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of the Passover, the Jews appear to ship me, teaching for doctrine, the commandments of men." And al though it was against the guides of the people, rather than against the people themselves, that Christ thus levelled his rebuke, it is quite clear that, so far as they submitted implicitly to the teaching of error, receiving unhesitatingly man's word, when they ought to have taken GoD's, they came under the same censure as the Scribes and Pharisees, and “ their fear towards GOD was taught by the precept of men."

have regulated and conformed themselves to the new order of things, and to have carefully followed the ritual of Moses. And, if the people thus took, as it were, their religion from their rulers, appealing not to GoD's word, but to their prince, as the standard of worship, it was put beyond the reach of contradiction, and according with the statement of my text, that "their fear towards GoD was taught by the precept of men."

Now, it was not only at a period when falsehood and truth were gaining successively the ascendant, according as successively advocated by the king, that the words of our text were applicable to the Jews. The nation relaxed not into idolatry after the return from the Babylonish captivity; and the form of worship that was instituted on the building of the second temple remained till the ploughshare of the Romans tore up the foundation of the sacred structure. And though the Israelites had declined, and themselves had mingled the rights of the heathen with the ordinances of Jehovah, yet after that severe chastisement which consigned them to seventy years banishment from Jerusalem, the serving of false gods could never again be reckoned in the catalogue of their offences; still we find that Jesus quoted the passage before us as descriptive of the Jews in the days of his ministration. The Scribes and the Pharisees had invented a variety of traditions, and palmed them on the people as the written word of the Lord. On this account the Saviour declared, that Esaias had expressly prophesied of these teachers in the language now under review," Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do wor

Now we gather from these ascertained facts, and the applicability of the passage at different periods and under different circumstances, that we have fair right to consider it a possible thing, that in every age the precepts of men may be exalted into a rule for the fear of the Lord; and we cannot mark the vehement indignation which was excited against Judah, for this substitution of human teaching for a divine, without perceiving, it must be to ourselves a matter of life and death, that we clearly ascertain, whether or no we have committed the offence which produced, in olden times, this severity of rebuke. We think, moreover, that the inquiry is one of no ordinary importance, on the ground of its being of no ordinary difficulty. We must admit, that when there are teachers appointed over a people, as the case was with the Scribes and Pharisees, and these teachers prostitute their office to the advancement of error, it is not easy to decide in what degree the hearers may be blameworthy, if they receive as truth, what, after all, is falsehood. To suppose the parties instructed, capable, in every case, of detecting what is faulty in the instruction, is to suppose them well informed before-hand on all the points on which they seek information. We need not say, that such a supposition goes far towards doing away with the necessity of public

teaching altogether, since it evidently takes for granted, the existence of results which it is the object of this teaching to bring round. We think it evident, that with the great number of men, especially with the poor, and with those who must ply night and day to earn a livelihood, a vast proportion of their knowledge must be derived from Sabbath-day discourses, and cannot be fetched, by dint of their own searching, out of the storehouse of the Scriptures. And we see herein, most overpoweringly, the cause for admiring the wisdom and benevolence of God, who hath abstracted a certain portion of man's time from the toils and businesses of this passing state, and required that it should be dedicated to the obtaining acquaint. anceship with himself and his will. There can be imagined no more beautiful and effective system, than that of a church which should have extended its watchfulness into every corner of the land; and by sending, into every town and village, a faithful and selfdenying preacher of the Gospel, should have provided for the spiritual instruction of each member of a crowded population. It would come to pass, through the working of so well ordered a machinery, that across the length and breath of the country, the business of the Sabbath would just be a counterpoise to the business of the week; and the mechanic, who could scarcely catch a moment for his Bible from the labour of his workshop; and the peasant, whom the duties of agriculture left no space for religion, might come up to the sanctuary as to a school, in which they were to be instructed in those great truths to which at other times they could not give forth their attention.

We contend that this is precisely the design which is contemplated by the establishment of a church. And we know not how it is possible, for a reflecting man, to traverse the wide

