Rational Creation, Rev. James Brodie

Without entering into those subtle and perplexing questions which metaphysicians have started in regard to the nature of conscience, every one will readily allow that a sense of duty and moral obligation ought to possess a predominating influence over the mind. Even in the most ignorant and degraded of the human race, we find the original and essential supremacy of conscience acknowledged; and while they call good evil, and evil good, and often exhibit an utter ignorance of that which duty requires, the inherent authority of moral obligation is still confessed. To this faculty, therefore, every wise legislator should, in the first place, direct his attention, as the most effectual means of regulating the conduct of rational and accountable beings.

When we further inquire into the means by which creatures, who are actuated by conscience, ought to be governed, so that they may not only be led to render obedience to the law, but find in that obedience a source of enjoyment, it seems very evident that, in the first place, they must be made to understand the nature of the obligation under which they are placed, the service that is required of them, and the means by which they may be enabled to perform it; and, in the next place, their duty will be made more easy and pleasing, if they are encouraged by the hope of success, and animated by the counsel and co-operation of those under whose authority they are placed. We now proceed to shew, that in this, as in all the other departments of his government, Jehovah has associated together the fulfilling of his law and the happiness of his creatures, and shall endeavour to prove that these objects are more especially promoted by the manifestation of his character and counsel in the work which has been wrought for our salvation.

Intelligent creatures are taught, by the work of Redemption, the obligations under which they lie to God.—When any one issues an order or assigns us a duty, we naturally ask, Who has authorized him, and what title has he to our services? If, on inquiry, we find reason to dispute the authority which he assumes, we look on his conduct as arrogant and insulting, and if he should attempt to compel us, we struggle against him as an oppressor. But if, on the other hand, we are led to understand, that he is justly entitled to our homage, we hasten to perform his behest; obedience in that case is pleasant, and we would reproach ourselves if it were neglected. In order, therefore, to promote a ready and cheerful compliance with the commandments of God, the first and most important requisite is a distinct exhibition of the right which the Creator has to the services of his creatures.

This is most fully and clearly given in the work of Christ. Redemption makes known more fully than any other work which has ever been wrought, the manifold perfections of God, and the claims which, as the infinitely glorious Jehovah, he has on our regard. It shews that he is possessed of unlimited wisdom, and consequently that his counsels are entitled to implicit belief;—that he is boundless in holiness, justice, and truth, and therefore deserves our supreme veneration;—and that he is actuated in all things by a love to his creatures, of the purest and most disinterested kind, and should, therefore, be regarded with the highest devotion and esteem. It exhibits, at the same time his absolute sovereignty over us, and his unquestionable right to do what he pleases with the work of his own hands.

We may also observe that the obedience of Christ, his full and perfect performance of the most arduous duties, his readiness to say, even in his agony, "Not my will, but thine be done," clearly shews the unlimited and unalienable title which Jehovah has to the services of his creatures, however difficult and however painful the task may be which is assigned to them. If He who thought it no robbery to be equal with God, if He who was the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person, submitted, without repining, to the hardest task that ever was imposed, it evidently follows, that no mere creature, however high his rank, or glorious his endowments, is entitled to complain, though the work appointed him should be humble, or the services required of him should be severe.

The Saviour took on him the form of a servant, and bent beneath the yoke, in order to procure for his people a title to reward, but he had another and further object in view. He became obedient, even to the death, that he might make known the extent of the law's demands, and the nature of that obligation under which every creature lies to the Creator. The work which he wrought exhibits, in the clearest light, the absolute and unalienable right which Jehovah has to the services of those whom he has formed; and his example manifests to every intelligent being the duty of implicit submission.

The ready obedience, which a knowledge of the obligation under which we lie to the person who issues the commandment naturally produces, we must further remark, is not only acceptable to him to whom the service is due, but is, at the same time, agreeable to him by whom it is rendered. The loyal subject gladly embraces an opportunity of shewing his allegiance, he needs no compulsion to make him attend on the monarch's procession, or welcome his visits. The affectionate child needs neither threatening nor bribe to induce him to comply with his parent's desire; the sincere believer says with David, "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day;" and all, whether on earth or in heaven, who render service to the Lord with a willing heart, find that "in keeping of the commandments there is a great reward."

