As our Lord Christ stood at the se dead. all that life and renovation which en- | to which humble agents and means tereth into the character of the Chris- can reach. All along the line of their tian. Man cannot render the Deity sphere of action he acts. And beéven the feeblest help. We recog-yond the utmost point of their reachnise the principle, that in the after-ing, his power operates, and creates, progress of the work, in the gradual and accomplishes his will! conformity of the soul to the image of its sovereign Lord; it is active and pulchre of Lazarus, he raised his vigorous in its ascent towards perfec- voice, and cried, "Lazarus, come tion: but at that moment, when the forth." He made no approach to the Deity dispels the darkness of spiritual He touched him not with a death; and communicates life to the But no sooner were his words soul by the act of the new creation, sent forth on the air, than, as rapid as neither can the Deity accept of any the lightning's wing, did the soul of aid; nor can the moral state and per- Lazarus return from the invisible fect helplessness of man, under the in-world, and enter into its body, which fluence of a spiritual death, permit him was reanimated in a moment-and to give any. The soul is at that time sprung into life and activity--although as perfectly passive, as were the body a moment ago it was in a state of deand the soul of Adam at the moment composition! when the Deity was giving them their Now, there was nothing in the mere existence. words themselves "Lazarus come Now the Deity employs, in the ac-forth." They reached not the dead complishment of these great ends, He was dead. No these means only to which his wisdom words could have such an effect. has given authority; and which he has There was nothing in the manner of set in the church. These are his pronouncing them to do this. Any word, and his holy institutions. "The man might have pronounced them as doctrine of the Lord is perfect, con- loudly, and as distinctly. But could verting the soul: The testimony of any Demosthenes-could any Cicero the Lord is sure, making wise the sim--could any Paul by his own powers ple: The statutes of the Lord are have called Lazarus from the dead? right, rejoicing the heart: The com- Oh! no! no!--As our Lord Christ mandment of the Lord is pure, en- pronounced these words, there went lightening the eyes." "The word of forth in the mightiness of his power, God is quick and powerful: and sharp-a secret and invincible efficacy, which er than any two-edged sword; pierc- instantly raised the dead from the ing to the dividing asunder of soul and grave! spirit; and of the joints and marrow; and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." man's heart. Even so, the Lord of life stands by the grave of every Lazarus in the moral world, whom he intends to raise. Between these means and the end, His word is sent forth on the air in the living and life-giving God has the simple preaching of the gospel. established a connexion-mysterious They fall on the human mind in the indeed—as in the various laws which play of all the rational and physical he has imposed on all classes of things powers. The sound of the words, throughout nature: but it is a connex- and the energy of the speaker will ion most certain and invincible. produce an effect-a mighty effect on the human soul cannot aid the Deity the human mind. But still, in respect --so neither can any created cause, of what is requisite to the spiritual exor agent. But through these means istence it is perfectly limited, in point he operates. They are but the in- of efficacy to a single point. The struments: they go their full length of words, and the voice, and the energy appointment: but it is but the length of the speaker, were he even a De As mosthenes-nay, even a Paul-can- | his fitful devotion, he can look down on the littleness, and the earthliness of every sublunary object with a succession of thoughts, and feelings, which to him are perfectly novel ;and marvellously virtuous; and al not carry an invincible power, and at Or, with the changed objects of the preacher's denunciations, he is held in awful suspense amid the strugNow, we arrive at the point to gles of his mind, and his attachments which I would lead you. The Lord to the pleasures of sin. His mind is of life being the sole possessor of this racked with agonies:-He sees the power and the only Creator of this bar of his judge:-He hears his senspiritual life; and having instituted tence :- His soul bends forward in certain means of grace, on which alone horror over the vision which flits before he has stamped the seal of his au- his eyes:-He regrets his follies:thority: this efficient power never will He resolves:-He supplicates:-He go along-and it never can go along weeps:-He vows. -But, ah! no with any means, or any instruments; sooner are the temporary restraints which he has not only not appointed- taken off-and he begins to mingle in but which his purity and his justice the bustles and pleasures of his former have condemned. Now, such pre-life-and meets his former compacisely is the wisdom of this world-and nions-than this "morning cloud;" such are the means and instruments and this "early dew" are gone away. which it labours to put into an efficient And every impression is swept from operation. It wants the authority of his mind--as the deepest traces on heaven. Nay, my brethren, it is the sand are in a moment effaced by even "foolishness with God!" Hence the rolling tide! it ever has wanted-and it ever will want the accompaniment of the grace of God; and the life and the power of the gospel! Hence the total failure of all its resources, on their application on the human mind, and on the world at large. But, oh! how different; and how divine the effect when the Spirit of God takes the simple elements of his truth, and pours them in over the whole soul: when he makes the proudest heart "willing in the day of his power:" when he illumines, and And, strikingly is all this carried transforms, and creates when he out into the evidence of demonstra-justifies; and sanctifies; and sets up tion, in the weekly exhibitions of the Sabbath-day. in the loveliness of the new life, all the graces, and beauty, and holiness of the Christian! Oh! there is then exhibited, in the light of the good man's face, the serenity of the peace within. And in the combination of the graces in the outward man, there is seen the process going on of a blessed preparation for his dwelling place in heaven! The ingenuity of argument, and the eloquence of the man of God, have produced astonishing effects on the minds of the most thoughtless of beings. He is charmed by the picture of the simplicity and virtue and heavenliness of the Christian pilgrim. His soul is carried forward to heaven in an extacy of love and delight. In imagi- Nor confine we our argument to innation he mingles in the scenes of par-dividual and personal cases, such as adise: he drinks at the fountain of the these-of which there is a constant water of life. He associates with an- and increasing succession in the gels, and the "spirits of the just made churches. perfect." His soul is enraptured. In Let us lift up our eyes, and look over the moral and religious regeneration | ty over malice: patience over the spirit now going on in the world. of rebellion: Christian meekness over We stop not to speak of the rapidi- the ferocity of the human heart: godty of the march of truth under the first liness over universal corruption: and missionaries-the holy apostles.-holy devotion over the horrible impu rities of idolatry! From Jerusalem it spread through the surrounding nations; through Asia, And in fine, it taught man to look over Greece, and Italy, to the remo- to eternity as his home: it taught him test Thule; in the apostolic age.-I to expect an immediate rest and glory delight to pause over the display of its to his soul at the moment of dissomightiness; and its achievements.-lution: and to anticipate the coming Ignorance had covered the earth.-day when his sleeping dust shall be Wickedness and inhuman cruelty bore called up by the voice of God-and a wide sway. Superstition and idola- shall spring up into everlasting life; try had paralyzed the moral powers of and pleasures ineffable in immortal man: There was Egypt with her bru- glory! tish gods. There Greece and Rome And this chain of evidence on the with all their lore-and all their polish--practical effects of the gospel, exbowing down to thirty thousand idols! tends from the apostolic age, down There western Europe offering hu- over the vast extent of the New Tesman victims to her Wodin and Thor! tament triumphs-even to our days! There Asia and her Diana! There Armenia and her inhuman rites! There India with her millions of idols, and her Moloch and her shocking rites, and diabolical orgies; perpetuated to this day at the temple of Jugernaut; and on the banks of the Ganges! Our Lord looked down in pity. He gave the word. The first missionaries, the apostles and evangelists, moved forward. The gospel shone in its pure light. The dark clouds of ignorance and delusion began to roll off: the nations began to see the Sun of Righteousness: they bowed down, and adored him the "great God their Saviour," and submitted themselves to his laws. How clearly is it displayed in the purity and loveliness of the character of God's martyrs and confessors! Of the Albigenses and Waldenses, who retained, in a high degree, the primitive purity of the gospel: and who raised their voice amid the storm of error, and the thunders of persecution: and "determined to know nothing, but Christ Jesus, and him crucified".....of Luther, and Calvin : of Zuingle and Knox, with their heroic and faithful associates.....who, though opposed by civil powers, and the gigantic force of ecclesiastical tyranny-did behold, under the simple preaching of the pure gospel, the astonishing effects of the "wisdom of God," going forth in its mightiness,like his own lightning,--at once sending its streams of light over the souls of men, and over the nations: and at the same time, with its irresistible thunder-bolt, prostrating the battlements of proud Babylon, and laying her power and her glory in the dust! Look over the glad nations where the gospel has exerted its influence over the human heart. Behold! there, knowledge has erected her seat on the ruin of a fabulous theology. Faith has assumed the throne where formerly a cruel idolatry had tyrannised. Hope shed its beams of joy and rapIn a word....for I must cease to exture, where the agonies of despair had patiate on the interesting subject.... withered every prospect. Virtue dis- raise your eyes over the fields of misplaced immorality. Integrity triumph-sionary enterprises-follow the footed over deceit: temperance over in- steps of the venerated Moravians continence and revellings: universal wherever they have carried the habits benevolence over selfishness: chari- of civilized life, and have raised the standard of the Cross....Follow the brethren the blessings of polished life missionaries, over the cities and coun--and the blessings of immortal glotries of Europe: and of Asia....and ry in heaven! Christians! can a paof South and Western Africa; over rallel to this character be pointed out the isles of the Pacific; and the wil-in all the busy walks of human life, derness of our own land....and you among the most thoughtless of the will behold.....you will behold the sons of men! practical effects of the simple preach- Now, Reverend Fathers and Breing of the doctrines of the Cross of thren; honoured fellow Christians— Christ. Oh! they are more than I place, most respectfully, this subtongue can tell....they are more than ject before you......I lay before you, language