district of the kingdom, and to observe, wheresoever there has been the gathering of families into societies, and the clustering of cottages into villages, a watchful superintendence has provided that the rustic temple should be at hand, and that a pastor should be set over the tenantry of the valley, or scarcely accessible mountain, and yet not be struck with admiration at the excellence of the arrangement, which is thus adapted to the transmission of a pure Christianity to every dwelling-place on the wide spread globe. But whatever the system, by which spiritual instruction is provided for the population, we are quite certain, on one point, that the great mass of the population must be dependant on this system; and that shut out, by temporal circumstances, from the carrying on a rigid investigation of truth for themselves, they must take their knowledge secondhand from those who are placed over them as teachers; and we think that in this very briefly lies the work of the ordinance of preaching. It consists not always with the demands of a toilsome occupation, that every man, as it were, should be his own theologian, and follow out, by a close and pains-taking study, the abstruse inquiries which are associated with religion; and, therefore, has it been appointed, that there should be set aside an order of men, who, giving themselves exclusively to the investigation of Scriptural truth, should bring forward the results, and communicate them to their fellows in fixed solemn assemblies. So that if there were a thorough and unwearied acting out, among us, of the principle of a church and priesthood, the business of the Sabbath would be the dealing forth, to attentive congregations, some new lessons which had been derived from the prayers and searchings of the week; and thus sending back the multitude to their worldly occupations

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with a portion over which they might ponder until the church-bell called them to another Sabbath gathering.

fault of their own, into the state described in our text, having no fear toward GOD, but "the fear taught by the precept of men."

We

We shall make no attempt in settling the degree of allowance which may, hereafter, be made for the unfaithfulness of our ministry. know only, that where much has been given, much will be required; and where the advantages have been small so also shall be the exactings. But whatever the measure according to which a misled people shall be dealt with, we may be sure that a heaviness of doom awaits him who has been their false teacher. He is chargeable with being instrumental to the bringing a kingdom into that jeopardy in which the Jews stood when addressed in the language of our text. Whatever the vengeance which may be taken on the people for having learnt the fear of GOD by the precept of men, he is responsible for the whole guilt of having taught them the fear of GoD by the precept of men. We are assured that if ever an established church be put on its trial, so that a nation sits in then assize on its merits and demerits, its own pulpits shall be the great witnesses summoned to give evidence, and the sentence will proceed on the simple determination whether the precept of men or the precept of GOD was uppermost in the instruction provided for the multitude. We are free to say, with respect to our own national church, there has been, of late years, so wide a revival of sound and Scriptural preaching, that notwithstanding there may be many a melancholy instance of the

We are far, indeed, from implying, that under any circumstances whatever, it would be right that men, placing all their dependence on public instruction, should pass over private, as altogether unnecessary. Let the ministry be the most faithful and luminous, we should still say, to those who are living in its enjoyment, that there should be a taking advantage of each leisure moment to search the Scriptures for themselves, and so draw truth fresh from the fountain-head. But we are simply arguing, that the condition of the great mass of mankind, makes them dependent necessarily, for the main of their information, on public teaching. It is to his minister that the poor man, and, more especially, the unlettered man, must chiefly look for instruction as to matters of faith; and being himself unskilled in argument, and unacquainted with the mysteries of controversy, he will, in all likelihood, take as correct, that system of doctrine which shall be delivered him from the pulpit. And we say, indeed, that the organised church would be a splendid machinery, if in every ramification it carried with it a sound and wholesome instruction; so that, wherever the people met together for the Sabbath ministration, there should be set forth to them nothing but the pure and unsophisticated Gospel; for we say there is a point, up to which it will pratically hold good, that a people's "fear to GOD may be taught by the precept of men." We see, therefore, that a vast portion of the nation must be, almost unavoid-blind leading the blind, we believe a edly, thrown upon public teaching; and if there shall arise error in this teaching, so that the precepts of men become virtually substituted for the precepts of GOD, why the mass of the population may be gradually brought, and that too, as it would seem, without

verdict of approval must be passed, if the criterion of judgment were to be such as we have stated. You may prove, if you will, that the system of tithes is unfavourable to agriculture; you may prove that patronage is not rightly disposed of, and that revenues

Now, so far as the illustration of our text is concerned, we have done nothing by our preceding remarks but show you, that the case which it supposes is still of most possible occurrence. We may still have the precepts of men usurping it over the precepts of Gon; and still, therefore, find a people with just that fear of the Almighty which most excites his indignation. But it will be for our advantage that we now break this truth into its component parts, and, abstracting ourselves from such views as are national, confine thought to others which are more strictly individual.

