THE INFLUENCE OF FAITH IN CHRIST UPON THE MORAL DISPOSITION AND MORAL
POWERS OF THE SOUL.
It has been demonstrated that the teaching and atonement of God the
Saviour would draw to him, by faith, the affections of the human
heart. We will now inquire what particular effect that faith in Christ
which works by love has upon the moral disposition, the conscience,
the imagination, and the life of believers. Would faith in Christ, as
a Divine, suffering Saviour, quicken, and regulate, and harmonize the
moral powers of the soul?
_1. The influence of faith in Christ upon the moral disposition of
the soul._--When its disposition is affected, the soul is affected
to the centre of its being. By disposition is meant the desires or
predilections of the heart, which influence the choice of the will
to do good or evil. The radical difference of character in spirits
depends upon their disposition. The spirit that has a settled love
for sin and hatred for holiness is a devil, whether it be in time or
eternity--embodied or disembodied. And that spirit which has a
settled love for holiness is a benevolent spirit, in whatever
condition it exists. A devil or malignant spirit is one that seeks
its gratification in habitually doing evil. A holy being, or
benevolent spirit, is one that finds its gratification in habitually
doing good. Whatever, therefore, affects the moral disposition of
the soul, affects, radically, the character of the soul. It becomes,
therefore, a question of the deepest interest--What effect will
faith in Christ have upon man's moral disposition?
The solution of this inquiry is not difficult. Is Jesus Christ holy?
All Christendom--sceptics and believers--answers in the affirmative.
Now the love of a holy being will, as a necessary result, counteract
unholiness in the heart. Holiness is the antagonistic principle of
sin. The soul cannot love a holy being, and at the same time cherish
those principles and exercises which it is conscious are offensive to
the soul of the beloved object. From the nature of the case, love to
holiness will produce opposition to sin. Love is the fulfilling of the
law, and sin is the transgression of the law; so that, while the soul
is entirely actuated in all its exercises by pure love to Christ,
those exercises of the heart cannot be sinful.
When the heart is attached to any being, especially when that being is
lovely and pure in his character, it becomes averse to everything
which, from its evil nature, causes suffering to the object of its
affections. There are few things which will cause one to feel so
sensibly the evil of sin as to see that his sins are causing anguish
to one that he loves.
It is said of Zeleucus, a king of the ancient Locri, that he enacted a
law, the penalty of which was that the offender should lose both his
eyes. One of his sons became a transgressor of that law. The father
had his attachment to his son, and regard to the law he himself had
promulgated as righteous in its requirements and in its penalty. The
lawgiver, it is said, ordered his son into his presence, and required
that one of his eyes should be taken out, and then, in order to show
mercy to his son, and at the same time maintain the penalty of the
law, he sacrificed one of his own eyes as a ransom for the remaining
eye of his child. Now we do not refer to this case as a perfect
analogy, but to show the moral effect of such an exhibition of justice
and self-sacrificing mercy. As man is constituted, it is perfectly
certain that this transaction would produce two effects; one upon the
subjects of the king, which would be to impress upon every heart that
the law was sacred, and that the lawgiver thus regarded it. This
impression would be made much more strongly than it would have been if
the king had ordered that his son should lose both his eyes; because
it manifested, in the strongest manner possible, his love for his son,
and his sacred regard for his law. If he had allowed his son to
escape, it would have exhibited to his subjects less love for his
law; and if he had executed the whole penalty of the law upon the son,
instead of bearing a portion of it himself, he would have manifested
less love for his son. The king was the lawgiver; he therefore had the
power to pardon his son, without inflicting the penalty upon him, and
without enduring any sacrifice himself. Every mind, therefore, would
feel that it was a voluntary act on the part of the king; and such an
exhibition of justice and mercy, maintaining the law and saving his
son by his own sacrifice, would impress all minds with the deepest
reverence for the character of the lawgiver, and for the sacredness of
the law.
But another effect, deep and lasting in its character, would be
produced upon the son who had transgressed the law. Every time that he
looked upon his father, or remembered what he had suffered for his
transgression, it would increase his love for him, increase his
reverence for the law, and cause an abhorrence of his crime to arise
in his soul. His feelings would be more kind towards his sire, more
submissive to the law, and more averse to transgression.
