Rational Creation, Rev. James Brodie

Man's present condition is altogether anomalous and peculiar.—In his relation to the law of God he is a sinner; and though the penalty was expressly declared, "In the day thou eatest thou shalt surely die;" yet he remains unpunished. He merits Jehovah's wrath, he is daily transgressing his commandment, but notwithstanding his unnumbered offences, he continues to partake of the Creator's care, and has bestowed upon him blessings manifold and exceedingly precious. In his physical and moral condition, man is, in part, conformed to the law of God; and, in part, he is altogether opposed. He exhibits such an incongruous mixture of good and evil, that we have reason to believe there is no creature to be found like him in all the universe of God. We need not wonder, therefore, that man, in his nature, and in his relationship to the Divine law, should be a mystery to himself; and that those who have attempted to explain his constitution, without having regard to the statements of Scripture, have found the task to be altogether beyond their powers. It is only when we look to the present dispensation, as part of the great plan of redemption, and when we remember that the sojourn of men upon earth is only a state of transition and preparation for another and more enduring existence, that we are enabled, in any degree, to unravel the difficulties with which the subject is surrounded.

As it is not our present intention to enter into any elaborate examination of the various faculties and affections of man, or to go over again the ground we formerly traversed, in order to illustrate his nature, we propose confining ourselves to a brief description of the state of the unconverted man, in regard to his bodily organization and animal nature; in reference to the faculties and emotions of the rational soul; and in reference to the relation in which he stands to the government of God and the work of the Mediator.

Unconverted man in regard to his bodily organization and animal nature.—When we direct our attention to the bodily conformation and outward condition of man, we find him, like the other creatures that people the globe, nourished by the bounty of Providence, and preserved for a season in life and vigour; but at all times liable to accident and disease, and sooner or later to decay. The delicate organization of his corporeal frame communicates a higher relish to the pleasures that arise from the gratification of his desires, and the aid of his rational powers enables him to procure a more abundant supply of bodily comforts than any other creature can attain. At the same time, this very delicacy of constitution, which thus enhances his enjoyment, makes him also more susceptible of uneasiness and pain, so that happiness and misery are strangely commingled in his condition, and, while he is unquestionably the chief of all the Creator's works below, yet in some respects he falls below the inferior creation. There is nothing, however, in man's bodily organization that calls at present for particular remark.

In reference to the faculties and desires of his animal nature, we are assured that the Creator designed all these appetites and affections to be united in harmonious operation, and all of them to be subject to the authority of reason and conscience, which are the characteristic peculiarities of the rational soul; but this wise and beneficent appointment has been altogether subverted in consequence of the Fall.

The appetites more immediately connected with the body, exhibit symptoms of disorder and disease which may appropriately be compared to the feelings sometimes awakened by severe indisposition, when the excitement of fever produces an unnatural longing for food, the gratification of which would only aggravate the patient's pain. The appetite of fallen man is not satisfied with that which is wholesome and nourishing, it seeks for that which pampers the palate, though at the hazard of health; it is not content with the beverage that is simple and healthful, it longs for that which stimulates, intoxicates, and kills. The love of repose does not limit its demands to the rest which nature requires, but seeks the gratification of indolence and sloth; while the natural affections are not unfrequently transformed into unnatural lusts.

Those faculties and feelings which are not so closely connected with bodily sensation, exhibit similar evidences of degradation. The natural feeling, for instance, which leads man, and other animals, to bow with reverence before superior power, is not awakened by the thought of the great and holy God, but by the pomp and parade of mortal greatness, and, in the case of the vast majority of the nations of the earth, by the imaginary powers with which the corrupt heart has invested the idols which their own hands have formed. Instances might easily be multiplied, for every faculty and every feeling is depraved.

There are traces of a noble original still remaining, but, like the broken ruins of some magnificent temple, dilapidated by violence, and corroded by time, they tell of a beauty that has passed away; while inordinate affections and fleshly lusts, like the tangled growth of a noxious jungle, have spread over them in rank and poisonous luxuriance.

