without being proud: humble || of all necessary good both in time without being mean; just without and eternity, founded on the probeing harsh; simple in our man-mises, relations, and perfections of ners, but manly in our feelings. God, and on the offices, righteousThis honour, thus formed by re-ness, and intercession of Christ. It ligion, or the love of God, is more is a compound of desire, expectaindependent, and more complete, tion, patience, and joy, Rom. viii, than what can be acquired by any 24, 25. It may be considered, 1. other means. It is productive of As pure, 1st John iii, 2, 3. as it is higher felicity, and will be com-resident in that heart which is mensurate with eternity. itself; cleansed from sin.-2. As good, while that honour, so called, 2d Thes. ii, 16. (in distinction which arises from any other prin- from the hope of the hypocrite) ciple, will resemble the feeble and as deriving its origin from God, twinkling flame of a taper, which and centering in him.-3. It is is often clouded by the smoke it called lively, 1st Pet. i, 3. as it sends forth, but is always wasting proceeds from spiritual life, and and soon dies totally away." Bar renders one active and lively in row's Works, vol. i, ser. 4; Blair's good works.-4. It is courageous, Sermons, vol. iii, ser. 1; Watts's Rom. v, 5. 1st Thes. v, 8. beSermons, ser. 30, vol. ii; Ryland's cause it excites fortitude in all the Cont. vol. i, p. 343; Fortin's troubles of life, and yields support Sermons, vol. iii, ser. 6. in the hour of death, Prov. xiv, HOPE is the desire of some 32.-5. Sure, Heb. vi, 19, be- better, and this helps us to sup- 1 of the reasons they bring for-fland passions is contrary to beneward in support of their senti-volence, as tending to hurt ourselves or others; and so opposite ments. I. That all true virtue or real to the general good, and the diholiness, consists in disinterested vine command, in which all the benevolence. The object of bene-crime of such indulgence consists. volence is universal being, includ-In short, all virtue is nothing but ing God and all intelligent crea- benevolence acted out in its protures. It wishes and seeks the good per nature and perfection; or love of every individual, so far as is to God and our neighbour, made consistent with the greatest good perfect in all its genuine exercises of the whole, which is comprised in and expressions. the glory of God and the perfec- II. That all sin consists in selftion and happiness of his king-ishness. By this is meant an indom. The law of God is the terested, selfish affection, by which standard of all moral rectitude or a person sets himself up as suholiness. This is reduced into love preme, and the only object of reto God, and our neighbour as our-gard; and nothing is good or selves; and universal good-will lovely in his view, unless suited to comprehends all the love to God, promote his own private inteour neighbour, and ourselves, re-rest. This self-love is in its quired in the divine law, and whole nature, and every degree of therefore must be the whole of it enmity against God: it is not holy obedience. Let any serious subject to the law of God, and is person think what are the particu-the only affection that can oppose lar branches of true piety; when it. It is the foundation of all he has viewed each one by itself, spiritual blindness, and therefore he will find that disinterested the source of all the open idolatry friendly affections, is its distin-in the heathen world, and false reguishing characteristic. For in-ligion under the light of the gosstance, all the holiness in pious pel; all this is agreeable to that fear, which distinguishes it from self-love which opposes God's the fear of the wicked, consists in true character. Under the influlove. Again; holy gratitude is no-ence of this principle, men depart thing but good-will to God and our from truth; it being itself the neighbour, in which we ourselves greatest practical lie in nature, as are included; and correspondent it sets up that which is comparaaffection, excited by a view of the tively nothing above universal exgood-will and kindness of God. istence. Self-love is the source of Universal good-will also implies all profaneness and impiety in the the whole of the duty we owe to world, and of all pride and ambition our neighbour, for, justice, truth, among men, which is nothing but and faithfulness, are comprised in selfishness, acted out in this partiuniversal benevolence; SO are cular way. This is the foundation temperance and chastity. For an of all covetousness and sensuality, undue indulgence of our appetites as it blinds people's eyes, contracts their hearts, and sinks them down, evident from the promises of the so that they look upon earthly gospel. When any object of good enjoyments as the greatest good. is proposed and promised to us This is the source of all false-upon asking, it clearly evinces hood, injustice, and oppression, as that there can be no impotence in it excites mankind by undue me-us with respect to obtaining it, thods to invade the property of beside the disapprobation of the others. Self-love produces all the will; and that inability which violent passions; envy, wrath, cla- consists in disinclination, never mour, and evil speaking: and eve-renders any thing improperly the ry thing contrary to the divine subject of precept or command. law is briefly comprehended in V. That, in order to faith in this fruitful source of all iniquity, Christ, a sinner must approve in self-love. his heart of the divine conduct, III. That there are no promises even though God should cast him of regenerating grace made to the off for ever; which, however, neidoings of the unregenerate. For their implies love to misery, nor as far as men act from self-love, hatred of happiness. For if the they act from a bad end: for those law is good, death is due to those who have no true love to God, who have broken it. The Judge of really do no duty when they attend all the earth cannot but do right. on the externals of religion. And It would bring everlasting reproach as the unregenerate act from all upon his government to spare us, selfish principle, they do nothing considered merely as in ourselves. which is commanded: their im- When this is felt in our hearts, penitent doings are wholly opposed and not till then, we shall be preto repentance and conversion; pared to look to the free grace therefore not implied in the com- of God, through the redemption mand to repent, &c. so far from which is in Christ, and to exercise this, they are altogether disobedi- faith in his blood, who is set forth ent to the command. Hence it to be a propitiation to declare God's appears that there are no pro- righteousness, that he might be just, mises of salvation to the doings and yet be the justifier of him who of the unregenerate. believeth in Jesus. IV. That the impotency of sin- VI. That the infinitely wise and ners, with respect to believing in holy God has exerted his omniChrist, is not natural, but moral; potent power in such a manner as for it is a plain dictate of common he purposed should be followed sense, that natural impossibility ex- with the existence and entrance cludes all blame. But an unwil- of moral evil into the system. ling mind is universally considered for it must be admitted on all as a crime, and not as an excuse, hands, that God has a perfect and is the very thing where-knowledge, foresight, and view of in our wickedness consists. That all possible existences and events, the impotence of the sinner is ow- If that system and scene of operaing to a disaffection of heart, istion, in which moral evil should never have existed, was actually || considerations. 