Now this is precisely the effect necessary to be produced, in order
that pardon may be extended to transgressors, and yet just and
righteous government be maintained. If civil law had some expedient
by which, with the offer of pardon, some influence could be exerted
upon the heart of the transgressor which would entirely change his
character; an influence which would make him love the law he had
transgressed, hate the crime he had committed, hate himself for
committing it, and implant within him the spirit of an obedient and
faithful subject--if such an effect could be produced by pardon, then
pardon would be safe; because there would be some means, or some
moral power, connected with it, that would, at the same time that the
pardon was granted, change the moral disposition of the criminal from
that of a rebellious to that of a faithful and affectionate subject.
This expedient the civil law can never have. Such an expedient was
that of Zeleucus, the self-sacrificed lawgiver and father. Such an
expedient, in some respects, in the moral government of God, is the
atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 'He,' says the prophet, 'was
bruised for our iniquities;' says the apostle, 'He bare our sins in
his own body on the tree;' says himself, 'This is my body broken for
you.' Now two effects would follow this exhibition of the
self-sacrificing love of Christ. One in the heart of the believing
sinner; every time he realized by faith that the Divine Saviour
suffered the rebuke, the scorn, and the cross, as a sacrifice for his
sins, he would regard the Saviour with greater love; and sin, which
caused the suffering of his Divine Benefactor, he would regard in
himself and others with greater abhorrence. Another effect which
would result would be that all the holy beings in the universe, if
they had knowledge of the self-sacrifice of God the Saviour, as an
atonement to maintain the law and redeem sinners, would be inspired
with greater reverence for the eternal law, and greater aversion to
sin. Thus would the faith of Christ affect the moral disposition of
believers, and of all holy beings throughout the universe; drawing
the believer back to holiness and obedience, and adding a new motive
to confirm holy beings in happy allegiance.
The language of the apostle confirms this view: 'What the law could
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh'--that is, the law, although it had power to show to the mind
the evil and the guilt of sin, had no power to produce in the heart an
aversion to it; but Christ coming in the body, and dying for sin, in
that way reaches man's moral feelings, and creates a sentiment of
condemnation of, or aversion to, sin in the heart of every believer.
A feeling cannot be manifested by intellect or will. A communication
of knowledge, or law, does not manifest feeling so that it produces
feeling in others. The moral feelings of God were manifested by the
sacrifice of Christ; and that manifestation, through the flesh,
affects the moral feelings of man, assimilates them to God, and
produces an aversion to sin--the abominable thing which God hates.
Blessed faith! which, while it purifies the heart, works by the sweet
influence of love in accomplishing the believer's sanctification.
_2. The influence of faith in Christ upon the moral sense, or
conscience of believers._--To a mind endowed with the higher qualities
of reason, there can be no more interesting thought than that noticed
in a previous demonstration; which was, that a man's conscience is
guided by his faith. Conscience is the highest moral faculty, or
rather the governing moral power of the soul; and this governing
faculty is regulated and controlled by faith. Man's conscience always
follows his religious belief, and changes with it, and grows weak or
strong with it. Now, as God has so constituted the world that the
affections, and likewise the conscience, are affected and controlled
by faith; and the purity of the one, and the integrity of the other,
and the activity of both, depend upon what man believes: this being
true, no mind can avoid the conviction, that the principle of FAITH,
which Christ has laid at the foundation of the Christian system, is
from the nature of things, the only principle through the operation of
which man's moral powers can be brought into happy, harmonious, and
perfect activity. But this happy effect, as has been shown, can be
produced only by faith in the truth; and besides, it is an intuition
of reason, that God certainly would not make the soul so that its
moral powers would be controlled by faith, and then cause that faith
in falsehood should perfect and make happy those powers. Such a
supposition would be a violation of reason, as well as an impiety. In
searching, therefore, for the answer to the inquiry, What is truth? as
it concerns the spiritual interests of man, the direct process of
solution would be, to inquire what effect certain facts, or supposed
facts, would have upon the moral disposition and moral powers of the
soul; and that faith which quickens and rectifies those powers, as we
have noticed, is necessarily truth.