are not fairly divided; but you touch | punishments, there would be done not the point of the church being un- more towards the introduction of a adapted to the spiritual exigencies of universal lawlessness and profligacy, the kingdom, until you prove, on tak- than if the statute-books of the land ing the average of instruction, "the were torn up, and the courts of fear of the Almighty is taught by the justice levelled with the ground. The precept of men " influence is not to be measured which Scriptural truths possess over a nominally christianized nation, their being no fairness in judging of the power of religion by the amount of evil prevented; and if it be certain-and for this our appeal is to the pages of history-that Christianity hath ever been the great mother of civilization, so that in her train have marched the arts which adorn, and the charities which sweeten human life; then it must be altogther fair to conclude, that the removal of Christianity would cause civilization to retrograde, so that an apostate kingdom would relapse back into a barbarism, fiercer than that from which it emerged on being evangelized. Therefore a legislature, if it consult its own stability, has a direct interest in upholding true religion in a country; the righteousness of the people being the only basis on which civil institutions can rest without the momentary fear of being shaken by the whirlwind of rebellion. We see, then, that a government, on no higher principles than those of state policy, might stand forward as the supporter of religion, and provide for the good maintenance of the fear of GOD amongst those over whom it presided. The most thorough act of suicide in a government would be the advocacy of infidelity where no theories are professed; and that leader makes the boldest assault on the throne who puts forth his hand against the religion of a country.

We have now to show you, there may be among ourselves such a thing, as a fear towards GoD which is taught only by the precept of men; and we are yet further required, by the context of the passage, to prove, that this fear is especially calculated to excite the wrath of the Lord. Such are the facts towards which our attention is to be directed. The fact in the First place THAT THERE IS A FEAR TOWARDS GOD WHICH IS TAUGHT BY THE PRECEPT OF MEN. The fact in the Second place-THAT THE FEAR SO TAUGHT IS MOST OFFENSIVE TO THE ALMIGHTY.

Now, it is unquestionable that, although it is nothing but the recklessness of infidelity which would speak of religion as an engine of state policy, still no state policy can be effective which looks not to religion as an auxiliary. If there could be taken off from a community, those restraints which are imposed on it by the doctrine of the soul's immortality, and of a future dispensation of rewards and

But if religion be thus susceptible of being employed with advantage as an auxillary, there is a corresponding risk of its being resorted to as a human engine and not as a divine. We have here, the most general example

of a fear of GOD which is taught by | might be swept from the land; and the precepts of men. One great safe- there might, on the contrary, be seen guard of the land is, the piety of its on the whole outspread of the populastatesmen, and the godliness of its tion, appearances of the maintenance senators. We may have accustomed of that fear. But if when the rulers ourselves, indeed, to detach religion were acting on a sound principle, nofrom politics, just as though the two thing acceptable to God was produced, had no necessary companionship; but what may be looked for when the we may gather at once, from the sub- principle is either wholly or partially ject under review, that in so doing we unsound? Surely nothing but a re. prove ourselves miserably short- sult similar in kind, though aggrasighted. It is possible enough on the vated in degree. Religion may be ground already laid down, that men, upheld by an irreligious government; who have no religion, may appear as but so long as there is a want of perthe patrons and upholders of religion; sonal piety in the rulers of a people, there may be the issuing of laws for the that people, however disciplined into restraint of vice and for the promotion habits of good order and observance and the observance of the ordinances of the Sabbath, is just in the condition of Christianity, and so far it is well; of having it said of it by GOD, "their some advantage being gained to hu- fear towards me is taught by the preman society by the diffusion of the cept of men." fear of GOD, however partial, or by whatever fountain. But unless there be piety in the legislature, and the enactments for maintaining the fear of GOD are the direct offspring of that fear as entertained by the lawgiver, it would be in vain to contend, that the fear is taught by any thing better than the precept of men. All inculcations of religion which are dictated by the consciousness that it is politic to stand by religion, would turn into inculcations of infidelity the moment it should appear that it would be politic to stand by infidelity. Nothing, therefore, can be more evident than that, inasmuch as human policy produces the teaching, it is man's precept to which it must be referred; so that it is a possible case that rulers might do on the political principle what Hezekiah did on the God-fearing principle they might busy themselves with exacting from their subjects attention to the laws of the Almighty, and so might bring round great outward conformity to many commands of the Bible. The result in the two cases might be similar; the tokens of the absence of GoD's fear

Now, if you think this reasoning comes not precisely to the point under debate, forasmuch as it has to do with the teachers rather than the taught, it needs only that we go somewhat more into detail, and you will see that men are wonderously influenced by those above them, and those about them, in the matter of religion. We shall thus make our inquiry more and more personal, while all we advance will go towards the corroboration of our preceding statement.

Let us take the case of attendance on the ordinances of grace. We will not say that, even if the estimate of the godliness of this nation were to be derived from the respect it pays to public worship, such estimate would not be found over-poweringly in its favour; but we are ready to admit, that our English people are, in a good degree, a church-going people, and where a place of worship is erected, it will ordinarily gather to itself a congregation; and if we might place an implicit reliance on Sabbath-day appearances, the specific state of the account of the true fear of GOD by the throngings up to the sanctuary, and

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