Z .2.7 
 
 r PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 Purchased by the 
 Irs. Robert Lenox Kennedy Church History Fund. 
 
 BX 7731 .G79 1839 v. 2 
 Gurney, Joseph John, 1788- 
 1847 . 
 
 The minor works of Joseph 
 John Gurney 
 
THE 
 
 MINOR WORKS 
 
 OF 
 
 JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOLUME THE SECOND. 
 
 LONDON: 
 HARVEY AND DARTON, GRACECHURCH STREET; 
 
 NORWICH : J. FLETCHER, UPPER IIAYMARKET. 
 
 MDCCCXXXIX. 
 
i9ort)o(cf) : 
 
 PRINTED tV JOSIAH FLETCHIllt, LPPIill HAYMARKFT. 
 
CONTENTS OF VOL. II. 
 
 Brief remarks on the history, authority, and 
 USE OF THE sabbath Page 1 
 
 Guide to the instruction of young persons in 
 THE holy scriptures; including the lock 
 AND KEY Page 103 
 
 On the moral character of our lord JESUS 
 CHRIST Page 117 
 
 Christianity a religion of motives ... Page 135 
 
 Some account of john stkatford Page 145 
 
 Substance of an address, on the right use and 
 application of knowledge, delivered to the 
 
 mechanics of MANCHESTER Page 1G7 
 
iv 
 
 Contents, 
 
 Letter to a clerical friend on the accordance 
 OF geological discovery with natural and 
 revealed religion Page 201 
 
 Familiar sketch of the late william wilber- 
 force Page 225 
 
 Sabbatical verses Page 251 
 
 Terms of union : — remarks addressed to the 
 
 members of the BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE 
 SOCIETY. 
 
 Strictures on certain parts of an anonymous 
 pamphlet entitled the truth vindicated. 
 
BRIEF REMARKS 
 
 HISTORY, AUTHORITY, AND USE 
 
 Dominicum servasti ? 
 
 Cliristianus sum; iutermittere non possum, 
 
 AcrS OF THE JlAKrVRS. 
 
 FIFTH EDITION, 
 
 WITH AN APPtNDIX BY MOSES STUAllT, OK NORTH AMKRICA. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Arcliive 
 in 2015 
 
 littps ://arcli i ve . 0 rg/detai Is/m i no rwo rksof jose02g u r n 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAUE 
 
 Chaiteu 1. — On the patuiarchai. sabbath 1 
 
 Chapter 2. — On the jiosaic sabbath 20 
 
 Chapter 3. — On the jewish sabbath at the christian era .... 40 
 
 Chapter 4. — Ox the christian sabbath 57 
 
 conclqsion ■ 81 
 
 Appendix 96 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 In presenting to the public the following remarks on the history, 
 authority, and use of the sabbath, I feel that some apology is due 
 from me in consequence of the late publication, on the same sub- 
 ject, of some excellent discourses by my worthy friend, Daniel 
 Wilson of Islington. Such an apology is the more necessary, 
 because our views on the subject very much correspond, and we 
 have treated it on nearly the same plan. 
 
 The fact is, however, that my own opinions respecting the 
 sabbath had been long previously formed ; and I had arranged 
 the order of the present little work, before I had the opportunity 
 of perusing his useful volume. While, therefore, I sincerely 
 thank him for some valuable information, which was not before 
 equally familiar to me, I consider it right to persevere in present- 
 ing to my fellow Christians of every name, this humble effort for 
 their good. 
 
 Persons who are desirous of promoting the religious welfare of 
 the community, occupy, in the present day, a variety of stations, 
 and their influence extends itself in very different directions. 
 How important then that each should perform his own part faith- 
 fully, and thus that all should be labouring in the common cause 
 of righteousness and truth ! 
 
 Among the early Christians, the first day of the week was 
 almost universally called the Loi'd s day — an appellation for which 
 
1 0 Advertisement. 
 
 we have apostolic authority in the book of Revelation. Since, 
 however, this title includes the sacred name, the familiar use of 
 it appears to be undesirable; and I have therefore more usually 
 adopted the term sabbath-day. In applying to the Christian's 
 day of rest and worship, the name of sabbath, I consider that 
 I am fully justified, both by the simple meaning of the word, and 
 by the express language of the fourth commandment. 
 
 Should the evidences which I am about to adduce, be the means 
 of convincing any doubtful mind of the divine authority of this 
 institution, or of quickening the diligence of any of my readers in 
 the observance of its duties, I shall regard it as a fresh call for 
 gratitude to that Being, without whose blessing no labour of 
 Christian love can ever prosper. 
 
BRIEF REMARKS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ON Tin: PATllIARCHAL SABBATH. 
 
 The moral, and therefore permanent, nature of that 
 divine institution which devotes every seventh day to 
 a holy restj may be fairly deduced from the earliest 
 record relating to the subject. The history of the 
 glorious works which occupied, in succession, the 
 six days of creation, is completed by the following 
 description of the first sabbath.^ 
 
 " Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and 
 all the host of them. And on the seventh day, God 
 ended his work which he had made ; and he rested on 
 the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 
 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, 
 because that in it he had rested from all his work 
 which God created and made."^ 
 
 There are two points in this passage which mark 
 the moral and spiritual character of the sabbath. 
 
 1 The name sabbath, (as 1 presume most of my readers are 
 aware,) properly signifies rest. The Hebrew substantive P\!2ll/ is 
 obviously from a root formed of the same consonants, and signify- 
 ing " to cease from labour." — Vide Simonis Lex, 
 2 Gen. ii, 1—3. 
 VOL. U. B 
 
2 The Palriarchal Sahhalh. 
 
 The first is, that God Messed and sanctified the seventh 
 day. He bestowed upon it a blessing above that of 
 other days ; and therefore, in all generations, those 
 who rightly observed it were to be blessed in the use 
 of it; and he also sanctified it — by which we are to 
 understand that he set H apart, or consecrated it to 
 religious purposes. 
 
 The Jewish Talmudists pretend that this consecra- 
 tion of the seventh day was simply prospective, — that 
 the mention of it, in this passage, is nothing more 
 than an allusion to a law which was long afterwards 
 to be enacted for the benefit of the Israelites alone. 
 The currency of such an opinion among these doctors 
 is easily explained ; for the Jews have ever been jea- 
 lous of admitting the Gentiles to a participation in 
 their religious polity. Had they allowed that the 
 sabbath was instituted in the first age of the world, 
 they could not have denied that it was a provision of 
 divine wisdom and mercy for the use of all mankind ; 
 but by fixing its earliest origin at the time of the 
 Exodus, they restricted this ordinance to themselves. 
 Accordingly, the observance of the sabbath was forbid- 
 den to the "proselytes of the gate," as those Gentiles 
 were called who believed in the truth of the Israelitish 
 theology, but did not (as it were) make themselves 
 Jews by adopting all the Mosaic ceremonies. The 
 Talmudists decided that no Gentiles were authorized 
 to observe that holy day, except the proselytes of jus- 
 tice — persons who conformed, in every other respect, 
 to the ritual of Judaism.-^ 
 
 3 Vide Selden de Jure Nat. et Gen. juxta disciplinam Ebrceo- 
 riirn, lib. iii, cap. 9, 10. 
 
The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 Now, although the opinion of the 'lalmudists 
 respecting this passage, has been adopted by some 
 learned men who were much accustomed to the peru- 
 sal of their works, (for instance, John Selden and Dr. 
 Gill,) it appears to rest on a very weak foundation. 
 Every plain reader of Scripture must, I think, under- 
 stand from these verses, that God blessed and sancti- 
 fied the seventh day, immediately after the creation ; 
 and, if he then blessed and sanctified it, common 
 sense forbids our supposing that no effect was to be 
 produced by his doing so, except on one small division 
 of mankind, after the lapse of two thousand five hun- 
 dred years. We may surely rather conclude from 
 our premises, that the Creator at once set the day 
 apart for holy uses, and graciously bestowed the 
 blessing of the sabbatical institution on the whole 
 human race. 
 
 There is, however, a second reason suggested by this 
 passage of Scripture, for our regarding the sabbath 
 as a moral and spiritual institution ; namely that it 
 was founded on a divine pattern, — on the example of 
 God himself. God sanctified the seventh day, or set 
 it apart for holy uses, "because in it he had rested 
 from all his work^ which God created and made." 
 Again we read in Exod. xx, 11 — "For in six days 
 the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that 
 in them is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore 
 the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it." 
 God created man in his "own image," after his "like- 
 ness from which expressions it may be inferred 
 
 4 Gen. ii, 
 
 5 Gen. i, 2(). 
 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 The Patriarchal Sabhalh. 
 
 that man, in a variety of respects, and in a certain 
 degree, was to be conformed to the attributes of God. 
 Endued with the faculty of reason, with power over 
 all inferior animals, with an immortal soul, and above 
 all, with moral virtues, he was destined to aftbrd an 
 infinitely diminished, yet lively, representation of the 
 Author of his being. Now the keeping of the sab- 
 bath was one of those particulars of conduct, by the 
 observance of which man was to be characterized, 
 after the model of his Creator. It cannot, I think, be 
 conceived, that a duty required of us, on this peculiar 
 ground — a duty so plainly contributing to the main- 
 tenance in man of the image of God — can be other- 
 wise than of universal and permanent obligation. 
 
 We cannot, indeed, form any just notion of the 
 sabbath of Jehovah — what was the nature of the rest 
 of God, or what the period through which it might 
 extend. Yet this rest, as a model, is presented to our 
 notice in an intelligible shape, and man is commanded 
 to cease from labour every seventh day, after the 
 example of his Maker. And further, although we 
 are not aware what relation the sabbath of Jehovah 
 might have to his moral attributes, it is unquestiona- 
 bly true that the observance of the sabbath is required 
 of man, as a moral and spiritual being — one who is 
 accountable for all his actions, and who has eternal 
 interests at stake. 
 
 In order to form a just view of the moral import- 
 ance of the institution, we need only call to mind, 
 that man, in this state of probation, is encompassed 
 with things, temporal in their nature, which meet his 
 senses and engross his attention ; that he has within 
 
The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 5 
 
 him, nevertheless, an immortal part, which, amidst all 
 these perishing- scenes, is now to be prepared for an 
 invisible and eternal world. How evident is it there- 
 fore, in the very nature of things, that a proportion 
 of our time must be set apart for this object — not 
 only that every day should bring with it its hour of 
 private devotion — not only that a spirit of piety 
 should pervade the whole business of life — but that 
 at some frequently recurring period, our temporal 
 engagements should entirely cease, and opportunity 
 be given to the soul to commune at leisure with its 
 Creator, and to deal deliberately with the eternal 
 future ! The Jews themselves were well aware that 
 the bodily rest ordained on the sabbath, was essential 
 to the strength and refreshment of the mind, which, 
 thus invigorated, was to apply its undivided powers 
 to holy things. "This," says one of their doctors, 
 " is the sanctification of the sabbath, that on that day 
 the human mind should fix itself on no worldly busi- 
 ness, but only on things divine.''^ 
 
 It may be objected, that these remarks are applica- 
 ble only to persons who enjoy the light of revelation; 
 because merely natural religion does not, with clear- 
 ness, teach us the doctrine of our immortality, and, 
 therefore, makes no demand on our reason for the 
 observance of a sabbath. To this objection it is a 
 sufficient answer, that God did reveal his truth to our 
 first parents and their immediate descendants — that 
 although, therefore, our fallen race soon sunk into a 
 state of corruption, and ignorance of their Creator, 
 
 ^ Ab. Ezra apud Selden de Jure Nut. et Gen. lib. iii, tap. 13. 
 
6 
 
 The Palriarchal Sahhath. 
 
 pure religion, and its accompamjing sahhath, were ne- 
 vertheless intended for all mankind. They are, and 
 ever were, of universal applicability to our species. 
 
 Innocent as our first parents were before the fall, 
 and at peace with God, we may conclude that even 
 for them the dedication of every seventh day to a 
 holy rest, was both a duty and a privilege. They 
 must surely have delighted in the frequent recurrence 
 of an interval, which was to be devoted to uninter- 
 rupted communion with God, and to the joyful re- 
 membrance of their own immortality. But for man 
 in the fall, who must earn his bread by the sweat of 
 his brow; whose affections naturally tend only to 
 earthly and sensual things ; who is laden with innu- 
 merable infirmities and is corrupt at core ; whose 
 passage to the eternal world lies through death — for 
 such a being, under such circumstances — a weekly 
 sabbath of rest and devotion may well be deemed 
 indispensable. This, like every other part of the 
 moral law of God, is precisely adapted to our need, 
 and the observance of it is essential to our virtue and 
 happiness. 
 
 There is another point of view in which the keep- 
 ing of the sabbath must be regarded as a sacrifice 
 well pleasing to God, and as necessary to the forma- 
 tion in man of the religious character. It is an act 
 of faith in Jehovah; M'ho will be sure to provide for 
 the temporal as well as spiritual wants of those who 
 serve him. Man is required to cease from his labour 
 every seventh day; and thus is made to feel, that, 
 even for the supply of his bodily need, he may not 
 depend exclusively on his own exertions. By the 
 
The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 7 
 
 silent admonition of a weekly sabbath he is taught to 
 place a calm reliance on that glorious Being, who, of 
 his own free bounty, feeds the sparrow and provides 
 for man. 
 
 The existing record that God, after finishing the 
 work of creation, set apart the seventh day for holy 
 uses, together with the reasonableness and necessity 
 of the service, aifords a strong presumption, that 
 amidst the general corruption of mankind, this insti- 
 tution continued to be observed, both before and after 
 the flood, by the Patriarchal church. Of the exist- 
 ence of such a church from the date of the creation 
 to that of Moses, various hints are scattered over the 
 book of Genesis. Brief and undetailed (for the most 
 part) as is this inspired history, it contains many inci- 
 dental allusions to a system of worship — to a priest- 
 hood, places for worship, altars, sacrifices, prayers, 
 and peculiar religious rites.' There were preachers 
 also in those early days. The apostle Peter speaks 
 of our Saviour's preaching by his Spirit to the world 
 before the flood ;^ and who can doubt that this was 
 through the instrumentality of his appointed minis- 
 ters? Accordingly the same apostle elsewhere calls 
 Noah "a preacher of righteousness."^ 
 
 Now for the maintenance of such a system of wor- 
 ship, a sabbath would appear to have been essential ; 
 nor does the absence, in the history of the Patriarchs, 
 of any express mention of its observance, materially 
 
 7 Ample evidences on this subject are adduced by J. J. Blunt, 
 in his useful little work " On the Veracity of the Five Books of 
 Moses." 
 
 8 1 Pet. iii, 19. 9 2 Pet. ii, 5. 
 
8 
 
 The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 weaken the probability that, under these circumstances, 
 it was actually observed. It is always to be remem- 
 bered that the records of the Old Testament are in 
 many parts extremely abridged, and that the silence 
 of these narratives respecting any supposed fact which 
 collateral evidence renders probable, affords scarcely 
 any degree of evidence that such a fact was not real. 
 We know that after the settlement of the Israelites 
 in the land of Canaan, the law of Moses, and the 
 sabbath as forming a part of it, were publicly recog- 
 nised and in full force ; yet no mention is made of 
 the sabbath in the book of Judges, the two books of 
 Samuel, and the first book of Kings, which comprise 
 a period of five hundred years. Although circumci- 
 sion was a ceremony of marked importance during 
 the continuance of the Mosaic dispensation, no men- 
 tion is made of that rite in the whole history of the 
 Bible, from the days of Joshua to those of John the 
 Baptist. 
 
 The Patriarchal history does, however, contain an 
 account of some circumstances, which afford us no 
 insignificant hints that the sabbath was observed. 
 Cain and Abel are described as offering their sacrifices 
 to the Lord process of time," as our version has 
 it, but as in the margin of that version, and in the 
 Hebrew, "at the end of daysT^ Now the only period 
 of days before alluded to, is that of the week, and it 
 is highly probable that this form of expression indi- 
 cates nothing more, than that they made their offerings 
 on the day which terminates the week — that is, on 
 the sabbath. 
 
 1 Gen. iv, 3. D^O^ j^pD 
 
The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 9 
 
 Of the division of time into weeks we have a plain 
 hint or two in the history of Noah. Jehovah says to 
 Noah, "For yet seven days, (or yet a week,) and I will 
 cause it to rain upon the earth," &c.^ Again, when 
 Noah's dove, after finding "no rest for the sole of her 
 foot," had been restored to the ark, we are informed 
 that Noah stayed ^' yet other seven days"' and sent her 
 forth ; and on her return with the olive branch, he 
 again waited for the same recognised period ; "And he 
 stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove, 
 which returned not again unto him any more."-^ 
 
 It appears, then, that Noah reckoned his time by 
 weeks, and that the seventh day of the week was to 
 him, as well as to Cain and Abel, " the end of days."" 
 Such a division of time must surely have been founded 
 on the tradition of the six days of creation, ending 
 with a day of rest. Now since this tradition had 
 passed down to Noah through a very small number 
 of forefathers, who probably were all worshippers of 
 Jehovah, it seems incredible that he could be unac- 
 quainted with the fact that the seventh day was 
 hallowed: and equally so, that being acquainted with 
 it, this "preacher of righteousness" should himself 
 neglect the observance of the day. 
 
 The same practice would necessarily descend with the 
 worship of the true God, in that line of Noah's pos- 
 terity, in which God was pleased to preserve a visible 
 church. We read of Abraham, that " he obeyed" the 
 " voice" of God, and kept his "charge," his "command- 
 ments," his "statutes," and his "lavvs."^ No wonder 
 
 2 Gen. vii, 4. 3 Gen. viii, 10—12. 
 
 4 Gen. xxxvi, 5. 
 
10 
 
 The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 that Manasseh Ben Israel, a learned Dutch Jew, should 
 infer from this passage that Abraham observed the 
 sabbath ; ^ for which of the charges, statutes, com- 
 mandments, or laws of God was such a man more 
 likely to reverence and obey?^ In a Jevt^ish book 
 called Bereshith Rabba it is asserted that the sabbath 
 was kept by Jacob. The same thing is also said by 
 one of the Rabbins, of Joseph ; ^ and the probability 
 of these assertions appears not only from the plain 
 reason of the case, but from the indications afforded in 
 Scripture that both these Patriarchs were acquainted 
 with the division of time into weeks. Jacob twice 
 served Laban for Rachel " a week of years" — a period 
 of which the reckoning was doubtless borrowed from 
 that of the week of days.^ And Joseph devoted 
 "seven days," or in other words, a whole week, to a 
 public mourning for his father. ^ Aben Ezra, another 
 learned Jew, presumes that Job kept the sabbath, 
 because he ofi'ered sacrifice at the end of seven days,^ 
 and is there not good reason to suppose that the day 
 "when the sons of God came to present themselves 
 before the Lord" was the day consecrated to worship 
 — the day of the sabbath ? ^ 
 
 The original use of the sabbath, and its authority, 
 independently of the Jewish law, are however yet more 
 clearly proved by a distinct and most emphatic recog- 
 nition of it, some time before the delivery of the law 
 
 5 Lib. de Creatione, in Selden. 
 6 Vide Selden de Jure, lib. iii, cap. 13. 7 Parash 79, in Selden. 
 
 8 Bechai ad Beresith, fol. xxxvii, col. 4, in Selden. 
 9 Gen. xxix, 27—30. i Gen. 1,10. 2 Job i, 5. 
 
 3 Job i, 6 ; ii, 11. 
 
The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 11 
 
 from Mount Sinai. Very soon after the Israelites 
 had commenced their journey through the wilderness, 
 they were provided with the manna, which they ga- 
 thered every morning. " And it came to pass that 
 on the sixth day they gathered twice as nmch hread, 
 two omers for one man : and all the rulers of the 
 congregation came and told Moses. And he said 
 unto them, This is that ivhich the Lord hath said, To- 
 morrow is the r^est of the ho/i/ sabbath unto the Lord 
 
 and they laid it up till the morning, as Moses 
 
 bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any 
 worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that to-day ; 
 for to-day is a sabbath unto the Lord ; to-day ye shall 
 not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it ; 
 but on the seventh day, ivhich is the sabbath, there 
 shall be none .... See for that the Lord hath given 
 you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth 
 day the bread of two days ; abide ye every man in 
 his place ; let no man go out of his place on the 
 seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh 
 day. "4 
 
 There is a plain accordance between the declaration 
 of Gen. ii, 3, that God sanctified the seventh day, and 
 the remarkable fact that the manna — the miraculous 
 gift of God — was doubled on the sixth day and stayed 
 on the seventh. This fact, and the explanation given 
 of it by Moses, were obviously intended to revive in 
 the remembrance of the people, an already existing 
 institution — to remind them of a religious duty which 
 although (possibly) forgotten during the period of 
 their Egyptian bondage, had been cherished by their 
 
 ■* Exod. xvi, 22—30. 
 
12 
 
 The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 ancestors, and had always formed a part of the system 
 of tnie worship.^ 
 
 The division of time into weeks was familiar to the 
 ancient Greeks and Romans, and they were accustomed 
 to distinguish the seven days, by the names of seven of 
 their deities : viz. the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, 
 Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Eusebius has selected 
 from the works of Porphyry, (one of the early enemies 
 of Christianity,) a very old Greek oracle, quoted by 
 that writer, in which there is a distinct reference to 
 this division and nomenclature. It is as follows : 
 
 " Invoke Mercury on his day, 
 
 And in like manner the Sun on a Sunday — 
 
 The Moon also when her day arrives, 
 
 And Saturn and Venus, each in their order." 6 
 
 A similar custom is supposed to have been of great 
 antiquity among the nations of the North of Europe, 
 namely, the Goths, Celts, and Sclavonians. These 
 nations probably derived this practice (as they did 
 many others, and much of their language) from the 
 East ; for there is reason to believe that the reckoning 
 of time by weeks, and an idolatrous nomenclature of 
 the days, were prevalent, in very ancient times, in 
 
 5 The Talmudists parry this argument by pretending that the 
 first institution of the sabbath is alluded to in the preceding chap- 
 ter; where, after describing the sweetening of the waters in Marah, 
 Moses says, " And there he made for them a statute and an ordi- 
 nance, and there he proved them ;" Exod. xv, 25. It is obvious, 
 however, that if the sabbath had been so very lately instituted, the 
 rulers would have required no explanation of the doubling of the 
 manna on the sixth day, and of the cessation of it on the seventh. 
 Ka>j/^£/v 'Epimyiv rid' HbXiov nara raura 
 'HlMipfi HsX/ou, Mrjvriv 6' OTt rfn hi va^iiri 
 Ha's^'/j, r^hs Koom rjb' fgs/jj? Acp^oblTrjv. 
 
 Easel). Prcep. Evung. lib. v, cap. 14. 
 
The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 13 
 
 that quarter of the globe ; especially in Chaldcea and 
 Egypt. Dion, the Roman historian, says that the 
 custom in question originated in Egypt, and from 
 thence, at a more modern date, pervaded the whole 
 world/ Grotius confirms its ancient origin in Egypt, 
 by reference to Herodotus.^ 
 
 Since this peculiar division of time agrees with no 
 astronomical sign — certainly not with the changes in 
 the appearance of the moon — and since it is impro- 
 bable that the Egyptians, or any other nation of an- 
 tiquity, should borrow it from so despised a people 
 as the Israelites, we may conclude that it was founded 
 on a tradition, respecting the original seven days."^ On 
 this ground, it affords a collateral evidence of the 
 facts recorded in the Mosaic history of the creation, 
 and, among other facts, of the hallowing of the seventh 
 day. That this circumstance, indeed, formed one 
 feature of the tradition in question, is confirmed by 
 a variety of evidence bearing expressly on the point. 
 
 Eusebius, in his "Evangelical Preparations," has 
 extracted a long passage from a work addressed by 
 Aristobulus, a Jewish Platonic philosopher, to one 
 of the Ptolemies of Egypt, about 150 years before 
 Christ.^ The object of the Jew is to exalt the tradi- 
 tions and practices of his own nation, and to show 
 that even the heathen held them sacred. After some 
 
 7 Lib. xxxvi, Selden de Jure, lib. iii, cap. 19. 
 8 Herod, lib. ii. Grotius de Verit. lib. i. 
 9 If, as Sir Isaac Newton supposes, the Egyptians borrowed their 
 learning from the Edomites, the course of this tradition may be 
 directly traced through Esau to the Patriarchs. Chronology of 
 Kingdoms, p. 208. 
 
 1 Prcap. Evany, lib. xiii, cap. 12. 
 
14 
 
 The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 allusion to the work of creation, he speaks of the 
 authority and use of the seventh day. This he calls 
 the " day of light and wisdom, in which the complete 
 order of nature is contemplated" — a day bestowed 
 on man for the purpose of " divine philosophy." He 
 then proceeds to cite passages from the works of 
 Homer and Hesiod, in which the " seventh day" is 
 
 described as "*acre</." 
 
 " Sacred in the first place is the last day of the new moon."2 
 " Sacred also are the fourth, and the seventh days." 
 " Again came the seventh day, the illustrious light of the sun. "3 
 " The seventh day then arrived — a sacred day."* 
 
 Hesiod is here evidently speaking of the days of 
 the month, the fourth day of each month being sacred 
 to Mercury, and the seventh to Apollo. ^ But it is 
 evident that each recurring seventh day, through the 
 month, was by him regarded as holy. With regard 
 to Homer, there are many passages in his works which 
 indicate that in his view, every passing day and night 
 was sacred. The epithet sacred^ is one which he was 
 accustomed to lavish with a free, poetic, licence. From 
 Linus, another ancient Greek poet, Aristobulus quotes 
 some verses which are more applicable to his purpose 
 — "All things in the starry heaven," says Linus, "are 
 made in sevens, appearing in circles, as the years arise. "^ 
 
 2 Or as some critics render 'hri, "the third day." 
 
 Hesiod. 
 Homer. 
 
 5 Sclden de Jure, §-c. lib. iii, cap. 17. ^ hooc. 
 
 7 E'TTM hi rravra rsTUKrai iv oigavoD affre^oevri 
 Eii TivxXoici (pa.mr IrriTeXXoij/ivoig iviavToTg. 
 
The Patriarchal Sabbath. 15 
 
 As it appears from this passage that his notion is that 
 of perpetual rotation in sevens, we may conclude that 
 he refers to each recurring seventh day, when he writes 
 
 as follows : — 
 
 " The seventh (day) is among good things, 
 The seventh (day) is the birth (day,) 
 The seventh (day) is among chief things, 
 The seventh (day) is perfect. 
 
 According to Clement of Alexandria, who repeats 
 the arguments of Aristobulus, much was said in 
 Solon's elegies, (a work no longer extant,) respecting 
 the divine character of the seventh day.^ 
 
 Lucian^ and Aulus Gellius^ speak of the " seventh 
 day" as one on which boys exchange their books for 
 play. Suetonius mentions the ''sabbath,"" as selected 
 by Diogenes the grammarian at Rome, for his public 
 disputations.-^ Tibullus describes the flai/ of Saturn, 
 i.e. "the seventh day of the week" as sacred:" 
 "Saturni aut sacram me tenuisse diem.""* 
 
 The title of Birth — or Birth (day) applied to the 
 seventh day by Linus, (or according to Clement, by 
 Callimachus) implies that it was the day on which 
 the birth of the world was celebrated. Similar terms 
 are used on the same subject by Philo, a Jewish Pla- 
 tonic philosopher, who lived in Egypt, and was con- 
 temporary with our Saviour. " When the whole 
 world was completely formed, " says this author, 
 " according to the perfect nature of the number six, 
 the Father glorified the succeeding day, being the 
 
 9 Strom, lib, v. ' In Pseudolorjist. 2 Liij_ xv, 11. 
 
 3 In Ncrone, 32. 4 Eleg. iii, line 18. 
 
16 
 
 The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 seventh, praising it and calling it holy. For it is a 
 holy day, not of one city or place only, but of all the 
 world — a holy day which alone can justly be described 
 as universal — the Birth day of the world I" ^ What- 
 ever allowance Me may be disposed to make for the 
 bombast or exaggeration of this writer, we cannot 
 suppose that his statement respecting the acknow- 
 ledged sanctity of the seventh day among the heathen 
 nations, was without some foundation. That state- 
 ment is moreover confirmed by the positive assertion 
 of Josephus. " Great zeal has long been displayed 
 by multitudes in the imitation of our worship, neither 
 is there any city of the Greeks or among foreigners 
 — not even one nation — into which the custom of 
 observing the seventh day on ivhich we rest, has not 
 found its way.^ 
 
 Some of the earliest Christian fathers give a similar 
 testimony. Theophilus, of Antioch, (a.d. 168,) speaks 
 of the seventh day of the week as the day " which 
 all men celebrate."'' Clement, of Alexandria, (a.d. 
 199,) says, that "the Greeks as w^ell as the Hebrews, 
 considered as sacred the seventh day, according to the 
 recurrence of which, there is a rotation of all things 
 
 5 EvTs^ 6' 6 eiifj.rrai y.oaixog sriXiloI^i^ xara Trjv i^uhog a^i^fiou reXi'iav 
 <p{jSiv, rr^v iTlovsav riijA^at i^o6f/,r,v sa'i/Mmsii o Tarr,^ sTaivsmg, %al uy'iav 
 'XPOffiirruv lOPTri yao oj /Miug ffo'Xswj '^c5ga; sarlv, dXku, tou Tavrif 
 (scil. x6tr/Mov) riv x.ve'iu; u^iov xal fi6vf}v 'ra.vhriiJM ovo/z-a^s/i', xa) rou xoSfiou 
 ytvs^Xwv. De Mundi Opificio, Ed. Mungeii, torn, i, p. 21. 
 
 6 Ou t^n^ uXKa xai '7r\i]^i6i\i nbri vroX-jg ^'^Xos yiyom ex fiax^ou rijg 
 
 ov8i iv eSvof, £v3a fj.r\ to r^g iBdofiddog d§yov//jSV r}fi,s7g, ro 'i^og ov dia- 
 iri(poiTriKt. Contra Apion, lib. ii, § 39. 
 
 7 rjV cravre; ai'^gwTO/ ovo/za^outr/, lib. ii, cap. 12. 
 
The Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 17 
 
 living and growing."^ Tertullian (a.d. 200) siiys that 
 it was a custom among the Gentiles to devote Satiir- 
 dai) to ease and feasting.'^ 
 
 We appear, then, to be in possession of sufficient 
 evidence, that the reckoning of" time by weeks, among 
 the heathen — a practice of which the antiquity is 
 beyond tracing — was accompanied by a notion more 
 or less distinct, that the seventh day was holy. Now 
 such a notion, as well as the weekly division itself, 
 is surely to be ascribed rather to an original tradition, 
 than to the example of the Jews — a people who, before 
 their dispersion, were so little known, and after it, so 
 little honoured. 
 
 That the sabbatical institution, therefore, forms part 
 of the law of God, as it was originally revealed to man- 
 kind, we may conclude, for the following reasons: 
 
 First. Because the sacred historian, immediately 
 after describing the six days' work of creation, and the 
 resting of the Creator on the seventh day, expressly 
 declares that God blessed the seventh day, and sanc- 
 tified it ; that is, devoted it to holy purposes. 
 
 Secondly. Because the institution is founded on a 
 divine pattern — on the recorded example of the Al- 
 mighty himself. 
 
 Thirdly. Because in the v^ery nature of things, such 
 an institution is necessary for the due and orderly wor- 
 ship of our Creator, and for the effectual culture of 
 
 Sirom. lib. v. 
 
 9 Diem Saturni otio et virliii dcooniunt. Apolof/. cap. 16. 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 The Patriarchal Sabbalh. 
 
 our iimnortal part; and thus, like that pure theology 
 from which it is inseparahle, it is applicable to the 
 needs of all mankind, in all ages. 
 
 Fourthly. Because it involves an acceptable exercise 
 of faith in God, who is pleased to provide for the 
 wants of his children, without requiring either from 
 themselves, or from the inferior creatures over which 
 they rule, a perpetual succes.sion of days of labour. 
 
 Fifthly. Because from a variety of hints contained 
 in the history of the Patriarchs, as well as from the 
 fact, that the observance of the sabbath was enjoined 
 on the Israelites as a custom already recognised, it 
 may be inferred, that previously to the Jewish law, 
 this institution was observed by the servants of Jeho- 
 vah, both before and after the flood. 
 
 Sixthly. Because the division of time into weeks 
 prevailing among the heathen, especially among East- 
 ern nations, (connected as it was with a notion that 
 the seventh day of the week was holy,) confirms the 
 antiquity and original authority of the sabbath. 
 
 In conclusion, it is necessary for us plainly to dis- 
 tinguish between the dictates of true religion and those 
 of superstition, in reference to our present subject. 
 I would suggest that it is unscriptural, and therefore 
 superstitious, to imagine that a superior sanctity ac- 
 tually attaches to any one day of the revolving week, 
 over others. As with Homer of old every passing 
 day and night was sacred, much more must it be so 
 to the christian, who knows that the presence of the 
 God whom he worships pervades all space, and his 
 Providence all time. Neither is it possible for us to 
 determine the question, whether the sabbath day which 
 
Tlic Patriarchal Sabbath. 
 
 19 
 
 wc may piesunic was observed by the Patriarchs, was 
 in fact the seventh day of the week, as reckoned from 
 the beginning of the world. It is obvious, that in the 
 course of ages, circumstances might easily occur which 
 would disturb the reckoning ; and equally so, that this 
 question is of no practical importance. We must not 
 indeed forget that from the very revolution of the 
 earth on its axis, it is impossible for all men to keep 
 their sabbath-day at the same time. 
 
 All that we can infer from God's hallowing the 
 seventh day, and from his instituting a sabbath for men 
 after the model of his own — all that we can gather 
 from the nature and reason of the case, or from the 
 example of the Lord's servants in every age, is this — 
 that in the march of time, God claims every recurring 
 seventh day as peculiarly his own. In that perfect 
 wisdom with which he adjusts all the claims of human 
 duty in even balances, he has ordained that this pro- 
 portion of our time should be devoted, without inter- 
 ruption from our temporal callings, to religious 
 purposes. In that pure benevolence with which he 
 seeks the happiness of mankind, and even of inferior 
 animals ; he has made (as I believe) a " perpetual 
 decree" that every six days of labour shall be 
 succeeded by a seventh day of rest. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 ON Till'; MOSAIC SABHATII. 
 
 When, amidst the general corruption of mankind, 
 God was pleased to select a single nation through 
 whom he might preserve in the world a knowledge 
 of his truth, he renewed that external revelation of 
 his law, which had doubtless been bestowed on our 
 first parents. It is probable that the Israelites, during 
 their long continued bondage in a foreign land, had 
 forgotten many of their most sacred traditions, and 
 had become involved in much ignorance and darkness. 
 The miracles therefore which preceded their depart- 
 ure from Egypt, and more especially that pre-eminent 
 one wrought at the Red sea, were very important, 
 not only as the means of their deliverance, but as 
 fresh proofs of the truth of their paternal religion. 
 When thus brought, as it were, into contact with the 
 Moral Governor of the universe, and humbled under 
 the manifestations of his power, they were prepared 
 to receive those verbal and written communications 
 of his will, by which their future conduct was to be 
 regulated. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact, that the observance of the 
 sabbath was the first moral duty which was then en- 
 joined upon them. We have already found occasion 
 
The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 to remark, that when the manna was given in double 
 quantity on the sixth day of the week, and eeascd to 
 fall on the seventh, this institution was afresh brought 
 to their remembrance ; and it was clearly manifested 
 to them, that every recurring seventh day was thence- 
 forth to be dedicated to a holy rest, and to the wor- 
 ship of God. 
 
 Afterwards, when the moral law was delivered from 
 Mount Sinai, in the audible voice of Jehovah himself, 
 the keeping of the sabbath was commanded as one 
 of its essential parts, and was introduced by the term 
 Remember. "Remember the sabbath-day to keep 
 it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy 
 work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord 
 thy God ; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor 
 thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy 
 maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is 
 within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made hea- 
 ven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and 
 rested the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed 
 the seventh day, and hallowed it."^ 
 
 Nothing can be more palpable than the distinction 
 maintained in Scriptnre between the ten command- 
 ments thus delivered from Mount Sinai, and the civil 
 and ceremonial institutions of the Mosaic code. The 
 former were laws, as old as the world itself, applicable 
 to all men, and essential to the maintenance of a true 
 theology and of a righteous life. The latter, though 
 mixed up with much that was moral, (or derived from 
 these laws,) were intended for the national welfare, 
 and adapted exclusively to the peculiar religious cir- 
 1 Exod. XX, 8—11. 
 
32 
 
 The Mosaic Sabhath. 
 
 cunistances of the Hebrews. Accordingly, the former 
 were pronounced by Jehovah himself, during a visible 
 and awful display of his glory : whereas the latter 
 were cominunicated to the people, only through the 
 intervention of a human lawgiver. On the same 
 ground, while the civil part of the law of Moses was 
 committed to the magistrate, and the ceremonial part 
 to the priest — and each was steadfastly maintained 
 as important for its particular purpose — it was the 
 moral part of that law, — it was the ten command- 
 ments both in their principles and in their detail, — 
 on which the preachers of righteousness ever delighted 
 to dwell. These were the constant theme of the 
 rebukes, the intreaties, and the exhortations of the 
 prophets. 
 
 In taking this view of the subject, it seems impos- 
 sible to separate the fourth commandment from those 
 which precede and follow it. It was delivered with 
 the same solemnity as its fellows, and was written on 
 the table of the covenant by the same finger. It is 
 moreover important to observe, that it fitly concludes 
 the first table of the covenant, and as fitly introduces 
 the second. The first table relates to the worship of 
 the true God. It proclaims his unity, and the sanc- 
 tify of his name, and forbids all idolatry. How could 
 it be better concluded than by the law of the sabbath, 
 which renders the regular worship of God practicable, 
 by breaking the train of our temporal pursuits, and 
 by setting apart one day in seven for this express 
 purpose? So also the strength of the second table, 
 which unfolds the moral obligations of man to man, 
 will ever be fcmnd to lie in the remcmberance of the 
 
The Mosaic Sabbal/i. 
 
 23 
 
 Creator of the universe ; because on his will alone 
 are these obligations founded. Now the sabbath was 
 the appointed means of perpetually reminding man, 
 that he is himself a creatnre, and that God is his 
 Creator and Sovereign. It was a current saying 
 among the Talmudists, "He that denies the sabbath 
 is like to him who denies the whole law." Rabbi 
 Levi, of Barcelona, says that the object of the 
 sabbath of the Israelites was, " that having no other 
 business, they might fasten on their minds that the 
 world had a beginning, which is a thread which draws 
 after it all the foundations of the law? Accordingly 
 we find that while most of the ceremonial law was 
 instituted by Moses prospectively, with a view of its 
 being put into practice after the Israelites had settled 
 in the land of Canaan, the sabbath was strictly ob- 
 served, even during their journey in the wilderness.^ 
 
 There is another respect in which the sabbath was 
 considered, by the ancient Jewish doctors, to be of 
 high practical importance. Although it has been 
 questioned whether, in the time of Moses, the Israel- 
 ites had any distinct views of the doctrine of immor- 
 talitij, yet there can be no doubt, that, as they advanced 
 in religious knowledge, they were taught to look 
 forward to a future state, in which the righteous 
 should be rewarded according to their works. Now 
 the sabbath was regarded as giving weight to the 
 whole law of God, by tifpicallij reminding the people 
 of their eternal rest. "The sabbath," say the Rabbins, 
 
 2 See Patrick on Exofl. xx, 9 — 12 ; and Numb, xv, 35. 
 3 Exod. xvi; Numb, xv, 32. 
 
2i' 
 
 The Mosaic Sahhatli. 
 
 "was given to be a type of a fnture eternity.'""* "The 
 precept concerning the sabbath," says Abarbanel, "not 
 only designates that fnndamental article of the crea- 
 tion of the world, but points to a spiritual world, 
 wherein will be a true rest and a substantial inherit- 
 ance. There shall be our true cessation from corpo- 
 real cares and labours."^ 
 
 As the law of the sabbath was inseparably connected 
 with the remainder of the decalogue, so, like the 
 other moral laws of God, it formed a leading subject 
 ot prophetic exhortation. Isaiah appears to place 
 "keeping the sabbath" and "keeping judgment" on 
 the same level ;^ and soon afterwards, he mentions the 
 former in immediate connexion with "taking hold" 
 of God's "covenant."^ Again, through the same 
 prophet, Jehovah says, " If thou turn away thy foot 
 from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my 
 holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of 
 the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not 
 doing thy own ways, nor finding thy own pleasure, 
 nor speaking (thine own) words ; then shalt thou 
 delight thyself in the Lord : and I will cause thee to 
 ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee 
 with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth 
 of the Lord hath spoken it." ^ With this beautiful 
 passage may be compared the words of Jeremiah, 
 "And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken 
 unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through 
 the gates of this city on the sabbath-day, but hallow 
 
 4 Vid. Buxtorf. Florilerj. Heb. 299. 
 5 On Exod. xxxi, 13. ^ Isa. Ivi, 2. 7 Isa. Ivi, 6. 
 
 8 Isa. Iviii, 13, 14. 
 
The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 25 
 
 the sabbath-day, to <\o no work therein, then shall 
 there enter into the gates of this city, kings and 
 princes, sitting upon the throne of David, riding in 
 chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the 
 men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jcrnsaleni, and 
 this city shall remain for ever."'^ 
 
 The principle advocated in these passages is plainly 
 this — that the seventh day was claimed by Jehovah 
 as peculiarly his own — that its hours were to be 
 devoted to rest and reh'gion — and that it might not 
 be diverted from its right use, for the sake either of 
 amusement or of business. The carrying of burdens 
 through the gates of Jerusalem, was a circumstance 
 connected with the regular course of trade, and per- 
 sons who continued this practice during the sabbath- 
 day, set the law of God at defiance, by applying that 
 period of time which he had set apart for himself, to 
 the pursuit of temporal gain. They at once renounced 
 their faith in Jehovah, and their obedience to his 
 revealed will. 
 
 This part of the subject is illustrated by a passage 
 in the history of Nehemiah, who was zealous for the 
 whole law of God, and especially for the sabbatical 
 institution. 
 
 " In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine 
 presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves and 
 lading asses : as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all 
 manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusa- 
 lem on the sabbath-day; and I testified against them 
 in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt 
 men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish and all 
 9 Jer. xvii, 24, 25. 
 
26 
 
 The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 manner of ware and sold on the sabbath unto the 
 chikh-cn of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I con- 
 tended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, 
 What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the 
 sabbath-day ? Did not your fathers thus, and did not 
 our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this 
 city ? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by pro- 
 faning the sabbath. And it came to pass that when 
 the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the 
 sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, 
 and charged that they should not be opened till after 
 the sabbath ; and some of my servants set I at the 
 gates, that there should no burden be brought in on 
 the sabbath-day. So the merchants and sellers of all 
 kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 
 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, 
 Why lodge ye about the wall ? If ye do so again, I 
 will lay hands upon you. Froin that time forth came 
 they no more on the sabbath." ^ 
 
 We ought not to pass over this remarkable passage 
 without observing that Nehemiah, the chief magistrate 
 of the people, acted on this occasion, not merely as a 
 Jew, but in the more comprehensive character of a 
 servant of God. He was endeavouring to maintain 
 a divine law long anterior in date to the Mosaic code, 
 and essential to the civil as well as religious welfare 
 of mankind. 
 
 But the duties of the sabbath were not merely 
 negative. The Israelites were required, on that day 
 especially, to delight themselves in the Lord. It was 
 because of its being dedicated to the salutary and 
 1 Neh. xiii, 15—21. 
 
The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 27 
 
 joyful purpose of worship, that they were to "call" 
 that sacred day "a delight" and "honourable." That 
 the Jews, after their return from captivity, were 
 accustomed to assemble in their synagogues on a 
 sabbath-day, for the purpose of public worship, is a 
 fact familiar to every reader of the New Testament. 
 But, even from the first promulgation of their law, 
 the duty of congregational worship was understood 
 to be inseparably connected with the sabbath. Like 
 the high days of their great festivals, each recurring 
 seventh day was to be "a holy convocation." The 
 people were to meet in a large assembly, not surely 
 as some persons have imagined, for the mere purpose 
 of feasting, but for the holier one of prayer and praise 
 and listening to the words of the law. " Speak unto 
 
 the children of Israel," said the Lord to Moses 
 
 "concerning the feasts of the Lord which ye shall 
 proclaim to be holi/ convocafiom, even these are my 
 feasts. Six days shall work be done : but the seventh 
 is a sabbath of rest — a iioly convocation.'"'^ That on 
 these solemn occasions the law was publicly read, 
 appears probable from the testimony of James, (the 
 brother of our Lord,) who, in addressing the chnrch 
 at Jerusalem, said, " For Moses of old time hath in 
 every city them that preach him, beings read in the 
 synagogues every sabbath-day."'^ The phrase ren- 
 dered " of old time," signifies " from the ancient 
 GENERATIONS," ^ and dcuotcs the great antiquity of 
 the practice in cpiestion. Accordingly Josephus de- 
 clares that Moses commanded the people " to remit 
 
 2 Lev. xxiii, 3. 3 Acts xv, 21. 
 
 \ 
 
28 
 
 The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 their other employments every seventh day, and to 
 gather together for the purpose of hearing the law 
 read and of accitrafeli/ learning it.''^ A similar asser- 
 tion is made by Philo.'' In the second book of Kings 
 we read of the " covert for the sahhath which they had 
 built in the house." This covert is generally supposed 
 to have been a splendid awning, erected in connection 
 with the temple, under which the king sat during the 
 time of congregational worship.'' 
 
 It appears then that the ancient Israelites were 
 fully aware that the religious observance of every 
 seventh day formed a part of that higher class of 
 their duties, which was distinguished, in the very 
 nature of things, from every thing merely civil or 
 ceremonial. The sabbath was ordained for their 
 spiritual welfare ; it was enforced by the most awful 
 sanctions ; it was inscribed on the tables of their 
 covenant ; it was presented to them as an essential 
 part of the moral law of God. 
 
 While this point is so plain that it can scarcely 
 fail to be conceded by the impartial examiner of Scrip- 
 ture, we ought not to forget that the sabbath, under 
 the Mosaic economy, served certain purposes, and 
 was marked by certain characteristics, which had no 
 relation except to that economy. This article of the 
 decalogue was applied to the Israelites on a national 
 as well as on a more general principle, and in such a 
 
 5 ixdffrrig ilSdofiado; tuiv ciXXuiv Egywv d^s.asvou;, It) rrjv uTi^odffiv rov 
 v6/M0u (-/.ikivSi auXXiysa^ai xa! rovrov ux^i^ui izfi^uv^dviiv. Contra 
 Apion. ii, 17. 
 
 6 De Vita Mosis, lib. iii, Jennirujs's Jeivish Ant. ii, 160. 
 7 Chap, xvi, 18 ; vide. Gill in loc. 
 
The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 «9 
 
 form or mtniner as suited the peculiar circumstances 
 under which they were phiced. 
 
 1. The Mosaic sabbath was intended for a sign by 
 which the IsraeHtes might be distinguished from all 
 the idolatrous nations which surrounded them. It 
 was a visible and intelligible badge of their loyalty to 
 the King of kings, — a public testimony, borne amidst 
 all the heathen, to the authority of Jehovah. "Verily 
 my sabbaths ye shall keep," said the Lord by Moses, 
 " for it is a sign between me and you throughout your 
 generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord 
 
 that doth SANCTIFY you Wherefore the children 
 
 of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sab- 
 bath throughout their generations, for a perpetual 
 covenant. It is a sign between me and the children 
 of Israel for ever."^ So again in the book of Ezekiel, 
 Jehovah says, "And I gave them my statutes and 
 shewed them my judgments. Moreover, also, I gave 
 them my sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, 
 that they might know that I am the Lord that sanc- 
 tify them." ^ 
 
 2. As the sabbath was a means of distinguishing 
 the Israelites as the worshippers of the true God, so 
 it was intended to remind them of the national re- 
 demption which Jehovah had wrought for them. As 
 the creation of the world was the Jirst, so the deliver- 
 ance of the Israelites from Egypt, was the second event 
 of which it was the appointed memorial. In the 
 repetition made by Moses of the ten commandments, 
 this latter event is alone alluded to in connection with 
 
 8 Exod. xxxi, 12 — 17. 
 
 9 Ezck. XX, 11, 12. 
 
30 
 
 The Mosaic Suhhath. 
 
 the sabbath, " Remember that thou wast a servant in 
 the hmd of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought 
 thee out thence through a mighty hand, and by a 
 strctched-out arm. Therefore the Lord thy God 
 commanded thee to keep the sabbath-day."^ 
 
 3. When Jehovah enjoined on the Israehtes in 
 the vviklerness the keeping of the sabbath, he appoint- 
 ed a particular day for the purpose, and distinguished 
 it from other days, by a cessation of the manna. ^ 
 Since this event took place within a few weeks of the 
 miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and since 
 that was the national event which the sabbath was 
 intended to commemorate, we may reasonably con- 
 clude with Patrick, Mede,^ and other learned writers, 
 that the day of the week thus selected for the sabbath, 
 was the day of the passage of the Red sea. 
 
 Whether this day corresponded with that of the 
 patriarchal sabbath, is a question involved in great 
 doubt. On the one hand, it is remarked that the 
 seventh day of the Hebrew week, was also the seventh 
 — Saturni sacra dies — of the Greek and Roman week 
 at the Christian era — a circumstance from which it 
 may be inferred that the sabbath of the Jews agreed, 
 as to its day, with that of the Patriarchs. On the 
 other hand, it is argued, that there might not be the 
 same correspondence between the Hebrew and heathen 
 weeks in more ancient times ; and the history of the 
 Israelites in the wilderness is considered to contain 
 an internal evidence that a new day was appointed 
 
 1 Deut. V, 15. 2 Exod. xvi, 23. 
 
 3 See Patrick on Exod. xvi, Medes Works, book i, disc, xv. 
 
The Mosaic Sabbat//. 
 
 31 
 
 for their sabbath. From Exodus xvi, I, it appears 
 that the seventh day preceding that on which the 
 manna ceased to fall, was occupied, not by a holy 
 rest, but by a wearisome journey in the wilderness of 
 Sin. Now although the Israelites might have forgot- 
 ten the sabbatical institution, yet as their journeys 
 were under the direct command of Jehovah, it is 
 presumed that a day thus spent could not have been 
 that of the original sabbath. 
 
 Whatever decision, however, may be formed on 
 this question, it is sufficiently clear that the selection 
 of this particular day for the sabbath of the Israelites 
 belonged to their national history, and was in itself a 
 non-essential circumstance. 
 
 4. As the Israelitish sabbath-day was the seventh 
 of the week, and as the Hebrews reckoned their days 
 from evening to evening,^ it followed that their sab- 
 bath began on what we should call the evening of the 
 sixth day, and continued until the same hour on the 
 day following. According to the Rabbins, it com- 
 menced and terminated with the appearance of the 
 stars. 
 
 One peculiarity which arose out of this circumstance 
 was, that the afternoon of the sixth day was occupied 
 by the duties of preparation. The sabbath was a joy- 
 ful feast, and a greater supply of food was required 
 on that day than on any other ; but since the law 
 forbad the cooking of victuals on the day itself, the 
 last few hours of the preceding one were allotted to 
 this object. Although no mention is made in the 
 
 ■1 See Lev. xxiii, 32. 
 
32 
 
 The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 Mosaic law of the preparation, the provisions of that 
 hivv rendered it needful, and the practice of thus 
 ohserving the sixth day afternoon, of which there is 
 a plain notice in the gospels,^ was prohal)ly of very 
 ancient date. 
 
 5. The sabhath of the Hebrews was distinguished 
 by the performance, in the temple, of a double cere- 
 monial; "And on the sabbath-day (thou slialt offer) 
 two lambs of the first year without spot, and two 
 tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with 
 oil, and the drink offering thereof. This is the burnt 
 offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt 
 offering, and his drink offering."'' This double service 
 may be regarded as a figurative indication that the 
 sabbath-day has a double claim upon us for the duties 
 of worship. The figure is Jewish ; but the lesson 
 derived from it is applicable to the Christian. 
 
 Our Saviour, when conversing with the Jews, spoke 
 of the priests being permitted by the law to profane 
 the sabbath (or to break the rest of it) in the temple.'' 
 His allusion was probably to these double sacrifices, 
 which entailed considerable labour on the priests and 
 Levites ; especially the slaying, flaying, and cutting in 
 pieces, of the victim, the arrangement of the wood, 
 and the lighting of a fire. The preparation and set- 
 ting in order of the nhew-hread, was another of the 
 sacerdotal offices which was performed every sabbath- 
 day.^ On that day, also, the courses of the priests 
 
 5 Matt, xxvii, 62 ; Mark xv, 42, &c. 
 6 Numb, xxviii, 9, 10. 7 Matt, xii, 5. 
 
 8 Lev. xxiv, 8; 1 Cliion. ix, 32. 
 
Tlie Mosaic Sabbath 
 
 33 
 
 and Lcvitos underwent their weekly change.^ Tlie 
 obvious ground of these provisions was, that the work 
 performed in the temple coincided with the main 
 purpose of the sabbath — that of the honour and wor- 
 ship of God — and therefore, although a literal excep- 
 tion to the fourth commandment, involved no breach 
 of its intention and spirit. 
 
 G. Under the Mosaic economy the sabbatical prin- 
 ciple took a wider range than appears to have been 
 enjoined or authorized by the original law. Not 
 only was every seventh day to be a day of rest, but 
 during the whole of every seventh year (reckoned, 
 as is supposed, from the month Tizri, or September) 
 the Israelites were to cease from agricultural labour. 
 They and their land were to keep holy day ; and the 
 natural productions of their fields were to be the por- 
 tion only of the poor. At the same period, every debt 
 was to be cancelled, and every Hebrew slave restored 
 to freedom ; and the whole population was to unite 
 in praising and blessing God. The observance of 
 the sabbatical year was inseparably connected with 
 the peculiar dispensation under which the Israelites 
 lived. That dispensation was one of miracles. It 
 was also one of temporal rewards and punishments. 
 By a miracle of regular recurrence, every sixth year 
 was to be made doubly fruitful ; and on condition of 
 obedience to this command, the Israelites were to be 
 blessed with great temporal prosperity. This was a 
 point, however, respecting which their faith failed 
 them, and during a long period of their history, they 
 utterly neglected their sabbatical year. The conse- 
 
 9 Vide Maimonides, in Gill on Luke i, 5, 
 VOL. II. D 
 
34 
 
 The Mosaic Sabbath 
 
 qiienco was, that they were punished with banishment 
 into the land of their enemies, and their own land 
 was left to " enjoy her sabbaths" in a state of ruin 
 and desolation.^ 
 
 Another extension of the sabbatical principle under 
 the law of Moses, was the appointment of one day or 
 more of holy rest during each of their great festivals, 
 the Passover, and the feasts of weeks, trumpets, and 
 tabernacles. On these high days, there was held, as 
 well as on the usual sabbath, " a holy convocation," 
 and no servile work was permitted to be done in them. 
 This prohibition did not exclude the preparation of 
 food. But on the great day of atonement — the tenth 
 of the seventh month — no work at all was allowed, 
 and the sabbath was kept fu I li/.^ It was probably in 
 allusion to these well known holy days that the Jew- 
 ish festivals were sometimes designated by the gene- 
 ral name of " sabbaths.'' 
 
 7. Lastly, the sabbath-day, under the law of Moses, 
 was required to be observed with a strictness, and the 
 breach of it was punished with a severiti/, which may 
 fairly be regarded as appertaining solely to the dis- 
 pensation then in force. The commandment, "In it 
 thou shalt not do any work," &c, as interpreted by 
 the laAv, was far more rigid and comprehensive than 
 it is possible for us to regard it as it is interpreted by 
 the gospel. Although our Saviour, the Lord of the 
 sabbath, made a clear exception in favour of works of 
 mercy and necessity, it may be questioned whether 
 
 1 See Lev. xxvi, 34, 35, 43; 2 Chron. xxxvi, 21. 
 2 Lev. xxiii, 31. 
 
The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 35 
 
 such an exception (unless within narrow limits) was 
 either contemplated by Moses, or maintained by his 
 followers. 
 
 The strictness of the institution among- the ancient 
 Hebrews, is marked by some particular injunctions 
 contained in the Pentateuch. One of these accom- 
 panied the earliest recognition of the sabbath, after 
 the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. "Abide 
 ye every man in his place : let no man go out of his 
 place on the sabbath-day."-^ In their interpretation 
 of this precept, the Rabbins made allowance for the 
 distance which an Israelite would be required to pass 
 over, in walking from the extremity of the camp to 
 the " tabernacle of the congregation ;" but they de- 
 termined that no Jew might move from his house on 
 the sabbath-day, more than the space which they 
 conceived to have been necessary for this purpose. 
 This they presumed to be two thousand cubits — a 
 space which was afterwards familiarly known by the 
 name of a sahhnth-day s journey.'^ In the Chaldee 
 Targum on Ruth, we read, " Naomi said unto Ruth, 
 we are commanded to keep the sabbath, and good 
 days, and not to go above two thousand cubits."^ 
 When our Saviour commanded his disciples to pray 
 that their flight from Jerusalem might not be on the 
 sabbath-day,'' he appears to have glanced at the pro- 
 bability, that a rigorous application of the sabbatical 
 law, might prevent their fleeing on that day more 
 than a single mile, even for the purpose of escaping 
 from their enemies.^ 
 
 3 Exod. xvi, 29. 4 Acts i, 12. 
 
 5 Targ. Ruth i, 16. 6 Matt. x.\iv, 20. V Vide GUI in he. 
 
 D '> 
 
3C 
 
 The Mosaic Sahbalh. 
 
 Another injunction was, " Yc sliall kindle no fire 
 thronghout yonr generations on the seventh day."^ 
 The principal meaning of this command might pro- 
 bably be, that no food shonld be dressed on the sabbath ; 
 yet the Law gave no authority for the distinction which 
 was afterwards made among the Jews, that a fire might 
 be lighted on the sabbath, for the purpose of warmth, 
 thongh not for that of cooking.^ 
 
 A striking instance is recorded in the Mosaic his- 
 tory, of the severity with which a breach of this part 
 of the sabbatical law was punished. " And while 
 the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they 
 found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath- 
 day. And they that found him gathering sticks, 
 brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all 
 the congregation. And they put him in ward, because 
 it was not declared what should be done to him: And 
 the Lord said unto Moses, the man shall surely be 
 put to death : all the congregation shall stone him 
 with stones without the camp. And all the congre- 
 gation brought him without the camp and stoned him 
 with stones, and he died ; as the Lord commanded 
 Moses." ^ The doubt evinced on this occasion by 
 Moses and Aaron, is supposed to have had relation 
 only to the fnode of this transgressor's death ; for the 
 law which enacted capital punishment for the crime 
 of sabbath-breaking, had already been pronounced 
 with reiterated solemnity : " Ye shall keep the sab- 
 bath, therefore, for it is holy unto you : every one 
 
 8 Exod. XXXV, 3. 9 Vide Gill in loc. 
 
 1 Numb. XV, 32—36. 
 
The Mo.s(iic Sabhutli. 
 
 37 
 
 that (leHlctli it shall sitrcli/ he put to death: for who- 
 soever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut 
 off from among his people.'"^ "Six days shall work 
 be done, but on the seventh day, there shall be to you 
 an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord : whosoever 
 doeth work therein shall be put to death.'' 
 
 It appears to have been a principle maintained un- 
 der the Mosaic dispensation, that every breach of the 
 law, being a sin against God, deserved the punishment 
 of death. Venial and ceremonial transgressions were 
 purged by sacrifice, and the appointed victim bled in 
 the room of the offender. But crimes of a deeper 
 dye, and especially those which involved deliberate 
 rebellion against God, Avere actually p\mished with 
 death.^ The man who gathered sticks on the sabbath 
 appears to have been regarded as a " presumptuous" 
 offender, who by a significant act denied the authority 
 of his Creator. He was accordingly punished with 
 the same death as was inflicted on blasphemers against 
 Jehovah. 5 
 
 Now, while the severity thus exercised in the pun- 
 ishment of a deliberate breach of the sabbath, affords 
 a fresh proof of the moral and spiritual nature of 
 that institution, every one must perceive that this 
 severity itself forms no part of God's unchanging law, 
 but belonged exclusively to the Mosaic dispensation. 
 It appertained to the peculiar character of the "letter" 
 which " killeth."^ 
 
 2 Exod. xxxi, 14. Exod. xxxv, 2. 
 
 ■* Niiml). xv, ;iO. 
 Lev. xxiv, 16. 2 Cui . iii, 6. 
 
 I 
 
38 
 
 The Mosaic Sabbath. 
 
 On a general review of this branch of our subject, 
 the reader will observe — 1. That the sabbath, after 
 having been enjoined on the Israelites in the wilder- 
 ness, was again brought to their remembrance, in the 
 fourth commandment, as an essential article of their 
 moral law — that it was inseparably connected both 
 with the first and Avith the second table of their cove- 
 nant — that it gave the whole law a peculiar sanction, 
 by reminding them of eternity to come — that like the 
 rest of the ten commandments, and even above the 
 rest, it was the subject of the emphatic and fervid 
 ministry of their prophets — and lastly, that it was 
 broadly marked by a cessation from temporal con- 
 cerns, and by the delightful practice of congregational 
 worship. 
 
 2. That this institution nevertheless served peculiar 
 purposes, and was distinguished by peculiar marks, 
 under the Mosaic economy. It was a sign to separate 
 the Israelites from all other nations. It was a memo- 
 rial of their deliverance from Egypt. It was fixed, 
 for this particular reason, on the seventh day of the 
 week. It commenced and terminated with the even- 
 ing hour, and was preceded by a stated period of 
 preparation. It was distinguished by a double cere- 
 monial of sacrifice. Its principle was extended to 
 every seventh year, and to all the Jewish festivals. 
 Lastly, it was required to be observed with a legal 
 strictness, and the breach of it was punished with a 
 legal severity. 
 
 I conceive that the distinction between these two 
 branches of the Mosaic sabbatical code is clear and 
 
The Mosaic Sabbath. 39 
 
 palpable. The former branch contains a law which 
 has been binding- on man in all ages, and nnder the in- 
 fluence of the gospel ninst flourish with fresh vigour. 
 The latter branch was in its nature temporary, and 
 under the same influence, has withered away for ever. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 ON Tin: JEWISH sabbath at the cmiisriAN era. 
 
 The law of God is declared by the apostle Paul to be 
 "spiritual;"^ by which term we may understand, that 
 it is intended to regulate not the outward conduct 
 only, but the condition of the heart and the motives 
 for action. The word "spiritual," in this point of 
 view, applies to the fourth with the same propriety as 
 to the other nine commandments. The law of the 
 sabbath, in its true intention, demands not merely 
 the external practices of ceasing from labour, and of 
 assembling for public worship, but a disentanglement 
 of the mind from temporal objects, a devotion of the 
 soul to God, and a cordial pursuit of heavenly and 
 eternal things. Thus alone can we " keep" the sab- 
 bath "holy;"^ and thus alone can we ourselves be 
 sanctified'"^ in the use of it. Hence it follows that 
 the fourth commandment might at once be rigidly 
 observed as to its letter, and grievously infringed as 
 to its spirit : and this appears to have been the case 
 among the Jews at the Christian era. 
 
 A remarkable revolution had taken place in the 
 character of that people since their return from cap- 
 
 1 Rom. vii, 14. 2 Exod. xx, 8. 
 
 Exod. xxxi, ].'!. 
 
The Jewish Sabbath. 
 
 41 
 
 tivity in Babylon. Idolatry was no longer their temp- 
 tation, but they prided themselves in the superiority 
 of their religion to that of other nations. The vvor- 
 ship of one Ciod was their boost, although their hearts 
 were far from him; and while they were exact in main- 
 taining the outward framework of that worship, they 
 became in their conduct remarkably degenerate and 
 corrupt. While vice abounded, superstition increased, 
 and to the law of God were added a multitude of 
 unauthorised traditions. The Scribes and Pharisees 
 especially, gave tithes of mint and anise and cummin, 
 while they omitted "the weightier matters of the law, 
 mercy, judgment, and faith."'' They were like whited 
 sepulchres, fair on the outside, but within "full of 
 dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."^ 
 
 It was easy for such persons, and it very well served 
 their purpose, to keep the sabbath with great outward 
 strictness ; and from various passages in the New 
 Testament it may be inferred, that there was no part 
 of the Mosaic code on which it was more their custom 
 to insist. Neither was there any which had become 
 more mixed up with their own traditions. 
 
 From the history of the Maccabees it appears, that 
 long before the coming of Christ, the sabbath was 
 observed with a superstitious severity. When Anti- 
 ochus Epiphanes (u. c. 108) oppressed and defiled 
 Jerusalem, a thousand Jews, who refused to comply 
 with his wicked designs, fled from the city into the 
 wilderness, and there they suffered themselves to be 
 cut to pieces without the slightest resistance, solely 
 
 * Malt, xxiii, 23. 
 
 5 Matt, xxiii, 27 
 
42 
 
 The Jeivish Sabbath 
 
 because their enemies attacked them on the sabbath- 
 day.'' After this event Mattathias and his followers 
 determined that self-defence on the sabbath-day should 
 be considered lawful — a principle which was acted 
 on with success by Judas Maccabaeus. Nevertheless, 
 since no efforts even to resist an enemy were allowed 
 on that day, except in case of an actual attack, no- 
 thing might be done on the sabbath to impede the 
 enemy's works. When Pompey, the Roman general, 
 besieged Jerusalem, he availed himself of this super- 
 stition, and took care to occupy the sabbath-day, not 
 by any attack on the Jews, but solely in the erection 
 of his works. Having, in consequence, completed 
 these without interruption, he afterwards had little 
 difficulty in storming the sacred city.'^ 
 
 The following is a brief account of the manner in 
 which the early Jews observed the sabbath. 
 
 The preparation, which began on the sixth day of 
 the week, after the evening sacrifice (that is, about 
 three o'clock in the afternoon,) was ushered in by two 
 soundings of horns or trumpets : the one to distin- 
 guish the common day from the holy day which was 
 now approaching, and the other to give notice to the 
 people that their usual employments were to cease. 
 Tailors and shoemakers, indeed, w^ere allowed to pur- 
 sue their callings during half the hours of preparation, 
 and so also were the scribes ; the two former that they 
 might dress the bodies, and the last that they might 
 the better instruct the minds of their brethren, on 
 
 6 1 Maccabees ii, 34—38. 
 7 Josephus, A)Uiq. lib. xiv, cap. iv, sec. 2 — 4. 
 
(it the Christian Era. 
 
 43 
 
 the sabbath. With this exception, all work was now 
 suspended bnt that of preparation, which consisted 
 partly in cleaning their houses and washing their per- 
 sons, that they might meet the sabbath with decency, 
 and partly in preparing the excellent meals on which 
 they were to regale during the sacred day. In these 
 pious labours (as they were esteemed) all hands were 
 employed, and it became the joint task of master and 
 servant, mistress and handmaid, parent and child, to 
 sweep the floors, cleave the wood, light the fires, chop 
 the herbs, and prepare the viands. During the same 
 afternoon, no journey might be undertaken which 
 Avould not terminate before sunset; and all proceed- 
 ings affecting life and death were suspended in the 
 courts of justice.^ 
 
 About six o'clock in the evein'ng, when the sun was 
 near setting, the sabbath commenced, and the trum- 
 pets were blown from that covered place by the tem- 
 ple, where the king sat in the congregations.^ This 
 was the signal for lighting the sabbatical lamps in 
 their houses — an office which devolved on the women 
 of every family, who were also required to keep the 
 lamps burning during the whole sabbath. The prac- 
 tice of lighting and keeping alive the sabbatical lamps 
 was enjoined upon all the Jews; on the poor who 
 were obliged to beg for oil, as well as on the rich 
 who possessed it in abundance; and no wonder; for 
 
 8 By a decree of Augustus the Roman emperor, the Jews were 
 exempt from summons into any court of justice from three o'clock 
 on the sixth day afternoon, until the sabbath was over. Leivis, 
 Origines Ilcb. vol. ii, p. 577. 
 
 9 2 Kings xvi, 18. 
 
