Farewell to the First Congregational Church in Norwalk, Conn. (bound with other addresses)

A little perversion of some truthful and glorious principle may con- vert it into a deadly poison. Thus that remark of Augustine : " Jlabe caritatem, et fac quicquid vis," — Have love and do what you. please. The truth and beauty of the sentiment lie in the consideration, that when one is led by love, he is always led to do whatever the law com- mands : as it is said also in the Scripture, " Love is the fulfilling of the law." But immediately some took up the notion that if they had love, they were free from obligation to the law, and might, without sin, do what the law forbids. Chastity, purity, truth, the sabbath, honesty, — the law concerning these had no longer a binding force on them ; they were at liberty to do what they pleased ! But take another example from the word of God, of the importance 24 of truths ■which many regard as speculative and unessential. A sect, like some moderns, pretending to a higher elevation of piety, and to a deeper insight, calling themselves loj the assuming title of Gnostics, arose, denying, among other things, the divinity of Christ. Christ, said they, was not eternal, but an emanation, proceeding from the Crear tor in tirne. Others of them said — Christ did not die" on the cross, it was only an impersonation, a representation, a form, an apparition ; the real being was away, and an empty form was crucified. Then the aged disciple John, moved by the Holy Ghost, lifted up his voice in doctrine, and penned the record, that men might read and be- lieve that Jesus is the Son of God. An seon, an emanation, said some, having his origin in time, and neither eternal nor divine. No, says the apostle, " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ; the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made." Christ did not die upon the cross, said some, — thinking to save the honor and dignity of our Lord. It was a form, a shadow, that was cru- cified. No, says the beloved disciple who had leaned on Jesus' breast : " And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." " That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the "Word of Life." " That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us ; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ." Some may ask here. Why does John insist so earnestly upon a doc- trine so very speculative and unpractical ? The eternity, divinity, and Sonship of Christ ! the union in his person of the human and the divine ! "What are these speculations to us 1 To what use can we apply them, in the purposes of holy living 1 Why does not the aged John tell us something about duties, and truths pertaining to a godly life ? Besides, are not all these whom he opposes. Christians ? If they differ about the supreme divinity of Christ, is it not because they have a tender regard for the Divine Unity 1 If they fancy that his body was but a shadow upon the cross, is it not because they have a regard, to the glory of Christ? Why raise a dispute about speculations and abstractions? 25 Why not allow some freedom, and consider that it is impossible to make all men think alike 1 If all men cannot think alike, it is nevertheless necessary that all men should believe the truth. John sees that these truths are neither unim- portant nor unpractical. If Christ were not God, then he could not re- deem us. If he were not man, he could not be under the law, nor suf- fer for us. The point which our very charitable philosophers imagine to be a point of barren speculation, the apostle John understands to be a truth, lying at the foundation of the Gospel scheme, and practical in the highest degree. He therefore lifts up his warning voice against the teachers that impugn these truths, as against Antichrist : " This is the true God and eternal Life." " And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, lutfor the whole worldP We must have not the Fa- ther only, but the Son. Here is the doctrine of the Son : his incar- nation, his divinity, his sonship, his propitiation. Deny either of these, and the apostle discerns no trait or basis of piety. But hear him: " Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ ? He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son." But some will say,. Is -not this a little uncharitable ? May' not a man have piety to the Father, or even be a Christian who does not see the way clear to acknowledge the Sonship of the Messiah, or what you teach as the relation of the Father and the Son 1 The apostle gives the answer : " , WTiosofver denieth the Son hath not THE Father." " He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not THE Son, hath not life." " Let that therefore abide with you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the be- ginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue with the Son and WITH the Father." But what if some men do not see the way clear to receive the doc- trine of the Son; his incarnation, divinity, propitiation? What if these shall nevertheless regard him as something, and his work as something, without which, men could not be saved ? And what if these shall show much meekness, prayerfulness, and apparent spirituality ? Are we not urging the apostle's words too far, when we call these in question 1 The apostle goes on to speak of this very case : " Beloved, believe not 26 every spirit, hut try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world.'''' Well, some ■will answer t How shall we try them ? Can we do better than to hear how they preach and pray, and to observe how they live 1 Strange as it may appear, whQe the apostle does not disparage preaching or praying, or an apparently devout life, he nevertheless calls upon us to apply another test to try the spirits, whether they be of God. How shall we try the spirits ? " Hereby we know the Spirit of God ; Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God ; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is com^ in the flesh, is not of God. And this is that antichrist whereof ye have heard that it should come." " Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." " Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God." " Who is he that overcometh the world, but he thai believeth that Jesus is thr Son of GodV " This is he that came by water and blood." — ( Water, the emblem of in- ward cleansing ; blood, of the atoning sacrifice.) " This is he that came by water and blood; not by water only, but by water and BLOOD. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth ; for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the BLOOD ; and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness which he hath testified OF HIS Son." " He that hath the Son hath life, he that Jiath not the Son HATH not life." And herein the apostle does but reiterate the words of the Savior himself: " Se that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life ; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Why is it that the Savior speaks so much of false Christs, who shall deceive, if it were possible, the very elect 1 Why is it, that in almost all the epistles, so much is said to put us on our.guard against false do& trines 1 Is it not because the truth is so important, and error so danger- ous ? Thus Paul to Timothy : " Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, tliat in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to se- ducing spirits and doctrines of devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having 27 their consciences seared with a hot iron." So, Peter : " But there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." So, Jude : " Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you, that ye should contend earnestly for the faith which was once de- livered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation ; ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware, lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness," Mark here how error is to be brought in ; ^'■privily," by cer- tain men " crept in unawares," " speaking IJtes in hypocrisy," " hav- ing their conscience seared with a hot iron." Such is ever the course with error. Indeed why should not men, in the dishonest process of corrupting the truth, lose at last all just sense of truth ] Holding the truth in unrighteousness, how can they hold " the mystery of the faith in a good conscience ?" This dishonesty was observable when heresy overspread so many churches in Massachusetts. Unitarianism began in King's Chapel, under the constant use of the Episcopal forms and litur- gies, filled with the strongest recognitions of the Divinity of Christ, and of his atoning sacrifice : yet the officiating priest continued to use that liturgy, as though he believed it to be the truth ; in his hypocrisy mock- ing both God and man ! The Socinians who had crept unawares into the churches of Massachusetts, continued to own the orthodox creeds, and to employ the orthodox terms in their sermons and prayers; whilst the bitterest hatred rankled in their hearts against the truths which those terms expressed. So in a case of heresy dealt within Connecticut with- in the memory of many now living, the church declared in their narra- tive that they long believed their minister orthodox, for he constantly employed the language of the orthodox faith ; till at length a painful de- ficiency of explicit doctrinal statements' in his preaching led to inquiry ; and the fact was disclosed, that he believed neither in the divinity nor in the atonement of Christ ; and had been, while he used the orthodox 28 phraseology, but " speaking lies in hypocrisy." It is, therefore, no strange thing, if at the present day any are seen to reject with scorn every evangelical doctrine in detail, who yet continue to use the orthodox terms, and insist that they do not differ essentially from the orthodox belief. Justification by Faith ! Atonement ! Trinity ! Eegeneration ! Oh yes, they believe all these ! But examine what they mean, and they have but applied these terms to doctrines directly the opposite of those which the terms are currently understood to represent. Is there any foi-m of dishonesty that ought to be accounted baser or more criminal than this? But it is time to hasten towards a close.