The work of Christ, in man's redemption, makes known the nature of the service which God requires of his creatures.—It needs no argument to prove that, without a clear understanding of the duty appointed him, it is impossible for any subject to perform aright his lord's commands; and at the same time, it is evident, that unless the service be reasonable and beneficial, it can never be performed with alacrity and good-will. Even when we acknowledge the right of the ruler to issue the command, his law will be regarded as a burden, so long as we consider it liable to objection; and it will receive a very reluctant homage if the object contemplated be inexpedient or trifling. But when we know the nature of the duty that is required of us, when we see that the service is reasonable, and that the object is worthy, we will immediately comply with the demand, and the performance of the service appointed will afford us satisfaction and pleasure. These principles must characterize all cheerful and acceptable obedience; when, therefore, we are given to understand, that the clear and distinct enunciation of his precepts, given in the Scriptures, affords not only to men, but to every class of intelligent creatures, a more ample and accurate description of duty than any which they before possessed,—the importance of the Saviour's work as a means of confirming the authority of God, as the Sovereign of the universe, becomes immediately apparent.

It is more especially to the example which Jesus sets us that we are to look as the means of making known the service which God requires of his creatures. Without an appropriate pattern, rules and regulations are destitute of force. As an abstract statement of doctrine, without some illustration to bring it home, takes no hold of the mind, and soon passes from the remembrance; so a duty enacted, but not explained, a regulation passed, but not exemplified, has little influence on the heart, and is very generally treated with neglect. The Redeemer, therefore, appeared in human nature, and took upon him the form of a servant, that he might make known to angels as well as to men, the nature of the duty which the sovereign law demands; that, beholding Immanuel's submission to his God, the saint and the seraph might learn together the homage that they owe to their Lord.

The service appointed is moreover shewn, by the work of redemption, to be both reasonable and blissful. The Saviour tells us that God, who is a spirit, must be worshipped in spirit and in truth, and he informs us that the first and great commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength. That this is our reasonable service cannot be called in question by any one who considers the character of Jehovah as made known to us in the work of redemption. We are required to render the highest possible esteem to him who is shewn, by the work which he hath wrought, to be infinitely glorious; to render the tribute of admiration to him who has proved himself by man's redemption to be infinitely lovely; and to give the homage of the heart to him who alone is worthy to receive it. We are commanded to cultivate those faculties which are the most exalted, and those affections which are the most delightful, to employ them in that service for which they are best adapted, and to direct them to that object which alone is deserving of their regard, and which alone can fully satisfy them with good. And if our Lord, even in his day of humiliation, could say that his "meat was to do the will of him that sent him, and to finish his work," we may rest assured that the path of duty is the path of pleasantness and the way of peace.

The example of Jesus shews us by what means an acceptable service may be rendered.—In order that obedience may be at once implicit and cheerful, it is necessary, as we have already seen, that the character of the obligation laid on us, and the nature of the service required, should be fully understood. It is also necessary, that instruction should be given as to the means by which we may be enabled to perform the duty appointed. However anxious a man may be to accomplish his task, however clearly he may see its advantage and importance, and however deeply he may feel the obligation under which he lies, his efforts will be feeble and his task will be cheerless, if he be ignorant of the manner in which the work should be carried on. It is, therefore, one of the most beneficial results that flow from the work of redemption, that it makes known the means by which our duty may be performed, and thereby encourages us to hope for ultimate success.

When we examine into the history of those creatures that have fallen into sin, and departed from the paths of righteousness, we find the source of their error in every case to have been distrust of God and reliance on themselves. It was their distrust of Jehovah's word that led our first parents to listen to the tempter, and pluck the forbidden fruit; it is the same spirit which leads their descendants to disregard the threatenings of the Lord, to rely on their own endeavours, and to reject the offered salvation of Jesus; and it was pride, that is, confidence in himself and rejection of God, that proved the "condemnation of the devil." On the other hand, a simple childlike reliance on the guidance and strength of the Lord, is uniformly represented in Scripture as the only means by which a man can perform the will of his God. And though it is not expressly stated, the whole tenor of the Scripture doctrines in regard to the unfallen creation, induces us to believe that it forms, in angels as well as in men, the only foundation of steadfast continuance in the ways of the Lord.

