1. _The Decrees of God._ Doctrine: That God foreordains whatsoever comes
to pass.
Proved, (1.) By reason. Otherwise, he would work without a plan, and
could not certainly know what would take place hereafter; which is
inconsistent with the idea of infinite wisdom. Acts 15:18. (2.) From
Scripture. Job 23:13. Isa. 46:10. Jer. 10:23.
This doctrine does not destroy the freedom and accountability of the
creature. Acts 2:23. This is not to be understood in any such sense as
to make God the author of sin. Jas. 1:13. If the will of God is done,
the greatest possible good will be accomplished. Ps. 119:68, f.c. How we
ought to feel, in view of this doctrine. Phil. 4:4. Duty of submission.
Luke 22:42. Jas. 4:7.
2. _The Sovereignty of God._ Doctrine: That God rules the universe,
according to his own pleasure, independently and without control, giving
no further account of his conduct than he pleases.
Proved, (1.) By reason: _First_, his will the greatest good; _Second_,
he has power to accomplish it; _Third_, if he fails to accomplish his
will, he will be under constraint, which is inconsistent with the idea
of an infinite being. Were he to fail of accomplishing his own will, he
would not be qualified for a righteous governor. (2.) From Scripture.
Ps. 115:3. Dan. 4:35. Eccl. 8:3, l.c. Job 33:13.
_Reflections._ (1.) God does not act _arbitrarily_, without sufficient
cause, or merely for the sake of doing his own will. His actions are
controlled by a supreme desire for the greatest good, and always founded
on the best of reasons. (2.) The consummate folly of those who resist
his will. (3.) The feelings with which we ought to regard the
sovereignty of God. 1 Chron. 16:23-31. Ps. 97:1. (4.) How terrible this
doctrine to sinners. Ps. 99:1. Isa. 33:11. (5.) What ground of
confidence, comfort, and joy to the righteous. Ps. 15:6. Hosea 14:9.
Rom. 8:28.
3. _Human Depravity._ (1.) How extensive. Rom. 3:23. Corroborated by
facts. (2.) How great in degree. Gen. 6:5. Rom. 3:10-18. (3.) From whom
derived. Rom. 5:12-19. (4.) How hereditary depravity becomes personal.
Ps. 58:3. (5.) How human depravity manifests itself. Rom. 8:7. John
3:19, 20. 5:40. Acts 7:51. Gal. 5:19-21.
_Practical Reflections._ (1.) How we ought to feel, in view of our own
depravity. Ezra 9:6. Job 42:6. Ps. 38:1-7. 51:4, 17. Dan. 9:8. (2.) The
necessity of regeneration. Heb. 12:14, l.c. (3.) How this load of guilt
may be removed. Matt. 11:28-30. 1 John 2:1, 2. (4.) What it will bring
us to, if we do not obtain deliverance from it. Rom 6:23, f.c.
4. _Regeneration._ (1.) Its nature. 2 Cor. 5:17. Eph. 4:24. (2.) Its
author. John 3:5, 6. (3.) Influence of the Spirit; how exerted; not
miraculous John 3:8. (4.) Man's agency in the work of regeneration. Isa.
55:6, 7. Acts 2:38. 16:31. Phil 2:12, 13.
5. _The condition of fallen man._ (1.) Alienation from God. Job 21:14,
15. Rom. 1:28. Eph. 2:1, 2. (2.) Exposure to his wrath. Deut. 32:35, 41.
Ps. 7:11, 12. John 3:18, 36. Eph. 2:3. (3.) Personal misery. Isa. 57:20,
21. Misery the natural consequence of sin. Jer. 2:19.
_Practical Reflections._ (1.) How Christians should feel, in view of
this subject. Isa. 51:1. 1 Cor. 15:10. (2.) How they should feel, in
view of the condition of the impenitent. Rom. 9:1-3. (3.) How act. Acts
20:31, l.c. Rev. 22:17. (4.) The necessity of a mediator between God and
man. Gal. 3:10.
6. _The plan of Redemption._ (1.) Why sin could not be pardoned without
an atonement. Gen. 2:17. Dent. 27:26, compared with Deut. 32:4, l.c.
Heb. 9:22. (2.) What a mediator is. Job 9:33. 2 Cor. 5:18, 19. (3.) Why
it was necessary that our mediator should be God. (4.) Why, that he
should be also man. (5.) Why it was necessary that he should obey the
law. Isa. 42:21. Gal. 4:4, 5. (6.) Why, that he should suffer. Gal.
3:13. 4:4, 5. Heb. 9:22, 28. (7.) Why, that he should rise from the
dead. Rom. 4:25. 1 Cor. 15:17. 1 Pet. 1:21. Heb. 7:25.
_Practical Reflections._ [1.] How the love of God is manifested in the
provision of such salvation. John 3:16. Rom. 5:8. [2.] How we should
feel and act in view of the amazing love of Christ. 2 Cor. 5:14, 15.
[3.] What effect his love should have upon sinners. Zech. 12:10. Rom.
2:4. [4.] How Christians should feel, in view of the ingratitude of the
impenitent. Ps. 119:136, 158.
7. _Justification_ [1.] What justification is. [2.] Why we cannot be
justified by the law. Rom. 3:23. [3.] The nature of all our good works,
religious exercises, duties, &c. Luke 17:10. [4.] The ground of
justification. Isa. 53:11. Acts 13:39 Rom. 8:3, 4. [5.] The instrument
or medium of justification. Rom. 3:28. [6.] The effects of
justification. Rom. 5:1-5. 8:1-4. 15:13. 1 Pet. 1:8.
