Rational Creation, Rev. James Brodie

In order to understand the work of redemption, and the design for which it was undertaken, our attention must not be confined to man, but must also be directed to the other classes of rational creatures. For this reason we have endeavoured, in the first place, to ascertain the nature and condition of angels and devils—the two great classes into which spiritual beings are divided, the affections and motives which influence them, and the laws wider which they are placed, in so far as these subjects are revealed to us in Scripture. We have given, in the next place, an outline of the work of redemption, according to the tenets entertained by those churches that are usually termed evangelical. In order to make the description conformable to the rest of our Essay, we have avoided as much as possible the use of theological terms, and have arranged the doctrines of Revelation in a system that bears a greater resemblance to a philosophical treatise, than to a "Body of Divinity," in the ordinary sense of the term; but, in so far as we are aware, no new doctrine has been introduced, and no change has been made on "those things which are most surely believed among us." We have also endeavoured to shew that the work has been designed for time instruction and benefit of every order of intelligent beings, and that it is admirably fitted for accomplishing this purpose; making known to his rational creatures the nature and character of God; pointing out the relation in which they stand to Him with whom they have to do, and the duty which he requires; awakening within them reverential regard for the infinite perfections and sovereignty of the Creator, and shewing them the blessings that arise from keeping his commandments, from loving him with all their heart, and their fellow-creatures as themselves.

We now conclude with a few remarks on the character of God as manifested by the work of redemption. As it would be impossible to direct our attention to all the particulars in which we find evidences of Jehovah's perfections, we must confine our attention to a few, and shall more particularly consider the attributes of its author as manifested in the Difficulty, the Universal Importance, and the Peculiarity of the work undertaken for us by the Redeemer.

The difficulties that lay in the way of man's salvation serve to illustrate the counsel and might of him by whom that object has been accomplished.—When we look to man in his natural and unrenewed condition, we find him separated from God by a gulf that seems at first altogether impassable. He has committed unnumbered sins; all these sins cry aloud against him for judgment, and each one of them deserves the wrath and curse of God; the law demands its penalty, and if the appointed suffering be not borne the law is dishonoured, the lawgiver's authority comes into contempt, and the universal peace is in danger. Who then is able to take away the guilt of man? No mere creature has strength to endure the punishment demanded; and no mere creature could be found willing to bear a load so great. No mere creature, moreover, is free to undertake the task, were he both able and willing to do so; he is already under obligation to do all that in him lies for the honour of his Maker, his own duty requires all his powers, and he cannot undertake to supplement the deficiencies of another. When we review the various particulars of the law's demands, to which we formerly adverted, when considering the sufferings of the Saviour as a substitution for those of his people, the difficulties that oppose themselves to man's reconciliation with his God rise before us like mountain upon mountain, a barrier reaching up into the clouds. When, therefore, we find these difficulties all surmounted, when we see the sinner reconciled to his justly offended Lord, when we see the law not only satisfied, but magnified and made honourable, we have convincing evidence of the unsearchable wisdom and infinite power of God, as well as of his unbounded love.

These attributes are exhibited in a similar manner in. the Saviour's fulfilling of the law in the room of men, and thereby procuring for them a title to reward; and in his surmounting the obstacles that opposed him in the execution of all the various offices which he undertook.

In no case are they more remarkably shewn than in the conversion and sanctification of the believer. Man by nature is not only under the curse of the broken law, and without any claim to the Divine favour, but he is utterly alienated in heart and affection from God; he is a lover of sin, and a willing drudge of Satan. Yet this vile and hateful being is made holy and glorious; this inveterate enemy of God is transformed into a son; a new nature is implanted, and he becomes the most devoted and unwearied in the service of his Lord of all that stand around the throne. The change effected in man's conversion affords the most convincing evidence of the might of Him by whom he is renewed. When the potter takes the miry clay, defiling the hand that holds it, yielding to the slightest touch, and melting away in the falling rain, and out of that unpromising material forms the cup or vase, elegant in form, delicate in texture, enduring in its nature, a vessel in every way fitted for its master's use, the strangeness of the transformation impresses us with wonder at the inventive ingenuity of man. The change of disposition and character which takes place in the conversion of the sinner, affords a similar manifestation of the attributes of the Creator: "As the clay is in the hand of the potter, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel," says the Lord. In transforming the sinner into a saint, and the rebel into a son, he performs a work of power, more wonderful, when its nature is fully considered, than the creating of a world, or the peopling of a globe.