The condition of the unconverted in reference to the faculties and emotions of the rational soul.—The powers peculiar to the soul, which we may include under the general terms of Reason, Conscience, and the Use of Speech, those higher and nobler powers by the possession of which man is distinguished from the various tribes of irrational creatures, and is allied to angelic beings, are also depraved and perverted. Reason is that faculty by which we are enabled to discover the first principles, or secret causes, from which events proceed, and by which we can discern the motives from which actions flow. This power was at the first vigorous in its decisions and accurate in its conclusions; but in its present condition the proofs of its perversion are at once numerous and apparent. When rightly exercised, it enables man to understand the nature and character of the great Creator, and has evidently been bestowed upon him, that by studying the works of God he might learn the love and reverence that are due to Him that made them; but in the unconverted man it is prostituted to the service of the mere animal desires. The position which the Creator designed it to hold, in reference to the lower parts of the human constitution, has been reversed; and the powers of the rational and immortal soul are made the slaves of those very appetites which they were originally designed to curb and to control. Conscience, which is the faculty by which we judge of duty and obligation, has been in a similar manner perverted. It was destined, in man's original condition, to speak with the trumpet note of supreme authority, and to regulate every desire; but its influence has become weak and feeble, and amid the imperious calls of fleshly affections, and the din of worldly cares, its small still voice is unheeded and unheard. And the faculty of speech, which was bestowed on man that he might praise his God, and speak peace to his fellows, gives utterance to the swelling words of vanity, to the wrathful imprecations of hatred towards men, and to the hellish sound of blasphemy against the Lord.

The emotions appropriate to the rational part of our nature, present a still more deplorable scene to our view. These emotions are Devotion to God, as a Being of infinite excellence, Benevolent regard to the welfare of our fellow-creatures, and the Love of that which is right. But in the unconverted man there scarce remains a trace of love to God, while indifference, forgetfulness, and enmity bear undisputed sway. Gratitude is felt when a fellow-mortal has shewn him favour, but no emotion of thankfulness appears to be awakened by the gifts of the great Creator. He fears the wrath of the mighty on earth; but appears utterly insensible to the displeasure of the Lord. He takes delight in holding converse with his fellow-men; but he has no pleasure in holding communion with God. The wisdom and power of the Deity may be thought of, and may be spoken of; but the idea which the unconverted man forms of God, is altogether unlike the glorious reality; and the character of God, as exhibited in his works and described in his Word, is utterly distasteful.

While men are thus averse to the duty which they owe to their heavenly Father, they are unjust and cruel to each other. War, rapine, plunder, and blood are accounted glorious, and the tyrant that wades through slaughter to a throne is honoured as if he were a god. Iniquity abounds on every side. The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of horrid cruelty; and even lands, the most enlightened, partake of the sin.

Without referring to the statements of Scripture, confining our attention to the events that continually present themselves to our view, and looking to man, as he appears, in the daily intercourse of life, we find abundant evidence of the alienation of his heart from God. Reason and conscience were given to regulate every faculty and feeling, but in whom do they bear rule? Reason tells us, that Jehovah is infinitely worthy of our affection; conscience informs us, that it is our duty to dedicate to Him our heart and soul; but how very, very few set God before them, or even endeavour to give Him the homage that is due!