We come now to the inquiry, _What effect has faith in Christ--in his
Divinity, in his teaching, and in his atonement for sin--upon the
conscience of believers?_
The answer is plain. In those who received Christ as possessing
supreme authority as a Divine Teacher, their faith would so affect
their conscience, that it would reprove for every neglect of
conformity to the example of Jesus. The moment faith recognises Christ
as a Divine instructor, that moment conscience recognises his
instruction and his example as obligatory to be received and
practised. To the believer, the teachings and example of Christ have
not only the force of truth, recognised as such by the understanding,
but they have likewise the authority of supreme law, as coming from
that Divine Being who is the rightful Lawgiver of the soul. Now, then,
if faith in Christ would regulate the conscience according to his
example and precepts, the only inquiry which remains is, Were the
example and precepts of Christ a perfect rule of duty towards God and
men? This inquiry has been the subject of examination in another
chapter, in which the fact was shown--which has been generally
admitted by all men, believers and sceptics--that Christ's example of
piety towards God, and kindness towards men, was perfect. When this is
admitted, the consecutive fact follows, whether men perceive it or
not, that in the case of all who receive him as their Lord and
Lawgiver, the conscience would be regulated according to a perfect
standard, and guided by a perfect rule.
But further--While it is true that a knowledge of duty guides the
conscience, and a knowledge of the Divine authority of the lawgiver
binds it, by imposing a sense of obligation, it is likewise true that
faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice has peculiar efficacy to
strengthen this sense of obligation. Two men may have an equal
knowledge of duty, and yet one feel, much more than the other, a sense
of obligation to perform it: whatever, therefore, increases the sense
of obligation, increases the power of conscience, and thereby promotes
in a greater degree active conformity of the life to the rule of duty.
The atonement of Christ increases the sense of obligation, by waking
into exercise gratitude and hope in the soul of the believer.
Gratitude gives the conscience a power in the soul where it exists,
which could arise from no other source. Conscience reproves for the
neglect of known duty; but to neglect duty, when it involves the sense
of gratitude to the kindest of benefactors, is to arm the moral sense
of the soul with a two-edged sword. When the lawgiver is likewise the
benefactor, conscience rebukes, not only for wrongdoing, but for
ingratitude. One step further--
When the being who claims our obedience is not only our benefactor,
but the object of all our hopes, the power of obligation is still
further increased. To disobey a being whom we ought to obey, would be
wrong; to disobey that being, if he were our self-denying benefactor,
would be ingratitude added to the wrong; and to disobey that being, if
from him we hoped for all future good, would be to add unworthiness to
wrong and ingratitude. Thus, faith in Christ Jesus combines the sense
of wrong, of ingratitude, and unworthiness, in the rebuke which
conscience gives to the delinquent believer; and obedience to the
Redeemer's example and precepts is enforced by the united power of
duty, gratitude, and hope.
Further, and finally--Conscience recognises the fact that our obligation
of gratitude is in proportion to the benefit conferred. If a benefactor
has endured great sacrifices and self-denials to benefit us, the
obligation of gratitude binds us the more strongly to respect the will
and feelings of that individual. Conscience feels the obligation of
gratitude just in proportion to the self-denials and sacrifices made in
our behalf. If a friend risks his interest to the amount of a dollar, or
an hour of time, to benefit us, the obligation of gratitude upon the
conscience is light, but still there is a sense of obligation; but if a
friend risks his life, and wades through deep afflictions, to confer
benefits, the universal conscience of man would affirm the obligation,
and would reprobate the conduct of the individual benefited, as base
and unnatural, if he did not ever after manifest an affectionate regard
for the interests and the desires of his benefactor.
Thus, by faith in Jesus Christ, the conscience is not only guided by a
perfect rule, but it is likewise quickened and empowered by a perfect
sense of obligation. Christ is the Divine Lawgiver; therefore it is
right to obey him. He is our Benefactor; gratitude, therefore,
requires obedience. But as our Benefactor he has endured the utmost
self-denial and sacrifice for our sake, therefore we are under the
utmost obligation of gratitude to return self-denial and sacrifice for
his sake; or, in the words of an apostle, 'He died for all, that they
which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him
which died for them, and rose again;' and, added to this, our hope of
all future good rests in the same Being that right and gratitude
require us to obey and love. Thus does a perfect faith in Christ
perfect the conscience of believers, by guiding, quickening, and by
producing a perfect sense of obligation.
_3. The influence of faith, in Christ upon the imagination._--There
are few exercises of the mind fraught with so much evil, and yet so
little regarded, as that of an evil imagination. Many individuals
spend much of their time in a labour of spirit which is vain and
useless, and often very hurtful to the moral character of the soul.