44 
 
 The Jeivish Subbuth 
 
 this, according' to their notions, was the proper me- 
 thod of fulfilling the precept, "Thou slialt call the 
 sabbath a delight and honourable.^'^ 
 
 On a similar principle they considered that they ful- 
 filled the command to " lialloiv the sabbath-day," by 
 pronouncing at their first sabbatical meal (eaten at the 
 commencement of the sabbath) a form of words which 
 they called Mdditsh, or sanctijicution. They, always 
 partook of three meals on" the sal)bath, and thought 
 themselves obliged to do so in honour of the day. 
 Even the poor who lived upon alms were bound to eat 
 three times, and the rich feasted delicious) y. All were 
 dressed in the best clothes which they could command, 
 and these were called " sabbatical garme?its." 
 
 The first duty of the morning was to attend on 
 public prayer in the synagogues ; after which service 
 they ate their second meal. When this meal was 
 concluded, they frequently occupied themselves with 
 going to hear a discourse on divinity from some one 
 of their scribes or doctors. In the afternoon the 
 festive board was again spread, and they continued 
 eating and drinking until three stars of considerable 
 magnitude became visible in the firmament. This 
 was the established sign of the departure of the sab- 
 bath ; spices were then prepared in each family, for 
 the refreshment of those who might faint for sorrow 
 at the termination of so joyful a day ; and over these 
 spices the master of every house pronounced what 
 they called habdalah, that is the blessing of separation. 
 Thus the ceremonies of the day were concluded.^ 
 
 ' Isa. Iviii, 13. 
 2 See Lewis, Oriijiucs Hch. book iv, cli. 16. 
 
at the Christian Era. 
 
 45 
 
 Wc have already remarked, that in the tenij)le, a 
 double service of sacrifice was rc(juired on the sab- 
 bath. This service was accompanied, morning and 
 evening, by three blasts of the trumpet beyond what 
 was usual on other days; and in the morning the 
 priests sung the song of Moses in Deuteronomy^ — 
 a sixth part every week ; in the evening, the song of 
 Moses in Exodus.'* 
 
 With respect to the command which forbad all 
 manner of work on the sal)bath-day, the Jews, under 
 the influence of their traditions, were exceedingly 
 punctilious in the observance of it ; and some of the 
 decrees of the rabbinical doctors in reference to this 
 subject are frivolous in the extreme. They advanced 
 as many as thirty-nine negative precepts respecting 
 things which might not be done on the sabbath, and 
 these precepts severally branched out into various 
 minor details. For example, a man might not thresh 
 on the sabbath; neither might he walk on the grass, 
 so as to bruise it, which was a kind of threshing. 
 Again, a man might not hunt on the sabbath; neither 
 might he catch a flea while it hops about, which is a 
 kind of hunting.'' 
 
 Our Saviour asked the Jews which of them would 
 not on the sabbath-day lead his ox or his ass to the 
 watering, or pull out his sheep from a pit into which 
 it might have fallen?^ From these questions we may 
 conclude, that whatever the Jews might profess, they 
 
 Deut. xxxii. * Exod. xv. 
 
 5 See Jennincjs' Jewish Antiq. book iii, c. iii, vol. 2. p. 157. 
 c Luke xiii, 15 : Matt, xii, 11. 
 
46 
 
 The Jewish Sabbath 
 
 (lid not, ill practice, hesitate to perforin works of 
 necessity on the sabbath, for the sake of their own 
 advantage. The Rabl)ins, however, have instituted 
 some curious distinctions in reference to these points. 
 According to thein, a man might fill a trough with 
 water on the sabbath, that his beasts might come and 
 drink, but he might not convey it to the place where 
 the animals were standing.' So also, if a beast fell 
 into a ditch or pool of water on the sabbath, a man 
 might feed it there, in order to save its life ; and if it 
 was so placed as not to be able to feed, he might put 
 bolsters under it, that if it could come out, it might 
 do so of its own accord; but he might not pull it 
 out with his hand? Another rabbinical precept was 
 aimed against all attempts on the sabbath to cure 
 chronic complaints. A man afflicted with a diseased 
 eye might plaister it on the sabbath for the sake of ease 
 and pleasure, but not for the purpose of healing!^ 
 
 Such was the Jewish sabbath, and such the super- 
 stitions with which it was encumbered. There is 
 reason to believe that the religious opinions of the 
 Jews underwent scarcely any change during several 
 centuries after the Christian era. Although, therefore, 
 a few of these superstitions probably arose among 
 the Rabbins in later times, the general account now 
 given may be considered as applying to the period 
 when Jesus Christ was upon earth. The substance 
 
 7 T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 202 ; Gill on Luke xiii. 
 8 Maimonides, Hilchot Sab. cap. xxv, sec. 26 ; Lightfoot and 
 Gill on Matt. xii. 
 
 9 Piske Tosephat Sab. art. 67; Gill on Jolin ix, 16. 
 
al the Clirislidii Era. 
 
 47 
 
 of the stJitcment is indeed amply confirmed by the 
 evidence of the evangelists themselves. In the midst 
 of a deep national corruption, and while true piety 
 and virtue were at a low ebb, the forms of religion 
 Avere multiplied, and were observed with a studious 
 exactness. Such a scene ought not to be contem- 
 plated without instruction. It may remind us of the 
 ever watchful craft of our soul's adversary, who 
 leaves no stone unturned to bring us under his power. 
 Behold the Israelites, during one period of their 
 history, neglecting the peculiarities of their ritual 
 Avorship, despising their sabbath, and plunging into 
 idolatry! Behold them, at another period, strict in 
 the performance of all their ceremonies, caricaturing 
 their sabbath by the superstitious observance of it, 
 boasting of their faith in the unity of God, yet desti- 
 tute of the life of religion, and sunk in immorality! 
 
 We have now to enter upon a question of vital im- 
 portance to our subject. What were the principles 
 in relation to the sabbath, which Jesus Christ main- 
 tained in his own conduct and doctrine? 
 
 In pursuing this enquiry, we must of course keep 
 in view the circumstances which have now been de- 
 tailed, and especially the condition of the Jeivish mind 
 with regard to this institution, at the time when our 
 Saviour was on earth. We must not expect to find 
 him insisting on an external duty, which the people 
 amongst whom he lived were already in the habit of 
 punctiliously observing. We might rather presume 
 that he would be found rebuking them for their de- 
 pendence on the mere forms of religion — directing their 
 
48 
 
 Tlie Jewish Sabbath 
 
 attention to its substance — and declaring, " I will have 
 mercy and not sacrifice." 
 
 Snch, we know, was the fact. But while our bless- 
 ed Lord discountenanced all superstitious notions 
 respecting the sabbath, and even relaxed that legal 
 strictness which hung about the fourth commandment 
 under the Mosaic dispensation, he maintained the 
 substance of that commandment in all its integrity. 
 
 Every one who is familiar with the ministry of 
 Jesus as recorded by the evangelists, must be aware 
 how carefully he guarded the whole moral law of 
 God. There can be no question that he was speaking 
 of t/ih law, contained as it was in the ten command- 
 ments, and inscribed on the tables of the covenant, 
 when he said, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or 
 one tittle shall not pass from the law, till all be ful- 
 filled. Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these 
 least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be 
 called least in the kingdom of heaven ; but whosoever 
 shall do and teach them, the same shall be called 
 great in the kingdom of heaven."^ Again, " It is 
 easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of 
 the law to fail."^ 
 
 It seems impossible to avoid concluding from these 
 passages that the whole moral code, as it had been 
 revealed to the Israelites, was to remain in unimpaired 
 authority to the end of time ; nor does there appear 
 to be any good reason why the principle here laid 
 down by our Saviour, should not apply to the fourth 
 as well as to the other nine commandments. When 
 
 1 Matt. V, 18, 19. 
 
 2 Luke xvi, 17. 
 
al I lie C/tris 11(111 Era. 
 
 49 
 
 the ruler askrd him, " What shall I do to inherit 
 eternal life ?" our Lord referred hiin to " the com- 
 mandments ;" and although he then spoke of the 
 second fable only, he Aartually sanctioned them all.-' 
 This also was the case when the scrihe came to him 
 and enquired, " Which is the first commandment of 
 all?'"^ for who can douht that our Lord intended to 
 comprehend the whole of the two tables of the cove- 
 nant, when he stated the great commandments of 
 love to God, and love to our neighbour? The neg- 
 lect of the sabbath would break the first of these 
 commandments, just as theft or adultery would break 
 the second; and when the scribe distinguished these 
 moral duties from all things nierelv ceremonial — from 
 " all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" — Jesus per- 
 ceived that "he answered discreetly,"^ and said, " Thou 
 art not far from the kingdom of God."'' 
 
 As our blessed Lord, in his doctrine, maintained 
 the integrity of the moral law, so in his life and con- 
 versation, he fulfilled " all righteousness." In order 
 to this end, he submitted even to the ceremonial ordi- 
 nances which were then in force,^ and Avho will dare 
 to question his having kept the whole of the ten 
 commandments, according to their true meaning and 
 spirit absolutely inviolate ? Of his fulfilment of the 
 chief duty of the sabbath, we have abundant evidence ; 
 
 3 Luke xviii, 20; comp. Matt, xix, 16; Mark x, 17. 
 * Mark xii, 28. 5 wwiyZx;. 
 
 6 That the apostles, after the example of their Master, inaiiitained 
 the authority of the moral law, as contained in the ten command- 
 ments, is evident from Rom. xiii, 9; Eph. vi, 2; Gal. v, 14; James 
 ii, 10, &c. 7 Matt, iii, 15. 
 
 VOL. II. E 
 
50 
 
 The Jewish Sabbath 
 
 for various occasions are mentioned by the evange- 
 lists, on which he attended the worship of God in the 
 synagogues; and from a statement made by Luke, we 
 learn that this was his regular hahit. "And he came 
 to Nazareth where he had been brought up ; and, as 
 HIS CUSTOM WAS, he went into the synagogue on the 
 sabbath-day, and stood up for to read."^ Neither 
 did our Saviour refuse to participate in those sabbati- 
 cal meals which were then customary among the Jews 
 — the sabbath being, by divine authority, one of their 
 feasts. He was eating bread in the Pharisee's house, 
 on the sabbath-day, when he healed the man who 
 was afflicted with the dropsy.^ 
 
 Many of his most remarkable miracles were per- 
 formed on the sabbath — the healing of Peter's wife's 
 mother;^ the cure of the impotent man at the pool 
 of Bethesda;^ the gift of sight to a man born blind ;^ 
 the restoration of the withered hand ;^ and lastly, the 
 instantaneous recovery of the woman who had been 
 bowed together with infirmity for eighteen years.^ 
 In selecting the sabbath and its solemn occasions of 
 worship for these acts, our Saviour may well be deem- 
 ed to have had a double object in view — first, to re- 
 fute the idle notion of the Jews that it was not lawful 
 to heal the sick on the sabbath-day,^ and to establish 
 
 s Luke iv, 16; comp. ver. 31 ; Mark vi, 2, &c. 
 9 Luke xiv, 1—6. i Luke iv, 38—41. 2 John v. 
 
 3 John ix. 4 Matt, xii, 13. 5 Luke xiii, 10—13. 
 6 No Christian will, I presume, question the lawfulness of heal- 
 ing the sick on the sabbath-day. Yet the medical practitioner 
 who pursues his calling during the whole of that day, and habit- 
 ually neglects the duty of divine worship, must surely be regarded 
 as a breaker of the sabbath. He will find nothing to justify his 
 conduct in the example or in the precepts of the Saviour of men. 
 
at the Christian Era. 
 
 51 
 
 the principle that to do good is always lawful: second- 
 ly, to celebrate the day and do it honour, by these 
 glorious exertions of his benevolence and power. 
 
 All these histories are full of interest and instruc- 
 tion ; but in order to obtain a correct view of our 
 Saviour's deportment and doctrine on such occasions, 
 it may suffice to select tv/o of them for more detailed 
 observation. The man who lay at the pool of Beth- 
 esda amidst a great multitude of impotent folk, blind, 
 halt, and withered, had been afflicted with an infir- 
 mity for thirty and eight years. — His cure was public 
 and immediate. "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take 
 up thy bed and walk : and immediately the man was 
 made whole, and took up his bed and walked: and 
 on the same day was the sabbath. The Jews there- 
 fore said unto him that was cured. It is the sabbath- 
 day; it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He 
 answered them, He that made me whole, the same 
 said unto me, take up thy bed and walk."^ 
 
 Between that carrying of burdens which belonged 
 to the course of trade, and which was so severely re- 
 probated by the prophets as a breach of the sabbath, 
 and the bearing away of the mattress on which this 
 poor man was lying, and which might otherwise have 
 been lost to him, the distinction is too obvious to 
 need discussion.^ Still, the deed was a breach of the 
 law of Moses according to its literal exactness, and 
 
 7 John V, 5-11. 
 8 We aie informed by modern travellers, that the beds used in 
 the East are light and portable, often consisting- of a mattress laid 
 on the floor, with a single covering. These, during the day, are 
 rolledjjp, and placed in a cupboard. The poor mendicant proba- 
 
 E 2 
 
52 
 
 The Jewish Sabbath 
 
 was, as well as the act of healing a chronic disease, 
 directly opposed to the notions then prevalent among 
 the Jews. "And therefore did the Jews persecute 
 Jesus and sought to slay him, because he had done 
 these things on the sabbath- day."^ The answer of 
 Jesus is sublime indeed. He condescends not to re- 
 but the charge that he had broken the sabbath — a 
 charge depending on a rigorous interpretation of the 
 letter of the law — but cuts .the whole matter short by 
 an expressive allusion to his own divinity. " My 
 Father worketh hitherto, and I work.'^ — As God the 
 Father, who rested on the seventh day after the origi- 
 nal creation, is perpetually at work in the maintenance 
 and reproduction of all things natural, and in con- 
 ducting the scheme of Providence, — so the Son also, 
 in the plentitude of his power and goodness, is ever 
 acting for the benefit of mankind, and for the healing 
 and protection of his believing children. No wonder 
 that " the Jews sought the more to kill him, because 
 he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also, 
 that God was his Father, mah'ing himself equal with 
 Gudr^ 
 
 Still greater light however is thrown on this sub- 
 ject, by the circumstances of another sabbath-day in 
 our Lord's history. He and his disciples were pass- 
 
 bly would find bis wretched pallet a very easy load. See Harmers 
 Observ. vol. ii, p. 66. It is evident, however, that notwithstanding 
 this distinction, the Jews, on this occasion, considered the sabbath 
 to be broken. Accordingly in the Mishnah we read, "he that rolls 
 up a bed of the braziers or tinkers on the sabbath-day, is bound in 
 a sin offering." Sabbat, cap. 10, sec. 3. Gill in loc. 
 
 9 John V, 16. 1 John v, 17. 2 John v, 18. 
 
at the Christian Era. 
 
 53 
 
 ing through a corn field, and his disciples began to 
 pluck the cars of corn, to rub them in their hands, 
 and to eat. The Pharisees saw it and said, " Behold, 
 thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the 
 sabbath-day." According to their notions, to cat on 
 that day was of course lawful, but to phick the ears 
 of corn and to rub them was unlawful ; nor was their 
 objection without some foundation in the law of Mo- 
 ses, which is universally understood to have forbidden 
 the preparation of food on the sabbath.-^ On this 
 occasion, as on the former, our Lord made an appeal 
 to his own divine authority. " Have ye not read 
 what David did, when he was an hungered, and they 
 that were with him ; how he entered into the house 
 of God, and did eat the shew bread, which was not 
 lawful for him to eat, neither for them that Av^ere with 
 him, but only for the priests ? Or have ye not read 
 in the laAV, how that on the sabbath-days the priests 
 in the temple profane the sabbath and are blameless. 
 But I say unto you that in this place is One greater 
 than the temple. But, if ye had known what this 
 meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would 
 not have condemned the guiltless ; for the son of 
 man is Lord even of the sahhath-day.''^ 
 
 The disciples, when they plucked and rubbed the 
 cars of corn, were as guiltless in the sight of God, as 
 
 3 See Exod. xxxv, 3. The distinction between those holy days 
 in which no ^'servile work might be done," and the weekly sab- 
 baths and great day of atonement, in which a man might do " no 
 manner of work," was chiefly that, in the former, food might be 
 prepared ; in the latter, it might not. 
 
 4 Matt, xii, 1—8, 
 
54 
 
 The Jewish Sahhalh 
 
 David was when he ate the shew hread with his com- 
 panions, and as the priests were, who wrought in the 
 temple during the sabbath-day. David was excused 
 for a breach of the letter of the hiw by the necessity 
 of his case, and by the pecuh'ar providence which 
 guided and protected him.^ The priests were justified 
 by the religious nature of their calling, as well as by 
 the plain directions of the law itself. On behalf of the 
 disciples it might have been pleaded, that the manner 
 in which they prepared their food, could scarcely 
 be said to involve " any work ; " but it sufficed for 
 them, that they acted with the sanction of their Mas- 
 ter, who, in his divine nature, was "greater than the 
 temple" — far exalted above the whole system of Jew- 
 ish worship — and Lord even of the Sabbath-day. 
 
 In him there dwelt an authority, which sufficed not 
 merely for the lenient and merciful interpretation of 
 the sabbatical law, or for the relaxing of its literal 
 rigour, but even, should he see meet, for its total 
 abolition. 
 
 But while Jesus demanded "mercy and not sacri- 
 fice," he maintained the law of God in all its spiritual 
 intent — in all its genuine vigour. There is nothing in 
 this transaction, or in any similar one recorded in the 
 New Testament, which weakens the fourth command- 
 
 5 At first sight it appears remarkable, that David's eating the 
 shew bread should be mentioned in reference to a question re- 
 specting the sabbath. On examination, however, it appears, that 
 the transaction took place on the sabbath-day ; for the loaves 
 which Ahimelech gave to David, were the old ones, which he was 
 then exchanging for bread newly made. Now this change took 
 place on the sabbath. Sec 1 Sam. xxi, 6; cowp. Lev. xxiv, 8. 
 
(d the Christian Era. 
 
 55 
 
 inent, as reasonably interpreted, and as forming a con- 
 stituent part of the " perfect law of liberty."'' This 
 observation is confirmed by the remainder of the nar- 
 rative. "And when he was departed thence, he went 
 into their synagogue; and behold there was a man 
 which had his hand withered ; and they asked him, 
 saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath-days ? that 
 they might accuse him. And he said unto them, 
 What man shall there be among you that shall have 
 one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, 
 will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out ? How 
 much then is a man better than a sheep ? Wherefore 
 it is lawful to do well on the sabbath-days. Then 
 said he to the man, stretch forth thine hand ; and he 
 stretched it forth, and it was restored whole like the 
 other." Here it is evident that while our Lord 
 makes an allowance for works of necessity, and by his 
 glorious example invites to works of mercy, on the 
 sabbath-day ; he places both on the simple ground of 
 their laivfulness, and thus maintains the law inviolate. 
 
 It appears then — First, that at the time when our 
 Saviour was on earth, the Jews were no longer prone 
 to the neglect of any outward rite, but were strong 
 in the forms of religion, though not in its power. 
 
 Secondly, that in this spirit they punctiliously 
 observed the sabbath, with a variety of curious cere- 
 monies, and under many superstitious notions. 
 
 Thirdly, that while our Saviour rebuked their 
 formality, contradicted their superstitions, and even 
 relaxed the literal rigour of their law, he maintained 
 
 6 James i, 25. 
 
 7 Matt, xii, 9—13. 
 
56 
 
 The Jewish Sabbath. 
 
 that liiw in its substance and spirit ; by his support of 
 the ten coninianthnents in general — by his customary 
 attendance of the synagogue worship — and by a fre- 
 quently implied acknowledgment of the obligation of 
 the sabbath, within its true scope. 
 
 The evangelist Mark has recorded another of our 
 Lord's sayings, a brief view of which may fitly con- 
 clude the discussion of this branch of our subject. 
 "The sabbath," said Jesus, "was made for man, 
 
 AND NOT MAN FOR THE SABBATH."^ 
 
 When the Jews gave their chief attention to the 
 literal and outward fulfilment of the sabbatical law 
 — when they added to that law very numerous tra- 
 ditions of their own — when they carried their super- 
 stitions on the subject into frivolous and childish 
 absurdities — when they strained at the "gnat" in this 
 matter, while in others they were swallowing the 
 " camel " — they acted as if man was made for the 
 sahhath. But their error was radical; they mistook 
 the very nature and principle of the divine command- 
 ments. The sabbath, like every other part of the 
 moral law of God, was made for man — not for the 
 Jew alone, but for our species. It is a gift bestowed 
 upon us, in perfect wisdom and pure benevolence, for 
 the refreshment of our bodies, and for the improve- 
 ment of our souls — for enabling us to commune at 
 leisure with our (xod and Father — for promoting our 
 piety^ our virtue, and our happiness. 
 
 « Mark ii, 27. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ON THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. 
 
 Sufficient proof, I trust, has now been adduced, 
 that a weekly sabbath was ordained from the begin- 
 ning of the world for the welfare of mankind — that 
 among the ancient Israelites, this general law was 
 carefully maintained, with the addition of some pecu- 
 liar provisions — and that although our Saviour re- 
 buked the folly of Jewish superstition, in relation to 
 the sabbath, and even relaxed the strictness of the 
 Mosaic precept, he gave his clear sanction to the 
 institution itself. 
 
 How then are we to observe the sabbath under the 
 Christian dispensation? Not as a rite accompanied 
 with Jewish ceremonies, and guarded with a legal 
 severity, but in its original simplicity, and in Chris- 
 tian liberty, — in such a manner as will best remind 
 us of the blessings bestowed on man, through the 
 coming of our Redeemer. 
 
 Within half a century of the death of Christ, the 
 national polity of the Jews was brought to its termi- 
 nation. Their city and temple were destroyed, their 
 priesthood abrogated, and the people, though destined 
 in all ages to be marked iind separate, were scattered 
 among Gentile nations, over the face of the earth. 
 
58 
 
 TJie Chrisiian Sabbath. 
 
 This therefore was the end of their civil law. With 
 respect to their ceremonial law, all Christians allow 
 that the whole of it was virtually abolished, when 
 the great Antitype had offered up himself on the 
 cross, as an atonement for the sins of the world. 
 Now the law of the sabbath was diffenmtly circum- 
 stanced from any other part of the Mosaic institu- 
 tions. It assumed a mixed character. In its main 
 features it belonged to an unalterable moral code. 
 In other particulars, it bore merely a Jewish and ce- 
 remonial character. In the former respect therefore 
 it continues unchanged ; in the latter, its authority 
 died away with the peculiar dispensation to which 
 it belonged. 
 
 Although these conclusions are derived from clear 
 premises, yet in point of fact the change from the 
 Mosaic to the christian sabbath was a gradual work. 
 The Jews who believed in Christ were very slow to 
 give up the practices of their ancestors, and, under 
 their influence, even the Gentile believers were prone 
 to forsake the true ground of the Christian's hope, 
 and to place their dependence on the ceremonies of 
 an obsolete law. It was by degrees only — as the light 
 of the gospel more and more abounded — that the 
 primitive Christians escaped from all the shackles of 
 Judaism, and rejoiced in the liberty wherewith Christ 
 had made them free. 
 
 As a matter of course, therefore, the Jewish be- 
 lievers in the earliest age of Christianity, continued 
 (as Ignatius expresses it) to sabbatize; ^ and it is pro- 
 bable that many of their Crentilc brethren were accus- 
 1 Ep. ad Magnes. cap. 9. 
 
The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 59 
 
 tomed to the same practice. Whatsoever religious 
 service any other day of the week might bring with 
 it, they kept the seventh day as their sahbath, and 
 observed it with those ceremonial forms and that 
 legal strictness which distinguished the Mosaic dis- 
 pensation. In the mean time, however, the Christian 
 sabbath was arising from a sure foundation, lifting 
 up its head by degrees above the Jewish ritnal, and 
 putting in an irresistible claim on the regard and at- 
 tention of all believers in Jesus. 
 
 Our Lord, with a criminal on either side of him, 
 was crucified on the sixth day of the week, and at 
 the time of his death, the preparation for the ensuing 
 sabbath was just commencing. Under these circum- 
 stances, the Jews, who in the very depth of their 
 most flagrant national crime, were zealous for the 
 letter of the law, besought Pilate that the legs of the 
 sufferers might be broken, and their bodies removed 
 from the cross much more speedily than was custom- 
 ary among the Romans. They were full of anxiety 
 lest the sabbath should be polluted. Even Mary 
 Magdalene and her two friends, who had prepared 
 sweet spices to anoint the body of their Lord, dute- 
 oiisly observed the sabbath, and kept back their tribute 
 of pious affection until the following morning.^ That 
 sabbath-day was indeed one of no common dignity; 
 for it occurred during the passover week, and being 
 the second day of the feast — the 16th of Nisan — Avas 
 distinguished by the solemn wave-oft'ering before the 
 Lord, of the first sheaf of the Jewish harvest.-^ 
 
 2 Mark xvi, 1, &c. 
 
 3 Lev. xxiii, 10; Joliu xix, 31. 
 
60 
 
 Tlic Christian Sabbath. 
 
 But althonj^h this was a " high clay," one of pecu- 
 liar celebrity and joyfiilness, to the Jews in general — 
 to the disciples of Jesus it was a day of sorrow, 
 darkness, and dismay. They had forsaken their 
 Master in the hour of extreme danger, and were now 
 scattered and hidden. Their expectation of the glo- 
 rious reign of their Messiah had been utterly disap- 
 pointed. The proofs which he had displayed, of his 
 divine power, had given place, as they imagined, to 
 his defeat and destruction. The Lord of life and 
 glory, whom they had confessed to be the Son of 
 God, appeared to have become a prey to his enemies. 
 He had undergone a cruel and shameful death. His 
 body was laid in the sepulchre, and all their faith and 
 hoijc were buried with him. How dark a day in 
 their calendar was their sabbath-day become ! Nor 
 can it be forgotten by Christians, in any age of the 
 church, that it was during the seventh day of the 
 week — the old sabbath of the Jews — that our glori- 
 ous Head and Saviour continued under the dominion 
 of death and the grave. No wonder that this should 
 cease to be the appointed period for the festal worship 
 of God's children I 
 
 But what a glorious morning was that which next 
 dawned on the infant church of Christ — the morning 
 of the Jirst day of the weeh. The women, who went 
 at a very early hour to the sepulchre, found no dead 
 body there ; but in the place of it, two angels silting, 
 clothed in white raiment, who told them that their 
 Lord was risen.^ He had broken the bands of death 
 asunder, and had triumphed over the grave. The 
 
 4 JollM XX, 12. 
 
The CInist'tan Sahhalh. 
 
 Gl 
 
 Sun of liuliteousiipss who had been liiddcn, oven From 
 the eye of faith, during a dark night of sorrow, was 
 again appearing in his native splendour. As God 
 the Father hallowed the seventh day on which he 
 rested, and marked it for his own — as the ''birth-day" 
 of the world — so the Son of God was now distinguish- 
 ing with peculiar honour the day of the new creation, 
 on which his lowest humiliation was exchanged for 
 victory, and the atonement made for sin triumphant- 
 ly confirmed.^ 
 
 Four times on that day he condescended to mani- 
 fest himself to his followers; first to the women who 
 " held him by his feet and worshipped him next 
 to Peter then to the two disciples, whose hearts 
 l)urned within them, as he talked with them on the 
 way to Emmaus, and to whom he was revealed in the 
 breaking of bread ;^ and lastly to a company of ten 
 of his apostles : " Then the same day in the evening, 
 being the first day of the week, when the doors were 
 shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of 
 the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and 
 saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he 
 had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his 
 side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw 
 the Lord. Then said Jesus unto them again, Peace 
 be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send 
 I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on 
 them, and saith unto them. Receive ye the Holy 
 Ghost. On this occasion was for the first time ful- 
 filled the gracious declaration of Jesus to his disciples, 
 
 5 Rom. iv, 25. 6 Matt, xxviii, 9. 
 
 7 Luke xxiv, .'54. 8 Luke xxiv, 13—33. 9 John xx. 19—22. 
 
62 
 
 The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 that Avhcre they were gathcrd together in his name, 
 there would he he " in the midst of them.""^ Then also 
 was another of his promises accomplished : " / ivill 
 see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your 
 joy no man taketh from you ''"^ 
 
 Thus arose and thus concluded the first Christian 
 sabhath. And when was the second ? According to 
 the original law, by which every recurring seventh 
 day was hallowed, it must of course have taken place 
 on that day se'nnight. Accordingly, it appears that 
 the apostles were then again gathered together in one 
 company. " And after eight days again his disciples 
 were within and Thomas with them: then came Jesus 
 and stood in the midst, the doors being shut, and 
 said. Peace be unto you."^ 
 
 When any circumstance occurred, a week after an- 
 other, the Jews were accustomed to call this interval 
 of time, " an eight days," including in their reckon- 
 ing, both the days which were the objects of notice. 
 Such particularly was the style of Josephus.^ Since 
 therefore the first appearance of the risen Jesus to 
 his disciples was on the first day of one week, it fol- 
 lows that his second appearance is here described as 
 occurring on the same day of the week succeeding. 
 
 1 Matt, xviii, 20. 2 John vi, 22. 3 John xx, 26. 
 4 "The phrase /i-sS' r,ijApac bxru signifies after another week. So 
 the Jews express a week by eight days. So Josephus, Ant. lib, vii, 
 cap. 9, having said It/ rifi's^ag oztu, (every eight days) presently ex- 
 plains it by KTo (TajS/i^arou 1x1 ea^^arov, (from week to week.") Ham- 
 mond in loo. So Grotius, Gill, &c. &c. In like manner the French 
 call a fortnight, quinze jours. A similar idiom occurs in Luke ix, 
 28. Comp. Matt, xvii, 1, and Mark ix, 2. 
 
The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 63 
 
 How nicmorahlc was the conversation which, on this 
 latter occasion, took phicc between the Lord and his 
 apostle Thomas! "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach 
 hither thy finger, and l)ehoId my hands ; and reach 
 hither thy hand and thrust it into my side : and be 
 not faithless but believing. And Thomas answered 
 and said unto him. My Lord and my God. Jesns 
 saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, 
 thou hast believed ; blessed are they that have not 
 seen, and yet have believed."^ 
 
 A third occasion on which the disciples came to- 
 gether after the resurrection of Christ, was that on 
 which the Lord himself assembled with them at Beth- 
 any, or on Mount Olivet — a meeting which terminated 
 with his glorious ascension.^ 
 
 The period which elapsed between our Lord's re- 
 surrection and ascension, is described as "forty days."^ 
 This is a period of which frequent mention is made 
 in the sacred history. The flood was "forty days" 
 upon the earth ; Moses was " forty days" in the 
 mount; Elijah went "forty days" in the strength of 
 the meat which the angel provided for him ; Christ 
 fasted "forty days" in the wilderness. Now as the 
 Hebrews were accustomed to reckon their time by 
 weeks — from sabbath to sabbath — it seems probable 
 that the term " forty days" may be a mere synonyme 
 for ^'Jive sabbaths or weeks''^ If so, the ascension 
 
 5 John XX, 29. 6 Acts i, 4—12. 7 Acts i, 3. 
 8 "An eight days" and " a week" being synonymous, " forty days" 
 are a week ^ve times repeated, each sabbath- day being twice reck- 
 oned in the enumeration. 
 
64> 
 
 The Christian Sahhaih. 
 
 took place five weeks after the resurrection, and there- 
 fore on the first day of the week. This probability 
 is in some measure confirmed by the fact, that the 
 disciples were then assembled : for not only do we 
 find them meeting together on the first day of the week 
 twice before this event, but we shall presently see that 
 they maintained the same practice on the very iveek 
 foUow'uig. 
 
 How blessed and solemn must have been this last 
 meeting of Jesus with his chosen followers! It was 
 then that he gave them his final commission to go and 
 preach the gospel to all nations, cheered them with 
 the promise of his perpetual presence, and declared 
 that they should be baptized with the Holy Ghost 
 "not mani/ days'' afterwards.^ "And it came to pass 
 while he blessed them, he was parted from them and 
 carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, 
 and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were 
 continually in the temple, praising and blessing God."^ 
 
 The disciples were commanded by their Lord to 
 tarry at Jerusalem until they were " endued with pow- 
 er from on high." The period during which they 
 had to wait for the promise of the Father, appears to 
 have been exactly one week, and in the course of it 
 they appointed Matthias to the apostleship, in the 
 place of Judas. From the history of that transaction, 
 it appears that the infant church then consisted of 
 one hundred and twenty persons. " And when the 
 day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with 
 one accord in one place.''- 
 
 9 Acts i, 5—8. 
 
 1 Luke xxiv, 51 — 53. 
 
 2 Acts ii, ]. 
 
The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 05 
 
 Now it is certain that this renewed assembly of the 
 believers took place on the " Lord's day" — the first 
 of the week — on which, in that year, the Pentecost 
 occurred . The reckoning' which proves this fact is 
 very simple. Our Saviour's last paschal supper was 
 on the evening which terminated, or, (according to 
 the reckoning of the Jews,) succeeded, the fifth day 
 of the week. That fifth day was the 14th of Nisan, 
 on which the passover was slain.-^ He was crucified 
 on the sixth day; and the follow^ing seventh dai/ was, 
 as we have already remarked, the second of the feast 
 and the 16th of Nisan, on which the wave- sheaf was 
 offered to the Lord. Now from the time of this so- 
 lemnity, seven complete weeks were to be numbered ; 
 and the day which followed was the fiftieth day, or 
 the Pentecost, on which was celebrated the feast of 
 the first fruits. " From the day that ye brought the 
 sheaf of the wave offering seven sabbaths (or weeks) 
 shall be complete:'^ even unto the morrow after the 
 seventh sabbath shall ye mimhcv Jiftij days; and ye 
 shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord."^ 
 
 Since, in the present instance, the wave offering 
 was on the sabbath-day, the appointed interval did 
 not expire until the termination of that day seven 
 weeks. At six o'clock in the evening, when the 
 seventh sabbath-day went out, the Pentecost began, 
 and it was " fully come" the next morning — on the 
 first day of the week. 
 
 It appears to have been about nine o'clock on that 
 memorable morning, that the Holy Ghost descended 
 
 3 Mark xiv, 12 ; comp. Lev. xxiii, 5. 
 4 Heb. tD^D''Dn, Sept. oXoxXfi^ovg. i> Lev. xxiii, 15, 16. 
 
 VOL. ir. F 
 
66 
 
 The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 upon the gathered company of the disciples of Jesiis.'' 
 The gift of prophecy and tongues was then poured 
 forth in abundance, and amidst the throng of stran- 
 gers from many dift'ercnt parts of the world, every 
 one heard, in his own tongue, the wonderful works 
 of God. The apostle Peter more especially, being 
 filled with the Holy Ghost, preached with so much 
 effect to the assembled multitude, that about three 
 thousand souls were added on that single day to the 
 church of the Redeemer/ Thus was the first day of 
 the week again pointed out, by the divine finger, as 
 the day of Christian worship, and was blessed and 
 honoured by the Lord of the sabbath. He who 
 had risen from the dead and had appeared to his dis- 
 ciples on that day, and who, as it occurred from week 
 to week, had assembled with their company, now 
 completed the hallowing of the Christian sabbath, by 
 the mission of the Comforter. 
 
 After the first day of the week had been so repeat- 
 edly distinguished by a display of divine power and 
 goodness, it was natural that the disciples should re- 
 gard it as a day peculiarly the Lord's; and that, in 
 the remembrance of his resurrection and ascension, 
 and of the gift of the Holy Ghost, they should, 
 thenceforth, make a regular use of it for their solemn 
 assemblies. 
 
 That the Christian churches, in apostolic times, 
 were in the habit of meeting together at stated pe- 
 riods for the two purposes of worship and brotherly 
 communion, there can be no doubt. In the first 
 
 6 Acts ii, 15. 
 
 7 Acts ii, 41. 
 
The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 67 
 
 epistle of Paul to the Corinthians we have a lively 
 description, first, of their meetings for worship,^ and, 
 secondly, of their love feasts,^ when they broke their 
 bread and drank their wine in solemn commemoration 
 of the death of Jesns. Now that these meetings 
 took place on the Jirst day of the week, we are fur- 
 nished with incidental evidence in the same epistle. 
 Paul commands collections to be made at Corinth, 
 "upon the Jirst dai/ of the week,'' for the poor saints 
 at Jerusalem ; and he expressly states that he had 
 given the same directions to the churches of Galatia.^ 
 It is obvious that this particular day was fixed for 
 these subscriptions, because the regular meetings of 
 the church would afford the opportunity of their be- 
 ing easily gathered. Accordingly we find from Justin 
 Martyr, that after the congregational worship of the 
 early Christians on the Lord's day, money was always 
 collected for the benefit of the poor.^ 
 
 8 See chap, xi, 1—20; xiv, 23—40. 
 9 Chap, xi, 20—34. 
 1 1 Cor. xvi, 1, 2. " Now concerning the collection for the saints, 
 as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 
 Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in 
 store, as God hath prospered him, (■^a/ Jaurw Ti%ru ^^eav^l^uv o 
 Ti av rjodurai,) that there be no gathering when I come." As there 
 were to be no gatherings when the apostle came, it is plain that the 
 collections were to be made previously, on the first days of the week. 
 Every one who subscribed on these occasions, is represented by the 
 apostle, as laying up in store a treasure for himself. So in 1 Tim. 
 vi, 18, 19, those who are " ready to distribute, willing to communi- 
 cate," are described as " layinrj up in store for themselves {arro^ri' 
 ffaus/^oiiTa;) a good foundation against the time to come." 
 
 2 Apol. i, cap. 67. Ed. Ben. p. 83. 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 Another evidence that the stated meetings of the 
 Christians, during the time of the apostles, were held 
 on this day, occurs in the history of Paul's travels. 
 It appears that after he left Philippi, he crossed the 
 sea and abode seven days at Troas. During the 
 course of these seven days, we read of no meeting of 
 the church : but on the last of them, Avhich was the 
 "first day of the week, the disciples came together to 
 break bread." Nor was this the only object of their 
 assembling. It appears that they also met for the 
 purpose of worship and Christian instruction ; for we 
 read that " Paul preached unto them, ready to depart 
 on the morrow, and continued his speech until mid- 
 night." The religious meeting held on this occasion, 
 appears to have ended with the sudden accident which 
 befell Eutychus, one of the congregation. After this 
 event, when Paul " was come up again and had bro- 
 ken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even 
 till break of day, so he departed."^ 
 
 These passages afford an evidence that the keeping 
 of the Lord's day had then become a very general 
 practice among the believers in Christ. The day was 
 observed not merely at Jerusalem, where the resur- 
 rection of Jesus and the effusion of the Holy Spirit 
 had taken place, but in distant countries or cities 
 where the apostles had planted churches — for exam- 
 ple, at Troas, in Galatia, at Corinth. And here we 
 ought to mark the doctrine of the apostle Paul on 
 the subject of the Jewish sabbaths. 
 
 When the apostle wrote, Jerusalem was still stand- 
 ing, and these sabbaths were still regularly observed. 
 3 Acts XX, 6—11. 
 
The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 G9 
 
 Now Paul appears to have been convinced, at an 
 earlier date than many of his brethren, that the sha- 
 dows of the law were no longer binding. While, 
 therefore, he dealt very tenderly with the Jewish 
 believers, and forbad not their adherence to the prac- 
 tices of their forefathers, he plainly declared that 
 Christians were free to pursue their own course, and 
 that no man might judge them in relation to these 
 ordinances. "Let no man, therefore, judge you in 
 meat or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of 
 the new moon, or of the sabbath-days, (in the Greek 
 ' the sabbaths,''^) which are a shadow of things to 
 come, but the body is of Christ."^ The word " sab- 
 baths" has been understood by some commentators as 
 here importing the Jewish festivals hi general. But 
 I conceive it points more especially to the days set 
 apart, under the law, for rest and holy convocations, 
 and more especially to the seventh days of the week. 
 No Christian was any longer bound to observe these 
 sabbaths, or to practise the ceremonies by which they 
 were distinguished. All that appertained peculiarly 
 to the Mosaic dispensation had now passed away ; 
 the shadow was exchanged for the substance; and 
 the day on which Jesus rose from the dead had been 
 hallowed by the Lord himself for his own worship, 
 and for the rest and religious edification of his believ- 
 ing children. 
 
 This day was called among the primitive Christians 
 as well as generally by the ancient fathers of the 
 church, the Lords day ; partly because it was ap- 
 
 4 sa^^druv. 
 
 5 Col. ii, 16, 17. 
 
70 
 
 The Christian Sabbath, 
 
 pointed as a memorial of his resurrection, and partly 
 because it was peculiarly dedicated to his service. It 
 was towards the close of the apostolic age, and long 
 after the destruction of Jerusalem, that the apostle 
 John thus designated the Christian sabbath. When 
 banished in his old age to the Isle of Patmos, and 
 there separated from communion with his brethren, 
 he appears to have been careful even in his solitude, 
 to keep that day holy ; for he informs us that he was 
 " m the Spirit on the Lordls day,'' when he heard 
 behind him the voice of Christ, and received the 
 messages which he was afterwards to deliver to the 
 churches.^ Doubtless, it was to the apostle a time of 
 deep retirement of mind; and wonderful indeed were 
 the visions to which on that hallowed occasion his 
 eye of faith was opened. The Lord of the sabbath 
 was again honouring the day which he had chosen 
 for himself. [See Appendix 
 
 Having stated the whole of the evidence afforded 
 by the New Testament, respecting the rise and estab- 
 lishment of the Christian sabbath, I must now pro- 
 ceed to the consideration of uninspired records. 
 
 Among these must be reckoned the Catholic Epis- 
 tle of Barnabas, although there is strong evidence of 
 its genuineness, and its author lived during the apos- 
 tolic age. Barnabas speculates on the coming of the 
 Millennium after seven thousand years (from the cre- 
 ation) of labour and sorrow. " Wherefore," he adds, 
 "we keep the eighth day (i. e. the first day of the 
 
 6 Rev. i, 10. 
 
The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 71 
 
 week) as ii joyful holy day, on which day also Jesus 
 rose from the dcad."^ 
 
 Ij^natius (a.d. 101) in his epistle to the Magnesians, 
 contrasts the Jewish practice of sahhatizing with 
 "living according to the Lord's day on ivhich our Life 
 aroseJ"^ These expressions are probably descriptive 
 of a life spent in holiness and virtue after the likeness 
 of the resurrection of Christ. Nevertheless, they 
 contain a clear allusion to the keeping of the Lord's 
 day, as distinguished from the observance of the Jew- 
 ish sabbath. Precisely similar allusions are made by 
 Clement of Alexandria, (a.d. 192, y) and Origen, (a.d. 
 230.1) 
 
 Our next witness is Pliny the younger, the Roman 
 governor of Bithynia (a.d. 107.) In his celebrated 
 letter to the Emperor Trajan respecting the Christian 
 martyrs, he states that certain persons who had been 
 induced by the extremity of their sufferings to re- 
 nounce their faith in Jesus, gave the following account 
 of their former religion : — " That they were accus- 
 tomed on a stated day to meet before daylight, and 
 to repeat among themselves a hymn to Christ as to a 
 god, and to bind themselves by a sacred obligation 
 not to commit any wickedness ; but on the contrary, 
 to abstain from thefts, robberies, and adultries ; also 
 not to violate their promise, or deny a pledge ; after 
 
 7 A/i ayojjjiv 7r\v rjfj.i^av Tr]\i oydorjv, slg £ipgo(riii'/jii iv r\ xai 6 IridoZi 
 avierri ex vi-K^oov. Epist. Cath. Ed. Cotelerii, p. 47. 
 
 8 [i7\-A.\ri ea,l3(3a,r!^ovrig uXXcc y.ara y.vPiaKri'j Z,i^rjv ^wirsj h f, y.ai ^la^ 
 rifiuv avirtikiv. Cap. 9. 
 
 !> Strom, lib. vii, cap. 1-2, Ed. Sylb. p. 744. 
 1 Contra Cclsum, \\h. viii, cap, 22. 
 
72 
 
 The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 which it was their custom to separate and to meet 
 again at a promiscuous harmless meal."^ Here evi- 
 dently were the meeting for worship, and the com- 
 memorative supper, very much as they were practised 
 hy the Corinthian Christians in the days of Paul. 
 But what was the stated day, when these things took 
 place ? 
 
 Clearly the Jirst day of the week, as is proved by 
 the very question which it was customary for the Ro- 
 man persecutors to address to the martyrs — Domini- 
 cum servasti ? — Hast thou kept the Lords day ? — to 
 which the answer usually returned was in substance 
 as follows : Christianus sum, intermittere non possum 
 — " / am a Christian, I cannot omit it.""^ 
 
 An unquestionable evidence on this point is afford- 
 ed us by Justin Martyr, who, in his apology addressed 
 to the Emperor Antoninus, (a.d. 147,) gives a lively 
 account of the Christian day of worship. " On the 
 day called Sunday," he says, " there is a meeting in 
 one place of all the Christians who live either in the 
 towns or in the country, and the memoirs of the 
 apostles (supposed to mean the four gospels,) or the 
 writings of the prophets, are read to them as long as 
 is suitable. When the reader stops, the president 
 pronounces an admonition, and exhorts to the imita- 
 
 2 " Quod essent soliti stato die ante lucem convenire : carmenque 
 Christo quasi deo dicere secum invicem : seque sacramento non in 
 scelus aliquod obstringere, sed ne furta, ne latrocinia, ne adulteria 
 committerent, ne fidem fallerent, ne depositum appelati abnegarent; 
 quibus peractis morem sibi discedendi fuisse, rursusque coeundi ad 
 capiendum cibimi, promiscum tamen et innoxium." Lib. x, Ep. 97. 
 
 3 Acts of Martyrs, in Bishop Andrews on the Ten command' 
 ments, p. 264. 
 
Tlie Christian Sabbath. 
 
 73 
 
 tion of these noble examples; after wbieli \vc all arise 
 and begin to pray.""* Justin then describes the eucha- 
 ristical meal, and the collections made for the poor, 
 and concludes by explaining why this day of the week 
 was chosen for their public worship. " We all meet 
 together on the Sunday, because it is the Jirst day — 
 on which God turned the darkness (into light,) gave 
 shape to the chaos, and made the world ; and on the 
 same day Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the dead."^ 
 Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, (a.d. 170,) when 
 writing to the Romans, informs them that the epistle 
 of Clement their late Bishop, had been read in the 
 church at Corinth, while they were heeping the Lord's 
 holy day^ — an incidental allusion which proves that 
 
 4 Apol. i, cap. 67, Ed. Ben. p. 83. roZ rt'km Xsyo/ilvri rj/ii^cf, 
 itaiTWi Kara roXe/; aygoOs fiivovruiv bvI rb avrh euviXiue/g ylverai, xa/ rcb 
 u'lrofivrifMvsv/Mura raiv amaroXuv, '/) ra euyy^dfifiara, ruv '!r^o<priTuiv avayi- 
 vaidxirai , (J^'s^^ig ly^ca^ir e'l'ra 'Trauactji-mu tou uvuyitiuaKovrog, 6 'Tr^osarug 
 diu Xoyou TYiv wJ^islav xa.) '^r^onXriSiv Trjg ruv xaXuiv robrm (/ji/Mriasug miu- 
 rar "imiTO, uviardiJji^a, -/.oinri wai/ref, xa/ i-jya.g ts/ato^ei'. The reader 
 will observe from this passage that the early Christians, in their pub- 
 lic assemblies, prayed stundincj. It appears from Irenseus and 
 Tertullian, that they had an objection to genuflexion on the Lord's 
 day, because the upright position alone reminded them of his rising 
 from the grave. Resp. ad Quasi. 115 ad Orthodoxos, Ed. Ben. 
 p. 342. Tertull. de Coron. Mil. cap, 3. 
 
 5 TriV Si Tou ^Xjov '/i/j,;^av xoivfi rrdi/rig rijv (fuAXiuaiv 'Troiov/n^a, smidri 
 'z^MTTi iSTiv rii-Lisa, h fi 0 Qeog rb axoTog xal rriv vXi^v r^'i-^ocg, xod/MV s'zolriffv 
 xa! IriSovg 'Koierbg 6 rifiiri^og Sutyi^ rfj aurfj tj/mi^m ix vex^uv dv'sSTr}. 
 
 6 rriv ayifce^ov oiiv xu^iuxriv dy'iav 7ifj,t^av di'/}yuyo/j,tv h f} uviyvwxafiiv 
 v//,oov Tr,v i-xidToXriv. Vid. Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. iv, cap. 23. 
 
 Clement was one of Paul's companions. His first epistle to the 
 Corinthians is considered to be a genuine production, and is par- 
 ticularly valuable, from the manner in which it authenticates the 
 epistles of Paul ; especially those to the Corinthians and to the 
 Hebrews. 
 
74 
 
 The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 tlie pratice of observing that day was familiar both 
 to the writer, and to those persons whom he was ad- 
 dressing. 
 
 After the destrnction of Jerusalem, and with it of 
 the whole Jewish polity, and during the first two or 
 three centuries of the Christian era, it is probable that 
 the Lords day was universally recognized as the only 
 Christian sabbath. Ignatius, as we have already re- 
 marked, contrasts this day with the old sabbath of 
 the Jews ; and while abundcint evidence is alForded by 
 the other authors whom we have now cited, that the 
 first day of the week was kept as a solemn day of 
 worship, no mention is made by any of them of the 
 seventh day, as claiming any peculiar honours from 
 Christians. Accordingly Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, 
 (a.d. 167,) expressly asserts that the Lord's day was 
 their sabbath. " On the Lord's day every otie of us 
 Christians keeps the sabbath, meditating on the law, 
 and rejoicing in the works of God."'' So also Ter- 
 tullian, (a.d. 192,) while he makes frequent mention 
 of the keeping of the Lord's day, speaks of the Jew- 
 ish sabbaths as foreign to believers in Jesus.^ Cyprian, 
 bishop of Carthage, (a.d. 250,) takes no notice of the 
 old sabbath, but repeatedly alludes to the Lord's day, 
 as that which was kept holy among Christians.^ [A^ee 
 Appendix 5.] 
 
 Quoted by Dwight, Theology, vol. iv, p. 26. 
 s " Nobis quibus sabbata exfranea sunt, et neomeniae et feriae a 
 
 Deo aliquando dilectae O melior fides nationum in suani sec- 
 
 tam, quse nullam soleninitatem Christianorum sibi vindicat, non 
 Dominicum diem, non Pentecostem," &c, De Idol. cap. 14, Ed. 
 Setnler. torn, iv, 167. 
 
 9 De Opere et Eleemos. Ed. Oxon. p. 203, Ep. 38, 63. 
 
Tlie Christian Sabbath. 
 
 75 
 
 The witnesses whose testimony we have now lul- 
 (luced, were seattered over various conntrics. Barna- 
 bas, Jnstin, and Origcn, lived in Palestine; Clement 
 of Alexandria in Egypt; Pliny (during his procon- 
 sulship) in Bithynia; Ignatius in Syria; Dionysius 
 in Greece; the persons to whom he wrote in Italy ; 
 Irenaeus in Gaul; TertuUian and Cyprian in Libya. 
 We may conelude, therefore, that the practice of de- 
 voting the first day of the week to religious purposes, 
 became, during the first three centuries after the Chris- 
 tian era, universal in the church of Christ. So re- 
 markable and extensive an uniformity could not have 
 arisen from accident. It must surely have been 
 founded on some common principle, generally under- 
 stood. Now I conceive that the principle in question 
 could have been no other than the unalterable obliga- 
 tion of the fourth commandment — connected with an 
 understanding (derived from the apostles themselves) 
 that Christians were to keep that day of the week as 
 their sabbath on which Jesus had risen from the dead. 
 
 In the fourth century, Constantine, (a.d. 316,) the 
 first of the Roman emperors who embraced Christi- 
 anity, enjoined the religious observance of the Lord's 
 day on all his own household, and commanded that 
 it should be kept as a day of rest throughout the 
 Roman empire.^ He decreed, moreover, that the 
 Christian soldiers in his armies, should be allowed 
 the opportunity of performing their religious duties 
 on that day, without molestation. 
 
 1 hih roTi icri rriv Vu/muIcijv ao-/j[V croX/rsuo/Asw/s ccVatr/ Gyjj\rfl uynv ra/j 
 errmvfJLoii row Swr^goj ri[j,i^aii Iwj^'stii. 
 
 Euseb. in Vitu Const, lib. iv, cap. 18. 
 
76 
 
 Tlie Christian Sabbath. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable, that Constantine also 
 commanded the Jewish sabbath to be " honoured"^ — • 
 a circumstance which, among many others, proves 
 that at this period, a retrograde movement had taken 
 place in the church, towards the obsolete rites of Ju- 
 daism. In the Apostolic Constitutions, a spurious 
 work, supposed to have been the production of this 
 century, frequent reference is made to the Mosaic 
 sabbath, as well as to the Lord's day ; and both are 
 commanded to be kept as solemn festivals, and as 
 days of public worship.^ Hence it became necessary 
 for those persons who perceived the inconsistency of 
 such a combination, to assert the superior claims of 
 the Christian sabbath. Accordingly we find the cele- 
 brated Athanasius (a.d. 326) renouncing the author- 
 ity of the old sabbath, and asserting that the Lord 
 himself had exchanged it for the Lord's day^ One of 
 the canons of the council of Laodicea (a.d. about 
 350) is also very express on this subject. "Chris- 
 tians must not Judaize, or cease from work on the 
 sabbath, (i. e. on the seventh day of the week,) but 
 must work on that same day (it being allowed that 
 part of it should be occupied in public worship.) 
 Rather must they prefer in honour the Lord's day, and, 
 if it he in their power, tnust rest in it as Christians. 
 But if they be found Judaists, let them be accursed 
 from Christ."^ 
 
 2 OjCio/ws di xai Tai rou 'Sa^^inu ti/muv. Ibid. 
 3 Vicl. lib. vii, cap. 23, &c. 
 
 4 /xsrs3>3/C£ ds i Kug/oj rj^i/ da^^drov rifiioa.v iis xu^iu/irjv. De Semcnte, 
 Ed. Colon, torn, i, p. 1060. 
 
 5 Canon, xxix. 'Orl ou dsT X^Ktriuvoui loudatl^iiv, %a.i h tSi ea^fSaTifj 
 
 f 
 
The Christian Sabbalh. 
 
 77 
 
 The reserve here made — " if it be in their power" — 
 must he understood as an allowance for works of 
 necessity. It appears that Constantino regarded agri- 
 cultural labour to be of this discription ;'' but a higher 
 standard in relation to this point, was afterwards 
 established, as will appear from the following declar- 
 ation issued by Leo, the bishop of Rome, (a.d. 440,) 
 on behalf of the Christian church in his day: — "We 
 ordain, according to the true meaning of the Holy 
 Ghost, and of the apostles thereby directed, that on 
 the sacred day, wherein our own integrity was restor- 
 ed, all do rest and cease from labour ; that neither 
 husbandmen nor other persons on that day, put their 
 hands to forbidden works. For if the Jews did so 
 much reverence their sabbath, which was but a shadow 
 of ours, are not we, which inhabit the light and truth 
 of grace, bound to honour that day which the Lord 
 himself hath honoured, and hath herein delivered us 
 both from dishonour and from death ? Are we not 
 bound to keep it singular and inviolable, well con- 
 tenting ourselves with so liberal a grant of the re- 
 mainder, and not encroaching upon that one day, 
 which God hath chosen to his own honour } Were 
 it not reckless neglect of religion, to make that very 
 day common, and to think we may do with it as with 
 the rest 
 
 To these testimonies it would be easy to add a mul- 
 titude of others ; for the keeping of the Lord's day 
 
 rifiuvTig, t'iyi duvulvro, e^okdi^dv us Xg/ffr/avo/. E/ 62 eugsSs/sv lovda/ffrul, 
 igrmav avc&iiia Taga X^ierCj. Mansii Coll. Concill. torn, ii, p. 570. 
 6 Cod. lib. iii, tit. 12,1,3. Hooker's Ecc. Pol. book v, vol. ii, 379. 
 7 Constit. liv. Hooker, ibid. 
 
78 
 
 The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 as a time of rest and worship is interwoven with the 
 history of the church of Christ from its earliest origin 
 to the present time ; but having traced the practice 
 which prevailed in this respect during five centuries, 
 we may now content ourselves with an appeal to 
 modern Christianity. The custom of keeping the 
 first day of the week as a day of rest and worship — a 
 custom which lived even through the darkest ages of 
 the church, was confirmed by a general though tacit 
 consent, at the period of the Reformation. Since 
 that time, believers in Jesus of every name, Roman 
 Catholics as well as Protestants, have maintained this 
 practice, as a leading feature in their Christian profes- 
 sion. All, on some ground or other, have considered 
 it to be their duty to allot one day in seven to reli- 
 gious services ; and all have agreed in observing the 
 first day of the week, as the most appropriate for this 
 sacred purpose. Nor shall we be deemed presump- 
 tuous in asserting, that He who on the day of Pente- 
 cost poured forth his Holy Spirit on the infant church, 
 has condescended, in every succeeding age, to bless 
 the assemblies of his people with a measure of the 
 same influence. 
 
 When we call to mind, that a right use of the 
 Christian sabbath has been the means appointed in 
 the order of providence, for the conversion and sanc- 
 tification (as we may fiilly believe) of a vast multitude 
 of immortal souls, we shall be little disposed to dis- 
 pute the authority of the institution, or to doubt that 
 the steadfast maintenance of it is consistent with the 
 will of God. 
 
 It appears then — First, with respect to the Jeicish 
 
The Christian Sabbath. 
 
 79 
 
 sabbath, that although virtually abolished, as far as 
 regards its peculiar features, by the death of Christ, 
 it continued for many years after that event to be 
 observed by the Jews who believed in Jesus, and even 
 by some of their Gentile brethren ; — that the apostle 
 Paul plainly laid down the principle, that Christians 
 were at liberty to disuse it ; — that after the destruction 
 of Jerusalem, and during the first three centuries of 
 the history of the church, it fell into disuse among 
 the generality of Christians ; — that although, under 
 the renewed influence of Judaism, it revived for a 
 time in the fourth century, the observance of it was 
 quickly condemned, and has long since utterly disap- 
 peared in the church of Christ. 
 
 Secondly, with respect to the Christian sabbath, 
 that it arose on the very day of our Lord's resurrec- 
 tion ; — that it was supported from week to week by 
 the sanction of his presence, in the assemblies of his 
 people; — that it was hallowed, probably, by the glories 
 of his ascension, and certainly by the descent of the 
 Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost ; — that during 
 the lives of the apostles, it was the day on which the 
 churches of Christ met for the purposes of worship 
 and communion; — that John called it "the Lord's 
 day," and was "in the Spirit" on it, in the Isle of 
 Patmos; — that, in the succeeding age, it was alluded to 
 as a day of religious solemnity by Pliny the younger, 
 and clearly described as such by Justin, Dionysius, 
 Irenaeus, TcrtulHan, and other ancient fathers ; — that, 
 under the Emperor Constantine, it was observed as a 
 sacred day of rest throughout the Roman Empire; — 
 that, in the fifth century, it was yet more distinctly 
 
80 
 
 The Christian Sabbath, 
 
 recognised in its sabbatical character; — that it has 
 since been maintained in every age of the church, and 
 is still universally acknowledged by Christians ; — and 
 finally, that the blessing which has rested on the use 
 of it, affords, in addition to every other proof, a sub- 
 stantial evidence of its divine authority. 
 
 In conclusion let it be remarked, that while the 
 sabbath of the Jew and that of the Christian serve 
 the same purpose as a memorial of creation, it is the 
 latter only which records the blessings of redemption. 
 The Jew indeed is reminded by his sabbath of the 
 deliverance of his forefathers from Egypt : but we 
 are taught by ours to mediate on a holier freedom, 
 and to recollect an infinitely greater salvation — a free- 
 dom from the tyranny of sin and Satan; a salvation 
 from the " bitter pains of eternal death." While we 
 call to mind the glorious events which marked the 
 origin, and have distinguished the course of this in- 
 stitution, we can never cease to regard it as sacred to 
 God — to the Father who creates; to the Son who 
 redeems; and to the Holy Ghost who anomts and 
 sanctifies. The more justly therefore we appreciate 
 our "access" through the Son, "in one Spirit unto 
 the Father," the higher will be our value, and the 
 warmer our affection, for the Christian Sabbath. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 Some persons who entertain a high view of the spi- 
 rituahty of the gospel, regard the sahbath as an out- 
 ward rite, in its nature figurative ; and although they 
 deem it expedient, and their duty because expedient, 
 to assemble on that dai/ for the purpose of public 
 worship, a notion is nevertheless predominant with 
 them that the institution itself, like every other sha- 
 dow, is of no authority under the Christian dispensa- 
 tion. To the candid consideration of such persons, 
 I venture to present the evidences contained in the 
 preceding chapters. These, I trust, are sufficient to 
 show that the setting apart of one day in seven, for 
 the purposes of rest and worship, is a divine ordinance, 
 which was bestowed on our first parents ; that this 
 ordinance was observed by the patriarchs — was deliv- 
 ered to the Israelites as an essential part of their 
 moral code — was exalted far above their whole cere- 
 monial system — was maintained, in its true integrity, 
 by the Saviour of men — and, finally, having been 
 adapted to the peculiar character of the gospel, has 
 flourished in the Christian church, from its earliest 
 origin to the present day. 
 
 VOL. II. G 
 
82 Conclusion. 
 
 With regard to the figurative nature of the sabbath, 
 it may indeed be allowed that one of its purposes is 
 to typify our heavenly rest : and like other types, it 
 will cease to every one of us, when its antitype comes. 
 Till then, in the very nature of things, its use and 
 authority continue. In one point of view, indeed, 
 the perpetual sabbath of the Christian may be said to 
 be already begun ; for his whole life ought to be de- 
 voted to the glory of his Creator ; and ivhatsoever he 
 does, should be done in the name of Jesus. Every 
 day, every hour he lives, is the Lord's. But in our 
 present imperfect condition, it would surely be a dan- 
 gerous error so to apply this doctrine, as to disregard 
 the especial claims of the Christian sabbath. Any 
 man w-ho should do so, would too probably be found, 
 Avithin a short period of time, icholly for the ivorld, 
 instead of wholly for God. 
 
 It is, indeed, a powerful argument for the divine 
 authority of this institution, that as, on the one hand, 
 a conspicuous blessing rests on the use of it, so on 
 the other, the neglect or perversion of it never fails to 
 be followed by vice, miserj^, and confusion. Ungod- 
 liness is the worst of all foes to moral virtue and 
 civil order — to the decency, harmony, and happiness, 
 of society ; and ungodliness and sabbath-breaking act 
 and react. The former naturally leads to the latter, 
 and the latter confirms and aggravates the former. 
 
 That this effect is produced even on minds devoted 
 to intellectual objects, is unquestionably true, but it 
 becomes more notorious among those classes of men 
 whose education is limited, and whose habits are but 
 little refined. Every one who is accustomed to com- 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 83 
 
 municate, in our jails and other such places, with the 
 refuse of society — with the most abandoned and pro- 
 fliijate of men — must be aware that sahbath-hreahing 
 is, very commonly, a first step to every species of crime. 
 Nor was the curse which rests on the neglect and 
 abuse of the sabbath much less conspicuous, when an 
 attempt was made to remodel the law and to alter its 
 proportions. The sages of the French Revolution, as 
 the reader is probably well aware, substituted one day 
 of rest in ten, for one in seven. And what was the con- 
 sequence ? So great a degree of disorder and wretch- 
 edness, that the people were driven by mere necessity, 
 speedily to take refuge again in their ancient practice. 
 
 These remarks naturally lead us to some further 
 inquiry into the duties of the sabbath, and into the 
 proper method of keeping the day " holy." 
 
 The first great principle which ought always to be 
 kept in view, in relation to this subject, is that every 
 seventh day (after six days of work) is "the sabbath 
 of the Lord our God ;" and is, therefore, in a pecu- 
 liar manner and degree, to be devoted to his service. 
 It is true that we serve God indirectly, while we are 
 rightly pursuing our temporal avocations ; for they 
 are a part of the duty of life. But on the sabbath- 
 day, the service of our Creator must be at once direct 
 and uninterrupted. 
 
 In order to this end it is of great importance that 
 we should habituate ourselves, whenever the sabbath 
 recurs, and even on its near approach, to break the 
 trains of worldly thought, and to divest the mind of 
 the cares and interests of business. " Vacare Deo" — 
 
 G 2 
 
Coiicli/aio/i. 
 
 to be empty for God — must then be our constant 
 motto. Young people would find their religious wel- 
 fare, and even their worldly happiness, greatly pro- 
 moted by the formation of such a habit. Let no 
 man, however, suppose that he will succeed in this 
 object, unless he cordially embraces and deeply feels 
 the great truths of religion. We must be much with 
 Christ every day of our lives, in order to be fitted to 
 commune with him uninterruptedly, on the sabbath- 
 day. Nothing but the love of God will ever drive 
 the love of the world out of our hearts. But when 
 we have come (as an able writer expresses it) under 
 "the expulsive power" of this "new aifcction," we 
 shall find it comparatively easy, as it will ever be de- 
 lightful, to lay aside our temporal cares on the arrival 
 of the day of rest, and to present to the influence of 
 holy things the length and breadth of an undivided 
 mind. Nor shall we fail to be rewarded for such a 
 practice even in our temporal concerns ; for to these 
 we shall afterwards return with our feelings rectified 
 and our understanding cleared — with far greater abil- 
 ity for effectually and rightly conducting them, than 
 we should otherwise have possessed. 
 
 The mind being thus given up, on the sabbath, to 
 the service of God and to the pursuit of our heavenly 
 inheritance, will above all things be led into commu- 
 nion with the Creator. Prayer on our own account 
 and intercession on account of others, which to the 
 Christian form a part of every day's duty, will often 
 on the sabbath be more extended than usual, and will 
 sometimes be found to arise from the heart with that 
 increase of holv fervour — that renewal of faith and 
 
Coiicluaiun. 
 
 85 
 
 love — which a day devoted to reh'gious purposes is 
 calculated to produce. Nor will the pious Christian, 
 on the day of rest, forget to review the past week, 
 and to enter upon that deliberate and candid exami- 
 nation of himself, which will be sure to lead both to 
 humiliation and devotion. On these occasions of 
 solemn retrospect, a sense will sometimes be bestowed 
 on him, both of his own vileness and of the holiness 
 of God; and the secret language of his heart will be 
 like that of Job, — "I have heard of thee with the 
 hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee. 
 Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and 
 ashes." ^ 
 
 The private perusal of Scripture, like private prayer, 
 must be regarded as an important daili/ duty. Yet 
 when we reflect on the temporal cares with which 
 some persons are surrounded, and especially on the 
 hourly occupation of the labouring classes, we may 
 well rejoice in the weekly recurrence of a day, on 
 which even the most busy persons may read the Bible 
 deliberately — may compare its corresponding parts, 
 mark its harmony, and drink deeply of its spirit. To 
 a considerable proportion of the community, the Scrip- 
 tures would be comparatively of little use, were it not 
 for the sabbath ; and on the other hand, the sabbath 
 would be far less profitable, if we did not possess the 
 Bible. These precious gifts of God, in combining to 
 promote the welfare of mankind, materially enhance 
 the value of each other. 
 
 But the most important duty of the sabbath is of 
 a public nature. On this hallowed day, we are bound 
 1 Job xlii, 5, 6. 
 
86 
 
 Cunchis'ioii. 
 
 by a sacred obligation, to manifest our allegiance to 
 the King of kings, by publicly assembling in order 
 to worship him. It is through this means especially, 
 that the sabbath becomes a sign between us and our 
 God, by which we are marked as his children — by 
 which it is clearly shewn to the world around us, that 
 He is the God who sanctifies us, and whom w^e esteem 
 it our highest privilege to serve and adore.^ In the 
 punctual performance of th-is duty we may be encou- 
 raged, by calling to mind the holy convocations of 
 ancient Israel — the synagogue worship of a later date, 
 regularly maintained even by a degenerate people — 
 the mercies of the day of Pentecost — the uniform 
 practice of the primitive Christians — and above all, 
 the example of our Saviour himself. "Let us con- 
 sider one another to provoke unto love and to good 
 Avorks; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves 
 TOGETHER as the manner of some is, but exhorting 
 one another, and so much the more as yc see the day 
 approaching." ^ 
 
 On a subject so familiar to the mind of every Chris- 
 tian as that of public worship, many remarks cannot 
 be necessary. It may not however be useless to ob- 
 serve, 1. That this is a duty which demands of us 
 zeal and diligence. It is a miserable symptom of a 
 luke-warm spirit, when trifling difficulties detain us 
 from our places of worship, or prevent our attending 
 them, where the opportunity is afforded, twice in the 
 day. We must endeavour to press through these ob- 
 structions in some small measure of that faith, which 
 
 2 Exod. xxxi, 13. 
 
 3 Heb. X, 24, 25. 
 
Goncliision. 
 