When we find in the works of creation around us so many manifestations of Divine power; when we see so clearly, even by the light of natural reason, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made; all must allow that he is, indeed, a fool who says in his heart, "There is no God." Yet, notwithstanding the clearness and abundance of the evidence supplied, many have denied the existence of a Deity. Many, be it remembered, not sunk in brutal ignorance, not living in a land where gross idolatry prevails, but dwelling in our own highly-favoured country, have openly avowed their unbelief. To what cause are we to attribute this denial of a God? It is not ignorance; it is not want of evidence; it is a deep-seated dislike to the thought of an ever-present and infinitely holy God. Men wish that there was no God to mark their sins, or call them to a reckoning; and, therefore, they strive to persuade themselves that there is none. And if some have succeeded in doing so, we cannot find a more painfully convincing proof of man's degradation, and of the utter alienation of his heart from God. There are others who dare not deny the existence of a great Creator and Preserver, but who live habitually unmindful of him. By their conduct they say, "Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." This systematic forgetfulness of their Creator cannot proceed from mere indifference, for if there were not a secret feeling of hatred and dislike, it would be impossible to banish him from their thoughts. If a person lives in the neighbourhood of one whose property surrounds him, whose handiworks continually present themselves to his eye, and whose voice, from time to time, falls on his ear, he must, necessarily, think frequently of him, though he should entertain toward him neither affection nor esteem. In like manner, if man was merely indifferent to God, surrounded as he is by the works of the Lord, and continually dependent on his bounty, he could not live unmindful of him. "God is not in all his thoughts," because he wishes to forget him, and because he dislikes him, and hates him. The man who banishes God from his mind, by the very fact of his doing so, proves, that if he had the power, he would banish Jehovah from the universe, and put an end to the existence of the Holy and Righteous One.

Some traces of the original and nobler emotions of the soul are to be found even in the unconverted man. There is some sense of duty to God, and some imperfect regard to that which is right, occasionally exhibited, but the influence of those feelings is so weak, and they are so utterly overpowered by the opposing principles of enmity to God, and love to evil, that they are almost entirely obliterated, and the condition of the sinner is exactly that which is described in the language of Scripture as being "dead in trespasses and sins."

In the sacred record we find many passages in which the utter depravity of the human heart is very clearly and forcibly declared. We are told that "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one;" and again, "There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not." A still more striking and explicit description of the unconverted soul is that which is given us by the apostle Paul, when he says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God." (Rom. viii. 7.)

In another passage, the Apostle says, "And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Here the unconverted are spoken of as being dead—an expression which implies utter insensibility to those emotions which are the ruling principle of the spiritually alive; and this state of deadness is said to be the course of the world, and according to the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience. The unconverted are represented as walking in Satan's paths, and animated by the same principle that actuates him in his warfare against the Lord.

The natural consequence of transgression, as we formerly remarked, in speaking of the fallen angels, is not only the destroying of that love of God and of righteousness which characterizes the holy soul, but the awakening of a principle which, in its nature, is directly the reverse. In Satan and his associates, we see those consequences fully developed. The chief, if we may not rather say, the only, inciting motive with them is, hatred of God and malice toward their fellow-creatures. Without regard to the suffering which they bring on themselves, they are impelled, by an irrepressible desire of doing evil, to oppose the counsel of the Creator, and to disturb the peace of creation. The same principle is found in fallen man, and characterizes the soul of the unconverted. But so long as he remains in a state of probation, it does not fully manifest its nature.

The Holy Spirit restrains more or less in all men the perversity of the human heart. In the account that is given of the depravity of the human race, previous to the flood, we find God represented as saying, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." This expression clearly implies that the influence of the Holy Ghost was at that time exerted, not only in sanctifying Noah and the few who like him remained faithful, but also in restraining the perversity of a world lying in wickedness. We find it afterwards said of Israel, that they "rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit," (Isaiah lxiii. 10.) Stephen, in his remonstrance with the Jews, says to them, "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye," (Acts vii. 51.) It is therefore evident, that there is a work carried on by the Spirit even in those who are uncircumcised in heart, and who continue to resist His grace. The apostle Paul speaks of the fearful doom that is impending over him "who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace," (Heb. x. 29.) This passage, like the others which we quoted before, clearly implies that the Holy Spirit carries on a work among men altogether distinct from that which produces the conversion and sanctification of the true believer. There is a work of "striving" and restraining, by which all men, even the most godless, are prevented from running the headlong career of sin to which they are naturally prone, as well as a work of regeneration and sanctification, by which the sinner is transformed into the saint. This restraining grace forms the chief distinction, in a moral point of view, between the unconverted man in his state of probation, and the finally impenitent, who are left by an offended God to follow the counsel of their own perverse will, and who consequently become, like the fallen spirits with whom they associate, perfected in sin, and, like them, are actuated by unrestrained hatred of God. The withdrawing of the Spirit's influence from those who are in this life given over to a reprobate mind, induces that hardness of heart and that determined opposition to the commandments of the Most High, of which the conduct of Pharaoh affords so remarkable an example. It is the judgment threatened against Ephraim when it is said, "Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone." And it is the danger of which the Apostle bids us beware, when he says, "Quench not the Spirit."