8. _Adoption._ [1.] What adoption is. Exod. 2:9, 10. [2.] Through whom
believers are adopted. Gal. 4:4, 5. [3.] How their adoption is
manifested to them. Rom. 8:15, 16. Gal. 4:6. [4.] To what adoption
entitles them. Rom. 8:17. Gal. 4:7. [5.] What was the moving cause of
adoption. 1 John 3:1. [6.] What emotions this should excite in the
hearts of Christians.
9. _Sanctification._ [1.] What sanctification is. Rom. 6:6, 11--13.
8:13. [2.] By whom believers are sanctified. Rom. 8:13, l.c. 15:16, l.c.
1 Pet. 1:22. (3.) The instrument of sanctification. John 17:19. (1.) The
procuring cause. 1 Cor. 1:2. 6:11. Heb. 10:10. (5.) The importance of
sanctification, or growth in grace. John 15:8. Col. 1:9-12. (6.) How we
are to strive for sanctification. Phil. 2:12, 13. 3:13, 14. (7.) How we
may secure the aid of the Holy Spirit. Luke 11:13. Rom. 8:26. (8.) How
Christ regards us, when we are not making progress in holiness. Rev.
3:15, 16.
10. _Death._ (1.) Its certainty. Heb. 9:27. (2.) The uncertainty of
life. Jas. 4:14. (3.) The shortness of life. Ps. 90:3-10. 1 Cor.
7:29-31. Bring death near, and commune with it; try to enter into the
feelings of the death-bed. (4.) How we should live in view of the
subject. Luke 12:33-40. (5.) The folly of laying up treasures for
ourselves in this life. Luke 12:16-21. (6.) How death will appear to
such. Isa. 33:14. (7.) How death appears to those who "set their
affections on things above." 2 Cor. 5:6, 8. Phil. 1:23. (8.) The support
which such have in the hour of death. Isa. 43:1, 2. 1 Cor. 15:54-57.
11. _Heaven._ (1.) Heaven a place. John 14:2, 3. Heb. 9:24. (2.) The
glory of heaven. Rev. 21:22, 23. (3.) What constitutes the blessedness
of heaven to the righteous. [1.] Freedom from sin, and sinful
associations. 2 Cor. 5:2-4. Rev. 21:27. [2.] Freedom from pain, and all
evil. Rev. 21:4. [3.] Exercise of holy affections. 1 John 4:16. [4.] The
company of holy beings. Heb. 12:22-24. [5.] The immediate presence of
God, and such communion and fellowship with him as will make us like
him. Ps. 17:15. Isa. 33:17, f.c. 1 John 3:2. [6.] The presence of Jesus,
as our Redeemer, to whom we are indebted for all this glory. John 17:24.
1 Thess. 4:17. Rev. 5:9. (4.) The employments of heaven. [1.] The
contemplation of the infinite perfections of God, and the glories of his
moral government. Rev. 19:1, 2. [2.] Rendering cheerful obedience to his
will. Ps. 103:20, 21. Matt. 6:10. 22:30. [3.] Singing his praises. Rev.
5:9. [4.] And we may suppose holy conversation. (5.) Contemplate this
state as existing forever, with the continual increase of the capacity
for enjoyment, and the discoveries of the divine character, his
government and works.
12. _The Resurrection._ (1.) What signal will usher in the glorious
morn. 1 Cor. 15:52. 1 Thess. 4:16. (2.) What will follow. 1 Thess. 4:16,
l.c. (3.) What will come to pass in regard to the saints which shall
then be alive on the earth. 1 Cor. 15:51. 1 Thess. 4:17. (4.) With what
bodies the saints will arise. 1 Cor. 15:42-44, 50, 53, 54. (5.) To whom
the saints will ascribe their victory and triumph, in that day. 1 Cor.
15:57. (6.) How the wicked will rise. Dan. 12:2.
13. _The Judgment._ (1.) This awful ceremony is to take place at a
certain time, fixed in the councils of eternity. Acts 17:31. (2.) It
will come suddenly and unexpectedly. Matt. 24:36-39. (3.) Who will be
the judge. Matt. 25:31. Rev. 20:11. (4.) Who will stand before him to be
judged. Rom. 14:10. Rev. 20:12. (5.) In respect to what they will be
judged. Eccl. 12:14. Matt. 12:36. Rom. 2:16. 2 Cor. 5:10. (6.) By what
rule they will be judged. John 7:21. Rom. 2:2. (7.) How any will be able
to stand this awful test. 1 John 2:1, 2. (8.) What separation will be
made. Matt. 25:32. Consider this in its application to friends, and
those who have in any way come under our influence. (9.) The final award
of the righteous. Matt. 25:33-36. (10.) What state of feeling is
indicated by their answer. Matt. 25:37-39. (11.) The final sentence of
the wicked. Matt. 25:41-43. (12.) What state of feeling is indicated by
their answer. Matt. 25:44.
14. _The World of Woe._ Contemplated for the purpose of arousing the
attention to the condition of the impenitent. (1.) The place itself--the
prison-house of the universe. Matt. 25:46. (2.) In what manner it is
described. Isa. 33:14. Matt. 13:42, f.c. Rev. 20:14. (3.) What will
constitute the misery of that dread abode. [1.] The consciousness of
guilt. Rom. 3:19. [2.] The recollection of mercies abused. Rom. 9:22.
[3.] The company that will be there. Matt. 25:41. Rev. 21:8. [4.] The
wrath and curse of Almighty God. Rom. 2:8, 9. [5.] The reflection that
this misery is to have no end. Mark 9:14. (4.) What will be the
employments of that place. Matt. 13:42. 24:51. How we ought to feel, in
regard to those who are exposed to this awful doom. Matt. 22:39. (6.)
What we should do for them. Jude 23, f.c.