 87 
 
 as our Saviour declared, is sufficient to remove moun- 
 tains;'* and above all, we must pray that our cJi'ief 
 difficulty — the natural aversion of the heart to all 
 thinjj:s holy and heavenly — may be thoroughly over- 
 come by the love of God. Nor ought we to forget 
 that diligence, which is necessary in order to our con- 
 stant attendance of public worship, is equally so for 
 its right performance. On these occasions, the devo- 
 tional feelings should have their full sway, and the 
 mind be directed, with all its energies, to the perform- 
 ance of our highest duty. The ivhole man ought 
 then to be presented " a living sacrifice " unto God. 
 
 2. Suicerity and spirituality are qualities of mind, 
 absolutely essential to our public as well as private 
 devotions. Let us ever remember that "God is not 
 mocked ; " and that it is utterly in vain for us to draw 
 nigh to him with our lips, or to use any other out- 
 ward form of worship, while our hearts are far from 
 him. Under the dispensation of the gospel, the heart 
 is the only altar from which can arise with acceptance, 
 the incense of adoration. The hour ^' now is" when 
 the "true worshippers" must "worship the Father 
 in spirit and in truth ;" and it is an animating reflec- 
 tion, that "the Father seeketh such to worship him."^ 
 By the gentle influence of his Spirit, he invites and 
 allures his children to draw near to him ; and when 
 they are dismayed in the view of their own vileness, 
 and of his perfect holiness, he cheers them with the re- 
 membrance, that an access is opened for them, through 
 " the blood of the covenant," — that it is their duty 
 
 4 Matt, xvii, 20. 
 
 5 John iv, 2:5. 
 
88 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 as well as their privilege, freely to plead the name of 
 that Saviour, who " is the Way, the Truth, and the 
 Life." 6 
 
 .'i. Among the aneient Hehrews the sabbath was a 
 joyful festival ; and it was one of the precepts of the 
 early fathers of the church that no man should fast 
 on the " Lord's day."' The reflecting Christian will 
 indeed observe on that day more than usual modera- 
 tion in his meals, that he may not occasion labour to 
 others ; but the sabbath, and esjiecially its ordinances 
 of public worship, will be to him a spiritual feast, and 
 will often remind him of that ancient promise — " In 
 this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all 
 people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the 
 lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the 
 lees well refined."^ In frequenting the solemn assem- 
 blies of the Lord's people, we ought to cultivate a 
 joyful and thankful spirit ; to train our minds to a 
 vivid perception of the beauty of holiness;" and to 
 delight ourselves in the worship of God. Let us ever 
 remember that on these occasions we meet for the 
 purpose of commemorating the glories of creation^ 
 the wisdom and goodness of providence, and the won- 
 ders of redeeming love. Let us rejoice in the presence 
 of that Saviour who is risen from the dead — is en- 
 throned in glory at the right-hand of the Father — is 
 "touched with a feeling of our infirmities;" — and 
 "ever liveth to make intercession" for his people. 
 
 6 John xiv, 6. 
 
 7 " Die dominico jejunium nefas ducimus." Tertull. de Corona 
 Mil. cap. 3. 8 Isa, xxv, 6. 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 89 
 
 4. Immediately connected with the duty of public 
 worship, is the blessing of Christian communion. 
 Ours is not the religion of hermits. It is distinguish- 
 ed by a social character. It is enlivened by the in- 
 fluence of that pure love which cements together all 
 the members of the body of Christ, (whatsoever their 
 name or mode of worship,) under one Holy Head. 
 Next to the grace of God, there is nothing by which 
 we are so much assisted in our Christian course, as by 
 the " unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace." Now 
 during the course of their daily temporal engage- 
 ments, Christians are of necessity much separated 
 from each other; and are left to pursue, as God en- 
 ables them, their individual course of duty. But the 
 sabbath-day calls them together in companies, " with 
 one accord in one place." And then for a time all 
 outward distinctions amongst them are profitably for- 
 gotten. Male and female, parent and child, master 
 and servant, meet before God on common principles. 
 They are animated by the same hope ; they are striv- 
 ing after the same inheritance ; they bow down as 
 unworthy sinners before the same God ; they confide 
 for acceptance in the same precious blood ; and thus 
 are they brought to feel that they are one in Christ 
 Jesus. 
 
 It must, I think, be evident to every one who is 
 acquainted with the course of this world, that were 
 it not for the constant recurrence of the sabbath-day, 
 our public worship would be curtailed and frustrated, 
 and our religious communion lamentably marred. In 
 such a case there is too much reason to believe that 
 the church of Christ would soon lose her distinctive 
 
90 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 marks ot devotion and charity, and the strength of 
 her chiUh'en be scattered and die away.^ 
 
 To the ministers of the gospel, under every name, 
 if they rightly perform their duty, the first day of the 
 week seldom fails to be one of considerable exertion. 
 Like the priests in the temple of Jerusalem who de- 
 filed the sabbath and were blameless, they are fully 
 justified in pursuing the labour of their calling, by 
 the holiness of the object to which it is directed. 
 Nor dare they do otherwise ; for every man who is 
 truly called into this sacred service can say M^ith the 
 apostle Paul " Woe is unto me if I preach not the 
 gospel."^ It ought, however, to be observed that the 
 sabbath-day has a tendency, in a subordinate point of 
 view, to convert every Christian into a minister of the 
 gospel ; for it becomes us all, if opportunity be af- 
 forded, to devote some portion of its hours to the 
 furtherance of the kingdom of Christ. The instruc- 
 tion of children in the Holy Scriptures is a duty in 
 which great numbers even of young persons are now 
 engaged on the sabbath-day ; and who can doubt that 
 these labours of love are abundantly blessed to them- 
 selves, as well as to the objects of their care ? 
 
 9 It is a most desirable practice adopted by many religious soci- 
 eties, to meet for the purpose of public worship at least once in the 
 course of the week, as well as on the sabbath. Although these 
 assemblies are the means of much edification, they are seldom 
 found to serve the purpose of congregational worship and commu- 
 nion, in then full extent. I believe that the persons who are the 
 most diligent in performing this Christian duty, are precisely those 
 who have the highest value for the sabbath-day. 
 
 1 I Cor. ix, 16. 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 91 
 
 Another duty of the same character devolves pecu- 
 h'arly on heads of families. It is that of collecting 
 their household together for the purpose of reading 
 the Bible to them, and (as far as ability is given) of 
 unfolding to their understanding, and impressing on 
 their hearts, its sacred contents. The social acts of 
 religion and worship ought indeed to find their place 
 in the daily order of every Christian family. But on 
 the evening of the sabbath, a longer time than usual 
 may often be devoted to this object ; nor ought we to 
 hesitate on such occasions to look beyond the limits 
 of our own families, and to seek the company of our 
 poor neighbours. The influence which during the 
 course of the week we are accustomed to exercise 
 over others for temporal purposes, ought on the sab- 
 bath-day to change its direction, and be applied with 
 an honest diligence to their spiritual good. If this 
 rule were universally observed, how extensive would 
 be its effect on the character and condition of society ! 
 
 Having thus considered those duties of the sabbath, 
 which are properly ranged under the head of worship, 
 I shall proceed to make a few remarks on another 
 branch of our subject. Those who believe that the 
 fourth commandment is obligatory on every Chris- 
 tian, are bound to acknowledge, that rest as well as 
 devotion is required of us on the sabbath-day. ^' In 
 it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor 
 thy daughter, thy man-sei^ant, nor thy maid-servant, 
 nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy 
 gates." Now, although the literal strictness of this 
 precept is materially softened by the influence of the 
 
9;^ 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 gospel, it must be obvious to every serious observer, 
 that its true meaning and spirit are far too much dis- 
 regarded in the present day. It is the destiny of man 
 that he shoukl earn his bread l)y the sweat of his 
 brow, and the sabbath is graciously bestowed upon 
 him as a relief to that destiny. His mental energy 
 and his bodily strength are to be renewed by its lei- 
 sure ; and (lod, who has thus bestowed upon man 
 the substantial blessing of a periodical cessation from 
 toil, has decreed the same privilege even to inferior 
 animals. While, therefore, we make an allowance 
 for temporal exigencies, and a still wider one for the 
 calls of devotion and charity, we ought, on the sab- 
 bath- day, to exercise great caution not to thwart the 
 benevolent purposes of our Creator, by unnecessarily 
 breaking the rest either of our servants, or of our 
 cattle. The domestic, on that day, should find his 
 business materially lessened ; the labourer should en- 
 joy, as far as possible, an uninterrupted rest ; and the 
 beast, which has served us faithfully during the week, 
 should not be deprived of his share of the general 
 repose. 
 
 Were the law of a gracious Creator in reference to 
 this point more carefully observed, the servants in 
 many families would be spared that labour on the 
 sabbath, which now too often prevents their attending 
 to any religious duty. Nor would our country be 
 any longer disgraced by the very prevalent jDractice of 
 both private and public travelling, on the day appoint- 
 ed, in the order of Providence, for public worship 
 and for the needful intermission of work. Many a 
 driver and ostler, who now knows no cessation from 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 9,3 
 
 his hourly activity, would then be found frequenting 
 his place of worship ; and many a poor animal which 
 now pants under the lash on the sabbath, would then 
 be permitted to recover strength for the ensuing six 
 days of inevitable labour. To extend our views to a 
 greater distance, — what a shameful rebellion against 
 the law of God, is the denial of a sahhath to our 
 colonial slaves ; and how deep the guilt of that na- 
 tion which permits the continuance of so impious a 
 cruelty ! 
 
 The appointment of every seventh day for repose 
 from labour, is calculated to remind us of the mild 
 and benevolent nature of the sabbatical law. There 
 is indeed no harshness in its genuine meaning ; and 
 while every thing, on that day, ought to be avoided 
 which has any tendency to produce a forgetfulness of 
 its duties, it is nevertheless true that one of its objects 
 is lawful refreshment. While we refrain from doing 
 our own pleasure, and turn away our foot from every 
 dissipating amusement, on God's holy day,^ we may 
 rest satisfied that the hour of relaxation, the retired 
 walk, and the calm contemplation of the beauties of 
 nature, are in just accordance with its character and 
 purpose. So long as they interfere with no duty of 
 worship or charity, and are enjoyed in the remembrance 
 of God, they are in themselves desirable, and consist 
 with the true spirit of the law. [See Appendix C] 
 
 It is of especial importance that a cheerful view of 
 the sabbath should be impressed on the minds of 
 children ; and that while the common course both of 
 their studies and their amusements is suspended, they 
 2 Isa. Iviii, 13. 
 
94 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 should be taught to regard it as a day of peculiar /lap- 
 plness. We must lead them onwards in their Chris- 
 tian course, with a gentle and alluring hand, and avail 
 ourselves of every recurring sabbath, for imbuing 
 them with a sense of the pleasures of religion. 
 
 Finally, it will not be irrelevant to remind the fer- 
 vent and devoted Christian, that the Lord of the sab- 
 bath has not appointed it as a period of arduous toil, 
 even in the pursuit of religion ; but rather as a day 
 of joyful commemoration, and of happv reviving 
 communion with Himself. Tranr[uillity and mode- 
 ration in the works of charity are desirable on the 
 sabbath, as well as diligence ; and whether we are 
 engaged in delivering the message of the gospel to 
 others, or in receiving those glad tidings, we can then 
 wear no better ornament than that of a meek and 
 cjuiet spirit. While, therefore, we pursue all the du- 
 ties of the day with zeal and fidelity, let us not forget 
 to enjoy the privilege of mental repose. Let us cul- 
 tivate a contemplative mind; and let us pray to be 
 made partakers of the "peace of God tvhich passeth 
 all understanding.''^ [See appendix Z).] 
 
 Having thus endeavoured to trace the private, the 
 social, and the public duties of the sabbath, and hav- 
 ing considered the institution in its double character 
 of a day of worship and a day of rest, we may now 
 conclude this little volume by remarking, that in both 
 these respects the sabbath is a type of heaven. The 
 apostle is evidently speaking of our final inheritance, 
 when, after alluding to the rest of God after the cre- 
 
 3 Phil, iv, 7. 
 
Coneltision. 
 
 95 
 
 ation, and to that of the Israelites in the promised 
 land, he adds, "There remaineth therefore a 7'est (or, 
 as in the Greek, the keeping of a sabhath-daij^) to the 
 people of God." 
 
 The sabbath is the significant means appointed in 
 the wisdom of Providence, not only for reminding us 
 of the past mercies of our God, but for keeping alive 
 our expectation of future and never-ending bliss. The 
 more watchful and diligent we are in making a right 
 use of this divine institution, the better shall we be 
 prepared for its fulfilment in the world to come. 
 There shall those who live and die in Jesus unite 
 with the whole church triumphant in pure and per- 
 petual WORSHIP. There shall they cease from their 
 sorrow, their conflict, and their labour; and enjoy in 
 the presence of their God and Saviour, a glorious 
 
 AND ETERNAL REST. 
 
 4 gct,j3^aTi0!Jt,hg, Heb.iv, 9. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 For the following Appendix I am indebted to Moses Stuart, the 
 well known American Biblical Critic, who published an edition 
 of my little work, a.d. 1833. 
 
 Appendix A. 
 
 The subject thus introduced by Mr. Gurney, deserves a still more 
 attentive consideration, on account of the many objections raised 
 against the strict observance of the sabbath, by an erroneous inter- 
 pretation of the passage which he has cited from the epistle to the 
 Colossians, and of another one in Rom. xiv, 5. The latter runs 
 thus : " One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteem- 
 eth every day alike; let every man be fully persuaded in his own 
 mind." On this I remark, 
 
 (1) That the apostle, as appears from the context, is evidently 
 contending against those who were imbued with Jewish supersti- 
 tions, and with zeal for the continued observance of the Mosaic 
 law. In the epistle to the Romans, this is perfectly clear; inas- 
 much as the context is occupied with the dispute respecting the 
 use of meats, &c. In the epistle to the Colossians it is equally 
 clear; inasmuch as the things enumerated in the very verse in 
 question, are things which pertain to the ritual of the Mosaic law. 
 The nature of the days mentioned, then, is to be judged of in a 
 manner that is accordant with the fact just stated. 
 
 (2) In the apostolic age, there prevailed a distinction between 
 the name of the first day of the week and of the seventh ; the 
 former was called Lord's day {fifi'i^a. ■/.D^iaxri ;) the latter, sabbath 
 (adlSjSarov ) So we have it in Rev. i, 10, "I was in the Spirit on 
 the Lord's day." So Ignatius (Epist. ad Magnes. about a.d. 101) 
 calls the first day of the week, the Lord's day (rriv -/.v^iaxriv,) the 
 day consecrated to the resurrection, the queen and prince of all 
 days. And again, in the same epistle : " Let every friend of Christ 
 
Appendix. 
 
 97 
 
 celebrate the Lord's day (rj^v xus/ax^v.") Tliat all the later Chris- 
 tian Fathers made the distinction just mentioned, need not be 
 proved to any one acquainted in any tolerable degree with the 
 ancient writers of the Christian church. " It was called the Lord's 
 day, because the Lord arose from the dead on this day," says Chry- 
 sostom, (and very truly,) in his commentary on Psalm cxix. It was 
 not until the party in the Christian church had become extinct, or 
 nearly so, who pleaded for the observance of the seventh day of 
 Jewish sabbath, as well as of the Lord's day, that the name sabbath 
 began to be given to the f.rst day of the week. 
 
 (3) In the ancient church, even from the first, there was a party 
 who kept the seventh day of the week, (i. e. the Jewish sabbath,) 
 as well as the first. Nothing could be more natural than for the 
 Judaizing Christians to insist upon this ; for as they were unwilling 
 to remit even any of the less important prescriptions of the ritual 
 law, how much more would they hold to the sacredness of the 
 Jewish sabbath? Theodoret {Hcerei. Fab. ii, i,) speaking of the 
 Ebioniles, i.e. a party of the Judaizing Christians, says, "They 
 keep the sabbath according to the Jewish law, and sanctify the 
 Lord's day in like manner as we do." This gives a good historical 
 view of the state of things, in the early ages of the church. More 
 or less of seventh day observance was practised, at length, in nearly 
 all the Greek and Latin churches ; in the former this day was kept 
 as a festival, in the latter as a fast. As superstition increased, 
 matters came at length to such a pass, that the council of Laodicea 
 (about A.D. 350) were obliged to make a decree, that Christians 
 should not refrain from labour on the seventh day or the sabbath. 
 Their words are, " It is not proper for Christians to Judaize, and to 
 cease from labour on the sabbath [seventh day ;] but they ought 
 to work on this day; and to put especial honour (crooT/.aSi'i-sc) upon 
 the Lord's day, by refraining from labour as Christians. If any 
 one be found Judaizing, let him be anathematized," &c. Can. xxix. 
 See Bingham's Ecc. Antiq. v, p. 286. 
 
 (4) With such facts in view, nothing is easier than to explain 
 the passages above quoted from the epistles of Paul. The zealots 
 for the law wished the Jewish sabbath to be observed, as well as 
 the Lord's day ; for about the latter there appears never to have 
 been any question among any class of the early Christians, so far 
 as I have been able to discover. Even the Ebionites, as we have 
 seen, kept the Lord's day. But Paul did not believe that Chris- 
 tians were bound to observe the Jewish sabbath. Still, he did not 
 
 VOL. II. II 
 
98 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 wish those to be opposed and contradicted, who were zealous for 
 this usage. " Let each one be fully persuaded in his own mind," 
 said he, i.e. " Let each one act, in this respect, as his own con- 
 science shall judge best. I do not forbid him to keep the seventh 
 day ; nor can I enjoin upon him to keep it." 
 
 That the early Christians never understood Paul as renouncing 
 the observance of the Christian sabbath, is sufficiently manifest 
 from the fact, that one and all of them held the first day of the 
 week to be sacred. As Lord's day was the universal appellation 
 of this, in the early ages, so there was no danger of their misap- 
 prehending Paul, (as many in modern times have done,) when he 
 spoke of the sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come. In- 
 deed this last expression shews that Jewish sabbaths must have been 
 meant ; for the things to come are those things which belong to 
 the gospel dispensation, i. e. the things yet future, while the ob- 
 servance of the ritual law was in full force : see Heb. x, 1. 
 
 These considerations make it plain, how much the two texts in 
 question have been misinterpreted, when they have been explained 
 as meaning, that under the Christian dispensation the sabbath is a 
 matter of indifference, which is wholly left to the private judgment 
 of each individual. That such was the case in regard to the Jew- 
 ish or seventh-day sabbath, is indeed very clear. Moreover, be- 
 cause Paul did not expressly decide against the keeping of this, 
 the practice of it was continued by Christians, who were jealous 
 for the honour of the Mosaic law, and finally became, as we have 
 seen, predominant throughout Christendom. It was supposed, at 
 length, that the fourth commandment did require the observance 
 of the seventh-day sabbath (not merely a seventh part of time ;) 
 and, reasoning as Christians of the present day are wont to do, viz. 
 that all which belonged to the ten commandments was immutable 
 and perpetual, the churches in general came gradually to regard 
 the seventh-day sabbath as altogether sacred. But amidst all this 
 mistaken reasoning and usage, (which as we have seen) the Coun- 
 cil of Laodicea felt themselves bound to correct, I find no traces of 
 a doubt raised, whether the Lord's day, i. e. the first day of the 
 week, was to be kept sacred. The testimony of Pliny in a.d. 107, 
 that " Christians [as those whom he examined, declared] were ac- 
 customed to meet together stato die, on a stated day;" the testi- 
 mony of Ignatius (a.d. 101,) above cited, viz. that the first day of 
 the week was " the Lord's day, resurrection-day (amardeifiov ,) the 
 (pieen and prince of ail days;" and also his exhortation, "Let 
 
Appendix. 
 
 99 
 
 every friend of Christ celebrate the Lords day," (k^ra^eru tk? fiXo- 
 X,§ierog TTiV sc. nf^s^av;) added to that of John, " that lie was 
 
 in the Spirit on the Lord's day," and to that of the epistle of Bar- 
 nabas (which belongs to the apostolic age,) viz. that Christians 
 " keep the eighth day [i. e. the first day of the week] as a joyful 
 holy day ;" these testimonies confirm beyond all reasonable doubt 
 the fact, that the observance, and the special religious observance, 
 of the Lord's day was practised by Christians, and by all of every 
 sect and name, from the very age of the apostles. Nothing can be 
 more erroneous than to represent the ancient church as halting or 
 divided about the observance of the resurrection-day , i. e. the first 
 day of the week. It was about the seventh day or Jewish sabbath, 
 that all the disputes arose which were of a sabbatical nature. 
 
 But conceding the point, that the frst day of the week has been 
 kept by Christians, from the apostolic age, as a day sacred to social 
 worship, still, is there any good evidence that this day was regard- 
 ed in such a way as the Jewish sabbath had been, and that it was 
 kept with any thing like the same degree of strictness ? Our next 
 note will throw some light on these questions. 
 
 Appendix B. 
 
 The important testimony of Eusebius, (fl. 320,) in the time of 
 Constantine, has been unaccountably overlooked, by all the patris- 
 tical investigators whom I have been yet able to consult. It is 
 contained in his Commentary on the Psalms, which is printed in 
 Montfaucon's Collectio Nova Patrum ; and some of it is exceed- 
 ingly to our purpose, and withal very explicit. 
 
 In commenting on Psalm xxi, 30, (xxii, 29, in our English ver- 
 sion) he says, " On each day of our Saviour's resurrection, [i. e. 
 every first day of the week,] which is called Lord's day, we may 
 see those who partake of the consecrated food and that body [of 
 Christ] which has a saving efficacy, after the eating of it, bowing 
 down to him :" pp. 85, 86. 
 
 Again, on Psalm xlv, 6, (xlvi, 5) he says, " I think that he [the 
 Psalmist] describes the morning assemblies, in which we are ac- 
 customed to convene throughout the world:" p. 195. 
 
 On Psalm Iviii, 17, (lix, 16) he says, " By this is prophetically 
 signified, the service which is performed very early and every morn- 
 ing of the resurrection-day [i.e. the first day of the week] through- 
 out the whole world :" p. 272. 
 
 H 2 
 
100 
 
 Appeiidia:. 
 
 But by far the most important passage of all, remains to be ad- 
 duced. It is in his commentary on Psalm xci, (xcii) which is 
 entitled, A psalm or song for the sabbath-day. He begins his 
 commentary by stating, that the patriarchs had not the legal Jewish 
 sabbath ; but still, " given to the contemplation of divine things, 
 and meditatiiig day and night upon the divine word, they spent 
 holy sabbaths which were acceptable to God." Then, observing 
 that the Psalm before him has reference to a sabbath, he refers it 
 to the Lord's day, and says, that " it exhorts to those things which 
 are to be done on resurrection-day." He then states the precept 
 respecting the sabbath, as addressed originally to the Jews, and 
 that they often violated it. After which he thus proceeds, " Where- 
 fore as they rejected it [the sabbatical command] the Word, 
 [Christ] by the New Covenant, translated and transferred 
 THE FEAST OF THE SABBATH to the tuoming light, and gave us 
 the symbol of true rest, viz. the saving Lord's day, the first 
 [day] of the light, in which the Saviour of the world, after all his 
 labours among men, obtained the victory over death, and passed 
 the portals of heaven, having achieved a work superior to the six 
 
 days' creation On this day, which is the first [day] of light 
 
 and of the true Sun, we assemble, after an interval of six days, 
 and celebrate holy and spiritual sabbaths, even all nations 
 redeemed by him throughout the world, and do those tiiikgs 
 according to the spiritual law, which were decreed for the 
 priests to do on the sabbath ; for vie make spiritual offerings and 
 sacrifices, which are called sacrifices of praise and rejoicing; we 
 make incense of a good odour to ascend, as it is said, ' Let my 
 prayer come up before thee as incense,' Yea, we also present the 
 shew-bread, reviving the remembrance of our salvation, the blood 
 of sprinkling, which is of the Lamb of God, who taketh away the 
 
 sins of the world, and which purifies our souls Moreover we 
 
 are diligent to do zealously, on that day, the things enjoined in 
 this Psalm ; by word and work making confession to the Lord, and 
 singing in the name of the Most High. In the morning also, with 
 the first rising of our light, we proclaim the mercy of God toward 
 us ; also his truth by night, exhibiting a sober and chaste demeanour; 
 
 AND ALL things WHATSOEVER THAT IT WAS DUTY TO DO ON THE 
 
 sabbath [Jewish seventh day] THESE WE HAVE TRANS- 
 FERRED TO THE LORD'S DAY, as more appropriately be- 
 longing to it, because it has a precedence and is first in rank, 
 
 AND MORE HONOURABLE THAN THE JeWISH SABBATH. For On 
 
Apj)endix. 
 
 101 
 
 that day, in making the world, 'God said. Let there be light, and 
 there was light;' and on the same day, the Sun of righteousness 
 arose upon our souls. Wherefore it is delivered to us, 
 [vu^aMoTai, it is handed down by tradition,] that we should 
 MEET TOGETHER ON THIS DAY ; and it is Ordered that we should 
 do those things announced in this Psalm." 
 
 After some interval, he speaks again of the title to the Psalm, 
 and says, that it does not so much respect the Jewish sabbath, for 
 " it signifies the Lord's day and the resurrection-day , as we have 
 proved in other places." " This scripture teaches, [that we are to 
 spend the Lord's day,] in leisure for religious exercises {tZv '^iluv 
 ae-Zieiuv ,) and in cessation and vacation, from all bodily 
 and mortal works, which the scripture calls sabbath and rest." 
 
 This testimony is so full, so ample, so express, as to supersede 
 all necessity for comment. It touches both public worship and 
 private demeanour. It expressly declares, that the usages of the 
 Jewish sabbath (so far as the nature of the case will permit) are 
 transferred to the Christian sabbath ; that Christ himself made 
 this transfer ; that Christians are to abstain from all bodily labour 
 on the Lord's day ; and that they should honour it above all other 
 days, by spiritual offerings and works of piety. 
 
 Let it be remembered, now, that this testimony comes from the 
 ancient historian of the Christian church, who had searched more 
 thoroughly into its usages and antiquities, than any other man in 
 the early ages. It comes, moreover, from no bigot. Eusebius was 
 himself a man of an enlightened and vigorous mind, and very little 
 influenced by superstition. 
 
 When all these things are put together, and it is remembered 
 that he repeatedly asserts the keeping of the Lord's day throughout 
 the Christian world, how can any fair-minded man well doubt, 
 whether the Christians of old kept this day sacred, and kept it so as 
 not only to vie with, but to outdo the Jews, in all the spiritual and 
 holy duties of its consecrated hours? 
 
 When we are called upon, then, to give reasons why we keep the 
 first day of the week holy ; our answer is, that we follow the exam- 
 ple of the apostles and early Christians. We conform to a practice, 
 which is in itself reasonable, inasmuch as Christ rose upon this day ; 
 and which was sanctioned so far as we can trace, by all Christians 
 for many centuries. And if we are further asked, how we can 
 build the sanctity of the sabbath on the fourth commandment, and 
 yet not keep the seventh day of the week, which that enjoins to be 
 
102 
 
 Appendix. 
 
 kept; my answer would be, that we build on the fourth command- 
 ment nothing more than what may be deduced from the fact, that 
 it was a republication of the original law respecting the sabbath, 
 which was first sanctioned at the beginning of the world, and adapt- 
 ed to all the human race. One seventh part of the time is the 
 essence of this command. The particular day may depend on 
 circumstances, and cannot be essential. It is important, however, 
 that Christians should be agreed as to the day ; and nothing better 
 than the ancient usage of the church can be suggested or adopted. 
 
 One thing appears altogether certain to my mind, viz, that where 
 there is no sabbath, there will be no Christianity ; and where the 
 sabbath is not strictly kept, fervent piety, like that of the primitive 
 age of the church, may be looked for in vain. 
 
 Appendix C. 
 
 No valid objections can be made to the really retired walk, for 
 the sake of contemplation and bodily refreshment, which the writer 
 here allows. But all walking in company, in public roads or 
 places, or where one is exposed to the public eye, is to be carefully 
 shunned; inasmuch as it cannot answer the purposes of religious 
 contemplation, and it will most certainly be misconstrued by the 
 world. 
 
 Appendix D. 
 
 I have no doubt that the meaning of the writer here is good ; for 
 the preceding paragraphs show, that he is far from supposing that 
 the sabbath is to be a day for the indulgence of idleness. Yet 
 arduous toil must come upon the ministers of the gospel on this 
 day ; yea, upon all teachers of religion to any considerable extent. 
 In times like the present, who is there even among private Chris- 
 tians, who (I mean) that is well informed and able to teach, that 
 should not think himself bound to labour for the advancement of 
 the true interests of religion ? When the success of the gospel, like 
 that in the primitive ages of Christianity, shall again bless a perish- 
 ing world, it will come in intimate connection with efforts and de- 
 votedness like those of the early Christians. The Millennium itself 
 will come, whenever all Christians shall pray, and labour, and 
 teach, and give their property to promote the interests of the church, 
 as the primitive disciples of Jesus did. 
 
GUIDE 
 
 TO THE 
 
 INSTRUCTION OF YOUNG PERSONS 
 
 IN THE 
 INCH DING 
 
 THE LOCK AND KEY, 
 
 OR 
 
 PASSAGES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, WHICH TESTIFY OF JESUS CHRIST, 
 EXPLAINED EY OTHERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
GUIDE. 
 
 Timothy was commended by <in apostle because, from 
 a child, he had known the Holy Scriptures, which are 
 able to make wise unto salvation, through faith in 
 Jesus Christ. And it is surely the indispensable duty 
 of parents and schoolmasters not only to accustom 
 their children or pupils to the reading and hearing of 
 the best of all books, but to train them in the know- 
 ledge of it- In order to this end, their own faculties 
 must be excited to action : they must be tanght to 
 search the Scriptures /or themselves. 
 
 An individual, much interested in this subject, was 
 engaged, about ten years ago, in visiting a large public 
 school ; and although the children daily heard a por- 
 tion of the Scriptures, he found them, on close exami- 
 nation, very ignorant of their contents. After all of 
 them who could read the Bible had been provided 
 with a copy of it, he left with them the proposition 
 which forms the first part of the present little Tract, 
 and promised to come again to them, after a certain 
 period, in order to examine them on the plan marked 
 out in it. The result was, in a high degree, satisfac- 
 tory. The children, who understood that they would 
 be rewarded according to their proficiency, (provided 
 their conduct should correspond with their knowledge,) 
 set themselves assiduously to work, applying to this 
 
106 Guide to the Instruction 
 
 purpose parts of their play hours, and much of the 
 Sahbath day. At the end of a year, the second exami- 
 nation took place ; and it might be truly said that the 
 face of the school was changed. The children had 
 obtained a varied and extensive knowledge of Scrip- 
 ture ; and it was the united testimony of their teach- 
 ers, that their conduct and general demeanour was in 
 consequence much improved. Indeed a blessing seem- 
 ed to have rested, in connection with this Christian 
 undertaking, both on the pupils and on their instruc- 
 tors. The same system has been continued in the 
 school alluded to, up to the present period ; and, after 
 so long experience, the value of the tree has been 
 amply evinced by the abundance of its fruit. 
 
 It ought to be observed, that the efforts of the chil- 
 dren are greatly assisted by the tutors, each of whom 
 superintends, during an hour or two on the Sabbath 
 day, a class for Scripture instruction ; and they are 
 in the almost daily habit, after the Scriptures have 
 been read to the children, of questioning them on that 
 which they have heard. 
 
 The same plan has been since introduced into many 
 other schools, wath good effect ; and it is equally 
 applicable to families of children educated at home. 
 May all who have the care of children be diligent in 
 communicating to them the knowledge of divine truth, 
 and thus sowing the seed of the kingdom. As their 
 dependence is entirely placed on the Lord, and on 
 the work of his Spirit, there is reason to believe, that 
 they may safely expect his blessing, and that the har- 
 vest will, in due time, be abundant. 
 
of Young Persons. 
 
 107 
 
 r K C) P O S I T I O IN 
 
 Fon 
 
 THE EXAMINATION OF YOUNG PERSONS 
 
 IN 
 
 l^olji ^trtptures. 
 
 The PuriLS are expected to be acquainted — 
 
 I. With the Books of the Bible. — They must be able to state 
 the order of these books; their principal contents; and the names 
 of their authors, if known ; and they must be able to repeat some 
 of the most striking passages. 
 
 II. With the History of the Bible. — They must make them- 
 selves acquainted with the most interesting and important circum- 
 stances recorded in the Bible, from the History of the Creation to 
 that of the apostles ; and they must be able to explain in what 
 respects they display the Providence of God, the happiness of the 
 righteous, and the misery of the wicked. 
 
 III. With the Types and Prophecies of the Bible. — The Pupils 
 must be able to point out and explain the most important types, 
 and all the principal prophecies, which relate to our Lord and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ ; and they must be conversant with the pas- 
 sages in the New Testament, in which some of the types and pro- 
 phecies are so applied by our Lord himself, or by his disciples. 
 
 IV. With the Doctrines of the Bible. — They must be able to 
 point out the most striking passages in Holy Writ, which prove or 
 elucidate the Love, Power, Wisdom, Justice, Moral Government, 
 and Omnipresence of the Almighty ; the fall, and natural corrup- 
 tion of man ; the Divine Character of Jesus Christ ; and Redemp- 
 tion which He wrought for us — 
 
 1. In dying for our sins ; 
 
 2. In saving us from sin, tlius procuring for us eternal life — 
 
 the offices and operations of the Holy Spirit ; the difference be- 
 tween the Old and New Dispensations — the one, legal, typical, 
 
108 
 
 Guide to the Instruction 
 
 and administered by priests on earth; the other, spiritual, and ad- 
 ministered by our great High Priest in heaven ; the existence of a 
 future state of happiness or misery ; the final judgment of men by 
 Jesus Christ ; the fruits of the Spirit — 
 
 1. Humility and contrition of mind ; 
 
 2. Faith ; 
 
 3. Charity or Love ; 
 
 4. Meekness, Forbearance, and Forgiveness; 
 
 5. Purity of Heart ; . i 
 
 6. Watchfulness; 
 
 7. Prayer; 
 
 8. Honesty, Integrity, and Truth; 
 
 9. Patience, and willingness to suffer for Christ's sake; 
 1 0. Temperance ; 
 
 1 1. Subjection to human authorities ; 
 
 12. The sacrifice of our natural inclinations, the taking up of our cross, 
 and the dedication of ourselves to God. 
 
 THE LOCK AND KEY. 
 
 It appears to be a clear and undeniable position, that 
 the actual knowledge of the future is an attribute pe- 
 culiar to the Divine Being. No one, who admits the 
 existence of the one God, will refuse to allow that, in 
 point of both knowledge and power, he is placed at 
 an infinite distance above all his creatures — that, while 
 he regulates the course of events according to his own 
 will, none of those creatures are his counsellors, and 
 none of them are capable of penetrating his secret de- 
 signs and intentions. From these premises it follows, 
 that all prophecies, which, by their exact fulfilment, 
 are proved to have proceeded, not from intellectual 
 sagacity and human conjecture, but from actual fore- 
 
of Young Persons. 109 
 
 knowledge, must have been inspired, or dictated by 
 the Almighty himself; and further, that the religion 
 which is attested by such prophecies is a divinely au- 
 thorized religion. 
 
 That Christianity is attested by true prophecies, is 
 a fact capable of easy proof. Our Lord Jesus Christ 
 himself was a prophet, and, during his conversation 
 among men, accurately predicted a variety of events, 
 which were then future ; especially his own death and 
 resurrection, and the circumstances by which they were 
 to be attended ; the outpouring of the Holy Ghost ; 
 and the approaching sufferings of the Jews, with the 
 destruction of their city and temple. But, perhaps 
 the most striking prophecies, which attest the truth of 
 Christianity, are those contained in the Old Testa- 
 ment, and relating to our Saviour himself. The writ- 
 ings of the Hebrew prophets are replete with the 
 promises of a great spiritual deliverer, denominated 
 the Messiah, who was appointed to appear in the 
 world at a certain period declared by the prophet 
 Daniel. In various parts of these writings (composed 
 as they were by a number of unconnected persons, 
 living at different periods) it is predicted that this 
 long-expected deliverer should arise, according to the 
 flesh, of the seed of Abraham,^ and from the family of 
 David ; ^ that he should be born miraculously of a vir- 
 gin ;^ that his birth-place should be Bethlehem ;^ that 
 his outward situation should be of a very humble de- 
 scription ;^ that he should be engaged in proclaiming 
 
 1 Gen. xxii, 18. 2 Jsa. xi, 1 ; Jer. xxiii, 5. 
 
 3 Isa. vii, 14. * Mic. v, 2. 5 Isa. liii, 2. 
 
110 
 
 Guide to the Instruction 
 
 glad tidings, and in relieving the sufferings of mortal- 
 ity;^ that his character should be distinguished for 
 gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, and all righteous- 
 ness;'' that, nevertheless, the Jews would refuse to 
 believe in him ;^ that he should be despised, rejected, 
 and persecuted of men ;^ that he should be betrayed 
 by one of his familiar friends, and that his followers 
 should be scattered from him ;^ that he should be led 
 as a lamb to the slaughter, and be as a sheep dumb 
 before his shearers ;2 that he should be cut off, yet 
 not for himself;^ that his body should not see corrup- 
 tion, nor his life be left in the grave ;"* finally, that he 
 should ascend into heaven ;^ and that he should exer- 
 cise a universal and never-ending government over 
 mankind.'* In addition to these leading facts, there 
 are predicted, in the Old Testament, a number of 
 minor particulars respecting the life and death of the 
 Messiah; and, to complete their wonderful statements, 
 the prophets, whilst they depict the circumstances of 
 his human nature, and especially his many humiliating 
 sufferings, describe him nevertheless as one possessing 
 the name and character of Jehovah himself.^ 
 
 At the time appointed for the appearance of the 
 Messiah, Jesus was born of the seed of Abraham, of 
 the family of David, at Bethlehem, of a virgin. We 
 
 6 Isa. Ixi, 1. 7 Isa. xi, 4 — 6; xliii, 1 — 3. 8 Isa. liii, 1. 
 
 9 Isa. liii, 3, 4; Psa. xxii. 
 1 Psa. xli, 9; Zech. xiii, 7. 2 isa, liii, 7. 
 
 3 Dan. ix, 26. 4 Psa. xvi, 10. s Psa. Ixviii, 18. 
 
 6 Psa. Ixxii, 8 ; Isa. ix, 7 ; Dan. vii, 14. 
 
 7 Psa. xlv, 6 ; Isa. vii, 14 ; ix, 6 ; xxxv, 4 ; xl, 3, 10, 1 1 ; Jer. 
 xxiii, 5; Zech. ii, 10 — 13; Mal. iii, 1. 
 
of Young Persons. 1 1 1 
 
 find him living in an humble outward condition — 
 engaged in preaching the gospel, in healing the sick, 
 and in relieving every species of bodily and mental 
 distress — meek, gentle, kind, faithful, and fulfilling 
 all righteousness — not believed in by the Jews — de- 
 spised, rejected, and persecuted of men — betrayed by 
 his familiar friend — forsaken in the hour of trial by 
 all his followers — led as a lamb to the slaughter — 
 dumb in the presence of his persecutors — cut off, but 
 not for himself — rising from the dead — ascending into 
 heaven, and assuming a spiritual government over 
 men — fulfilling, in his own character and circum- 
 stances, a variety of minor particulars — and all these 
 things in precise accordance with the predictions of the 
 Old Testament. More particularly, in the midst of 
 his humiliations and distresses, and notwithstanding 
 the lowdiness and piety of his human character, we 
 find him, in agreement with those predictions, receiv- 
 ing the homage, asserting the character, displaying 
 the powers, and described by the titles, which apper- 
 tain to Jehovah himself.^ 
 
 When a lock and key precisely correspond, though 
 they be of a simple character, a presumption arises 
 that they were intended for one another. When, in- 
 stead of being formed in a simple manner, they are 
 respectively complex and curiously wrought in differ- 
 ent directions, and nevertheless correspond ; such a 
 
 8 Matt, xiv, 33; John xx, 28, 29; Matt, ix, 2—6; xii, 6, 8; 
 xviii, 20; Johnv, 21— 23; x, 28— 30 ; xiv, 9, 23 ; xvi, 7; Rev. 
 ii, 23; Matt, viii, 3, 8 — 13; comp. Acts ix, 34; Luke viii, 24; 
 Matt, xii, 25; John xvi, 19, 30; comp. John i, 1 ; Rev. ii, 23; 
 John XX, 22; Rom. ix, 5; Rev. xix, 16. 
 
112 Guide to Young Persons. 
 
 presumption is exceedingly strengthened. But when 
 the lock is not only complex and curiously wrought, 
 but contains such an extraordinary and wonderful 
 combination of parts, as to be absolutely sui generis, 
 and without parallel ; when, among all the keys in 
 the world, none present even a slight approach to a 
 correspondent conformation, except one ; and by that 
 the lock is easily and exactly fitted — then, surely, is 
 all doubt on the subject discarded ; and it becomes a 
 moral certainty that the lock and key proceeded from 
 the same master-hand, and truly appertain to each 
 other. Now this is a familiar, but precise, represen- 
 tation of the evidence afforded by a comparison 
 between the Old and New Testaments, that the pro- 
 phecies concerning Jesus Christ were true prophecies; 
 that they were inspired by an omniscient God ; and, 
 therefore, that the religion which they attest, is a 
 religion of divine origin. 
 
Guide to Young Persons. 
 
 J13 
 
 PASSAGES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, 
 
 WHICH TESTIFY OK JESUS CHRIST, 
 
 EXPLAINED BY OTHERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 Gen. iii, 15 
 
 xxii, Ifi, IS 
 
 xxvi, 2, 4 
 
 xlix, 10 
 
 Numb, xxiv, 15-19 
 Deut. xviii, 15, 18 
 
 Job xix, 23, 27 
 
 Psa. ii, 1, 2 
 
 ii, 6, 8 
 
 viii, 4-G 
 
 xvi, 8-11 
 
 xxii, 1-S, IG, 18 
 
 xl, e-8 
 
 xli, t), Iv, 12-15 
 
 xlv, 1-7 
 
 Ixviii, IS, 19 
 
 Ixix, 21 
 
 Ixxii 
 
 Ixxxix, 19-29 
 
 xcvii, 1-7 
 
 xcviii, 7-9 
 
 cx, 1-4 
 
 cxviii, 22, 23 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 " Searcli the Scriptures — for they are 
 llieywliicll testify of me :" John v,:i9. 
 
 Victory of Christ over Satan 
 
 All nations blessed in Clirist 
 
 Tlie coming of Sliiloh or Christ, 
 and the gatliering of the 
 people to him 
 
 Christ, the Star out of Jacob 
 
 Christ, the Prophet like unto 
 Moses 
 
 Christ tlie Redeemer shall stand 
 in tlie hitter days upon the 
 earth 
 
 Christ conspired against by tlie 
 Rulers 
 
 Christ, the Son of God, raised 
 from the dead to be a King 
 
 All things made subject to 
 Christ 
 
 The Resurrection of Christ 
 
 The sufferings of Christ 
 
 C'lirist come to do the will of 
 God 
 
 Christ betrayed by Judas Isca- 
 riot 
 
 The kingdom and deity of 
 Christ 
 
 Christ, the author of spiritual 
 gifts 
 
 Gall given to Christ for drink 
 Spiritual dominion of Christ 
 Tlie same subject 
 Christ coming to Judgment 
 
 Christ, the Lord of David, and 
 a Priest for ever 
 
 Christ, the stone refused by 
 the builders 
 
 K EW TESTAMENT. 
 
 1 John iii, 8, Heb. ii, 
 14, Gal. iv, 4, 5 
 
 Gal. iii, 8, 16, comp. 
 Psa. Ixxii, 17 
 
 Luke i, 30-33, John 
 xii, 32 
 
 Rev. xxii, IG 
 Acts iii, 20-22 
 
 Phil, iii, 20, 21 
 
 Acts iv, 25, 28 
 
 Acts xiii, 33 
 
 Ileb. ii, C-9 
 
 Acts ii, 25-32 
 Matt, xxvii, 35-lG 
 Heb. X, 5-10 
 
 John xiii, 21- 30, Acts 
 
 i, IG, 17 
 
 Heb. i, 8, 9, comp. 
 Rom. ix, 5 
 
 Eph. iv, 8, 11, 12 
 
 Matt, xxvi, 34, 48 
 
 Eph. i, 20-23 
 
 Col. i, 15-19 
 
 Matt. xxiv, 29-31, xxv, 
 31-40 
 
 Matt, xxii, 41-40, lUb. 
 V, 5, G, vi, 19, 20 
 
 Matt, xxi, 42-44, Eph. 
 
 ii, 19-22 
 
 I 
 
114 
 
 Guide to the Instruction 
 
 OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 '* Search tlie Scriptures — for they are 
 they which testifyof me;'* Johnv, 39- 
 
 NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 Piov. viii, 23-36 
 
 Christ, the Wisdom of Godi 
 with the Father in the be- 
 ginning 
 
 1 Cor. i, 24, John i, 1, 
 John xvii, 5 
 
 — — XXX, 4 
 
 Christ, the Son of God 
 
 Matt, xvii, 5 
 
 Isa. ii, 1-5, and Mic. 
 
 iv, 1-4 
 
 Conversion of the Gentiles to 
 faith in Christ 
 
 John X, 16, Acts xxviii, 
 28 
 
 vi, 14 
 
 Christ born of'a virgin 
 
 Matt, i, 20-23 
 
 viii, 13, 14 
 
 Christ, a stumbling stone to the 
 unbelieving Jews 
 
 Rom. ix, 33, 1 Pet. ii, 
 
 7, 8 
 
 ix, 6, 7 
 
 Christ, the Child born unto us 
 
 Luke ii, 10-14 
 
 , xi, 1-10 
 
 Christ, the branch out of the 
 root of Jesse 
 
 Acts xiii, 20-23 
 
 xxviii, IG 
 
 Christ, the chief corner stone 
 
 1 Pet. ii, 3-6 
 
 xxxii, 1-3 
 
 Christ, the Prince of his people 
 
 Acts V, 31 
 
 . xxxiv, 1-10 
 
 Christ, in the day of wrath 
 
 Rev. vi, 12-17 
 
 . XXXV, 3—6 
 
 The Miracles of Christ 
 
 Matt, xi, 2-6 
 
 xl, 3-5 
 
 John, the forerunner of Christ 
 
 Matt, iii, 1-3, Mark i, 
 3, 4 
 
 xlii, 1-7 
 
 Humility of Christ, and con- 
 version of the Gentiles 
 
 xxvi, 22, 23 
 
 xlv, 22-25 
 
 Power and glory of Christ 
 
 Rnm yIv Irt 1 *> Phil 
 
 ii, 9-11 
 
 . xlix, 5-12 
 
 C/Urist, the Ligiit oi tne oen- 
 tiles, and the Saviour of the 
 world 
 
 Acts xiii, 44—49 
 
 liii, 1_3 
 
 Christ not believed in, and re- 
 jected by the Jews 
 
 John xii, 37, 38 
 
 liiij 4-12 
 
 Sutferingsand sacrificeof Christ 
 for the sake of men 
 
 Acts viii, 2G-35, 1 Pet. 
 ii, 21-25 
 
 • iv, 1-5 
 
 Living water or the Holy Spirit 
 given through Christ 
 
 John iv, 10-14, Rev. 
 xxii, 16, 17 
 
 Ix, 18-22 
 
 Christ, the glory of his Church 
 
 Rev. xxi, 23-27 
 
 Ki, 1-3 
 
 Christ anointed by the Spirit 
 
 Luke iv, 16-21, Matt, 
 iii, 16, 17 
 
 Ixiii, 1-6 
 
 Christ punishing his enemies 
 
 Rev. xix, 11-16 
 
 Jer. xxiii, 5-6 
 
 Christ our Righteousness, rais- 
 ed up to save his people 
 
 ljUKe 1, iit — iOy 1 i/or. 
 i, 30, 2 Cor. v, 21 
 
 xxxi, 31-44 
 
 The spiritual nature of the 
 Christian dispensation 
 
 Heb. viii, 6-13 
 
 Ezek. xxxiv, 20-31 
 
 . XXVll, .24— .io 
 
 Christ, under the character of 
 David, described as our Shep- 
 herd 
 
 John x, 11-16, 1 Pet. 
 
 ii, 25 
 
 xxxvi, 25-28 
 
 A new heart given to the peo- 
 ple of God, that is, to be- 
 lievers in Christ 
 
 1 Cor. vi, 9-11, Epk. 
 iv, 20-24 
 
 Dan. ii, 44, 45 
 
 Kingdom of Christ prevailing 
 over all other powers 
 
 Matt, iii, 2, John xviii, 
 36, Eph. i, 20-23 
 

 
 of Young Persons. 
 
 115 
 
 OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 «' Search the Scriptures— for they are 
 they wliich testily of me :" John v, 39. 
 
 
 Dan. iii 
 
 24, 25 
 
 Cliiist, the Son of God, ever 
 present with his people 
 
 Matt, xviii, 20, xxviii, 
 20, comp. Isa. xliii, 
 1. 2 
 
 vii 
 
 13, 14 
 
 Dominion & Majesty of Christ, 
 the Son of Man 
 
 Malt, xxvi, 64, xxviii, 
 18, Rev. i, 5-8 
 
 IX, 
 
 25-27 
 
 The time which was appointed 
 for the coining of Christ 
 
 1 Pet. i, 20, 21 
 
 xii 
 
 1-3 
 
 Coming of Christ in Judgment, 
 and Resurrection of the Dead 
 
 Matt, xiii, 40-43, xiv, 
 29-31, Rev. xx, Il- 
 ls 
 
 Acts ii, 1-21 
 
 Joel ii, 
 
 28-32 
 
 Effusion of the Holy Spirit after 
 the ascension of Clirist 
 
 Jonali i, 
 
 17 
 
 Jonah in the whale's belly, pre- 
 figuring Christ in the grave 
 
 Matt, xii, 38-40 
 
 Miculi V 
 
 , 2-4 
 
 Christ born at Bethlehem 
 
 Matt, ii, 3-C, Luke, ii, 
 4-7 
 
 Hag. ii. 
 
 0-0 
 
 Christ, the desire of all nations, 
 appeared in the second temple 
 
 Luke ii, 25-32, comp. 
 Gen. xxii, 18, xlix, 10. 
 
 Zcch. ii 
 
 10-13 
 
 Christ, the LORD, manifested 
 in the flesli, and dwelling 
 with his people 
 
 John i, 14, 1 Tim. iii, 
 IG 
 
 ix, 
 
 9, 10 
 
 The entry of Christ into Jeru- 
 salem, upon an ass 
 
 Matt, xxi, 1-9 
 
 V, 
 
 11 
 
 The blood of Christ's Covenant 
 delivers from the bondage 
 of sin 
 
 Col. il 12-14, Eph. ii, 
 13 
 
 xii 
 
 
 The people mourn for Christ, 
 whom tliey have pierced 
 
 John xix, 33—37, Rev. 
 
 xiii, 7 
 
 The fellowship of Christ with 
 the Father. The Shepherd 
 smitten, and flock scattered 
 
 John xvii, 21, Matt, 
 xxvi, 31-50 
 
 Mai. iii, 
 
 1 
 
 John, the forerunner of Christ 
 
 Mark i, 2-4 
 
 iii, 
 
 2, 3 
 
 The Spirit of Christ powerful 
 to redeem from sin 
 
 Matt, iii, 11, 12, Titus 
 ii, 13, 14 
 
 iv. 
 
 5, 6 
 
 John, in the spirit and power 
 of Elijah, prepared the way 
 of Christ 
 
 Luke i, 13-17, Matt, 
 xi, 11-14 
 
 r 2 
 
THE MORAL CHARACTER 
 
 OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 FHOM Tlir. AMKTIIVST FDR MDCCC XXXII . 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF CHRIST. 
 
 Among the many glorious particulars which distin- 
 guish Christianity from every other system of religion, 
 is the moral character of its Founder, the Lord Jesus 
 Christ — who, in his eternal Godhead, is one with the 
 Father, yet took upon him our nature, both soul and 
 body, and is therefore truly and properly man. 
 
 To delineate the conduct and deportment of a 
 faultless hnman being would be a peculiarly difficult 
 task to any uninspired writer ; an impossible one in- 
 deed, had no such being existed. Yet in the New 
 Testament we find the description of a perfect man, 
 sustained with an exactness and evenness which defy 
 the cavils of infidelity. 
 
 The first moral quality which we ought to notice 
 in the character of our Saviour, is purity of heart. 
 It was his own doctrine that " blessed are the pure in 
 heart, for they shall see God."^ He is described by 
 one apostle, as "a lamb without blemish and without 
 spot ; "2 and by another as " holy, harmless, undefiled, 
 separate from sinners."^ It is expressly dechu-ed that 
 "he did no sin that "in him is no sin and the 
 
 1 Matt. V, 8. 2 1 Pet. i, 19. 
 
 3 Ileb. vii, 2G. 4 1 Pet. ii, 22. ^ 1 Jolin iii, 5. 
 
120 
 
 On the Moral C/tarctcter 
 
 doctrine of his perfect purity is proved, by the fact, 
 that his death was expiatoi^y — for except the offering 
 be spotless, there can be no atonement made by it, 
 for sin. 
 
 Isaiah, in prophecy, declared of the Messiah, that 
 "righteousness'' should be- "the girdle of his loins," 
 and "faithfulness the girdle of his reins."^ Such was 
 indeed the fact. An absolute integrity marked his 
 whole deportment, and no "guile" was "found in his 
 mouth." ^ He called himself "the Truth," and con- 
 trasted his own veracity with the deceitfulness of 
 Satan, who "is a liar and the father of it."^ The 
 plain wholesome truth he ever spake, both to his 
 friends and to his enemies. The former he flattered 
 with no hopes of ease or advancement ; but clearly 
 told them, that the terms of their discipleship were 
 the baptism of suffering, and the bearing of the cross. 
 Before the latter, he made that explicit confession of 
 which the certain consequence was known to be death? 
 
 Jesus maintained his integrity on all occasions, 
 with an undaunted courage. He feared not the fierc- 
 est or most insidious of his enemies, but rebuked 
 their hypocrisy in open day. He was ever ready to 
 bear a public and avowed testimony against all ini- 
 quity. He boldly pronounced the woes which were 
 about to overwhelm Jerusalem, as well as those other 
 cities, whose guilty inhabitants had disregarded his 
 mighty works and rejected the gospel of salvation.^ 
 
 He was filled with a holy zeal ^or the cause of 
 
 6 Isa. xi, 5. 7 1 Pet. ii, 22. 
 
 8 John viii, 44. 9 Matt, xxvi, 64, 65. 
 
 1 Matt, xi, 21; Luke xxiii, 28, 29. 
 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 121 
 
 righteousness and for the honour of God, and while 
 this zeal was displayed both in his words and actions, 
 he never for a moment shrunk from the consequences. 
 
 Yet the courage and zeal of Jesus were remarkably 
 distinguished from rashness. It is evident that he 
 did not unnecessarily expose himself to the rage of 
 his enemies, but evinced a singular degree prudence 
 in avoiding the dangers which surrounded him, often 
 retiring from the tumults of the world, and consulting 
 for the safety of himself and his companions, in soli- 
 tary places. Until his hour was come, he never suf- 
 fered himself to fall under the power of his enemies ; 
 and all their attempts to destroy him were utterly 
 fruitless. He would not tempt God by throwing 
 himself down from a pinnacle of the temple, when 
 duty did not call for the sacrifice.^ 
 
 Closely connected with the quality of courage, is 
 that of fortitude. The latter virtue was displayed by 
 our Lord in a wonderful manner after he had been 
 betrayed into the hands of his enemies. The conflict 
 which he had undergone in the garden of Gethsemanc, 
 and his solemn communion there with his heavenly 
 Father, appeared to be a preparation for that perfect 
 fearlessness with which he met a cruel and ignomini- 
 ous death. It was a signal proof of the firmness with 
 which he endured his agonies, as well as of the kind- 
 ness of his spirit, that, while he was hanging on the 
 cross, his mind was directed even to the temporal 
 welfare of his friends : " When Jesus therefore saw 
 his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he 
 loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy 
 
 2 Malt, iv, 7. 
 
On the Moral Character 
 
 son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy 
 mother !""^ 
 
 In conformity with his own precept, Jesus was not 
 only harmless as the dove, but wise as the serpent.'* 
 He shunned the breath of popularity, and suffered 
 not his admirers to take hi'm away by force to make 
 him a king.^ He strictly forbad any premature pub- 
 lication of his office, as the Messiah. The degrees 
 in which he unfolded the doctrines of religion were 
 remarkably proportioned to the moral capacities of 
 his hearers.^ He never cast his pearls before swine. 
 He displayed a perfect skill in silencing the cavils of 
 his opposers, and in turning against the unbelieving 
 Jews the weapons of that mode of argument to which 
 they were accustomed. 
 
 His divine wisdom was also pre-eminently mani- 
 fested, in his method of teaching ; particularly in the 
 exquisite simplicity and appositeness of his parables, 
 and in his converting every object which attracted his 
 attention, into a channel for instruction. Who, for 
 example, that has once read the story of Jesus at the 
 well of Samaria, will ever forget the discourse which 
 the waters of that well occasioned P'^ 
 
 "The Son of man" came "eating and drinking."^ 
 The moderate enjoyment of the blessings of the earth, 
 with giving of thanks, he encouraged by his example. 
 The quality which he evinced at the marriage feast of 
 Cana, when he mingled with the joyful company and 
 turned the water into wine, was holt/ liberality/. The 
 
 a John xix, 26. * Matt, x, 26. 5 John vi, 15. 
 
 6 Matt, xiii, 11, 36. 7 John iv, 10—14. s Malt, xi, 19. 
 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 33 
 
 same attribute he carried with him into the wilderness, 
 when with public thanksgiving he brake the bread, 
 and so multiplied the five barley loaves and the few 
 small fishes, that they became the superabundant food 
 of five thousands of persons. Yet although Jesus was 
 no ascetic, he triumphed over bodily indulgence, and 
 willingly submitted to the severest personal privations, 
 for righteousness' sake. When the spirit so led him, 
 he fasted, in the wilderness, during "forty days and 
 forty nights.*-' What could surpass the sublime self- 
 denial of his answer, when after this long abstinence 
 from food, the devil tempted him to convert the 
 stones into bread ? " It is written, Man shall not live 
 by bread alone, but by every word that proceedcth 
 out of the mouth of God."^ 
 
 Jesus Christ displayed during his whole mortal ca- 
 reer a perfect disinterestedness. He steadily refused 
 all worldly riches, honour, and dominion.^ He led a 
 life of deep poverty. Although " the foxes have holes 
 and the birds of the air have nests," the Son of man, 
 had not " where to lay his head."^ For the sake of 
 our degraded and fallen race, he suffered "his visage 
 to be so marred more than any man, and his form 
 more than the sons of men."^ 
 
 But we must follow our Lord to Gethsemane, and 
 mark his agony and bloody sweat; we must call to 
 mind his crown of thorns and the mockery of his 
 cruel enemies ; we must behold him bearing his cross ; 
 we must accompany him to Calvary's mount ; Ave 
 must reflect on the anguish and dark horrors of his 
 
 9 Matt, iv, 2. 1 Matt, iv, 4. 
 
 2 Matt, iv, 9, 10. ■5 Malt, viii, 20. ^ Isa. lii, 14. 
 
124 
 
 On the Moral Character 
 
 death, when the burden of the sins of all men was 
 resting upon him ; and with this depth of humiliation 
 and suffering, wc must compare the elevation of his 
 former condition, the unutterable happiness and glory 
 from which he abstained.^ Thus, and thus alone, can 
 we form any adequate notion of his self-renunciation. 
 
 This self-renunciation was prompted by pure be- 
 nevolence — a quality which, perhaps above all others, 
 abounded in the character of our Saviour. His soul 
 was filled with tenderness. The near approach of his 
 own sufferings did not prevent his weeping over the 
 woes of Jerusalem. Towards his believing children 
 his sympathies were always alive. " In all their afflic- 
 tions he was afflicted." He wept with the weepers.^ 
 His miracles, for the most part, were works of the 
 tenderest mercy and compassion, as well as of power. 
 His benevolence indeed was productive of unceasing 
 beneficence. He " went about doing good,"^ preach- 
 ing the gospel to the poor ; giving bread to the hun- 
 gry, sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength 
 to the withered, health to the sick, and life to the 
 very dead. 
 
 Nor was his love restricted to his friends ; it flowed 
 freely towards his enemies. The most intense provo- 
 cation and suffering could never dispossess him of that 
 blessed principle which he had publicly proclaimed, 
 that good must be returned for evil. In the midst of 
 the bitterness of death, he prayed for his persecutors, 
 saying, " Father, forgive them, for they know not 
 what they do."^ 
 
 5 Phil, ii, 6, 7. 
 7 Acts X, ;38. 
 
 6 John xi, 35. 
 s Luke xxiii, 34. 
 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. \25 
 
 His tenderness towards children was a remarkable 
 trait in his character. He would allow no man to 
 drive them away from him. He took them up in his 
 arms and blessed them. He said, "Suffer little chil- 
 dren to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of 
 heaven."^ 
 
 The vigour and indignation which Jesus displayed 
 in the reproof of vicious men, may be profitably com- 
 pared with his meekness and quietness in sitjfering. 
 " When he was reviled, he reviled not again ; when 
 he suffered, he threatened not, but committed him- 
 self to him that judgeth righteously."^ He bore the 
 contradiction of sinners, and the taunts of his oppres- 
 sors, with immoveable patience. He appears to have 
 possessed an absolute command over every natural 
 feeling. He was, in the highest degree, long- suffering. 
 His temper was smooth as the dove's — incapable of 
 being ruffled. 
 
 Equally instructive is the contrast between the 
 supreme dignity of Jesus and his lowliness. He never 
 forsook that just self-respect which leads to the in- 
 violate maintenance of the rightful post of duty. 
 Wherever he went, he carried about with him the 
 dignity of a perfect virtue ; and to this was often 
 added the mysterious energy of a divine power. How 
 awful must have been the influence of his presence, 
 when he walked on the surface of the deep, and when, 
 on his entering into the ship, the wind ceased ;2 when 
 he drove out the buyers and sellers from the temple 
 
 9 Matt, xix, 14. 
 
 2 Matt, xiv, 25—32. 
 
 1 1 Pet. ii, 23. 
 3 Malt, xxi, 12. 
 
126 
 
 On the Moral Character 
 
 when the Gadarcnes having seen his works hesought 
 him to depart out of their coasts when even Peter 
 said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O 
 Lord and when the armed band of his pursuers, in- 
 vohmtarily " went backward and fell to the ground."^ 
 Yet this glorious Being is expressly declared to have 
 been " lowly in heart."'' He numbered himself with 
 the poor and needy. He was subject, during his 
 youth, to his earthly parents.^ He came not " to be 
 ministered unto, but to minister."^ He performed 
 for his disciples the lowest offices of kindness and 
 courtesy.^ 
 
 Christianity teaches us that the love of God is the 
 foundation of all moral excellence ; and Jesus exem- 
 plified this doctrine in his whole life, which was one 
 of unexampled, uninterrupted, ^oc?///?e5>9. He delighted 
 in communion with his heavenly Father. He spent 
 whole nights in prayer. His devotional spirit was 
 often called into peculiar exercise, as a preparation 
 for some high duty or some mighty work ; for exam- 
 ple, before the choice of his apostles before the 
 raising of Lazarus and in Gethsemane, before he 
 suffered.^ Nor was it for himself alone that he com- 
 muned with his God ; his soul overflowed with inter- 
 cession. Nothing can be conceived more sublime and 
 touching than the strains in which he prayed for his 
 disciples.^ 
 
 Finally, he was perfectly conformed to the will of 
 
 ■1 Matt, viii, 34. 5 Luke v, 8. ^ John xviii, 6. 
 
 7 iMatt. xi, 29. » Luke ii, 51. 9 iVlatt. xx, 28, 
 
 1 John xiii, 5. 2 Luke vi, 12 — 14. 3 John xi, 41. 
 
 Matt, xxvi, 36—40. ^ Jolin xvii; comp, Luke xxii, 32. 
 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 127 
 
 his Father. In obedience to that will, he came down 
 from heaven ; in obedience to it, he lived and died 
 on earth. " My meat," said he, " is to do the will of 
 him that sent me, and to finish his work."^ Again — 
 " O, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass 
 from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou 
 wilt."'' " Not my will, but thine be done."^ 
 
 Such was the moral character of the Saviour of 
 men ; a matchless and most astonishing combination 
 of purity, integrity, fidelity, courage, zeal, prudence, 
 fortitude, liberality, temperance, disinterestedness, 
 heavenly mindedness, gentleness, meekness, humility, 
 patience, and charity — all founded on an immeasur- 
 able love towards God, even the Father, and on a 
 perfect obedience to his will. 
 
 Here it ought to be remarked that as the followers 
 of Jesus, in their pursuit of moral excellence, are 
 taught to place their dependence on the influence of 
 the Spirit of God, so Christ, their holy Head, M'as 
 endued with the same influence, but without measure.^ 
 He was the " anointed one" of the Father ; the Spirit 
 descended " like a dove, and rested upon him."^ 
 " Through the eternal Spirit, he offered himself with- 
 out spot to God."2 He produced, in unspeakable 
 ripeness and abundance, that " fruit of the Spirit" 
 which is " in all goodness and righteousness and 
 truth and which, in a lesser measure, is borne by 
 all those who love, serve, and follow him. 
 
 John iv, 31. 
 9 Joliu iii, 34. 
 
 7 Matt, xxvi, 39. 
 1 Matt, iii, 16. 
 a Eph V, y 
 
 8 Luke xxii, 42. 
 2 Heb. ix, 14. 
 
128 
 
 On the Mor((l Character 
 
 The subject which we have now been contemphit- 
 ing, is of deep importance and interest as it rehitcs, 
 first, to evidence; secondly, to doctrine; and thirdly, 
 to practice. 
 
 1. Evidence. — Although- in forming a digest of the 
 character of our Lord, we have endeavoured to de- 
 scribe its several features in succession, this is not the 
 method which the evangelists have adopted. A pa- 
 negyric of their divine Master, in whatsoever degree 
 just and merited, and a formal declaration of his 
 virtues, however true and incontrovertible, was no 
 part of the plan of these authors. They were engaged 
 in the simple duty of faithful narration ; and the cha- 
 racter of their Lord comes out, and is made apparent, 
 as it were by accident, in the history of those various 
 events by which it was tried, and in the course of 
 which it was unfolded. 
 
 The simplicity and native charm of the narrative 
 are such as no fiction can imitate. And let it be re- 
 membered that the history of the life and death of 
 Jesus, is recorded by four writers, each of whom 
 (while they state many things in common) contributes 
 to the stock of information respecting him, a variety 
 of particulars to which the others have not adverted. 
 The complete and faultless character of Jesus stands 
 out to view, as the glorious result of their combined 
 descriptions. 
 
 That the delineation of such a person should be 
 sustained, even by a single writer, Avithout any lapse, 
 and should produce a portrait without any blemish, 
 would be extremely improbable, were the tale ficti- 
 tious. But that so many distinct, and evidently inde- 
 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 129 
 
 pendent writers, should have described the conduct 
 and deportment of Jesus, under so great a variety of 
 circumstances, and still no inconsistency be found in 
 the narrative, no flaw in the character — is a fact for 
 which nothing can possibly account, but the truth of 
 the whole statement. 
 
 Since then our Saviour's character, as pourtrayed in 
 the New Testament, was real, we may receive it as a 
 sure evidence, that the religion which he taught is 
 divine. For in the first place, we are bound by the 
 laws of testimony, by ])lain reason, and by common 
 sense, to receive as true, whatsoever was affirmed by 
 a man of perfect morality. And secondly, the cha- 
 racter of Jesus, considered as an essential part of a 
 religious system, is in itself a strong internal proof 
 that God — the Fountain of all virtue and loveliness — ■ 
 is the Author of Christianity. In vain should we 
 search for the description of such a character in the 
 pages either of profane history, or of uninspired phi- 
 losophy. It stands unrivalled and alone, a master- 
 piece of divine wisdom and power, stamped with the 
 image of the most high God. 
 
