Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

From the miser's cursed treasure,
From the drunkard's jest obscene,
From the world, its pomp and pleasure,
Jesus! Master! make us clean!

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT.

Oн Thou whom neither time nor space
Can circle in, unseen, unknown,
Nor faith in boldest flight can trace,

Save through Thy Spirit and Thy Son!
And Thou, that from thy bright abode
To us in mortal weakness shown,
Didst graft the manhood into God,
Eternal, co-eternal Son!

And thou, whose unction from on high
By comfort, light, and love is known;
Who, with the Parent Deity,

Dread Spirit! art for ever one!
Great First and Last! thy blessing give!
And grant us faith, thy gift alone,
To love and praise Thee while we live,
And do whate'er thou wouldst have done!

WHITSUNDAY.

SPIRIT of Truth! on this thy day

To Thee for help we cry,
To guide us through the dreary way
Of dark mortality!

We ask not, Lord! thy cloven flame,
Or tongues of various tone;
But long thy praises to proclaim

With fervour in our own.
We mourn not that prophetic skill
Is found on earth no more;
Enough for us to trace thy will
In Scripture's sacred lore.
We neither have nor seek the power
Ill demons to control;
But Thou, in dark temptation's hour,
Shalt chase them from the soul.
No heavenly harpings soothe our ear,
No mystic dreams we share,
Yet hope to feel Thy comfort near,
And bless Thee in our prayer.

When tongues shall cease, and power decay,

And knowledge empty prove,
Do Thou thy trembling servants stay
With Faith, with Hope, with Love!

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

FORTH from the dark and stormy sky,
Lord, to thine altar's shade we fly;
Forth from the world, its hope and fear,
Saviour, we seek thy shelter here;
Weary and weak, thy grace we pray:
Turn not, O Lord! thy guests away!
Long have we roam'd in want and pain,
Long have we sought thy rest in vain ;
Wilder'd in doubt, in darkness lost,
Long have our souls been tempest-tost,
Low at thy feet our sins we lay;
Turn not, Oh Lord! thy guests away!

[blocks in formation]

From the Evangelical Magazine for September last.

THE gathering clouds obscure the sky,
The trembling birds to covert fly,
The awe-struck herds forbear to rove,
And stillness reigns throughout the grove,
The mower drops his scythe, to flee
To friendly cot, or shelt'ring tree;
While nature, in each varied form,
In silent dread awaits the storm.
Now flash to flash, with lurid glare,
Succeeds, and lights the murky air;
And hark! above, from pole to pole,
The loud, terrific thunders roll.
Why shrinks my friend? why pale with
fear?

Say, dost thou feel that God is near?
And think'st thou not, when warblers fill
Thy bower, that he is nigh thee still?

In every flower which round thee blows-
In every blade of grass which grows-
In every glade which cheers thine eye-
In every stream which ripples by-
On every mount-in every dale-
In every wave-in every gale-
A thousand tongues, thro' nature's frame,
A God, a present God, proclaim!
And oh! if terror dim thine eye,
When summer storms pronounce him nigh,
How wilt thou meet that dreadful day,
When heaven and earth shall melt away?
Go to that blood whose cleansing flow
Shall make thy bosom pure as snow!
That blood, to him its aid who seeks,
Far better things than Abel's speaks.
Then, then thy soul, redeem'd, forgiven,
Released from sin, at peace with heaven,
Shall mark, unmoved, ev'n that dread fire,
In which ten thousand orbs expire.

[blocks in formation]

It is not Health-it is not Health,
That makes me fain to linger here;
For I have languish'd on in pain
This many a year.

It is not Hope-it is not Hope,
From which I cannot turn away;
Oh, earthly Hope hath cheated me
This many a day.

But there are
Friends,
To whom I could not say "Farewell!"
Without a pang more hard to bear

Friends—but there are

Than tongue can tell.

But there's a thought-but there's a thought,

Will arm me with that pang to cope: Thank God! we shall not part with those Who have no hope.

And some are gone-and some are gone,—
Methinks they chide my long delay,-
With whom, it seem'd, my very life
Went half away.

But we shall meet-but we shall meet,
Where parting tears shall never flow;
And when I think thereon, almost
I long to go.
The Saviour wept-the Saviour wept
O'er him he lov'd-corrupting clay!
But then he spake the word, and Death
Gave up his prey!