In every part of the work of redemption we see similar instances of the infinitude of the Divine perfections; the counsel and power of the Almighty triumph over difficulties that seemed to be insurmountable, and clearly shew that "with God all things are possible."

The universal importance of the Saviour's work manifests the wisdom of the Divine procedure.—When we consider the difficulties that lay in the way of man's redemption, we readily perceive the reason why "it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead." We can easily see, that none but one who combined in himself the Creator and the creature, who united the strength of Divinity to the infirmities of man, could have undertaken or accomplished the task. And in the suitableness of the agent to the work assigned him, we see the wisdom of him by whom the counsel was formed. In order, however, to form a just estimate of the whole undertaking, we must also consider the adaptation that there is between the work and the object for which it is designed; for unless a due proportion be found between them, the greatness of the work is not a proof of wisdom, but an evidence of folly. The enormous masses of the Egyptian pyramids, for instance, fill the mind with wonder at the labour and toil that must have been expended in their erection, and we are led to admire the power of the monarchs by whom they were raised; but when we are told that they served merely as tombs for the embalmed remains of a few wretched. mortals, our admiration of the work is lost in pity for the folly of the abject thousands who groaned beneath their tyrants' power. There is an utter disproportion between the labour bestowed, and the end it was destined to serve. An emotion, somewhat allied to this, arises in the mind when we think of Redemption as intended merely for man. If the work of Christ had been undertaken for no further end than the repairing, in some measure, the injury done by the Fall,—if it had been designed only to remove a certain amount of human suffering, and to confer a given portion of enjoyment on man, the price that was paid on the cross was out of all proportion great. But when we look on the salvation of man as the great means by which God makes known his wisdom to principalities and powers, by which he establishes his law, by which he awakens reverence for himself and love for his creatures, by which he represses rebellion and encourages obedience; the object in view assumes an aspect of universal importance, and appears adapted at once to the dignity of the agent by whom it was accomplished, and to the wisdom of the great God by whom it was designed. We, then, can understand the reason why God has wrought such a wonderful work for man, and why he calls on his intelligent creatures, throughout the wide extent of space, to come and behold it.

If we may be permitted to employ a familiar illustration of our statement, we would compare the work of Christ to the demonstrative experiments which philosophers perform, in order to explain the secrets of natural science which they have discovered. The mechanical results that ensue, or the chemical compounds that are formed, in the course of the experiments, are valueless and disregarded; the unfolding of principles, and illustrating of processes, are the object that is sought. When, for instance, the chemist first made the startling discovery, that water is formed by the union of two different kinds of air; we would have considered him as only acting a natural and becoming part, if he had prepared an expensive apparatus, and spared no cost of materials, and sent forth his cards of invitation to those who were most eminent for learning and science, to come and examine his materials, and observe his process. But we would have regarded it as a piece of egregious folly, if, after every doubt was removed, and the whole process fully understood, he had repeated this expensive and ceremonious method of proceeding, with no higher object in view than the procuring a few drops of a liquid so common as water. In like manners it is perfectly consistent with the idea we form of the infinite wisdom of God, that he should employ his Son as the agent in man's redemption, and appoint him a task inconceivably arduous, and call on every intelligent creature to mark the labour he underwent, and the sufferings he endured, when we remember that this was done to make known the attributes of the great Creator, and thereby secure the obedience and the blessedness of the whole rational creation; though it would have been out of all proportion to the end in view had the happiness or misery of man alone been concerned.