 There is an exact agreement between the moral 
 attributes of God, as unfolded in Scripture, and the 
 law revealed for the government of mankind in the 
 same book. Again there is a perfect accordance be- 
 tween that law, and the example of Jesus Christ. In 
 the example the law is embodied. Who then, but 
 God himself, can be the Author either of the law or 
 the pattern ? 
 
 2. Doctrine. — The character of the Son of God is 
 inseparably connected with a cardinal doctrine of 
 
 VOL II. K 
 
130 
 
 On the floral Character 
 
 Christianity. On the meritorious fulfihiient of the 
 moral law by the Saviour of n)en — on his absolute 
 conformity to the will of God — on the fulness of 
 his obedience and virtue — rests the believer's hope 
 of everlasting happiness. Christ is " Jehovah — our 
 Righteousness.'"^ He is made unto ns of God " right- 
 eoustiess."^ " God hath made him to be sin (or a 
 sin-offering) for us, who knew no sin, that we might 
 be made the righteousness of God in him.''^ The 
 righteousness " imputed " to us through faith in 
 Jesus,"'^ is the righteousness of Jesus himself ; and 
 God in his infinite condescension deals with his be- 
 lieving children as //', like their divine blaster, they 
 had fulfilled his whole law. Hence it follows, that as 
 we receive the forgiveness of sin, and deliverance from 
 all its penalties, in consequence of the atoning death 
 of Christ ; so, in consequence of his meritorious and 
 perfect obedience, we become invested with a claim 
 on the joys of eternity. By virtue of our union with 
 our holy Head — and on no other ground whatsoever 
 — do we look forward, with peaceful expectation, to 
 an entrance into those mansions, which he is gone 
 before to prepare for us, and where we shall dwell 
 with him for ever.^ 
 
 3. Practice. — " As He which hath called yon is 
 holy," says the apostle Peter, "so be ye holy in all 
 manner of conversation ; because it is written. Be ye 
 holy; for 1 am holy."^ This precept may be com- 
 pared with that of our Lord himself, " Be ye therefore 
 
 .Jer. xxiii, 6. ^ i Cor. i, 30. 
 
 6 2Cor. V, 21. 7 Rom. iv, 6 — 1 1, 8 John xiv, 2. 
 
 9 I Pet. i, J 5, 16; comp. Lev. xi, 44. 
 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 131 
 
 perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is 
 perfect."^ It is the glory of Christianity, that it is the 
 means of restoring lost and sinful man to that image 
 of his Creator, in which our first parents were made ; 
 and that those who imbihe the principles of the gos- 
 pel, are enabled to become, although at an incompre- 
 hensible distance, ^'followers of God"^ 
 
 But since God and his attributes are infinite, and, 
 in various respects, above our reach, and since we are 
 called to the practice of many virtues, which pecu- 
 liarly belong to our dependent state as creatures, it is 
 a delightful evidence of the love of our heavenly 
 Father, that in his incarnate Son, he has provided us 
 with a model, at once perfect and accommodated to 
 all our need. Perpetually to keep that model in view 
 — to reflect on its beautiful proportions, and fault- 
 less structure — to endeavour to mould our motives^ 
 thoughts, and actions into the same form — will be 
 found an eflicacious means of acquiring that character 
 and condition of mind, without which we cannot be 
 fitted for the purity of heaven. If any man asks the 
 question. What am I to do — how am I to behave 
 myself — that I may fulfil the law of God ? the an- 
 swer is obvious and intelligible^ Imitate the example 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 This is indeed a precept which no man can obey in 
 his own strength. But the believer has inexhaustible 
 resources both in the advocacy of Christ, and in the 
 grace of God. The Spirit of Truth is bestowed 
 abundantly on those who seek it; and its "fruit"' is 
 
 1 Matt. V, 48. 
 
 2 Eph. V, 1. 
 
 K 2 
 
132 
 
 On the Moral Character 
 
 that of " righteousness," to the praise and glory of 
 God. 
 
 I will venture, before I conclude, to offer one addi- 
 tional remark. In these days of much polemical 
 discussion, of various clashing opinions, and, I fear, 
 of no little bitterness of spirit among the professed 
 followers of Jesus, it is well for us all to remember, 
 that in Scripture, his example is presented to us with 
 an especial reference to love and union, humility and 
 condescension, patience and forbearance. "If I then, 
 your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye 
 ought also to wash one another's feet ; for I have 
 given you an example, that ye should do as I have 
 done to you."^ " This is my commandment, that ye 
 love one another as I have loved you."^ " Now the 
 God of patience and consolation grant you to be like- 
 minded one toward another according to (in the mar- 
 giuj after the example of) Christ Jesus. " Ful61 ye 
 my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, 
 being of one accord, of one mind ; let nothing be 
 done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of 
 mind, let each esteem other better than themselves ; 
 look not every man at his own things, but every man 
 also on the things of others ; let this mind he in you 
 which was also in Christ Jesus,''^ &c. " If when ye 
 do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is 
 acceptable with God ; for even hereunto were ye 
 called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us 
 an example, that ye should follow his steps.''^ 
 
 3 John xiii, 14, 1.5. 4 John xv, 12. 
 
 5 Rom. XV, 5. 6 Phil, ii^ 2—5. 7 1 Pet. ii, 20, 21. 
 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 133 
 
 It is of the highest importance to the cause of true 
 religion, that all who love the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 should keep the watch over their own spirits, and 
 pray for ability to fulfil these injunctions. In order 
 to this end, let us cultivate a sense of our oAvn igno- 
 rance and weakness, and dwell in deep humility before 
 God. Let us be more ready to cast the beam out of 
 our own eye, than to attempt to extract the mote out 
 of the eye of a brother. And while we adhere with 
 unalterable firmness to the truth " as it is in Jesus," 
 let our religion be the religion of principle, rather than 
 of opinion — of the heart, rather than of the head. 
 
 Thus will the church of Christ be restored to her 
 ancient beauty, strength, and harmony ; and her in- 
 fluence will gradually spread over a dark and degene- 
 rate world. " The sucking child shall play on the 
 hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his 
 hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt or 
 destroy in all my holy mountain ; for the earth shall 
 be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters 
 cover the sea."^ 
 
 8 Isa. xi, 8, 9. 
 
CHRISTIANITY 
 RELIGION OF MOTIVES. 
 
 FROM THE AMETHYST FOR MDCCCXXXIII. 
 
CHRISTIANITY, &c. 
 
 " The Lord scarclictli all hearts, and understandctli 
 all the imaginations of the thoughts." Not only are 
 our overt actions manifest in his sight, hut the secret 
 springs hy which they are excited and put in motion, 
 although often deeply hidden from our fellow-crea- 
 tures, are ever exposed to his penetrating eye. 
 
 Hence it follows that, while fiilse religions are in 
 their nature superficial, and produce little effect on 
 the hearts of their votaries, true religion dives at 
 once into the recesses of the soul. It detects our 
 corruption, unfolds the heart-searching spirituality 
 of the law, and hrings into play the purest and most 
 powerful motives hy which a rational creature can he 
 actuated. Such are the nature and character of 
 Christianity, and such is the proof afforded hy its 
 very structure, that it is to be ascribed not to the 
 inventions of dark and erring man, but to the perfect 
 wisdom and skill of an omnipotent Being. 
 
 The sinner, when first awakened to a sense of the 
 holiness of God, of his own sinfulness, and of his 
 condemnation by the law, often trembles with horror 
 in the view of his danger. The prospect before him 
 is for a time one of unutterable darkness, and the 
 Lord appears to him even as a dreadful and terrible 
 God. Yet it is not only under the first effect of con- 
 
138 Ckristianitij 
 
 viction for sin, that the powerful motive fear is 
 brought into action in the mind of man. Even after 
 we have obtained peace with God, through faith in 
 our adorable Redeemer, and have become the recon- 
 ciled children of our heavenly Father, there is much 
 in the system of Christianity, which is calculated to 
 make us tremble. 
 
 The view which our reh'gion unfolds of the holiness 
 of Jehovah, of the corruption of our own hearts, and 
 of the awful consequences of sin, can never be rightly 
 entertained, even by the true believer in Jesus, with- 
 out an accompanying feeling of his utter unworthi- 
 ness, or without an awful fear of that glorious Being 
 who is " of purer eyes than to behold evil." So long 
 as we bear in mind the choice which is set before us 
 of good and evil, and the immense responsibility under 
 Avhich we are placed, year will never fail to occupy an 
 important place in our most sacred feelings. 
 
 The fear to which we allude is, however, no slavish 
 principle ; it arises out of a right sense of the attri- 
 butes of God, who is holy, just, and true ; and as a 
 motive to Christian obedience it is of vast and unceas- 
 ing importance : " The fear of the Lord is a fountain 
 of life, to depart from the snares of death." The 
 graces into which it immediately leads, are circum- 
 spection, watchfulness, temperance, and self-denial. 
 
 But although fear is thus found to be an invaluable 
 motive to the Christian believer, it would be utterly 
 unavailing for every practical purpose, were it suffered 
 to degenerate into despair. What cause is it then 
 for gratitude to our heavenly Father, that the Sun of 
 Righteousness has arisen, to throw his warmth and 
 
a Religion of Motives. 130 
 
 radiance over the dark clouds of an aHlicted con- 
 science ! The Christian remembers " that the foun- 
 dation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the 
 Lord knoweth them that are his." He calls to mind 
 the infinite goodness of that Being who is the well- 
 spring of all our happiness ; he knows that the love 
 of God towards his unworthy children is unfailing; 
 and that His promises in Christ Jesus arc secured to 
 the humble and contrite believer, by an everlasting 
 covenant. 
 
 Thus he is filled with a good hope through grace ; 
 and this hope excites the fervour of his spirit, and 
 quickens his footsteps in his race towards heaven. I 
 remember hearing an eminent Scottish divine illus- 
 trate the subject of Christian hope as follows, "God 
 has made us two great promises, and therefore the 
 Christian enjoys two leading hopes. The first pro- 
 mise (with its corresponding hope) relates to the 
 present life — it is the promise of grace. The second 
 promise (with its corresponding hope) relates to the 
 life to come — it is the promise of glory. Let us sup- 
 pose that some person were to engage to bestow upon 
 us two benefits ; the one at the end of a week, and 
 the other at the end of a year. Supposing that we 
 had reason to trust him, a double hope would imme- 
 diately be raised in our minds. But if, at the end of 
 the week, we found his first promise fulfilled, our re- 
 maining hope would rest on a coiijirmed basis — we 
 should then look forward to its accomplishment with 
 a peaceful and unclouded expectation. So it is with 
 the Christian. If he experience in himself the fulfil- 
 ment of the first divine promise — if his first hope be 
 
140 Christianity 
 
 realized in the enjoyment and sanctifying influence of 
 the Spirit — he will rest assured that his second hope 
 will never make him 'ashamed.' Then will he 're- 
 joice in the hope of the glory of God.' " 
 
 I deem it to be of the highest practical importance, 
 that, in the study of the Holy Scriptures, we should 
 never give way to partiality. We must not direct our 
 attention to those parts exclusively which fall in with 
 the favourite impressions of our own minds. We 
 must take the sacred records as they are given to us, 
 and ascribe to every portion of them, its just import- 
 ance and genuine weight. We must be alike open to 
 those passages "which are calculated to excite our 
 fear, and to those which are intended to gladden us 
 with a consoling hope. The following observations 
 were once made to me on this interesting subject, by 
 a pious clergyman, well known in the university of 
 Cambridge. 
 
 " I have long pursued the study of Scripture with a 
 desire to be impartial. I call myself, neither a pre- 
 destinarian, nor an anti-predestinarian ; but I commit 
 myself to the teaching of the inspired writers, whatso- 
 ever complexion it may assume. In the beginning of 
 my enquiries, I said, I am a fool — of that I am quite 
 certain. One thing I know assuredly — that in reli- 
 gion, of myself I Imow nothing. I do not therefore 
 sit down to the perusal of Scripture, in order to im- 
 pose a sense on the inspired writers, but to receive 
 one as they give it me. I pretend not to teach them ; 
 I wish, like a child, to be taught by them. When I 
 come to a text which speaks of election, I delight 
 myself in the doctrine of election. When the apos- 
 
a Religioji of Motives. I l l 
 
 ties exhort mc to repentance and obedience, and indi- 
 cate the freedom of my Avill, I give myself up to tliat 
 side of the question. Do you not know, my dear bro- 
 ther, that the wheels of your watch move in opposite 
 directions ? Yet they are all tending to one result. 
 
 " Let two balls be projected from equal angles — I 
 care not what angle it may be — against a third ball 
 lying before them ; and if the forces be even, it will 
 move forward in a line perfectly straight. But if the 
 ball on the right hand be alone projected against the 
 central ball, the latter will fly off to the left. If the 
 left-hand ball is the only one which strikes it, away it 
 rolls to the right I So it is in religion- Hope and 
 fear are the strongest motives which actuate the mind 
 of man. Here comes the doctrine of election, fraught 
 with Jiope and consolation, and strikes the mind of 
 the believer from one quarter. From the opposite 
 quarter comes the doctrine of man's moral freedom 
 and responsibility, calculated to excite our fear. 
 They operate in true harmony, and the believer moves 
 straight forwards. 
 
 " Let him embrace the doctrine of election only, 
 and off he goes to the left hand — or the doctrine of 
 man's freedom only, and away he flies to the right ! 
 Nothing will preserve him in a straight line, but the 
 joint action of both motives ; or, in other words, un- 
 divided Christianity." 
 
 The wisdom of these remarks will proljably be ad- 
 mitted by all reflecting persons ; for there are few 
 things which have been more injurious to the cause 
 of religion, than the tendency so prevalent among its 
 professors, to lose their hulance, and to be partial, or. 
 
142 Chrislianity 
 
 as tlie Germans call it, " one-sided" in their views of 
 Christianity. The Christian system is, indeed, one 
 of wonderful comprehensiveness. It combines vari- 
 ous, and even opposite principles ; and while, by 
 means of their united powers, it operates with un- 
 equalled efficacy on the heart of man, it confounds 
 the wisdom of the wise," and brings to nought " the 
 understanding of the prudent." 
 
 It is scarcely true, however, that hope and fear are 
 the " strongest motives" which can actuate the mind 
 of man. Christianity brings another motive to bear 
 upon us, of a still more potent character. That mo- 
 tive is love. Well might the apostle say, " The love 
 of Christ constrainetJi me." Well might he call on 
 his Roman brethren, " hy the mercies of God" to pre- 
 sent their bodies " a living sacrifice." " In Christ 
 Jesus, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor 
 uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.'' 
 This motive is excited with peculiar force, by a sound 
 view of evangelical doctrine. Who will not acknow- 
 ledge that it is the unspeakable gift of God — the gift 
 of His only begotten Son — which, above all other 
 things, bears with resistless force on the affections of 
 the believer, and constrains his obedience, through 
 faith, to the divine law ? We love God " because he 
 first loved us." "Herein is love, not that we loved 
 God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the 
 propitiation for our sins." 
 
 Now, as fear leads to circumspection and watch- 
 fulness, and hope to courage and vigour in the Chris- 
 tian course, so love in an especial manner is the main 
 spring of the devotion of the heart to God. It de- 
 
a Religion of Motives. 143 
 
 mands an unconditional surrender of our wills to the 
 will of our heavenly Father, in whom all loveliness 
 dwells, and Avho has blessed us with innumerable 
 benefits, both spiritual and temporal. It binds us, by 
 the dearest of ties, to the service of that glorious 
 Redeemer who bore on himself the burden of our sins, 
 and graciously underwent the bitter pains of death, 
 that v/e might live for ever. And not only does this 
 purest and most powerful of motives lead to decision 
 in religion, but it imbues the Christian with the prin- 
 ciple oi perseverance. It imparts to him a perpetual 
 movement of spirit towards the supreme object of 
 his affections, towards the heaven in which He dwells, 
 and towards the holiness without which no man can 
 see Him. 
 
 The motives which are brought to bear on the 
 heart and conduct of man, by lueans of the Christian 
 system, may be illustrated by a reference to the me- 
 chanical forces. Were it proposed to raise to the top 
 of a lofty hill, some vast and ponderous substance 
 lying at its base, how vain for that purpose would be 
 the unassisted efforts of the human arm 1 But apply 
 the lever and the pulley, each in its own place, and 
 according to its respective action ; and the difficulty, 
 which appeared to be insuperable, is rapidly overcome. 
 In spite of every obstruction the mighty mass moves 
 upwards, its course is gradual but certain, and pre- 
 sently the victory is won — it rests on the summit. 
 
 The human heart is a dead weight, buried in miry 
 clay, and ever prone to sink down into the pit of cor- 
 ruption. And there is no native power inherent in 
 man, by which he can deliver it from its debased con- 
 
144 Chrislianltij, ^c. 
 
 dition, or raise it towards those heavenly regions 
 where all is godliness, purity, and peace. But when, 
 through the matchless influence of Christianity, our 
 motives, are set to work — when fear operates on the 
 soul from one side, and hope from the other; above 
 all, when it is raised and impelled from below by the 
 constraining and elevating power of love — it cannot 
 fail to move in a heavenward direction. Lightened 
 and purified as it ascends, it is sure in the end to be 
 victorious, and to find its resting place on " Mount 
 Zion," in " the city of the living (iod." 
 
 A single remark only remains to be offered. The 
 lever and the pulley, though admirably adapted to 
 their respective purposes, will for ever remain useless 
 unless there be a hand to employ and direct them. 
 Even if these forces are brought to bear upon their 
 object, by means of a well constructed machine, that 
 machine nuist still be set in motion by an extraneous 
 power. So it is with the motives which actuate the 
 heart of man, through the medium of Christianity. 
 They must be set to work, and moved in a right 
 direction, by the almighty hand of a most compassion- 
 ate God. He who has constructed the wondrous 
 system of Christianity, can alone bless it, through 
 the work of his Spirit, to the salvation of sinners. 
 " No man can say that Jesus is Lord" — no man can 
 savingly accept and acknowledge him as the Son of 
 God and Redeemer of men — but by the Holy Ghost." 
 
 May all who read these remarks be excited to 
 earnest prayer for that divine influence, by which 
 alone they can be led into all truth, and made partak- 
 ers of holiness here, and happiness hereafter ! 
 
SOME ACCOUNT 
 
 OP 
 
 JOHN STRATFORD, 
 
 WHO WAS EXECUTED 
 AFTER THE LAST ASSIZES FOR THE CITY OF NORWICH, 
 FOR THE CRIJIE OF MURDER. 
 
 VOL. 11. L 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 To the vast multitude of persons, collected both from the city 
 of Norwich, and from the surrounding country, who assem- 
 bled not long ago to witness the jmblic execution of John 
 Stratford, this tract is inscribed. Should it be the means 
 of impressing any of them, or any others into whose hands 
 it may fall, with a more serious sense than they have yet 
 entertained of the corruption of the human heart, of the 
 malignity and danger of sin, and of the infinite value of the 
 Christians faith, the author s effort will be abundantly re- 
 warded. 
 
 My friend, C. F. Millard, the respectable chaplain of 
 our City Jail, permits me to add, that he can fully confirm 
 the correctness of the narrative contained in the following 
 pages. 
 
 Earlham, 9th Month, ]st, 1829. 
 
 L 2 
 
JOHN STRATFORD. 
 
 Having, through the kindness of the sheriffs of our 
 city, been allowed to pass a private hour with John 
 Stratford on the morning of the sabbath day which 
 preceded his execution, I consider it a duty to state 
 some of the facts of which he candidly informed me, 
 and which he seemed to have no desire to conceal 
 from any one. In the first place, he freely confessed 
 himself to be guilty of that dreadful crime of which 
 he had been convicted before the tribunal of his 
 country. A more cruel or wicked act, than that for 
 which Stratford was about to suffer death, can, in my 
 opinion, scarcely be imagined. To bring into a house 
 crowded with people, a poisoned bag of flour, which, 
 although intended for the destruction of onlv a sin- 
 gle life, might probably destroy many, and which was 
 actually the means of subjecting several persons to 
 agonizing pain, and of suddenly transmitting one soul 
 — unprepared, it may be, — to an awful eternity — was 
 indeed an act of astonishing atrocity. But let the 
 reader remark, that it was not all at once that the 
 wretched Stratford fell into so great a depth of crime. 
 His experience afl'orded a remarkable proof, (as, in 
 
150 Some Account of John Stratford. 
 
 his last days, he was fully aware,) of the undeviating 
 tendency of one sin to produce another. In the pre- 
 sent instance the crime of murder was occasioned by 
 that of adultery. Stratford, the husband of an ami- 
 able woman, and the father of a young family, had 
 formed a criminal connexion with another man's wife, 
 and now he sought to cover his shame by the de- 
 struction of her husband. The fatal food however 
 was eaten by persons for whom it was not intended ; 
 and the diabolical design of this wicked man was, by 
 an over-ruling providence, frustrated. Thus it ap- 
 pears that in this, as in a thousand other instances, 
 lust and cruelty have gone hand in hand, and have 
 combined in affording a plain proof of the hellish 
 origin and destructive nature of sin. 
 
 But the most important part of the story of this 
 unhappy man remains to be told. Stratford, for many 
 years after he grew up to manhood, was justly con- 
 sidered a respectable man. He was endued with ex- 
 cellent sense and good natural talents, and his mind 
 was more cultivated than is generally the case with 
 persons of the labouring class. A whitesmith by 
 trade, he was able, by his ingenuity, to support him- 
 self and his family with credit and comfort. He was 
 indeed considered one of the ablest working mecha- 
 nics in the city, and when the Mechanics' Institution 
 had been formed, he became a member of it, and 
 pursued his calling on scientific principles. Not only 
 was Stratford diligent in obtaining an honest support 
 for his family, but he was for many long years a good 
 husband, and a kind considerate parent. 
 
Some Account of John Stratford. 151 
 
 What then was the cause of the fatal change which 
 took phice in his conduct ? That the primary cause 
 can he found only in the corruption of fallen man, 
 and in the temptations of the devil, that unwearied 
 enemy of our souls, every enlightened Christian will 
 be prepared to allow. But the question which the 
 reader will be most anxious to see answered, I pre- 
 sume to be this — What was the immediate, instru- 
 mental, cause of his fall ? By what strange stratagem 
 did this enemy of our souls surprise this honest and 
 industrious man — this good husband, and tender 
 father — so that he became a prey to revolting vices, 
 and in the end committed the most atrocious crime 
 of which the law takes cognizance ? 
 
 It was by conveying into his mind the poison of 
 hifidelity . On this subject poor Stratford was most 
 explicit. Again and again he assured me that his 
 falling into vicious and criminal practices, was the 
 consequence of his having imbibed this mental poison ; 
 and the same assertion he repeated to several other 
 persons. An infidel publication, long since notorious 
 for its fatal influence over the human mind, became 
 the companion of his private hours. He read it, and 
 adopted its principles. He rejected the Holy Scrip- 
 tures ; looked upon their contents as a cunningly 
 devised fable; and, to use his own expressions, gave 
 up his " faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." Thus was 
 he left without compass or rudder, whereby to steer 
 his course aright through the ocean of life. The re- 
 vealed law of God was no longer of any avail for the 
 direction of his conduct. No longer was he encou- 
 raged in the path of virtue, by the prospect of perfect 
 
152 Sojne Account of John Stratford. 
 
 happiness in a future world, or deterred from the in- 
 dulgence of his vicious inclinations, by any abiding 
 apprehension of the " bitter pains of eternal death." 
 By the rejection of that gospel which he had formerly 
 received, he crucified unto himself afresh " the Son 
 of God, and put him to an open shame."^ He trod 
 "under foot" the Redeemer of men, "counted the 
 blood of the covenant an unholy thing," and did 
 " despite unto the Spirit of grace."^ And, in re- 
 nouncing his Saviour, he renounced his Father and 
 his God. Although he might probably never ven- 
 ture to deny the existence of a Supreme Being, yet in 
 him was verified the saying of the apostle, " Whoso- 
 ever denleth the Son, the same hath not the Father"^ 
 The fear of Almighty God vanished from his soul 
 before the blast of infidelity ; and he soon learned to 
 live as if there was no God in the world. 
 
 Behold! the sober, industrious, ingenious, Stratford, 
 under the fatal guidance of false principles — under 
 the pernicious tuition of a Paine and a Carlile — re- 
 nounces public worship ; breaks the sabbath ; con- 
 nects himself with gamblers ; becomes the companion 
 of sinners, faithless to an exemplary wife, an adulterer, 
 and in the end, a Murderer. 
 
 I shall now turn to a somewhat more consoling 
 part of my mournful history. During his long con- 
 tinuance in prison, previous to his trial, I have reason 
 to believe that Stratford endeavoured to seek an 
 offended God in prayer, and read his Bible with con- 
 siderable diligence. He assured a pious friend of 
 
 1 Heb. vi, 6. 
 
 2 Heb. X, 29. 
 
 3 1 John ii, 23. 
 
Some Account of John Stratford. 153 
 
 mine, that during this period of anxious expectation, 
 he had formed the resolution, that, should his life he 
 spared, he would endeavour to obtain the forgiveness 
 of his wife, and watch over the moral and religious 
 welfare of his children. Nevertheless, the delusive 
 hope of an acquittal might probably obstruct that 
 deep and settled feeling of the danger of his soul, 
 which was alone likely to lead to a full and satisfac- 
 tory repentance. When I was introduced to his cell 
 on the day before his execution, his circumstances 
 Avere awfully changed. The sentence of the law had 
 been passed upon him. His doom was irrecoverably 
 fixed. As he was lifting a very large Bible in order 
 to lay it on the table, he said to the friend already 
 alluded to, " Here I am, a man capable of any effort, 
 (for he was in the meridian of life, and of an athletic 
 frame,) and to-morrow before this time, I shall be cut 
 up." Before the descent of the next day's sun, this 
 healthy and powerful man was to be violently deprived 
 of life, and given to the surgeons for dissection I 
 
 Death nearly and certainly approaching, is a stern 
 yet able teacher. In the prospect of the speedy ter- 
 mination of his mortal career, Stratford, who was 
 evidently of a hardy and courageous nature, seemed 
 in no great degree to dread the destruction of his 
 body ; but on the subject of his soul, he was brought 
 into tribulation, anxiety, and terror. The flimsy webs 
 of infidelity all disappeared before the deep convic- 
 tions of his troubled soul. When I entered the 
 chamber which he was kindly permitted to occupy, 1 
 found him searching his large Bible with an intent- 
 ness which seemed to forbid interruption, and which 
 
154 Some Account of John Stratford, 
 
 plainly manifested that he heartily accepted the book 
 and its contents as of divine authority. He described 
 his enormous sins as a heavy burthen, which he was 
 nnable to bear^ and a view was now opened to him, 
 of the source to which they were to be traced — the 
 deep corruption, and biiquity of his own heart. He 
 declared also, that he was aware of the connexion 
 which exists between the sinfulness of man, and the 
 agency of an invisible tempter. He had given way 
 to the power of the devil, and now groaned under the 
 bondage. On being asked by one of his visitors 
 whether he had ever embraced infidel sentiments, he 
 evinced a feeling of sorrow, disgust, and fearful ap- 
 prehension. "Yes, sir," replied he, "I have — to my 
 disgrace, to my ruin, and perhaps to my eternal de- 
 struction." Enormous as were his offences against 
 the laws of God and man, it was a very remarkable 
 fact, that nothing, under his present awful circum- 
 stances, appeared to occasion him so deep and pun- 
 gent a feeling of regret and sorrow, as his having 
 departed from the Christian's faith, and forsaken the 
 '•fountain of living waters." Knowing that his infi- 
 delity had been the means of his fall, he now lamented 
 over it as the occasion of all his wretchedness. — I was 
 told that after the chapel service, on the preceding 
 evening, he had exhorted his fellow-prisoners whither- 
 soever they might go, to take the Bible for their 
 companion. It was M'ith peculiar earnestness, that 
 he besought his kind friend, the chaplain, to promise 
 him that he would himself go to his cottage and de- 
 stroy one of Carlile's blasphemous publications, which 
 lay there, concealed in a drawer. " 1 feel extremely 
 
Some Account of John Stratford. 155 
 
 anxious," said he, "lest this dangerous work shoukl 
 fall into the hands of my children, and occasion the 
 same mischievous effects on their minds, as it has 
 produced on my own."' 
 
 Observing that he was anxiously turning over the 
 leaves of his Bible, in order to discover some passage 
 which might be peculiarly adapted to his case, I 
 directed his attention to the fifty-first Psalm, in which 
 David expresses the deep penitence of his soul, for 
 a remarkably similar crime — viz. his unlawful con- 
 nexion with Bathsheba, and the destruction of her 
 husband, Uriah. Stratford, I found, had previously 
 read the Psalm, and had been struck with the resem- 
 blance. Yet he acknowledged that his own crime 
 was greater than that of David, because he had thus 
 sinned, in spite of the light of the gospel of Christ. 
 He repeated the words of this Psalm, after me, with 
 great energy. Again and again did he utter the latter 
 part of the first verse, " according unto the multitude 
 of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions ;" 
 and very deep was his tone of seriousness when he 
 recited the fourteenth verse, "Deliver me from blood- 
 guiltiness, thou God of my salvation." The weight 
 and awfulness of this hlood-guilttness became the sub- 
 ject of our conversation ; and the ancient declaration 
 was adverted to, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by 
 man shall his blood be shed : for in the image of 
 
 4 The noxious book was burnt in tlie presence of four witnesses. 
 Should any of my readers be in possession of any such blasphe- 
 mous publications, I would beseech them, as they value their own 
 happiness and that of their families, to lose no time in followinij 
 this example. 
 
I5G Some Account of John Slratfonl. 
 
 God made he man."^ He expressed his own convic- 
 tion of the justice of this principle, and spontaneously 
 acknowledged, that the dreadful punishment which 
 awaited him, was merited and equitable. 
 
 " I know there is but one hope for me," said he, 
 " and that is through the blood of Christ.'" I could 
 not but be struck by this clear and pointed declara- 
 tion ; and it was with the feeling of some little hope 
 and consolation that I turned to the fifty-third chap- 
 ter of Isaiah. The once infidel Stratford was now 
 fully sensible of the clearness with which the great 
 doctrine of the atonement is described in the follow- 
 ing verses : " Surely he hath borne our griefs, and 
 carried our sorrows : yet we did esteem him stricken, 
 smitten of God, and aflflicted. But he was wounded 
 for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniqui- 
 ties : the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; 
 and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep 
 have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his 
 own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity 
 of us all."^ Whilst the poor criminal's belief in the 
 sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the sins 
 of all men, was clear and unhesitating, he was very 
 far from a confident application of it to his own case. 
 Although a little hope had now arisen to illuminate 
 his dark and gloomy prospect, he seemed, during the 
 greater part of our interview, to be capable of scarcely 
 any feeling but an appalling sense of his own sinful- 
 ness, and of the infinitely awful consecjuences with 
 which it might, too probably, be followed. Before 
 
 5 Gen. ix, 6. 
 
 6 Isa. liii, 4 — 6. 
 
Some Account of John StratJ'oi cL 157 
 
 we parted wo were engaged together in prayer. Strat- 
 ford repeated the words which were uttered on the 
 occasion, of his own accord, and with great energy. 
 Afterwards, after a short period of silence, and hefore 
 Ave rose from oar knees, he poured forth a spontane- 
 ous prayer of his own, and it was impossible not to 
 be forcibly struck with the propriety of his expres- 
 sions, as well as with the sincerity and humility of 
 mind whichappcared to dictate this offering. 
 
 I again passed a short time with him in the after- 
 noon, when he grievously complained of his own in- 
 sensibility and hardness of heart. A friend who was 
 present united with me in the opinion, that he was 
 in fact very far from being in a careless condition of 
 mind ; — and this opinion was confirmed, when we 
 again heard him in prayer, acknowledging his great 
 wickedness, supplicating for courage to meet the ap- 
 proaching extremity, and commending his soul to the 
 unmerited mercy of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 Truly might it be said, that in that solemn hour, the 
 knee of the blaspheme?- tvas bowed at the name of 
 Jesus? 
 
 When my friend was again introduced to him at a 
 later hour of the evening, he found him in a softer 
 and more tender state. In the prayer which he then 
 offered, he thanked God for his goodness in having 
 permitted him so long a time for repentance, and, in 
 a very touching manner, contrasted the advantage 
 which he had enjoyed in this respect, with the hard 
 lot of his "brother," (as he called him,) whose soul 
 
 7 Phil, ii, 10. 
 
158 Some Account of John Stral/ord. 
 
 he had been himself the means of transmitting so 
 suddenly from probation to judgment, from time to 
 eternity. 
 
 I understand that he passed a restless night, and 
 that, on the morning of his execution, his counte- 
 nance appeared worn and woe-begone. Yet he ap- 
 pears to have met his death with an uncommon degree 
 of fortitude. His last fervent petitions unquestion- 
 ably proved his belief in God — the Father — and the 
 Son. They were, " God be merciful to me a sinner — 
 Lord Jesus receive my spirit — Christ stretch out thine 
 arms to save me — O God, thy will be done." 
 
 I shall now take the liberty of offering a few general 
 remarks, which have been suggested to my own mind 
 by the preceding narrative. 
 
 The first, as might be expected from the leading 
 feature of this mournful history, relates to the dan- 
 ger of hrfidellty. Since it has pleased our Heavenly 
 Father, in his great condescension to our weakness 
 and ignorance, to bestow upon us a revelation of his 
 will, and of those truths which are essential to salva- 
 tion, it would well become those who turn their backs 
 with scorn and derision on this heavenly light, seri- 
 ously to consider whether they are not committing 
 the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost ; the 
 sin which will never be forgiven, "either in this world 
 or in the world to come."^ This sin was committed 
 by the unbelieving Jews, when they rejected the 
 Saviour of men, and attributed his mighty and bene- 
 
 8 Matt, xii, 31, 32. 
 
Some Account of John Siratford. 159 
 
 ficent miracles to Beelzebub, tbe Prince of tbc devils.'-' 
 And are not those persons, in point of principle, 
 guilty of the same sin, who dare to ascribe the reli- 
 gion of Christ to the mere invention of man, and 
 who scoff at those Holy Scriptures, which have God 
 for their Author, truth without mixture of error for 
 their contents, and salvation for their end ? Since it 
 is expressly declared that there is no other name given 
 under heaven whereby we must be saved, but the 
 name of Jesus,^ what well grounded hope of the for- 
 giveness of their sins, and of eternal happiness, can 
 those men enjoy, who despise and trample under foot 
 that holy name, and call the truth, which was revealed 
 to mankind under the immediate inspiration of the 
 Holy Ghost, a folly and a lie? 
 
 Again — it ought to be remembered, that Christi- 
 anity is the means appointed by the Almighty himself 
 to make men truly virtuous in this life, and to fit them 
 for the enjoyment of perfect purity in the life to come. 
 "The grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath 
 appeared imto all men, teaching us that, denying un- 
 godliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
 righteously, and godly in this present world ; looking 
 for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of 
 the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who 
 gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all 
 iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, 
 zealous of good works''"^ No wonder, then, that those 
 who reject Christ and his religion become an easy 
 prey to the corruption of their own hearts and to the 
 
 9 Mark iii, 30. i Acts iv, 12. 2 Tit. ii, 11 — 14. 
 
160 Some Account of John Stratford. 
 
 Aviles of the devil. Deeply infected as we are by 
 nature with the disease of sin, if we reject the Phy- 
 sician of souls, and scorn the grace which can alone 
 effect our cure, it follows, as a natural consequence, 
 that our disease will continue and increase, and the 
 end of it will be death — unutterable and eternal. 
 
 Solomon says, " Trust in the Lord with all thine 
 heart, and lean not to thine own understanding.''^ The 
 root of infidelity is the pride of man's heart, which 
 induces him to disobey this precept, and to place a 
 reliance on his own understanding, which neither 
 truth nor reason warrants. The understanding, in- 
 deed, is a faculty given to us of God, and it is our 
 duty to make the best of it. No man who takes a 
 just view of what our Heavenly F"ather requires of us 
 — I mean a profitable use of all our talents, for the 
 purpose of his own glory — will deny that it is every 
 man's duty, in the fear of the Lord, to improve his 
 own mind, and to obtain as much useful knowledge 
 as his circumstances will admit. Nevertheless, the 
 best things are capable of being abused in the hands 
 of corrupt and fallen man ; and it often happens, that 
 knowledge — especially a little knowledge (which 
 many humble mechanics are now in the way of ob- 
 taining) — puffs up the mind, and leads people to 
 imagine themselves to be a great deal wiser than they 
 really are. 
 
 Then they begin to lean to their own understand- 
 ings, not merely in matters of science, but in those of 
 religion : and apply their vain reasoning to those 
 
 3 Prov. iii, 5. 
 
Some Account of John Stratford. 161 
 
 mysterious doctrines which are revealed to us, not to 
 gratify our curiosity, but to save our souls. Here 
 they are presently out of their depth ; for God is an 
 infinite and incomprehensible Being. His judgments 
 are unsearchable, and his ways past finding out. On 
 the other hand, we are poor, ignorant creatures, en- 
 dued with very limited capacities, and entirely incapa- 
 ble, without the aid of the Holy Spirit, of fathoming 
 and understanding " the deep things of God." There- 
 fore we ought to be humble and seek true wisdom 
 where alone it is to be found, at the footstool of a 
 throne of grace. If we walk in the fear of God, live 
 a life of prayer, and search the Scriptures with a 
 humble mind, the great truths of religion, as far as 
 relates to their practical purposes, will be made plain 
 to us ; and the light of heaven will lead us onwards, 
 in the path of duty and self-denial, to eternal day. 
 " The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, 
 but those things which are revealed belong to us and 
 to our children for ever, that ive may do all the words 
 of this law.'""* " The secret of the Lord is with them 
 that fear him ; and he will shew them his covenant."^ 
 " Let no man deceive himself. If any man among 
 you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become 
 a fool, that he may be wise ; for the wisdom of this 
 world is foolishness with God."^ "If any man think 
 that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet 
 as he ought to know ; but if any man love God, the 
 same is known of him."^ " The things of God know- 
 
 4 Deut. xxix, 29. 5 Psa. xxv, 14. 
 
 1 Cor. iii, 18, 19. 7 i Cor. viii, 2, .3. 
 
 VOL. II. M 
 
162 So7ne Account of John Stratford. 
 
 etli no man, but the Spirit of God."^ " At that time, 
 Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, 
 Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid 
 these things from the wise and prudent, and hast re- 
 vealed them wito babes: even so. Father, for so it 
 seemed good in thy sight. 
 
 I confess that I am a warm and hearty friend to 
 the education of the labouring classes, and to the 
 dissemination amongst them of useful knowledge — 
 provided always, that they are, in the first place, and 
 above all other things, taught to fear God, to believe 
 in Jesus Christ, and to love and reverence the Scrip- 
 tures. With this foundation, the diifusion of know- 
 ledge will tend to the welfare of man, and to the 
 glory of his Maker. Without this foundation, I fear 
 it does little but make men more powerful, and there- 
 fore more dangerous. 
 
 Poor Stratford's unbelief and its mournful conse- 
 quences have led me to a longer train of thought 
 than I expected. I shall now make a brief remark or 
 two on his belief; for he died, as the reader must have 
 observed, fully satisfied of the truth of Christianity. 
 I have seldom seen, in any one, clearer symptoms of 
 a thorough conviction of mind on this all-important 
 subject. He was as one who knew Christianity to 
 be true. Now, should the reader be led to enquire 
 on what evidence this conviction was founded, I may 
 answer, that according to my apprehension, a ray of 
 light, mercifully imparted, enabled him to see himself 
 and see his Saviour. A swift witness for God in his 
 
 8 1 Cor. ii, 11. 
 
 9 Matt, xi, 25, 26. 
 
Some Account of John Stratford. 163 
 
 soul, bore testimony to him, in that awful hour, of 
 his many and terrible sins; made manifest to him the 
 depth of his natural corruption ; and aroused him to 
 a state of alarm, lest he should perish for ever. In 
 this low and broken state, he could perceive that be- 
 tween the miserable and degraded condition of fallen 
 man, and the glorious provisions of the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ, there is an exact adaptation. He now 
 experimentally understood that man, for ever lost in 
 himself, and " dead in trespasses and sins," stands in 
 absolute need of an omnipotent Saviour, who should 
 bear the burthen of his iniquities, and deliver him 
 from the power and thraldom of the prince of dark- 
 ness. Such a Saviour is proposed to us in the gos- 
 pel. Stratford perceived his suitableness. With his 
 mind's eye he saw him, and believed. 
 
 Many and various are the evidences which a gra- 
 cious God has given to us, of the truth of our holy 
 religion. The stupendous miracles of our Lord and 
 his apostles, (for the reality of which, we are in pos- 
 session of incontrovertible testimony,) and the exact 
 fulfilment of a great variety of prophecies, combine to 
 prove that Christianity is true and comes from God 
 himself. I may venture to assert, that the more these 
 evidences are examined, the more satisfactory and 
 convincing they will be found. But since the full 
 investigation of them is scarcely within the power of 
 those who earn their bread by the sweat of their 
 brow, it is a comfort that they have a witness for the 
 truth in themselves.^ Those who read the Scriptures 
 
 1 1 John V, 10. 
 
 M 2 
 
164; Some Account of John Stratford. 
 
 diligently, and pray to God for instruction — those 
 who are brought to a sense of their own corruptions, 
 and of their need of a Saviour — will be little tempted 
 to disbelieve the truth of. Christianity. After they 
 have found Him for themselves, " of whom Moses in 
 the law and the prophets did write," the language of 
 their hearts, individually, will be like that of the apos- 
 tle Paul — " I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ : 
 for it is the power of God unto salvation.'"'^ When 
 the serious, though perhaps illiterate man, observes 
 the moral effect which true Christianity produces in 
 himself and others, these convictions are confirmed. 
 When he perceives that those who once were ungodly, 
 selfish, and sensual, and therefore unhappy, become 
 so changed, as to love God above all, to love their 
 neighbour as themselves, to conduct themselves Math 
 meekness, temperance, and charity, and consequently 
 to enjoy even here a happiness of which the worldling 
 Imoivs nothing, — he rests fully assured that the religion 
 from which these admirable consequences spring, can 
 be traced to no other source, than the wisdom and 
 goodness of Almighty God. 
 
 In conclusion, the reader may be induced to enquire 
 whether, in the opinion of the writer, the repentance 
 and faith which marked the last hours of this wretched 
 wanderer from the path of virtue, were such as afforded 
 a solid ground for believing that all would he well 
 ivith him, in the end? Now 1 freely confess that the 
 hope which I felt on this most interesting point, was 
 like that of the poor criminal himself, a trembling one. 
 
 2 Rom. i, 16. 
 
Some Account of John Stratford. 165 
 
 While I remembered with sorrow, the heinous nature 
 of his offences, I coukl not conceal from myself, that 
 death was now about to cut off for ever his oppor- 
 tunity of proving to his fellow-men, the reality of 
 his conversion. God, who searches the heart, knows 
 whether this unhappy man was born again of the 
 Spirit, and fitted, by the redeeming love of Christ, for 
 an entrance into his kingdom. JV^e cannot decide the 
 awful question : for although we may entertain a 
 Immhle trust that such was the fact, we are left in 
 this instance, without the only evidence, by which a 
 true conversion can be satisfactorily demonstrated in 
 our view — I mean, the evidence of continued good 
 conduct, of persevering piety and virtue. 
 
 While we rejoice and are thankful for the incom- 
 parable blessing of redemption through a crucified 
 Redeemer, let us ever remember that Christianity is 
 a practical religion. Faith in the atoning blood of 
 Christ, although indispensable, will be of no avail for 
 our salvation, unless it be of so vital a nature, as to 
 produce a real change of heart. Then, and then only, 
 will it bear the precious fruit of righteousness in this 
 world, and of eternal and unspeakable happiness in 
 the world to come. 
 
SUBSTANCE OF AN ADDRESS, 
 
 ON THE 
 
 RIGHT USE AND APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE, 
 
 DELIVERED 
 
 ^0 tfte iIttEt6«im£S of ittanc^csicr. 
 
 TRUTH SHALL TRIUMPH. 
 
ADDRESS. 
 
 Friends and Fellow Countrymen, 
 
 In presenting myself to this large and 
 intelligent assembly, I feel that I ought, as a stranger, 
 to apologize for such an intrusion on your time and 
 attention, especially since the subject on which I pro- 
 pose to treat, is one of so large a compass and of such 
 high importance. Undoubtedly, it will be generally 
 allowed that on nothing does the welfare of our 
 species more clearly or certainly depend, than on the 
 right use and application of Itnoivledge. 
 
 The only apology, however, which 1 have to offer, 
 is that I am a sincere friend to the diffusion of useful 
 knowledge of every description ; and shall be glad at 
 all times to promote the general object pursued by 
 this and similar institutions. The principles which I 
 entertain on the subject, forbid my making any dis- 
 tinction between the different classes of society ; for 
 whatsoever may be our situation in life, it appears to 
 me to be our plain duty to ourselves, to our neigh- 
 bour, and above all to our boiintiful Creator, to make 
 as diligent a use as lies in our power, of the nobler 
 part of man — to improve and cultivate our mental 
 faculties. 
 
 True indeed it is, that even in our intellectual pur- 
 suits, there are dangeraus temptations ; especially to 
 
170 Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 pride and self-conceit — according to the declaration 
 of the apostle Paul — a wise and learned man in his 
 day — " knowledge pufFeth up." But I consider that 
 this declaration peculiarly applies to slight and super- 
 ficial knowledge, and that we shall find one remedy 
 for our vanity, in the deepening and extending of our 
 researches after truth. Those who are most profound 
 in philosophy, and most largely instructed in useful 
 learning, are generally distinguished by a low view of 
 their own attainments. In confirmation of this re- 
 mark, I need only remind you of Sir Isaac Newton — 
 that prince of astronomers and mathematicians — that 
 firm friend also to religion and virtue — whose match- 
 less powers of mind were so remarkably accompanied 
 with humility and modesty ; these, indeed, were the 
 crown and honour of his character. 
 
 I do not wish to enter upon any metaphysical defi- 
 nitions of knowledge. On the present occasion I use 
 the word simply as denoting that information, which 
 under the government of our gracious Creator, men 
 are able to obtain from any source, on any subject. 
 Knowledge, in this familiar sense of the term, admits 
 of a division into four great branches. First, expe- 
 rimental and philosophical; secondly, mathematical; 
 thirdly, historical; and fourthly — above all — moral 
 and religious. 
 
 In the present stage of this address I shall lay aside 
 the consideration of the fourth branch— I mean re- 
 vealed religion — not because I am insensible to its 
 claims, for I am convinced in my inmost soul of its 
 supreme importance ; but I consider it best, in the 
 first instance, to confine my views to the preceding 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester, 171 
 
 branches — those which are so laudably pursued in this 
 institution. 
 
 Experimental knowledge is that information of 
 every kind which we obtain from our own personal 
 observation. Every one knows that it is extremely 
 various — that it rests on the evidence of our senses — 
 and that it is stored in the mind by the united powers 
 of perception, reflection, and memory. Under this 
 class, we must include the different branches of natu- 
 ral philosophy ; for it is now universally understood 
 that science can be rightly founded only on the obser- 
 vation of the phenomena of nature. An extensive 
 and careful examination of effects enables the philo- 
 sopher to discover causes ; from a multitude of par- 
 ticular examples he forms his general conclusions ; 
 and thus he erects a well-founded system of natural 
 science. The philosophical knowledge which w^e 
 thus obtain is more or less certain, just in proportion 
 to the opportunities which we enjoy in any particular 
 science, of an extensive and accurate examination of 
 facts. 
 
 Many of the conclusions of natural philosophy — 
 some even which are very generally admitted — amount 
 only to probabilities. Others, in the practical point 
 of view, may safely be regarded as certainties. But 
 on what do all these conclusions depend ? On several 
 first principles, which the philosopher is obliged to 
 take for granted, and which are utterly incapable of 
 proof. One of these first principles is the actual ex- 
 istence of those external objects, about which it is 
 the province of science to enquire. Although it is 
 impossible to demonstrate this truth, our nature com- 
 
172 Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 pels us to admit it ; and admitted universally it cer- 
 tainly is ; for even a Berkeley and a Hume, whose 
 sophistry delighted in reducing all visible things to 
 phantoms of the mind, would have been just as eager 
 to escape from the fallen rock or from the lion's jaw, 
 as the most credulous of their fellow-men. 
 
 Another first principle, essential to philosophy, is 
 that every phenomenon of nature which we can 
 trace to a beginning, or, in other words, every effect, 
 has a cause adequate to its production. This is a 
 principle which no man can prove, but which every 
 man is compelled to believe. The belief of it is 
 wrought by the hand of God into the constitution of 
 our nature. You will observe, therefore, my friends 
 — and you cannot deny it — that natural philosophy 
 itself, in the various branches of which you take so 
 warm an interest, affords you no knowledge whatso- 
 ever, but that which is founded on faith. 
 
 But does the same remark apply to the second 
 branch of knowledge ? Does it apply to those pure 
 and perfect sciences — astronomy, for example — in 
 which our conclusions rest, not merely on our own 
 fallible powers of observation, but on that which pre- 
 cludes the possibility of mistake, mathematical de- 
 monstration ? Assuredly it does ; for no man can 
 reason without a foundation to reason upon ; no man 
 can calculate without a ground of calculation. The 
 whole science of mathematics — pure and perfect as it 
 is — rests on axioms, of which we cannot by any pos- 
 sibility prove the truth. One of these axioms is 
 familiar to us all — that the whole is greater than the 
 part. I defy the most ingenious student among you 
 
Address to Ihs Mechanics of Manchester. ] 73 
 
 to demonstrate this axiom either by a chain of reason- 
 ing, or by any other means. Yon will tell me, per- 
 haps, that we have perpetual ocular proof of it — that 
 it is demonstrated by the sight, and by the touch. 
 But do a man's senses never deceive hini ? Can he 
 always trust the vision of his eye, or the sensation of 
 his finger? The fact is, that we are sure of this 
 truth, because a settled and uniform belief of it, forms 
 part of the very nature which God has given us. 
 
 It is far from my intention by these remarks to 
 attempt to involve any of your minds in perplexing 
 and useless doubts — in that hopeless and heartless 
 Pyrrhonism^ which is productive only of misery and 
 folly. I am desirous only that we may be led to take 
 a right view of the very constitution and condition 
 of our being. The voice of nature is, in this case, 
 the voice of God. Well may we be humbled under 
 a reverential feeling of the wisdom and power of our 
 Creator, who has ordained that the first principles of 
 all our knowledge should be received by faith in that 
 voice — on his own supreme and irresistible authority. 
 
 Here I will mention the name of another celebrated 
 person to whom every mechanics' institution in the 
 kingdom is deeply indebted ; I mean Lord Bacon, 
 the father of inductive philosophy — the man who 
 raised science with a master-hand, and placed her on 
 her feet ! The poet describes him as the " greatest, 
 
 1 Pyrrho, an ancient Greek philosopher, who followed Alexander 
 the Great into India, is supposed to have borrowed part of his 
 system from the Brahmins. He is celebrated as the greatest of 
 doubters. He considered himself sure of nothing — not even of his 
 own existence. 
 
174' Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 wisest, meanest of mankind," and his history affords 
 many lamentable proofs that great learning and un- 
 bending virtue are far from being inseparable com- 
 panions. Unhappily he truckled to power at the 
 cost of principle ; and sure I am that were he now 
 living, he would, notwithstanding all his science, be 
 little popular among the reformers of Manchester. 
 Yet he was a person of profound reasoning powers 
 and of singular wisdom ; firm to uphold both reason 
 and faith, yet skilful to distinguish their respective 
 uses. And what says Lord Bacon respecting the 
 knowledge of philosophy ? He says, " It is an as- 
 sured truth and a conclusion of experience, that a 
 little or superficial knowledge of philosophy may 
 incline the mind of man to atheism, but a farther 
 proceeding therein doth bring the mind back again 
 to religion."^ 
 
 Historical knowledge may be considered as com- 
 prehending all the information which we receive re- 
 specting past events or still existing circumstances, on 
 the testimony of others. It comprehends what we 
 learn from the traveller as well as from the historian, 
 and indeed almost all that we know of every descrip- 
 tion, about absent persons and things. If faith may 
 be said to lie at the foundation of natural philosophy 
 and mathematics, this is still more obviously true of 
 history in its several branches. It is received by tes- 
 timony alone ; and if testimony is of a sound descrip- 
 tion ; if it is that of an honest man ; or if it is con- 
 
 2 Advanceynent of Learnimj, p. 10. 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 175 
 
 firmed by collateral evidence ; or more especially, if 
 it comes from many independent, yet agreeing wit- 
 nesses, no one hesitates to believe it, and to accept 
 such information as hiowledge. 
 
 Take the reform bill for an example. You are all 
 of you assured beyond a doubt that it has passed both 
 Houses of Parliament. You are certain that this is 
 true. You know it for a fact. But on what is your 
 knowledge founded ? On the declarations of your 
 neighbours, or on the authority of your newspapers. 
 Among the mighty multitudes of men and women 
 who were poured forth, the other day, in your streets, 
 to celebrate the passing of the bill, we may presume 
 that there was not one who did not know the fact. 
 Probably, also, there was not one whose knowledge 
 of it had any other foundation than that of simple 
 faith in testimony. 
 
 Having thus endeavoured to classify the know- 
 ledge which you are here pursuing, and having briefly 
 glanced at the foundation on which it all rests, I shall 
 now turn to the main subject of my address — its right 
 use and application. It is a common saying that 
 " knowledge is power." He who gives up his mind 
 to a state of darkness and ignorance, and brings 
 scarcely any powers into use but those of his body, 
 is no better than the brute on which he rides. Indeed 
 he is in a far worse condition than the brute, because 
 more responsible. These reflections must be obvious 
 to all. 
 
 In looking, however, somewhat more particularly 
 to this subject, I presume you will all agree with me 
 in the sentiment, that, as the subject of knowledge is 
 
176 Address to the Mechanics of MancJiester. 
 
 truth, so the true purpose of it is happiness ; and that 
 knowledge is rightly applied, only when it promotes 
 the comfort and substantial welfare of mankind. 
 
 Speculations which haye no practical bearing, are 
 by no means in fashion in the present day. Never 
 was there a time when men were more ready to apply 
 all things to some useful purpose ; and this is especi- 
 ally true, as it relates to science. We are accustomed 
 to trace the right use and application of chemistry, 
 in the workshop of the dyer, in the stores of the 
 apothecary, in the prescription of the physician ; of 
 anatomy, in the skill of the surgeon ; of hydraulics, 
 in the powers of the Avater wheel ; of optics, in every 
 kind of aid to our limited or fading vision. Above 
 all, who that has witnessed the astonishing proofs of 
 human ingenuity, by which this place and its vicinity 
 are distinguished — who that has contemplated the 
 gentle yet resistless movements of the steam engine, 
 and the immense variety of machinery which it keeps 
 in action — who that calls to mind the almost infinite 
 quantity of useful material which is thus daily pro- 
 duced for the benefit of the world — can for a moment 
 doubt the use of the science of mechanics ? 
 
 Here, by the way, I may venture to express my 
 conviction, that, practised as you are in the effective 
 application of a well arranged machinery, and aware 
 of the multitude of persons which it is the means of 
 employing, you can be little disposed to join in the 
 idle cry which is sometimes heard against the use of 
 it. Machinery is one means of immensely increasing 
 the powers of man for useful purposes ; and that it is 
 our duty in the sight of God and our fellow-creatures. 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 177 
 
 to make the most of our capacities for such purposes, 
 no sound morah'st can deny. The fact is, that this, 
 like every other application of our natural faculties, 
 requires the regulation of moral and religious princi- 
 ple — of that fear of the Lord which restrains from 
 evil, and of that love which " worketh no ill to his 
 neighbour." Without this regulation, it may often 
 be fraught with mischief ; with it, it cannot fail to be 
 both safe and desirable. 
 
 But let no one suppose that information and sci- 
 ence can have no right application, except when they 
 are directed to the supply of our external wants. It 
 is not every species of knowledge, which is capable 
 of being thus immediately applied to our comfort and 
 convenience. But knowledge — in a yet wider range 
 — has uses of its own, of a more refined description 
 indeed, but nevertheless of substantial importance to 
 the welfare and happiness of mankind. These uses 
 may be severally contrasted with certain corresponding 
 temptations which infest the path of learning ; and 
 in order to partake of the benefit, we must, in each 
 case, exercise watchfulness and diligence to escape 
 from the peril which lies on the opposite side. 
 
 1. Opposed to the danger of pride and self-conceit, 
 the frequent consequence of superficial knowledge, 
 is a benefit already alluded to, as arising from a 
 thorough cultivation of mind — the humUiation of man 
 in the view of his own ignorance. The uncultivated 
 mind is left without any conception of the vast extent 
 and variety of things which are the objects even of 
 human enquiry. But let a man fairly give himself 
 to the study of some one branch of knowledge ; let 
 
 VOL. II. N 
 
178 Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 him go into the depth and breadth of the pursuit ; 
 and he will soon be convinced, that in this single 
 department, he has abundant occupation for his ut- 
 most powers. He will be Jhumbled under a feeling of 
 the utter impossibility of his attaining to more than 
 a small portion of the knowledge which is within the 
 reach of man. But let him go farther ; let him extend 
 his enquiries on every side, with the zeal and ability 
 of a Boyle or a Bacon, and he will soon perceive that 
 all human knowledge is confined within narrow 
 boundaries — that beyond these boundaries, there lies 
 a hidden infinite into which it is vain for him to 
 attempt to search — for it is known only to the Omni- 
 scient. He learns also what is the inevitable condition 
 of human knowledge — that it must ever be founded 
 on belief. Now these are lessons which have a strong 
 tendency to deprive a man of his self-conceit, and to 
 break down the haughtiness of his spirit ; and just in 
 proportion as they produce this effect, do they pro- 
 mote his real welfare. Pride is the curse of our 
 species — the root of ambition, covetousness, wrath, 
 malice, and cruelty. But humility ivorks ivell for the 
 happiness of individuals, and for the peace of society. 
 Not all the pages of all the uninspired moralists who 
 ever lived, can furnish a sentiment of so much w^eight 
 and efficacy as that which was uttered by our Holy 
 Redeemer : " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs 
 is the kingdom of heaven." 
 
 2. But a view of our own ignorance, and the 
 humility into which it leads, by no means entail a 
 low and unworthy estimate of the native powers of 
 man. Permit me, therefore, to express my firm con- 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 179 
 
 viction, in the second place, that knowledge has few 
 uses more desirable — that it can be applied to few 
 purposes more important — than that of imbuing us 
 with just conceptions of the nature of the human 
 mind. 
 
 Let a student dive into the depths of chemistry, 
 or climb the heights of astronomy ; let him exercise 
 himself in mathematical demonstrations ; let him 
 range the fields of natural history ; or store his 
 memory with the records of the past ; and he cannot 
 remain insensible to the inherent capacities of his 
 own mind. The powers of perception, reflection, 
 reason, and memory, will be unfolded and strength- 
 ened as he proceeds ; and ample will be the evidence 
 with which his own experience will furnish him, that 
 the intelligent spirit within him is a something quite 
 distinct from his bodily frame — endued with won- 
 drous faculties which are all its own. And if such a 
 conviction be the result of his own experience, that 
 conviction will not fail to be strengthened by the 
 view which his studies will unfold to him, of the 
 prodigious efforts which have been made in the vari- 
 ous departments of science and literature, by minds 
 of a still larger capacity. A crowning evidence of this 
 important truth, will be afforded him by the genius 
 of a Galileo, a Milton, a Locke, or a Newton. 
 
 It is an astonishing proof of the mental perversion 
 to which we are all liable, and, I may add, of the 
 danger of that little knowledge which puffs up the 
 learner, that some persons, who pretend to pursue 
 the path of science, entertain the absurd notion that 
 mind is matter. Just in proportion to their professed 
 
 N 2 
 
180 Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 zeal in cultivating the rational faculty, is their sense- 
 less endeavour to degrade its character, and finally to 
 reduce it to nothing. 
 
 I trust that the intelligent mechanics Avhom I am 
 now addressing, and who are furnished with abundant 
 proofs, in their own experience, of the native power 
 of mind, will ever be preserved from so foolish and 
 dangerous a notion. True indeed it is, that matter 
 and mind are closely connected in that wondrous 
 creature, 7nan ; and that, by some mysterious law of 
 nature, they are capable of acting, with great force, 
 one upon the other.^ But the radical and essential 
 difference between them, is evident from the fact 
 that they admit of no similarity of definition. Mind 
 IS that which thinks, wills, reasons, and worships. 
 Matter is that which is solid, tangible, and extended. 
 To talk of their being the same, is to propose a 
 contradiction in terms. Assuredly there can be no 
 more identity between them, than between the azure 
 of the heavens, and the green fields, or the dusty 
 streets, on which we tread below ! 
 
 No sooner shall you succeed in imparting to some 
 
 3 The brain appears to be the organ through which the mind of 
 man communicates with the material world. Hence it often hap- 
 pens that when the brain is injured, the connexion between the 
 mind and external objects is suspended or perverted. The con- 
 trary, however, often takes place. I cannot suppose that any of 
 my readers seriously entertain the notion that the brain and the 
 mind are the same. That they are not so, is certain ; for a man 
 may lose half his brain, without any apparent loss or diminution 
 of his intellectual faculty. Several facts of this description are 
 stated by Dr. Abercrombie, of Edinburgh, in his admirable work 
 on " The Intellectual Powers." See p. 154. 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 181 
 
 exquisite specimen of machinery a single ray of intel- 
 ligence, than I will surrender my doctrine, and allow 
 that mind is matter. Till then, I shall depend on 
 the conclusions of my reason, or rather on my native 
 conviction, that they are essentially and unalterably 
 distinct. 
 
 On the one hand, therefore, we cannot descend too 
 low in a humble view of our dependent condition, 
 and of the blindness which is here our necessary 
 portion ; and on the other hand, we cannot rise too 
 high in a just contemplation of the spiritual nature 
 of the human mind — a spark of the divine intelli- 
 gence, breathed into man by his Creator, and formed 
 after the image of his oAvn eternity. Between the 
 known capacities of the soul of man, and its revealed 
 everlasting existence, there is a perfect fitness. 
 
 Let no man start, in unbelief, at the notion of the 
 eternity to which he is destined ; for, independently 
 of revealed religion, which is its proper evidence, our 
 known inherent powers proclaim it to be probable. 
 Nor can we deny that this probability is confirmed 
 by the analogy of science ; for whether we reflect on 
 the inconceivable greatness of nature, or attempt to 
 dive into her unsearchable minuteness, we are com- 
 pelled to confess that hifimty does, in a remarkable 
 manner, characterize the counsels, and distinguish 
 the M ork, of our Almighty Creator. 
 
 That a just view of the spiritual nature of the 
 soul, is of great importance to our welfare and happi- 
 ness, is extremely obvious. The materialist, who 
 reduces himself to the rank of a mere machine, must 
 presently give up every notion of his own responsi- 
 
182 Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 bility — not only in reference to an eternal future, but 
 even as it regards the present life. It is the natural 
 tendency of his sentiments to make him the prey 
 of his carnal propensities ; and thus he becomes a 
 source of misery both to himself, and to society at 
 large. But who does not know that our individual 
 happiness, as well as the order and peace of society, 
 are promoted in a wonderful degree, by the subjection 
 of our bodily powers to the guidance and government 
 of the rational faculty ? 
 
 3. Still more important, however, is it for the hap- 
 piness of mankind, that our whole nature, both bodily 
 and rational^ should be subjected to the moral prin- 
 ciple — or, in other words, should become obedient to 
 the commands of the Deity. Certainly, then, the 
 highest use, the first and best application of all lite- 
 rary and scientific pursuit, is to confirm our belief in 
 the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe — to 
 establish and enlarge our acquaintance with God. 
 
 It is a lamentable fact, that this noblest end of 
 knowledge is far from being always followed. Many 
 persons who are engaged in scientific enquiries, live 
 in the daily forgetfulness of their Heavenly Father, 
 and are sometimes found to doubt and even to deny 
 his existence. This strange perversion of man's 
 intellect, can be ultiniately traced only to the corrup- 
 tion of his heart; but it appears to be occasioned 
 partly by the absorbing nature of philosophical pur- 
 suits, which may easily so fill the unguarded mind, as 
 to leave no place for the Author of all knowledge and 
 wisdom ; and partly by the habit which too much 
 prevails among philosophers, of resting in second 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchesler. 183 
 
 causes. They trace the phenomena of nature to the 
 hnvs through which nature is governed, and they 
 accustom themselves to speak and write, and, finally, 
 to think, of these laws, as if they were sentient and 
 intelligent beings. 
 
 The absurdity of this mode of thought, as it relates 
 to the creation of God, must be evident to every 
 considerate mind. I walk into one of your factories, 
 and enquire of the owner, or rather of the intelli- 
 gent headman, what it is which regulates the moving 
 scene, and keeps the machinery working at a uniform 
 pace. " Oh ! " says he, " it is that governor in yon 
 corner of the room. You see those two balls which 
 are always in rotation. When the rapidity of the 
 steam engine is too great, they expand by the centri- 
 fugal force, and by partly closing a valve in the pipe 
 of the boiler, diminish the quantity of the steam 
 which acts on the engine. On the contrary, Avhen the 
 motion is too slow, the centrifugal force of the balls 
 abates, the circle round which they move is lessened, 
 the valve opens, and the power is again increased. 
 Thus the whole machinery is kept moving at an even 
 rate. 
 
 But who governs the governor ? Who provided it 
 with its balls ? Who placed it in its right position ? 
 Possibly the ingenious individual with whom I am 
 conversing. 
 
 Were I seriously to impute to this most useful yet 
 inanimate machine, the actual government of the 
 works, and even the settlement of the sales and 
 purchases, you would not fail to call me a madman 
 or a fool. Yet precisely of the same degree of mad- 
 
ISt Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 ness and folly is that philosopher guilty, who goes no 
 further than his second cause, forgets his Creator, and 
 ascribes the orderly arrangement of the universe, and 
 all its glorious phenomena, to the laws of attrac- 
 tion AND MOTION. 
 
 Here I must recur to that first principle in science 
 to which we have already alluded — a principle worked 
 up in the constitution of our nature, and which we 
 know to be true, though we cannot prove it — that 
 every effect must have an adequate cause. When I 
 contemplate the heavens and all their starry host ; 
 when I take into view, as a complete system, the 
 planets, the moons which attend their course, and 
 the sun around which they move ; when I behold, in 
 myriads of fixed stars, the centres of as many more 
 systems of the same description ; when I extend my 
 conceptions to a countless number of these systems, 
 moving round some common centre of unspeakable 
 magnitude — I am compelled to acknowledge that 
 here is a stupendous effect, for which only one cause 
 can by any possibility account — I mean the fiat of 
 an intelligent and omnipotent Being. 
 
 Constrained as we are by the very structure of our 
 minds, to rely on the uniformity of the operations 
 of nature, and taught by long and multiplied experi- 
 ence, that every organized form of matter has a 
 beginning, we cannot, as it appears to me, avoid the 
 conclusion, that the vast machinery of the heavens 
 once began to exist; and, being convinced of this 
 truth we are absolutely certain that nothing could 
 cause its existence but the power of an eternal Ciod. 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchsster. 185 
 
 Thus do reason and philosophj' persuade and con- 
 strain our consent to a record of the highest moment 
 contained only in Scripture — " In the Beginning 
 God created the Heaven and the Earth." 
 
