takes away the heart of stone, and gives a heart of flesh. He causes our souls, till then wandering in guilty wretchedness, to walk in his statutes, and keep his commandments, and do them. He grants repentance unto life. He shines into the heart, and gives the light of the knowledge of his glory in the manifestation of Jesus Christ. Old things are passed away. All things are become new and all things are of God. Do you not now see, O procrastinating and deluded sinner, that your proposal of living the slave of sin for a period, and then laying hold of the everlasting salvation, is a scheme as big with folly as it is with impious presumption? I entreat you to renounce for ever this project of wicked infatuation; and, feeling your guilt, your misery, your helplessness, to submit yourselves to the drawings of divine power, and flee for refuge to the hope set before you. And how unspeakable is the mercy, that salvation is of the Lord," by grace, through faith; and that, not of ourselves, it is the gift of God!" What.encouragement to seek this heavenly gift! What support and consolation to those who, through his rich grace, have found it! "He who hath begun in them the good work, will perform it, unto the day of Jesus Christ. He will keep them from falling, and present them faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy." ON THE COUNTERACTION OF ANTINOMIANISM. IN effecting any object of utility among men, nothing is more obvious than that it must have originated in some prior contrivance of the mind. It is a maxim recognized by every person of common sense, that every work of art must have had an existence in thought before it could have an existence in reality. The power which converts the material to answer a certain end, operates in direct subserviency to a fixed design, which is indebted purely to mind for its existence. This is so in all the works of men. And it is too manifest to need proof, that a correspondent connexion must exist between all the designs and productions of the infinite mind. Every production, worthy of God, both in the material and the moral world, must have been antecedently modelled in his own mind. AĬl real existence is nothing else than the evolutions of his eternal determinations. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning." To deny this, virtually amounts to atheism. Now, the noblest production of which we have any knowledge, in the present state, is the soul of man. Its sinfulness, indeed, has debased and polluted it,—but this is not of God,-while its powers and capabilities constitute the most striking resemblance of himself. As every existence, however minute, has a place in his decrees, it will not be denied that every intelligent being must be included in them; and since countless multitudes are destined to eternal happiness, though in their sinful state morally disqualified for it; and it is plain that their restoration to sanctity and the love of God is due entirely to his sovereign grace. There is nothing that more prominently forces itself on the attention of the reader of the Bible, than the two important facts,-that man is in a state of moral ruin, and that his salvation is entirely from the Lord. Man is the subject of total depravity; and he must undergo as total a transformation, and be "created anew unto good works in Christ Jesus." Hence as certainly as any individual shall dwell with God in heaven, so surely shall it become the subject of a regenerating and sanctifying process on earth; for "without holiness no man can see the Lord." Now, in every soul where there is such a spiritual process going on, we are sure its tendency and end is to eternal life. But what can be conceived a greater, a mightier, and more important event, than the delivering of a soul out of so much sin, and guilt, and condemnation? That man who is naturally in close alliance with Satan, and might be for ever a companion with him in suffering, should be not merely rescued from all real evil in a future state, but be made to dwell for ever with God, must be admitted to be an event which not only requires the energies of Deity to accomplish, but far transcends, in point of importance, all that is visible of his power in the material universe. And it is certain, that this is done for an innumerable multitude of the human species. But it is equally obvious, that this is not done for all of them. Multitudes harden themselves and perish in their sins, while others are plucked as brands from the fire. There is, then, a difference made, and that difference is made by God himself. Hence, those who are sanctified, prove, by their sanctification, that they are the objects "of a divine purpose." And it seems strange, passing strange, that any should be found, professing faith in scripture and divine influence on the mind, and yet controvert and deny the above doctrine. Do they believe that a Being of infinite intelligence and power created them? Do they believe that that curious machinery of animate materialism which makes up their visible existence, with all the heaving of the lungs, the circulation of the blood, and every moment's pulsation, was brought into being by one great Agent? And do they deny that their actual existence was preceded by any intention in the divine mind concerning them? This they must do, if they deny the eternity of the intention, since no purpose can at any moment exist in the divine mind, which was not there from eternity. This is sinking Deity beneath the standard of a man, seeing man ever operates according to a preconcerted scheme. But this is an error only on one side of the question. 