language of the Scriptures! Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts."-Eph. iv. 18. "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither, indeed, can be."-Rom. viii. 7. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.”—Jer. xvii. 9. "And the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witcheraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." Gal. v. 19. 21. It would be impossible to use language more strongly descriptive of a state of depravity and pollution. Compar ing the present with the original condition of man, we may well exclaim-" How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed!"-Sam. iv. 1. Once man was near to God, now he is far off; once he enjoyed the light of his countenance, now he is conscious of deserving the divine displeasure; once he was pure and upright, now he is polluted and depraved. This is the testimony of the Scriptures, and it is confirmed by our experience and ob servation. 3. The moral change that has passed upon man is expressed in the outward sinfulness of his life. Whether he is viewed as an individual, in the ordinary walks of life, or considered in the relations of the family, of society, or of the world, his characteristic feature is that of a sinner. The view which he exhibits in the market-place, with its profanity and dishonesty; in the battle-field, with its carnage and plunder; and in the intercourse of nation with nation, in its duplicity, treachery, and oppression; is a comment upon the depravity of his character, known and read of all men. The inspired description of man, in Rom. iii. 10-18, is an exact delineation of his character and conduct, in all cases, where human nature is left unrestrained to bear its natural fruit. "There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tougues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace have they not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes." Such is the condition of men, of all men, by nature and practice. It is humbling to contemplate it, but it is well to know the truth. And we are hereby prepared for the fourth and last consideration. IV. The present necessities of man. He is a sinner; and, from what we have seen to be implied in that name, he stands in need of pardon, justification, regeneration, and a sustaining divine influence throughout the entire sourse of his life. It is going somewhat beyond our present subject to consider the provision of the Gospel to meet these necessities, yet we cannot close without alluding to it. 1. The sinner needs pardon. The very first idea we attach to him is that of guiltiness; that is a debt which he is unable to pay; he must therefore' come unto God with the petition, "forgive us our debts," and sue for a free remission of guilt. This is the first blessing the sinner needs; and until it is obtained, he cannot move a step in the favour of God. His situation is that of a criminal, imprisoned for delinquency, who cannot move from his prison-house, or walk at liberty, till an act of remission is passed. With what thankfulness, then, should he hear those blessed announcements, "there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."-Psal. cxxx. 4. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.". Isa. i. 18. "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins."-Eph. i. 7. Here is proclaimed pardon, full, free, and gracious, to all who are willing to accept it, 2. The sinner needs justification. This is more than pardon, it includes acceptance. It is a blessing which a sinner can enjoy only through the mediation of another. No repentance for past sins will obtain it, nor will future obedience purchase it. "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh he justified in the sight of God."-Rom. iii. 20. Perfect obedience alone can justify. How suited, then, the provision of the Gospel, in the righteousness of Christ, to this want of the sinner. "He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."-2 Cor. v. 21. "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."-Gal. ii. 16. Hence 3. The sinner needs regeneration. Justification affects his state, regeneration his character. It means an entire change of views, principles, feelings, and actions. No change, less radical or complete, would meet the necessity of the case. Nothing short of this will fit the sinner to be a member of the kingdom of Christ on earth or in heaven. Such, however, is the nature of the Gospel dispensation, that regeneration is necessarily connected with justification. It is faith that justifies, by laying hold of the righteousness of Christ; but at the same time it renews and sanctifies, for it enlightens the mind, subdues the will, overcomes the world, and works by love. the promises of regeneration are as abundant in the Scriptures as those of justification. "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you."Ezek. xxxvi. 25. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."—Heb. viii. 10. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."-2 Cor. v. 17. 4 The sinner needs a sustaining, divine influence throughout the whole course of his life. What he becomes, by the grace of God, he must be kept by the same agency. So Christ taught his disciples. "Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."-John, xv. 4. And how free and gracious are the promises of divine aid? "My grace is sufficient for thee."-2 Cor. 12. 9. "Saints are kept by the mighty power of God."-1 Pet. i. 5 Hence may the Christian triumph with the Apostle, saying, "I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."-Rom. viii. 38, 39. It thus appears that the gospel is the exact counterpart of the sinner's wants. The sinner is guilty, and the gospel provides pardon; the sinner is unworthy and the gospel provides righteousness; the sinner is impure and the gospel provides a new heart and a right spirit; he is sick and it engages as thy day is so shall thy strength be;" he is unwise and it teaches "if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God." In short, the sinner, when he believes, is "complete" in Christ Jesus, "who of God is made unto him wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption." And thus are we to understand the figurative language of Christ to the Jews. "Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead; he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever."-John, vi. 54-8. But, while such is the blessedness of the believer, what is the state of the impenitent and unbelieving? Uninterested in Christ, they partake of none of his blessings; living in sin, the weight of its guiltiness rests upon them. Their situation is worse than it would have been, had Christ not died. They have good reason to ponder the searching question of the Apostle, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation." Such as are not saved by Christ will find him a swift witness against them. Let sinners then be exhorted to consider their guiltiness, and be alarmed. Sin is no trifle, and unless sinners repent they shall perish. Let them consider the provision which God has made for their redemption. It is full, free, gracious, and perfect. Let them invoke the Holy Spirit to explain it to them, impress it on them, and give them an interest in it. Nor let them ever be satisfied till by experience they know the meaning of the blessed assurance, "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” 204 PHILOSOPHICAL EDUCATION. REPLY OF A LOVER OF TRUE PHILOSOHY TO A STUDENT OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY. CONCLUDED FROM OUR LAST. The first paragraph of the following is reprinted from our last, for the sake of the connexion.-EDIT.] "A KNOWLEDGE of the mind," says the Student, "is forced upon us whether we will or not." Some knowledge of the human mind is forced on us; but is the knowledge of every thing about the buman mind forced upon us? Could not God tell us something about the human mind, that is not known from the mind itself? This is the question. "Is this the case," continues the Student, "with a future state?". No, truly; and I have not said any thing that implies the affirmative.— But what I say is, that God could reveal to us more about a future state than he has revealed of it in the human mind. If the Scriptures are true, he has done so ; if the Scriptures are not true, it is still possible that such a revelation could be made. But it seems when revelation can be perverted to his purpose, the Student is not unwilling in a desperate emergency to seek its aid. Can it be believed? He has summoned the Apostle against me as a witness in this question. Well, though I am not afraid to look a Neologian in the face, I tremble at the words of an Apostle. If Paul testifies against me, let all my philosophy and all my theology perish. Let us then hear the Apostle. "He was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful, or according to the better rendering of the margin, not possible for a man to utter." I shall not remark on this criticism further than to state that the word which is translated unspeakable, signifies that which is not to be spoken. The reason why a thing is not to be spoken, may be either that there is no ability to speak it, or that it is not proper to speak it. Accordingly in Greek authors, the word is to be found in each of these senses; but which of them is to be adopted in any case, must be determined by the context, and the nature of the thing to which it refers. The word translated lawful, though classical authority has been alleged for its signifying also possible, most frequently has the meaning which our translators have assigned to it in this place. Of the latter sense there is not an instance in the New Testament, unless this passage is so understood. But, lest it should divert from the point in hand, I will not even express an opinion on the subject. What is to my purpose to remark is, that this quotation manifests in the Student a want of discrimination. Let him understand the passage even in his own sense, it is not to his purpose. Let it be granted that the Apostle declares that these things could not be uttered by men; does he not call them visions and revelations? Were they not then revealed to Paul, whether he could speak them or not? Besides, though it was impossible for Paul to utter these things, was it impossible for God to reveal them to all as he had done to Paul? The Apostle heard the unspeakable words. They were then uttered by some person. |