 But let us take some particular part of the created 
 universe, some single plant, some individual animal. 
 For example, let us occupy a few minutes in consi- 
 dering the structure of my friend and brother there, 
 who is sitting in front of me, and whose existence, as 
 we all know, can be traced to a beginning. Let us 
 examine him, body and mind. First, as to his body, 
 — it is full of contrivances, — full of the evident results 
 of the most profound science, and of the nicest art. 
 How perfectly, for example, is the structure of his 
 eye fitted for the reception of those rays of light, 
 which are falling upon it in all directions from visible 
 objects ! How nicely are the rays refracted by its 
 several lenses ! How easily do they glide through the 
 pupil: How comprehensive, yet how perfect, is the 
 picture formed on its retina — a picture reversed to 
 inspection from without, but all in upright order to 
 the percipient within ! Here, indeed, is the science of 
 optics displayed in its perfection. Then turn to his 
 ear. How finely does it illustrate the principles of 
 acoustics ! How nicely are its cavities fitted for the 
 reception and increase of sound ! How accurately 
 does the drum in the centre, respond to the undula- 
 tion from without I 
 
 Look at that most convenient of levers — my bro- 
 ther's arm ; with Avhat ease does he apply its forces ! 
 How nicely are its elbow and its shoulder adjusted 
 for their respective purposes ; and how admirably is the 
 
18G Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 whole completed by the addition of a hand I Think 
 of the union of strength and pliancy which distin- 
 guishes his spine — an effect produced by machinery 
 of the most elaborate description ! Contemplate his 
 joints — the hinge where a hinge is wanted — the ball 
 and socket where his comfort demands that peculiar 
 structure ; all lubricated by ever-flowing oil ; all work- 
 ing with a faultless accuracy ! Think of his muscles, 
 endued with that curious faculty of contraction, by 
 which he is enabled to move his members ! Think of 
 the studied mechanical adjustment by which, without 
 ever interrupting each other's functions, these muscles 
 pull against each other, and keep his body even ! 
 Then turn your attention to his blood ; a fluid in 
 perpetual motion — supplied with pure air in one stage 
 of its journey, and, in another, with the essence of 
 his food ; and conveying the elements of life, every 
 few moments, to every part of his body ; driven from 
 the heart by one set of vessels, and restored to it by 
 another ; those vessels most artificially supplied with 
 valves to prevent the backward motion of the fluid ; 
 while the pump in the centre is for ever at work, and 
 makes a hundred thousand strokes in a day, without 
 even growing weary ! I will not now dwell particu- 
 larly on the still more complicated structure of his 
 nerves, on the chemistry of his stomach, on the 
 packing of the whole machinery, on the cellular 
 substance which fills up its cavities, on the skin 
 which covers it, on the sightliness and manly beauty 
 which adorns the fabric. I will rather turn to the 
 mind, which does, indeed, complete the man — its 
 subtle powers of thought, memory, association, ima- 
 
Address io the Mechanics of Manchester. 187 
 
 gination — its passions and affections — its natural and 
 moral capacities. Surely we must all acknowledge 
 that our brother is a wonderful creature indeed — an 
 effect for which it is utterly impossible to imagine 
 any adequate cause, but the contriving intelligence 
 and irresistible power of an all-wise Creator. 
 
 You tell me that our friend has a father — a 
 grandfather — that he looks back on an indefinite 
 series of progenitors. This fact only strengthens 
 my case. Certain it is that his own structure, both 
 of mind and body, contains numerous and unques- 
 tionable proofs of design. Were there is design, 
 there must, of necessity, be a designer. The parent, 
 as we are all perfectly aware, is not that designer. 
 Our understanding can find no rest in the mere 
 medium of production. We are compelled to have 
 recourse to an unseen and superior power, and to 
 confess that the designer is God. But if the work- 
 manship displayed in the formation of the individual 
 proclaims the wisdom and power of God, still more 
 conspicuously are they manifested in a succession of 
 generations — in the wondrous capacity bestowed on 
 every kind of living creature, to produce its own 
 likeness. 
 
 Were it possible that a series of successive Jinite 
 beings should exist from eternity, (a notion which, 
 in my opinion, disproves itself,) and, supposing it to 
 be possible, were it probable, or even certain, that 
 mankind have so existed — our argument from a de- 
 sign to a designer, would still remain untouched. It 
 would continue to apply with resistless force to every 
 individual of the species. 
 
188 Address lo the IMechan'ics of Manchester . 
 
 But it so happens that we are able to trace not 
 only every individual man, but our whole race to 
 an undoubted beginning. That beginning, which 
 took place about six thousand years ago, is plainly 
 recorded in Scripture, and the record is supported by 
 the conclusions of science. "You are doubtless aware 
 how extensively of late years scientific enquiry has 
 been directed, to the examination and classification 
 of the surface or crust of our globe. 
 
 Cieology is a favourite study in the present day, 
 and few persons of any education are now unaccjuaint- 
 ed with the classification in question. We have the 
 primitive rocks ; the transition, the secondary, the 
 tertiary, and the alluvial ; each bearing the marks of 
 a watery formation ; and each maintaining its own 
 order in the series, notwithstanding the frequent 
 interruption from below, of vast protruding masses 
 supposed to be of fiery origin. The secondary rocks 
 in particular, composed of alternate layers of sand- 
 stone and lime-stone, are replete with fossil remains 
 of plants and animals — the intelligible remnants of a 
 once abundant, but now obsolete life* 
 
 4 A little consideration will serve lo show that those facts are 
 in no degree at variance with the record of creation, contained in 
 the book of Genesis. In the first verse of that book, we read that 
 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and 
 in the next verse, we find it declared that "the earth was ivithout 
 form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep." The 
 question is,Was the earth in this condition when she was first created? 
 Most probably not. From the account which follows of the six 
 days' work, (beginning with the revelation of light) we find that all 
 creatures came forth from the hands of their Creator in a state of 
 perfection. The tree, the beast, and man himself were not formed, 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 189 
 
 Now among all these remains, not a trace is to be 
 found of man. Man therefore, beyond all reasonable 
 question, is comparatlveli/ a modern creature. And 
 not only is this true of the human race, but of the 
 other species of animals and plants, which now enli- 
 ven and adorn the world. If I am correct in my 
 apprehension of the subject, they are all, or nearly 
 all, NEW ; belonging to an order of nature distinctly 
 different from that which these ancient rocks display. 
 For ever therefore must we lay aside the idle notion 
 of an injinite series of finite creatures, producing 
 their own likeness. Geology affords a palpable evi- 
 dence that the present order of animal and vegetable 
 life, had a commencement within some period of 
 moderate limits. 
 
 But we have not yet stated our whole case. While 
 the secondary rocks display to the geologist an order 
 of created beings prior to the present, the primitive 
 rocks — those vast masses of granite and gneiss which 
 form the lowest and oldest tier of the crust of the 
 earth — are wholly destitute of these curious remains 
 of animal and vegetable life. From this fact, we 
 
 as in reproduction, by a gradual and imperceptible growth, but 
 were endued at once with all the fulness of their vigour and 
 beauty. From the analogy of creation, therefore, we may fairly 
 infer — and the inference was drawn by biblical critics long before 
 geology was so much studied — that the earth herself also was in 
 the first instance created perfect. Before she became " without 
 form and void," and was enveloped in her shroud of " darkness," 
 she had probably undergone some vast revolution, or perhaps a 
 series of revolutions. Here then there is ample scope for an order 
 of living creatures, or even for a succession of orders, prior to that 
 of which Moses describes the formation, and with which we are 
 ourselves familiar. 
 
190 Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 may fairly infer that time was, and at no immeasur- 
 able distance, when there existed on the surface of 
 our globe, no plants or animals whatsoever. Not 
 only therefore is man comparatively modern ; not 
 only may all the different species with which we are 
 now acquainted, be traced to a first origin — but 
 all preceding orders of living and growing creatures 
 must have had their commencement also, within 
 the limits of time. Undoubtedly, therefore, the ex- 
 istence of the human race, together with the whole 
 present and past system of animal and vegetable life? 
 is an effect which nature and philosophy compel us 
 to ascribe to some adequate cause. Every one knows 
 that this adequate cause can be only one — the fiat 
 
 OF OMNIPOTENT WISDOM. 
 
 From these remarks, you will easily perceive how 
 false is the notion entertained by some persons, that 
 geology is fraught with a sting against religion. So 
 far from it, this delightful science has done nmch to 
 confirm the Scripture record, and to complete that 
 natural proof of a supreme intelligent Being, on 
 which all religion hinges. Let it ever be remember- 
 ed, that of all persons in the world, the Christian has 
 the least reason to fear the influence of truth. Truth 
 is the very element which he breathes. It is his 
 hope, his strength, and his life. From whatsoever 
 quarter it bursts in upon him, he hails its approach, 
 and greets it as his firmest friend. His motto is 
 unchanged and unchangeable. — Magna est Veritas et 
 praevalebit — " Truth shall triumph." 
 
 To look through nature up to nature's God, is in- 
 deed u profitable and delightful employment. While 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester, 191 
 
 1 Avoukl warmly encourage you to cultivate so desirable 
 a habit, I wish again to remind you that the wisdom 
 and power of God — displayed as they are in the out- 
 ward creation — are inseparably connected with his 
 ?«o/Y// government. Just in the degree in which we 
 are obedient to that government — just in the degree 
 in which our faculties, both bodily and mental, are 
 subjected to God's holy law — will all the knowledge 
 which we acquire be blessed to our own happiness, 
 and to that of our fellow-men. Hence we may form 
 some idea of the vast importance of that fourth 
 branch of knowledge, to which allusion was made 
 in the early part of this address, and on which I 
 shall now make a few remarks — I mean moral and 
 religious knowledge. 
 
 And where is this to be obtained ? Certainly Ave 
 may furnish our minds with some considerable por- 
 tions of it by reading the book of nature and provi- 
 dence; but there is another book which must be 
 regarded as its depository — a book in which all things 
 moral and spiritual, belonging to the welfare of man, 
 are fully unfolded. True indeed it is that natural 
 science proclaims the power and wisdom of God ; 
 that the perceptible tendency of its government, 
 makes manifest his holiness ; and lastly, that the 
 surplus of happiness bestowed on all living creatures, 
 demonstrates his goodness. 1 believe it is also true 
 that the law of God is written, in characters more or 
 less legible, on the hearts of all men. But for a full 
 account of his glorious attributes — for the knowledge 
 of religion in all its beauty, and strength, and com- 
 pleteness — we must have recourse to the Bible — we 
 
192 Address io the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 must meditate on the written \^'ord. There the whole 
 moral law is delineated with a pencil of heavenly 
 light. There man is described in his true character. 
 Above all, " life and immortality" are " brought 
 to light by the gospel." " This is life eternal, to 
 know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom 
 thou hast sent !" 
 
 Do not imagine, my friends, that I am about to 
 preach you a sermon; that is not my present business; 
 but I consider it to be strictly within the order of my 
 subject, to invite and encourage you to seek diligently 
 after that knowledge, on subordination to which, 
 depends the ultimate utility and advantage of all 
 other mental cultivation. I beg of you therefore, not 
 to neglect the daily perusal of the Holy Scriptures. 
 When you return home in the evening from your 
 day's business, and before you retire to rest, devote a 
 little time, I beseech you, to the collecting of your 
 families together. Read a chapter in the Bible to 
 them, in a serious and deliberate manner ; and then 
 unite with them in worshipping that God, in whom 
 you live and move and have your being — to that God 
 who can alone bless your labour and your study, and 
 preserve you in peace, virtue, and safety. 
 
 The religion of the Holy Scriptures will sweeten 
 your sorrows, and sanctify your pleasures. It will 
 keep not only your family circle, but your own minds, 
 in right order ; and while it will discountenance all 
 vain notions and false speculations, it will enlarge 
 and improve your faculties, for every wise and worthy 
 purpose. 
 
 But you ask me on what moral and religious know- 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 193 
 
 ledge is founded ? I answer, on that which is the basis 
 of every other branch of knowledge — Belief. 
 
 I have endeavoured to make it clear to you that 
 even philosophical and mathematical knowledge in- 
 evitably rest on certain principles which are received 
 only by an intuitive conviction, or natural faith; and 
 that historical knowledge depends solely on that pe- 
 culiar kind of belief, which is produced by testimony. 
 I might have gone further — I might have reminded 
 you, that your circumstances preclude the greater 
 part of you from making philosophical experiments 
 for yourselves, and from engaging in those mathema- 
 tical calculations, on which depends the certainty of 
 astronomical science. You are compelled to take for 
 granted the results of other men's enquiries and 
 labours ; and you do not hesitate to believe those 
 results to be true. And why ? because you rely on 
 the testimony of books, — on the testimony of your 
 lecturers. A few moments' thought will convince 
 you, that almost all the knowledge you possess, of 
 nature and philosophy, as well as of geography and 
 history, rests on no other basis whatsoever, than faith 
 in testimony. 
 
 What then can be more irrational than to refuse to 
 receive religious knowledge — because it rests, in part, 
 on the same foundation? The doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity are founded on facts ; and those facts are the 
 subject of testimony. And we are sure that the facts 
 are true, and therefore that the doctrines resting on 
 them are divine, because the testimony in question, is 
 at once abundant in quantity, and sound in character. 
 1 cannot now enter on a detailed account of the his- 
 
 voL. ir. o 
 
191< Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 torical evidence, by which are proved the genuineness 
 of the Holy Scriptures, and the reality of the events 
 which are there recorded. But since you arc accus- 
 tomed to receive the testimony of your lecturers with 
 implicit confidence, I beg of you on the present occa- 
 sion to accept my own. I believe I am an honest 
 man, and I have long been accustomed to investigate 
 the subject. I am ready, then, to declare in your 
 presence, — in the presence of all Manchester, — of all 
 England, — of all Europe, — nay of the whole world, — 
 that there are no facts whatsoever within the whole 
 range of ancient history, of the truth of which we 
 have more abundant and conclusive evidence, than of 
 
 the DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JeSUS ChRIST. 
 
 Indeed I know of no ancient events on record, of 
 which the evidence is nearly so much accumulated, or 
 nearly so strong. 
 
 The resurrection of Jesus Christ, together with the 
 miracles of Christ himself and his apostles, are our 
 sure vouchers that the Author of nature, who can 
 alone suspend or reverse its order, was the Author of 
 Christianity. These miracles bore no resemblance to 
 the false pretences of the fanatical and superstitious. 
 They were for the most part, immediate in their ope- 
 ration ; wrought in public ; utterly incapable of being 
 accounted for by second causes ; and of so broad and 
 conspicuous a character, that no deliberate eye-witness 
 could be deceived respecting them. Nor were they, 
 in point of fact, improbable events. Who will deny 
 that the dark and degraded condition of mankind re- 
 quired an outward revelation of the divine will r 
 Who will not allow that miracles are a suitable test 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 195 
 
 — the most suitable one which we can imagine — by 
 wliich the truth of such a revelation might be estab- 
 lished ? Who does not perceive, that under such cir- 
 cumstances, it was creditable — nay highly probable — 
 that God would permit or ordain them ? 
 
 True indeed it is, that they were directly opposed 
 to the course of nature. Otherwise they would not 
 have been miracles — they would not have answered 
 their purpose ! But is it not equally opposed to the 
 known order of things, that an honest man, in bear- 
 ing witness to these facts, should tell a deliberate 
 lie ? Is it not yet more at variance with that order, 
 that he should persevere in that lie, through life, and 
 sacrifice every wordly advantage, and even life itself, 
 to the support of it ? Is it not a far greater breach of 
 every established probability, that twelve men, of the 
 same virtuous character, should all tell this lie — 
 should all persevere in it without deviation — should 
 a// sacrifice their property, their peace, and their repu- 
 tation — should all be willing to lay down their lives, 
 in its maintenance ? Is it not, lastly, an actual moral 
 imposnibilltij, that this lie, accompanied by no tem- 
 poral force and no worldly advantage, but by every 
 species of loss and affliction, should triumph over the 
 predjudices of the Jew, and the favourite habits of 
 the Gentile — should be accepted and believed by 
 myriads — and should, finally, enthrone itself over the 
 whole Roman empire?^ 
 
 5 Within a short period of our Saviour's death and resurrection, 
 many thousands of persons were converted to Christianity at Jerusa- 
 lem. Soon afterwards Christian churches were settled in numerous 
 parts of Syria, Lesser Asia, Macedonia, and Greece. The historian 
 
 o 2 
 
196 Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 But the truth of Christianity docs not depend sole- 
 ly on those miraculous facts to which we have now 
 adverted. Prophecy duly fulfilled is itself a miracle, 
 equally applicable to the proof of religion ; and the 
 Scriptures abound in predictions, of which history 
 has already recorded the fuffilment. The events by 
 which many of them have been fulfilled — for example, 
 the spread of Christianity, and the dispersion of the 
 Jews — are familiar to us all. 
 
 1 wish I could persuade you to examine the prophe- 
 cies scattered over the Old Testament, and meeting 
 us at every point in a most unartificial manner, re- 
 specting the Messiah who was to come. I Avish I 
 could induce you to compare them with the history 
 of his birth, life, character, ministry, death, resur- 
 rection, and ascension, contained in the four gospels. 
 You would find the prophecy and the history tally 
 with a marvellous precision ; and since the Old Tes- 
 tament can be proved to have been written long 
 before the coming of Christ, you would find your- 
 selves in possession of an evidence of which no cavils 
 could deprive you, that Christianity is God's religion. 
 When a lock and a key are well fitted, a fair pre- 
 sumption arises, even though they be of a simple 
 
 Tacitus declares that in the reign of Nero (a.d. 65) " great multi- 
 tudes" of Christians were living at Rome. Pliny, when writing 
 from his government in Bilhynia, to the Emperor Trajan, (a.d. 107) 
 describes our holy religion as " a contar/ion," which had seized the 
 lesser towns as well as the cities, had spread among persons of all 
 classes and descriptions, and had produced the utter neglect of the 
 ancient idolatrous worship. During the reign of Constantine (a.d. 
 325) Christianity became the generally adopted, and established 
 religion of the whole Roman Empire. 
 
Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 197 
 
 character, that they were made for each other. If" they 
 are complex in their form, that presumption is con- 
 siderably strengthened. But if the lock is composed 
 of such strange and curious parts as to baffle the 
 skill even of a Manchester mechanic, — if it is abso- 
 lutely novel and peculiar, differing from every thing 
 which was ever before seen in the world, — if no key in 
 the universe will enter it, except one; and by that one 
 it is so easily and exactly fitted, that a child may open 
 it, — then indeed are we absolutely certain that the 
 lock and the key were made by the same master-hand 
 and truly belong to each other. No less curiously 
 diversified, — no less hidden from the wisdom of man, 
 — no less novel and peculiar, — are the prophecies con- 
 tained in the Old Testament, respecting Jesus Christ. 
 No less easy, — no less exact, — is the manner in which 
 they are fitted by the gospel history ! Who then can 
 doubt that God was the Author of these predictions 
 — of the events by which they were fulfilled — and of 
 the religion with which they are both inseparably 
 connected ? 
 
 But independently of all outward testimony, and 
 of the evidence of miracles and prophecy, Christianity 
 proclaims its own divine origin, by its character and 
 its effects. This is a subject on which we appeal to 
 your native good sense, to your practical feelings, to 
 your personal experience. Christianity is the religion 
 of truth, because it is the religion of liolhiess. In 
 vain will the student search the pages of Plato and 
 Aristotle, — in vain will he examine the conversations 
 of Socrates, — in vain will he dive into the disputations 
 
198 Address to the Mechanics of Manchester. 
 
 of Cicero, — for a moral system so complete, so simple, 
 and so efficacious, as that of the Bible. Where, with- 
 in the whole range of uninspired ethics, shall we find 
 any thing worthy even of a moment's comparison 
 with that divine saying, in which the whole law of 
 God is comprehended and concentrated ? " Thou shalt 
 love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
 thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy 
 mind; and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." 
 
 Accustomed as many of you are, in your factories, 
 to the printing of a thousand beautiful patterns on 
 your cottons and your muslins, you will be at no loss 
 to understand and appreciate a memorable saying of 
 Lord Bacon's — that truth differs from goodness, only 
 as the seal or dye differs from its print — for that 
 Truth prints Goodness. 
 
 In the goodness of Christianity, — in the purity of 
 its law, — in its display of the holy attributes of God, — 
 in its revelation of an awful and glorious eternity, — in 
 its actual efficiency for the moral restoration of our 
 species, — in the perfect fitness of that Saviour whom 
 it unfolds, to our spiritual need as sinners in the 
 sight of God, — we have abundant experimental proof 
 of its truth and divine origin. Time forbids a farther 
 discussion of the subject. Allow me then, in conclu- 
 sion, to bear my deliberate and solemn testimony in 
 the words of an apostle — and may that testimony, by 
 whomsoever borne, satisfy all understandings, and 
 imbue all hearts ! — may it be upheld and exalted on 
 every side ! — may it surmount all opposition 1 — may it 
 pervade the whole land ! — may it spread from pole 
 
Address to the Mec/tatiics of Manchester. 199 
 
 to pole ! — may it be as unrestrained and diffusive as 
 the winds of heaven ! — " Other foundation can 
 
 NO MAN LAY THAN THAT IS LAID, WHICH IS JeSUS 
 
 Christ I" 
 
 My address is now conckided. I thank you for 
 your kind and serious attention. I heartily bid you 
 farewell ; and may the blessing of the Lord Almighty 
 rest abundantly on the mechanics of Manchester! 
 
LETTER TO A CLERICAL FRIEND 
 
 THE ACCORDANCE 
 
 GEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY 
 
 jSatuval ants Jflcbcalctt Mrltgion. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The following letter was occasioned by the able and interesting 
 lectures on Geology which Professor Sedgwick has lately de- 
 livered in Norwich, for the instruction of the subscribers to the 
 Museum. Any profit which may arise from the publication of 
 this tract, will be added to the funds of that institution. 
 
 It was not until after this letter was written, that I happened 
 to consult that able commentator Dathius, the second edition of 
 whose work on the Old Testament was published at Halle, a.d. 
 1791. It is a satisfaction to me to observe that my view of 
 the first chapter of Genesis exactly agrees with his. He also 
 informs us that Rosenmiiller has adopted a similar interpretation 
 in his Tract, called Antiquissima Telluris Historia, 3)C. 
 
LETTER. 
 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 In common with many other persons, 
 I have derived great instruction and delight from such 
 of Professor Sedgwick's Lectures on Geology as I 
 have been able to attend ; and I was especially pleased 
 with his remarks, in the latter part of his last lecture, 
 on the absence of any disagreement between geologi- 
 cal discovery and the testimony of Scripture. Those 
 remarks appeared to me well calculated to extinguish 
 every infidel taunt, and to satisfy every reasonable 
 scruple, on this branch of the subject. 
 
 I trust, however, that a few additional observations 
 respecting it, will not be otherwise than acceptable. 
 The apostle Paul assures us, that " the invisible things 
 of God from the creation of the world are clearly 
 seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
 even his eternal power and godhead."^ The Chris- 
 tian believer, therefore, is the last person who ought 
 to oppose a bar to the fair investigations of physical 
 science. He knows that God has manifested himself 
 to mankind in the book of nature. He also knows 
 that both the character and will of our Heavenly 
 
 1 Rom. i, 20. 
 
206 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 Father are revealed to us in the book of Scripture; 
 and if he is at all versed in the evidences of Chris- 
 tianity, he cannot fail to be aware that the divine 
 authority of this sacred volume is a necessary inference 
 from as large a survey of facts, and as valid a process 
 of inductive reasoning, as have ever been applied to 
 the purposes of science. Good reason, therefore, has 
 he for a quiet confidence, that not a page will ever be 
 discovered in the book of nature, which truly contra- 
 dicts any one of the pages of the book of revelation. 
 
 The streams of intellectual and spiritual light which 
 flow from Him who is the Fountain of knowledge, 
 can never really operate as contending forces. Wher- 
 ever and whenever they are brought into contact, their 
 meeting cannot fail to produce an increased illumina- 
 tion. Unlike material rays, they can never so inter- 
 fere with each other as to produce darkness. 
 
 Apparent differences may indeed arise and may be 
 continued for a season, as a trial to our faith ; but 
 after a due exercise, on our parts, of diligence, humi- 
 lity, and patience, they will, as I believe, entirely 
 vanish — on one condition. That condition is, that 
 both the books in question be fairly read. If in 
 matters of science, unauthorised speculation is to take 
 the place of sober enquiry and induction, or even to 
 be added to them, philosophy may soon be so dis- 
 torted as to oppose religion. And on the other hand, 
 if we are to interpret Scripture by our own peculiar 
 habits of thought and preconceived notions, instead 
 of availing ourselves of all the lights which a just 
 criticism would bring to bear upon its text, we may 
 «oon be led to the conclusion, that it contradicts 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 207 
 
 certain truths which science has either proved or 
 rendered probahle. 
 
 And here I woukl remark, that although an undue 
 mingling of philosophy with Scripture may soon be- 
 tray us into an " heretical religion," the enlightened 
 commentator on the Bible will not hesitate to subor- 
 dinate to his use, as occasion may require it, the dis- 
 coveries of physical science, as well as every other 
 legitimate source of information. Nor, again, are the 
 Scriptures by any means wholly inapplicable to the 
 purposes of natural philosophy. While the allusions 
 made by the sacred writers to the phenomena of 
 nature are, for the most part, popular in their charac- 
 ter, and not to be interpreted as philosophically exact, 
 there are certain grave and deliberate passages of the 
 Bible, even on these topics, which must be regarded 
 by every Christian philosopher as one important ele- 
 ment of information. Just such a passage is the first 
 chapter of the book of Genesis. 
 
 The view which Professor Sedgwick has so kindly 
 thrown before us, both of geology and of the zoologi- 
 cal discoveries connected with it, appears to me to 
 be sound and reasonable. While he has boldly de- 
 nounced the fantastic theories of a succession from 
 eternity of certain cycles of changes on the surface of 
 our planet — of the spontaneous generation of animals 
 — and of the transmutation of species — he has ad- 
 duced substantial evidences, M^hich, if they do not 
 absolutely prove certain positions, must at least be 
 regarded as rendering them highly probable. 
 
 It appears that the " crust of the earth " is com- 
 posed of a number of successive formations, severally 
 
208 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 consisting of innumerable layers, and all bearing the 
 unquestionable marks of deposition from the waters, 
 — that these formations (although individually often 
 absent) are never found out of a certain order of 
 superposition, — that in many places they have been 
 tossed into various angles, and often into strange 
 contortions, by the protrusion from below of unstra- 
 tified rocks of igneous formation, — that the far-distant 
 ages to which they belong are distinguished, in many 
 of them, by the fossil remains of obsolete plants and 
 animals — moluscse, fishes, insects, reptiles, &c. — that 
 these species have disappeared one after another from 
 the face of the globe, and have finally given place 
 to the present order of creation, of which man forms 
 the principal feature. 
 
 Now is there any thing in the case of geology, as 
 it is thus stated to us, opposed to the Records oi 
 Creation contained in the book of Genesis ? I venture 
 to answer. Nothing. 
 
 When we call to mind that the main object of 
 Scripture is not to unfold the truths of natural philo- 
 sophy, but to describe the moral history of man, we 
 cannot be surprised that it passes over in silence 
 events with which that history has no connexion. 
 But there are two events connected with our present 
 subject, of deep importance, even in a religious point 
 of view, to w^hich, as I conceive, the first chapter of 
 Genesis chiefly relates. The first is the original cre- 
 ation of the universe out of nothing; the second is 
 the creation of the present order of the earth's in- 
 habitants, including man. 
 
 In the first verse we read, " In the beginning God 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 5309 
 
 created the heaven and the earth." The non-eternity 
 of matter is a point which natural philosophy is in- 
 capable of ascertaining. But in these emphatic words 
 the great doctrine is, as I conceive, plainly indicated, 
 that " in the beginning" — at some appointed period 
 in the bosom of eternity — God gave its first existence 
 to the universe ; or, in other words, created it out of 
 nothing. This is a truth of overwhelming magnitude, 
 not to be proved by human argument, but to be re- 
 ceived by faith. " Through faith,'' says the apostle, 
 " we understand that the worlds were framed by the 
 word of God, so that things which are seen, ivere not 
 made of things which do appear.'"^ When the apostle 
 spoke of "the worlds," he evidently meant "the 
 universe," Avhich the Jews were accustomed to divide 
 into "three worlds" — first, the earth; secondly, the 
 superior world which contains the spheres, the stars, 
 and the celestial signs ; and thirdly, the highest, or 
 spiritual world, the dwelling place of angels and 
 spirits."^ There can be no reasonable doubt, there- 
 fore, as I believe, that the word " heaven," in Gen. i, 1, 
 (as in a multitude of other passages,) includes its 
 glorious host — the sun, the moon, and all the heavenly 
 bodies. It signifies the upper world or worlds, as dis- 
 tinguished from the world below. " Ye are blessed of 
 
 2 Heb. xi, iii. s/'s rl /J^ri ex, <pam/j,svm ra, ^XimfMvu ycyovivai . Comp. 
 2 Mac. vii, 28 — on oh-/, eS, ovruv iTolrjaiv uvtu 6 Qdg — " God made 
 them (the heaven and earth) from things that do not exist," i. e. 
 " out of nothing." To, fin (pamjMva, as Schleusner observes, is 
 equivalent to ra firi ovra. " We must regard the phrase In question 
 as equivalent to the expression in our language, ' The visible cre- 
 ation was formed from nothing.'" — Moses Stuart, in loc. 
 
 3 See Gill on Heb. i, 2. 
 VOL. II. P 
 
210 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 the Lord," said David, " ivhich made heaven and earth. 
 The heaven^ even the heavens are the Lord's ; but the 
 earth hath he given to the children of men."'* 
 
 When we have read these few words with which 
 Scripture commences, we may indulge ourselves in 
 a deliberate pause, and meditate on that infinite and 
 incomprehensible Power which called into existence 
 all things visible and invisible, out of nothing. In 
 the mean time, the geologist is at full liberty to pur- 
 sue his investigations, and to scrutinize the various 
 changes which the surface of the globe is supposed to 
 have undergone, through a long course of ages, be- 
 fore the creation of the present order of beings. He 
 may assume his thousands or his millions of years, as 
 best suits him ; he may make what use he pleases of 
 the element of time; he will still occupy but a point 
 in comparison with eternity ; and he will inflict no 
 injury whatsoever on the foundations of the Chris- 
 tian's faith. 
 
 After allowing ourselves due leisure for these con- 
 siderations, we may advance to the second verse, "And 
 the earth was without form and void, and darkness 
 was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of 
 God moved upon the face of the waters." 
 
 4 Psa. cxv, 15, 16. " Principio, h. e. Cum tempus esse inci- 
 peret ; quod factum est turn, cum Deus totum hoc universum 
 crearet. Coelum hoc loco dicitur in opposilione ad terram, ideoque 
 omnia corpora coelestia notat." — Dat/iius, in loc. This interpre- 
 tation of Gen. i, 1, is perfectly consistent, as I conceive, with the 
 declaration in verse 8, that "God called the firmament (or atmos- 
 phere) heaven." He called it by the name of " heaven ;" he 
 assigned it to the upper world, "Deus hoc spatium ccelo assig- 
 navit." — Dathius. 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 This verse appears to describe that state of" our 
 planet which immediately preceded the present order 
 of creation; all was emptiness, confusion, and dark- 
 ness. But the Spirit of God was moving on the face 
 of the waters — the sure presage of a glorious renova- 
 tion. 
 
 I cannot perceive that there is any thing in the 
 text, which precludes the opinion, that before our 
 planet was brought into this condition, it had under- 
 gone a long succession of changes and revolutions, 
 whether more or less gradual. The Hebrew particle 
 rendered and, by no means indicates immediate or 
 rapid succession in point of time ; but is used for the 
 simple purpose of connecting one point of a subject 
 with the next which follows it in the order of the 
 writer's discourse. Thus it is often rendered hut, 
 or now; sometimes it means afterwards,^ and fre- 
 quently it conceals long intervals of time. We can- 
 not be surprised that Moses was not led to expatiate 
 on a series of changes which had no connexion with 
 his main topic ; nothing can be more natural than 
 his passing at once from the original creation, to a 
 description of that condition of the world which im- 
 mediately preceded the present order. It vi'as the 
 very next particular in the subject before him. 
 
 In the mean time, that the earth, before it became 
 a chaos, had undergone one revolution — that it had 
 been visited by one catastrophe at least — the text it- 
 self, together with the analogy of creation, affords 
 some obvious indications. 
 
 5 Num. V, 2, 3 ; Deut. i, 9, &c. 
 
 r J 
 
212 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 In the account given of the six days' work, we find 
 that every thing came forth from the hand of the 
 Creator in a condition of beauty and completeness. 
 Every sentient creature, every plant of the garden, 
 every tree of the forest, arose at once, as we have rea- 
 son to believe, in all the perfection of its comeliness. 
 
 Sprung from no seed the budding wonders grow, 
 The pines wave freely o'er the mountain's brow ; 
 Perfect at once the oaks dispense their shade, 
 At once the lily and the rose, arrayed 
 In all their beauty, shine — 
 
 Whatever, therefore, was the peculiar character of 
 this world when it was first created — whether its 
 matter was solid, liquid, or nebulous — it seems only 
 reasonable to suppose that, like the creatures which 
 were afterwards formed on its surface, it was orderly 
 and beautiful ; and that before it became a wild and 
 turbulent chaos, it had been exposed to many changes, 
 or had at least undergone one awful revolution. 
 Accordingly the two words rendered " without form 
 and void," the first denoting absolute ivaste and deso- 
 lation, and the second, ittter confusion, are used in 
 conjunction, only in two other passages of Scripture ; 
 and in both instances describe the confusion and 
 barrenness of regions which had previously been in a 
 condition of order, beauty, and fertility.^ 
 
 6 See Isa. xxxiv, 11 ; Jer. iv, 23. TH^ " disorder or confusion," 
 occurs only in these passages and Gen. i, 1. IHil "emptiness," 
 is used more frequently. As applied to land, it indicates " total 
 waste and barrenness;" when spoken of men or idols, it means 
 " vanity — utter unprofitableness." " Ex significatione verborum 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 213 
 
 The subsequent account of the work of the six 
 days is distinguished from this memorable exordium, 
 by particuhir forms of words, with which the descrip- 
 tion of each day's work is commenced and concluded. 
 The commencing form is, " and God said," the con- 
 cluding one, "And the morning and the evening were 
 the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth day." 
 We have first the formation, or rather (as I conceive) 
 the renewed breaking forth of light ; next the creation 
 or regulation of the atmosphere ; thirdly, the gather- 
 ing of the waters into their place, the raising up of 
 the dry land, and the creation of vegetables ; fourthly, 
 the constituting of the heavenly bodies to their ap- 
 pointed service. 
 
 Again the evening came, the morn was given, 
 Especial boons devolved on earth from heaven ; 
 For ere that destined day, the glorious sun 
 Was not, or hid from earth his race had run ; 
 No silver horn or perfect orb serene, 
 No wandering gems, in heaven's dark vault were seen. 
 But now, the vast arrangement fitly made, 
 The morn shall rise, the eve dispense her shade. 
 Months, seasons, years, proceed by natural cause. 
 While heaven's bright signs obey His changeless laws. 
 Who made them all; henceforth the greater light, 
 Shall blaze by day ; the lesser rule the night. 
 
 It has often been observed, both by Jewish and 
 Christian commentators, that the Hebrew text by no 
 means necessarily imports that the heavenly bodies 
 
 THQl inn Moses dicit terram nostram fuisse vastatam et destruc- 
 tam ; ex voluntate vero Dei eam ex aqua sub qua demersa fuisset, 
 iterum emersisse, et quoad solem, lunam, et astra, eandem relatio- 
 ncm accepisse quam etiamnum habet." — Dathius, in loc. 
 
214 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend, 
 
 were actually created on the fourth day.^ Without 
 any difficulty that I am aware of, the passage may be 
 literally rendered as follows : 
 
 " And God said, Let it be, (that) lights in the firm- 
 ament of heaven, (be) to divide the day from the 
 night ; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and 
 for days and for years ; and let them be for lights in 
 the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the 
 earth ; and it was so. And God appointed two great 
 lights; the greater light to the government of the 
 day ; and the lesser light to the government of the 
 night ; (he appointed) the stars also."^ 
 
 On the supposition that our planet had been visited 
 by some catastrophe which enveloped her in darkness 
 and confusion — whether that catastrophe affected her 
 motions, or appertained only to her surface — I appre- 
 hend that her restoration to a full and regular view 
 of the heavenly bodies, and the corresponding ap- 
 pointment of these bodies to their proper office — 
 would be accurately represented by this beautiful 
 passage. 
 
 The description of the creation of animals in the 
 two last days seems peculiarly exact and graphical — 
 the fishes, the fowls, the marine and land reptiles and 
 insects, the quadrupeds, and finally man, proceeding 
 
 7 See Vatablus and Gill, in loc. 
 8 Gen. i, 14 — 16. The Hebrew verb T^'^]^ here employed, like 
 the Greek to/jw, is of very pliant signification. It signifies to make, 
 to do, also to constitute or appoint. That it here adopts the latter 
 sense, is indicated by the preposition ^7 (to) before the substantive 
 Vh^t2^ " government." " r\\lj]J et in sequenti versu ]rij non 
 de creatione sunt accipienda, sed utrumque hoc loco, uti saepe, est 
 constilucrc, pcrficcre." — Dathius, in loc. 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 215 
 
 in goodly order — and doubtless in their true perfec- 
 tion — from the hand of the Creator. " And God saw 
 every thing that he had made, and behold it was very 
 good." 
 
 I conceive that throughout the first chapter of 
 Genesis, the word " day" must be understood in its 
 usual sense — that it cannot fairly be otherwise inter- 
 preted with a due regard to the terms in which each 
 day's work is described. We have six successive 
 mornings and evenings ; and then to crown the 
 whole, the first sabbath-day. Yet the type of creation 
 here described, appears to bear no inconsiderable 
 degree of resemblance to that far more prolonged 
 ascending scale which geology has developed to us. 
 In this general analogy, we may perhaps observe one 
 article of agreement between the discoveries of our 
 science, and the records of revealed religion. 
 
 A second feature of accordance may be traced in 
 verse 9. "And God said. Let the waters imder the 
 heavens be gathered together into one place ; and let 
 the dry land appear ; and it was so." How remark- 
 ably does this verse correspond with the doctrine of 
 the geologists, that every part of the surface of the 
 globe, has at one time or other been submersed in 
 the ocean ; and that our islands and continents have 
 all been lifted up above the waters, by volcanic action 
 from below ! 
 
 But these are by no means the most definite arti- 
 cles of agreement between geology and Scripture ; 
 two others remain to be noticed, which are still more 
 to our purpose — the first is the date of the creation 
 of man ; the second is Noah's flood. 
 
216 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 1. Scripture assigns to man a date of no greater 
 antiquity than about six or seven thousand years ; 
 and geology can find no traces of him at any earlier 
 period ; on the contrary, it affords many evidences 
 that during the course of its previous changes and 
 revolutions, the world was not prepared to be his 
 dwelling place. The positive testimony of Scripture, 
 on this interesting point, is "confirmed, on the part of 
 geology, by a broad emphatic negative, which no 
 investigation has yet served to contradict. 
 
 2. The Noachian deluge, with all its circumstances, 
 is recorded by the sacred historian with great exact- 
 ness ; and the truth of the event is remarkably con- 
 firmed by the corresponding traditions of all civilized 
 nations. Now when geology unfolds to us the many 
 ravages which have been made on the surface of the 
 globe, by the action of water, long since the formation 
 both of the secondary and tertiary deposits, — when it 
 shows us the interstices evidently produced by the 
 violence of water, between the summits of rows of 
 hills, which are proved by the comparison of their 
 strata to have once formed continuous banks, — when 
 it points to enormous boulders of rock, driven to 
 great distances from their original site, — when it leads 
 us to beds of gravel, consisting of water-worn peb- 
 bles, and containing bones of animals belonging to 
 the present order of creation, — when geology does all 
 this for us, — it must at least prepare us for a willing 
 reception of historical evidence on this important 
 subject. 
 
 " I am of opinion," says Cuvier, " that if there is 
 any circumstance thoroughly established in geology, 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 217 
 
 it is thiit the crust of our globe has been subjected to 
 a great unci sudden revolution, the epoch of which 
 cannot be dated much farther back than five or six 
 thousand years ; and that this revolution had buried 
 all the countries, which were before inhabited by men 
 and by the other animals that we now best know."^ 
 
 Thus it appears that there is nothing in the dis- 
 coveries of this interesting science, which affords any 
 contradiction to the records of Creation as stated by 
 Moses ; but that on the contrary there are varions 
 particulars, in which the accordance between these 
 two sources of information on the subject, is con- 
 spicuously marked. May we not, in addition to these 
 particulars, trace a strong general agreement between 
 certain geological conclusions, and the declarations 
 of Holy Writ respecting some of the attributes of 
 God ? Scripture and geology unite in supplying us 
 with the clearest evidences that God does not forget 
 to notice this lower world, the workmanship of his 
 hands, but continues to superintend all the changes 
 which mark its history. And who does not perceive 
 that they agree in the utterance of the emphatic lan- 
 guage — " A thousand years, in thy sight, are but as 
 yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the 
 night ?" It is indeed a striking evidence of the divine 
 origin of the Holy Scriptures, that the descriptions 
 
 9 Theory of the Earth, \ 34. Valuable as is this testimony, it 
 may, perhaps, be questioned whether Noah's flood, as described in 
 Genesis, is sufficient to account for all those marks of violence to 
 which Cuvier has here alluded ; and whether some of them do not 
 rather indicate the catastrophe which may be supposed to have 
 preceded the present order of creation. 
 
218 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 which they contain of God, are fully ade((iiate to 
 those comprehensive views which modern science has 
 tanght us to embrace respecting the universe which 
 he has made. What, for example, can the modern 
 geologist and astronomer say more of the Deity, than 
 was said of him by the prophet Isaiah, 2,500 years 
 ago ? " Who hath measured the waters in the hollow 
 of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and 
 comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, 
 and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in 
 a balance ? . . . . Behold, the nations are as a drop of 
 a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the 
 balance : behold, he taketh up the isles as a very 
 
 little thing All nations before him are as 
 
 nothing; and they are counted to him less than 
 
 nothing, and vanity Lift up your heads on 
 
 high, and behold who hath created these things, that 
 bringeth out their host by number : he calleth them 
 all by their name by the greatness of his might, for 
 that he is strong in power, not one faileth."^ 
 
 The Professor's hearers are much indebted to him 
 for the clear and vivid manner, in which he has dwelt 
 on the support given by geological enquiry to the 
 cause of natural theology. I wish to recapitulate a 
 few particulars in reference to this subject. 
 
 The argument for a wise and benevolent designer 
 from the truths of comparative anatomy, has been 
 considerably enlarged by the discovery of the fossil 
 remains of animals belonging to former orders of 
 
 1 Isa. xl, 12—26. 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 9A\) 
 
 creation ; and it has been greatly strengthened by the 
 fact that between each successive condition of the 
 surface of our globe, and each successive order of its 
 living inhabitants, there has subsisted an exact and 
 most significant agreement. 
 
 Again, — wild and violent as have been the forces 
 which have changed from time to time the condition 
 of the crust of the earth, and apparently confused 
 and irregular as are the effects which they have pro- 
 duced, the geologist cannot doubt that they have 
 been under the immediate control and management 
 of Him who is infinite in wisdom as well as power. 
 This truth is evidenced by the practical results, some 
 of which are very striking. 
 
 1. Had the strata successively deposited from the 
 waters been affected and disturbed by no counteract- 
 ing force, they would of course have all assumed a 
 horizontal position ; and most of them would have 
 been for ever concealed from the view of man. But 
 what has been the happy eflfect of volcanic action from 
 below ? These strata are exposed one after another — 
 even the deepest of them, in point of order, are often 
 found to occupy the highest surface of the land. 
 Thus they are not only subjected to the scrutiny of 
 philosophers ; but their precious contents of slate, 
 lime, coal, metals, &c. are afforded in rich abundance 
 for the uses of civilized life. 
 
 2. On the comparative s})aces occupied by the 
 ocean and by the dry land, and on the arrangeuient 
 of hills and valleys, depends, in connexion with the 
 atmosphere, that mighty circulation of the waters, 
 without \\hich all animated nature would soon fade 
 
220 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 and perish. Raised by evaporation, without its saline 
 particles, from the sea, the fertilizing fluid is precipi- 
 tated upon the hills ; percolates through their pores ; 
 rushes forth again from innumerable fountains; speeds 
 its course through myriads of valleys ; forms the 
 smaller streams, and the magnificent rivers ; and is 
 soon restored to its native ocean, destined for similar 
 perpetual cycles of beneficent movement and revolu- 
 tion. 
 
 3. The action of both air and water on the differ- 
 ent rocks and deposits of the earth has produced that 
 general detritus, to which all the soils of the globe 
 owe their existence; and it is remarkable that this 
 detritus, in the form in which it is fit for the form- 
 ation of soils, necessarily takes place at moderate 
 elevations, or extended levels, which are in every 
 respect suited to the convenience of man. Thus have 
 the plains and valleys of the earth been crowned with 
 fertility, to the unspeakable advantage of its sentient 
 inhabitants. 
 
 All these are surely points of deep interest to the 
 student of natural theology. They mark at once the 
 skill and the benevolence of God ; they are proofs of 
 wise design, and of kind and beneficent providence. 
 
 But above all, geology has afforded a triumphant 
 answer to the only plausible cavil, which the atheist 
 can advance against the argument for an all-wise 
 Designer, drawn from the wonders of animal and 
 vegetable physiology. 
 
 The organization of plants and animals affords, as 
 every one knows, innumerable instances of the most 
 skilful collocation of parts, in order to the accom- 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 plisliment of apparent and nscfiil purposes. The 
 argument thence derived for benevolent design as 
 against chance, is mightily strengthened by every par- 
 ticular item in each combination. And in the con- 
 currence of these innumerable contrivances for the 
 production of a systematic whole ; in the comparison 
 Avhich lies between them severally ; in the fitness of 
 them all to the physical properties of the world in 
 which they are found ; — that argument assumes a 
 strength and cogency which defies all calculation. 
 
 The only specious plea of the atheist on the other 
 side of the question is this, — that the wonderful vege- 
 table and animal structures with which the world 
 abounds, may have produced and reproduced their 
 like from all eternity, — that man, for example, may 
 have sprung from man, throughout all ages, without 
 any beginning. 
 
 That this plea refutes itself, I cannot doubt ; for 
 it involves the absurdity of our supposing an infinite 
 succession of beings, in a given series, before any one 
 being in that series. To imagine a succession of 
 finite beings ab injinito — that is, without any starting 
 point — is to imagine, as I believe, not only a logical 
 difficulty, but a physical impossibility. But as this 
 reasoning is of a somewhat impalpable nature, it is a 
 happiness that geology comes to our aid, and affords 
 the most decisive proof that the present order of 
 plants and animals, including the highest creature 
 man, had a beginning at no very distant period of 
 time ; that the preceding orders, which were swept 
 away from the earth before the present one arose, 
 had also their beginnings ; and that time was when 
 
222 
 
 Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 this globe of ours was wholly destitute both of animal 
 and vegetable life. 
 
 Here, then, is a full demolition of the atheist's 
 plea ; and when we contemphite the wonderful con- 
 trivances of nature — the innumerable evidences of 
 design with which it abounds — we are left without 
 any resource but one. Our reason can find no rest 
 whatever, but in the fiat of Omnipotence. 
 
 One more point deserves a little notice before I 
 conclude. Some persons appear to imagine, that the 
 existence of destructive creatures in the old world is 
 at variance with the declaration of Scripture, that 
 death came hy sin. I cannot but feel surprised by 
 such an objection. That the death of man came by 
 sin — that Ills mortality is one fruit of his fall — is 
 clearly revealed to us ; but that the death of the in- 
 ferior animals came by sin, is nowhere indicated in 
 Scripture. Rather was it the punishment of fallen 
 man, that in this respect he was reduced to the level 
 of the beasts that perish. 
 
 There is indeed something frightful and distressing 
 to the imagination in the view given to us by geolo- 
 gists of the vast carnivorous reptiles of the old 
 world ; but size is surely of little moment in the sight 
 of the Creator ; and there is nothing in the form or 
 habits of these creatures which raises any greater diffi- 
 culty in the way of the theologian, than the destruc- 
 tiveness of those extremely minute but very similar 
 animals which have been revealed to us by the im- 
 proved microscopes of the present day. That there 
 are mysteries in creation as well as in providence, 
 which we cannot unravel, we must freely acknow- 
 
Letter to a Clerical Friend. 
 
 223 
 
 ledge ; but, with respect to the lower animals, we 
 may be consoled by the recollection, that the law of 
 destruction is the law of life ; and that it is really in 
 virtue of the prevalence of death, that so incalculable 
 an amount of enjoyment is participated by countless 
 myriads of sentient creatures. 
 
 Let it ever be remembered, that while the moral 
 attributes of God are only very partially made known 
 by the works of nature, they are clearly manifested 
 by his unalterable dictates of right and wrong, — by 
 that witness for himself and for his righteous law, 
 which he has placed in every man's bosom. Those 
 who attend to the voice of the Supreme Being, which 
 whispers in their conscience, and would lead them in 
 the path of virtue, will need no elaborate arguments 
 to confirm them in the truths of natural theology. 
 By a swift and easy process of reasoning, they will be 
 brought to the inevitable conclusion, that God exists, 
 and that God is holy. 
 
 I am, &c. &c. 
 
FAMILIAR SKETCH 
 
 OF THE LATE 
 
 WILLIAM WILBERFORCE. 
 
 VOL. ir. 
 
FA MILIAR 
 
 SKETCH. 
 
 I TRUST that the biography of this statesman-like 
 philanthropist and Christian senator will be given to 
 the public by some of his friends who are well in- 
 formed of his history, when he was in the zenith of 
 his powers. There can be no doubt that in the times 
 of Pitt, Fox, Sheridan, and even Burke, Wilberforce 
 often displayed, in parliament, a flow of oratory which 
 was fully on a level with theirs. Indeed, I have heard 
 it asserted that, on particular occasions, his wit, volu- 
 bility, and vivacity in speaking, exceeded any thing 
 which could be heard, even in those days of the giants, 
 within the walls of parliament. 
 
 When I first enjoyed the pleasure of his acquaint- 
 ance, he was in his fifty-seventh year ; the great 
 object of his fervent efforts of mind had long since 
 been accomplished ; he had exchanged the represent- 
 ation of a vast county for that of a small borough ; 
 and was no longer prominent in the stnft of parlia- 
 mentary business. His health too was feeble ; and 
 his voice, although still melodious, had lost something 
 of its strength. 
 
 Nevertheless, even at that period, his eloquence was 
 delightful ; it fully corresponded with those living 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 Familiar SJcetch of William Wilherforce. 
 
 words of the poet, which, after Wilbcrforcc's death, 
 were applied to him, in the house of commons, by his 
 faithful friend and successor in the race of humanity, 
 Thomas Fowcll Buxton : 
 
 A veteran warrior in the Christian field, 
 Who never saw the sword he could not wield; 
 Who, when occasion justified its use. 
 Had wit as bright as ready to produce ; 
 Could fetch from records of an earlier age. 
 Or from philosophy's enlightened page. 
 His rich materials, and regale the ear 
 With strains it was a luxury to hear. 
 
 I was introduced to Wilberforce in the autumn of 
 1816. He was staying with his family by the sea- 
 side, at Lowestoft, in Suffolk. I well remember going 
 over from the place of my own residence in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Norwich, partly for the purpose of seeing 
 so great a man, and partly for that of persuading him 
 to join our party, at the time of the approaching 
 anniversaries of the Norfolk Bible and Church Mis- 
 sionary Societies. I was then young ; but he bore 
 my intrusion with the utmost kindness and good 
 humour, and I was much delighted with the affability 
 of his manners, as well as with the fluency and bright- 
 ness of his conversation. Happily he acceded to my 
 solicitations ; nor could I hesitate in accepting his 
 only condition, — that I should take into my house, 
 not only himself, but his whole family group, — con- 
 sisting of his amiable lady and several of their children, 
 two clergymen who acted in the capacity of tutors, 
 his private secretary, servants, &c. We were, indeed, 
 to be quite full of guests, independently of this acces- 
 
Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 229 
 
 sion ; but Avhiit house would not prove clastic in order 
 to receive the abolisher of the slave trade ? 
 
 In point of fact, by dint of various contrivances, we 
 managed the affair with tolerable facility. It was a 
 large party composed of persons of several denomina- 
 tions, who were all anxious to promote the extension 
 of the kingdom of their Redeemer ; and Wilberforce 
 was the star and life of our circle. 
 
 The picture which the dead leave on the minds of 
 their survivors is not always lively or distinct. Al- 
 though we may have fondly loved them, and may 
 hallow the memory of their good ([ualities, we cannot 
 always summon their image before us, and by the 
 power of conception, gaze on their features, and listen 
 to their voice ; but I venture to express my convic- 
 tion, that no one who has been accustomed to observe 
 Wilberforce, will ever find the slightest difficulty in 
 picturing him on the tablet of the mind. Who that 
 knew him, can fail to recall the rapid movements of 
 his somewhat diminutive form, the illuminations of 
 his expressive countenance, and the nimble finger, 
 with which he used to seize on every little object that 
 happened to adorn or diversify his path? Much less 
 can we forget his vivacious wit — so playful, yet so 
 harmless, — the glow of his affections, — the urbanity 
 of his manners, — and the Avondrous celerity with 
 which he was ever wont to turn from one bright 
 thought to another. Above all, however, his friends 
 will never cease to remember that peculiar sunshine 
 which he threw over a company by the influence of a 
 inind perpetually tuned to love and praise. 
 
230 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 I well remember that, as he walked about the house, 
 he was generally humming the tune of a hymn or 
 psalm, as if he could not contain his pleasurable feel- 
 ings of thankfulness and devotion. 
 
 The characteristic of his intellectual constitution 
 was rapid productiveness. His cornucopia of thought 
 and information was rich and abundant, and I am 
 ready to think there could be no greater luxury than 
 that which I often enjoyed, of roaming with him in 
 solitude over green fields and gardens, and drawing 
 out of his treasury things new and old. 
 
 On these occasions, I was often struck with his 
 readiness to listen as well as to speak. Wilberforce 
 was far too much of a gentleman, and withal of much 
 too inquisitive a nature, to engross the whole of a 
 conversation. He seemed to be for ever in search of 
 fresh information ; and with singular tact and nicety 
 of feeling, though without the smallest flattery, he 
 mostly succeeded in putting his companions in good 
 humour with themselves. The spring of his good 
 manners, however, was to be found in Christian cha- 
 rity and humility. Both these graces were predomi- 
 nant in his character. He was deeply sensible of 
 the " plague" of his own heart, of his unworthiness 
 before God, of his unceasing need of an advocate 
 with the Father. Who then can wonder that self 
 was with him of small reputation, and that he was 
 ever ready to prefer others before him in honour ? 
 Accustomed as he had long been to a most exten- 
 sive acquaintance, and versed, both by reading and 
 experience, in the history of his species, he was seldom 
 
Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 231 
 
 at a loss in discriminating character. Yet he h)oked 
 on his feUow-nicn through a hap[)y nicdiiun — hoping 
 all things, helieving all things, enduring all things. 
 He was no hackbitcr with his tongue. 
 
 To the prevalence of charity and humility in his 
 mind, we may ascribe his absence of bigotry, and his 
 remarkable liberality towards Christians, whose views, 
 in some respects, differed from his own. I well re- 
 member the broad and elevated principles which he 
 proclaimed at the public meeting of our Bible Society. 
 His own sentiments and dispositions were fitted no 
 less by the sacredness of the object of that society, 
 than by the breadth and simplicity of its constitution ; 
 and he was certainly one of its most determined and 
 undeviating friends. Wilberforce afforded a striking 
 evidence that the wisdom which cometh from above 
 is "without partiality," and this state of mind was in 
 him the result of prolonged experience. The more he 
 knew of mankind, and the deeper his draughts at the 
 fountain of living waters, the more he became divested 
 of prejudice. He seemed like a person who had as- 
 cended to the top of some lofty cathedral, from which 
 mankind below, perambulating the streets, and carried 
 along by all sorts of currents, appeared to be all of 
 one size. 
 
 Far indeed was Wilberforce from underrating the 
 danger of any important error in religion ; but even 
 towards those who differed from him on fundamental 
 truths, he always maintained a charitable demeanour. 
 Well do I remember the affectionate solicitude with 
 which he mourned over an old accpiaintance who 
 entertained Socinian opinions. His Christian kind- 
 
232 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 ness and his zeal for the truth were alike displayed, in 
 his tender expostulations with his friend, as well as in 
 the genuine sorrow which he felt on his account. 
 
 I have mentioned the quickness with which Wil- 
 berforce used to turn from one object of thought and 
 conversation to another. In fact there was nothing 
 more remarkable in him than his versatility. His 
 mind was of a highly discursive character ; and it 
 was often extremely amusing to observe how, while 
 pursuing any particular subject, he was caught by 
 some bright idea which flashed across his path, and 
 carried him off, (for a time at least,) in a wholly dif- 
 ferent direction. This peculiarity belonged to his 
 genius, and was even a means of multiplying the 
 instruction which his conversation afforded. Yet it 
 must be confessed, that, in his mental constitution, 
 versatility, by indulgence, had become excessive, and 
 often subjected him to considerable inconvenience. 
 The regular course of business was, ever and anon, 
 thrown into some confusion, and the ground which 
 he had lost in the delightful play of his conversational 
 powers, could only be recovered from day to day, by 
 a vast rapidity of execution. How often have I 
 watched him, in the private apartment which he 
 allotted to business, with his papers strewed about 
 him like the sybil's leaves, compressed into action, by 
 the nearly approaching departure of the post, and 
 scribbling off a multitude of letters, all full of matter 
 and feeling, with an unrivalled fluency both of intel- 
 lect and pen 1 
 
 Under the influence of so discursive a spirit, as well 
 as of his old parliamentary habits, his distribution of 
 
Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 233 
 
 the hours oF the day was somewhat inconvenient. 
 Whik) he dressed himself in the morning-, his secre- 
 tary, or some other friend, generally read to him for 
 a considerable time ; and when at last he was come 
 down to breakfast, tasteless must have been the per- 
 son who could resist the temptation of surrendering 
 the best hours of the morning, to the pleasure of 
 conversing with him. In the afternoon he generally 
 slept for an hour or two, — a practice considered 
 necessary for his delicate frame ; afterwards from a 
 late hour of the evening, until past midnight, he 
 might truly be called the brightest of men. The 
 midnight hour was his zenith. Like the beautiful 
 Cereus, with all her petals expanded, he was then in 
 full bloom. Here I ought to remark, that through 
 the various stages of the day, and even in those 
 moments when hurry and confusion seemed to press 
 upon his steps, he never failed in his kind attentions 
 to all around him, and in the midst of little una- 
 voidable vexations, seemed always to preserve an even 
 and unruffled temper. 
 
 It is delightful to reflect on the undeviating steadi- 
 ness with which Wilberforce during so long a course 
 of years, pursued his mighty object, the abolition of 
 the slave trade. It might have been supposed that 
 such a course would have been nearly impossible to 
 a person of that peculiar mental constitution which 
 I have now described. But the fact was, that the 
 volubility of his intellect was balanced by the stability 
 and faithfulness of his moral qualities. Where the 
 happiness of man and the glory of God were in his 
 view, he was for ever recurring to his point — and in 
 
234 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 spite of all his episodes of thought, was an assiduous, 
 persevering, and undaunted lahourer. An example 
 of the same kind is aft'orded by his admirable work 
 on " the prevailing religious system of professed Chris- 
 tians," as contrasted with " real Christianity." This 
 book is not more remarkable for its eloquence, than 
 for its being so well digested and arranged. I believe 
 it was produced by him during a period when ill health 
 compelled a temporary retreat from public business ; 
 and it must certainly be allowed that there are very 
 few works on religious subjects, which have been 
 more remarkably blessed to the conversion and edifi- 
 cation of men. 
 
 This volume is chiefly addressed to the wants of 
 the more polished classes of society; and that it has 
 answered its purpose in evangelizing the gentry of 
 our land, to no inconsiderable extent, is generally 
 acknowledged. It is very remarkable however, that 
 it was also the indirect means of pouring a flood of 
 light on the lower orders. By means of the perusal 
 of Wilberforce's book, an individual of an almost 
 equally productive mind, I mean Legh Richmond, 
 was converted to serious Christianity ; and this 
 charming writer's tracts for the poor have since been 
 circulated in vast multitudes. Thus happily con- 
 nected are the links in that chain of special provi- 
 dence, which He holds in his hand, who has purchased 
 the church with his blood, and rules over all things 
 for her sake. 
 
 Here the question may perhaps arise in the mind 
 of the reader. When and how was Wilberforce him- 
 self converted ? In order to answer this question, I 
 
Familiar Sketch of WiUiam Wdberfoice. 235 
 
 will now give a leaf out of his earlier history, only 
 premising that niy information on the subject was 
 chiefly derived from a delightful tete a tete conversa- 
 tion with the hero of my tale. 
 
 Wilberforce, who was the son of a wealthy mer- 
 chant residing at Hull, was returned a second time 
 to parliament for that important borough, when about 
 twenty-four years of age. But he was not long 
 to occupy this station, — a higher one awaited him. 
 Immediately after the Hull election, he attended the 
 county election at York, where, to the vast assembly 
 collected in the area of the castle, he made a speech 
 on a popular question of the day, — Fox's India bill. 
 His eloquence at that early period was of a most 
 animated character, and his voice sonorous and mel- 
 lifluous. The speech produced an almost magical 
 effect on the assembled multitude ; and under a 
 strong and apparently unanimous impulse, they cried 
 out, " We will have that little man for oiir member !" 
 In short, though without pretensions from family or 
 fortune to the representation of that vast county, 
 and in spite of the powerful influence of the other 
 candidates, Wilberforce was elected its member by 
 acclamation. 
 
 He was now one of the most popular of men. 
 His fine talents, his amiability, his wit, his gaiety, his 
 songs, (for he was a melodious songster,) adapted him 
 to the highest worldly circles of the county ; and of 
 the crowded gentility of Doncaster races he was said 
 to be the life and ornament. Yet he was a strictly 
 moral man, and through all these glittering scenes 
 preserved the character of virtue. 
 
236 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 Happily, however, his heavenly Father, whom his 
 pious parents had taught him to revere in early lite, 
 was preparing for Wilberforce himself better things 
 than the blandishments of the world ; and for the 
 county of York, a member of parliament fraught with 
 higher and holier purposes than those of aggrandise- 
 ment or amusement. Not long after his election, he 
 was travelling through France, in order to visit a sick 
 relation at Nice in Piedmont ; and the companion of 
 his journey was his friend Isaac Milner, afterwards 
 dean of Carlisle, a person somewhat older and more 
 serious than himself. In the course of their journey 
 they happened to converse about a clergyman in 
 Yorkshire, who had been impressed with evangelical 
 views, and was remarkably devoted to his parochial 
 duties. Wilberforce. " That man carries things a 
 great deal too far, in mi/ opinion." Milner. " Do 
 you think so, Wilberforce? I conceive that if you 
 tried him by the standard of the New Testament, 
 you would change that opinion." Wilheyforce. " In- 
 deed, Milner — well, I have no objection to make the 
 experiment. I will read the New Testament with you 
 if you like — and with pleasure !" 
 
 Important, indeed, were the results of this casual 
 and unexpected conversation. The two friends read 
 the whole of the New Testament together as they 
 journeyed towards Nice : and this single perusal of 
 part of the records of revelation was so blessed to 
 Wilberforce, that he became a new man. His opinions, 
 and after them his feelings, underwent a rapid revo- 
 lution. He found himself to be a sinner, and re- 
 joiced in the discovery of a Saviour. He renounced 
 
Familiar Sketch of WilUam Wilherforcc. 237 
 
 the world, and devoted himself, without reserve, to 
 the love and service of Almighty God. When ho 
 arrived Jit Nice, he found in the chamber of his sick 
 relative, a copy of Dr, Doddridge's " Rise and Pro- 
 gress of Religion in the Soul." This useful manual 
 of religious experience he read with extreme eager- 
 ness ; and it appears to have been blessed as the 
 means of confirming and completing his change. 
 
 The news now swiftly flew into Yorkshire that 
 their popular young member was gone mad. Wilber- 
 force, with that moral courage which becomes the 
 Christian character, followed the report in person ; 
 threw himself among the most worldly of his friends 
 and supporters ; plainly told them of his change of 
 sentiment ; and with good reason adopted (as may 
 be presumed) the words of a yet more eminent con- 
 vert, — " I am not mad, most noble Festus, — I speak 
 the words of truth and soberness." He now devoted 
 himself to his parliamentary duties in the high ca- 
 pacity of a Christian senator ; and so far was he from 
 losing his influence in the county, that it constantly 
 increased. Many years afterwards when the memo- 
 rable contest took place between Lord Milton and 
 Henry Lascelles — now the Earls of Fitzwilliam and 
 Harewood — Wilberforce was brought in far-a-head 
 on the poll, and a voluntary subscription of about 
 £40,000 flowed in from all parts of the country to 
 defray his expenses. Half of the subscription was 
 returned as needless. 
 
 It is impossible to reflect on this story without 
 instruction and pleasure. How divine must be the 
 book, which through the blessing of its Almighty 
 
238 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 Author, could bear with so irresistible a moral and 
 spiritual force, on the intellect, the genius, and the 
 dispositions of Wilberforce — converting the witty 
 songster into the abolisher of the slave trade !^ And 
 what a mercy in disguise to Wilberforce was that 
 petty and apparently fortuitous circumstance which 
 led him so attentively to peruse the Scriptures ! 
 
 " Oh ! who can tell how vast the plan 
 Which this day's incident began ? 
 Too small, perhaps, the slight occasion 
 For our dim-sighted observation, — 
 It passed unnoticed, as the bird 
 Which cleaves the yielding air unheard ; 
 And yet may prove, when understood, 
 The harbinger of endless good." 
 
 There can be no doubt that many of Wilberforce's 
 letters will, in due time, meet the public eye. Al- 
 though generally written in great haste, they were 
 often found to be the lively representatives of a clear 
 and highly cultivated intellect, as well as of a warm 
 and feeling heart. I cannot resist the temptation of 
 presenting the reader with a A'ery few specimens ; 
 trusting that by taking this liberty, even without 
 asking the permission of his beloved family, I shall 
 
 1 The practical effect so often produced by the Holy Scriptures 
 on the minds and character of those who read them, affords a 
 triumphant argument for their divine origin. It may be supposed 
 that this argument would apply to other works which have been 
 the means of conversion ; such as Dr. Doddridge's Rise and Pro- 
 gress, and Wilberforce's own book on Christianity. But this is 
 not true, for a very plain reason ; namely, that whatsoever there is 
 of a converting nature in these and such other works, is originally 
 expressed only in the Bible. 
 
Familiar Sketch of William Wilherforcc. S.'lf) 
 
 ill no degree interfere with the designs oF sonic more 
 elaborate and comprehensive biographer. 
 
 The first from uliich I propose to quote, relates to 
 the death of a female relative, whom he most tenderly 
 loved. It is as follows : — 
 
 "Kensington Gore, (Mr. Stephens's,) 
 
 Jan. \Oth, 1822. 
 
 My dear kind friend, 
 
 Be assured that my not being a better 
 correspondent is of necessity, not of choice ; and of 
 late, you would sooner have heard from me, but that 
 my time has been unequal, (still more have my eyes 
 been unequal,) to the many, almost indispensable, 
 claims on them. Letters on the subject of which 
 mine are naturally now full, do not harmonize with 
 the use of an amanuensis. 
 
 Jan. loth, Marden Park. Thus far I had proceed- 
 ed when I was forced to break off ; and I could not 
 resume my pen till to-day. We yesterday returned 
 
 to the house in which our dear had passed a few 
 
 days of comparative health and bodily enjoyment, 
 and many weeks of languor and pain. 
 
 Mrs. was naturally much affected at first ; but 
 
 her grand cordial is of an eflScacy as unlimited in 
 point of place, as of time and circumstance. It is 
 
 the assured persuasion that our dear is gone to 
 
 a better world. I own I had wished, and with sub- 
 mission I trust had prayed, that it might please God 
 to grant her a measure of joy, as well as peace in 
 believing, — some of that holy exultation of which we 
 so often read in the last hours of the dying people of 
 
240 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 God ; and yet, except in some few particular instances, 
 I know not but that the humble, but sure though 
 trembling hope of a contrite heart, often approves it- 
 self to the judgment as a still more stable and solid 
 ground for consolation. And it is observable, that 
 though joy be sometimes held forth as a privilege, 
 and even commanded as that to which as Christians 
 we have a right, yet there are no promises made to it 
 as an evidence. But 'the Lord is nigh unto them 
 that be of a contrite heart, and will save such as be 
 of a humble spirit.' One sees immediately the reason 
 of this difference ; the God of grace, as of nature, does 
 nothing in vain — if we may so speak — and joy needs 
 no consolatory assurances, as does the humble trem- 
 bling penitent. To him that excjuisitely beautiful 
 assurance is given, ' The Lord delighteth in mercy,' — 
 not merely kindness, but mercy ; kindness to those 
 that deserve punishment. Oh, how often are we re- 
 minded that God is love ! My dear friend, I have not 
 time or eye-sight now to relate to you some little 
 anecdotes, which I am sure you and Mrs. G. would 
 taste with a delightful relish. On the very morning 
 
 of the day of her death, desired her favourite 
 
 maid-servant, (a most attached excellent creature,) to 
 ask Dr. B., who slept in another room, to render any 
 help he could, if there was any hope of her recovery. 
 But if not, she added, all is well. And all was, and 
 is well. And though a tender mother cannot but 
 feel exquisitely, yet she can rejoice too ; and, blessed 
 be God, while the tears are transient as an April 
 shower, the joy will be as immortal as the light of 
 heaven, as the glory of God, and the light of the 
 
Familiar Sketch of IVilliatu Wilherforcc. 241 
 
 Lamb. I wish yon could have heard, or that my 
 memory could retain, a sweet prayer which our dear 
 
 poured forth a day or two before she died, after 
 
 desiring all to withdraw but her mother and myself. 
 She prayed for us, and a dear female friend, as well 
 as for herself, that we might be enabled to bear the 
 separation. The idea of her Saviour's intercession 
 was peculiarly delightful to her; and she used to say 
 she had not been accastomed to see or feel it as she 
 then did. O my friend, what a world of glories does 
 Christianity pour forth upon us when we, a(po§c!}vTsg^ 
 fix on it our steady and warm regards. And I am 
 sure I may add, what a gloomy, what a November- 
 evening prospect, would present itself to the mind's 
 eye of a man like myself, advancing into the vale of 
 years, but for this blessed flood of light and love 
 which flows forth from the throne of God and of the 
 Lamb. My dear friend, pray for us, that what has 
 passed, may not have merely a transient effect, but a 
 deep and lasting, aye, everlasting influence; that it 
 may impress us with a disposition to be 7nore diligent, 
 that we may be found of Him in peace, without spot 
 and blameless. 
 
