Correspondence. ANSWERS TO SCRIPTURE QUERIES. Dear Sir.-To the Scripture queries contained in the August number of The Bible Treasury, I beg to offer the following answers: COMING OF THE SON OF MAN. With respect to Matt. x. 23, "Ye shall not have gone over (finished) the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come," it must be borne in mind, that when Jesus addressed these words to his disciples, he had as yet said nothing to them respecting the coming of the Holy Spirit, or regarding the destruction of Jerusalem; nor had he spoken to them of his going away, and of his coming again. With these matters he made them acquainted at a subsequent period of his ministry. The words under consideration cannot, therefore, I think, have reference to any of these events, but must relate to some other, which was known to, and looked for by the disciples. I submit whether that event be not "the coming of the Son of man spoken of by the prophet Daniel, which Christ afterwards identified with his own coming in glory? If this be admitted, the sense of the passage would be: natural day of twenty-four hours, but a period of time at the close of the present dispensation, commencing with the Saviour's second advent, of the duration of which we have no means of judging, except from a consideration of the great events that are to take place therein, which are spoken of in numerous passages of Scripture. By collecting the principal of those passages, and arranging them under appropriate heads, "Beta" may obtain an idea of the import of the expressions, "The day of the Lord, and “The last day." Yours, &c., S. W. MILLENNIAL HARBINGER MISSION. "Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon." Zech. ii. 7. It is my unspeakable privilege to have been for upwards of twenty years beloved of the Lord, and called. It is, however, a source of pain to me that, only for a few years past, have I been led to see and appreciate the precious treasures of truth and grace wrapped up in the prophecies. But of late, the dim gold has been brightened, and the lustre of the holy prophetic page has shed upon my soul a hallowed and overwhelming light. Still the celestial effulgence of divine wisdom, from the glory of which the Spirit of God has swept back " thick clouds of darkness," has exposed to me the world lying in the wicked one, and the church, as in the parable of the virgins, slumberThe object of your mission to Israel, on which I now sending and sleeping, even while "the Lord is at hand." This you, shall not be completed, or accomplished, "till the coming brings me to the main object of my letter. of the Son of man," predicted by Daniel vii. 13; the work of evangelizing Israel shall be continued throughout the present dispensation, How needful this intimation of the Saviour to his disciples was, and still is, must be obvious to those who review the small amount of evangelistic labour that has hitherto been bestowed upon the Jewish people. On the important bearing of the words, however, as respects the church's duty to Israel, I shall not at present enter. OVERFLOW OF THE BANKS OF JORDAN. The passage in Joshua iii. 15, referred to in the 2nd query, in which it is said, that "Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest," is a mistranslation. The Hebrew word mala, rendered in our authorised version, "overflows," has no such meaning; but signifies fills, and ought to have been so translated," Jordan fills all its banks," &c. That is, it runs with its banks brim-full during that season of the year; which is in accordance with its present state, as observed by travellers. THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD RAISED. For understanding Rev. xx. 4, in its literal and obvious meaning, we possess a divine warrant which ought to cut short all controversy on the subject. In ch. xi. 17, 18, the same great events are particularly spoken of in language, the literality of which cannot be doubted. From this passage we, moreover, learn, that the martyrs are not exclusively the subjects of the first resurrection, but that all the righteous dead partake therein: "We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets; and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, small and great." That this takes place at the commencement of the millennial period, is clear from verse 15. THE CALLING OF THE DISCIPLES. There is no discrepancy between what John relates, chapter i. 35-42, respecting Andrew and Simon following Jesus at Jordan, and the account given by the other evangelists of their being called at the sea of Galilee. John describes the first interview which those two disciples had with Jesus, but says nothing regarding their subsequent call at the sea of Galilee. That Andrew and Simon, after this interview with Jesus, returned to their occupation as fishermen, is very evident from Luke's narrative, chapter v. 1—11. THE DAY OF THE LORD. "The day of the Lord," and "the last day," as occurring in the New Testament, do not signify, as many have supposed, a I believe the Lord has, for some time past, laid it upon my heart to suggest to saints generally a new mission to the church and to the world, a mission of holy, devoted, and Spirit-taught evangelists, who shall cry out in the streets, and in any place else, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh!" I regard this solemnly as the work for the saints who hold the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, the truth concerning the second advent of the Lord, who is coming in clouds and fire, to take vengeance upon those who know not God, etc. So zation or operation: possibly I am not able to do this; and I do not feel led to offer anything like a scheme for organiperhaps the Lord has only impelled me to make the suggestion to his people, and to ask them to unite with me and a few the Lord, and to be ready to act as the Spirit shall direct. others to whom it has been mentioned, to pray over it before strongly, indeed, has the matter been impressed upon my own mind, that my conscience has impelled me to the work; and in private, in the house of prayer, in the street, and in the field, has the Lord owned his servant in calling attention to his great and bitter cry of coming judgment upon those who believe not the gospel, and upon a nominal and worldly church, whilst he comforts the true and loving church with the words, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh! Go ye out to meet him!" 66 IOTA. PRESENT OR FUTURE HAPPINESS? subscriber," will find the best answer to his enquiry as to the Sir, I venture to suggest, that your correspondent, "A meaning of the apostle's language, “ Eye hath not seen," etc., 1 Cor. ii. 9, in the preceding context. 