r

THE

CHRISTIAN RELIGION

EASY TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

FROM THE VILLAGE DISCOURSES.

When ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. Ephes. iii. 4.

By christianity, I mean that religion which Jesus Christ taught his disciples, and which is all contained in the New Testament. Retain this observation, for it frees the subject from many difficulties. Some misguided christians propose a great number of mysteries, that is, secrets to us; such as that the bread and wine in the Lord's supper cease to be bread and wine, and become the flesh, and bones, and blood of Christ; such as that a wicked man is inspired by the Holy Ghost to lead us to heaven without our knowing the way; and that these wonders are performed by the uttering of certain words by a certain set of men; and these secrets, which nobody so much as pretends to understand, we are required to believe. However, we have one short answer for all mysteries of this kind; that is, they are

not taught in the New Testament, and therefore they are no parts of the christian religion.

When I affirm the christian religion is not a secret, observe, I speak of christianity now, and not formerly. Thus we free the subject from all the objections which are made against it from many passages in the New Testament. Christianity, say some, is often called a mystery, or a secret; even the text calls it SO. True; but the same text says, Paul knew this secret, and the Ephesians might understand what he knew of it, if they would read what he wrote to them. When ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.

Strictly speaking, the text intends only one part of christianity, that is, the uniting of heathens and Jews in one religious community; but what is affirmed of this one part is equally true of the whole. True religion had always been hid from the wisest of the heathens; and the christian religion, which was then the only true religion, had not been made known in other ages to the Jews, as it was then to the Apostles; but Paul knew it, and he proposed to make all men see it. I preach to make all men see. We allow, the wisest man could never have known (for his life would have been too short, and his faculties too much confined) the true character of God; but we affirm God revealed, that is, made it known unto the Prophets and Apostles by his Spirit; and these Prophets and Apostles have made it known to us by their writings.

When I affirm, the christian religion hath no mysteries now, I do not mean to say that the truths and the duties of christianity are not connected with other truths and other exercises, which surpass all our comprehension; but I affirm, that the knowledge of the incomprehensible parts, and the belief of what people please to conjecture about them, though they may be parts of our amusement, and perhaps improvement, are yet no parts of that religion which God requires of us under pain of his displeasure. Suppose I were to affirm, there is no secret in mowing grass, and in making, stacking, and using hay; all this would be very true; and should any one deny this, and question me about the manner in which one little seed produces clover, another trefoil, a third rye-grass, and concerning the manner how all these convey strength and spirit to horses, and milk to cows, and fat to oxen in the winter; I would reply, all this is philosophy; nothing of this is necessary to mowing, and making, and using hay. I sanctify this thought by applying it to religion. Every good work produces present pleasure and future reward; to perform the work, and to hope for the reward from the known character of the Great Master we

serve, is religion; and all before and after is only

connected with it.

What part of the christian religion is a mystery? Divide the whole into the three natural parts, of plan, progress, and execution; the first was before this

world began; the last will be after this world shall end; the middle part is before us now. There is no secret in either of these parts; but there are incomprehensible mysteries connected with each of them. In regard to the first, it is impossible to be supposed, by a man who knows any thing of God, that the christian religion came into the world without the Creator's knowing that such an event would take place; and it is impossible for such a man to imagine that, after the present life, there will be no distinction made between the righteous and the wicked. There is no mystery in these general principles; but we may render them extremely perplexed by rashly agitating questions connected with them.

In regard to Christianity in this present life, every thing in it is exceeding plain. Is the character of Jesus Christ a secret? Did ever any body take him for an idle gentleman, a cruel tyrant, a deceitful tradesman, a man of gross ignorance and turbulent passions? On the contrary, is it not perfectly clear that he was the person foretold by the Prophets of his country, who should come, himself perfectly wise and good, to instruct mankind in the knowledge and worship of God? Is the character of Scripture a secret? Is it not perfectly clear, that it is a wise and good book, full of information on all the subjects that concern religion and morality? Is it a secret that we are

mortal and must die; or that we are depraved, and

apt to live in the omission of duty and the practice of sin; or that a life of sin is connected with a course of misery, for pursuing which we deserve blame? Is it a secret whether God takes notice of the actions of men, or whether he will forgive a penitent and punish the impenitent? In a word, is the character of God a secret in the christian religion; and is it a mystery whether he be an object worthy of our adoration and imitation? Were I obliged to give a short account of the christian religion, I would not say it is a revelation of the decrees of God, or a revelation of the resurrection of the dead, or a revelation of the mercy of God to a repenting sinner through the merit of Jesus Christ; for though each of these be true, yet all these are only parts of his ways; but I would call christianity a revelation, or a making known of the true and real character of God; and I would affirm of the whole, and of each component part, that it was so made known as to be free from all mystery, in regard to the truth of the facts, and yet so connected as to contain mysteries beyond the comprehension of finite minds. I would affirm further, that our religion is confined to the belief and practice of only what is revealed, and that every thing untold is a matter of conjecture, and no part of piety towards God and benevolence to mankind.

Take heart, then, my good brethren; you may understand, practise, and enjoy all this rich gift of God to man, just as you enjoy the light of the day,