The peculiarity of the Redeemer's work affords further evidence of the Divine perfections.—In the Holy Scriptures the work of the Saviour is uniformly represented as altogether peculiar, as the one great means by which the Lord makes known his character and confirms his government. In Eph. i. 10, the apostle, speaking of the mystery of God in Christ, tells us, "He hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him." Christ, the incarnate God, is spoken of as the bond by which all things are bound together, by which the hosts of heaven and the tribes of earth are united into one great family, and by which the universe is formed into one undivided and peaceful kingdom. This gathering together is not said to be in God as the Creator, the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, but in Christ; in him who was both God and man, and whose work, wrought for men, is declared to be the ground and reason of his exaltation. In the concluding verses of this chapter, we are informed that this work of the Redeemer has given a King to creation, has raised our crucified Head to rule over the whole extent of the universe, "not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." The Church is at the same time said to be "his body," that is, the instrument and agent by which he carries on his work, and makes known his purposes to others, as the body is the instrument and agent of the soul. It is also termed "the fulness," or perfection, "of him that filleth all in all." The Redeemer completes the whole work of God, he perfects every counsel of the Eternal, and the Church affords him the means of accomplishing his end. By the work wrought for his people, and in his people, and by their active instrumentality as his ministers and coadjutors, all things, in every place and in every respect, are said to receive their completion.

A similar passage occurs in Col. i. 20, in which we are told that the Father, by Christ Jesus, "reconciles all things unto himself." Through Christ he makes all creatures submit to his will, own his authority, and love his name. In Phil. ii. 9-11, we are told that "God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth; ... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." He is raised to rule over all, that every creature should confess him Lord, and, in worshipping him who is the Head of the Church, should give glory to the Father, by whom he has been anointed and exalted.

To these passages we might add all those that speak of Christ's exaltation "to the right hand of God," of his having "all power given to him," of his being "head over all," and "firstborn of every creature." These all plainly imply that the work wrought for man stands alone, that nothing like to it has ever been wrought or ever will be performed. Though the wide expanse of space be filled with worlds, and though these may all be inhabited by living creatures, and though there may be many thousand species of rational beings besides angels and men, the passages we have adduced evidently shew that the work of our redemption is altogether peculiar. To it the eyes of all are turned, by it they all are taught the perfections of their Maker, and by it "all things" are reconciled to God.

This peculiarity of the work manifests the wisdom of him by whom it has been designed. Some might perhaps be inclined to say, Why has there been but one sacrifice for sin, why has an atonement been made for man alone? If there are other rational beings in the different worlds diffused throughout space, equally intelligent and deserving of notice as man, why may we not suppose that they too have been the objects of redeeming grace, why should we conclude that the elect among men alone are brought back from a state of rebellion? But the testimony of Scripture clearly informs us, that such an instance of favour has never been elsewhere seen; that "after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, he for ever sat down on the right hand of God." And a very little reflection is sufficient to make the wisdom of this arrangement abundantly evident.

In Jehovah's dealings with men there has been a temporary suspension of the laws that regulate the government of rational creatures, inasmuch, that is to say, as we find, through the mediation of Christ, a multitude of creatures who have sinned, and who have notwithstanding their transgression, been delivered from the penalty incurred; who have rendered no service to their Maker, and who have, notwithstanding their neglect, been made partakers of the highest rewards; who have commenced the course that leads to destruction, and who, instead of going on in that headlong path to which sin naturally leads, have been brought back to God, and made to walk in the ways of the Lord. The law of the Universal Governor, which says to angels as well as to men, "the soul that sinneth shall die," seems to have been broken with impunity; and the decree of the unchanging God, which annexes bliss to obedience, and misery to transgression, appears to have been reversed. We need not wonder, therefore, that the hosts of heaven are filled with amazement when they find that such an event should have been permitted, even once, to occur.

To manifest his power and his sovereignty, to shew that he is above all law, though he be the upholder of the law which he has given, the Creator has in one remarkable instance suspended the operation of his decree. To make known the supremacy of his rule, he has exercised for once his royal prerogative, and pardoned the sinner; but he gives at the same time the clearest intimation, that such favour can never be shewn again. One instance of forgiving love was required, that his subjects might know the extent of their monarch's grace; but no other is given, lest the law should be despised, and offenders encouraged to sin by the hope of impunity. One clear and permanent proof of his sovereignty was necessary, in order to shew to his creatures the nature of the law, and the source from which it is derived; but that having been given, no proportionate object remains for further manifestation of grace. The design of the work is to make known the attributes of the Lord, the nature of his law, and sovereignty of his rule; and that design having been accomplished by the "one sacrifice for sins," and by the setting of that sacrifice before the eyes of creation, the onward flow of infinite justice proceeds uninterruptedly for evermore.