1. As repentance preferred in the Divine mind, cer- and faith respect different objects, tainly the Deity is infinitely disap- so they are distinct exercises of the pointed in the issue of his own heart; and therefore one not onoperations. Nothing can be more ly may, but must be prior to dishonourable to God than to the other.-2. There may be geimagine that the system which is nuine repentance of sin without actually formed by the divine hand, faith in Christ, but there cannot be and which was made for his plea- true faith in Christ without resure and glory, is yet not the pentance of sin; and since repentfruit of wise contrivance and ance is necessary in order to faith design. in Christ, it must necessarily be VII. That the introduction of prior to faith in Christ.-3. John sin is, upon the whole, for the ge- the Baptist, Christ and his aposneral good. For the wisdom and tles, taught that repentance is bepower of the Deity are displayed fore faith. John cried, Repent, for in carrying on designs of the great-the kingdom of heaven is at hand; est good; and the existence of intimating that true repentance moral evil has undoubtedly occasi-was necessary in order to embrace oned a more full, perfect, and glo- the gospel of the kingdom. Christ rious discovery of the infinite per- commanded, Repent ye, and befections of the Divine nature, than lieve the gospel. And Paul preachcould otherwise have been made ed repentance toward God, and to the view of creatures. If the faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. extensive manifestations of the IX. That though men became pure and holy nature of God and sinners by Adam, according to a his infinite aversion to sin, and all divine constitution, yet they have his inherent perfections, in their and are accountable for no sins but genuine fruits and effects, is either personal; for, 1. Adam's act, in itself the greatest good, or neces- eating the forbidden fruit, was not sarily contains it, it must necessa- the act of his posterity; therefore rily follow that the introduction of they did not sin at the same time sin is for the greatest good. he did. 2. The sinfulness of that VIII. That repentance is be-act could not be transferred to fore faith in Christ. - By this is not them afterwards, because the sinintended that repentance is before fulness of an act can no more be a speculative belief of the being transferred from one person to and perfections of God, and of the another than an act itself.-3. person and character of Christ, Therefore Adam's act, in eating but only that true repentance is the forbidden fruit, was not the previous to a saving faith in Christ, cause, but only the occasion of his in which the believer is united to posterity's being sinners. Christ, and entitled to the benefits was pleased to make a constitution, of his mediation and atonement. that, if Adam remained holy That repentance is before faith in through his state of trial, his posthis sense, appears from several terity should in consequence be God holy also; but if he sinned, his distinctions, to be called Hopkinposterity should in consequence be sian Calvinists. Adams's View of sinners likewise. Adam sinned, Religions; Hopkins on Holiness; and now God brings his posterity Edwards on the Will, p. 234, 289; into the world sinners. By Adam's Edwards on Virtue; West's Essin we are become sinners, not for say on Moral Agency, p. 170, it; his sin being only the occasion, 181; Spring's Nature of Duty, p. not the cause of our committing sins. 23; Moral Disquisitions, p. 40. X. That though believers are HORROR, a passion excited justified through Christ's righte- by an object which causes a high ousness, yet his righteousness is degree of fear and detestation. It not transferred to them. For, 1. is a compound of wonder and fear. Personal righteousness can no Sometimes it has a mixture of more be transferred from one per- pleasure from which, if predomison to another, than personal sin. nant, it is denominated a pleasing -2. If Christ's personal righte-horror. Such a horror seizes us ousness were transferred to be- at the view of vast and hanging lievers, they would be as perfectly precipices, a tempestuous ocean, holy as Christ; and so stand in no or wild and solitary places. This need of forgiveness.-3. But be- passion is the original of superstilievers are not conscious of having tion, as a wise and well tempered Christ's personal righteousness, awe is of religion. Horror and but feel and bewail much indwel-terror seem almost to be synoling sin and corruption.-4. The nymous; but the former, I think, scripture represents believers as refers more to what disgusts; the receiving only the benefits of latter to that which alarms us. Christ's righteousness in justifica- HOSANNA, in the Hebrew tion, or their being pardoned and ceremonies, a prayer which they accepted for Christ's righteous- rehearsed on the several days of ness' sake: and this is the proper the feast of tabernacles. It signiscripture notion of imputation. Jo-fies, "save us now;" or "save us, nathan's righteousness was imput- we pray." There are diverse of ed to Mephibosheth when David these hosannas; the Jews call them shewed kindness to him for his hoschannoth, i. e. hosannahs. father Jonathan's sake. Some are rehearsed on the first The Hopkinsians warmly con-day, others on the second, &c. tend for the doctrine of the di- which they call hosanna of the vine decrees, that of particular first day, hosanna of the second election, total depravity, the spe-day, &c. Hosanna Rabbi, or Grand cial influences of the Spirit of God Hosanna, is a name they give to in regeneration, justification by their feast of tabernacles, which faith alone, the final persever- lasts eight days; because, during ance of the saints, and the con- the course thereof, they are fresistency between entire freedom quently calling for the assistance and absolute dependence; and of God, the forgiveness of their therefore claim it as their just sins, and his blessing on the new due, since the world will make year; and to that purpose they |