For the social life of the Church of God, in its whole organism and action, is a life of worship: a life, that is, of religious obedience to the revealed will of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is clean hands. and pure hearts, lifted up to God in sincere faith and exact obedience, whether to labour, to suffer, or to testify; by those who once were not a people, but are now the people of God. For though once they had not obtained mercy, now they have obtained mercy. The everlasting doors have been lifted up, and the King of glory, who is the Lord of hosts, has come in, and given the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of our salvation.' Organized as the visible Church of him who called them out of darkness into his marvellous light, their very vocation is to show forth his praises. And by whatever acts, through whatever forms, in whatever ways their communion with each other and their organic life are made manifest; it is still through faith in Christ Jesus-still by the guidance of his word and Spirit-still in reverent and joyful obedience to God; it is still the recognition-the service-the true and spiritual worship of the most high God. Is not that a worship-in which none but God's priests take part? Is not that regal worship—where every priest of God is also a king? God promised, from of old, to make that holy nation the most peculiar of all people, even a kingdom of priests; and the crucified and exalted Saviour, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works -makes every one he loves and washes from his sins in his own blood, both a king and a priest unto God and his Father. Yea, and the sacrifices of these priests of the Lord-these ministers of our God---are the very sacrifices of God-a broken spirit. And he that came to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.* Yea, verily, remove the idea of true worship from our spiritual life, personal and organic-and the Kingdom of Royal Priests is extinct-Christians exist no longer! 2 3 2. I have shown that the worship of the true Church of Christ, has such a relation to its faith and its obedience, that it must necessarily have the same infallible rule which they havethat is the word of God contained in the sacred Scriptures.' All true and spiritual worship which is acceptable to God, is divineis revealed by God to man; it is therefore strictly obligatory upon the creature-while it is, at the same time, a means of blessedness to him, and, through him, of great and endless glory to God. There can be neither any service of God, nor any enjoyment of him, by any creature, which does not assume the nature and form of worship. But the service and enjoyment of God, is our glory and blessedness throughout eternity; and to increase our fitness and our desire for that service and enjoyment of God in this life, by gathering and perfecting his saints to the end of the world, is the very mission of the Church on earth. It may well be, that the glorified saints and the Church triumphant, will serve and enjoy God in a manner widely different from any, now clearly appreciable by us; for this has occurred, to a remarkable extent, under the successive dispensations of grace even upon earth. But it has not occurred, nor can it occur, that the idea of the worship of God in Spirit and in truth--and that through Jesus Christ our Lord-has been separated, or is separable from all true service, all conceivable enjoyment of him, by any creature. Everything we know concerning heaven, is mingled with exalted worship; and the whole life of the Son of God—who is the way, the truth, and the life-was a life in which the idea of worship—in every sense-is perpetually manifest and perpetually designated by himself. Recalling what I have said in a former chapter, touching the great elements of the question of the Church; the supremacy which I have asserted for its supernatural element, is perfectly palpable in the determination of this second infallible mark of it; and, at the same time, the utter absurdity and impiety of all human changes in the revealed worship of God-whether in the nature of it, or the form of it. In the lowest possible sense, to act in that manner is to assume 2 Psalm lxv. 2; Mal., i. 11. 1 Rom.., i. 3. 4 3 Isaiah, lix. 21; Phil., ii. 10, 11. divine authority, and exercise it in a way which we cannot know is acceptable to God; and in a broader sense it is the assumption of divine authority over the faith-obedience--and inner life of the Church, the whole of which are involved in the idea of its worship, and find expression in connection with it.1 3. The social life of the Church-essentially a life of the worship of God-is commensurate with the divine organization of the Church; for that divine organization, in itself, extends to the entire social life of the Church; and the mode of its production, and everything implied in its existence, and resulting from it, are all related, in the most intimate manner, to the true and spiritual worship of God. The root of our salvation lies in our union with Christ; and our communion with him in grace and glory, is the source of every blessing and every benefit of the Covenant of Redemption received by us, whether in this world, or in the world to come. The communion of his children with each other, is the effect of their common union with him; and his headship over his redeemed-is the effect of his whole work as Mediator between God and man, whether as our Prophet, our Priest, or our King-and is, indeed, the fundamental stipulation of the Covenant of Redemption. But this communion of saints, and this headship of Christ, are the component elements of the Kingdom of God, considered as an organized Church--the Body of Christ. Yet, nothing can be more obvious, than that this Church of the Lord Jesus, whether considered in those elemental principles of it—or in its own nature and end-or in its complete organization and visibility or in its spiritual freedom and consecration to Christ--through the whole of which I have carefully traced it; totally changes its whole relation to Christ on one side, and to penitent and believing sinners on the other side, the moment she is stripped of the glorious function of vindicating before the universe, God's exclusive right to the adoration of every creature-and of illustrating to all eternity what his true worship is and what is the blessedness of all who render it." 4. The progress of our enquiry into the Knowledge of God Subjectively Considered, renders it necessary to discuss the question of the infallible marks of the true Church, as soon as a certain point has been reached in tracing the effects divinely pro 1 Matt., xv. 9; Matt., iv. 10. VOL. II. 2 Eph., iii. 7-13; 1 Cor., ii. 7-10. ვი duced, by the use which God has made of the doctrines of the Headship of Christ, and the communion of saints, in the organization of the Church visible, universal. In the general enquiry, it remains to explain, as fully as my limits permit, the vast subject of the gifts of God to this Church--which I propose in the next Book. Having now illustrated the nature of the true and spiritual worship of God, as the second infallible mark of the true Church, by means of the truths already established, concerning its divine organization; I will point out, in a more general manner, the bearing, upon the same topic, of those Gifts of God to his Church, hereafter to be carefully considered, which have immediate relation to that organization-and therefore to her visibility, and to her social life. 5. The idea of sacrifice, strictly considered, as a perpetual form of outward worship for the Church of God, was perfectly consummated in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ; after which there would remain no more offering for sin, since Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and by that one offering hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.' The idea of priesthood is indissolubly connected with the idea of sacrifice. I have shown, in another place, how the institution of the Passover was connected with the rise of the priesthood, through the first born of Israel whom the destroying angel spared; and how both sacrifice and priesthood stood related to Jesus Christ, and through him to the Gospel Church and to its ministry. The priesthood of Christ was after the order of Melchisedeck-and was, like his sacrifice, unchangeable and for eternity; and this being so, he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.2 Both sacrifice and priesthood, therefore, occupy a peculiar position in the Gospel Church :--the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and the very nature of the peculiar people-children and heirs of God, every one of whom is both a king and a priestmanifesting continually those great ideas, and the relation of both of them to Christ. In the body of this kingdom of royal priests a ministry is established by Christ-office-bearers are divinely ordained--a government is constituted-tribunals are erectedsacraments are instituted-its special worship is disclosed-the 1 Heb., ix. 19-28; Heb., x. passim. Heb., vi. 20; Heb., vii. 24, 25. |