member Thee, my Creator, all my days, cheerfully embrace DIAL. salvation by Thy Son our Lord, and submit to His govern- VIII. mento, let Thy HOLY SPIRIT ever accompany me, and inspire me with sound principles of virtue, religion, and holiness, for Thy mercy's sake in Christ Jesus. Amen. DIALOGUE IX. Being an Abstract of the former Dialogues and Instructions. Ind. Kind Sir, I am come to put you in mind of your promise to instruct me, how I may become a member of that society to which you told me so many blessings do belong.' Miss. I would now do it, but upon second thoughts I am of opinion, it will be best for you, that I put you again in mind of the truths you have already learned, and assented to, that you may be able to answer it to your own reason, and to every one who shall ask you, 'Why you choose to be a Christian?' And that your faith being surely established, you may be convinced that it is your interest, as well as duty, to make such a choice; and that you may not hereafter become a scandal to the Christian religion, or be tempted to forsake it, on account of any difficulties you may meet with, or the bad examples of wicked men who profess it". Ind. 'I heartily thank you for so kind a proposal; and I will hear you most willingly.' Miss. You have declared already that you are fully convinced, that there is but one God of all the nations of the world; that is, a Being, most wise, most powerful, most holy, most just, and good, who, after He had made the world, and all things in it, by His great power, made man, and endued Him with reason and understanding, to the end He might have a creature on earth capable of knowing and honouring his Maker. PART Ind. I am most fully convinced of this, and do most firmly believe itt.' Miss. How then do you think it comes to pass, that so many people endued with reason are so far from being an honour to that God, on whom they depend for life and breath, and all things which they enjoy or hope for, that they neither fear nor love, nor honour, nor are concerned to please Him? Ind. 'I have not, Sir, forgot the account you gave me, how this came to pass; how the first parents of mankind came to fall from that happy temper and condition in which they were made, by yielding to the temptation of an evil spirit, and breaking a strict command which their Maker had given them for a trial of their obedience. And what a sad change and disorder was thereby made in their nature, and in the world, inasmuch that both they, and their posterity, which inherited their corrupt nature, became prone to evil, and subject to sin, and death, and to all the sorrows, miseries, and afflictions, which lead to death; and that this was the true occasion of all the mischiefs and wickedness which we see and hear of in the world.' Miss. I am very glad you remember this so well. For indeed, without the knowledge of this unhappy fall of man, and the corruption of our nature, which followed, you can never fully understand, nor truly value, the wisdom, the justice, the mercy, and the goodness of God; nor would the Christian religion appear to you so great a blessing as it really is. Ind. 'You will be so kind as to explain this to me a little more particularly; that I may embrace it with full satisfaction, and never forsake it.' Miss. You will remember then what I told you before: that we know and are assured of this by a writing which came from God, of which we have most undoubted proofs", and by which we are informed how merciful God was in sparing the lives of these our unhappy parents, which they had forfeited by their great offence, and this for the sake of His beloved Son, who undertook to see His justice fully 3 dele "this." t believe all this. u 66 Add, as you yourself have heard," IX. satisfied, and to use all proper means to make men sensible DIAL. of their offences, and bring them back to the duty they owe to their Maker. : That in order to this HIS SON, who is called CHRIST, and from whom we Christians have our name, came down from heaven to earth, and was made man, and conversed with men and declared unto them, as He was the Son of the Most High God, and had a tender compassion for poor sinners, so He had undertaken to be a Peace-maker between God and them; and that He was a messenger sent from Him to make His will known unto men; and that God had committed the government of all mankind to Him. 17. All which God Himself confirmed by a voice from heaven '. Matt. iii. And His Son, when on earth, convinced all who were disposed to receive the truth, that these things were true, by His doing such wonderful works as none but God could do; by the holiness of His life; by the most righteous laws which He gave unto men; and above all, by His rising again from the dead, after He had, by wicked hands, been murdered. Ind. All this I remember, and only desire you will repeat the message which this WONDERFUL PERSON brought from God to men.' Miss. In the first place He made known to them their miserable condition by nature and practice; and that it was yet a condition not without hope: that as His justice could not let sin