While the perverted emotions of the sinful soul are thus restrained, the original emotions of devotion and enlightened benevolence are altogether dead; the animal appetites, therefore, become the ruling power within, and the faculties of the rational mind are made subservient to the desires of the flesh. The unconverted man may, therefore, be said, even in his best estate, to live as the beast; for he seeks the gratification of the appetites and emotions which he has in common with the creatures that perish, as if they were the end and object of his being. These appetites and emotions, moreover, are diseased and perverted in consequence of the Fall.

This is his usual and habitual condition. The principle of evil, moreover, though restrained, is not destroyed, and, though it is seldom manifested in its full malignity, it is continually in operation, and induces that contempt of the ordinances of the Gospel, that scorn of the truth, that ridicule of the sincere and humble believer, and that petty persecution of those who will live godly, which are so generally manifested in the conduct and conversation of an unbelieving world. When more fully developed, it shews itself in bitter and determined opposition to the cause of God, in open triumphing in the progress of iniquity, and in torturing and slaying the true believer.

Such is man in his unregenerate condition. His body is liable to frailty and disease; his animal nature is depraved, and his soul is pervaded by enmity against God. When the Holy Spirit's restraints are imposed, the animal affections bear rule when the Spirit relaxes his rein, the principle of enmity prevails, and that disposition is manifested which was shewn by the Jews when the Saviour said to them, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." The actions of the unconverted man are directed at one time by the animal appetites, which he has in common with the irrational creatures, and at another by the evil principle which allies him to Satan. In either case, there is nothing in heart or soul but sin. When fleshly lusts prevail, he incurs the guilt of neglected duty, for reason and conscience were given to rule over the appetites, and to direct every desire according to the commandment of God; when the principle of enmity against the Creator is exhibited, he is chargeable with the more heinous offence of direct and open defiance of God.

The reception which men give to the gospel of Christ is more especially referred to as a proof of the desperate depravity of the unrenewed heart: "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light." "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life." The unconverted are represented as taken captive by Satan at his will. He has set them to work in his prison-house, and fastened his fetters around them; but their eyes are so darkened that they embrace his chain, and refuse to go free. They are utterly defiled; yet, though a fountain be opened for sin and for uncleanness, they will not wash and be clean, but return, like the sow that has been washed, to their wallowing in the mire. They are utterly destitute of spiritual nourishment; but, though invited to come and eat "the bread from heaven," without money and without price, they vainly seek for nourishment in the husks of sinful pleasure, and reject the bread that cometh from above. Though the water of life be offered, and the Spirit and the bride say "Come," and the invitation goes forth, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," they continue to drink of the miry streams of worldly joy, and hew out to themselves the broken cisterns of man's device which can hold no water. They are diseased; "from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot" they are covered with the leprosy of sin; but they reject the "balm of Gilead," and scorn him who is the "physician" there.

Unconverted man in his relation to the government of God and to the work of the Mediator.—When we inquire into the relation in which fallen man stands by nature to the law and government of God, we find it very plainly stated, that by nature we are all "children of wrath," (Eph. ii. 3.) Having been included as parties in the original agreement made with the father of our race, "in Adam all die," and inherit from him a fallen and sinful nature. Death, however, does not immediately ensue because of this sinfulness of our nature, and of the many actual transgressions that proceed from it. Though that terrible penalty was incurred even by the first transgression, it is not immediately inflicted. The Eternal Son of God having appeared as the friend of man, and offered himself as a surety in our stead, and the Father, as the Sovereign Judge and Law-giver, having accepted the proposal which he made, an equivalent was provided for the sins of men, the justice of God was satisfied, the sword of vengeance was sheathed, and the world at large was given over to the Redeemer.