The spirit is borne off upon the wings of an active imagination, and
expatiates among ideal conceptions that are improbable, absurd, and
sinful. Some people spend about as much time in day-dreams as they do
in night-dreams. Imaginations of popularity, pleasure, or wealth
employ the minds of worldly men, and perchance the Christian dreams of
wealth, and of magnificent plans of benevolence, or of schemes less
pious in their character. It is difficult to convey a distinct idea of
the evil under consideration, without supposing a case like the
following:
One day, while a young man was employed silently about his usual
pursuits, he imagined a train of circumstances by which he supposed
himself to be put in possession of great wealth; and then he imagined
that he would be the master of a splendid mansion surrounded with
grounds devoted to profit and amusement--he would keep horses and
conveyances that would be perfect in all points, and servants that
would want nothing in faithfulness or affection--he would be great in
the eyes of men, and associate with the great among men, and render
himself admired or honoured by his generation. Thus his soul wandered,
for hours, amid the ideal creations of his own fancy.
Now, much of men's time, when their attention might be employed by
useful topics of thought, is thus spent in building 'castles in the
air.' Some extraordinary circumstance is thought of by which they
might be enriched, and then hours are wasted in foolishly imagining
the manner in which they would expend their imaginary funds. Such
excursions of the fancy may be said to be comparatively innocent, and
they are so, compared with the more guilty exercises of a great
portion of mankind. The mind of the politician and of the partisan
divine is employed in forming schemes of triumph over their opponents.
The minds of the votaries of fashion, of both sexes, are employed in
imagining displays and triumphs at home and abroad; and those of them
who are vicious at heart, not having their attention engaged by any
useful occupation, pollute their souls by cherishing imaginary scenes
of folly and licentiousness. And not only the worthless votaries of
the world, but likewise the followers of the holy Jesus, are sometimes
led captive by an unsanctified imagination. Not that they indulge in
the sinful reveries which characterise the unregenerate sons and
daughters of time and sense; but their thoughts wander to unprofitable
topics, and wander at times when they should be fixed on those truths
which have a sanctifying efficacy upon the heart. In the solemn
assemblies for public worship, many of those whose bodies are bowed
and their eyes closed in token of reverence for God, are yet mocking
their Maker by assuming the external semblance of worshippers, while
their souls are away roaming amid a labyrinth of irrelevant and sinful
thought.
It is not affirmed that the exercises of the imagination are
necessarily evil. Imagination is one of the noblest attributes of the
human spirit; and there is something in the fact that the soul has
power to create, by its own combinations, scenes of rare beauty, and
of perfect happiness, unsullied by the imperfections which pertain to
earthly things, that indicates not only its nobility, but perhaps its
future life. When the imagination is employed in painting the beauties
of nature, or in collecting the beauties of sentiment and devotion,
and in grouping them together by the sweet measures of poetry, its
exercises have a benign influence upon the spirit. It is like
presenting 'apples of gold in pictures of silver' for the survey of
the soul. The imagination may degrade and corrupt, or it may elevate
and refine the feelings of the heart. The inquiry, then, is important.
How may the exercises of the imagination be controlled and directed,
so that their influence upon the soul shall not be injurious, but
ennobling and purifying? Would faith in Christ turn the sympathies of
the soul away from those gifted but guilty minds:
'Whose poisoned song
Would blend the bounds of right and wrong;
And hold, with sweet but cursed art,
Their incantations o'er the heart,
Till every pulse or pure desire
Throbs with the glow of passion's fire,
And love, and reason's mild control,
Yield to the simoom of the soul?'
When the conscience had become purified and quickened, it would be a
check upon the erratic movements of the imagination; and when the
disposition was corrected, it would be disinclined to every unholy
exercise; so that, in the believer, the disinclination of the will and
the disapprobation of the conscience would be powerful aids in
bringing into subjection the imaginative faculty. But, more than this,
faith in Christ would have a direct influence in correcting the evils
of the imagination. It is a law of mind, that the subject which
interests an individual most, subordinates all other subjects to
itself, or removes them from the mind and assumes their place. As a
group of persons, who might be socially conversing upon a variety of
topics, if some venerable individual should enter and introduce an
absorbing subject, in which all felt interested, minor topics would be
forgotten in the interest created by the master subject;--so when
'Christ crucified' enters the presence-chamber of the believer's Soul,
the high moral powers of the mind bow around in obeisance; and even
imagination folds her starry wings around her face, and bends before
Immanuel. When the cross of Christ becomes the central subject of the
soul, it has power to chasten the imagination, and subdue its
waywardness by the sublime exhibition of the bleeding mercy in the
atonement. The apostle perceived the efficacy of the cross in subduing
vain reasoning and an evil imagination, and alludes to it in language
possessing both strength and beauty, as 'casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of
God, and [mark] bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ.'