can paint. We never can the deplorable helplessness of the perceive the full measure of their heathen, within and without the limits blessings on the human family; nor of the United States. I recur to the duly appreciate their value, until we positions which I laid down......And I shall see the extended ranks of the re-repeat with earnestness: Fathers and deemed; and the unutterable glory Brethren, we must send them misthrown around them, on the bright fields of eternity! sionaries, or they must perish!They cannot "be saved" unless In conclusion; we infer from this "they call on the name of the Lord." exposition of facts, that the enemy of They "cannot call on him in whom disinterested missionary enterprises, they have not believed." They is to be denounced in the presence of "cannot believe in him of whom they all good men, as an enemy to true have not heard." They "cannot wisdom; an enemy to the progress of hear without a preacher. And they science; an enemy to the extension cannot preach unless they be sent." of the blessings of civilized life; an And, my honoured brethren! they enemy to the feelings of humanity.... cannot be sent unless you furnish the a bigot and a sectarian of such extra-means. W. C. B. vagance that he envies his heathen New-Brunswick, April, 1826. Reviews and Criticisms. A number of letters, containing a critical review of the controversy on the text of the Heavenly witnesses, was published, last year, by the Editor, in the Christian Advocate, a Magazine of the first character, edited by his venerable friend, Ashbel Green, D. D. L L. D. It was proposed, at first, to republish these papers, enlarged and corrected, in a small volume. Editor has, however, preferred the introducing of them, altered and new modelled, for this Magazine. They are addressed to his brethren in the holy Ministry. The “Quod sol est in mundo, quod in pyxide nautica acus, quod in corpore cor, id in hac Epistola Johannis est versus septimus capitis v."-Bengelii Gnomon, p. 1184. MY BRETHREN,-Before I enter on the review of the evidence of the authenticity of our verse, I shall take a brief view of the past and present state of the controversey on this verse in Europe. jeopardizing the defence of the integrity of the New Testament! * I am convinced that the strong language held by some of our opponents, approaching to a tone of defiance, and Dr. Marsh, in the vapouring style even to that of victor, has not unfre- of Professor Porson-(there can be quently created alarm in the minds of no harm in calling things by their some, who have not had the means or right names)-tells us gravely, "that the leisure, necessary to examine the all hope of showing, even with the arguments adduced on each side of this least colour of probability, that this question. It is probable that a sim-verse, 7, ever existed in ancient Greek ple narrative of the state of the con- MSS. appears to be entirely extintroversy may be acceptable to our guished." learned, and our plain readers. And perhaps it may satisfy them, that our verse is not in the smallest degree of danger, even in those countries where hostilities are carried on by its most efficient enemies, But the advocates of this verse have a confidence in their minds that the day of triumph is coming round, when its authenticity shall be set on a solid basis. There is that going on in Europe which, it is believed, will put to For one, I may be permitted to say rest the present opposition. The of my own convictions on this por- search which is being made for MSS. tion of holy writ, after a long exami- and for quotations in the pages of the nation of it as a well read theologi- Greek fathers is earnest, and active,' cal professor observed to his friends, and extensive. The activity of one relative to Presbyterian church go-librarian, at Milan, has already done vernment-"He never was a tho-wonders. What will be the result, rough Presbyterian, until he had studied Dr. Owen's book against it." When I discover, how little in reality, even the most learned antagonists of our verse have brought forward against it, I feel a high degree of satisfaction in the evidence which has been exhibited to support its authenticity. The very learned and witty Professor Porson, has ventured to assert, in summing up a paragraph-"that such is the state of the controversy: and all the learned had abandoned the defence of the verse." It is true, he has given a very meagre view of the subject. He has numbered only ten writers in its favour. But in opposition to this representation of the Greek professor, I assert, that the learned know that at no period of the controversy was this statement ever true. The learned never had abandoned this verse. But at two different periods, at least, our opponents had abandoned their attacks!-The bishop of Peterborough has enlisted the fears of Christians on his side. He considers the defence of our verse as when this search shall be conducted with equal ability at Paris, at Moscow, at Florence, at Rome, and in England! The industry and skill that gave the learned world "Cicero de Republica," and the Greek "Ode to Ceres," which, like our verse, had been lost for some centuries, will, under a kind Providence, we trust, soon shed increasing light on our text. And surely this, on our part, is a reasonable anticipation. It is now known, that there is already one MS. of the New Testament (containing our verse) which is about one hundred years older than that Greek MS. which, by the consent of the learned, has restored to the light this famous Greek "Ode to Ceres." I mean the manuscript of the New Testament, formerly called the Codex Britannicus, now the Codex Montfortianus, in the library of Dublin College. The European critics, on the continent and in England, so late as the year 1823, seem to have admitted that it belongs *Theol. Lect. 27th. † Pref. to his Letters to Travis. |