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the same Spirit that gives them repentance gives
them faith also ; and this faith enables them to
believe the gospel; and Jesus gives them this faith
tor that express purpose. Therefore it is a very
easy thing for them to believe in him, when they
cau serve him by faith in all his fullness. lie be
comes all things lovely, precious or desirable to
them.
llaving dwelt at such length upon the first part
of ray text, I now come to the last clause, and
must be brief. “ Believe the gospel.” This the
Jews, and all who were relying upon their own
works of righteousness to justify them in the sight
cf God, did not do; for had they believed the gospel,
there would have been no use in enjoining upon
them that which they already observed. But they
were still looking back to the law of Moses, and by
its divers washings, offerings, and sacrifices, and all
the burdensome ceremonies, that had proved to be a
yoke unto their fathers, which they were not able
to bear, and which, at the best, were only shadows
of good things to come, which could never make
the comers thereunto perfect, not having any power
to cleanse the conscience from dead works. The
gospel dispensation did not enjoin these rites, now
that Christ who was the end of the law for right
eousness to every one that believed he had come.
It was separate and distinct altogether. By His
blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that
was against us, which was contrary to us, and
taking it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, we
are free from all its ceremonies. The types and
ahadows all pointed to Him ; he fulfilled them all
to a jot and tittle ; and they have had ho force
•iuce they were nailed to his cross ; and when any
would still be under that yoke of bondage, and
teach others that they must wort or perish, their
arguments may be refuted by simply pointing to
the handwriting which was nailed to the cross. —
But it appears strange that Moses’ disciples, who
had the law read to them every Sabbath morning,
and who were familiar with it in all its details,
and were even expert in it, so that they could ex
pound it to others, raising up their children from
infancy under its teaching, that when Christ, the
subtance and end of all the shadows, came, they
rejected him, and said, “Away with him from the
earth ; and in rejecting him, they rejected his testi
mony and the gospel system, and still clung to
works. They could tell exactly where he was to
be born ; and though all the prophecies pointed to
him, and were being fulfilled before their eyes, in
liis person ; and though they professed to believe
what the prophets wrote concerning him,yet when
ho came to his own, his own received him not.
But they could not “ believe the gospel” without
testimony, and heie, it would seem, there was an
abundance of testimony : they had the testimony
of all the prophets ; they agreed in all their pre
dictions as to his oAlice, life, and death ; and even
described his countenance, his mission, and all that
related to him, even the slaying of the children
from two years old and under; his flight into Egypt,
and every place that he resided iu ; all, we are ex
pressly told, was “ that the Scriptures might be
SOUTHE li N BAPTIST MESSENGER.
fulfilled.” It would appear that, the credibility of
the witnesses was beyond a'l question, even accor
ding to (heir own showing ; still they rejected the
Savior, and regarded hi\ n a3 an impostor. A Jew
might conform outwardly to his ritual, though
wicked in heart ; still Le was a Jew, if he could
show the mark on his flesh; his was a fleshly or a
legal worship ; and we much fear, even in our day,
and in msr.y of our churches, that the flesh marks
are all that constitutes many members.
I
Bat from what I have said, it may be inferred
that to “believe,” in the sense in which Christ
spake on this occasion, is not simply to give the
natural assent of the mind, nor is it merely a bis
torical belief. But “believe” here means to receive,
rely, and depend on. The Jews did not receive
Christ nor his testimony ; and as he was the sum
and substance of the gospel, in rejecting him they
tejected the gospel. They did not depend on him,
but on their own system, which had works as the
foundation stone, and work perpetually, without
rest or cessation. They did not rely on him ; they
were the descendants of Abraham, and had never
been in bondage; were whole, and needed no phy
sician. Before any one can believe in the gospel,
in the sense of our text, he must be convinced that
the whole system of works, from beginning to end.
