some of his brethren over my shoulders. He will however pardon me, if using a little (perhaps I should say a little more) of the freedom in which he has indulged; I ask, Is it altogether incredible that Dr. W. thought the time had arrived when it was necessary for him to show his name, to hold back some of his brethren from going into the union; but in doing so, chose to select the advantageous position of a defender of his church, against the attacks of an editor in the West? If his brethren really think that the church was in danger from these attacks, and that in sincerity the Dr. felt himself called on to stand forth in her defence, they will of course be very thankful to him, and will listen with the more readiness of mind to his counsels on the subject of the contemplated union.

Having now discharged what we have at least thought to be a duty, we would say that after this little skirmish is over, we hope still to cherish with little if any abatement, that favorable opinion which we have long entertained of Dr. W. as a man who has filled up a pretty large measure of days on earth, and of usefulness to the church and to his adopted country.

For the Evangelical Guardian,

EXEGESIS OF 1 COR. VII. 21-23.

"Good and upright is the Lord; therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way." God addresses his instructions to all classes of sinners; but it is the meek---those who from a broken spirit and a contrite heart desire to do His will---that learn, that are effectually taught. A good conscience with an humble and teachable spirit seldom falls into serious, never into fatal, error. Yet we are not to suppose, that godly persons are never in perplexity and doubt as to what they ought to do. In fact they often have their practical difficulties, and these are frequently increased and multiplied by the sophistical rea sonings of others. In this way a question not unfrequently becomes to the mind of a good man "all tangled up," which, if it had been presented unencumbered by such reasonings, would have been of easy solution. In all such cases, good men are admonished to hearken to the logic of the heart:---it will in many cases set right the logic of the schools,---and for this simple reason that it is conversant with the great vital principles of God's truth and law, while the latter is busying itself and puzzling the heads of the people with abstractions.

The good people of Corinth addressed in this epistle are called "the sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints," yet had they their dif

ficulties on various subjects. These they communicated to the apos tle asking his counsel. To the solution of these difficulties the apostle addresses himself in this and the following chapter.

One of these difficulties is considered in the verses which we now undertake to explain. Among the saints in Corinth were doubtless many who were slaves, and slaves too of heathen masters. They would feel the infelicity of their condition;---they had not the control of their own persons and actions; the will of their masters would often conflict with their duty to their Master in heaven, at least throw obstacles in the way of many things which they could wish to do in His service. What were they to do? Disengage themselves from their earthly masters at all hazards, or continue in their present condition? That it is wrong for these men to oppress us as they do we feel, but, then, is it right for us to run away? Some tell us that the Christian cannot consistently continue to be a slave to a heathen master; our religion teaches us to do nothing that would cause the adversary to blaspheme. What shall we do? To this the apostle replies in general, (v. 20) Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. But then in order to limit and explain this general proposition, which would apply to a variety of subjects, he adds in direct reference to the difficulty proposed, "Art thou called being a servant. Care not for it, but if thou mayest be made free use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord being a servant, is the Lord's freeman; likewise also he that is called being free is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."

In the discussions between the proslavery and the antislavery parties this passage has received its share of attention, the former contending that it simply enjoins the slave to remain contented in his condition, and that on the principle that the relation of master and slave is right, or at least such a relation as religion must not disturb; whilst the latter endeavor to clear it from such a meaning and some even push their construction of it so far as to make it a warrant for slaves to run away, and a warrant for us to teach them to do so. The Pro-slaveriles, to be consistent, consider it only an amplification of the general proposition in the 20th verse, Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called,---an amplification of this proposition without explanation and without limitation. And further to be consistent they regard the 23d verse, i. e. the words, ye are bought with a price; be ye not the servants of men, as having no connection with the subject of slavery at all, but a mere episode enjoining moral independence in all our conduct. The ultra-abolitionist would, or to be consistent should, separate the whole passage from all connection with the general proposition in the 20th verse; and then while

his opponent fixes his eye exclusively on the clause, If thou mayest be made free use it rather.

The passage evidently stands in close connection with v. 20, being an application of the general principle there stated to this particular subject, but in the way of explanation and limitation. And it is a distortion of Scripture to make the 23d verse to have no direct reference to the condition of the slave or to the question of duty as to one's becoming, or continuing to be a slave, but to be merely an injunction of moral independence and fidelity to God addressed to all classes.

The whole passage is susceptible of a natural and easy interpretation as follows:

It is a reply to a question---What is the duty of a christian who is a slave to a heathen master?---should he continue, or break away? To this the apostle replies first in verse 20, by laying down a general principle, which though it may have, and probably has, a connection with the difficulty about circumcision solved immediately before, is stated with special reference to this slave question, as is obvious from the use of the word "called" in v. 21 in the way of correspondence to the word "called" in v. 20. The general principle is, "Let every one in the calling in which he is called in the same remain." Grace implies a change of heart, not of external condition. As it is a matter of no moment whether you are circumcised, or uncircumcised, so that, you faithfully serve the Lord; so may we say as to your being a slave or a freeman: "Art thou called being a slave? care not for it; "but," as there are many inconveniences in the way of duty and not a few sad hindrances, in that condition, “if thou mayest be made free,” (doubtless the apostle means by such legal enfranchisement as would bring no reproach on the christian religion) you should greatly prefer liberty, "use it rather."