That these views are not idle speculations, but truthful realities, is
affirmed by the experience of every Christian. When the imagination is
wandering to unprofitable or forbidden subjects, all that is necessary
in order to break the chain of evil suggestion, and introduce into the
mind a profitable train of thought, is to turn the eye of the soul
upon the 'Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.' By the
presence of this delightful and sacred idea every unworthy and hurtful
thought will be awed out of the mind.
Thus does faith in the blessed Jesus control and purify the imagination
of believers.
_4. The influence of faith in Christ upon the life: leading man to
such conduct as would eventually accomplish the salvation of the whole
human family._
It is certain that men have all the faculties which, if rightly
directed, would be necessary to enable them to benefit and bless each
other. Suppose one individual did all in his power to do others good
and make them happy, who can limit the amount of consolation which
that man might impart to the children of want and sorrow; or the
amount of light he might shed upon the minds of the ignorant; or the
rebukes and warnings he might sound in the ears of those who persisted
in sin? Suppose a whole community of such individuals, denying
themselves the selfish ease and worldly pleasures which the children
of this world seek after, and devoting their lives to spread around
them the blessings and benefits of the gospel--should individuals or
communities desire thus to devote their lives to benevolence instead
of selfish effort, it is certain the Creator has endowed them with
every faculty necessary to the accomplishment of such a work. They
have hearts to love their fellow-men; they have reason and knowledge
to learn themselves, and then to instruct others. They can travel to
where the ignorant and the needy dwell, either at home or abroad; or,
if they feel disqualified personally to do this, they have hands to
labour for the means to send others on errands of benevolence
throughout the world. That men have been created with the faculties,
therefore, to diffuse the blessings which they possess, throughout the
world, no one can doubt.
But, secondly--Men are so constituted, that the exercise of those
faculties, in a manner that would bless others, would likewise produce
a blessing in their own souls. It is a fact in experience, as well as
philosophy, that the exercise of any power of the soul, gives
increased strength to that power. By exercising their selfish and
malevolent feelings, men become continually more selfish and
malevolent; while, on the contrary, by exercising self-denial and the
benevolent feelings, men become continually more benevolent.
Selfishness, all admit, is an evil in the heart. Self-denial is its
antagonist principle; and it is by invigorating the latter by
exercise, that the former evil principle is to be eradicated. It
would, therefore, be the greatest benefit to those who possessed
blessings, to induce them to exercise benevolence by communicating
them to others.
It follows, therefore, that not only the greatest good of the guilty
and the ignorant requires self-denying benevolence in those who have
the means and the power to enlighten and guide them to truth and
happiness; but likewise, that the greatest good of those possessing
blessings is, to impart them to others. 'It is more blessed to give
than to receive;' because, by the exercise of self-denial to do good,
benevolence is strengthened in the soul; and from benevolent exercises
arises the blessedness of the spirit. Men are constantly making
sacrifices to advance their own aggrandizement, and thus, by
increasing their own selfishness, they make themselves more miserable:
the great end to be gained, is to lead them to make sacrifices for
others, and thus, with others, bless themselves.
Now, no one doubts that the whole human family, in the days of Christ,
needed the blessing of an enlightening and purifying religion. And no
one doubts that the ultimate end of a religion from heaven would be
the greatest ultimate good of the entire race. Three things, then, are
obvious: 1. That a religion from heaven would be designed ultimately
to bless the whole world. 2. That the best good of mankind, as a
family, required that they should be the instruments in disseminating
this religion among themselves. 3. That the principle of self-denial,
or denying ourselves the ease and pleasures of selfishness, in order
to perform acts of benevolence, is the great principle by which the
operation of spreading this religion would be carried on.
Now, Jesus Christ professed to give a universal spiritual religion;
one which encircled in its design, and was to bless by its influence,
the whole family of man; and faith he set forth as the great
motive-power of the whole plan. The question then is--Would faith in
Christ lead men to that method of living and acting, and to the
possession of those views and feelings, which would make them
instrumental in benefiting each other, and which would destroy
selfishness and promote the happiness and interest of the whole
family of man, in accordance with the three principles above
specified?
1. It has been shown that the example and precepts of Christ become
the guide to conscience, and the rule of faith and practice for all
believers. What, then, has Christ said and done, to induce men to do
each other good, and to unite the race of man in one harmonious and
happy family?