is utterly worthless; that it is a system of bondage
and slavery ; that Hagar must be cast out with her
illegitimate offspring ; that servitude is her inheri
tance, and that she cannot claim the same bles
sings with Sarah. It is impossible for man to con
vince the unrenewed that their works that they so
much depeud upon, and which are so pleasing to
the carnal mind, are entirely valueless, not worth a
farthing ; nothing but the power of God can show
the fallacy of such dependence. The religiou of
the Jaws, or their forms of worship, were imposing;
there was so much splendor, so much to dazzle the
eye and please the imagination, that the externals
were only regaided. And it is to be feared that
much of what now goes by the nama of religion
consists in show, pomp, and parade, in which the
body is made to play a conspicuous part, while
true godliness is neither felt nor practiced. None
can believe the gospel, nor believe iu Jesus to the
sd\iug of his soul, until a revelation of his own vile
and ruined condition, as well the revelation of the!
character and perfections of God are made. Bsino
born again, not of the will of man nor of the fleih.
but by the Spirit of God, he is now ready to believe :
the gospel and obey its precepts ; old things have
passed away, behold all things are become new;
what he onca loved, he now hates; what he once
regarded as hard and inconsistent doctrine, he now
rejoices in. He is now freed from the law ol
Moses; is brought out from that system of bondage, -
and is the Lord’s freeman. It may curse and con
demn, but it has no terrors for him ; while Qacrar
and her posterity are woiking under eiuel task
masters, he is enjoying the sweet rest of the gospel
system.
The Jewish system was a complete, a whole
system. Any mixing in with any other system
was criminal ; it had all its blessings for the faith
j ful, and its curses for the guilty; it showed no
; ,nert 7 an c 'J (i so1 ’ an ey?, a tooth for a tooth, no
! abatement under any circumstances; the whole
i machinery was specific. The gospel system 100, u
| complete ; but it ;s a system ot love and merer,
ione in which the poor sinner is justified from the
j law of Moses, and ace<pled in Christ Jesus. None
could be a Jew unless he was circumcised. None
l ( ’ all a Christian, or understand the gospel system
| unless he is circumcised in heart and ears. What
the Jewish law said it said to those under that law,
and only these. Wliat the gospel says, it says to
those who are under the gospel system. To tab*
the promises of the gospel, and apply them indis
criminately to those who are under it, aid equally
to those who are not, is a gross perversion of God’s
word, and he that practices such a course is crim
inal before God. A Jew was bound to observe tha
law of Moses ; Christians are bound to observe the
law ot Christ—what that enjoins, he is bound to
obey. Christians are redeemed, not with gold and
silver, but by the precious blood of Christ, and are
not their own, but belong to him ; and as they
agree to be subject to the King in Ziod, in all
things, it is necessary that they search his word to
ascertain what is his will, and their duty ; and they
should not confer with flesh and blood, but should
be diligently engaged in his service. They are to
come out from the world and be separate, not eveu
to bid them God speed who teach any other doc
trine. They are earnestly to contend lor the faith
once delivered to the saints, aud to let their lirrhfc
shine, giving evidence that they are Christian!
under the gospel system.
The Jewish system had officers, such as priests,
&c. Under the gospel system there are ministers
or Elders, who are to take the oversight of the flock,
not for filthy lucre’s sake ; they are to do so of a
r€ady mind, to preach the word iu sound speech ;
to stand on the walls of Zion, and on the approach
of the enemy, to sound the alarm to warn the flock
of its foes; to feed them with pure gospel food,
not a mixture of the old and new covenant —not a
part ot vvoiks, of means, agents and instrumentali
ties, and the rest free grace only. They are to be
ensampies to the flock, not entangled with the
affairs of life, but letting their conduct be such as
becomes godliness. Deacons are also included in
this system, and their duties are plainly marked
out, and it is not left to them to consult their own
desires ; “for where the word of a king is there is
power. 1 hey are to see that their pastor does
not scive toe churches at his own expense, and
mat the poor, destitute, aud afflict id widows are
provided for. 1 hey are to be grave, and not dou
n.e tougued not given to much wiue—not slothful
in business, iue King has given directions to old
men and \oung, tn young women and the aged, to
masters and to servants, parents and children, hus
oauds and wives, to officers and those in authority,
and those under authority ; in short it is a com
plete rule ot life and conduct, lacking nothing, nor
containing one thing too much, while we have no
discretion whatever in the premises, but are hound
by eveiy word that he says. The subjects of tht