 My dear friend, I have been forced to scribble at 
 full gallop, in order to save the post, and there may 
 be lapsus pennce, but I cannot spare either time or 
 eye-sight to read over what I have written. Believe 
 me to be yours and Mrs. G.'s affectionate and sincere 
 friend, W. Wilberforce." 
 
 The following letter was addressed to his friend 
 Fowell Buxton, after certain provisions had been 
 
 VOL. II. R 
 
24f2 Familinr Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 made in the two houses of parliament, for the hcncfit 
 of the negro popuhition in the West Indies. 
 
 " BaoMPTON Grove, 
 
 March Mth, 1824. 
 
 My dear friend, 
 
 It was quite a disappointment to me not 
 to see you at the house to-day, and more so, because 
 I know you are not likely to be there to-morrow. 
 There are points on which I shall be glad to confer 
 with you ; meanwhile I am strongly urged by my 
 feelings, to express to you the solid satisfaction with 
 which I take a sober estimate of the progress which, 
 through the goodness of providence, we have already 
 made, and the good hopes which we may justly in- 
 dulge as to the future. To find the two houses of 
 parliament, each full of members to the brim, con- 
 sulting about the interests and comforts of those who, 
 not long ago, when you speak of bodies of beings, 
 were scarcely rated above the level of orangoutangs, 
 would itself be a most gratifying and encouraging 
 spectacle; but still more the establishment of so many 
 good regulations and right principles, by the unani- 
 mous consent of parliament, with the openly declared 
 opinion, that political considerations alone stand in 
 the way of their universal adoption, is almost as sure 
 an indication of our complete success ere long, as the 
 streaks of morning light are of the fulness of meridian 
 day. I hope I may live to congratulate you, even in 
 this world, on the complete success of your generous 
 labours ; at all events I humbly trust that we may 
 rejoice for ever and triumph together in a better 
 
Familiar Sketch of Williavi Wilberforce. 213 
 
 world ; for we, my dear friend, may, more truly tluin 
 the great artist (statuary I think it was) affirm, that 
 we are working for eternity ; and our KTtif^a sig asi 
 will he enjoyed, I trust, in common with many, many, 
 of our poor hlack brethren, when all bondage and 
 injustice, all sorrow and pain having ceased, love, and 
 truth, and mercy, and peace, and joy, shall be our 
 everlasting portion. 
 
 O my friend, let us strive more and more earnestly 
 for all that is right and good here, looking forward 
 to these glorious prospects. I little intended such 
 a rhapsody when I began, but excuse it from the 
 feelings towards me with which I subscribe myself 
 to you, 
 
 A faithful and affectionate friend, 
 
 W. Wilberforce." 
 
 Early in the year 1825, Wilberforce retired from 
 parliament. The spirit in which he bid farewell to 
 the honours, the exertions, and the noise of public 
 life, may at least be guessed from the following brief, 
 but expressive note, which I had then the pleasure of 
 receiving from him. 
 
 "Near UxBiiinGE, 
 
 Feb. 8th, 1825. 
 
 My dear friend. 
 
 If I do not deceive myself, you will be 
 rather glad than sorry to hear that I have determined 
 to retire from the house of commons. My physician's 
 advice was such as, all circumstances taken into ac- 
 count, led me believe it to be my duty so to do, — and 
 an event so interesting to me I do not like you to 
 
 R 2 
 
244 Familiar Sketch of William Wilherforce. 
 
 hear from riimour or the newspaper. I scarcely need 
 assure you, that I trust I shall not be less occupied, 
 though I may be less noisy than heretofore. Were it 
 not for the weakness of my eyes, I should be strongly 
 tempted to pour forth the train of thoughts which is 
 rising in my bosom ; but I must check myself and 
 say farewell, my dear friend. I hope you and yours 
 are in good health, and that you are blessed also with 
 that peace which I know you prefer to all bodily 
 enjoyments. 
 
 May you be favoured with a long course of useful- 
 ness and comfort in this life, (if it be the will of God,) 
 and may you at length be an abundant partaker of 
 those pleasures which will be infinite in degree and 
 eternal in continuance. 
 
 I am ever 
 Your sincere and affectionate friend, 
 
 W. WiLBERFORCE." 
 
 During the eight years which intervened between 
 his retreat from parliament, and his death, Wilber- 
 force was ever alive to the best interests of his fellow- 
 creatures ; and continued to direct his attention with 
 much energy to the cause of the oppressed negroes. 
 The success which he had met with, in putting an 
 end, by his efforts in parliament, to the accursed trade 
 in slaves, as conducted by England, formed no excuse 
 in his mind for indolence or inattention, respecting 
 the subsidiary object — of no less magnitude and im- 
 portance — the abolition of slavery. Retired as he 
 was from public life, and greatly enfeebled in his 
 health, he no longer found his place in the van of 
 
Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforcc. 245 
 
 the army, or in the heat of the battle ; but both by 
 speaking and writing he repeatedly bore his public 
 testimony in favour of the great principles of the 
 abolitionists; and his warm encouragements and wise 
 counsels were always ready, the first to stimulate, the 
 second to direct the efforts of his friends. Neverthe- 
 less, during the whole of this period, his greatest de- 
 light was in duties of a directly religious nature. He 
 lived much in prayer, as I can testify from my own 
 observation ; he enjoyed the study of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures ; he rejoiced in daily communion with his God. 
 The strength of his mind was evidently bent in a 
 heaven-ward direction. He was working out his own 
 salvation with fear and trembling. 
 
 Within the last few years the chastening hand of 
 God was repeatedly laid upon him. Often was he 
 tried with sharp attacks of sickness; his only surviving 
 daughter, the wife of a pious clergyman, was cut off 
 by death ; and in consequence of some unexpected 
 and perplexing circumstances, he lost a great part o^^ 
 his fortune. Notwithstanding these trials, however, 
 he pursued, in simple faith, the even tenor of his way, 
 and all was sunshine still ! 
 
 My last conversation with him took place after a 
 much longer interval than usual, and within three 
 weeks of his death. I happened to be passing through 
 Bath, and finding that my beloved and honoured 
 friend was then in lodgings there, I of course made a 
 point of calling upon him. When I arrived at the 
 house on the South Parade which he then occupied, 
 I found that he had been suffering severely from a 
 bilious attack ; and his lady, whose attentions to him 
 
246 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 were most tender and unremitting, appeared to be in 
 low spirits on his account. Still there then appeared 
 no reason to apprehend the near approach of death. 
 
 I was introduced to an apartment upstairs, where 
 I found the veteran Christian reclining on a sofa, 
 with his feet wrapped in flannel ; and his countenance 
 bespeaking increased age since 1 had last seen him, 
 as well as much delicacy. . He received me with the 
 warmest marks of affection, and seemed to be delight- 
 ed by the unexpected arrival of an old friend. I had 
 scarcely taken my seat beside him before I felt that 
 constraining influence of divine love, under which, in 
 the character of a minister of the gospel, I could not 
 refrain from addressing him. It seemed given me to 
 remind him of the words of the Psalmist : " Although 
 ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the 
 wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers 
 with yellow gold ;" and I freely spoke to him of the 
 good and glorious things, which, as I believed, as- 
 suredly awaited him, in the kingdom of rest and 
 peace. In the meantime the illuminated expression 
 of his furrowed countenance, with his clasped and 
 uplifted hands, were indicative of profound devotion 
 and holy joy. 
 
 Soon afterwards he unfolded his own experience to 
 me in a highly interesting manner. He told me that 
 the text on which he was then most prone to dwell, 
 and from which he was deriving peculiar comfort, 
 was a passage in the epistle to the Philippians ; " Be 
 careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and 
 supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be 
 made known unto God ; and the peace of God which 
 
Familiar Sketch of William Wilbcrforcc. 2i7 
 
 passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and 
 minds through Christ Jesus." While his frail nature 
 was shaking, and his mortal tabernacle seemed ready 
 to be dissolved, this " peace of God" was his blessed 
 and abundant portion. Wilberforce was a man of 
 most polished and cultivated understanding ; but he 
 well knew that the jewel of divine peace transcends 
 in value all merely intellectual riches. The human 
 mind in its own strength (notwithstanding its vast 
 resources) is unable even to comprehend it. It is the 
 gift of God by his Holy Spirit, and it stays the soul 
 in deep and hidden reliance on him from whom it 
 comes. 
 
 The mention of this text immediately called forth 
 one of his bright ideas, and led to a display, as in 
 days of old, of his peculiar versatility of mind. "How 
 admirable," said he, " are the harmony and variety of 
 St. Paul's smaller epistles. — You might well have 
 given an argument upon it in your little work on 
 evidence.^ The Epistle to the Galatians contains a 
 noble exhibition of doctrine; that to the Colossians, is 
 a union of doctrine and precept, showing their mutual 
 connexion and dependence ; that to the Ephesians, is 
 seraphic ; that to the Philippians, is all love,'' 
 
 " With regard to myself," he added, " I have no- 
 thing whatsoever to urge, but the poor pul)lican's 
 plea, '(iod be merciful to me a sinner.' " These words 
 were expressed with peculiar feeling and emphasis, 
 and have since called to my remembrance, his own 
 definition of the word mercy, — " kindness to those 
 that deserve punishment." What a lesson may we 
 1 Hints on the Portable Evidence nf Christianitij . 
 
248 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforee. 
 
 derive from such an example ! If Wilberforee, who 
 had been labouring for these fifty years in the cause 
 of virtue, religion, and humanity, could feel himself 
 to be a poor criminal, with no hope of happiness, 
 except through the pardo7ihig love of God in Christ 
 Jesus, surely we ought all to be bowed down and 
 broken under similar feelings! The fact may awfully 
 remind us of the apostle's question, " If the righteous 
 scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the 
 sinner appear ?" 
 
 Before we separated, he adverted to his pecuniary 
 loss. " I am afraid of telling you what I feel about 
 it," said he, " lest it should appear to you like affec- 
 tation, but rest assured that the event has given me 
 no uneasiness — none whatsoever ! In fact, it has only 
 increased my happiness, for I have in consequence 
 been spending the winter with my son — the joyful 
 witness of his gospel labours." In short it was evi- 
 dent that the world was under his feet, that grace was 
 triumphant, and that the Saviour whom he loved was 
 reigning over all, for the benefit of this faithful be- 
 lieving servant. The covenant of God with him was 
 ordered in all things, and sure. Thus are we taught 
 again and again that this is the victory which over- 
 cometh the world, even our faith. " Who is he that 
 overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus 
 is the Son of God 
 
 His feelings having been a good deal excited, and 
 his weakness evidently great, I now perceived that it 
 was time for us to part. 1 grasped his hand, and 
 bid him farewell ; in the humble and reverent hope 
 2 1 John V, 4, 5. 
 
Familiar Sketcli of William Wilbcrforce. 249 
 
 that, through nnutterahlc mercy, we shall meet again 
 where pain and parting, sorrow, sin, and death, are 
 no more. 
 
 The visit to Wilberforce, which I have now describ- 
 ed, took place on the 1 Ith of the 7th month, (July.) 
 He died on the 29th. The affecting event was com- 
 municated to me in the following letter from his 
 second son. 
 
 "44, Cadogan Place, 
 
 Sloan E Street, London, 
 
 July 30th, 1833. 
 
 Mv DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 I am told that one of the last letters 
 which my dearest father received was from you. I 
 have now to tell you that he has passed into that 
 better state, where the consolations of earthly friend- 
 ship are no longer needed, and the cares of earthly 
 business no more felt. He had been staying here 
 some few days to consult Dr. Chambers, and on 
 Saturday last became much worse. But when his 
 mind was awake, it was as of old, humble, resigned, 
 tranquil, heavenly. He was in a sort of fainting fit 
 much of Sunday, and yesterday he was gathered to 
 his eternal inheritance. It is matter of great thank- 
 fulness that he should have passed away without any 
 pain. My dear mother is wonderfully comforted. 
 I am your very sincere friend, 
 
 RoBT. Isaac Wilberforce." 
 
 On the day before his death, Wilbcrforce expressed 
 his unfeigned delight in the prospect, now so near at 
 
250 Familiar Sketch of William Wilberforce. 
 
 hand, of the liberation of our colonial slaves. " Oh," 
 said he, " that I should have lived to witness a day 
 in which England is willing to give twenty millions 
 sterling for the abolition of slavery I" 
 
 In compliance with the particular wish of the Lord 
 Chancellor, and at the request of numerous peers and 
 commoners, the remains of this venerable man, — this 
 true and enlightened patriot, — were buried in West- 
 minster Abbey. The funeral was in itself very much 
 devoid of pomp. But the business of the national 
 councils was suspended on the occasion, and he was 
 followed to the grave by a very large proportion of 
 the members of both houses of parliament, — many of 
 them persons of the highest distinction, and of all 
 parties in the state. The pall was supported by eight 
 gentlemen and noblemen, among whom were the 
 Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the house of com- 
 mons, and the Duke of Gloucester, and his body was 
 committed to the dust, close by the tombs of Pitt, 
 Fox, and Canning. 
 
 What can be more striking than the contrast be- 
 tween the unrivalled honours thus poured out upon 
 his memory after death, and his own humble and con- 
 trite state of mind, during the last stage of his mortal 
 pilgrimage r Should a monument be erected over his 
 grave, I hope it will be a simple one. The marble 
 can bear no better ornament than the untitled name 
 of William Wilberforce, — a name which is already 
 engraven on the hearts of millions. 
 
SABBATICAL VERSES. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PACE 
 
 The glory of christ in the first creation 237 
 
 The glory of christ in the new creation 2G3 
 
 The christian's race 277 
 
 The child of the lord 284 
 
 On silent worship 28G 
 
 The pavilion , 288 
 
 Martha and mary , 200 
 
 Christ the bridegroom 292 
 
ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 The following essays in verse have been composed during a 
 period of much affliction, and have helped to soothe some of my 
 solitary hours of sorrow. In the prospect of leaving my native 
 land, in order to pay a visit, in the capacity of a minister of the 
 gospel, to some parts of America, I venture to present them to 
 the Christian public of this country, as a farewell token of affec- 
 tionate respect and regard. 
 
 London, 5lk Month, 2AlIi, 18.37. 
 
THE GLORY OF CHRIST 
 
 IN 
 
 Sfie Jpirst orrcati'on. 
 
 " I5y whom also he made the worlds;" IIeb. i, 2. 
 
 Blest be thy name, thou uncreated Word, 
 With God before all worlds, thyself the Lord, 
 By whom all nature into being sprang, 
 While heaven applauded and the angels sang. 
 Bright stars of morning hailed thee in their lays. 
 The sons of God proclaimed their Master's praise, 
 Themselves once fashioned by thy plastic hand. 
 To thee they live, they move at thy command. 
 
 Well might they joy, when the celestial dove 
 O'er shoreless oceans waved her wing of love. 
 Gently incumbent, and through realms of night 
 Ancient and wild, was poured the new-born light. 
 Bright efflux from the unfathomed source of day, 
 And of the eternal co-eternal ray. 
 Thine was the glory of that hallowed hour ; 
 From God, from thee, its radiance ; thine the power 
 That bade the seas recede, the land arise. 
 Opened the fountains, spread the watery skies, 
 Gave to the air its substance and extent. 
 Built and adorned the azure firmament. 
 
 VOL. H. S 
 
258 Glory of Clirlst in the First Creation. 
 
 Another day is come ; earth claims her bowers. 
 Her vest of verdure, and her wreath of flowers. 
 Sprung from no seed the budding wonders grow. 
 The pines wave freely o'er the mountain's brow, 
 Perfect at once the oaks dispense their shade, 
 At once the lily and the rose, array'd 
 In all their beauty, shine-; the primrose pale. 
 Jasmine and hyacinth, perfume the vale; 
 Cassia and myrrh their wasted odours pour. 
 The purpling vines each rifted rock explore ; 
 A thousand fruits with early blush appear, 
 The promise of that bright primeval year. 
 Their seeds are in them ; sweets, untasted now. 
 To men in every age shall bend the bough. 
 
 Again the evening came, the morn Avas given. 
 Especial boons devolved on earth from heaven ; 
 For ere that destined day, the glorious sun 
 Was not, or hid from earth his course had run ; 
 No silver horn or perfect orb serene. 
 No wandering gems, in heaven's dark vault were seen: 
 But now, the vast arrangement fitly made, 
 The morn shall rise, the eve bestow her shade ; 
 Months, seasons, years, proceed by natural cause. 
 While heaven's bright signs obey His changeless laws. 
 Who made them all ; henceforth the greater light 
 Shall blaze by day ; the lesser rule the night. 
 Thus didst thou build and thus adorn a home 
 For sentient creatures, countless tribes that roam 
 O'er earth's wide surface, all alike by thee 
 Endued with life's mysterious energy. 
 And conscious joy. — Some animate the seas. 
 Now dive below, now leap to inhale the breeze, 
 
 I 
 
Glory of Christ in the First Creation. 21 
 
 Armed with their silvery scales, retreat, advance, 
 Crop the soft weed, and urge the mazy dance ; 
 While the smooth whales, disporting, lash the deep 
 And bid her fountains boil, or calmly sleep 
 Like islands on her breast. — Some poised in air 
 Flap the light wing and distant flight prepare, 
 Or mount aloft, and to the sun unfold 
 Their feathered pride of purple, green, and gold ; 
 Or less adorned for sight, a social throng, 
 Charm the glad ear, and fill the groves with song. 
 
 Some track a humbler path, and move unseen 
 In earth's dark soils, or hid in thickets green, 
 Their fleshy ringlets formed for easy play. 
 Contracting and dilating, wind their way. 
 With arching neck, fork'd tongue, and eye of flame. 
 Some slowly glide, or coil their circling frame. 
 Some frolic wild, and bound along the plain. 
 Or leap the rocks their wintry peak to gain ; 
 Or on high bough the grateful kernel find, 
 Impetuous spring, and chatter to the wind, 
 Or couch and ruminate on all the glade, 
 Or haunt the den, and penetrate the shade : 
 Or to the pine-top lift a graceful form. 
 Or rove the wilderness, and breathe the storm. 
 
 Slow moves behemoth o'er the trembling ground 
 Of massive bars his framework, girt around 
 With sinewy folds prodigious ; easy toil ! 
 With share of ivory he ploughs the soil, 
 Uproots his bulbous feast, intent to ply 
 The lithe proboscis, — while his lucid eye 
 Beams with intelligence. The age must come 
 When Asia's potentates and conquering Rome, 
 
260 Glory of Christ in the First Creation. 
 
 Shall yoke his sons to the triumphal car, 
 Train them to arts of peace, to strift of war ; 
 O'er the broad living flank, nprear the toM^er, 
 And safely from its height their javelins shower, 
 Untutored now, — ere known the haunts of men, — 
 He wanders wild o'er forest, glade, and glen ; 
 With draughts delicious cools his burning blood, 
 And weens to dry the springs of Jordan's sacred flood. 
 
 The hand that formed this wondrous living scene 
 Must guide it still — no other hand between — 
 Must prompt the purpose, and direct the \\'\\\, 
 Inspire unseen the philosophic skill, 
 Conduct the instinctive arts, impel, control, 
 Move in each moving part, and speed the whole. 
 
 Led by the gentle impulse of the breast, 
 Untaught, untrained, each warbler builds her nest. 
 At the right season, when the spring is green. 
 Of right materials, though by her unseen 
 Till now she needs them ; of the ancient form 
 By which her sires were sheltered from the storm. 
 What reason prompts the swallow's arduous flight 
 Ere winter's frown prolongs the dreary night, 
 Bids her to southern shores in haste repair. 
 Directs her passage through the boundless air ? 
 What sense forewarns ere warmer climates burn. 
 And marks the moment for her safe return ? 
 
 Profound geometer I who taught the bee 
 To mimic science, and to rival thee ; 
 With even hexagons to fill the plane, 
 Thus ample room with utmost strength to gain ; 
 Nor fill the plane alone ; through all the mass 
 No waste of substance, and no loss of space ; 
 
Glory of Christ in the First Creation. 261 
 
 Each cell descending in the angle true 
 That great Maclaurin by his fluxions knew? 
 What proud inventive faculties impart. 
 From age to age unchanged, the spider's art ? 
 Around her home the magic circles run, 
 Each thread of thousands wonderfully spun. 
 The viewless gossamer man's skill exceeds. 
 No teaching asks, no rule of science needs ; 
 Her nets ethereal every bush adorn 
 Dressed in the peerless dewdrops of the morn. 
 What laws of order human wisdom vaunts 
 Can match the civic polity of ants ? 
 Commodious cities, and well guarded lands. 
 Of willing labourers th' united bands ; 
 The equal tending of ten thousand young. 
 The silent touch for man's vociferous tongue. 
 
 The appointed customs of each busy kind 
 Involve the working of thy master mind. 
 Fountain of science, spring of all that's wise, 
 Thy moving power their energy supplies, 
 The power that formed each creature's living frame 
 With fitness nice to some peculiar aim. 
 One general type the glorious scheme pervades. 
 While special forms, and ever varying grades. 
 Connect, adorn, diversify the plan. 
 From the low reptile, up to complex man. 
 Wisdom of God — high Partner of his throne, 
 The Father's pleasure — with the Father one. 
 From thee of beauty flow the varied streams, 
 With marks of thee exuberant nature teems. 
 Thy influence spreads above, around, below, 
 The best philosophy is thee to know. 
 
262 Glory of Christ in the First Creation. 
 
 As shapes and letters graven on the seal, 
 Adorn its substance, and its end reveal. 
 The melting wax a well known sign receives, 
 The eye beholds it and the mind believes ; 
 God's image thou and character express. 
 In thee he wills to quicken, form, and bless ; 
 To worlds of life the sacred type is given, 
 And nature's glory corresponds with heaven. 
 
 But chiefly man, now risen from the dust. 
 Of graceful carriage and proportions just. 
 Fresh as the morn, and as the day-star bright, 
 His visage beaming with celestial light, 
 Of lofty look and awful form erect. 
 Destined to guide, to govern, to protect. 
 With lamp of reason, furnished from above. 
 And filled with wisdom, holiness, and love, 
 His frame the dwelling of a soul that soars 
 To heaven's high courts, and communes and adores — 
 Man who alone the life eternal shares. 
 Reflects thy beauty, and God's likeness bears. 
 
 Alas, how soon, when Satan wins his way, 
 That form shall fade, — that likeness shall decay! 
 Now all is perfect, all in thee is blest. 
 And speeds its gentle course, the day of rest. 
 
THE GLORY OF CHRIST 
 
 IN 
 
 iSeto (iTrcation. 
 
 " If any man hu in Clirist, it is a new creation: old things are psssed away ; behold uU things 
 are become new;" 2 COR. v, 17. 
 
 Clad with no verdure, by no waters feci, 
 
 Behold on every side a desert spread ! 
 
 No fruit, no food for man, the sands produce. 
 
 Nor plant is there but of a poisonous juice. 
 
 Or armed with thorns ; beneath each stunted brake. 
 
 Or fatal scorpion, or envenomed snake, 
 
 Unheeded lurks ; all life is deadly there. 
 
 And the wild waste is pregnant with despair. 
 
 Woe to the traveller who dares assay 
 To happier climes that drear and trackless way; 
 His courage lost, exhausted all his stores, — 
 The farthest east or west his eye explores, 
 Unknown, impassable, the plains extend, 
 Hope withers, wheresoe'er his footsteps bend ; 
 When suddenly, beneath the lurid beam. 
 Far, far ahead, the welcome waters gleam ; 
 For so he weens ; intent his thirst to slake. 
 And bathe with rapture in the lovely lake, 
 
264- Glory of Christ in the Neiv Creation. 
 
 He presses onward with unnatural strength, 
 And paces swift the desert's weary length ; 
 But flits the soft deception from his view ; 
 The burning, barren, sands alone are true ; 
 Struck to the heart, he breathes a hopeless sigh. 
 Then nerveless sinks, to suffer and to die. 
 
 Such change the curse had wrought ; but who sh 
 scan 
 
 That deadlier wilderness, the heart of man ? 
 Barren of all that's good,- — of strife and sin 
 Productive always, spreads the waste within. 
 There Satan lurks in various guise conceal'd, 
 The soul his victim, and the world his field ; 
 Instils his poisons with consummate skill. 
 Perverts the judgment and depraves the will. 
 Inspires disease with dank, pestiferous, breath, 
 Distorts the passions, then consigns to death. 
 His was the suasion, his the murderous lie, 
 ' Partake the fruit, — thou shalt not surely die.' 
 The dark deceit assumed fair reason's show, 
 Presage to millions of eternal woe. 
 Hence too our evils here ; the hope forlorn 
 That sinks into despair ; the festering thorn 
 That rankles in the breast ; the bitter tear 
 Of helpless poverty, and pallid fear. 
 Of death to come, and pain that mocks control. 
 Anguish of body, agony of soul. 
 And brother's hand imbrued in kindred blood, 
 And scowling want, and war's ensanguined flood, 
 Sickness and plague in all their proteus forms. 
 And ocean's rage, and faction's ruder storms ; 
 
Glorij of Christ in the New Creation. 2Q> 
 
 Lust, malice, fraud, and envy's evil eye, 
 Rapine for gold, and curse of slavery. 
 
 Though pomp and pleasure many a bait prepare. 
 And fame her radiance shed, and beauty glare, 
 And worldly wisdom with proverbial pride, 
 And quaint conceits, her native darkness hide. 
 And curious learning spread her ample store, 
 And philosophic ken the skies explore. 
 And poesy in waves of magic roll. 
 And patriot eloquence inflame the soul. 
 And bravery assert the laurel crown. 
 And love impassioned call mankind her own, — 
 All without grace, but imitate the gleam 
 Of the false lake, — they are not what they seem ; 
 The flippant vision sparkles in the sun. 
 Then fades in death, and leaves the world undone. 
 
 Yes, that fair form " now risen from the dust. 
 Of graceful carriage and proportions just," 
 That " visage beaming with celestial light," 
 " Fresh as the morn and as the day-star bright," 
 Beneath the curse, must soon to dust return, 
 The senseless tenant of some silent urn. 
 The worm must feed upon that glowing cheek, 
 That tongue of eloquence must cease to speak. 
 That eye forget its beam, — no art can save 
 Those manly features from their destined grave. 
 But the dark future in her hidden womb. 
 Holds deeper secrets, — far below the tomb 
 A prison frowns ; a mansion of despair. 
 The deathless worm, the flames unquench'd are there 
 Severed from God, the soul without resource. 
 Helpless and hopeless, speeds her downward course 
 
2()6 Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 
 
 And while the mortal wreck unheeding lies, 
 Hers is the sterner death that never dies. 
 Rise then, Immanuel, victor o'er the strife, 
 Proclaim thine own free boon of light and life ' 
 By thee the streams of reconciling love 
 For ever flowing from the fount above, 
 Ordered of God, obedient to his plan 
 Of perfect holiness, descend to man. 
 
 Hail, word of promise, graciously bestowed 
 Ere man was driven from his blest abode. 
 Promise of joy — ' The woman's seed shall tread. 
 Though bruised his heel, upon the serpent's head; 
 Shall level with the dust his rebel brow, 
 Then bid him sink to boundless gulphs below ; 
 Shall raise our fallen race to loftier height 
 Than ere was compassed by thought's eagle flight, 
 To happiness and virtue freely given. 
 To God, to glory, to the throne of heaven.' 
 
 Lo, blood is stealing o'er the grassy plain : — 
 Pride of the flock, by faithful Abel slain ; 
 Slain in obedience to His high behest, 
 Who gives, then claims, the firstling and the best. 
 Strange sacrifice, by reason unexplained ! 
 Why should those virtuous hands with gore be stain'd? 
 No flesh permitted yet to human need, — 
 The flame alone must on the victim feed ; 
 Flame from the skies descending, radiant sign 
 Of heaven's accord and pardoning love divine. 
 By faith, not reason, was the offering made ; 
 And now that lambent light dispels the shade ; 
 The fire celestial bursting into view. 
 Consumes the type, and proves the promise true. 
 
Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 2G7 
 
 Foreknown of God, before all worlds decreed, 
 In time to come, for all mankind must bleed, 
 A sinless Lamb — the woman's holy seed. 
 
 Meanwhile the promise with the age extends. 
 Each rolling period some new feature lends, 
 To mark its character with various line, 
 Unfold its beauty, and its shape define ; 
 Just as some germ in nature's fruitful field. 
 Pregnant with forms well folded, well conceal'd, 
 Shoots and increases with revolving days, 
 And part by part, the destined plant displays. 
 Uplifts a stem obedient to the shower, 
 Then pours a hundred leaves, then blooms a flower. 
 
 From Abraham the promised Seed shall spring, 
 From Judah's tribe the world accept her king, 
 From Jesse's root and David's royal line, 
 Shall rise, with gentle force, that Branch divine. 
 By heaven's own power a virgin shall conceive, 
 And Bethlehem's shade the newborn Prince receive ; 
 Not till yon temple on Moriah's height, 
 Have sunk in flames, — a second sprung to sight ; 
 Nor till the sceptre of proud Judah's sway 
 With all his laws, be trembling in decay ; 
 The seventieth week that hallowed birth shall see. 
 From Israel's hope renewed, and Persia's kind decree. 
 
 Like yon pale star that ushers in the day, 
 A royal herald shall prepare his way. 
 Proclaim his coming with the Spirit's voice, 
 And bid the wilderness in hope rejoice. 
 Expected, then, upon the earth shall stand 
 The saints' Redeemer, and with mercy's hand — 
 
268 Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 
 
 Like Moses — yet with power to no man given, 
 Shall save and regulate the flock of heaven ; 
 Shall bid stout hearts to noble deeds be strung, 
 And gently lead the weak, and fold the young 
 To his warm breast, that in those halcyon days 
 Babes may rejoice, and sucklings sing his praise. 
 Then like the hart, the lame with joy shall bound, 
 The deaf be gladdened with the gospel sound, 
 The blind with opened eye behold his face. 
 Gaze on his glory, and admire his grace. 
 While o'er the desert living waters roll, 
 To quench the anxious thirsting of the soul. 
 He, girt with faithfulness, and clad with zeal. 
 Shall truth celestial to the meek reveal. 
 Shall teach the simple and sincere to climb. 
 To Zion's gate by virtue's path sublime — 
 Himself their pattern, comrade, captain, friend — 
 And crown with joy and praise their journey's end. 
 
 The mighty God by nature and by name, 
 The Lord our righteousness — the true I am — 
 He yet shall suffer in our mortal frame ! 
 From the dry soil the humble plant must grow. 
 No wreath of comeliness adorn his brow ; 
 Where shall our glad report attract belief? 
 Lowly his form, — his visage marred with grief ; 
 Rejected, scorned, whom no man dares to know, — 
 Sorrow his friend, — his fellowship with woe ! 
 For us, for us, he bears the chastening rod, 
 His are the stripes, and ours is peace with God ; 
 The silent sufferer to the slaughter led, — 
 Our sins inflict his wounds, our crime is on his head! 
 
GloYTj of Christ in the New Creation. 2G() 
 
 Behold, the shiin one shall prolong his day, 
 The worm and Hades must resign their prey, — 
 Like ocean's vista with the moon-beam bright, 
 Blazes his "path of life" with heavenly light. 
 He lives! he reigns! heaven's gates receive their king, 
 " The Captor captive led," applauding angels sing. 
 
 While prophecy, unfolding age by age, 
 And ever germinant, adorned the page, 
 God's ritual law, with pencil nicely true, 
 The curious shadows of the future drew. 
 Was it to signify the past alone, 
 The paschal victim knew no broken bone. 
 Food of all Israel, and stained with gore 
 The lintel and the posts of every door ? 
 Of old where'er that sacred blood was sprent, 
 No plague could taint, no deadly shaft be sent ; 
 Now, for the soul that bears a lovelier stain. 
 Death drops his sting, and Satan's darts are vain. 
 
 Once every year a sacred day was kept, 
 When Israel for her sins repentant wept, 
 And purified afresh, in linen vest. 
 Humble but clean, her solemn priest was dress'd. 
 Doffed were his gorgeous robes and jewell'd crown. 
 The bullock now must for himself atone. 
 The goat for all the people ; calm he stands 
 Within the veil, the censer in his hands ; 
 And while the perfume pours a balmy flood, 
 Bedews, seven times, the mercy-seat with blood. 
 But now the alternate goat with fillets bound. 
 To meet his coming treads the holy ground, 
 Allotted to escape, and with him bear 
 The sins of Israel into desert air. 
 
270 Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 
 
 Sins, which the priest before the Lord must spread, 
 Then lay the burden on his spotless head. 
 Away he springs, unconscious and alone, 
 And hides his mystic load in lands unknown. 
 The guilt he carries can no more return, — 
 Meanwhile, without the gate, the slaughtered victims 
 burn I 
 
 The priest in humble garb, and holiest place. 
 Conversing with Jehovah face to face, — 
 The dying beasts that pour the crimson tide, — 
 The scape-goat o'er the desert wandering wide, — 
 Pictures of truth with various art combined, 
 Their end and substance in one Saviour, find. 
 
 Saviour, incarnate, glorified, enthroned, 
 Whose precious blood for all our race atoned, 
 Well versed in death, familiar with the grave — 
 A man to sympathise, and God to save — 
 Thy prospect spreads interminably bright, 
 Thy boundless retrospect is filled with light ; 
 Unnumbered, infinite, have sped thy years. 
 Ere seraphs sang, or rolled the starry spheres ; 
 Centre in thee, past, present, and to come. 
 The Father's bosom thy eternal home. 
 
 Time saw its fulness, and the Saviour came. 
 That messenger divine of hidden name. 
 With whom, of yore, was Jacob's covenant made. 
 Whom Abraham saw, and trusted, and obeyed ; 
 Living Redeemer of the orphan'd sire. 
 Who spake to Moses from the bush on fire, 
 Before whose feet the awe-struck Joshua bowed. 
 Who led all Israel in the flame and cloud ; 
 
Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 27 1 
 
 Whose praise the seraphs chaunted as they flew 
 
 When burst his glory on Isaiah's view, 
 
 Ambassador at once, and Lord of heaven, — 
 
 When Mary's child was born, the Son of God was given. 
 
 Now is the vast prophetic knot untied. 
 
 The ancient vision cleared and verified ; 
 
 The types and promises to facts apply, 
 
 Each figure finds its own reality, — 
 
 All meet in Jesus, all in him combine. 
 
 Ten thousand rays in one grand focus join ! 
 
 Death to the sinful soul the law demands, 
 And calls for vengeance at God's holy hands, 
 But grace prevails and free remission gives. 
 The Saviour died, the ransomed sinner lives. 
 No human learning could that problem solve. 
 Justice and peace around the cross revolve ; 
 Faith winged with prayer draws mercy from above, 
 And sternest truth amalgamates with love. 
 In every age by this appointed way, 
 Some souls, redeemed, have sprung to endless day. 
 Their faith proportioned to the light bestowed. 
 Their end was glory, for they lived to God. 
 But who shall speak the solemn soft repose. 
 Which on his Saviour's breast the Christian knows ? 
 On Christ the burden of his sins is laid, , 
 On Christ, in reverent trust, his heart is stayed ; 
 Contrite yet firm, the alarm of war recedes. 
 The Saviour's righteousness alone he pleads ; 
 That plea victorious over Satan's wiles. 
 His frown he fears not, for Immanuel smiles; 
 Opened for him is Zion's sacred flood. 
 His conscience rests — his soul is cleansed with blood; 
 
272 Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 
 
 Let troubles multiply, let paius increase, — 
 His inward treasure is the pearl of peace. 
 
 But mark the unbending rule, — no peace within, 
 While man's frail bosom is the sport of sin ; 
 By passion tost, as miry billows roar, 
 And spread pollution, when they lash the shore. 
 The deep, deceitful, restless, heart of man, 
 Must yield obedience to the gospel plan. 
 Renounce its pride, commence a nobler strife. 
 Rise from the dust, and struggle into life. 
 
 Accepted be the boon of light divine 
 That our redeeming God has given to shine 
 In every human breast, else wholly dark ; 
 Though often weak, yet pure the vital spark ; 
 Call it not " conscience," — conscience is the eye 
 That spark illuujines, or the soul must die ; 
 The moral truth attracts the mental sight. 
 The medium that reveals its form is light. 
 And God is lights — from God the source of day. 
 Through Him who died and lives, the Truth, the Way, 
 Changeless from age to age, proceeds the ray. 
 The same in Britain, India, Athens, Rome, 
 Man's heart and conscience its appointed home. 
 Thus Gentiles who no heavenly code possessed 
 On stony tablet, to the law confest 
 As read within, though faintly and in part. 
 And showed its precepts graven on the heart. 
 Like men once dead, but wakened from the tomb. 
 Some gifted spirits burst the general gloom. 
 In calm retreats, by classic reasoners trod. 
 Gave form to virtue, and discoursed of God. 
 
Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 
 
 Yet Grecia's sages but the twilight knew, 
 No noonday radiance blazed before their view, 
 Around e'en Plato's brows a vail was hung, 
 Error with truth distilling from his tongue. 
 Then hail God's holy page, the gospel hail ! 
 Unfurl the canvass, spread the swelling sail ; 
 Fly forth ye words of truth from shore to shore, 
 For heaven's own Sun is risen to set no more ! 
 
 Gems beyond price the folded book conceals. 
 And only Jesus can unloose its seals. 
 Lion of Judah, Prince of all the tribes 
 That worship God, as heaven itself prescribes, 
 Pour thy bright beams, thy Spirit deign to give. 
 And teach mankind to understand and live ; 
 Anoint the slumbering eye, the stubborn ear, 
 Melt the proud heart, inspire the godly fear. 
 Convince of sin, and then disclose the tide 
 Of blood and water, from thy pierced side. 
 That flows for ever ; cleanse thy church within ; 
 Sprinkle the nations from their guilt and sin. 
 Thou art the one baptizer ; thine the wave 
 In which alone the leprous soul can lave ; 
 As Naaman erst in Jordan's sacred stream 
 Seven times immersed, his cure might fitly deem 
 A new existence, and himself a child, 
 Now soft and pure, — once hardened and defiled. 
 What though an entrance on the joys of heaven 
 Through the one sacrifice be freely given 
 To all believers, none indeed believe 
 But the regenerate, — none but they receive 
 
 VOL. II. T 
 
274 Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 
 
 The guerdon kept by Jesus for his own. 
 Who bear the cross on earth, in heaven shall wear the 
 crown. 
 
 Bless'd Spirit, like the wind that viewless blows, 
 Whence coming, whither fleeing, no man knows, 
 Yet armed of heaven to break with giant stroke 
 The towering cedar and the spreading oak ; 
 Or mildly breathing as a summer breeze, 
 Felt to refresh, perceptible to please — 
 Spirit of truth — move onward as the wind, 
 Break, humble, cleanse, and vivify mankind. 
 
 Beneath that sovereign touch, that vital breath, 
 The soul emerges from the realms of death. 
 Escapes her prison, — flings her chain away. 
 Claims a new life, and rises into day. 
 Have ye not marked the verdant pastures gleam 
 In diamonds dressed beneath the orient beam ? 
 Sparkles on every grassy blade a gem. 
 On every blossom rests a diadem ; 
 So bright, so lovely, is the child of grace. 
 In youth, just entered on the Christian race ; 
 Ardent but tender, pliable yet true, 
 Beaming with love, and fresh with heavenly dew. 
 What though, as years roll on, and shift the scene, 
 A calmer, cooler, mood may supervene. 
 Yet spreads the root in the deep soil below, 
 And riper fruits on firmer branches grow ; 
 Well tempered charity, substantial peace. 
 Wisdom and fortitude, with years increase ; 
 Patience to suffer, meekness to forbear, 
 With nice discernment of each hidden snare ; 
 
Glory of Christ in the New Creation. 275 
 
 The watchful eye ; the ever deepening sense 
 Of man's defect, and God's omnipotence ; 
 The chastened heart, oft prostrate in the dust, 
 The steadfast walking, the unbending trust, 
 And hope well settled on the joys above, 
 The calm reflection of a Saviour's love, — 
 To perfect day, the just man's path shall shine, 
 Thou Holy Comforter, its light is thine. 
 
 Now breathe the spices, now the zephyr blows. 
 Spreads the green carpet, God's broad river flows. 
 Bursts forth the myrtle, shoots the box, the pine, 
 Scents all the grove the twisted eglantine. 
 The jasmine pours her stars, with roses crowned 
 Sweet Sharon smiles, where once the desert frowned. 
 No more impends the death-forboding gloom. 
 While sweeps o'er boundless sands the hot simoom, 
 Nor wounds the thorn, nor scorpion darts her sting 
 Pregnant with death ; but round their odours fling. 
 Fresh with soft showers, the blossoms of the spring. 
 
 Hark, matchless melody ! the bridegroom's voice 
 Steals o'er the gale and bids his spouse rejoice ; 
 " Awake, my fair one, winter reigns no more. 
 The storms are past, the hurricane is o'er, 
 Rise from thy couch and tread the dewy lawn. 
 The turtle's note salutes the opening dawn 
 All resonant with song, the groves, the bowers, 
 And lavish nature fills her lap with flowers. 
 To please each sense their early sweets combine, 
 The fig just ripening, and the fragrant vine ; 
 Ten thousand charms shall bless this hallowed day. 
 Arise my love, — my fair one, come away." 
 
 T 2 
 
276 Glory of Christ in the New Creation'. 
 
 Hail, new creation I sovereign work of grace ! 
 In Paradise shall man regain his place, — 
 A fruitful field in ancient Eden's stead. 
 With pure religion, o'er the world shall spread ; 
 Break forth with praise ye mountains, sing ye plains. 
 Applaud ye waving woods, for Jesus reigns. 
 Yet death still lingers here ; then hail the love, 
 That won for man a Paradise above ! 
 Around the throne, the purchased myriads stand 
 Of every kindred, and from every land ! 
 O'er angel forms celestial garments flow 
 Baptized in blood, yet whiter than the snow ; 
 The church triumphant claims her Saviour's breast. 
 In perfect victory, is perfect rest. 
 
THE CHRISTIAN'S RACE. 
 
 " Wherefore seeing we also ar« compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lav aside 
 every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race 
 that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith :" llLB.xii, 1,2. 
 
 Where classic Elis spreads its level plain, 
 Breathless they run a withering crown to gain ; 
 No weight impedes them in their rapid flight, 
 Their loins are girded, and their vest is light, 
 While circling multitudes inflame his soul, 
 The victor bounds impetuous to the goal ; 
 There, with spread arms, the noble Umpire stands, 
 Grace on his lips, the laurel in his hands ; 
 The painful struggle once himself had borne, 
 The frame exhausted, and the hope forlorn ; 
 Yet great his victory ; and now serene. 
 He pours his golden gifts, and rules the scene. 
 
 Speed on believer ! urge thy sacred course. 
 Though faint thy nerve, exhaustless thy resource ; 
 Defy the stormy blast, the burning sun. 
 When weak yet strong, when halt prepared to run ; 
 Refreshed by streams which meet no mortal eye, 
 Sustained by hidden manna from the sky. 
 In simple faith, pursue thy swift career. 
 Unchecked by indolence, untamed by fear. 
 But oh ! beware lest some dear idol, prest 
 With strong emotion to thy anxious breast. 
 
278 
 
 The Christians Race. 
 
 Some favourite passion, some besetting sin, 
 Some fond ambition that still lurks within, 
 Like golden wedge or leaden weight, be found. 
 To bid thy footsteps linger o'er the ground ; — 
 Discard, dismiss them all, and free as air, 
 To yon pearl gates with ardent hope repair. 
 
 Enlivening accents from the apostle's lyre, 
 With comfort fraught, and winged with heavenly fire! 
 But mine the rankling thorn, the wound, the smart, 
 The dreary darkness of the lonesome heart. 
 The oppressive power of Satan's cumbering wing. 
 His foul suggestions and his torturing sting ; 
 How can I rise triumphant to behold 
 Those gates of pearl, those streets of glass and gold. 
 Those purest gems which once on earth were known, 
 But now are sparkling in the Saviour s crown ? 
 I wrestle not with flesh and blood alone. 
 High powers of wickedness inspire the groan. 
 The rulers of yon black impending sky, 
 Buffet my soul, and bid me curse and die ! 
 
 Come ! cease thy mourning, stay thy wild lament. 
 For thee sweet messengers of joy are sent ; 
 Unseen — but yet beholding — round thee stand 
 Angelic witnesses, a glorious band. 
 Assist thy progress through this vale of woe, 
 And tell of climes where tears no longer flow. 
 
 Vast was the host proud Syria sent of old, 
 To drag Elisha from the embattled hold ; 
 Alarmed his servant eyed the advancing force. 
 The thousand chariots, the unnumbered horse ; 
 But friends from heaven, surrounded, — more were they 
 Than all the foemen of that dread array ; 
 
The Christians Race. 
 
 279 
 
 And soon unfolding to his wondering view. 
 
 They proved the prophet safe, the promise true. 
 
 Sueh bright allies against infernal power. 
 
 Camp round the Christian in each dangerous hour, 
 
 Pity his conflicts, wipe his useless tears, 
 
 Polish his armour, and dispel his fears. 
 
 Thou child of grace ! for thee a golden tie 
 
 Binds heaven to earth in tenderest sympathy ; 
 
 When to his God one weeping sinner turns, 
 
 Joy in the hearts of myriad angels burns, 
 
 And for salvation's heirs — no gulph between — 
 
 The myriad angels minister unseen. 
 
 Nor those pure powers alone who never fell. 
 
 But saints redeemed from sin, and death, and hell. 
 
 Whose stains were purged in Zion's sacred flood. 
 
 Free-born, yet purchased with a Saviour's blood. 
 
 Two such were sent on Christ himself to wait, 
 
 Partake his counsels, and assist his state, 
 
 When Hermon's dewy top, or Carmel's height. 
 
 Beheld the Lord, and beam'd with borrowed light. 
 
 Ye ransomed souls, from various land and clime, 
 
 Gathered to glory in your Saviour's time ; 
 
 One faith, one practice, led you to the skies. 
 
 One blood redeemed you, and one song employs I 
 
 Patriarchs and prophets storied in the page 
 
 Which charms and teaches through each passing age. 
 
 The truly great of men, in whom were joined, 
 
 The childlike credence, and the master mind ; 
 
 The simple too yet wise, of every name, 
 
 The watchful, humble, followers of the Lamb ; 
 
 Some dear companions of our happier days. 
 
 Whose modest virtue was their highest praise, 
 
280 
 
 Tlie Christians Race. 
 
 Though well adorned they were with sight and sense 
 And learning's store, and bright intelligence, — 
 Do they not see thee, mourner, call thee friend, 
 Pray God to speed thee to thy journey's end ? 
 
 Hail Christian fellowship! thy comforts prove 
 Our faith divine, our God a God of love ; 
 Unlike the unions of this changing world, 
 Dear for a day, — and then to ruin hurl'd, — 
 Thy band with cords of heavenly strength intwined, 
 And yet so soft, so tender, so refined. 
 Displays Jehovah's wisdom ; he ordains 
 Its gentle force to mitigate our pains. 
 One mind pervades the children of the Lord, 
 Who draw their wisdom from his written word, 
 Renounce the elements of human strife. 
 Deeply imbibe the message fraught with life, 
 Repent their folly, weep their sin and thrall, 
 And rest in Jesus as their all in all. 
 One mind, — because one Holy Spirit theirs. 
 Their light, their strength, the answer to their prayers, 
 Their friend to guide them, by no doubtful ray. 
 Through all the labyrinths of this darksome day. 
 Their cleanser, searcher, soother, kindly given, 
 The power that seals them as the sons of heaven. 
 
 Joined to the head, where the sensorium lies, 
 They learn to feel, to love, to sympathize ; 
 A mystic body, knit in living bonds, — 
 One member grieves, — each distant nerve responds. 
 Yet, while a common life pervades the whole. 
 Distinctive features mark each single soul. 
 And soul with soul combines, by special ties, 
 Peculiar love, and choice affinities. 
 
The Christians Race. 
 
 S81 
 
 As changing form with diverse colour blends, 
 
 God gains his vast variety of ends ; 
 
 Ten thousand forms of fitness spring to view, 
 
 And Zion blooms in beauty ever new. 
 
 Nor is it likeness only that inspires 
 
 The excelling warmth of friendship's heaven-born fires; 
 
 Far different qualities in union meet, 
 
 That each the other may assist, complete. 
 
 Thus sound discretion, clothed in gentlest love, 
 
 Constrains the rash to admire and then approve ; 
 
 Thus zeal superfluous yields to just control, 
 
 Thus weakness leans upon the hardier soul. 
 
 I sing of friendship, — I have lost a friend, 
 Whose faithfulness and truth could never bend ; 
 Hers was the cultur'd and the lucid mind. 
 The generous heart, the conduct ever kind. 
 The temper sensitive yet alw-ays mild. 
 The frank simplicity of nature's child, — 
 Nature unspoiled by fashion or by pride. 
 And yet subdued by grace, and sanctified ; 
 The cheerfulness, devoid of base alloy, 
 That bade her speed her even course with joy, 
 Yet left full scope, thro' her revolving years, 
 For love's fond grief, and pity's softest tears ; 
 The abstinence from self, — a humble view 
 Of all she said, and did, and thought, and knew ; 
 The elder's judgment in the youthful franie, 
 And love to God and man, a deathless flame. 
 
 Ere childhood yet its playful course had run, 
 Day's beam from heaven upon her spirit shone, 
 Taught her 'twas strength and happiness to pray, 
 Led her young footsteps to the narrow way, 
 
282 
 
 The Christian s Race. 
 
 And while pure pleasure seemed her cup to fill. 
 Gave her to know, the truth is lovelier still. 
 Her early covenant not vainly made, 
 Like some fair flower, she blossom'd in the shade. 
 Till with advancing years affliction came, 
 And wan disease oppress'd her slender frame. 
 Anxious we watched her, while through many a day, 
 In calm repose, on Jesu's breast she lay ; 
 Her virtues grew in sorrow's lingering hour. 
 Her faith was deepen'd by the Saviour's power, — 
 She rose, replenished with abundant grace, 
 For larger duties, in a wider space. 
 Blest was our union ; all that life endears 
 Brightened the current of those rapid years. 
 Brightened and swelled, — around, her bounty flowed. 
 Her soul, enlarging, with fresh fervour glowed ; 
 Her views of truth extending more and more, 
 As Scripture, daily studied, spread its store, 
 'Twas hers each rougher wave of life to smooth. 
 To advise and comfort, elevate and soothe. 
 Fondly we hoped, when, with no faltering voice, 
 She bade her friends in Jesus Christ rejoice. 
 Fondly we hoped her gifts with years would grow. 
 To enlarge, improve, the struggling church below ; 
 But God ordained a higher walk of love. 
 In boundless regions, with the blest above ; 
 The summons came, the accepted hour was given. 
 Her sainted spirit smiled, and sprang to heaven. 
 
 Sweet to commune with those whose race is run ! 
 The church in heaven, on earth, in Christ is one ; 
 We feel their charity the grave survive, 
 Their pure aifection cannot cease to live. 
 
Hie Christians Race. 
 
 Till that blest moment when at Jesu's feet, 
 
 In heaven's high courts, his people all shall meet, 
 
 For ever joined to the seraphic throng. 
 
 In perfect love, and one harmonious song. 
 
 Such then our comrades, such the timely aid 
 That helps to wing our footsteps through the shad 
 Of life's short course ; but lo ! superior far. 
 To every creature, beams the morning star, 
 Leads and attracts us o'er the toilsome way. 
 The glorious herald of eternal day. 
 
 Jesus ! the Lord and Umpire of the race. 
 In thee thy friends ten thousand beauties trace ; 
 Image of God, to thee my heart appeals, 
 The Father's attributes thy face reveals ; 
 Glory, and grace, and truth that cannot move, 
 Unbending holiness, unfathom'd love. 
 Omniscient wisdom too, and matchless skill 
 To form the soul, and regulate the will ; 
 Thyself once plunged in sorrow's deepest wave. 
 Thou know'st to sympathize, thou know'st to save 
 In thee God's power with human pity blends, 
 From thee our faith begins, in thee it ends ! 
 
THE CHILD OF THE LORD. 
 
 How bless'd is the child of the Lord, 
 When taught of the Father to run, 
 When led by the light of his word, 
 And cheer'd by the beams of his sun. 
 
 He listens with fear and delight, 
 To hear what the master shall say ; 
 He sleeps on his bosom all night, 
 And walks in his love all the day. 
 
 Though terrors may compass him round, 
 And wildly the tempest may blow ; 
 He fears not ; the rock he has found, 
 That rock he will never forego, 
 
 'Tis true that his pilgrimage here 
 Is chequer'd with sorrows and fears ; 
 'Tis true that the cross he must bear. 
 And weep in this valley of tears : 
 
 But patience, submission, and love. 
 Can sweeten the bitterest hours ; 
 And hope, from the heaven above, 
 Still shines, when the hurricane lowers. 
 
The Child of the Lord. 285 
 
 Temptation, 'tis true, will assail, 
 And trial without and within ; 
 And deeply his soul must bewail 
 For inward corruption and sin. 
 
 But the rags he once counted his own, 
 Are consumed in celestial flame, 
 And a mantle is over him thrown, 
 Wash'd white in the blood of the Lamb. 
 
ON SILENT WORSHIP. 
 
 Let deepest silence all around 
 
 Its peaceful shelter spread ; 
 So shall that living word abound, 
 
 The word that wakes the dead. 
 
 How sweet to wait upon the Lord 
 
 In stillness and in prayer ! 
 What though no preacher speak the word, 
 
 A minister is there. 
 
 A minister of wondrous skill 
 
 True graces to impart ; 
 He teaches all the Father's will, 
 
 And preaches to the heart. 
 
 . He dissipates the coward's fears. 
 And bids the coldest glow ; 
 He speaks ; and lo ! the softest tears 
 Of deep contrition flow. 
 
 He knows to bend the heart of steel. 
 
 He bows the loftiest soul ; 
 O'er all we think and all we feel, 
 
 How matchless his control ! 
 
On Silent Worship. 
 
 And ah ! how precious is his love, 
 
 In tenderest touches given : 
 It whispers of the hliss above, 
 
 And stays the soul on heaven. 
 
 From mind to mind, in streams of joy. 
 
 The holy influence spreads ; 
 'Tis peace, 'tis praise, without alloy, 
 
 For God that influence sheds. 
 
 'Twas thus, where God himself is known 
 
 To shine without a cloud, 
 The angel myriads round his throne. 
 
 In solemn silence bowed. 
 
 And all were still and silent long. 
 
 Nor dared one note to raise. 
 Till burst the vast extatic song, 
 
 And heaven was fill'd with praise. 
 
THE PAVILION. 
 
 For in the time of trouble he shall liide me in his pavilion :" Psa. xxvii, 5. 
 
 Pavilions and palaces rise o'er the land, 
 
 And noble and wealthy are they that command 
 
 The pleasure and pomp of the world ; 
 Delicious their viands and glowing their wine. 
 And gorgeous and dazzling the emblems that shine 
 
 On the banner by monarchs unfurled. 
 
 But vain is their honour, and brief is their day, 
 And the presage of night overhangs its display, 
 
 They riot to wither and die ; 
 No charm can enliven the house of the dead, 
 Their banquet is past, and the cold worm is fed. 
 
 Where princes and potentates lie. 
 
 The glory that here to the worldling is given, 
 
 Like meteors that gleam in the dark vault of heaven, 
 
 Is lost in a moment to sight ; 
 The sheen of the jewels, the glare of the crown, 
 When the angel of death mows the lofty one down, 
 
 Are quenched in the shadows of night. 
 
The Pavilion. 
 
 289 
 
 There is a pavilion the world cannot see, 
 Of heavenly structnre, appointed tor thco, 
 
 Thon child of affliction and fears ; 
 Dismayed as thou art at the sight of thy sin, 
 'Tis thine a compassionate Saviour to win, 
 
 Who wept, and can pity thy tears. 
 
 Though the troubler of Israel come in like a flood, 
 Thy pardon is sealed with Immanuel's blood, 
 
 Inimanuel calls thee his own; 
 He quiets the storm of the penitent breast, 
 And under his shadow permits thee to rest, 
 
 Till he waft thee away to his throne. 
 
 How soft is that shadow, how sure its defence, 
 How transcendent its joys o'er the pleasures of sense, 
 
 Like the joys of the angels above ! 
 His table with spiritual dainties is spread, 
 The wine of the kingdom, the heavenly bread, 
 
 And his banner is infinite love. 
 
 VOL. n. 
 
 u 
 
MARTHA AND MARY. 
 
 Active, intent, with friendly ardour fraught. 
 Each nerve responding to some busy thought. 
 
 The faithful Martha strives ; 
 In sooth no wonder that for such a guest. 
 She deems it duteous to provide the best, 
 
 For in his life she lives. 
 
 Yes, in her gentle friend, her lowly Lord, 
 
 She views, with simple faith, the incarnate Word, 
 
 In whom are all our springs ; 
 Beneath that faded form, that eye of grief, 
 The piercing vision of her soul's belief, 
 
 Descries the King of kings. 
 
 As Abraham erst his visitants to greet. 
 
 And then to choose and dress the daintiest meat. 
 
 With eager footsteps ran : 
 Upon the mystic three, he joyed to wait, 
 While Abraham's Lord himself conversed and ate. 
 
 Or seemed to eat, with man. 
 
Martha and Mary. 29 1 
 
 Not vain her labour, yet a better part 
 Another chose, who had as warm a heart, 
 
 And faith as clear and strong ; 
 Close at his feet, and level with the dust, 
 Adoring Mary sat, in humble trust, 
 
 And looked and listened long. 
 
 The plaint that of the work she missed her share, 
 Nor helped to ply the busy housewife's care. 
 
 Was heard, but heard in vain ; 
 The one thing needful was her happier choice, 
 To learn of Jesus and in him rejoice, 
 
 And that she must retain. 
 
 Saviour of men, Immanuel, hear our cry. 
 Give us for thee to live, in thee to die, 
 
 Oh calm the anxious breast ; 
 However in thy cause we toil or roam. 
 Still at thy feet provide a peaceful home, 
 
 Where we may wait and rest. 
 
CHRIST THE BRIDEGROOM. 
 
 PSALM XLV. 
 
 My thoughts a glorious theme indite, 
 And ready is my pen to write, 
 
 Thou fairest of the fair; 
 And swifter still my tongue to raise, 
 To thee an orison of praise, 
 
 For grace beyond compare. 
 
 Then gird thee round with belt and sword. 
 Ride on, ride on, thou mighty Lord, 
 
 Thy majesty display ; 
 Well shall thy red right-hand express 
 Thy zeal for truth and righteousness, — 
 
 Then prosper on thy way! 
 
 Winged by thy power, conviction's dart 
 Shall strike through many a rebel heart, 
 
 Nor pierce all hearts in vain ; 
 While every foeman prostrate lies, 
 A favoured few shall fall to rise, 
 
 And die to live again. 
 
Christ the Bridegroom. 293 
 
 O God, above the starry spheres, 
 Thy throne is set for endless years ; 
 
 Pure justice bears thy sword ; 
 Virtue and truth engage thy love ; 
 Sin draws thy vengeance from above, 
 
 Rejected and abhorr'd. 
 
 Therefore hath God upon thy head — 
 Thy God — the oil of gladness shed, 
 
 Without compare or measure ; 
 From ivory halls with spices stored, 
 Perfumes o'er all thy garments poured, 
 
 Are redolent of pleasure. 
 
 The Tyrian maids with gifts attend, 
 Before thee royal virgins bend 
 
 In jewelled drapery sheen ; 
 And graceful on thine arm reclines. 
 In purest gold from Ophir's mines. 
 
 Thy partner and thy queen. 
 
 O lady, bow the listening ear, 
 My counsel condescend to hear, — 
 
 The people once thy oAvn, 
 Thy father's house, forget to love. 
 So shall the king thy charms approve, 
 
 Ah ! worship him alone ! 
 
 Daughter of kings, — upon her vest 
 See nature's fairest forms exprest 
 With golden tissue wove ; 
 
Christ the Bridegroom, 
 
 All glorious is the Bride within, 
 By God's free grace redeemed from siti. 
 And heavenly is her love. 
 
 Fair princess, in thy father's place 
 Shall spring to life a godly race, 
 
 And rnle from shore to shore ; 
 Victorious in their Saviour's name. 
 With thee they share a deathless fame, 
 
 And live for evermore ! 
 
 THE END. 
 
PRINTED BY JOSIAH FLETCIIEll, UPPER IIAYMAUKET. 
 
TERMS OF UNION 
 
 REMARKS 
 
 ADDKESSED TO 
 
 THE MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN 
 
 BY 
 
 JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY. 
 
 UNITA VIS FORTIOR. 
 
 NORWICH : 
 
 PRINTED BY WILKIN AND FLETCHER, UPPER HAYMARKET. 
 SOLD ALSO IN LONDON BY 
 L. B. SEELEY AND SONS, FLEET-STREET. 
 MDCCCXXXII. 
 
 PRICE ONE SHILLING. 
 
NORWICH : 
 PRINTED BV WILKIN AND ri.ETCHER, 
 EAST ANGLIAN OFFICE. 
 
SECTION I. 
 
 ON THE LAWFULNESS OF SOCINIAN CO-OPERATION 
 IN THE BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 In reflecting on the history of the British and 
 Foreign Bible Society, I feel that its friends and sup- 
 porters have abundant reason to be at once thankful 
 and humble. On the one hand, the Society has been 
 blessed with unparalleled success in its great work of 
 distributing the Scriptures ; and collaterally, as well as 
 by its direct operations, it has been the means of un- 
 speakable benefit to thousands. On the other hand, 
 it was assailed, at its commencement, by fierce oppo- 
 sition ; and of late years has been tried and proved by 
 difficulties of a very perplexing and harrassing nature. 
 . The apocryphal question in particular assumed at one 
 period a most alarming aspect, and threatened to 
 shake the institution to its foundation. Yet the hand 
 of divine protection was over us still ; the point in 
 dispute was settled ; and the Society has since pur- 
 sued its course with increased dependence, I trust, on 
 the Author of all good ; but with all its original in- 
 dustry and vigour. 
 
 Another question, however, in a very plausible 
 form, has now arisen, peculiarly calculated to confuse 
 and afflict the minds of many persons — especially the 
 young — who have hitherto delighted in assisting our 
 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 cause. I specify tlie young, because this question, 
 although dressed in a new attire, is as old as the 
 Society itself ; and has long since been settled by the 
 giant intellect of a Milner, and by the lucid good 
 sense of a Dealtry, a Vansittart, and a Cunningham. 
 
 " Is it, on scriptural grounds, lawful, to allow per- 
 sons who deny the divinity of Christ, to be connected 
 with us in a r'eligioics society ?" The objectors who 
 put this question, appear to find no difficulty what- 
 soever in answering it in the negative; while the fondly 
 attached friends of the old constitution are left to 
 hang, as they please, on either horn of a desperate 
 dilemma. They may either contradict Scripture by 
 advocating a religious union with men of unsound 
 principles ; or they may declare that their favourite 
 society is vol religious. In either case they offend the 
 young and ardent believer ; and a society truly Chris- 
 tian both in its object and its character, is depri- 
 ved, in consequence, of many of its zealous support- 
 ers. Nay, it must even undergo the affliction of see- 
 ing some of its former advocates converted, throngli 
 a mere fallacy in reasoning, into determined adver- 
 saries. 
 
 That fallacy is however, easily detected. For it 
 obviously lies in the double meaning of the term re- 
 ligious society. If by that term we mean a society reli- 
 gious in its constitution, or in other words a church, 
 the question must indeed be answered in the negative. 
 But if we mean nothing more than a society formed 
 for the promotion of a religious object, then surely 
 our answer may be safely given in the affirmative. 
 In the former case the supposed connection with the 
 Socinian is an unlawful union ; in the latter case, it 
 is a lawful co-operation. 
 
5 
 
 The true and anivorsal church of Christ, com- 
 posed oFall who are brought to " repentance towards 
 God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,'' is a 
 vast society essentially religious in its constitution; 
 and it is not only unlawful but impossible, for its 
 members to maintain, in that character, a union with 
 any man (under whatsoever name) who denies the 
 fundamental doctrines of Christianity. But to con- 
 tract our views for the sake of clearness into a nar- 
 rower compass, any one of the denominations into 
 which this Catholic church is divided, is in itself a 
 society religious hij constitution ; and the same des- 
 cription is applicable to any single congregation of 
 Christians. 
 
 Now although the doors of our respective places 
 of worship are open to all men, it is a principle uni- 
 versally recognised among orthodox believers, that 
 religious fellowship, or church union cannot be law- 
 fully maintained either with persons of immoral cha- 
 racter, or with those whose religious sentiments are 
 heretical, in so much as they hold not the Head. The 
 directions of the New Testament on both points are 
 clear and decisive. Our Lord commanded that he 
 who sinned against his brother and refused to obey 
 the church, should be, to the disciple, " as a heathen 
 man or a publican," that is, I presume, that he should 
 no longer be treated as a brother in Christ. Paul 
 directed the Corinthian Christians to " put away " 
 from among them the incestuous offender; and not 
 even to eat with any man " called a brother," whose 
 conduct was dissolute and immoral.' And on another 
 occasion, he says, " a man that is an heretic after the 
 first and second admonition reject''' 
 
 ' 1 Cor. V, 11. 2 Tit. iii, 10. 
 
6 
 
 Should a member of the " religious society " of 
 Friends, for example, be found professing and dis- 
 seminating Socinian principles, we should consider it 
 our duty, without the least breach of charity towards 
 him, to annul his membership. I well remember an 
 occasion when a respectable individual, was, on this 
 very ground, separated from the society. When he 
 appealed against his disownjnent to our yearly meet- 
 ing, it was decided by an assembly of more than a 
 thousand Friends, and without a single dissentient 
 voice, that our religious fellowship with him must 
 cease ; and virtually, that we could not lawfully main- 
 tain such a fellowship with any man, however moral 
 and respectable, who denied and opposed the doctrine 
 of the deity of Christ. I presume that, on the same 
 principle, no orthodox minister of the church of 
 England, or of any dissenting body, would admit a 
 known Socinian^ into the bosom of his church, by al- 
 lowing him to partake, with the brethren, of the bread 
 and wine at the communion table. 
 
 The reason is plain — viz., that if we allowed reli- 
 gious fellowship with such an individual, we should, 
 in the face of all the world, sanction his errors, and 
 support them by the authority of the respective 
 churches to which we belong. In such a case the 
 guilt of his heresy would be ours as well as his own. 
 As far as the word "sin" is applicable to the subject, 
 
 ^ By Socinians I mean persons who uphold a doctrine which 
 in modern times was first taught by Socinus and the Fratres Poloni 
 — namely, that Jesus Christ possessed onhj the human nature — 
 that he was nothing more than a ma«. I am quite aware that 
 Socinus and his brethren held certain exalted views respecting the 
 government of Christ, which are rejected by the generality of 
 " modern Unitarians." But I object to the term " Unitarians," 
 which in its proper sense is applicable to all true Christians. 
 