This disposition we find exhibited in the most remarkable manner in the character and conduct of the Redeemer. When the Saviour took on him our nature, he conformed himself in all things to the duty and condition of the creature: "He glorified not himself, but, in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; though he was a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." (Heb. v. 7.) He had within him the power of the Eternal Son, and all things were at his command, but he lived, as it becomes the creature to live, as an humble dependant on his heavenly Father's care, and by his "crying and tears" made known his wants to "Him that was able to save." This spirit of confidence in the Lord, and this renunciation of all reliance on himself, was most strikingly exhibited in his temptation in the wilderness. When Satan came and bade him transform the stones into bread, that his hunger might be appeased, the Evil One sought to awaken distrust of the providence and promise of God, and to induce him to rely on the power that was his own; but the Saviour immediately repelled the deceiver, and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." To the other insidious proposals of the enemy, similar answers were returned. As a partaker of all our sinless infirmities, our Lord felt the temptations that were set before him, but the natural desire of the body for food, and of the soul for dominion and glory, never led him for one moment to forget the duty which he owed to God, to despair of his heavenly Father's care, or to distrust the promises that he had given. The same disposition was shewn when, after making the band that came to seize him go backwards and fall to the ground, he submitted himself to their power, and "was led as a lamb to the slaughter."

This perfect submission to the will of God, this complete renunciation of all reliance on himself, this implicit trust in the aid of his heavenly Father, so wonderfully manifested in all that he did, and in all that he suffered, affords a lesson to the unfallen creation as well as to the fallen. It teaches every accountable and dependent creature, that, in order to perform the will of God, in order to guard against temptation, and to be secured from falling, the first and great essential is a simple, unhesitating reliance on the Divine protection. It administers, also, an effectual rebuke to the pride which goes before a fall, for, if he who had within him the majesty of the Eternal, manifested such a spirit of absolute dependence on his heavenly Father's care, it well becomes the highest of all that stand before the throne, to rely on the arm of the Almighty for all their guidance and for all their strength.

The history of the Redeemer shews the fearful consequences of transgression, and the rich rewards that follow obedience.—In all well-ordered societies, we find a recompense held forth to the peaceable and submissive, while punishment is denounced against the turbulent and the unruly. A similar system pervades the government of God. Good and evil were set before Adam at his creation, as the appropriate consequences of obedience and transgression. Eternal blessedness and never-ending misery are, in like manner, presented to the choice of his descendants, and their present determination fixes their future state. The history of Satan's fall and his present condition serve to shew that this method of rewards and punishments characterizes the whole of the Creator's procedure towards his rational and intelligent creatures.

It is needless to remark that the fear of punishment and the hope of reward, have a powerful influence in exciting to diligence and exertion. It is the dread of punishment alone that restrains the hardened offender; and a fear of the consequences that follow transgression exercises, even in the best of men, a salutary influence in restraining inordinate desire. On the other hand, the expectation of a reward stimulates to exertion, and makes our labours pleasing. It is the hope of victory that leads the soldier through the blood and danger of the battlefield; it is the hope of a happy return that induces the sailor to brave the perils of the stormy deep; and it is the expectation of an adequate reward that encourages the labourer in his hard and irksome task. In like manner, it was the joy set before him that supported the Saviour when he "endured the cross, despising the shame." Similar motives, we have every reason to believe, influence every class and order of intelligent beings.

When, therefore, the Saviour appears as the "Lamb that was slain," even in the midst of the throne, when the mortal agonies which he endured are kept in everlasting remembrance by the traces they have left on his form, all those that worship before him are taught the consequences of Jehovah's wrath, and are made to tremble at the thought of transgression. When, again, the exaltation of the Redeemer awakens the wonder of an admiring creation, and the glory with which he is surrounded is openly declared to be the recompense of his obedience, the exceeding riches of Jehovah's grace are clearly revealed; the greatness of the honour and blessedness with which the Almighty invests those who walk in his ways, is fully displayed; and every faithful servant of the Lord, whether he be an inhabitant of the earth or a dweller in heaven, is animated to redoubled diligence, and rejoices in the assurance that his "labour will not be in vain," but that he shall, in due time, "enter into the joy of his Lord."