A little while-a little while,
And the dark Grave shall yield its trust;
Yea, render every atom up

Of human dust.

What matters then-what matters then,
Who earliest lays him down to rest?—
Nay, "to depart, and be with Christ,"
Is surely best.

Reviews.

Engagements, both of a publick and domestick character, have so imperiously demanded our attention through the past month, that we could find no time to read books, much less to review them; and our correspondents have not supplied our lack of leisure, by yielding us assistance in this department of our work. We do not, however, believe that our readers will be losers by the absence of original communications. We shall make an abridg

[blocks in formation]

"Evidence to fact is, of course, limited ment of two short, but important to actual by-standers; but very important

1827.

Burton's Testimonies of the Ante-Nicene Fathers.

illustrations of evidence may be obtained from contemporaries or immediate successors; and it is in this point of view that we are chiefly inclined to regard the early Fathers of the Church. Respecting the occurrences and opinions of their own times, and their derivation from dates immediately preceding, they may be direct evidence; but, beyond this, their testimony, how important soever, can be considered only as subsidiary. We learn, so far as their statements extend, from the earlier Fathers, what was the state of things in the Apostolic ages; and from their successors we obtain, what is scarcely less valuable, the history of opinion, its changes and gradual corruptions, the deterioration of discipline, with the slow but sure progress of secularization in the Church. This affords illustration of a kind, which, though it must, when compared with primary evidence, be considered as inferior and indirect, is yet highly important and efficient. The very progress of error gives attestation to the existence of original truth, while the mutilations and defacements of prejudice may afford indications of the shape and lineaments under which that truth at first appeared. Clement of Rome, and 1gnatius, for instance, were contemporaries of the apostles; and, unless cause be shown to the contrary, it is reasonable to expect from them, so far as the nature and extent of their remaining writings may al low, clear and direct testimony to apostolic doctrine.

Clement and Ignatius, if they found things hard to be understood in the writings of the apostles, could refer for a solution of the difficulty, either to the writers themselves, or to other apostles who had known them familiarly, and who had laboured together with them. There are some points of doctine, of which it seems impossible to conceive that Clement and Ignatius could be ignorant. To suppose that they did not know whether Peter or Paul, or John, believed Jesus Christ to be essentially God, or a mere mortal man, seems as improbable, nay, I would say, as impossible, as to suppose that they did not know, whether these apostles believed Jesus Christ to have been actually nailed to the cross. If Clement and Ig * natius did know what was the belief of the apostles concerning the divinity or humanity of Jesus, it necessarily follows, that they held the same belief themselves; and though the writings which they have left are extremely few, it is highly probable, that some traces of their belief upon this subject would appear in their own works; at all events, it becomes very important that their writings should be exaVOL. V.-Ch. Adv.

505

mined, that we may see whether such traces exist or no.

If we carry the same train of reasoning into the second century, we shall find a similar improbability, that Justin or Irenæus, who had seen and heard the contemporaries of the apostles, should not know for certain what was the apostolical doctrine concerning the nature of Christ. It may be said, that the further we advance from the original source, the greater chance there is of our meeting with accidental errors and intentional corruptions. But this remark, though often made, requires some restriction and qualification. That a greater number of persons should be followers of an error which had already existed, and that heresies themselves should increase, was likely to happen, as the knowledge of Christianity extended: but the very increase of Christianity made it more and more difficult that all Christians should unite in corrupting their common faith.

In all controversies, whatsoever, it is

Re

desirable to narrow the question as much as may be practicable, without affecting the essential character of the subject under discussion; and it fortunately happens that, in the extensive and diversified dispute between the Socinians and the Or. thodox, so far as the matter of testimony is concerned, the debate may be taken on one grand point-What was the creed of the Church, during the first three centuries of its history, with reference to the divinity of Christ. That the Council of Nice, held in A.D. 325, affirmed that cardinal doctrine in its most decided form, is admitted by all parties; and the point to be determined involves only the senti ments of the Ante-Nicene Fathers. specting these, the most contradictory as sertions have been made. Theophilus Lindsey, in his Apology, intrepidly asserts, that 'All Christian people, for upwards of three hundred years after Christ, till the Council of Nice, were generally Unitarians, what is now called either Arian or Socinian.' Gilbert Clerke, in his Ante-Nicænismus, affirms, that it has been made evident from undoubted testimonies of the Fathers, that the opinion of the Ante-Nicene doctors was either thoroughly Arian, or very near being so, unquestionably nearer to the error whereinto Arius had fallen, than to the fancies of the schoolmen, or, which is all one, to the decretory articles of our modern Homoousians.' And Mr. Belsham follows in the same course, by maintaining, that 'the great body of primitive Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, for the first two centuries and upwards, were Unitarians, and believers in the simple humanity of SS