7 
 
 we should be what the apostle commands us not to 
 be — " partakers in other men's sins."* 
 
 But the clergyman, the dissenting minister, and the 
 Friend, who alike refuse to maintain church union 
 with a Socinian, have hitherto alike consented to ad- 
 mit of his co-operation with them in the distribution 
 of the Holy Scriptures. They freely allow him or 
 any other person to become, with themselves, a mem- 
 ber, of a society which although religious as to its ob- 
 ject, is not so as to its constitution, and which no 
 more partakes of the nature of a church, than any 
 partnership whatsoever formed amongst men, for civil 
 or benevolent purposes. 
 
 Three societies are formed in the city of N , the 
 
 first for lighting the streets, the second for giving bread 
 to the poor, the third for distributing Bibles; and these 
 societies are severally open to all persons of what- 
 soever description, who are inclined to support them. 
 A serious and orthodox Christian, residing in the 
 place, subscribes to them all ; and he does so with a 
 safe conscience, because he cordially approves their se- 
 veral objects. True it is, that in the first society, he 
 is associated with many men of immoral and irreligi- 
 ous character ; in the second, with several worldly- 
 minded though benevolent persons ; and even in the 
 third, with a few individuals, some of whose religi- 
 ous sentiments he disapproves and condemns. But 
 in none of the three cases does he compromise any 
 principle of his own, or in the least degree involve 
 himself in the sin or error of his associates. He co- 
 operates with them, only in those things which are 
 indubitably harmless and good. 
 
 * 1 Tim. V, 22. 
 
8 
 
 It may indeed be remarked that there is an impor- 
 tant difference in the nature of the objects pursued by 
 the three institutions. That of the first, is civil ; that, 
 of the second, simply philanthropic; that of the third, 
 religious. But this view of the subject only strength- 
 ens our argument ; for the scale of the Christian's 
 duty must surely rise in a corresponding climax. The 
 better, the holier, the more divine, the purpose — the 
 clearer, the more imperative, is the call on his co- 
 operation. The principle which binds him to the 
 support of the Bible Society in particular, is one of 
 clear scriptural authority, of immense practical import- 
 ance, and strong enough to overcome a thousand ill- 
 founded prej udices and scruples ; namely, that it is always 
 our duty, under every possible circumstance, and by all 
 lawful means in our power, to promote the happiness 
 of our fellow-men, and the glory of God our Saviour. 
 
 But although the distribution of the Holy Scrip- 
 fures is clearly a religious object, we are never to 
 forget that it is one of a most comprehensive ten- 
 dency. Even the unbeliever may find a sufficient 
 motive for promoting it, in the c'tvil and intellectual 
 benefits which the Bible has been the means of con- 
 erring upon mankind. 
 
 It is also an object of a perfectly simple character, 
 and so fixed and unvarying in its nature, as not to be 
 endangered by the channel through which it passes. 
 No Christian would entrust to a sceptic the task of 
 preaching the gospel, or of giving religious instruc- 
 tion to children. But in distributing the Scriptures 
 without note or comment, even the sceptic may do 
 unmixed good. The book which he circulates will 
 still bear its silent and conclusive testimony to the 
 " truth as it is in Jesus." 
 
9 
 
 1 have often thouglit that the grounds on whicli a 
 serious Christian stands in connexion with other men, 
 while he prosecutes his various objects in Wie, may be 
 compared to the successive stories of" a pi/ramld. 
 When he is transacting the common business of the 
 day, with men of" all characters and conditions, he is 
 surrounded by vast numbers of people, and stands on 
 the broad basement story. Here, while he abstains 
 from evil things, he is compelled to communicate with 
 many evil persons, and he calls to mind the words of 
 the Lord Jesus, " 1 pray not that thou shouldest take 
 them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep 
 them from the evil."* But now an hospital is to be 
 built ; he mounts to the second story — his ground is nar- 
 rowed, and his company lessens. The utterly selfish 
 and dissolute disappear from his view ; but he still 
 finds himself in communication with the worldly as 
 well as the religious ; with the infidel as well as with 
 the believer. Christian benevolence, however, has 
 new services in store for him. A society is formed 
 for distributing the Scriptures without note or com- 
 ment. The object is one of undoubted excellence, 
 and he heartily engages in the cause. Here he stands 
 on the third section of the pyramid. Again the com- 
 pany is diminished ; again the circumference is con- 
 tracted. Yet it is large enough to comprehend all 
 reflecting persons of every class, who value the Bible 
 and approve of its dissemination. Our Philanthropist 
 knows that the work is pure and good, and though 
 he by no means agrees in sentiment with all who co- 
 operate in it, the last thing he dreams of, is to narrow 
 the circle either of its friends or of its efficacy. 
 
 ' John xvii, 15. 
 
10 
 
 ^ut while in distributing the Bible he stands on a 
 common level with all who approve that object, he 
 well knows the importance of a sound interpretation 
 of its contents; and on the next story of the pyramid, 
 he finds himself engaged with rather fewer compa- 
 nions, and within somewhat narrower boundaries, in a 
 Missionary Society, or in a Sabbath-day School, form- 
 ed for the express purpose of affording to those who 
 need it, evangelical instruction. The merely nominal 
 Christian, and the Socinian subscriber to the Bible So- 
 ciety have now parted from him ; yet he is still en- 
 compassed by many persons whose religious views on 
 secondary points, differ from his own. He ascends, 
 therefore, when occasion requires it, to an area of still 
 smaller dimensions, and there he joins the members 
 of his own church, in distributing tracts written in 
 defence of the sentiments or practices peculiar to them- 
 selves. Finally, he has some solitary duty to per- 
 form, or some opinion, all his own, to maintain or 
 develop ; and behold, he stands alone on the top of 
 the pyramid ! 
 
 Now, I contend, that in the whole of this process, 
 the Christian (barring the weakness and sin to which 
 we all are liable) is clearly devoid of blame. He 
 eschews the evil, whosoever may separate from him ; 
 he chooses the good, whosoever may unite with him. 
 With a steady consistency, he pursues his own path 
 of duty, and keeps a conscience void of offence in the 
 sight of God and man. 
 
 The Christian ought ever to fix his attention on 
 principles, rather than on persons. While he cleaves 
 to the immutable rule of right in his own conduct — 
 abstaining from all that is evil, and doing all that is 
 good — the question of his connection with other 
 
11 
 
 men, will mostly find its own right level. The 
 pursuit of an unbending line of duty, will separate 
 him from the world, just in the manner, and just in 
 the degree, which true Christianity requires — which 
 God, in his perfect wisdom has seen meet to ordain. 
 
 But it is objected, that besides church-fellowship, 
 there are other kinds of association and intercourse 
 with unbelievers, which the Scriptures clearly forbid ; 
 and this is certainly true. 
 
 " Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbe- 
 lievers," says the apostle Paul ; " for what fellowship 
 hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? And what 
 communion hath light with darkness ? And what 
 concord hath Christ with Belial ? Or what part hath 
 he that believeth with an infidel ? And what agree- 
 ment hath the temple of God with idols ? Wherefore 
 come out from among them, and be ye separate 
 saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and 
 I will receive you. 
 
 The unbelievers here alluded to, were doubtless the 
 heathen among whom the Corinthian Christians were 
 living, and who were sunk in every species of vice. 
 And what was the connection with them which the 
 apostle forbids ? Certainly not the common inter- 
 course of life, for this, in another passage, he ex- 
 pressly allows ;^ certainly not a co-operation in any 
 good thing, for this would have been laudable, as well 
 as harmless; but such an intimate and familiar asso- 
 ciation, as would have involved the Christians them- 
 selves in idolatrous and dissolute practices. The 
 apostle commands them to come out and be separate, 
 and not to touch the unclean thing. 
 
 « 2 Cor. vi, 14—17. 
 
 ' 1 Cor. V, 10. 
 
On precisely the same principle, the apostle John, 
 in his epistle " unto the elect lady and her children," 
 warns them (as is supposed) against the dangerous errors 
 of the Gnostics, who denied the real humanity of our 
 blessed Lord, and presumed to declare that his incarna- 
 tion was ideal. " Many deceivers," says the apostle, 
 " are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus 
 Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver, and an 
 anti-Christ. If there come any unto you and bring not 
 this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither 
 bid him God speed ; for he that biddeth him God 
 speed, is partaker of his evil deeds." * There is reason 
 to believe that the heretics here mentioned, were of a 
 most immoral character — the same class of persons 
 who are elsewhere described as deniers of the Lord, 
 spots in the feasts of charity, filthy dreamers, disso- 
 lute, ungovernable men, who crept into houses, and 
 by their false doctrine, led captive the weak and un- 
 stable." Who can wonder that the apostle command- 
 ed his female friend to close against such persons the 
 door of hospitality ? Had she opened that door, she 
 would have exposed herself and her children to un- 
 utterable danger — she would have encouraged the 
 wicked devices of the enemies of truth — she would 
 have become a partaker in their " evil deeds." 
 
 While it would be unfair, even in those who most 
 deeply deprecate their errors, to compare the modern 
 Socinians with these dissolute heretics, or with the 
 still more depraved idolaters of Corinth, and while I 
 am persuaded that no consistent followers of Jesus 
 would ever think of withholding from them the of- 
 fices of kindness and courtesy, I by no means wish 
 
 s 2 John 7—11. 
 3 2 Tim. iii, 1—9. 2 Pet. li, 1—22. Jiide 4—8. 
 
13 
 
 to shut my eyes to the principle which these passages 
 enforce. That principle I conceive to be, that we 
 ought not voluntarily to involve ourselves in close 
 and familiar connections with persons of immoral 
 conduct, or of unsound religious principles; because 
 in so doing we countenance their sin or heresy, and 
 expose our own souls to imminent peril. 
 
 But to plead these passages as objections to the 
 comprehensive constitution of the Bible Society, 
 must surely be regarded as very fallacious. That con- 
 stitution, as every one knows, involves no such con- 
 nections. Between the mere admission of Socinians 
 as our helpers in a work of mercy, and that danger- 
 ous familiarity with idolaters and heretics — that par- 
 ticipation in their follies and crimes — which is for- 
 bidden by the apostles, there does not appear to be 
 even a shadow of analogy or resemblance.* 
 
 ^ It is truly surprising that a grave argument against Socinian 
 co-operation in the Bible Society should have been founded by any 
 sensible man, on the following passage in the book of Ezra. — 
 " Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that 
 the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God 
 of Israel, then they came unto Zerubbabel and to the chief of the 
 fathers, and said unto them. Let us build with you, for we seek 
 your God as ye do, &c. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest 
 of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, ye have nothing 
 to do with us to build an house unto our God, but we ourselves to- 
 gether will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the 
 king of Persia, hath commanded us. Then the people of the land 
 weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them 
 in building." ^ 
 
 Who does not perceive that the insidious offer of the adversaries 
 of Judah was made for the sake of obtaining a better opportunity 
 of preventing the building of the temple ? Who cannot under- 
 stand, that Zerubbabel and his friends were too wise to be caught in 
 the toil— that they did not deem it expedient to admit their adver- 
 • Eira iv, 1 — 4. 
 
14 
 
 On the review of the whole argument, I consider 
 myself fully justified in concluding, 
 
 I. That it is unlawful for any body of ortho- 
 dox Christians to maintain a fellowship in the 
 church, with persons of a vicious character, or 
 with those who are proved to be unbelievers in 
 the fundamental doctrines of the gospel ; and fur- 
 ther, that it is the duty of individual Christians to 
 abstain, as far as possible, from an intimate as- 
 sociation with those, whose society has a tendency 
 either to injure their morals, or to sap their faith. 
 
 saries into the heart of their operations ; and that had they meant 
 to express the general principle that no Gentiles might unite with 
 the Lord's people in a work of godliness, they would never have 
 commended their undertaking, by pleading the authority of a 
 heathen monarch ? 
 
 Equally irrelevant is the argument raised on the case of Amaziah. 
 This king of Judah made war against the Edomites, and hired as 
 auxiliaries a hundred thousand Israelites. " But there came a 
 man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go 
 with thee ; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the chil- 
 dren of Ephraim. But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the 
 battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy." . . . "And 
 Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the 
 hundred talents which I have given for the army of Israel ? And 
 the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much 
 more than these." - 
 
 I can have no objection to that lively imagination in some of our 
 opposers, which has led them to illustrate by king Amaziah's un- 
 willingness to part with his talents, our heartfelt anxiety to keep 
 up the funds of our institution ; but who would ever have thought 
 that a conclusive analogy would have been discovered between 
 the prince of Judah and the Earl-street committee — between the 
 circumstances of the ancient Jews and those of the Bible Society — 
 or between giving a vast sum to the Israelites, to induce them to 
 assist in a bloody warfare, and accepting the voluntary subscrip- 
 tions of Socinians, for a work of benevolence and mercy ? 
 
 2 2 Chron. xxv, 6—9. 
 
15 
 
 II. That, on the other hand, the Scriptures clearly 
 allow such an intercourse with persons of every cha- 
 racter and creed, as is necessary, in the order of Pro- 
 vidence, for the common purposes of life ; and more 
 especially, that as a general principle, it is lawful, to 
 accept the honest assistance of any man living, in 
 doing unquestionable good. 
 
 I cannot properly conclude the present section 
 without remarking, that among the various denomi- 
 nations who are joined in the partnership of the 
 Bible Society, the Socinian is the only party who 
 makes a concession ; and it is one of vital importance. 
 In distributing the Holy Scriptures without note or 
 comment, in the authorised English version at home, 
 and in various foreign versions abroad, he distributes 
 the best of antidotes against all that is false and dan- 
 gerous in his own opinions. By whatsoever hands 
 the book may be given, and by whatsoever hands re- 
 ceived, it will never fail to declare the eternal divinity 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, or cease to proclaim the 
 infinite preciousness of his atoning blood. 
 
 This is the obvious reason why the Society, even 
 in the early days of its popularity, was joined by only 
 a small number of Socinians, and why that small num- 
 ber has since gradually become more and more incon- 
 siderable. These few individuals are laudably willing 
 to make a large concession for the sake of xhdit general 
 good which the Society is effecting. Some of them 
 have, to my knowledge, been generous contributors 
 to the institution ; and others, patient and diligent 
 labourers in prosecuting its object. Who would not 
 encourage them in a work which is not only good and 
 useful in itself, but which may probably be the means 
 of directing their own attention to truths of the high- 
 
16 
 
 est importance to the salvation of their souls ? What 
 sound and sober Christian would shut the door which 
 charity has opened for their entrance ? What right- 
 minded friend of orthodox religion, would not pray 
 that their deed may be blessed, and that they may be 
 blessed in their deed ? 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 ON THE PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE CONSTITUTION 
 OF THE BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 The laws and regulations of the British and Fo- 
 reign Bible Society formed at the commencement of 
 the institution and since recited in each of the annual 
 reports, are distinguished by remarkable simplicity ; 
 and I have no doubt that this is the reason why during 
 twenty-seven years they have continued, to the en- 
 tire satisfaction of the great bulk of its members, 
 without any alteration. 
 
 They first state the object of the institution — the 
 circulation of the Holy Scriptures without note or 
 comment at home and abroad ; at home in the autho- 
 rised versions only. 
 
 In the second place they declare the terms of mem- 
 bership — terms which have uo reference whatsoever 
 to character, conduct, or opinions, but simply to suh- 
 scription. Every subscriber of a guinea annually, or of 
 ten guineas at once, is a member ; of five guineas an- 
 
17 
 
 imally, or of fifty pounds at once, a governor, with 
 power to attend and vote at the meetings of the 
 committee. Every executor paying a bequest of fifty 
 pounds is a member ; of one hundred pounds, a 
 governor. 
 
 It is evident, therefore, that, on terms simply pe- 
 cuniary, a membership in this Society is open to all 
 mankind; and equally evident, that by the common 
 law of all charitable institutions — a law founded on 
 plain justice — every member of the society is eligible 
 on the committee of management. 
 
 This principle is sufficient of itself to settle the 
 meaning of the ninth law, which describes the consti- 
 tution of the committee — that it should consist of 
 thirty-six laymen, of whom six are to be foreigners ; 
 and that of the remaining number, one half should 
 be "members of the established church," and the 
 other half " members of other denominations of 
 Christians." 
 
 It is obvious that the word Christians is not 
 here used in a high and restricted sense, as de- 
 noting only such believers in Christ as are ortho- 
 dox in sentiment, and consistent in practice ; but 
 in its general meaning, as descriptive of all persons 
 who acknowledge the truth of Christianity. It is 
 equally clear, that the stress of the law does not 
 rest at all upon this term, which is here used only 
 incidentally. The society recognises the fundamen- 
 tal principle that all its members are eligible to 
 be its governors ; takes it for granted that they 
 will, as a matter of course, be professing Christians ; 
 and finally enacts, that its committee should con- 
 sist half of the members of the established church, 
 and half of dissenters. Every one must perceive, 
 
 c 
 
IB 
 
 after due reflection, that this is the sole meaning of 
 the law.^ 
 
 It is unquestionable then, that, according to the 
 original plan and present constitution of the Bible 
 Society, nothing excludes from membership but the 
 want of an adequate subscription ; and that nothing 
 bars from eligibility on the committee, but a want of 
 membership. 
 
 Such are the principal laws under which, during 
 more than a quarter of a century, the Bible So- 
 ciety pursued its steady course of beneficence. But, 
 at the anniversary meeting of 1831, a gentleman, 
 of well known zeal and respectability, threw amongst 
 us the apple of discoi-d, in the shape of the follow- 
 ing resolutions : — 
 
 1. "That the British and Foreign Bible Society is 
 pre-eminently a religious and Christian institution. 
 
 2. "That no person rejecting the doctrine of a 
 Triune Jehovah can be considered a member of 
 a Christian institution. 
 
 3. " That, in conformity with this principle, the ex- 
 pression ' denominations of Christians,' in the ninth 
 general law of the society, be distinctly understood to 
 include such denominations of Christians only, as 
 profess their belief in the doctrine of the Holy 
 Trinity." 
 
 The leader will observe that the proposal contained 
 in the third of these resolutions, rests on the princi- 
 ple stated in the second ; and again that this principle 
 depends entirely on the assertion contained in the 
 
 ^ Could any reasonable doubt be entertained on this subject, 
 it would be immediately settled, by the testimony of Lord Teign- 
 mouth, and Joseph Hughes — the first the president, the second 
 one of the secretaries of the institution, from its first origin. 
 
19 
 
 first resolution, viz. that the Bihle Society is a re- 
 ligious institution. I have already endeavoured to 
 show that this assertion is susceptible of two mean- 
 ings — that in one meaning it is clearly true ; but that 
 in the other, which alone supports the principle here 
 advanced, it is notoriously false. In the present 
 instance, therefore, that principle falls to the ground ; 
 and with it falls the only reasonable or scriptural basis 
 of the proposed change in our ninth law. 
 
 Such, unquestionably, was the judgment of that 
 vast assembly to which this proposal was offered ; for 
 after a long discussion, it was negatived by an over- 
 whelming majority. 
 
 I have now to observe, that it was the tendency of 
 this resolution, and had it been carried, would have 
 been its certain and immediate effect, utterly to change 
 the constitution of the Bible Society. By a summary 
 act of power, we should have excluded from mem- 
 bership all persons who are unwilling to profess 
 their belief in " a triune Jehovah ;" and, by our revised 
 law, we should have imposed such a profession as a 
 condition on any person who should hereafter be de- 
 sirous of becoming a member. Whether such a pro- 
 fession might be extracted from him by a personal in- 
 quisition, or only made binding on his conscience by 
 a general edict, it would still be the test of his fitness 
 for membership, and one of the terms without ac- 
 ceding to which he could not be accepted. 
 
 Although I deeply feel the importance of that 
 great doctrine to which these resolutions refer, and 
 sincerely desire to avoid even the appearance of 
 throwing it into the shade, I nevertheless rejoice 
 in the decision of the meeting. After deliberate 
 consideration, I am fully convinced, that to have 
 
 C 2 
 
«0 
 
 adopted this proposal would have been, in the first 
 place, unjust ; in the second place, useless ; and in 
 the third place, destructive, 
 
 I. The injustice of the proposed change may be 
 fairly ilhistrated by a reference to the common business 
 of life. ABC and D enter into a partnership in a cot- 
 ton manufactory. Articles are drawn up and agreed 
 to. A capital is raised by the voluntary contribution 
 of all the parties, and it is applied to the formation of 
 a stock in trade. After a long period, however, of 
 harmony among the partners, and of undeviating 
 success in the business, A B and C discover that 
 one of the articles of partnership, on which D's right 
 to a share in the business entirely depends, is much 
 too comprehensive to suit their opinions. They, 
 therefore, change the objectionable provision, and 
 inform D that he is no longer a partner. They 
 are well aware, indeed, that D has contributed, 
 like themselves, to the capital of the concern, and 
 possesses his lawful share of the stock in trade ; but 
 this is a circumstance which A B and C overlook ; 
 they at once rid themselves of D's person, and retain 
 his proiperty. 
 
 But who does not perceive that even if D's capital 
 be duly paid out, the very act of tampering with the 
 articles of partnership and of dismissing him against 
 his will (thereby depriving him of his future profits 
 and of various advantages which the union confers 
 upon him) is an act of palpable injustice ? 
 
 Now although the object of the Bible Society is 
 benevolent and religious, its constitution is in various 
 respects the same as that of partnership in trade. 
 An extensive business is required to be carried 
 on ; a capital is raised by voluntary contribution for 
 
21 
 
 the purpose, and the society, with a view to the per- 
 inanent prosecution of its object, becomes possessed 
 of considerable property. The premises in Earl 
 Street, the library, the stock of paper, types, and 
 books, and various sums of money invested in the 
 public funds, all belong to the institution. Although 
 they can be applied only to a particular object, they 
 are nevertheless property, in which every member of 
 the society has an equitable interest. 
 
 It cannot therefore be competent to any majority 
 in the society, however large and overwhelming, by 
 altering the terms of partnership, to exclude even the 
 smallest minority from their membership in the body. 
 To dismiss them fi om the society while we retain 
 their share of the property, would be an act of pecu- 
 niary spoliation. 
 
 But can we not first pay them out their proportion 
 of the capital, and then dismiss them ? Certainly not 
 with honour, unless we have their own consent. The 
 society publicly declares that all persons may be- 
 come its members, on certain pecuniary terms, i. e. on 
 buying that privilege at a particular price. On these 
 terms, the whole body enters into a virtual contract 
 with every individual subscriber; and although the ma- 
 jority of the society may afterwards repent of the con- 
 tract in certain cases, and wish to annul it, to do so 
 with integrity, unless both parties consent, appears 
 to be impossible. 
 
 This argument applies to annual subscribers just 
 as certainly as to subscribers for life ; yet in the 
 latter case, its application is peculiarly clear. I 
 am well acquainted with a Socinian gentleman, who 
 became by subscription a life member of the Bible 
 Society; he bought his life membership of us for twenty 
 
22 
 
 guineas. It we forcibly deprive him of his right, and 
 nevertheless retain his money, it appears to me that 
 we commit, however unintentionallij, an act of robbery. 
 But even if we return his money with interest, we can- 
 not disown him justly against his own will ; for the 
 bargain between ns has long been complete, and 
 should he still prefer his membership to his guineas, 
 he has an indubitable right to retain it. 
 
 In point of fact, there are many persons to whom a 
 membership in this noble institution has a value, for 
 moral and religious ends, far beyond money. I freely 
 confess myself to be one of that number; and whatso- 
 ever may be my peculiar sentiments, it is my clear 
 conviction, that as long as I faithfully fulfil the laws 
 oi the society, so long my membership is an un- 
 alienable privilege. 
 
 Were it true that the terms of partnership esta- 
 blished in the Bible Society are unscriptural, I con- 
 ceive that the only lawful remedy would be the wind- 
 ing up of the concern. In the mean time, should any 
 member of the society believe them to be so, he is at 
 hberty to withdraw ; but to change these terms, and 
 so to change them, as to exclude some of the conr 
 tracting parties from their membership, can never be 
 justified, except by the consent of them all. 
 
 II. To argue upon that which is unjust, as if it could 
 be necessary or useful, is, in my opinion, absurd. But 
 supposing that the proposed change in our laws could 
 have been adopted with justice, I shall now endea- 
 vour to show that it is unnecessary, and would be 
 useless. 
 
 One might have imagined from the vast excitement 
 which has arisen on the subject, that the Socinians 
 formed an actual majority, or at least a fearful pro- 
 
23 
 
 portion, of the members of the Bible Society. But 
 what is the fact? A gentleman who has taken great 
 pains to inquire into the subject, and whose calcula- 
 tions appear to rest on sound data, computes the 
 number of office-bearers in the Bible Society and its 
 dependencies throughout Great Britain, at 10,000, of 
 whom thi'ee are Socinians ; the number of mem- 
 bers of committees, including collectors, at 37,500, 
 of whom thirty-two are Socinians ; and the number 
 of subscribers at 100,000, of whom not quite one hun- 
 dred are Socinians. To alarm ourselves, therefore, 
 lest the institution should be subjected to the guid- 
 ance and sway of the Socinians, appears, to say the 
 least of it, extremely needless. 
 
 Here however I wish freely to acknowledge, that 
 much of the work entrusted to the committee of the 
 Parent Society, is of a description which ought, as far 
 as possible, to be kept in the hands of orthodox and 
 evangelical men. I refer particularly to promoting 
 or publishing new editions or translations of the 
 Holy Scriptures. This is a sentiment in which the 
 great bulk of the society is well known to unite ; 
 and what is the consequence ? During the twenty- 
 seven years of the Society s existence, not a single 
 Socinian has ever been chosen on the committee ! 
 
 My object is to defend the principles of the Bible 
 Society, rather than to advocate the proceedings of 
 its committee. Nevertheless the latter is a subject 
 on which the present circumstances of the society 
 render it desirable that something should be said. 
 Various charges have been uttered and circulated, of 
 which it has been the apparent object to inculcate 
 a notion, that the committee have not been taithful 
 in the execution of their trust — that they have 
 
24 
 
 been guilty of great laxity in promoting the circula- 
 tion of editions or translations of the Scriptures, 
 which contain passages unsoundly rendered, or which 
 are polluted by infidel prefaces or notes. 
 
 Those who, like myself, are acquainted with 
 many veterans in the cause of Christ, who act on 
 that committee, will be little disposed to believe 
 these charges, in their extent. But the commit- 
 tee are, I believe, far from wishing to assert that, 
 in the overwhelming multiplicity of their business, 
 they have not occasionally fallen into error. The 
 concerns of the Bible Society are of a very wide and 
 complicated nature ; and it would be extraordinary 
 indeed, if, in the whole multitude of editions and ver- 
 sions which they have aided in circulating, nothing 
 should have been discovered to occasion them re- 
 gret. The circumstances of this nature, which have 
 arisen, are however wonderfully few, and utterly 
 undeserving of the continued notice of the public. 
 After a careful and diligent inquiry, the following 
 cases are the whole which I have been able to 
 collect. 
 
 1. At an early period in the history of the society, 
 an edition of the German Bible, partly through the 
 aid of our funds, was printed at Strasburg. Professor 
 Haffner of that place, without the knowledge of the 
 committee in London, added to the volume a preface, 
 which is said to have been of a very objectionable 
 tendency. Whether it was so or not, (and witnesses 
 vary on the subject,) such a proceeding was directly 
 opposed to one of our primary rules. As soon there- 
 fore as the circumstance was made known to the com- 
 mittee. Lord Teignmouth, as well as the other offi- 
 cers of the society, warmly remonstrated, and con- 
 
25 
 
 tinued their remonstrances until the preface was 
 withdrawn.* 
 
 2. In the year 1815, the Hanoverian Bible Society, 
 which had been aided by a grant from our funds, 
 also published an edition of the German Scriptures, 
 to which they affixed a preface. As the chief object of 
 this preface was to recommend the perusal of Scrip- 
 ture, its publishers erroneously conceived that its being 
 attached to the Bible was consistent with the laws of 
 the society. The edition was exhausted before the 
 existence of the preface was discovered by the com- 
 mittee, and their pecuniary connection with the Hano- 
 verian society being dissolved, they have had no 
 controul over the subsequent editions. The com- 
 mittee have since purchased a few copies of this Bible 
 of the printer at Hanover, on the express condition 
 that the preface should be removed, but finding that 
 the condition was neglected, they have closed their 
 connection with him. 
 
 3. In the year 1817, 500/., and in 1818, 250/., 
 were granted to the Lausanne Bible Society, to assist 
 them in republishing Ostervald's French Bible ; the 
 work of revision being placed under the care of five 
 Swiss clergymen, headed by Professor Levade, none 
 of whom were Socinians. The late John Owen, 
 when travelling on the continent, attended their la- 
 bours of collation, and was well satisfied with the 
 execution of the work. Afterwards however. Profes- 
 sor Levade was induced, by the over-persuasion of 
 his co-adjutors, and without the privity of the Bible 
 Society, to make some changes in the version, and 
 
 * See " Minutes of the Committee of the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society, on the subject of the preface to the edition of the 
 Strasburg Bible," &c. London, 1826. 
 
to add several notes. Subsequently to the publi- 
 cation of the edition, these facts were discovered, 
 and the committee in London immediately remon- 
 strated with expressions of unfeigned surprise and 
 sorrow. Levade candidly acknowledged his error, 
 and offered from his private funds, to return 250/. 
 This offer the committee very properly declined to 
 accept.^ 
 
 4. In the year 1819, Hali Bey's Turkish version of 
 the New Testament, discovered at Leyden by Dr. 
 Pinkerton, was published by the Bible Society, 
 under the care of Professor Kieffer of Paris. In 
 consequence of a mere misundeistanding, the Pro- 
 fessor edited the text as he found it, without pro- 
 posing any alteration. After 100 copies had been 
 circulated, the text of the edition was publicly ob- 
 jected to by Dr. Henderson, who had detected in it 
 various errors, and a few mis-translations of a serious 
 nature. The edition was, in consequence, suspended; 
 and copies were not again circulated, until eight 
 pages had been cancelled, and a table annexed to the 
 volume of every remaining error of the least im- 
 portance. In proceeding to circulate this amended 
 edition, the sub-committee to whom was deputed the 
 
 ^ See " Minutes of the Committee of the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society, on the subject of a revised edition of Ostervald's 
 Bible, published at Lausanne," &c. London, 1826. There ap- 
 pears to be nothing in the Lausanne edition of Ostervald's 
 Bible which bears the stamp of Socinianism. The admirable 
 testimony to the divinity of our Saviour, contained in 1 John 
 V, 20, is there given with much greater force than in our own ver- 
 sion. " Mais nous savons que le Fils de Dieu est venu, et il nous 
 a donne I'intelligence pour connoitre le vrai Dieu, et nous sommes 
 en ce vrai Dieu, etant dans son fils Jesus Christ; C'est Lui qui 
 est LE VRAI Dieu, et la vie eternelle." 
 
27 
 
 care of this business, and over whom Lord Teign- 
 mouth himself presided, received the sanction of 
 twelve eminent Turkish schohirs, two of whom were 
 clergymen of the Established church. In the mean 
 time. Professor Kieft'er, with the help of other learned 
 men, was proceeding with an edition of the whole 
 Turkish Bible, which has since been published, and 
 has received the public and cordial sanction of Dr. 
 Henderson himself." 
 
 5. The Society has occasionally purchased copies of 
 the Danish New Testament, which was revised by 
 order of the king of Denmark in 1815, under the 
 care of bishop Miinter and others of his clergy. In 
 this revision, some exceptionable renderings, together 
 with certain marginal notes, had been introduced, 
 without the knowledge of the committee of the Bible 
 Society. Here, however, they had no ground for re- 
 monstrance; for they did not possess the slightest 
 controul over the Danish authorities. When they 
 discovered the defects of the edition, they totally sus- 
 pended their purchases, and, on their own responsibi- 
 lity, re-published the whole Danish Bible, after an 
 old standard version.'' 
 
 6. In the year 1818, a thousand copies of the 
 Hebrew Bible were purchased by the Society from 
 the Canstein Institution at Halle. A minute inspec- 
 
 ^ See Twentieth Report of the British and Foreign Bible So- 
 ciety, appendix ; also " Facts respecting certain versions of the 
 Holy Scriptures, published by the British and Foreign Bible So- 
 ciety, in reply to the Quarterly Review," by T. P. Piatt, 4th edition, 
 1832. 
 
 7 See " Facts," &c. by T. P. Piatt, and " Remarks upon the 
 recent accusations against the Committee of the British and 
 Foreign Bible Society," by G. Stokes, a member of the Committee, 
 2nd Edition, 1826. 
 
28 
 
 tion of the edition has since led to the detection of 
 objectionable Latin headings to some of the chapters, 
 especially in the book of Canticles — a circumstance 
 of no very alarming nature ; but such as it is, inca- 
 pable of being now remedied, because the books have 
 long since been circulated. 
 
 Most of the cases which have now been detailed, 
 occurred at a period when many active mem- 
 bers of the present committee were not in office; 
 and almost all of them through the fault of the 
 agents of foreign societies. It is the assured belief of 
 the committee, that their own agents abroad are, 
 without one exception, men of sound religious views ; 
 and, if persons of a different description are employed 
 by any of the foreign societies, the committee can 
 only lament a circumstance which they have no power 
 to remedy. 
 
 No assistance is now afforded to these societies, 
 except in the shape of bound copies of Bibles or 
 Testaments ; and the committee, taught by long expe- 
 rience, are extremely careful not to promote the 
 circulation of any new editions of foreign versions, 
 until their conformity to the laws of the Society has 
 been satisfactorily ascertained. Every new or revised 
 version is of course subjected to close scrutiny. 
 
 After considering this plain, unvarnished statement, 
 I ti ust the reader will agree with me in the sentiment, 
 that no facts ha\e occurred, either with respect to the 
 constitution of the committee itself, or in the annals 
 of its proceedings, from which we can in the least 
 degree infer, that there is any necessity for the pro- 
 posed test. To ascribe the few errors which have 
 occurred, to the want of such a test, or to the absence 
 of a sincere attachment to orthodox views, in either 
 
29 
 
 the late or the present members of the committee, is 
 at once uncharitable and absurd. 
 
 I consider it a duty to declare my own conviction, 
 that the committee and various officers of the parent 
 society, while, under their many trials of patience, they 
 claim our brotherly sympathy, are deserving of onr 
 cordial thanks for their ceaseless labours, and of our 
 unreserved confidence, as honourable and religious 
 men. Were I requested to point out the particu- 
 lars which have peculiarly excited in my own 
 mind this feeling of confidence, I should men- 
 tion the evangelical tone of all their reports ; their 
 remarkable Christian forbearance towards their 
 bitterest opponents ; and, above all, the honest 
 stedfastness with which they have resisted all en- 
 croachments on the constitution of the Bible So- 
 ciety. 
 
 While there appears to be nothing in the history 
 or condition of the Society which affords any reason- 
 able pretext for the introduction of a test, it is 
 equally evident, in my opinion, that, even if it were 
 otherwise, a test would be useless. History and ex- 
 perience afford a multitude of proofs that this is a con- 
 trivance, which opposes no effectual bar to the selfish- 
 ness and ambition of mankind. Man cannot examine 
 the heart of his brother; and, where any thing is to 
 be gained by it, professions of orthodox religion are 
 easily made even by its most determined enemies. 
 How thankful then ought we to be that, in the Bible 
 Society, we are already in possession of securities 
 against the influence of unsound religious views, to 
 the cogency of which the best contrived test would 
 add nothing — because they depend on principles of 
 an unchanging character. 
 
30 
 
 The first of these securities is the evangelical 
 nature of our object — the universal diffusion of the 
 Holy Scriptures. Now, although this object may, 
 on civil and moral grounds, be approved and sup- 
 ported even by persons of low religious views, 
 its attractive power pr'mcipallij depends on its sub- 
 serviency to the higher purpose of evangelizing 
 the world — of making our fellow-men wise unto 
 salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 
 Hence, I conceive, it must always follow, that an 
 immense majority of subscribers to this society 
 will be found amongst those who approve evangelical 
 religion ; and that its most zealous and persevering 
 supporters, on whom the management of its con- 
 cerns of course devolve, will generally be religious 
 men, to whom Jesus Christ and the doctrine of his 
 cross are precious above all things. Between the 
 sentiments of Socinians — much more of infidel Neolo- 
 gians — and the main ulterior purpose of the Bible 
 Society, there is no inherent accordance, no natural 
 
 Our second safe-guard is the actual meaning of the 
 book which we circulate. Could the original texts of 
 the Old and New Testaments be fairly rendered in 
 such a manner as to justify the errors of Socinus, we 
 might indeed tremble for our orthodox faith, and fear 
 the influence of heresy in our camp. But satisfied 
 as some of us are, from long investigation, that 
 true criticism utterly rejects the Socinian interpre- 
 tations of Scripture — persuaded also that the rules 
 of interpretation arc now too well understood to 
 admit the possibility of long continued falsification 
 — we are not afraid of encouraging the translation of 
 the Scriptures into every language under heaven ; 
 
31 
 
 and although, through inadvertence, even material 
 errors may creep in for a season, we rely on the 
 native vigour of truth for their speedy and permanent 
 extermination.* 
 
 In the mean time, however, nothing can be more 
 unfounded than the notion, that, by tampering with a 
 few principal texts, any man can extinguish the light 
 of Scripture, or drive Christ and his divinity out of 
 the Bible. What spiritually-minded reader of the 
 book is not aware, that if evangelical religion is ex- 
 tinguished in one passage, it springs up in a thousand 
 others — that it belongs to the very nature and texture 
 of the book — that historians, prophets, evangelists, 
 and apostles, with a force which the most fallacious 
 criticism can never overcome, combine in the forma- 
 tion of one record? " And this is the record, that 
 God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his 
 Son." " 
 
 Above all, however, we ought never to forget that 
 our ultimate security against every evil, in the prose- 
 cution of our Avork, is to be found in the gracious 
 protection of that God and Saviour, of whom the 
 
 ^Although I should be sorry to employ the generality of 
 German critics in the work of the Bible Society, I doubt 
 whether the mis-translation of Scripture is greatly to be appre- 
 hended from them. Many years ago the Socinian controversy 
 prevailed in Germany, much as it has done, of later years, in 
 our own country. But in the course of their eager pursuit 
 after knowledge, the Germans happened to take up the science 
 of exegesis, i. e. of interpretation, which they presently reduced to 
 a number of wholesome rules. Finding that these rules were 
 utterly opposed to the Socinian glosses on Scripture, many of them 
 lapsed into infidelity ; and now, in commenting on the Bible (just 
 as they would do on the works of Sophocles or Virgil) they adopt, 
 to a great extent, its orthodox interpretation, 
 9 IJohnv, 11. 
 
32 
 
 Scripture testifies, and who looks down with appro- 
 bation on every honest effort for the promotion of his 
 kingdom. As long as we endeavour to exercise a 
 salutary caution respecting the versions which we 
 circulate, and the agents whom we employ, so long 
 we may reverently beheve that he will continue to 
 bless us — both by gradually enlarging the sphere of 
 our usefulness, and by preserving us from the poi- 
 sonous influence of vital error. 
 
 III. Before I proceed to point out the destruc- 
 tive tendency of the proposed change in our constitu- 
 tion, I would beseech the reader calmly to reflect on 
 what the Bible Society now is, and on what it has al- 
 ready been enabled to effect. 
 
 On turning over the reports of the institution, I 
 observe the following facts ; that the contributions of 
 last year alone amounted to £95,000, and the distri- 
 bution to 470,000 copies — that the sum total ex- 
 pended by the society, is upwards of one million, 
 seven hundred thousand pounds — that the whole 
 number of Bibles and Testaments distributed is seven 
 millions — that nearly five millions of copies, in addi- 
 tion, have been disseminated by foreign societies — 
 that, in the dominions of the King of Great Britain 
 alone, there have been formed upwards of three thou- 
 sand auxiliary societies and associations ; to which 
 may, I believe, be added about two thousand kindred 
 institutions in foreign parts — and finally that the so- 
 ciety has aided in the dissemination, printing, or trans- 
 lation, of the whole or parts of the Bible, in one hun- 
 dred and fifty-three languages and dialects, in seventy- 
 two of which the Scriptures never before existed. 
 
 On examining some of the particulars of this state- 
 ment, I further observe, that an immense population 
 
33 
 
 in Great Britain and Ireland have been supplied with 
 the sacred volume, in the English, Gaelic, Welsh, 
 and Irish languages — that a multitude of editions have 
 been poured into Germany, in which country many 
 hundred thousand copies have been received by the 
 Roman Catholics — that '"infidel France" has now 
 her flourishing Bible institutions — that more than 
 six hundred societies have been formed in Ame- 
 rica, which are effecting a distribution almost equal to 
 our own — that translations have been made into most 
 of the dialects of Hindostan, and that repeated edi- 
 tions of some of these versions have been demanded 
 by the natives — that the Chinese version (a mighty 
 work in itself) has already carried on a successful 
 warfare against idolatry, in the Indian Archipelago — 
 that even New South Wales has her Bible Societies, 
 and has contributed largely to our funds — that the Am- 
 haricNew Testament has been printed for Abyssinia — 
 finally, that the South Sea Islander has now exchanged 
 his cruel rites, the inhabitant of Madagascar the hor- 
 rors of his slave-trade, and the Esquimaux Indian 
 his filthy habits, for the daily perusal of the New 
 Testament ; each in his own language, which, till 
 lately, had never been written. 
 
 When we take a calm review of these astonishing 
 and delightful facts, it seems impossible not to confess 
 with reverent gratitude, that if ever the blessing of 
 the Almighty has been bestowed on a charitable and 
 Christian institution, that blessing has rested, and 
 rested pre-eminently, on the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society. 
 
 But must it not be evident to every reflecting mind, 
 that under the blessing of God, without which nothing 
 is strong and nothing useful, this vast extent of suc- 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 cess is mainly owing to the simplicity botli of our ob- 
 ject and our constitution, and to "the universality 
 which marks the system of the society in respect to 
 its promoters, as well as to the sphere of its 
 operations ?" ' 
 
 Unfettered by any sectarian prejudices, and pro- 
 pelled by the native vigour, not only of Christian be- 
 nevolence, but of unadulterated truth, the Bible So- 
 ciety pursues its generous and steady course ; and if 
 the enemy of all good be not permitted to divide and 
 scatter our forces, there is every reason to believe 
 that it will ultimately become effectual for diffusing, 
 through the whole world, the knowledge of Christ 
 crucified. 
 
 But once admit a test, however orthodox, and in 
 whatsoever form,^ and what is the consequence ? The 
 locks of Samson are cut, and the giant strength 
 of the institution is lost for ever. The principle of 
 Scripture, and Scripture only, which has hitherto been 
 the glory of the Bible Society, is instantly exchanged 
 for one vi'hich it has never ceased to disclaim — that of 
 the human explanation of Scripture, or of mans com- 
 ments on the words of God. 
 
 The former principle is the strong and ample basis 
 of a vast, harmless, and peaceable, co-operation. 
 The latter principle is unstable in its very nature, 
 and is nothing more than the commencement of in- 
 definite division. As the test spreads and ramifies 
 
 ^ These were the words of the late Earl of Liverpool. 
 2 If, for example, the Society were to make a public confession 
 of its faith in any particular doctrine of Christianity, this would be 
 a virtual disownment of all those members of the body who could 
 not subscribe to the creed. It would only be introducing the test 
 by a side wind, and would have precisely the same consequences 
 as a more regular mode of enforcing it. 
 
(which I beheve to be its irresistible tendency) the 
 various denominations of Christians will be com- 
 pelled to retire within their respective more limited 
 fields of thought and action ; and the goodliest fabric 
 which has ever been raised in Christendom, will, in 
 all probability, crumble into dust. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 ON THE PROPRIETY OF JOINING THE TRINITARIAN 
 BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 Since the change in our laws proposed at the last 
 annual meeting would have been subversive of the con- 
 stitution of the Bible Society — that is, of the very basis 
 on which the assembly was convened — and could not 
 have been justly carried even by a large majority, it 
 appears to follow, that the attempt itself, although 
 obviously vvell intended, was unconstitutional and 
 improper; and this inference is, in my opinion, amply 
 confirmed by its painful consequences — its bitter 
 fruits. 
 
 To the steps which the promoters of the measure 
 have since taken, in withdrawing from an institution 
 to which they felt a conscientious objection, and in 
 forming another more accordant with their own 
 views, no man can offer any reasonable objection ; 
 and had these been their only steps, we should have 
 had nothing to do but to bid them a kind farewell. 
 But they have gone much further. They have 
 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 openly professed their opposition to the Bible Society, 
 as already constitnted — they have agitated the whole 
 country with circulars addressed to its members — 
 they have invited and urged us all to forsake the 
 ranks in which we are now placed, and to rally without 
 delay around their standard. 
 
 Under these circumstances, I deem it necessary not 
 only to offer reasons for a firm adherence to the old 
 society, but to state the Christian and scriptural 
 grounds, on which I consider myself to be precluded 
 from joining the new one. 
 
 I. The first of these grounds is, I trust, of a tem- 
 porary nature ; for it is connected with that opposition 
 to the British and Foreign Bible Society, to which I 
 have just alluded, and from which, it may be hoped, 
 the Christian principle of our dissentient brethren, 
 will ere long induce them to desist. In the mean 
 time, were I to subscribe my guinea to the Trinitarian 
 Bible Society, 1 should only strengthen one institu- 
 tion to the disparagement and injury of another. 
 And since that other, as it appears to me, is vastly 
 more efficacious for the professed object of both in- 
 stitutions, than the Trinitarian Bible Society is ever 
 likely to be, I should thwart and curtail, instead of 
 promoting, the circulation of the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 II. Supposing this objection to be removed, as I 
 trust it soon will be, 1 should feel but little hesitation 
 in subscribing to the Trinitarian Bible Society,^ were 
 it not for a bar, which has been placed across my 
 
 ^ That little hesitation would arise chiefly from the name of the 
 society, which I deem to be both improper and unfair — improper, 
 because scholastic in its origin, and inexpressive of the whole idea 
 which it its intended to convey ; unfair, because in its intended 
 sense, it is, substantially and practically, just as applicable to the 
 old society as it is to the new one. 
 
37 
 
 path, at the very door of entrance. I observe, from 
 the rules of the Society, that I cannot become a mem- 
 ber of it — that my very subscription would be refused 
 — unless I " acknowledge " my " belief in the god- 
 head of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy 
 
 Ghost, THREE CO-EaUAL AND CO-ETERNAL PERSONS, 
 
 IN THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GoD." In what man- 
 lier this acknowledgment is required to be made, does 
 not fully appear ; but whether it be delivered to the 
 committee in writing, or pronounced in speech, or only 
 implied by a deliberate adhesion to the Society — in 
 any of the three cases — it is a formal and public 
 declaration of faith. 
 
 My objection to such a declaration has no respect 
 to the doctrine which it is intended to convey — a 
 doctrine which I believe to be absolutely essential, in 
 the scheme of Christianity — but to the terms in which 
 it is couched, and to the circumstances under which 
 it is required. I am aware that for the sake of bre- 
 vity and clearness, we are sometimes almost compel- 
 led to apply names, not contained in the Scriptures, 
 to doctrines which are in themselves perfectly scrip- 
 tural ; as for example, when we speak of the person- 
 ality of the Spirit, or of the deitif of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. But to couch the sublime truths of 
 religion in scholastic definitions of man's devising, and 
 such as are utterly at variance from the style of 
 Scripture, I consider to be a practice of a most dan- 
 gerous tendency, and one which has been the source of 
 unspeakable evils in the professing church of Christ. 
 I have strong doubts whether there is any occasion 
 of life, however solemn, on which I should feel my- 
 self justified in making a public profession of faith, in 
 terms of this description. 
 
38 
 
 But to make such a profession on a subject of the 
 most awful and serious nature, as a necessary adjunct 
 to the performance of obvious, familiar, duties — 
 is evidently opposed to that 'propriety of action, 
 that sound and sober adjustment of all our matters, 
 which ought always to distinguish us as followers of 
 Jesus Christ. A solemn declaration of faith on such 
 occasions, appears to me (notwithstanding an obvious 
 difference of circumstance) to be analogous, in 
 point of nature, to a custom-house oath ; when, in 
 order to perform a harmless commercial act, a man 
 is required to call upon God as the witness of his 
 veracity, and to stake the salvation of his soul on the 
 « correctness of his accounts. 
 
 I believe that the infallible tendency of all such 
 provisions is not to sanctify the act, but to degrade 
 and familiarise the profession ; and to lower our sense 
 of high and mysterious truth, by mingling it impro- 
 perly with matters of common occurrence. 
 
 Now although the object of the Trinitarian Bible 
 Society is one of a religious character, the duty which 
 it calls into action — that of giving or selling Bibles to 
 the poor — is perfectly plain and simple ; and like 
 other philanthropic institutions, it has its matters of 
 business — its affairs of money. I confess I never ob- 
 served a more striking example of that unsuitable 
 mixture to which I have now adverted, than in the 
 fourth law of this highly professing society. "The 
 members of this society shall consist of Protestants 
 who acknowledge their belief in the Godhead of the 
 Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, three 
 co-equal and co-eternal persons, in the one living and 
 true God ; and who unite to support the society by 
 contributing one guinea or upwards annually, or ten 
 
39 
 
 guineas or upwards at one time" Is it too much to 
 assert that this resolution is not only irreverent, and 
 ofttMisive to a correct devotional taste, but holds up 
 two contradictory principles, in unlawful combina- 
 tion ? If the profession of faith is the term of union, 
 then that union is one of a religious and spiritual 
 nature, and can have no legitimate connection with 
 money. If the subscription of a guinea is the term, 
 then is a membership in the Trinitarian Bible Society 
 a matter of pecuniary account ; and the profession of 
 faith becomes misplaced and improper- It appears 
 to be a breach of the third commandment in its sub- 
 ordinate, yet important sense of not taking the name 
 of the Lord ligJitlif. 
 
 III. But although a doctrinal test, when connected 
 with a pecuniary condition, is grievously misplaced, 
 it must still lead to the inevitable inference, that 
 the union to which it introduces, is nothing less 
 than a Christian brotherhood — a direct religious fel- 
 lowship. Accordingly, the union of the members of 
 the Trinitarian Bible Society, is universally understood 
 and openly declared to be of this specific character. 
 
 In the report of the provisional committee, which 
 was approved and adopted by tlie general meeting, it 
 is expressly declared by these gentlemen, that in 
 withdrawing from the British and Foreign Bible So- 
 ciety, they separate themselves from " an unscrip- 
 tural and unholy alliance for a religious object and 
 that, in forming the new institution, they "join with 
 their christian brethren," in establishing a Bible 
 Society which, while it is " truly Catholic in its spirit" 
 is " STRICTLY SCRIPTURAL in its principles, and 
 
 DECIDEDLY RELIGIOUS in itS CONSTITUTION and 
 OPERATIONS." 
 
40 
 
 Now, if any man were called upon to define the 
 nature and character of a Christian church, he could 
 not employ terms more suited to his purpose, than 
 those which I have now quoted. A Christian church 
 is a society of Christian brethren, united on strictly 
 scriptural principles, and decidedlij religious in its 
 constitution and operations ; and every society which 
 is 'capable of being thus defined, whatsoever may be 
 its circumstances and whatsoever its object, is beyond 
 all question, a Christian church. All its members are 
 Tinited in church fellowship. They publicly profess 
 that they are brethren in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 
 What then are the religious terms, on which 
 a participation in such an union is permitted by 
 the Trinitarian Bible Society ? They are two, and 
 two only — first, that the applicant for membership be 
 a Protestant : and secondly, that he acknowledge his 
 belief in the doctrine of the Trinity. 
 
 It is a principle universally understood, that laws 
 which ordain particular restrictions confer, by the 
 very act, a general liberty — the liberty which they 
 allow being just as clear and certain as the restric- 
 tions which they impose. If, for example, it were 
 enacted, in the formation of a government, that no 
 persons nnder thirtv years of age should belong to 
 the legislature, and if this were the sole restriction 
 applying to the point, it would follow of course that 
 all persons above that age, of whatsoever character 
 or condition, would be eligible as legislators. 
 
 The law which fixes the terms of membership in 
 the Trinitarian Bible Society is precisely of this na- 
 ture, and the particular restrictions which it enforces 
 are clear and specific. The society declares in sub- 
 stance, that it ivill not allow any man to belong to its 
 
41 
 
 Christian brotherhood, who refuses either to protest 
 agciinst Popery, or to confess his helief in the doctrine 
 of the Trinity. But the general Hberty which the 
 same law confers is equally clear; and it is much more 
 comprehensive — the society will allow all other per- 
 sons to join in its brotherhood, whatsoever their cha- 
 racter, and whatsoever their opinions. If they will 
 but protest against Popery, and confess their belief in 
 the doctrine of the Trinity, they may be admitted 
 into church union with the members of this society, 
 although their conduct be in all other respects ol)- 
 jectionable, and although they deny every other truth 
 contained in the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 Every one will understand that in making these 
 remarks, I am not impeaching the intentions of the 
 founders of the institution; for these, I have no 
 doubt, were praiseworthy. I am speaking only of 
 the necessary consequence of their system, and of 
 the practical difficulty in which they have involved 
 themselves by adopting a fallacious principle. In 
 endeavouring to make their escape from a lawful 
 co-operation, they have opened their doors wide to an 
 unlawful union. For my own part, since I dare not, 
 as a Christian, expose myself to such a union, I dare 
 not, as a Christian, join the Trinitarian Bible Society. 
 
 IV. My last objection to uniting with the new so- 
 ciety, is immediately cormected with the principle 
 Avhich has just been stated. I cannot believe that I 
 should be promoting either the welfare of man or the 
 glory of God, in connecting myself with any institu- 
 tion which contains the seeds of inevitable dismem- 
 berment, and self-destruction. 
 
 That such is the case with the Trinitarian Bible 
 Society, I am compelled to conclude, not because its 
 
42 
 
 members are quarrelsome or vicious, but for a pre- 
 cisely opposite reason — because 1 believe them to be 
 honest and religious men. 
 
 Since the fellowship of this society is professedly 
 religious — and since such a fellowship cannot be law- 
 fully maintained with any one who denies essential 
 truth — a member of this society is placed under a con- 
 scientious obligation either immediately to renounce 
 his connection v.^ith it, or to extend the present test, 
 until it embraces every article of faith which he deems 
 to be essential in religion. 
 
 The imperative nature of this obligation was curi- 
 ously exemplified even on the first rise of the society, 
 by the exclusion of Roman Catholics, in addition to 
 Socinians — a provision most injurious to its design as 
 a Bible Society, and yet on the principles of the 
 founders, not to be avoided. But will these conscien- 
 tious Christians profess to maintain an union, in the 
 church of Christ, with persons who deny the doctrine 
 of the atonement, or of justification by faith, or of 
 regeneration, or of sanctification, or of the resurrec- 
 tion of the dead, or of judgment to come? Will they 
 embrace as brethren in the Saviour, those who deny 
 his immaculate human nature? If they ivill, they may 
 keep open their door of entrance as widely as at pre- 
 sent, although they thereby infringe the express direc- 
 tions of Scripture, and make themselves responsible 
 for other men's errors. If they ivill not, they must 
 lose no time in adding all these particulars to their 
 test. 
 
 But the Bible condemns an union in the church with 
 immoral men still more emphatically than with per- 
 sons of unsound opinions. Is it possible then that 
 the question of morality can long continue to be un- 
 
43 
 
 noticed in the test of this society ? Must it not very 
 soon describe the character, as well as define the faith, 
 of those who shall be its members? 
 
 After all, where are we to draw the line between 
 that which is essential, and that which is non-essential, 
 in the Christian system ? What particular errors shall 
 be deemed so harmless, what faults so trivial, as not 
 to present a bar to religious fellowship ? On the 
 other hand, what are the precise truths which all men 
 must believe, and what the moral and religious duties 
 which all men must practise, in order to their being 
 lawfully admitted into union with this society? I con- 
 ceive that these are questions upon which scarcely any 
 two of its supporters will be found to agree. If then 
 the members of the Trinitarian Bible Society follow 
 up their own principles, every man amongst them 
 must construct a test of his own — every man must 
 raise up a hedge between himself and his neighbour 
 — until the whole union is finally dissolved. 
 
POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 ON VOCAL PRAYER AT THE MEETINGS OF THE 
 BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 Were the Bible Society religious by constitution, or 
 in other words, were it a Christian church, its meet- 
 ings would properly be assemblies for worship ; and 
 it would even be inconsistent with the nature of 
 the society to attempt to impart to them any other 
 character. 
 
 But since this society, while it pursues a Christian 
 object, is no church at all — since it embraces as mem- 
 bers all persons, of every description, who subscribe 
 a certain sum of money — its meetings cannot reason- 
 ably be regarded in this high point of view ; but as 
 held chiefly for the purposes of business and informa- 
 tion. Attended as they often are by a vast variety of 
 people, who meet without any studied punctuality, in- 
 terrupted by frequent ingress and egress, occupied 
 sometimes with pecuniary reports, and at other times 
 with entertaining anecdotes, they are surely not on a 
 level with acts oj" public worship. 
 
 If, notwithstanding the natural character and true 
 intent of such meetings, we introduce into them 
 the public offerings of prayer and praise, it is to be 
 feared that instead of imparting any sanctity to the 
 business of the society, wc shall only mar the so- 
 
lemnity of our religious service. But although these 
 assemblies were never intended to be meetings for 
 Avorship, and ought not to be conducted as such, 
 they are nevertheless useful and important; they afford 
 abundant opportunity for the expression of Christian 
 sentiment, and when managed with proper gravity 
 and simplicity, are often found to be a source of 
 edification as well as pleasure. Nor is there any thing 
 in them which can discourage the heart-felt, secret, 
 prayers of the individual members. The Christian 
 approaches all his duties in life, in the feeling of de- 
 pendence on Divine aid. How then can he forget his 
 privilege of access to a throne of grace, when he is 
 engaged in a work so immediately connected with 
 the promotion of true religion as that of the Bible 
 Society ? 
 
 The view which has now been taken, can hardly be 
 otherwise than familiar to all persons who have been 
 accustomed to the working of the Bible Society. But 
 even if its meetings were more select, and less busi- 
 ness-like than thev are, there still would be sound 
 reasons for avoiding the introduction into them of 
 public vocal prayer. 
 
 It is the professed principle, and vital strength, of 
 that Society to occupy ground which is common to 
 all religious men ; and never to make an advance on 
 to any area of dispute. Now, while all true Christians 
 acknowledge that prayer is both their duty and their 
 happiness, the mode and circumstances under which 
 it ought to he publicli/ offered, arc points respecting 
 which the various denominations, even of pious be- 
 hevers, widely differ. Many conscientious members 
 of the chuxxh of England, whose patronage is of 
 great importance to the Bible Society, disapprove of 
 
46 
 
 extemporaneous public prayer ; a large body of dis- 
 senters have an equally strong objection to a written 
 or printed form ; and Friends believe that public 
 prayer cannot be rightly offered, except under the 
 guidance of the Great Head of the Church, and un- 
 der the immediate influence of his Spirit. Here 
 then we open the door of disunion and separation — 
 a door which in the Bible Society ought for ever to 
 continue shut. 
 
 But further — if a prayer is to be offered, who 
 is to perform the service ? If only a clergyman of the 
 church of England, can the dissenters be expected 
 to submit to such partiality? If a dissenting minis- 
 ter, shall we not offend our episcopal vice-presi- 
 dents ? If only ministers formally ordained, how 
 shall we satisfy the conscience of the quaker? If 
 laymen also, shall we not grieve our clerical bre- 
 thren ? 
 
 Let us not then be deceived, in reference to this 
 important question, by a specious appearance of 
 good ; but let us adhere, with unalterable firmness, to 
 our original simple principles ; and while we exercise a 
 holy watchfulness against every plausible attempt to 
 infringe them, let us, in earnest private "prayer, com- 
 mend our cause to God. If such be our course of 
 action, and if in all our proceedings we seek to be 
 clothed in the meekness and gentleness of Christ, 
 we may reverently believe that the Divine blessing 
 will continue to rest abundantly on our unworthy 
 labours. 
 
WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 BIBLICAL NOTES AND DISSERTATIONS; chiefly in- 
 tended to confirm and illustrate the doctrine of the Deity of 
 Christ ; with some Remarks on the practical importance of that 
 doctrine. 8vo. — 12s. 
 
 ESSAYS ON THE EVIDENCES, DOCTRINES, AND 
 PRACTICAL OPERATION OF CHRISTIANITY. Second 
 edition, 8vo. — 9s. boards. Fourth edition, 12mo. — 6s. 6d. boards. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS ON THE RELIGIOUS PECULIARITIES 
 OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. Sixth edition, 12mo.— 
 5s. boards. 
 
 HINTS ON THE PORTABLE EVIDENCE OF CHRISTI- 
 ANITY. 18mo.— cloth lettered, 2s. 6d. ; sewed, 2s. 
 
 BRIEF REMARKS ON THE HISTORY, AUTHORITY, 
 AND USE OF THE SABBATH. Second edition, ISmo.— cloth, 
 Is. 3d. ; sewed. Is. 
 
 LETTER TO A FRIEND ON THE AUTHORITY, PUR- 
 POSE, AND EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY, and especially 
 on the Doctrine of Redemption. Twenty-first edition — 8d. boards. 
 
 LETTER TO THE MARQUIS WELLESLEY, Lord Lieu- 
 tenant of Ireland, by Elizabeth Fry and Joseph John Gurney, 
 respecting their late visit to that country. Svo. — 2s. 
 
 HYMNS, selected from various authors, for the use of young 
 persons. By Priscilla Gurney. Fifth edition, foolscap Svo. — 5s. 
 boards. Seventh edition, 32mo. — 2s. 6d. boards. 
 
 SOME ACCOUNT OF JOHN STRATFORD, who was exe- 
 cuted, after the late Assizes for the city of Norwich, for the crime 
 of murder. By one of his fellow citizens. 
 
 GUIDE TO THE INSTRUCTION OF YOUNG PERSONS 
 IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, including the " Lock and Key," 
 or passages in the Old Testament which testify of Jesus Christ, 
 explained by others in the New Testament. Price 3d. 
 
^JORWICII : 
 
 PRINTED BY WILKIN AND FLETCHER, EAST ANGLIAN OFFICE. 
 
 March 3rd, 1832. 
 
STRICTURES 
 
 ON 
 
 CERTAIN PARTS OF AN ANONYMOUS PAMPHLET 
 
 ENTITLED 
 
 WITH 
 
 EVIDENCES OF THE SOUND AND CHRISTIAN VIEWS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SOCIETY OF FRIENDS 
 
 ON 
 
 THE SUBJECT OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 
 
 BY 
 
 y 
 
 JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY. 
 
 '■ Inspired theology is the sabbath and haven of all man's contemplations." 
 
 Lord Bacon. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 JOHN & ARTHUR ARCH, CORNHILL; 
 DARTON AND HARVEY, GRACECHURCH STREET; 
 AND JOSIAH FLETCHER, NORWICH. 
 18.%. 
 
 Price Sixpence. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 In writing the following pages, I have found it 
 necessary, in some quotations from the work on 
 which [ am animadveiting, to insert passages, in 
 some measure involving the controversy which 
 gave rise to the book itself. I wish it however to 
 be distinctly understood, that I have studiously 
 avoided all allusion to that controversy. Such 
 allusion would have been wholly foreign from my 
 present purpose. My sole object has been to up- 
 hold the divine authority of the Holy Scriptures ; 
 and to prove that the author of " The Truth Vin- 
 dicated," who comes forward under the profession 
 of being an advocate for our religious Society, 
 advances sentiments extremely dangerous in them- 
 selves, and utterly opposed to those which Friends 
 have always felt it to be their duty and privilege 
 to uphold. 
 
 I beg leave explicitly to state, that I consider 
 myself as having nothing to do with any parts of 
 this anonymous work, except those to which I have 
 referred. Whatsoever else the work may contain, 
 these passages mu>t surely be regarded as render- 
 ing it unfit for circulation among the families of a 
 Christian Society. 
 
STRICTURES. 
 
 Having, with much sorrow, perused an anonymous 
 pamphlet lately published, under the title of " The 
 Truth Vindicated," and knowing that it has obtained 
 a very considerable circulation, I think it right to ex- 
 tract several passages from the work, and to make a 
 few remarks upon them, by way of Christian warning. 
 I have the less difficulty in doing so, because I do 
 not know even the name of the author. I cannot, 
 therefore, be supposed to bear any ill will towards 
 him personally, though I must confess it affords me 
 some satisfaction to be informed that he is not a mem- 
 ber of our Society. Anonymous as he is, I wish him 
 well, and heartily desire that he may be brought to 
 true contrition of soul, and to that lively faith in the 
 atoning blood of Cbrist, l)y which he may obtain 
 reconciliation with the Father, and may be made a 
 true partaker of the influences of the Holy Ghost. 
 
6 
 
 The first point which naturally attracts the attention 
 of the reader of "The Truth Vindicated," is the anti- 
 christian spirit and temper-in which many passages of 
 it are written, and the unseemly and violent language 
 which the author employs in reference to the minis- 
 ters and memhers of various Christian communities. 
 I forbear from making extracts in support of this re- 
 mark, being well assured that no sober and religious 
 person who has cast his eye over the book, can fail 
 to have observed a variety of expressions, under this 
 head, which must have greatly shocked both his feel- 
 ings as a man, and his principles as a Christian. 
 
 It would be well if all persons, who bear the name 
 of Christian, would impartially try both their opinions, 
 and their religious experience, by the fruit which they 
 are producing. " The fruit of the Spirit is love, 
 joy, peace, long- suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
 meekness, and temperance." The evils which are 
 opposite to these graces — especially hatred, variance, 
 emulations, wrath, strife, an evil eye, — never fail to be 
 mentioned in Scripture as the products of the corrupt 
 and wicked heart of man. 
 
 It is one thing to bear our honest testimony to our 
 own views of the truth as it is in Jesus ; it is quite 
 another thing to involve those who differ from iis, but 
 who still love the Lord Jesus Christ, in undeserved 
 opprobrium and censure. Such fruit, in persons who 
 make a high profession of religion, seldom fails to 
 be connected, as 1 apprehend, with some dangerous, 
 though possibly hidden, error in matters of faith and 
 doctrine. I think it will be found that this remark 
 
is substantiated by a close investigation of "The Truth 
 Vindicated." 
 
 Before, however, I enter on this investigation, I 
 wish to premise a single remark. Error is never so 
 dangerous as wlien it is conveyed to us under the cover 
 of great religious zeal, and in connexion with import- 
 ant truths, which it is our duty to embrace and uphold. 
 It is like poison mixed up with wholesome food, and 
 we well know that such a mixture has caused the death 
 of many an unsuspecting person. 
 
 To proceed. In page 56, I observe the following 
 passage : 
 
 " Really, when I read of a person, who, I linderstand for a 
 number of years has been an acknowledged minister of the 
 Society, calling in question the great leading truth upon which 
 every doctrine and practice of the Society is professed to be 
 based ; viz. that ' the Word of God,' according to the Scrip- 
 tures, ' is that Light which ligiiteth every man that cometh 
 into the world;' — really when I find a person of such standing 
 and station in the Society, attempting to subvert the veri/ 
 foundation of our hopes, I cannot but, with the most earnest 
 and affectionate entreaties, reiterate the language of one of 
 old; 'To your tents O Jacob! and to your tabernacles, O 
 Israel'." 
 
 The doctrine that a measure of the light of the 
 Spirit of Christ is bestowed on mankind universally 
 (a doctrine which I reverently accept) is here described 
 as the very foundation of our hopes. Such a statement 
 is liable to great objection. It is opposed to that funda- 
 mental principle of the gospel — the free forgiveness of 
 sin through faith in the blood of Jesus ; and it tends 
 to excite a prejudice against the precious influences of 
 
8 
 
 the Holy Spirit, by presenting them to us in a per- 
 verted and unscriptural form. Elias Hicks, of North 
 America, was accustomed to express himself in pre- 
 cisely the same way; 
 
 "I endeavoured," says he, "to gather the minds of the 
 people to the light of Christ, or Christ the light in their own 
 hearts ; as the only sure guide to blessednes, and the found- 
 ation rock on which to build all our hopes of redemption and 
 salvation." 
 
 Again, "The people vt^ere pressingly invited to gather in- 
 ward to the immutable principle of light and truth in their 
 own souls, as the Sure Rock of ages, and the only means 
 whereby we can be enabled to work out our salvation." 
 