66 While there is a numerous class of professing Christians who feel a strong repugnance to the doctrines of divine sovereignty and free grace, and whose creed would go a long way to mar, or at least to diminish, the supremacy and independence of Deity, there is another class of professors who place themselves directly on the opposite ground. The data more peculiar to these are, that "God has an elect people; that he has decreed all the rest to eternal misery; that sinners ought not to be any more exhorted to repent than if they were inanimate," &c. Now, these are wont to consider themselves as the exclusive advocates of free grace. 'Free grace men" is one of their own appellations. There are generally seen about them such a dogmatism, confidence, and assurance of being in the covenant of God, as lead them into a mode of thinking and talking on the most sacred and mysterious things that is in the highest degree unbecoming and irreverent. They talk about the arcana of God in a way bordering on profane and unhallowed familiarity. Be it far from us not to allow the privilege of assurance to the people of God. It is an unquestionable fact, that many of the saints have no doubt of their salvation; and more might, were they duly careful to " keep themselves in the love of God," and as anxious for the presence of the Lord, as they are for the in terests of the world. But mark! most that is made of it is, "a ser- It is not here my intention to go largely and elaborately into the errors of this class of professors. I take it for granted they are well known to most readers of the Congregational Magazine, especially to them to whom it principally pertains to correct them. I would rather request permission to suggest a few hints how to counteract both classes of these pernicious Now, as the end of all the commands of the Gospel is directly opposed to the infirmities and corruptions of the flesh, and as the summary of the whole is, "If ye love me, keep my commandments," how can such unhallowed professors endure a practical ministration of the Gospel? The spirit of every precept stands out directly against all their tendencies. The only Gospel which suits their taste, is that which contains privilege exclusively. They cannot endure practical exhortation. In every sermon, the preacher must serve up to them a full feast on election, predestination, eternal justification, &c. otherwise the errors. I 1st. It should be remembered, that while this system of exclusive doctrinalism contains many things which are decidedly unscriptural, there is also blended with them a considerable portion of truth. Now, the danger of the system lies in uniting good and evil things together; and there is difficulty in properly distinguishing between them. It is here, therefore, that the skill and ability of the christian minister must be evinced. cannot but think that many young ministers adopt a method of saving their hearers from the Antinomian heresy, which becomes the occasion of actually making them Antinomians. They will preach most virulently against such heresy, and dwell altogether on the practical department of religion, but very seldom advert to the peculiarities of the Gospel. But this will never secure the end intended. For instance, suppose there be in a place of worship an individual, as there not unfrequently is, whose conscience has been recent ly awakened to a due sense of sin, who feels the condemnation of the law bearing on him in all its overwhelming accusations. Now, such a one can never obtain true peace, but by an apprehension of the righteousness of Christ; and he wants to have his attention pointed to the Redeemer's work, as that by which alone he can be justified and this his minister should often do. And let not the heavy-laden be discouraged and burdened by being bid to fit and prepare himself in order to come and trust in Christ. Tell him at once to come just as he is. If you do not, he will seek relief elsewhere, and go where he can hear it exhibited. Many a minister has chiefly to blame himself in losing hearers in such circumstances, in consequence of not sufficiently exhibiting the freeness and fulness of the Gospel, and sometimes in adopting a tone of preaching about faith and repentance which does not accord with the promises and invitation of the Gospel. Let him be just to the Gospel in this respect; and, along with this, let him freely explain how that faith, which apprehends the obedience of the Son of God for justification, operates upon the heart so as to lead to the practice of all the duties of the christian life. If this be constantly kept in view, many will be kept within the enclosure of the church of God, who otherwise would wander into unwholesome pastures. As true faith is equally necessary and essential to both justification and sanctification, it should be frequently explained how faith receives the work of Christ, and rejoices in it, as the sole ground of justification before God, to the entire exclusion of the least fraction of good works wrought after faith. And it should be as frequently insisted on, that such a faith