E

Jesus Christ.' Of all these rash and unauthorized expositions, the writings of Bishop Bull furnish a complete and unanswerable refutation; and to those who have sufficient mastery of the language in which he addressed his readers, his works will supersede the necessity for application elsewhere. But, for general inquirers, and even for students who, from inadequate leisure or other causes, are unable to encounter the close examination of his invaluable folio, something more accessible and convenient was desirable. This deficiency was partially supplied by the very creditable "Inquiry into the Belief of the Christians of the first three centuries, respecting the one Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," by William Burgh, published in 1778. There was quite enough in this interesting volume to put to shame Mr. Lindsey's peremptory assertion, in refutation of which it was compiled; but it was neither complete nor accurate enough for a permanent and satisfactory record. He is honourably mentioned, and fairly characterized by Mr. Burton.

"It was the object of this gentleman (Mr. Burgh), to present a series of testimonies from the Ante-Nicene Fathers, arranged in chronological order; and, when we consider that he was a layman who had not long directed his studies to that line of reading, we must agree that the praise which was bestowed upon his book, was not unmerited. But he has certainly not noticed all the passages which might be adduced; and from not having used the best editions, he has sometimes made assertions which are not borne out by the original passage."

That which Mr. Burgh had imperfectly executed, has been fully and most satisfactorily accomplished by Mr. Bur ton, whose admirable volume comprises both a triumphant refutation of all the hazarded statements, specimens of which we have just cited, and a spirited sketch of ecclesiastical literature, within the li-, mits to which it is confined. The book is well-written, and the incidental criticisms and dissertations are judiciously introduced, and worked out with much ability. The translations are clear, and, in all the instances where we have compared them with the original, entirely faithful. We would, in short, most strongly recommend the volume, not only to students in divinity, but to all who feel interested in the momentous inquiries which it comprehends.

Much use has been made of Dr. Routh's admirable Reliquiæ Sacra, a work which we mention here the more particularly, because, if our information be cor

It seems unnecessary that we should enter at large into the statements connected with the question, here discussed, since such a course would occupy much space, without, after all, superseding the necessity for more extensive investiga. tions. We should find it an easy and a profitable task to abridge the volume in our hands, but its various and interesting matter would be inadequately represented by a meagre analysis, and its own cheap and convenient form makes such a process additionally inexpedient. If we were to dilate on any subject connected with this publication, it would be on the advantages derivable, even to general readers, from its perusal. They might feel at first a little difficulty in fixing their attention; but this, a small degree of perseverance would overcome, and they would be richly repaid in the satisfaction derived from the inspection of original authori ties, and their consequent ability to frame their own results. An insight, superficial certainly, but sufficient for average purposes, will be gained, into what may be called the early literature of Christianity, independently of the complete body of illustration which is supplied on the main discussions are ably conducted, and tend object of investigation. The occasional to throw light on portions of Scripture, of which the import and application have been disputed. To exemplify the fair and satisfactory manner in which Mr. Burton manages his elucidatory comments, we shall cite a part of his examination of the testimony of Clemens Alexandrinus, A. D. 194. The passage illustrated is from the Stromata 1, VII. c. 10.

"Clement, having described the progress of a Christian, from faith to know. ledge, and from knowledge to charity, by which he means the practical exercise of all Christian graces, quotes a passage from the 24th Psalm to support his observation. The quotation differs from the Hebrew, but agrees with the Septuagint version. "Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn to deceive his neighbour. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour. This is the generation of them that seek the Lord, that seek the face of the God of Jacob.” ver. 3 rect, it is likely to become of difficult acquisition. The sale has been, we believe, somewhat heavy, as from the nature of the subject might have been anticipated; but some peculiar circumstances connected with the warehouse management, have, we understand, materially diminished the number of copies.