 I trust that every sound Quaker is fully prepared to 
 confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ himself, in all his 
 gracious ojffices, is the only foundation on which the 
 church is built ; and that the free mercy of God in Him 
 is the sole ground of the Christian's hopes. Compare 
 Geo. Fox's memorable words : " This Jesus, who was 
 the foundation of the apostles and prophets, is our 
 foundation ; and we believe there is no other found- 
 ation to be laid, but that which is laid, even Christ 
 Jesus ; who tasted death for every man, shed his blood 
 for all men, and is the propitiation for our sins." — 
 Epist. to Governor of Barh aches, 1671. 
 
 Page 57. — " And let me here ask I. C. of what has he 
 been the minister? Hast thou been the minister of the 
 ' letter which killeth ? or of the Spirit which giveth life ? ' 
 If only of the letter, thou hast been ministering only thy own 
 'suggestions,' instead of waiting till thou hadst been 'endued 
 with power from on high.'" 
 
 The Holv Scriptures are here described as " the let- 
 
9 
 
 ter which kllleth," and are confounded with an indivi- 
 dual's " own suggestions." 
 
 See also page 75, 
 
 " They learn, as all must learn that do the same, that the 
 Bible, like themselves, can do nothing of itself; that it is as 
 it declares itself to be, 'of no private interpretation;' and 
 that, as for any power which it possesses in itself essentially, 
 it possesses none at all, — it is a mere dead letter. And not- 
 withstanding the same truth concerning it may have been 
 spoken by Elias Hicks, or all the Deists and Atheists tliat 
 have ever lived, it is of itself but a mere ' ivritten,' or, (more 
 properly speaking in these times,) printed boolc" 
 
 And in page 208, 
 
 " If the law, therefore, by virtue of its own power, is incapa- 
 ble of producing obedience, if it requires the active operation 
 of the executive to that end, what in fact is the law itself 
 but ' a dead letter ?"' 
 
 1 conceive it to be a very dangerous mistake to 
 speak of the Holy Scriptures as the " Letter which 
 killeth." When the apostle Paul uses these terms in 
 contra-distinction to the " Spirit that giveth life," he is 
 obviously contrasting the law of God, which condemns 
 the transgressor to death, with the gospel, that spirit- 
 ual religion, which brings to light life and immortality, 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord.^ 
 
 The disrespectful terms in which the Holy Scrip- 
 tures are mentioned, p. 7o, (as quoted above) are truly 
 worthy of Elias Hicks himself, who was in the frequent 
 habit of using similar expressions. The Scriptures, on 
 the contrary, are " lively oracles whether written or 
 printed, they contain the words of Christ, which are 
 "spirit and life" to those who receive them. 
 
 • 2 Cor. iii, H. 
 
10 
 
 Compare the testimony on this subject of one of 
 the most eminent of our early Friends, George White- 
 head : "We know none among us that call the Holy 
 Scriptures a dead or carnal letter, nor do we own 
 the words." — Antichrist Unmashed, p. 21. So also 
 George Fox: " So that we call the Holy Scriptures as 
 Christ, the apostles, and holy men of God called them, 
 the words of God.'"' — Journal, p. 147. Comp. John 
 vi, 63, " The words that I speak unto you they are 
 spirit and they are life." 
 
 In page 64 we read as follows: 
 
 " They will tell you that the Bible is their standard and 
 their ultimate rule ; and since it contains the greatest possible 
 variety of instructions, that can be adapted to the greatest 
 possible variety of circumstances in which man can be placed, 
 none find a difficulty to produce authority for the views and 
 principles that conform with their interests or their prejudices; 
 and thus is it torn piecemeal asunder at the headstrong will of 
 any, instead of being sought for as an aid in the discover ij 
 and further prosecution of those things which have been 
 already made manifest by the light; and hence we find that 
 those principles of moral action, which are most clearly re- 
 vealed in the hearts of all, and distinctly testified of in the 
 Scriptures, are nevertheless, obscured or subdued, misunder- 
 stood, or entirely neglected, by bringing down their authority 
 to be tested by a standard which our own carnal desires or 
 interests have erected." 
 
 The Scriptures are here represented, not as the ap- 
 pointed means of making known to us those grand 
 doctrines which, without the Christian revelation as 
 set forth in the New Testament, would have been, so 
 far as we know, for ever concealed from us; hut sim- 
 ply as an aid to the farther discovery of truths already 
 made known to us by the Spirit — also as a standard 
 
n 
 
 erected hy metis carnal desires and interests. The 
 meaning of the author in these extraordinary expres- 
 sions, hecomes apparent in page 161. 
 
 " There is a wide difference, be it remembered, between 
 acknowledging the just worth of all such things as it has 
 pleased the Almighty at different times to communicate to our 
 fellow-creatures, for general or particular ends and purposes, 
 and bowing down as to an infallible, unerring, and supreme 
 judge, to such records of those communicatiotis, as some few 
 men of toorldhj power and literary attainments have thought 
 Jit to select and constitute for that purpose" 
 
 This shameless declaration respecting the formation 
 of the canon of Scripture, is repeated still more of- 
 fensively in the Preface to the Second Edition. 
 
 Page vii. — "If the apostle Paul declared in his day that no 
 other foundation could be laid than Jesus Christ, what autho- 
 rity have you to reject it, and substitute another, even the 
 perishable letter of Scripture ? Bring forth your strong 
 reasons; produce the legal instruments of your power ; show 
 us the sign-manual of your authority to 'disallow' that 'liv- 
 ing stone,' cliosen of God, 'elect and precious,' and to sup- 
 ply its place by one chosen of man after the device of his own 
 heart ! Why must the foundation upon which we are to 
 build, be of mans choosing. What divine command to that 
 end has been issued ? and to whom ? Where can 1 find the 
 proclamation from heaven, that the apostolic declaration, that 
 'other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid,' is null 
 and void? and that the only sure foundation, upon which all 
 faith and works can now be based, is just so much, neither 
 more nor less, of the writings of inspired tnen, as the conten- 
 tious priests of the Roman Catholic church thought proper, 
 sixteen hundred years ago, to appoint for that end? Is it 
 any where declared in any of the books of Holy Scripture, 
 that a time should arrive, when the pompous dignitaries of an 
 ecclesiastical establishment should assemble in convocation to- 
 gether, and determine for themselves, and the rest of man- 
 
12 
 
 kind, ivhat copies or translations of copies of the writings of 
 holy men should, to the end of time, be considered the only 
 depository of the divine will? If no Scriptural authority can 
 be adduced to support this priestly dogma, why do you so 
 vehemently contend for its acknowledgment? Were these 
 men, who thus gave out to the world this decree, and are 
 you who blindly follow in their benighted way, commissioned 
 to proclaim it, under the immediate influence of the Holy Spi- 
 rit of God? No: for you already, in the vain conceit of 
 your imaginations, prescribe bounds for that Holy influence — 
 even within the confines of an Kden of your own planting ; 
 wherein alone, you tell us, the tree of knowledge of good and 
 evil, and the tree of Life can be found. What assumption, 
 then! what arrogance! what Pharisaical pretension! for some 
 few men to erect, according to the dictates of their fancy, the 
 deductions of their understandings, or the suggestions of 
 their prejudices and interests, an immutable and paramount 
 standard for the test of truth, from the records of the epis- 
 tles, prophecies, and other writings of good and holy men ! " 
 
 And again in the Postscript, p, 227. 
 
 "Where and when did the commission issue forth from 
 ' the King of kings and Lord of lords,' that any man, or 
 body of men, should appoint a standard and a test out of 
 such writings as they should aj)pror^e ; that these should take 
 the judgment seat, and that the Holy Spirit, before his influ- 
 ences are to be heeded, must be brought up to the bar and 
 judged by the judge that you have appointed?'^ 
 
 If the books of the Old and New Testament were 
 selected by "men of worldly power and literary at- 
 tainments," for "purposes" of their own; if they were 
 "chosen of man after the device of his own heart;" 
 if they are an "Eden" of man's own "planting;" if 
 they were "appointed" as Holy Scripture by "conten- 
 tions priests of the Roman Catholic church ; " if any 
 other books written by holy men might have been fix- 
 
13 
 
 ctl upon for the purpose with just the same propriety 
 — as this writer dares to insinuate and even to assert 
 — then, as I conceive, Christianity, the reHgion of the 
 Bible, falls to the ground. But every one who has, 
 with any care, examined the subject, must be aware 
 that these propositions are as false, as they are audaci- 
 ous. The divine origin of that series of books which 
 compose the Old Testament — as distinguished from 
 any other books of the Hebrews — is established by 
 many evidences, and by the express authority of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles. That of the seve- 
 ral books of the New Testament, as distinguished from 
 all other existing Christian writings, is matter of no 
 mere priestly decision, but of sober, substantial, and 
 rational proof. 
 
 Here I must observe, that according to this author, 
 not only might other writings have been selected as 
 Holy Scripture, just as properly as the book.s of the 
 Old and New Testament, but it is matter of entire 
 doubtfulness whether these books themselves are, in 
 fact, Holy Scripture or not. 
 
 See page 70, 71. 
 
 "Now these premises may be all very correct, so far as 
 they are set forth. ' All Scripture,' (provided all Holy Scrip- 
 ture only is spoken of,) I most undoubtedly admit 'is given 
 by inspiration of God ;' but whilst I admit this, and of conse- 
 quence, the conclusion (but not the conclusion I. C. educes) 
 that flows from it, I also deem it to be of the utmost import- 
 ance to know whether all that you say is Holy Scripture, is 
 really Holy Scripture or not; and whether there never was, 
 is not now, and never will be, any Holy Scripture, but so much 
 of the writings of ' holy men,' as is at present contained in 
 the book called ' the Bible.' " 
 
14 
 
 Christians of every denomination have hitherto 
 united, not only in saying, hut in firmly believing, that 
 oil the writings of the Old and New Testament are 
 Holy Scripture; but in this verdict our author is obvi- 
 ously unable to participate. Of course he cannot regard 
 the Scriptures as "the written revelation of the will 
 of God." This further appears from the following 
 extract. 
 
 Page 181. — "Lies, thefts, murders, adulteries, and the 
 whole black catalogue of direful crime stand over the guilty 
 heads of nations who boast of the special favour of heaven, 
 and flatter themselves that salvation is for them alone, because 
 they possess what they call ' the highest standard,' ' the ulti- 
 mate appeal,' ' the Word of God/ ' the written revelation of 
 his will,' &c." 
 
 May the time never come, when the professors of 
 Christianity shall cease, not only to call the Scriptures 
 "the written revelation of the will of God," but cor- 
 dially and reverently to accept them in that sacred 
 character ! 
 
 So far is this from being the case with the author 
 of " The Truth Vindicated," that he appears to regard 
 the Scriptures as nothing more than an outward light, 
 
 set up by foolish men I 
 
 Page 78, 79. — " I. C. makes ' the true knowledge of God,' 
 liis 'holy law,' and 'the Gospel of life and salvation through 
 Jesi:<s Christ,' synonymous terms with the holy Scriptures ; 
 but they are nowhere said to be so in the Scriptures. 
 Such a meaning can only be applied to them by construc- 
 tion; and a construction, too, at complete variance with 
 the whole tenor of Scripture evidence. It assuredly is a 
 strange thing, that men who appear So very solicitous to ex- 
 clude the influence of 'certain impressions,' and mere 'sug- 
 gestions,' from their company in search of truth, should, all 
 
15 
 
 the time, yield up their own judgments to no higher autho- 
 rity; — that they should make it a matter of solemn regret 
 that any should be so deluded as ' to set up a light within,' 
 and yet, after all, to rest themselves upon no surer foundation 
 than the recorded experiences of other men. They complain, 
 and rightly, of those who ' set up a light within,' and yet 
 themselves set up a light without. Foolish men ! " 
 
 From these passages it appears very plainly that the 
 actual divine authority of the books of the Old and 
 New Testamentj is to this author a matter of very 
 great doubt and question. But, on the supposition 
 that they contain revelations from God, he alleges 
 first, that they have been greatly injured, obscured, 
 and corrupted, in the course of their transmission ; 
 and secondly, that these revelations belonged to ages 
 long since past away, and are therefore inapplicable 
 to ourselves, either as a test or a rule. These senti- 
 ments are amply developed in the following extracts: 
 
 Page 71. — "Even supposing I grant without inquiry, that 
 every letter and syllable, from the first chapter of Genesis, to 
 the last of Revelation, ' is given by inspiration of God,' and 
 that within these contracted limits, is included all that he did 
 (which is contrary to the Scripture testimony itself) at any 
 time make known by his Holy Spirit, to the children of men, 
 still there is no good 'argument' to shew that the whole of 
 those things which were revealed at different times, to differ- 
 ent individuals, tinder different circumstances, are to stand as 
 the only appeal, and 'ultimate standard,' to the end of time, 
 for all states and conditions of men." 
 
 Page 73. — " I say it is a most irrational and extraordinary 
 doctrine, that the influence of the Holy Spirit in the heart of 
 man cannot be distinguished from the mind's own 'sugges- 
 tions,' or from ' the delusion of the devil,' unless it be brought 
 to the records of former ' inspirations,' with which some holy 
 men were favoured, who have been at rest from their la- 
 
hours, some, hundreds, and others, thousands of years ago / 
 Where is the chapter and verse, in any part of ' the ultimate 
 appeal' for this most irrational and extraordinary doctrine^ 
 And supposing, for the sake of- more clearly showing its utter 
 groundlessness in all truth and reason, that we are to 'test' 
 a present revelation to ourselves, by a revelation to some one 
 else many hundred years ago, what revelation, I ask, am I to 
 test it by ? Am I to ' test' it by what Moses did or said ? or 
 by what those did and said who ' walked with God ' before 
 Moses' time? Or am I to look into some of the Prophets, or 
 the Evangelists, or the Epistles of the Apostles, or into that 
 book of heavenly mysteries, called the Revelation of John 
 the Divine ? Or, is it of no consequence into which part I 
 look, as each and every part is alike competent to decide the 
 important fact?" 
 
 Page 91. — "Therefore, when men assert that the writings 
 of other men who lived centuries ago, and wrote under the 
 influence of the Holy Spirit, are a ' higher rule' to me, than 
 the influence of the same Holy Spirit upon my own mind ; I 
 surely am not to be dissuaded by an assertion, grounded upon 
 no reason whatever, that these admit of no comparison." 
 
 Page 102. — " Now, the influence of the Holy Spirit is com- 
 pletely denied by this doctrine, except upon certain condi- 
 tions ; which conditions are a reference to revelations vouch- 
 safed to ' holy men,' centuries and centuries ago, originally 
 recorded in another language, and translated into ours, not 
 from the original copies themselves either, but from copies 
 of those copies, of which, probably, I may say more farther 
 on. Under these circumstances alone, say they, does the Holy 
 Spirit operate upon the heart of man." 
 
 Page 112. — "But I. C. and the Reviewers say in effect, 
 though not in the precise words, that there can be no higher 
 rule to us, who are living now, and to those who are to 
 come, than that which was given by inspiration to other 
 men. That which is given, and that which was given, con- 
 stituting the COMPARATIVE difference, in my estimation, be- 
 tween the two rules, if that which was given can properly 
 
17 
 
 be called a rule to us at all.'* And we should also bear 
 in mind, that the latter has been subject to all the accidents 
 attendant upon transcribing, translating, printing, andnumer- 
 ous other circumstances, necessarily incidental to all those 
 things which providence has left in charge, in the hands of 
 erring and imperfect man." 
 
 Again in page 168, 
 
 The Holy Scriptures are described as 
 
 " The written records of some of God's special dealings, in 
 generations that have long since passed away ; " 
 
 And in page 199, 
 
 As " the records of his former revelations^^ 
 
 On these passages I think it necessary to make a 
 few remarks. 
 
 1. In the first place, the hackneyed objection about 
 transcription, translation, &c. as affecting the practical 
 authority and usefulness of the Holy Scriptures, ought 
 to have no place among the professors of Christianity. 
 What a precious evidence is it of that special Provi- 
 dence which has been over the church of God in re- 
 ference to the Holy Scriptures, that they have been 
 handed down from age to age without material injury ; 
 that all the various readings which have arisen from 
 this copying and recopying, have failed to deprive us 
 of a single doctrinal sentiment, of a single moral prin- 
 
 2 On a reference to the second edition of "the Truth Vindi- 
 cated," I observe that the hne here marked in italics, is omitted. 
 But since an edition of several hundred copies, containing these ex- 
 pressions, has been circulated,! consider it quite necessary to notice 
 them. The sentiment which they convey, is in fact an inevitable 
 inference from the author's premises. If the Scriptures are only 
 a past revelation intended for the sole benefit of the men who then 
 were, they of course can be no rule to us at all. 
 
 The additions made to this work in the second edition, render 
 it still more objectionable than before. 
 
 c X 
 
ciple, or of a single historical record. In connexion 
 with this remark, it may be well to notice the further 
 notion of this writer, that the Holy Scriptures are a 
 mere nose of wax, capable of being twisted by differ- 
 ent interpreters, in the most discordant and opposite 
 directions. 
 
 Page 65. — " Then come the Scotch congregational men, 
 with the same book in their hands, declaring it to ' be the ulti- 
 mate appeal for the truth of every doctrine, and the propriety 
 of every practice.' Then the Wesleyan, the Baptist, the 
 Ana-Baptist, the Primitive Methodist, the Muggletonian, the 
 Southcotian, the Independent, the Irvingite, and the rest of 
 the numerous sects, all distinct, and completely averse to the 
 views and interpretations of each other, upon the same texts 
 of their 'ultimate appeal,' and 'only sure foundation;' each 
 following some learned Scribe or Rabbi of their order, till 
 somebody else starts up, with some fresh interpretation, and 
 causes another separation. These all have their 'distinctive 
 peculiarities,' arising from ' suggestions which most comport 
 with their own particular bent of mind.' " 
 
 This is precisely the argument which has so often 
 been adduced against Protestants by Roman Catholics, 
 The fact is however,^r5^, that the Bible, like all other 
 books, must be interpreted according to the common 
 and intelligible rules of language ; secondly/, that al- 
 though its contents are often wrested from their true 
 meaning, that meaning, on all points essential to sal- 
 vation, is clear as the noon-day ; and thirdly, that on 
 these points the great body of the professing church 
 of Christ is substantially agreed. 
 
 2. If the Holy Scriptures are to be set down as the 
 mere narratives of some of the dealings of God with 
 men who have been dead thousands of years — as the 
 
19 
 
 mere records of revelations made, in past ages, for the 
 benefit of the generations which were then Hving — it 
 plainly follows, that, practically speaking, they are to 
 us passes and obsolete. 
 
 Under such a view of the subject, what becomes of 
 the principle so plainly stated by the apostle Paul, 
 and so uniformly supported by the Society of Friends 
 as well as other Christian bodies, that they are able 
 to make us " wise unto salvation through faith which 
 is in Christ Jesus," that they are "profitable for doc- 
 trine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction 
 in righteousness," and that they " were written afore- 
 time for our learning, that we, through patience and 
 comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope ?"-^ Above 
 all, what becomes of our dependence on the efficacy 
 of those bygone facts, the incarnation, atoning sacri- 
 fice, and glorious resurrection and ascension of the 
 eternal Son of God? 
 
 Here surely is a point of supreme importance. 
 There can, I think, be no question that this author's 
 peculiar method of treating the contents of the Holy 
 Scriptures, in the character of past and obsolete reve- 
 lations, discards from our notice, and even from our 
 creed, that mighty plan of redemption through the 
 blood of Jesus Christ, on which hang all the hopes, 
 and all the virtues of the Christian believer. 
 
 3. If we give up the Holy Scriptures as the test— 
 the adequate and only written test — by which sup- 
 posed revelations respecting either doctrine or prac- 
 tice must be tried, we at once yield ourselves a prey 
 
 3 1 Tim. iii, 16, 17; Rom. xv, 4. 
 
 C 2 
 
20 
 
 to wild and unrestrained enthusiasm. How different 
 was the case with our early Friends ! While they held 
 up a high and holy standard respecting the inward 
 teaching of the Spirit, they did not fail to guard 
 against this fatal error. They openly professed their 
 willingness that all their doctrines and practices should 
 be brought to the Scriptures as the judge and test; 
 and they freely allowed that whatsoever cannot abide 
 that test — whatsoever is contrary to the declarations 
 of Holy Writ — must be regarded as a mere delusion. 
 
 So Robert Barclay. " Moreover because they (the 
 Holy Scriptures,) are commonly acknowledged by all 
 to have been written by the dictates of the Holy Spirit, 
 and that the errors which may be supposed by the 
 injury of the times to have slipped in, are not such 
 but that there is a sufficient clear testimony left to all 
 the essentials of the Christian faith,^ we do look upon 
 them as the only fit outward judge of controversies 
 among Christians ; and that whatsoever doctrine is 
 contrary unto their testimony may therefore justly be 
 rejected as false. And for our parts, we are very willing 
 that all our doctrines and practices be tried by them, 
 which we never refused, nor ever shall, in all contro- 
 versies with our adversaries, as the judge and test. 
 We shall also be very willing to admit as a positive, 
 certain maxim, that whatsoever any do pretending to 
 the Spirit, which is contrary to the Scriptures, be ac- 
 
 4 I think these expressions much below the truth. Had R. Bar- 
 clay lived to witness the result of the labours of many eminent bibli- 
 cal critics during the last 150 years, he would have entertained a 
 higher view than he appears to have done, of the substantial cor- 
 rectness of the text of the Old and New Testaments. 
 
21 
 
 counted ajid reckoned a delusion of the devils— Apo - 
 logy, Prop. III. 
 
 With the same clearness did our early Friends reject 
 every doctrine which is not contained in the Bible, and 
 cannot be proved by it. " We do firmly believe," 
 says Barclay, " that there is no other gospel or doc- 
 trine to be preached, but that which was delivered 
 to the apostles, and do freely subscribe to that saying, 
 Let him that preacheth any other gospel than that 
 which hath been already preached by the apostles, and 
 according to the Scriptures, be accursed." — Apology, 
 Prop. III. 
 
 4. For the very same reasons which preclude his 
 allowing the Holy Scriptures to be a test, is our anony- 
 mous author led to question even the possibility of 
 their being a rule. According to him, an impression 
 made on his own mind by the Holy Spirit (or suppos- 
 ed by him to be so made) is given by inspiration, 
 whereas Scripture only was so given ; in other words, 
 it was given in ages long since past to those who 
 lived when it was written ; but we who live in the 
 present day, have little or nothing to do with it. Hence 
 it of course becomes extremely questionable, whether 
 Scripture "can properly be called a rule to us at all!" 
 
 This near approach to infidelity, in the garb of high 
 spirituality, is, under another form, repeated in the 
 following passage. 
 
 Page 133. — " I cannot therefore see how any 'higher rule' 
 can by possibility exist, than that by which we are to be led, 
 and in which we are to walk — even the blessed Spirit of 
 Christ. And without reversing the meaning of plain words 
 as they appear in your own ' ultimate appeal,' and substituting 
 
22 
 
 others in their stead, I must candidly declare my utter inca- 
 pacity to account for any other rule." 
 
 Since the author of "The Truth Vindicated" is 
 utterly incapable of accounting for any other rule 
 than the Spirit of Christ in the heart, the good old 
 Christian doctrine that the Holy Scriptures are a di- 
 vinely authorised rule of faith and practice, must of 
 course be regarded as passing the limits of his 
 conception. 
 
 Compare the words of Elias Hicks: 
 
 "Nothing short of a full belief in and obedience to the 
 revelation of the Spirit of truth (a manifestation of which is 
 given to every man to profit withal) as the only rule of faith 
 and practice, can make a real Christian ! " 
 
 In perfect conformity with this declaration, our 
 anonymous author says, p. 68. 
 
 " We acknowledge no other infalHble leader, no other 
 * ultimate rule,' but Christ the Light, ' the beginning and end 
 of days,' the author and finisher of our faith." 
 
 Very different was the language of one of the 
 most eminent of the early Friends, Richard Claridge. 
 Speaking in behalf of the Society in his day, he says, 
 " We do sincerely and unfeignedly believe the follow- 
 ing propositions: — 1. that the Holy Scriptures of 
 the Old and New Testament were not of any man's 
 private setting forth, but were given by inspiration 
 of God. 2. That they do contain a clear and suffi- 
 cient declaration of all doctrines, in common to be 
 believed in order to salvation. 3. That the Holy 
 Scriptures are the best outward rule and standard of 
 doctrine and. -practice. That whatsoever either doctrine 
 or practice, though under pretensions to the immediate 
 
23 
 
 dictates and teachings of the Spirit, is contrary to the 
 Holy Scriptures, ought to be rejected and disowned as 
 false and erroneous ; for whatsoever is not read therein, 
 nor mai/ be proved thereby, is not to be required of any 
 man that it should be believed as an article of faiths — 
 Treatise of the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 When we speak of the Holy Scriptures in that cha- 
 racter of an "uhimate appeal," which this writer not 
 only denies, but treats as a subject of scorn and irony, 
 we must be understood as expressly reserving three 
 important points ; first, that a measure of the light of 
 the Holy Spirit, independently of any outward revela- 
 tion, shines in the consciences of all men, and shews 
 them the distinctions between right and wrong; se- 
 condly, that the peculiar calls and services of indivi- 
 dual Christians, cannot be settled by a reference to 
 Scripture, but are matters of providential arrangement 
 and direct divine guidance; thirdly, that in order to a 
 saving apprehension of the truths contained in the 
 sacred volume, the enlightening influence of the 
 Holy Ghost is absolutely indispensable. But every 
 true Quaker is, as 1 conceive, prepared cordially to 
 acknowledge that the Holy Scriptures, and they alone, 
 are a divinely authorised record of all the doctrines 
 which we are required to believe, and of all the moral 
 principles which are to regulate our actions — not to 
 mention the luminous declaration which they contain 
 of our relative and particular duties. Hence it unques- 
 tionably follows, that in every case of doubt or con- 
 troversy, in relation to matters either of doctrine or 
 moral principle, the decision of Scripture is " ulti- 
 mate." There lies no appeal from it to any higher 
 
24 
 
 authority whatsoever; for the simplest and most 
 powerful of all reasons — namely, that the authority 
 of the declarations which God has made, is the autho- 
 rity of God himself. 
 C The comparison which some of the early Friends 
 were accustomed to institute hetween the Spirit as the 
 primary Rule, and the Scripture as the secondary one, 
 was not intended, as I conceive, to apply to the ques- 
 tion of authority, but only to that of order and dignity. 
 They looked upon the influence of the Spirit as the 
 primary rule, because it is the very source of true 
 religious knowledge ; because it operated among men 
 before the Scriptures were written, and still operates 
 in a certain measure, where they are unknown ; and 
 because it is the originating power from which the 
 Scriptures themselves proceeded. 
 
 But that what we believe to be the guidance of 
 the Spirit, in our own souls, is superior, in point 
 of authority, to those plain declarations which were 
 given forth under a vastly larger measure of the same 
 divine influence; that is, to the words of God him- 
 self ; — that we are not to test our own impressions by 
 Scripture ; and that we are to test Scripture by our 
 own impressions — are notions which the Society of 
 Friends, as I believe, is, and always has been, as ready 
 to condemn as any other Christian society in the world. 
 I am indeed prepared to admit, that a few of our early 
 writers, in the heat of controversy, and in the zealous 
 support of the spirituality of the gospel, have, in 
 some instances, expressed themselves obscurely, and it 
 may be, even incorrectly, on this subject. But Friends 
 in general, and the Society as a body, have been as 
 
25 
 
 uniformly staunch as any of their fellow-Christians, to 
 the great principle of the direct divine authority of the 
 Holy Scriptures. Most readily have they at all times 
 confessed the absolute delusiveness of every notion or 
 impression, which cannot abide the trial of this Judge, 
 rule, or test. 
 
 Our author's taunting enquiries respecting the parts 
 of Scripture which we would select for our test, are 
 susceptible of a plain answer. While the Christian 
 believer cordially acknowledges that all the writings 
 of the Old and New Testament were given by inspir- 
 ation, he is of course aware that the development of 
 doctrinal and moral truth as set forth in Scripture, 
 was progressive. From the records of the prepara- 
 tory dispensations, he lias no difficulty in selecting 
 such principles as are in their nature permanent, and 
 these form a part of his test; but that which obvi- 
 ously completes his standard, is the light of the glo- 
 rious gospel — the doctrines and precepts of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ and his apostles, as they are recorded in 
 the New Testament. 
 
 To denominate our Lord Jesus Christ, a Rule, as does 
 this author in the last mentioned extract, involves the 
 danger of a very fatal heresy ; it obviously tends to 
 divest him of his personality, and to convert him into 
 a principle. Of this heresy we shall presently find oc- 
 casion to notice some further symptoms. In the mean 
 time, the author of " The Truth Vindicated" does not 
 hesitate to insinuate, that without any instruction 
 whatsoever in Christianity, every creature under hea- 
 ven may have the saving knowledge of the "gospel 
 of life and salvation through Jesus Christ.'' 
 
26 
 
 Page 165. — "The Bible bears its testimony that ' life and 
 immortality are brought to light by the gospel,' and that 'light 
 is come unto all the world, and that this is the condemnation.' 
 If the gospel therefore be ' preached to every creature,' and 
 if by the gospel 'life and immortality are brought to light ; ' 
 then, unless men ' choose darkness rather than Hght,' ' every 
 creature under heaven ' might have the saving knowledge of 
 God, of his holy law, and of the gospel of life and salvation 
 through Jesus Christ. That such would be necessarily ac- 
 quainted with the~difFerent histories, epistles, advices, and 
 vast collection of extraordinary and deeply interesting matter, 
 recorded in the Scriptures, I do not pretend to say." 
 
 "The gospel" means "glad tidings." Now the 
 "glad tidings" through which our Lord Jesus Christ 
 brought "life and immortality to light," and which 
 the apostles proclaimed to all mankind, (as con- 
 trasted with the Jews alone,) were those of everlasting 
 salvation through the incarnation and sacrifice of the 
 Son of God. But this writer has evidently formed a 
 very different notion of the ever-blessed "gospel of 
 life and salvation through Jesus Christ." With him, 
 it appears to be nothing more than that which may 
 be already known by the untutored aboriginal native 
 of Patagonia or New Holland, who has never heard 
 the name of Jesus. Does not this notion tend to a 
 practical disregard of the Christian revelation ?^ 
 
 One of the most delusive and dangerous ideas 
 thrown out in many of the passages already quoted, 
 is that the writings which are now, or may hereafter, 
 be composed, under a measure of the influence of the 
 Spirit, are just as much Holy Scripture, as the books 
 
 5 1 am of course aware that, in a limited sense, the gospel was 
 prophetically preached to Abraham, to the Jews before the Chris- 
 tian era, and even to our first parents, in the original promise of a 
 Redeemer. — See Gal. iii, 8 ; Heb. iv, 2. 
 
27 
 
 of the Old and New Testament ; or rather as such 
 parts of those books as this author may be pleased to 
 allow to have been given by inspiration. 
 This idea is further developed as follows. 
 Page 169. — "For myself, I openly avow, that I esteem the 
 Bible, and all those writings that have proceeded from the 
 same source, above all the writings in the world besides." 
 
 Page 199. — "How, then, can the Baptist Magazine writer 
 give himself up so far to the instigations of a false and evil 
 spirit, as to say that there is scarcely a doctrine of revelation 
 which these principles do not discard or explain away: when 
 it is the very principle of revelation 2}ast, present, and to 
 come, that the Society asserts ? The Magazine writers will 
 have no revelation, but that which is contained in the records 
 of the past.'' 
 
 Page 204. — "The principles of the Society of Friends 
 lead us to believe that * all Scripture is given,' and ever was 
 given, and ever will be given ' by inspiration of God.'" 
 
 The Scripture which was given by inspiration, may 
 I presume, be some part at least of the Christian's 
 Bible; that which is so given, can be nothing else 
 than the works of certain modern writers, such as 
 Robert Barclay, Wm. Penn, Samuel Fisher, &c. — 
 those other writings " which have proceeded from the 
 same source^ That which will he given, must be 
 the additions to Holy Writ, which we may expect 
 from the hands of our children, or our grand chil- 
 dren ! That the genuine principles of the Society of 
 Friends lead into no such awful confusion, will be rea- 
 dily acknowledged by those who are best acquainted 
 with their tenets and their history. 
 
 Unquestionably it is one of the testimonies always 
 borne by the Society of Friends, that no person can 
 rightly preach the gospel, or even write as he ought 
 
28 
 
 to do, on the subject of religion, without a measw^e, 
 however small, of that immediate divine influence 
 under which the prophets delivered their messages, 
 and the apostles proclaimed the truths of Christianity : 
 but when they were charged by their adversaries with 
 the abuse of this principle, and with an attempt to 
 place their own writings on the shelf of Holy Writ, 
 they never failed explicitly to deny the charge. " But 
 for equalling our writings with Scripture^' says Penn, 
 "we have no such expressions or thoughts.^^^ They 
 well knew that the evangelists and apostles of old, 
 were inspired for the high purpose of originally pro- 
 lyiulgating the great facts and doctrines of Christianity; 
 and they utterly disclaimed the notion that they were 
 themselvescommissioned to disseminateany new truth/ 
 They openly declared that they had nothing to add to 
 the glorious gospel, as it was proclaimed by the primi- 
 tive followers of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and to the 
 whole system of truth, as it is revealed in the Old and 
 New Testament, they were accustomed to apply the 
 words of our Lord at the conclusion of the Apoca- 
 lypse : " If any man shall add unto these things, God 
 shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this 
 book ; and if any man shall take away from the words 
 of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away 
 his part out of the book of life." — See Geo. Fox's 
 Address to the Governor of Barhadoes. 
 
 In the following passage, the apostle Paul and 
 
 6 " The New Athenians, no noble Bereans," A. D. 1692. 
 7 " We do not plead for any new gospel faith or doctrine, differ- 
 ent from that which Christ and his holy prophets and apostles 
 taught, and is recorded in the Scriptures of truth : " Besse's De- 
 fence of Quakerism, 1732 p. 62. 
 
1 
 
 29 
 
 Robert Barclay, appear to be placed on an equal 
 footing. 
 
 Page 217. — "And let me here inform the latter in answer 
 to a query of his in a preceding page, that the authority of 
 Robert Barclay, or Paul, or any one else, or " even an angel 
 from Heaven," according to the principles of the Society, 
 could not subvert the truth of the everlasting Gospel of our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But those principles do not 
 allow us to join Paul and Jesus as testimonies of equal power, 
 as does the Baptist Magazine writer, since Paul, and all the 
 Apostles and Prophets that ever lived, were but tlie offspring 
 of Adam, made of flesh and blood like ourselves, and were 
 but instruments "to testify the Gospel of the grace of God." 
 Whereas, Jesus is his own witness, being " the incorruptible 
 Word of God," — " born not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, 
 nor of the will of man, but of the will of God." The autho- 
 rity of Barclay, therefore, does not rest exclusively upon 
 Paul or any other good man, or Prophet, or Apostle ; but 
 the authority of Paul, as well as that of Barclay, and every 
 other man past, present, or to come, must rest upon Christ 
 Jesus the Rock of Ages, "for other foundation can no man 
 lay." 
 
 It is sufficiently obvious from this passage, that the 
 authority of the apostle Paul, and that of Robert 
 Barclay, are in the view of this author, very much 
 071 a level. But what is that Christ, on which they are 
 both here represented as resting ? Not the Son of God 
 manifested in the flesh, and therefore " the offspring of 
 Adam," " born of blood," and " made of flesh and blood 
 like ourselves;" (see Heb. ii, 14 — 17,) but an inward 
 principle horn of God in the heart. If this be indeed 
 the author's meaning — and that it appears to be his 
 meaning will scarcely be denied — I can only say that 
 this is proper and genuine Hicksism. Shall we ven- 
 
30 
 
 ture to give any countenance to such awful mischief? 
 See 1 John iv, 3; "Every spirit that confesseth not 
 that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God ; 
 and this is that spirit of Antichrist whereof ye have 
 heard, &c. :" comp. John i, 14. 
 
 Compare Eh'as Hicks's words ; 
 
 " The Lamb or innocent life of God was slain in our first 
 parents by their first transgression. Hence it is called the 
 Lamb slain from the foundation of the world agreeably to 
 the Scriptures, but no otherwise slain than by man's rejecting 
 
 it and turning away from it into the serpentine wisdom 
 
 So likewise in our coming into the obedience of Christ, we 
 take upon us his divine nature : and are thereby made alive 
 and come to witness the Lamb which was slain in us to rise 
 from the dead and become Christ in us the hope of glory, or 
 the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. 
 Therefore all the varied names given in Scripture to this divine 
 light and life, such as Emmanuel, Jesus, sent of God, great 
 prophet, Christ our Lord, grace, unction, anointed, 8fc. mean 
 one and the same thing, and are nothing less nor more than 
 the spirit and power of God in the soul of man, or his Cre- 
 ator, Preserver, Condemner, Redeemer, Saviour, Sanctifier, 
 and Justifier." p. 330. 
 
 Of all the forms of infidelity which have ever been 
 palmed upon the credulity of mankind, this appears to 
 me to be the most dangerous and the most offensive. 
 While it makes even a lavish use of the names and 
 titles of our Lord Jesus Christ, it denies to him, in 
 his divine character at least, all personal attributes, all 
 rational existence. While it pretends to the highest 
 flights of spirituality, it removes the only basis of all 
 spiritual religion. While it destroys the very root of 
 the acknowledged principles of our Society, it dares 
 to assume the name of Quakerism. Above all it is a 
 
31 
 
 mystic web, which at once produces and conceals the 
 fei'lile seeds of everlasting death. 
 
 After all, our author seems to be in considerable 
 doubt whether the Holy Scriptures, mentioned by the 
 apostle Paul, and declared by him to be given by 
 inspiration of God, are any written boohs whatever ; 
 or any thing but impressions, made by the Spirit, in 
 the secret of the soul. "From a child thou hast known 
 the Holy Scriptures," says Paul to Timothy, "which 
 are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith 
 which is in Christ Jesus ; all Scripture is given by 
 inspiration of God, &c,^ 
 
 On this passage the professed Vindicator of Truth 
 writes as follows : 
 
 Page 109. — "But I am sure it is more than I. C. or the 
 Reviewers can demonstrate, that Paul meant, in tJiis text, 
 mere outward writings, by the term Scripture. I do not 
 mean to dispute the point at this time ; but it pei'haps may 
 be as well to recollect, that Paul speaks elsewhere of an- 
 other kind of Scripture, than that which we generally call 
 Scripture — ' written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the 
 living God ; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the 
 heart.' This perhaps may be worth consideration, especially 
 coupled with the admonition immediately preceding Paul's 
 estimate of the Scriptures to Timothy; 'But continue thou 
 in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured 
 of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.' Doubtless, 
 he had 'learned them' of Him 'who taught as never man 
 taught.' ' Forasmuch,' says the apostle, *as ye are manifestly 
 declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written, 
 not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in 
 tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.' So that 
 Paul believed in other Scripture or writing than that which 
 was written with ink; and declared the one to be more glori- 
 
 8 See 1 Timothy iii, 15, 16. 
 
, 32 
 
 ous than the other. And it is this spiritual Scripture or wri- 
 ting, that he declares to be the * New Testament,' and not 
 those writings of his, and the rest of the disciples and apos- 
 tles, to which that name is now generally given." 
 
 This spiritual and inward Scripture is elsewhere 
 spoken of by this Author as follows: 
 
 Page 111. — "If therefore, I. C. means that there can be 
 no higher rule to every individual man, than that which 
 *is given by inspiration of God' for evei-y individual man to 
 obey (that is the light of Christ in the soul) I admit its truth, 
 and from what other source men individually are to obtain a 
 Jcnowledge of tJieir duty, is more than he or any one else can 
 demonstrate" 
 
 Can any thing be more injurious to the precious 
 doctrine of the Holy Spirit, than first to confuse his 
 influences both with the name and character of Scrip 
 ture ; and next, under the guise of spirituality, to refuse 
 to accept the sacred writings of which He is the 
 Author, as a divinely authorised source of instruc- 
 tion to men individually ? 
 
 The doctrines respecting the Holy Scriptures, con- 
 tained in these passages of " The Truth Vindicated," 
 may, I appehend, be briefly and fairly summed up as 
 follows : 
 
 1. That the books of the Old and New Testament 
 are "the letter that killeth" — that they constitute the 
 Bible, which is a mere written or rather printed book, 
 — a dead letter. 
 
 2. That these books were formed into a canon, not 
 upon any sound principle of historical or internal 
 evidence, but according to the arbitrary selection of 
 literary men of worldly power — contentious priests 
 of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
33 
 
 3. That what part of them, or whether any part of 
 them, is really Holif Scripture, is matter of tlonbt. 
 
 4. That they had relation to the circumstances and 
 peculiar condition of men in ages long since passed 
 away, and even if once given by inspiration, are to us 
 obsolete or gone by — a proposition which applies, in 
 all its force, to the I'ccords of Scripture respecting the 
 incarnation and sacrifice of the Son of God. 
 
 5. That the Scriptures have been erected into a 
 standard or test of doctrine and practice, by the " car- 
 nal desires and interests of men ;" and that to try 
 any supposed present revelation by them, is "most 
 irrational and absurd." 
 
 6. That since they belong to past ages, they cannot 
 properly be deemed a rule to us at all — nay that they 
 cannot even be conceived of by this author as a 
 rule. 
 
 7. That such parts of them as were truly given by 
 inspiration, are no more "Holy Scripture," than 
 writings produced, imder a measure of the same influ- 
 ence, in modern times. 
 
 8. That after all, the only Scripture which can be 
 employed as a guide, test, or rule, is that which is 
 internal and spiritual — namely impressions which we 
 believe to be made by the Spirit of God, on our own 
 minds, individually. 
 
 Now whatever may have been the intentions of 
 this author, and whatever allowance we may be dis- 
 posed to make for the errors so apt to arise in the 
 heat of controversy, I must assert that these proposi- 
 tions individually and collectively, are undeniably 
 deistical. Most assuredly they are in palpable con- 
 
 D I 
 
34 
 
 tradiction to that substantial testimony which our re- 
 ligious Society has borne, from its earliest rise to the 
 present day, to the direct divine authority of the 
 Holy Scriptures — to their lively and spiritual character, 
 — to their profitableness for the great purposes of sal- 
 vation and edification — to their applicability both as a 
 test and a rule, — and to their supreme unrivalled excel- 
 lence. 
 
APPENDIX I. 
 
 Declarations made by the Society of Friends, or on their 
 behalf, respecting the divine origin and authority of the 
 Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. 
 
 1. Edward Burrough, in a work entitled "Satan's Design 
 Defeated," published in 1659, writes as follows: 
 
 " Objection. The Quakers hold that the Holy Scriptures 
 are not the word of God, nor the saints' rule of faith and 
 life, neither is it the duty of every one to search them. 
 
 " Answer. The Holy Scriptures were given forth by the 
 Spirit of the Lord, as holy men of God were moved ; they 
 are the words of God, and a declaration and a treatise, Luke 
 i, 1 ; and that which the saints had handled and tasted of the 
 word of life, that they declai'ed forth in words and writings, 
 Acts i, 1 ; and the Scriptures, as they were given forth by 
 the Spirit of God, are a true declaration of what is to be be- 
 lieved and practised in relation to eternal salvation." — Bur- 
 rough's Works, p. 514. 
 
 2. In a Declaration of Faith issued by George Fox and 
 others, addressed to the Governor and Council of Barbadoes, 
 A. D. 1671, we read as follows: — 
 
 " Concerning the Holy Scriptures, we believe they were 
 given forth by the Holy Spirit of God, through the holy men 
 of God, who, as the Scripture itself declares, (2 Pet. i, 21,) 
 spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 
 
 " We believe the Holy Scriptures are the words of God." — 
 Fox's Journal, 3rd edition, p. 436. 
 
 3. In a Declaration of the Faith of the Society of Friends, 
 issued in 1689, and presented to the committee of Parliament, 
 we find the following query and reply, viz. 
 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 " Do you believe and own the Holy Scriptures contained in 
 the books of the Old and New Testament to be given by 
 divine inspiration, and to contain all matters of doctrine and 
 testimony, necessary to be believed and practised, in order to 
 salvation and peace with God?" 
 
 " Answer. Yes, we do : and by the assistance of the grace 
 and good Spirit of God, which gives the true understanding 
 of the mind of God and meaning of Holy Scripture, we 
 always desire to live in the faith, knowledge, and practice of 
 of them, in all things appertaining to life and godliness." 
 
 4. The Confession of Faith, signed by thirty-two Friends, 
 and laid before Parliament, in 1G93, declares, 
 
 " That the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
 ment are of divine authority, as being given by inspiration 
 of God." 
 
 5. In the year 1604, AVilliam Chandler, Alexander Pyott, 
 Joseph Hodges, and others, wrote and pubhshed "A Brief 
 Apology in behalf of the people, in derision called Quakers, 
 for the information of our sober and well inclined neigh- 
 bours." From this treatise the following extracts, on the 
 subject of the Holy Scriptures, are taken, viz. 
 
 " We therefore desire our well disposed neighbours can- 
 didly to weigh what we have to allege against the clamours 
 of those, who, to be sure, will not set us out to our best ad- 
 vantage ; and to receive an account from ourselves what we 
 are, and what we believe and hold for Christian truths ; who 
 certainly must needs know better our own belief than those 
 who, perhaps, never examined it to any other end than to 
 find fault, if ever they did it ; and, also, that you will not 
 think it strange that we express not our belief in some parti- 
 culars, in the afTected terms of other professors of Christi- 
 anity ; but think it more reasonable and safe to content our- 
 selves with that dress of language, in which the Holy Ghost 
 thought fit to hand them to us in the Holy Scriptures; those 
 most excellent and divine writings, which, above all others in 
 the world, challenge our reverence and most diligent reading ; 
 those oracles of God, and rich Christian treasury of divine 
 saving truths, which were written for our learning, that we, 
 through patience and comfort of them, may have hope ; and 
 
37 
 
 are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction 
 in righteousness ; to the perfecting and thoroughly furnishing 
 of the man of God to every good work, making him wise 
 unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus, con- 
 taining all Christian doctrines necessary to be believed for 
 salvation, and are a sufficient external standard and touch- 
 stone, to try the doctrines of men ; and we say with the apos- 
 tle, Whosoever shall publish and propagate any other gospel 
 faith than is therein testified of to us by those inspired pen- 
 men, who were the first promulgators thereof, though he 
 were an angel, let him be accursed. All which and whatso- 
 ever is therein contained we as firmly believe as any of you 
 do; and as it is the duty of every sincere Christian. We are 
 heartily thankful to God for them, who, through his good 
 providence, hath preserved them to our time, to our great 
 benefit and comfort." — Page 5. 
 
 6. Thomas EUwood, in " An Answer to some Objections of 
 a Moderate Enquirer," says, 
 
 " The second objection is. You deny the Scriptures to be 
 any rule for man and woman to walk by, so as to direct them 
 to the saving of their souls." 
 
 " Answer, In this we are misrepresented. We sincerely 
 own, love, and regard the Holy Scriptures, believing with the 
 apostle that they were given by inspiration of God, and are 
 profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruc- 
 tion in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, 
 thoroughly furnished unto all good works, 2 Tim. iii, 16, 17; 
 and that they are able to make wise unto salvation, through 
 faith that is in Christ Jesus, verse 15. And great benefit 
 and delight^we find in them, reading them in the openings of 
 that Divine Spirit by which they were given forth. We are 
 so far from denying them to be any rule, &c. that we acknow- 
 ledge them to contain many excellent rules, precepts, doc- 
 trines, and instructions, directing man and woman how to 
 walk, that they may obtain the salvation of their souls." — 
 pp. 3, 4. 
 
 7. In an Epistle by way of preface to a collection of the 
 " Doctrinal Books " of George Fox issued by the Second 
 Day's Morning Meeting in London, anno 1705, we find the 
 
38 
 
 following testimony to his esteem and reverence for the Holy 
 Scriptures. 
 
 "Although he gave preference to the Holy Spirit (as all 
 true spiritual Christians do,) yet his true love to and sincere 
 esteem of the Holy Scripture, (as being given by Divine 
 Inspiration,) was clearly manifest : In his frequent advice to 
 Friends, to keep to Scripture language, terms, words, and doc- 
 trines, as taught by the Holy Ghost, in matters of faith, re- 
 ligion, controversy and conversation ; and not to be imposed 
 upon and drawn into unscriptui'al terms, invented by men in 
 their human wisdom." 
 
 8. Wilham Penn, in his " Testimony to the Truth, &c." 
 published 1698, thus speaks of the belief of Friends in the 
 Holy Scriptures : — 
 
 " Whereas, we in truth and sincerity believe them (the 
 Holy Scriptures) to be of divine authority, given by the inspi- 
 ration of God, through holy men, they speaking or writing 
 them as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. That they 
 are a declaration of those things most surely believed by the 
 primitive Christians, and as they contain the mind and will of 
 God, and are his commands to us, so they, in that respect, 
 are his declaratory woi'd." — Penns Works, vol. v, p. 337. 
 
 9. Samuel Fuller, in his "Serious Reply" to some Queries 
 proposed to the Society of Friends, written in 1728, says, 
 
 "We believe the holy doctrines of the Old and New Tes- 
 tament to be given by divine inspiration, and, therefore, of 
 divine authority." — Page 27. 
 
 10. In the year 1731 a document was published by the 
 Friends of Bristol, containing the following passage : — 
 
 "First, we put you in mind of our ancient and constant 
 faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ his eternal Son, 
 the true God, and in the Holy Spirit, one God blessed for- 
 ever more ; and that our Society alwaijs did and still do ac- 
 knowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
 ment to be given by divine inspiration ; and we earnestly ex- 
 hort you steadfastly to maintain and keep the same faith pure 
 and inviolate." 
 
 11. From the numerous more modern Declarations made 
 
39 
 
 by the Society to the same effect, may be selected that of the 
 Yearly Meeting, A. D. 1829. 
 
 "We feel ourselves called upon at this time to avow our 
 belief in the inspiration and divine authority of the Old and 
 New Testament." 
 
 12. Also that of a Committee of the Yearly Meeting, A.D. 
 1835. 
 
 " It is also in unison with the example of our predecessors 
 in religious profession, that we heartily acknowledge respect- 
 ing the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, that 
 they were given by inspiration of God ; that they are able to 
 make wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ 
 Jesus; and that with the preaching of the gospel, they are 
 the appointed instrument for making known to mankind that 
 divine plan of grace and salvation through Jesus Clirist and 
 him crucified, to which they bear so clear a testimony." 
 
 13. Declaration of the Yearly Meeting of Friends, held in 
 Philadelphia, 1828. 
 
 " The Society of Friends have always fully believed in the 
 authenticity and divine authority of the Holy Scriptures, and 
 acknowledge them to be the only fit outward test of doctrines, 
 having been dictated by the Holy Spirit of God, which can- 
 not err. They are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
 correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of 
 God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good 
 works ; and are able to make wise unto salvation, through 
 faith which is in Christ Jesus; and whatever any teach or do 
 contrary thereto, they reject as a delusion." 
 
 14. An Epistle from the Yearly Meeting of Friends for 
 New England, 1828. 
 
 "We believe them (the doctrines of the Christian religion) 
 because they are testified of in the Holy Scriptures, and ' all 
 Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for 
 doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in right- 
 eousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly 
 furnished unto all goods:'" 2 Tim_ iii, 16. 
 
APPENDIX II, 
 
 Advices issued, by the Society of Friends, respecting the 
 reading of the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 " And forasmuch as, next to our own souls, our children and 
 offspring are the most immediate objects of our care and con- 
 cern, it is tenderly recommended to all that are or may be 
 parents or guardians of children, that they be diligently ex- 
 ercised in this care and concern for the education of those 
 committed to their charge ; that in their tender years they 
 may be brought to a sense of God, his wisdom, power, and 
 omnipresence, so as to beget an awe and fear of him in their 
 hearts (which is the beginning of wisdom ;) and as they grow 
 up in capacity, to acquaint them with, and bring them up in 
 the frequent reading of, the Scriptures of truth ; and also 
 to instruct them in the great love of God, through Jesus 
 Christ, and the work of salvation by him, and of sanctification 
 through his blessed Spirit." — 1706. 
 
 " We also exhort all parents of children to be very careful 
 to educate and train them up in the fear of God, and know- 
 ledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, according to 
 the Holy Scriptures." — 1712. 
 
 "Let the Holy Scriptures be early taught our youth, and 
 diligently searched, and seriously read by Friends, with due 
 regard to the Holy Spirit, from whence they came, and by 
 which they are truly opened." — 1720. 
 
 " This meeting considering that some in the present age do 
 endeavour, as well by certain books, as a licentious conversa- 
 tion, to lessen and decry the true faith in our Lord and Sa- 
 viour Jesus Christ, even that precious faith once delivered to 
 his saints ; which by the mercy of God, is also bestowed 
 
41 
 
 upon us ; do therefore earnestly advise and exhort all parents, 
 masters, and mistresses of famihes, and i guardians of minors, 
 that they prevent, as much as in them lies, their children, 
 servants, and youth, under their respective care and tuition, 
 from the having or reading books or papers, that have any 
 tendency to prejudice the profession of the Christian religion, 
 to create in them the least doubt or question concerning the 
 truth of the Holy Scriptures, or those necessary and saving 
 truths declared in them; lest their infant and feeble minds 
 should be poisoned thereby, and a foundation laid for the 
 greatest evils." — 1723. 
 
 " Inasmuch as the Holy Scriptures are the external means 
 of conveying and preserving to us an account of the things 
 most surely to be believed concerning the coming of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ in the flesh, and the fulfilling the prophecies 
 relating thereto ; we therefore recommend to all Friends, es- 
 pecially elders in the church, and masters of families, that 
 they would, both by example and advice, impress on the 
 minds of the younger, a reverend esteem of those sacred 
 writings, and advise them to a frequent reading and meditat- 
 ing therein. And that ministers, as well as elders and others, 
 in all their preaching, writing, and conversing about the things 
 of God, do keep to the form of sound words, or Scripture 
 terms ; and that none pretend to be wise above what is there 
 written."— 1728. 
 
 Also to be very careful to prevent their children and ser- 
 vants from reading such vile and corrupt hooTis (some of 
 which have been published of late,) as manifestly tend to op- 
 pose and reject the divine authority of the Holy Scriptures, 
 and to introduce Deism, Atheism 'and all manner of infidelity 
 and corruption, both in principle and practice" — 1729. 
 
 " With Jhis view we did last year, and do now again, ear- 
 nestly recommend and beseech all Friends, to admonish and 
 exhort the youth under their care, not to read, but refrain from 
 all such books as tend to make void the divine authority of the 
 Holy Scriptures, and to promote profaneness and infidelity in 
 the earth."— 1730. 
 
 "And that mothers of children as well as fathers (as they 
 have frequently the best opportunities) would take particular 
 
42 
 
 care to instruct them in the knowledge of religion and the 
 Holy Scriptures ; because it hath been found, by experience, 
 that good impressions, made early on the tender minds of 
 children, have proved lasting means of preserving them in a 
 religious life and conversation. This practice was enjoined 
 strongly upon the people of Israel by Moses and Joshua, the 
 servants of the Lord, who required them to read or repeat 
 the law to their children. And the apostle Paul takes notice 
 of Timothy's being well instructed in the Holy Scriptures 
 from a child ; and of the unfeigned faith which dwelt in his 
 grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice, 2 Tim. i, 5, who 
 no doubt had a religious care of his education. We farther 
 tenderly recommend to all heads of families, that they do fre- 
 quently call their children and servants together ; and in a 
 solemn, religious way, cause them to read the Holy Scrip- 
 tures."— 1731. 
 
 " We tenderly and earnestly advise and exhort all parents? 
 and masters of families, that they exert themselves in the 
 wisdom of God, and in the strength of his love, to instruct 
 their children and families in the doctrines and precepts of 
 the Christian religion contained in the Holy Scriptures ; and 
 that they excite them to the diligent reading of those sacred 
 writings, which plainly set forth the miraculous conception, 
 birth, holy hfe, wonderful works, blessed example, meritori- 
 ous death, and glorious resurrection, ascension, and mediation 
 of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and to educate their 
 children in the behef of those important truths as well as in 
 the belief of the inward manifestation and operation of the 
 Spirit of God on their own minds, that they may reap the 
 benefit and advantage thereof, for their own peace and ever- 
 lasting happiness, which is infinitely preferable to all other 
 considerations. We therefore exhort, in the most eai-nest 
 manner, that all be very careful in this respect; a neglect 
 herein being, in our judgment, very blame-worthy. 
 
 "And further: where any deficiency of this sort appears, 
 we recommend to Monthly and Quarterly Meetings, that they 
 stir up those whom it may concern to their duty therein." — 
 1732. 
 
 " Dear Friends, we must remind you to take all convenient 
 
43 
 
 opportunities to put your children upon reading and meditat- 
 ing in the Holy Scriptures ; which having proceeded from the 
 dictates of the Holy Spirit, do afford the most comfortable 
 and salutary instructions of all writings whatever, as we have 
 heretofore often advised, and particularly in our Epistles of 
 the two last years, in which the advices on this head being 
 large and comprehensive, we refer thereto." — 1733. 
 
 " As there has been heretofore, so there yet remains upon 
 this meeting a peculiar regard to, and weighty concern for, 
 the offspring of Friends, that the rising generation might 
 be trained up in the principles and practice of the Christian 
 religion. In order whereunto, as formerly, so now again, we 
 recommend an humble waiting upon the Lord for the mani- 
 festation of his power and Spirit, and a diligent reading of 
 the Holy Scriptures in your families ; and that masters of 
 families, parents and guardians of children, at proper and 
 convenient opportunities, would stir up those under their 
 care to diligence herein : shewing them that those sacred 
 writings do contain the doctrines and principles of our pro- 
 fession."— 1734. 
 
 " We think it will contribute very much to your success in 
 these endeavours, if you put them frequently in a solemn 
 manner upon reading the Holy Scriptures, especially such 
 parts of them as relate to the great doctrines and precepts of 
 the Christian religion; and then wait upon God with them^ 
 that you may become instruments to open their understand- 
 ings ; and in the sense of his power and wisdom, press them 
 closely to the practice of what they read. Such an exercise 
 as this, begun early, and frequently repeated, we recommend 
 as the indispensable duty of all concerned, and the most likely 
 means for the preservation and improvement of children in the 
 way of truth ; and through the Lord's blessing, to secure 
 them from being prevailed upon by the many false, deceitful 
 spirits that are gone forth into the world, tending to subvert 
 the Christian faith, and a practice and conversation agreeable 
 thereto."— 1735. 
 
 " We find it our duty, also, to remind you, that a godly 
 concern may always rest upon your minds, for the good edu- 
 cation of your children in the nurture and admonition of the 
 
44 
 
 Lord. Excite them to a frequent reading of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, and a reverent regard to the blessed truths therein 
 contained." — 1738. 
 
 " Dear Friends, as much as in you lies, encourage a fre- 
 quent and diligent reading of the Holy Scriptures in your 
 families. In them are contained the promises of eternal life 
 and salvation. For as a steady trust and belief in the pro- 
 mises of God, and a frequent meditation in the law of the 
 Lord, was the preservation of a remnant in old time, so it is 
 even to this day. And as a distrust and disbelief of the pro- 
 mises of God, and a neglect of his holy law, was the occasion 
 of the complaints made against the Jews, the posterity of 
 Abraham ; even so we have reason to fear, that the apparent 
 declension in our time of true piety and godly zeal, in many 
 places, is too much owing to a disregard of the doctrines of 
 the Holy Scriptures, and the promises of the Holy Spirit in 
 them recorded." — 1740. 
 
 *' Dear Friends, We think it necessary to renew our former 
 advices to parents and guardians of youth, that to the utmost 
 of their power, they train them up in the nurture and admo- 
 nition of the Lord, and in the frequent reading of the Holy 
 Scriptures. Let this be more your care than to gather riches 
 and heap up wealth for them." — 1742. 
 
 " We think it especially necessary at this time to remind 
 you of the former advices of this meeting, respecting a 
 frequent and diligent reading of the Holy Scriptures ; the 
 doctrines contained in those inspired writings, duly attended 
 to, and firmly impressed upon the minds of our young people, 
 may be a means of presei'ving them from the danger and 
 infection of such corrupt and irreligious principles, as having 
 a tendency to the exaltation of self and human abilities, 
 would lessen their dependence on the power and Spirit of 
 God, their only security and preservation." — 1743. 
 
 " We also recommend to school masters and mistresses, to 
 educate the children committed to their charge in the fre- 
 quent reading of those sacred writings." — 1745. 
 
 " The several advices and exhortations formerly given forth 
 by this meeting, and particularly in our Epistle of the last 
 year, viz. frequently to wait upon the Lord in your families; 
 
45 
 
 to exercise yourselves in often reading the Holy Scriptures, 
 and observing the excellent precepts therein contained, are 
 again earnestly recommended to your serious consideration 
 and practice." — 1749. 
 
 "We earnestly exhort and entreat you to abide stedfast'in 
 the faith of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and to take 
 heed lest any of you be seduced by the craft and subtlety of 
 designing men, some of whom have published books tending 
 to alienate the minds of men from the true and saving faith, 
 and to lead them to a disesteem of the Holy Scriptures, and 
 the principles of the Christian Religion therein contained. 
 Beware, lest any of you, who profess to follow the light of 
 Christ, be drawn aside from the simplicity of his truth, and 
 diverted from your obedience to his holy cross by imbibing 
 such principles as would promote a disbelief of his gospel, 
 and of the important doctrines revealed in the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, necessary to be believed, in order to the salvation of 
 those to whom they are so revealed." — 1750. 
 
 "We also tenderly advise you to bring up your children and 
 families in the frequent reading of the Holy Scriptures; and 
 to use your utmost endeavours to prevent their having and 
 reading such books as tend to profaneness and irreligion, and 
 to alienate their minds from the love of God, and obedience 
 to his requirings." — 1753. 
 
 "You who are parents, or masters, be diligent in frequently 
 reading the Holy Scriptures, advising and exhorting your 
 children and servants to the same." — 1755. 
 
 "Another point of duty, we find in our minds to press upon 
 all at this time is, that you be frequently conversant with the 
 Holy Scriptures, by the good providence of God preserved 
 down to our time, which contain the most excellent declara- 
 tions of his love to men, our duty to him, and one to another, 
 and most certainly, through faith in Christ Jesus, tend to our 
 instruction in righteousness." — 1765. 
 
 " As next to our own souls, our offspring are the most imme- 
 diate objects of our care and concern, it is earnestly recom- 
 mended to all parents and guardians of children, that the 
 most early opportunities may be taken in their tender years, 
 to impress upon them a sense of the Divine Being, His wis- 
 
46 
 
 dom, power, and omnipresence, so as to beget a reverent 
 awe and fear of him in their hearts ; and as their capacities 
 enlarge, to acquaint them with the Holy Scriptures, by fre- 
 quent and diligent reading therein, instructing them in the 
 great love of God to mankind through Jesus Christ, the 
 work of salvation by him, and sanctification through his 
 blessed Spirit." — 1767. 
 
 " We earnestly request that parents and all others who have 
 youth under their tuition inure them to the frequent and 
 diligent reading of the sacred writings, which through divine 
 goodness are afforded to us, for our instruction in righteous- 
 ness, and that we through patience and comfort of the 
 Sci'iptures might have hope." — 1769. 
 
 "We conclude with recommending you individually to the 
 grace and good Spirit of God in your own hearts (the sure 
 guide to salvation,) and to the diligent perusal of the Holy 
 Scriptures, particularly of those in which is recoi'ded an ac- 
 count of the life, doctrines, and sufferings of our blessed 
 Saviour ; beseeching you reverently and humbly to walk 
 according to that holy pattern." — 1792. 
 
 " Seeing, we doubt not, that a perusal of the Scriptures is 
 the frequent employ of many families, we desire that the 
 servants may be made partakers of the benefits resulting 
 from the practice, and from occasional opportunities of retire- 
 ment in spirit. Indeed we are afresh engaged to press upon 
 Friends a diligent acquaintance with the sacred records, and 
 a diligent endeavour to store the minds of their tender off- 
 spring with the great truths of Christian i-edemption." — 1805. 
 
 " It has afforded us much satisfaction to believe that the 
 Christian practice of daily reading in families a portion of 
 Holy Scripture, with a subsequent pause for retirement and 
 reflexion, is increasing amongst us. We conceive that it is 
 both the duty and the interest of those who believe in the 
 doctrines of the gospel, and who possess the invaluable treasure 
 of the sacred records, frequently to recur to them for instruc- 
 tion and consolation. We are desirous that this wholesome 
 domestic regulation may be adopted every where. Heads of 
 families who have themselves experienced the benefit of re- 
 ligious instruction will do well to consider, whether in this 
 
47 
 
 respect, they have not a duty to discharge to their servants 
 and others of their household. Parents looking sincerely 
 for help to Him of whom these Scriptures testify, may not 
 unfrequently on such occasions, feel themselves enabled and 
 engaged to open to the minds of their interesting charge the 
 great truths of Christian duty and Christian redemption." — 
 1815. 
 
 " We are glad to know that the daily reading of the Holy 
 Scriptures in the families of Friends is so prevalent as it is, 
 and we earnestly desire that this practice may be observed by 
 all our members ; and that those who neglect the performance 
 of it would seriously consider the great injury which they and 
 their families suffer by such omission. The more we rightly 
 know and comprehend the truths of the Bible, the more we 
 shall find that they contribute, under the power of the Holy 
 Spirit, by their practical application to our moral and religious 
 conduct, to lead us forward in the way of life and salvation. 
 We therefore earnestly recommend to all the diligent private 
 reading of the sacred volume, in addition to the practice 
 already alluded to."— 1828. 
 
 " In addition to the practice of the family reading of the 
 Holy Scriptures, the importance of which we deeply feel, be 
 encouraged often to read them in private : cherish a humble 
 and sincere desire to receive them in their geniiitie import ; 
 and at the same time, dear Friends, avoid all vain speculations 
 upon unfulfilled prophecy. Forbear from presumptuously 
 endeavouring to determine the mode of the future govern- 
 ment of the world, or of the church of Christ. Seek an 
 enlightened sense of the various delusions of our common 
 enemy, to which we are all liable : ask of God that your 
 meditations upon the sacred writings may be under the influ- 
 ence of the Holy Spirit ; their effect when thus read, is to 
 promote an increase of practical piety, and the right perform- 
 ance of all our civil and religious duties, and not to encourage 
 vain and fruitless investigations. Remember, dear Friends, 
 that they are " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc- 
 tion, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God 
 may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 
 And whilst we fully acknowledge that " all Scripture is given 
 
48 
 
 by inspiration of God," a view supported by sound and 
 undeniable rational evidence, let us ever bear in mind, that 
 it is only through faith which is in Christ Jesus that they are 
 able to make wise unto salvation. As this precious faith is 
 sought for and prevails, the evidence of the Spirit of God in 
 our hearts most satisfactorily confirms our belief in the divine 
 authority of these inestimable writings, and increases our 
 gratitude for the possession of them, and for the knowledge 
 of that redemption which comes by the Lord Jesus." — 1832. 
 
 The advices which have thus frequently been given by 
 the Yearly Meeting of London, on the subject of a diligent 
 reading of the Holy Scriptures, have been cordially received 
 by its members. This is proved by the practice so generally 
 prevalent among Friends of Great Britain and Ireland, of 
 assembling their families at least once in the day, for the pur- 
 pose of hearing a portion of Scripture, and of afterwards 
 waiting on the Lord, for a short time, in silence. 
 
 The care of Friends to promote a knowledge of Scripture 
 among those who are placed under their authority, was evin- 
 ced at an early period of the Society's history. This conclu- 
 sion may fairly be deduced from the interesting fact that in 
 the year 167.5, Friends in the Island of Barbadoes, were 
 exposed to persecution because of their zealous endeavours 
 to instruct the Negroes, on their estates, in a knowledge of 
 the Holy Scriptures. — See SeweVs History, vol. ii, p. 518. 
 
 " For when they, to bring their Negroes, if possible to 
 some knowledge of the true God, caused them to meet toge- 
 ther for an hour or two once a week, to instruct them accord- 
 ing to their capacity, by reading to them some part of the 
 Holy Scriptures, and speaking something to this purpose : a 
 law was made, forbidding the Quakers to let their Negroes 
 come into their meetings, tiiough kept in their own houses, on 
 pain of forfeiting every such Negro as was found there, or 
 ten pounds instead thereof." 
 
 PRINTED BY JOSIAH FLETCHER, UPPER HAYMARKET. 
 
4 ^ - If 
 
Date Due 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 PRINTED 
 
 IN U. S. A.