The dispensation of grace was thus begun. A respite from the doom which their transgressions deserve is given to all men during the time of their sojourn upon earth, while the offer of pardon and reconciliation is freely made, and whosoever will may partake of it.

The unconverted are not forgiven; judgment is delayed, and the Lord deals with them as if they were sons; but this day of grace endures only for a time. If they refuse His offered salvation, their sin remaineth; and in the day of reckoning we are told, that even for every idle word they must give an account. They are left, as man was left at the first, to the freedom of their will; salvation with all its benefits, present and eternal, is pressed upon their acceptance, manifold blessings, temporal and spiritual, are bestowed, and the restraining grace of the Holy Spirit is continued; but if they persist in remaining at a distance from God, these gifts will not permanently avail them.

In some measure they may be said to be partakers of the benefits purchased by Christ; for, unquestionably, a day of grace, arid an offer of glory, are unspeakable blessings; but they who reject the Saviour's invitation cannot rest any hope on the service which he has rendered, or entertain any expectation of partaking in the eternal blessings which he has purchased. They are "strangers from the covenants of promise; having no hope, and without God in the world."

They are, moreover, represented as "treasuring up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Day by day they are adding to that load of guilt which must sink them deep in the abyss of despair. Sins are multiplied, and mercies are despised; and every sin committed, and every gift neglected, will rise up in judgment against them. Their hearts, too, are hardening more and more; for sin leads to sin, and the smaller offence prepares the way for the greater. With accelerating speed they are hastening on in the path that leads to destruction. They go on from sin to sin, and break through every restraint, till they plunge at last into the deep, the bottomless pit of unutterable wo.

The Lord is represented as calling on the wide creation to mark the blackness of man's ingratitude, and the madness of his rebellion. "Hear," he says, "O heavens! and give ear, O earth! for the Lord hath spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me!" As their Creator, he has largely endowed them with his gifts; but the talents he committed to their charge they have spent in the service of sin. As their Preserver, he has watched over them with unwearied care; but they have despised his favours, and forgotten his continued love. As their Redeemer, he has paid for them a price great beyond all calculation; but they have denied the Lord that bought them, and have done despite to his Spirit of grace.

Still, however, the Lord waiteth to be gracious. He does not immediately grasp the thunderbolt of his wrath, as we might naturally have supposed, and consume them with the lightning of his fury. He beseeches and entreats them to be reconciled. Message after message is sent to them; the King of kings becomes himself a suppliant to his rebellious creatures, and earnestly pleads with them: "Why will ye die, O house of Israel?" The Saviour's offer is spurned away in scorn; but he continues his gracious invitation. When the heart which he claims as his own is closed against him, he stands at the door and knocks; he mourns over the perishing sinner; he feels the rejection of his mercy as if it were a crucifying of him afresh, and a putting of him to open shame.

Has then, this long-suffering no end? Is God gracious to the impenitent for ever? Will he never resent the insults that are offered to him? All, yes! there is an end. His patience waits; but the time must come when he will wait no more. The day of grace is prolonged, but it passes away; and when it is past, it returns not again. The mercy of the Redeemer is like the bow of steel in the brawny arm of the archer; it bends and bends, and still, as it bends, its elastic force is stronger and stronger. It bends yet farther and farther, but, at last, it breaks. It snaps asunder, and its force is gone for ever. So mercy provoked endures and endures, and still, as the provocation is renewed, its call is louder and louder; but the day of mercy ends;—and the brother that entreated becomes the unrelenting Judge; the eye that filled with the tear of pity glances bright and terrible with the flash of fury; the hand that held out the olive branch of peace, the hand that was nailed to the cross, raises aloft the sword of vengeance; and the lip that so tenderly said, "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden," pronounces the fearful, the irrevocable doom, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."