will purify the heart, and lead to the due observance of all the commandments of God; and that it is by the doing of the latter, that the former can be truly ascertained. But if the preacher be ever directing his hearers to the duties of N. S. No. 22. sanctification, and only now and then notice the grace and mediation of Christ, there are many, who, galled by the terrors of conscience, and not clearly pointed to the Lamb of God, will desert, what may not improperly be called a legal ministry, and will go where they can find more peace of mind. And though they should sit under an Antinomian ministry, and hear many "hurtful things," yet, if they be truly taught of God, they will refuse the evil and choose the good. And many of them may not be able to discern the evil tendency of any thing they hear. At least, the principle of true grace will tend to preserve them from drawing any injurious practical inference. Now, in some instances of this kind, we are apt to charge men with Antinomianism, when often the evil is justly to be attributed to the absence of an evangelical and spiritual administration of the truth. To save our hearers from being so ensnared, let us preach to them" the whole counsel of God;" let Christ be "all and in all." 2dly. In describing Antinomianism, either in the pulpit or the parlour, we should take care to distinguish between "the things that differ." Now, it is notorious that the mere speculative doctrinalist essentially differs from the practical Antinomian. Of the former it may be said, there are some whose errors of the judgment are unquestionably to be lamented; but they are errors, in such cases, consisting with a life devoted to the service of God, and the good of souls. But a practical Antinomian is the pest, and the blast, and the curse of our holy religion. And yet I have frequently heard such an indiscriminating, sweeping condemnation of both these characters, as though they were men precisely of the same complexion. How often are they alike censured and condemned! But surely 3 X this is neither wise nor charitable. It seems to me, that though the essential truths of Christianity, both doctrinal and practical, are so plain, as to lie level with the meanest understanding, so far as is needful to salvation; yet where shall be found the expounder of them, who will venture to lay down with exact accuracy the line of demarcation, so that all truth shall be on the one side, and all error on the other? I know that many a daring Antinomian has dogmatism sufficient to induce him to do this, and to pronounce all that differ from him to be so far in error. And I know that many a more sober-minded man has manifested equal dogmatism in condemning the former, and in maintaining his own views of religion, as if he were possessed of infallibility! But surely this is wrong. In the present state of imperfection, the wisest man knows but little; and it is the tendency of human nature to err. If, then, some ministers should happen to be generally more doctrinal than others, they ought not to be branded as Antinomians, unless, by a fair hearing of them, it can be proved that their ministrations have a tendency to induce spiritual indolence and a careless practice. I believe it is no difficult matter to prove by facts, that the more prominently the doctrines of grace are preached, provided they are preached in due harmony with all the other parts of Christianity, the more holy are the effects on the hearers in general. Care, then, should be taken, while reprobating Antinomianism properly so called, it be not confounded with that which differs so far from it, and yet is sometimes identified with it. Indiscriminate censures of this kind have, in many instances, disgusted the minds of pious persons. The best mode of exposing this error seems to be, by a clear statement of all God's revealed will, so as to carry home evidence to the minds of those whom we instruct, without making injurious reflections on others; thus attempting the prevention and the counteraction of error, by a full and faithful exhibition of every truth, doctrinal and practical, which God has revealed in his word. QUIDAM. MISCELLANEA BIBLICA. No. I. The Paraclete. THE title Tapakληтos is applied to the Holy Spirit in four passages of the New Testament, John xiv. 16. 26; and chapter xv. 26; and chapter xvi. 7; where it is rendered in the received version "Comforter." It is applied to Jesus Christ in one passage of the same inspired penman, 1 John ii. 1; and is there rendered “ Advocate." In the Septuagint the word does not occur; but its cognate, wаpaкλŋтwp, appears in one instance, for one, Job xvi. 2, where only Theodotion and Aquila use παρακλητος. About the time of our Lord, and for several following ages, this term appears to have been employed, by the Jews and the neighbouring nations, to describe an office for which they had no vernacular title. Hence it often occurs in the Targums and ancient Rabbinical writings; (vide Buxtorfii Lex. Talm. in 70), and is retained in the Syriac and other ancient versions. The import of παρακλητος has been variously represented by biblical philologists, as "Comforter," "Monitor," " Interpreter," "Advocate." (Vide Campbell, Schleusner, Rosenmuller.) The "Advocatus" of the Romans comes nearest to the idea conveyed. (Vide Ciceronis de Officiis I. 10. et Clav. Ernesti in voc.) |