go unpunished, so His goodness would not let His unhappy creatures be ruined, except they obstinately refused to accept of the merciful terms proposed to them. That therefore God had been pleased, for His Son's sake, to promise, that all such as should be made sensible of their bad condition, and would return to the duty which they owe to their Maker, shall have all their past offences pardoned, shall be received into His favour again, and be made for ever happy with Him; but that all who know this, and would not receive, and thankfully comply with, so kind an offer, shall die in their sins, and be punished without mercy. In a word, that their happiness or misery would om. "their-hope," and transpose what follows, down to "mercy," till after "obstinate and wicked." X PART depend upon their good or bad behaviour in this world. For I. that God had appointed a day in which He would judge the 'Acts xvii. world most righteously, reward the truly penitent and good, and punish those that continue obstinate and wicked. 31. Ind. 'Will you now, Sir, be so good as to let me know the way which this Wonderful Person did make use of to prevail with men to embrace this most kind message of God to men?' Miss. In the first place, He shewed them, what a tender compassion God had for His unhappy creatures, who were wilfully going on in the way of ruin, without perceiving it : and that He was so good as to send His own Son from heaven to save them from destruction. He told them further, that the sins of men were so many, so great and universal, that no less a satisfaction would be accepted for their pardon than the death of His own Son; that therefore He had taken upon Himself the cause of sinners, and put Himself in their place and steady, that He might suffer and die for them. And God, to shew men how well He was satisfied with His Son's sufferings for the sins of men, raised Him from death, and set Him at His own right hand; where He liveth for ever, to make intercession for all such as come unto God 2 Heb. vii. by Him2. 25. Ind. All this I remember, and I cannot but admire the great love of God and Christ for such unworthy creatures. Pray, have any other ways been taken of bringing men to a sense of the duty they owe to their Maker, and of promoting their happiness?' Miss. I hope you have not forgot what I told you, that Christ, after His ascent into heaven, sent down the Holy Ghost upon His Apostles in a most wonderful manner, who established that society which we call the Church of Christ, as the most proper means of bringing men to the knowledge of the true Goda, of salvation by His Son, and of engaging in the regular and faithful discharge of the several duties they owe to God, to themselves, and to all mankind. y om. "that... them." 2 appointed and of the duty they owe to Him, to themselves, &c. IX. For in that society He has appointed certain persons His DIAL. ministers, who are to watch for the souls of men as they that must give account of them'; to let them know what they 1Heb. xiii. must do to be saved; to minister to men the means of grace 17. and salvation; to instruct the ignorant; to comfort and help the weak, and raise up them that fall; to offer up to God supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanks for all men; and, in one word, to endeavour that all men may attain that happiness, which Jesus Christ has purchased by His most precious blood. Ind. 'This I have not forgot: nor what you told me further, that forasmuch as God hath determined to judge mankind according to their behaviour in this life, He has given to Christians certain laws and rules, by which they shall be judged to happiness or misery, at that great day; and that these laws and rules are to be found in that book which you call the Word of God, because it was written by men appointed of God. May I beg you to give me a short account of that book?' Miss. In the first part of those Scriptures, called the Old Testament, we have an account of the creation of the world, and of God's infinite power, wisdom, justice, and goodness in the government of it: we have there an account, as I told you, of the original happiness of our first parents, and of their sinful fall from that condition; we have also encouraging notices of the recovery of mankind from this sad condition, and are informed how, in all ages, God has often protected and blessed the good, and punished the wicked; in order to convince men, that He sees and ordereth all things for His own glory, and the good of His creatures. In that part of the Scriptures which we call the Gospel, we have a particular account of the life of Christ; His most perfect example; His most holy precepts; some of His numberless and wonderful miracles: how He was approved of God to be His Son, and the Messenger of His will to men: how He was by wicked hands crucified and slain: that He died, was buried, and that all these His sufferings were a proper atonement for our sins; that He rose again the third day from the dead; conversed with His followers, and in their b 66 we have... informed." om. с om. " and that... sins." |