The 23d verse then contains two distinct statements addressed in the way of counsel to the christian slave. 1st. He should not distress himself about his condition as if it were incompatible, with an interest in Christ or the acceptable service of Him:---2d. Yet because of its inconveniences and hindrences to the free untrammelled discharge of duty, he should greatly prefer his liberty, if he could obtain it consistently with the honor of religion. Now the 22d verse connects with the first of these statements, and is designed to shew its reasonableness and to reconcile the mind of the christian slave to it. "Care not for it"---why? Why, "because he that is called in the Lord being a slave, is the Lord's freeman; and likewise he that is called being free, is Christ's servant." The outward condition is a small affair; the great matter is to be spiritually free as the bond

servants of Christ; and in this respect the Christian slave and the christian freeman are on a level. But as the 22d verse connects with the first statement, so the 23d verse connects with the second statement in verse 21st. The statement is, But if thou mayest be made free use it rather;" that is prefer liberty whenever you can consistently obtain it. Why? The apostle gives the reason in the 23d verse; "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the slaves of men." Bought with the divinely precious blood of Christ, your obligations to Him are supreme; it is therefore unmeet that you should be under the control of men whose pleasure will interfere with the claims of the Lord that bought you. For this reason not only should christians guard against falling into the condition of slaves, but you christians now in slavery should greatly prefer your liberty, if you can obtain it consistently with the laws of the empire.

The passage under examination is an example of one species of epanodos or introverted parallelism, in which the different members of the sentence or paragraph correspond to one another in an order different from that which occurs in the reading. This construction of sentences or paragraphs is frequent in sacred poetry, and not uncommon in the prose of the sacred writers. Sometimes in a paragraph or sentence consisting of four members, the first and fourth, and the second and third correspond respectively to each other. For exam, ple take Mat. 7. 6. with the different members marked:

1. Give not that which is holy to the dogs;

2. Neither cast your pearls before swine;

3. Lest they trample them under their feet; 4. And turn again and rend you,

}

Here the 3d connects with the 2d, and the 4th with the 1st.

The swine don't get angry when you throw any thing to it, but grunts and applies its snout to it, and if it don't relish it, roots over it and tramples it in the dust; but the surly irascible mastiff takes it as an insult and turns on you with his teeth. By throwing the members of this sentence into the following order, the order of the sense and that of the reading would agree:

1. Give not that which is holy to the dogs,

4. Lest they turn again and rend you;
2. Neither cast your pearls before swine,
3. Lest they trample them under their feet.

Sometimes a paragraph has a basis member, and then four members corresponding to each other in this introverted order. Take for ex, ample 2 Cor. 2. 15, 16.

Basis: We are unto God a sweet savor of Christ;

1. Both in them that are saved,

2. And in them that perish:

3. To the one we are a savor of death unto death: 4. But to the other a savor of life unto life,

Here the grand leading subject is presented in the basis member--the idea which runs through every other member of the sentence: and the third of the following members corresponds to the second, and explains it; and so in like manner the fourth to the first.

Now the passage under consideration is one of similar construction; ---it has a basis member stating the subject, and then four following members of which the third corresponds to the first; and the fourth to the second;

Basis---Art thou called being a servant?

1. Care not for it;

2. But if thou mayest be made free, use it rather:

3. For he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lord's freeman; likewise also he that is called being free is Christ's servant: 4. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

The third member obviously connects with the first, and is an argument shewing the reasonableness of the counsel, Care not for it. It has no obvious connection with the second; but the fourth has. Ye are bought with a price is the best of all reasons for the counsel, If thou mayest be made free use it rather. But the apostle will make himself understood;-;---as the fourth member is separated from the second by the great length of the third so as in some measure to obscure the connection, the apostle, to make all plain adds the clause, Be not ye the servants of men, which carries the mind back to what he had said in the second member.

Changing the order to correspond to the order of the meaning, it would read thus:

Bas, Art thou called being a servant?

1. Care not for it;

3. For he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lord's freeman; likewise also he that is called being free is Christ's servant: 2, But if thou mayest be made free, use it rather:

4. Ye are bought with a price,---be not ye the servants of men. With this view of the rhetorical structure of the passage the meaning is plain. The apostle is neither an ultra-abolitionist nor a pro-slavery man; but HE OBVIOUSLY REGARDS THAT SYSTEM, WHICH PLACES ONE MAN UNDER THE ABSOLUTE CONTROL OF ANOTHER, AS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE CLAIMS WHICH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HAS IN MEN AS THE PURCHASE OF HIS OWN BLOOD. QUIVIS.

VOL. IV. SIG. 2