The gospel of Christ possesses all the characteristics of a universal
religion. _It is adapted to human nature: not to any particular
country or class of men; but, as has been shown, to the NATURE of the
race._ Its truths are intelligible, and may be understood by all men,
and transferred into all languages. It is spiritual in its character;
designed to affect the mind and heart of man; so that wherever
intelligent beings are to be found, there it may be introduced into
the heart by faith, to correct the spiritual evils of their nature,
and produce happiness in the soul.[39]
[39] See Reinhard's Plan: sect. 17, 22.
The precepts and teachings of Jesus are designed and adapted to
harmonize the race of man into one happy family. Instead of the
abominations and folly of polytheism, he presented before the minds of
men one common object of worship; and so exhibited the character of
that object, by presenting before the world a grand spectacle of
self-denying mercy, that the exhibition was adapted to attract the
attention of all, and draw all hearts to one centre of affection.
In all his instructions to regulate the conduct of men, he viewed them
as brethren of the same great family, and taught them to consider
themselves as such. No retaliation was to be offered for injuries
received, but the injured child was to appeal only to the great Parent
of the family. No one might treat another as his enemy: and no one was
to cease in efforts to do good to another, unless he perceived that
those efforts were treated with contempt, and instead of benefiting,
had a hardening effect upon the heart.
2. Their lives were to be spent in efforts to impart those blessings
which they possessed, to their brethren of the human family who
possessed them not. Instead of the unhallowed and anxious struggle
which worldly men manifest to raise themselves to power over their
fellows, their efforts were to be directed to the opposite end--to
raise the ignorant and the needy to the enjoyment of the blessings and
privileges which they possessed.
This active and constant effort to extend the blessings which they
possessed to others, and to relieve men from their vices and
ignorance, was not to stop with their own kindred, or nation, or
tongue, nor to be restricted to the grateful, or the deserving; in
this respect, their philanthropy was to be modelled after that of
their heavenly Father, who causeth his sun to shine upon the just and
the unjust. It was to continue during life, and to extend to the ends
of the earth. And in proportion as men were found in a condition of
ignorance and want, in the same proportion they were to make
benevolent exertions to elevate and bless them.
Now, every one can see, that if these precepts were obeyed, strife
between individuals and nations would cease, and the glorious process
of benevolent effort would go on, until the last benighted mind was
enlightened, and the last corrupted heart purified by the power of the
faith of Christ.
_It was necessary, in connection with these precepts, that some motive
should be presented to cause men to deny themselves, in order to act
in accordance with them._ Now it has been shown that the believer acts
in view of the character and will of Jesus. Christ, therefore, in
order to give these precepts moving power upon the souls of men,
identified himself with his needy creatures, and sanctioned the duty
which he prescribed to others, by conformity to it himself; so that
these precepts, given to govern men's conduct in this life, he made
the rule of judgment in heaven's court of equity, and by them the
decision will be made out, which will settle, finally, the spiritual
destiny of men. 'Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of
these my brethren, ye did it not unto me.' Thus Christ identifies
himself with the most needy of mankind, and receives an act of
kindness done to them, as done to himself. When the love of Christ,
therefore, constrains men, he has so exhibited his will, that it
constrains them to act for the good of each other. Those that love
Jesus, therefore, and expect his favour, must serve him by doing good
to others.
Moreover, Christ has sanctioned these precepts by his own example.
His life was a life of self-denying labour, for the benefit of our
race; and his command to everyone is--'Deny thyself, take up thy
cross, and follow me.' Thus, by Christ's precepts, by his example,
and especially by his identifying himself with those in need, that
method of life is sanctioned which alone could make man the
benefactor of his fellows--unite the human family in one happy
brotherhood--and make them blessed in doing each other good, in the
faith of Christ.
Those that love Jesus will desire to do his will--will find their
happiness in obeying him; and that will is, that they should labour to
benefit his creatures. Those who believe in and love Jesus will have
their conscience regulated by his precepts and example. Thus, the
conscience of believers is set (if I may so express it), so that it
will regulate the movement of their life in such a manner, as finally
to work out the salvation of a world lying in wickedness.
It follows, therefore, that faith in Jesus Christ is directly designed
and adapted to strengthen men's benevolent affection, and to produce
in believers that active desire and effort for the good of others
which will necessarily produce the dissemination of the light and love
of the gospel throughout the whole habitable world.