God, as the Governor of rational creatures, exhibits the same permanency in his method of procedure, that he manifests as ruler of the material world. The work of redemption may, therefore, be compared to the going back of the sun in the time of Hezekiah. In that miracle there was a temporary reversal of one of the laws by which the visible universe is governed. Its immediate effect, the lengthening of a single day, was small; but its ultimate object was highly important. By that event the Jews, as well as their king, were made to know the extent of Jehovah's love to his people; and the miracle having attracted the attention of the nations around, for they came from far countries, even from Babylon, to inquire into the cause of such a strange occurrence, the Gentile nations were taught to fear the God of Jacob, as the great Creator and King over all; while succeeding ages have learned from it to trust in the power and goodness of the Lord. If the only result had been the lengthening of a single day, or even the confirming of a single believer's faith, we might have questioned the wisdom of the procedure. If it had often happened that when a believer fell sick and prayed, a similar sign was given, the frequency of the occurrence would have ceased to excite observation; at the same time that all confidence in the permanence of the Creator's laws would have been destroyed. But in giving, in this one instance, a manifestation of his power, we see the wisdom as well as the condescension of our God.

The suspension of the moral law with respect to fallen man is an event precisely similar to the going back of the sun on the dial of Ahaz. It is a partial reversal of the law which appoints death as the punishment of sin. Its immediate effect may seem but small, when the insignificance of man in comparison of the mighty universe comes before our view; but its ultimate object is unspeakably important. If, however, similar instances of favour to the guilty were frequently occurring, the effect produced would be most pernicious. The dread of punishment would cease to deter offenders from sin, and the hope of reward would no longer encourage the obedient. The confidence which every subject should have in the permanence of the law by which he is governed would be destroyed; and throughout the universe the resolution would be, "Let us go on in sin that grace may abound." The singularity of the work of Redemption constitutes its peculiar excellence. One instance of pardoning grace has been given, to shew the extent of Jehovah's love to his creatures, and his freedom to do what seemeth to him good; but there is no repetition of it, lest the confidence of the obedient should be destroyed, and the presumption of the unruly should be encouraged.

We may also remark, that the insignificance of man, when viewed in connexion with the singularity of the work that has been wrought for him, is a circumstance peculiarly fitted for making his redemption magnify the law. If Jesus had taken on him the nature of angels, and acted as their Mediator, it might have been said, that his sufferings were great, not because the law was terrible, but because those for whom he suffered were originally great and glorious. But when it is seen that it required the agency of the Eternal Son, that it needed his endurance of the Father's wrath, before the most contemptible of offending creatures could be delivered, the terrors of the law that requires so fearful an expiation are then made evident. Men and devils, and, it may be, other classes of offending creatures, were hastening down the stream that leads to destruction, and God, in order to shew the force of the current with which infinite justice flows, stretched forth his hand and rescued the least of the offenders from his impending doom. And the foaming and raging of the surge which thereupon ensued, and the mighty exertion of power that was required before that object could be attained, are now set before the wondering eyes of creation, that all may know the danger of stopping the onward course of the Divine government, and see the benefit and the necessity of its uninterrupted flow.

We have now examined the testimony which the work of redemption, and the great design for which it was undertaken, bear to the perfections of its Author, confining our attention to the three particulars which we selected, its Difficulty, its Universal Importance, and its Peculiarity. It is needless to enter into other particulars; but it is necessary to remark, that, in whatever aspect it may be viewed, we find it full of the most convincing proofs of the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Lord. Whatever attribute of Jehovah we may desire to contemplate, we find it most fully shown forth in the work of the Redeemer,—whether it be skilfulness to plan, or ability to execute, benevolence of purpose, or persevering unchangeableness in the fulfilment of his designs. If our examination of the material world, with all its wondrous and beneficent adaptations, constrains us to say, "The hand that made us is divine;" our inquiry into the nature and government of rational creatures, and into the character and design of redemption, as the means by which that government is confirmed, leads us, with yet deeper adoration, to confess that the counsels of the Lord excel in glory, and opens up a view of his perfections, the length, and breadth, and height, and depth of which, surpass all comprehension.