-6. Upon which words, Clement makes the following observations. "The prophet has given a brief description of the man of knowledge. David has shown to us cursorily, as it appears, that the Saviour is God, calling him the face of the God of Jacob, who has given us glad tidings and instructions concerning the Spirit: wherefore, also, the apostle has called the Son the express image of his Father's glory, who hath taught us the truth concerning God, and expressly declared that God the Father is one and alone, the Almighty, whom no man knoweth, save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him. (Matt. xi. 27.) He signifies that God is one, by the expression, them that seek the face of the God of Jacob; whom our Saviour and God describes as being alone good, God

the Father.

"This passage becomes more intelligible, when we remember, that Clement calls Christ the face of the Father. It was his opinion, as it was of all the early Fathers, that whenever God was said in the Old Testament, to be seen, as he was by Jacob, (Gen. xxxii. 30,) and by Moses, (Exod. xxxiii. 11,) face to face, it was not God the Father, but God the Son, who appeared: and thus they called the Son the face of the Father, or that form under which he chose to reveal himself to man. Thus.......he says: "The face of God is the Word, by whom God is made manifest and known:" and in another place, "The Son is called the face of the Father, the Word who took our flesh, and revealed that which belongs peculiarly to the Father." Origen also has used the same expression: upon those words, Psalm lxxx. 7, "Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved," he says: "he bere calls Christ the face: for he is the image of the invisible God:" and upon Psalm cxix. 58, which he translates, "I intreated thy face with my whole heart," he says, "The face of God is the express image of His substance, as I have often observed." "Clement therefore conceived David to have intended Christ, when he speaks of the face of the God of Jacob; and, according to this interpretation, David makes our Saviour to be God, as Clement observes and yet he also says, that there is only one God, in proof of which he quotes the declaration of our Saviour who is himself God. Unless we believe Clement to have considered the Son to be united in the Godhead with the Father, the whole of this passage is unintelligible; but if we admit the idea of two persons in one Godhead, the meaning of it is perfectly plain, though we may perhaps not think the reasoning altogether judicious.' After all, gratifying as it is to find this great truth sustained by a continuous se

ries of testimonies from the apostolic times, the evidence of the Council of Nice is, even without all this, decisive of the faith held in the earlier periods of the Christian Church. It might be intrepid enough in Daniel Zuicker to describe the Fathers of that assembly as novæ fider conditores; but it was only of a piece with his derivation of the Trinitarian heresy from Simon Magus and the Orphic verses, through Justin Martyr and the Platonizing Fathers, to the universal Church. Ab. surdities like these require no answer The onus probandi lies like an incubus upon their authors; and before we can believe that the whole Christian world, at the simple dictum of the Nicene Fathers, promptly, silently, and definitively chang ed its belief, we require proof, not of the fact that may be dispensed with-but of the possibility of such an event. At the same time, the utter falsehood of the po sition has been demonstrated by Bishop Bull, and by other able men, among whom Mr. Burton may claim an elevated place.

THE PASTOR'S SKETCH BOOK; or, Authentic Narratives of Real Characters. Edited by George Redford, A.M. Fcp. 8vo. pp. 232. Price 5s. London. 1826.

*

cast.

[blocks in formation]

The sanction of Mr. Redford's name would of itself be an adequate guarantee, that the work to which might stand prefixed, has strong claims to public attention; and he has not given it lightly or inconsiderately on the present occasion. This Sketch-book' contains a series of narratives fraught with uncommon interest and invaluable instruction. Some of them, indeed, are of a most impressive 'The Living Conscience and the Dead Heart,' is a most terrific exemplifi. cation of its title. The Persecutors' is more varied in its character, but not less awful in some of its circumstances. The 'Tracts' consists of two gratifying narratives, excellently told. Village History' exhibits a delightful view of the miraculous effects produced by the establishment of a Sunday school, in a place previously quite destitute of evangelical instruction. There are others of not inferior worth; but for these and for details, we must refer to the work itself, which is well got up in all respects. The poetical mottoes are judiciously selected, and add to the interest of the circumstances which they introduce.

[ocr errors]

Ministers are, from the nature of their office, made acquainted with facts and cir.

« AnteriorContinuar »