Obedience to the law of God is rendered easy and pleasing, in consequence of the Saviour being both the leader and the companion of those who obey.—Those who have witnessed the exertions made by men who are exposed to peril, or who have read with attention the narratives of difficult and hazardous undertakings, cannot fail to have remarked the powerful influence that is produced by the example and co-operation of those who have been placed in authority over them. When seamen, for example, encounter a storm in the deep, though the exertion required may be very severe, and the appearance of danger be very alarming, so long as they have confidence in their commander, and he continues to share in their danger, they readily observe his directions and perform his orders. But if they lose confidence in his skill, or if he secure his own escape, and leave them to their fate, confusion and disorder immediately ensue. In the same manner, in more peaceful avocations, when the workman has full reliance on his master's intelligence, and is encouraged by his co-operation, a task that would otherwise be regarded as heavy will appear to be light. Multitudes of similar illustrations might be adduced, for in every employment, and in every situation, confidence in the wisdom of him that guides us, and friendly companionship with those under whose direction we are placed, make the execution of duty easy, and its performance pleasing.

This encouragement and support the Christian experiences in the highest degree. The presence of his Master enlivens him in all his labour. Jesus is with his people, as he promised, "even unto the end of the world." He goes before them to shew them the path, and he goes beside them to cheer them in the way. In all their trials he is a partaker, and of all their cup of sorrow he has his share. He has, moreover, borne the burden and heat of the day, and the easier task is theirs. He has gone before them, to open up the path and to smooth the way; and he continues to animate his people by his constant co-operation, working in them both to will and to do of the pleasure of the Lord. The Christian needs fear no wanderings, for his conductor cannot mistake the course appointed; he needs fear no falling, for the strength of his helper cannot fail. However lowly his condition may be, however feeble his strength, he can rest assured that ultimate success will crown his endeavours, and that he who is a fellow-worker with Christ upon earth shall share in his glory above.

An encouragement to obedience precisely similar in its nature is given to the angels of God. The work in which they are at present employed is the protection and promotion of Christ's cause upon earth; for we are told, "They are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." In this service Christ is himself engaged. He is ruling over all things for the good of his people. The angels are associated with him in his work; and guided by his counsel, and cheered by his company, they find in this labour of love an abundant source of pleasure. When this work has been completed, and all the elect have been gathered in, "then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." Through eternity the Saviour retains the nature and form of man, and through eternity he performs unceasingly the office and duty which the creature owes to his God. While he is himself the object of adoration, and the injunction remains in force, which says, "Let all the angels of God worship him," he bows in homage before the Father. While all things are put under his feet, he continues himself obedient, and animates by his example the devotion and diligence of every servant of God. His counsel directs their endeavours, and his co-operation enlivens their work.

Such are the benefits which result from the work of Redemption, in directing and encouraging the services of rational creatures. Its happy effects are in the first place experienced by men, but they are not confined to them. Angels as well as men have the nature of their duty explained; they are made acquainted with the character of "Him with whom they have to do," and are enabled more fully to appreciate the consequences of obedience on the one hand, and of transgression on the other. In Christ Jesus they have an infallible guide to direct their path, and an ever-present companion to cheer their labour. In his example they see how Jehovah acts when he occupies the creature's place, and have a pattern infinitely perfect on which they can implicitly rely.

In rendering their homage, thus made easy, they find a source of purest pleasure. They do not come with trembling dread before the Lord, like bondmen crouching under a tyrant's rod, but, like the loyal subjects of a monarch justly beloved, they delight to pay their tribute of regard. The joyful shouts with which they welcome the coming of their King in glory; the hallelujahs they raise when they ascribe honour, glory, dominion, and power, to God and to the Lamb; the song they sing when gathered around the throne, a glorious company, "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands," are the outward expressions of an inward delight which we are unable to appreciate, to which heavenly lips alone can give utterance, and which eternity only can unfold.