4th verses, contrasts the character of his preaching with that The apostle in the 3rd and of mere philosophic teachers, who sought to captivate the itching ears of their auditory with "enticing words." declares his preaching to have been devoid of such accessories to " effect"; but in place of these, there was that which alone could savingly operate upon the hearts of men-" demonstration and power of the Spirit." In the 5th verse, we have contrasted the proximate result of his preaching: faith founded not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. He of his preaching with that of those he had previously referred to; he as they, preached wisdom; but it was not that of this world, nor of those who are as princes in wisdom that cometh to nought; but higher wisdom, divine wisdom, even the grace of God which bringeth salvation, of which by faith we enjoy the earnest now, viz., peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, but are waiting for the full fruition in that glory to which we were ordained by God before the world, and upon which we enter when Christ cometh the second time without sin unto Then in the succeeding verses, the apostle contrasts the topic salvation. This precious wisdom was, as it always will be, a mystery to a scoffing world. They saw only the suffering Saviour, the despised and rejected of men, and the bulk of his sincerest followers, earth's lowliest sons. They scoffed at that glory which is the hope of our hearts: had they known it, says the apostle, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory But they knew it not (i. e. the glory), as it is written, "Eye hath not seen," etc. Yet is this coming glory revealed to us by the Spirit now, so far as we are capable of spiritual discernment, to comfort and to cheer us through our earthly pilgrimage. Believers are not taught to look for happiness here. To find, or even to seek, satisfaction here is not to follow in the steps of Jesus. He was a stranger, a pilgrim and a sufferer in the world. The apostle said, "If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable." The Saviour said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." The teaching of the Spirit is, "Set your affections on things above." "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." "Jesus is the believer's treasure; with Jesus must his heart be: "Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside (in comparison with) thee." The believer is a pilgrim in the pathway of the Lord; his feet traversed earth's dreary deserts, and he found it a world lying in wickedness, but he was here to do the Father's will, and there was the joy set before him. We likewise traverse the same guilty world, and, were we as our Lord, our testimony would be the echo of his; we likewise are here to do our Father's will, and we also have the joy set before us, even to share our Saviour's glory. But before that, there comes what Panl strove for the fellowship of his sufferings. It may be the solitary path, the scorn of men; the coldness or even hatred of fellow christians; it may be bodily weakness, physical suffering, mental anguish, or the heart's own bitterness; it may be sorrow upon sorrow, that those whose love we cherish, love not him whom we love. Or it may be the ever-present thought that we are breathing an atmosphere poisoned with sin and death: that we are passing through an enemy's country in which the prince of the power of the air, the god of this world, goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; who holds his victims so securely that, unless the power of the Spirit is interposed in sovereign mercy for their deliverance, they can never escape, and who is ever plying even God's own ransomed ones with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; if by any means he may draw them away from following holiness, and thus destroy their peace of mind. Surely if we have the mind of Christ, we have some fellowship with his sufferings, for to be Jesus-like, is to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief! The christian can have no higher aim than perfect union, and communion in fellowship and sympathy with his Lord, for time and for eternity-here his crown of thorns, there his crown of glory, even that which "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man." Yours, &c., DISCIPLE. [Although we agree with our correspondent in what he says, as to the vast contrast which exists between the present and the future state of the Christian, yet we think that the apostle did not mean to draw the attention of the Corinthian church to this contrast, but to that which exists between the present and the past; between the state of the Christian and that of the unbeliever; between him who knoweth God and him who knoweth him not. Hence, he says, in the immediate context, "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit." This happiness, then, refers to the present life: "Blessed art thou" (not blessed thou shalt be), "Simon, Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven." Peter possessed this happiness, notwithstanding all his faults, his weaknesses, and his sins. Peter is a lively type of every true Christian. He possessed a knowledge, and a peace, which passeth all understanding; a peace which the world could neither give nor take away; a peace, which constituted heaven begun below; a peace which constituted eternal life. He had passed from death to life. Hence, he could say to the believers in his day, concerning Christ, "Whom not having seen ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice, with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”—ED.] Our Study. The Redan, a Poem. By R. M. Beverley. Second Edition. (London: Hamilton Adams & Co., Paternoster Row, 1856.) The object of this little work is commendable: it is to illustrate the power of Christianity in the military profession. The author feels the difficulty of recognizing the military life as one to be either chosen or retained by a Christian; but his poem rests on the fact, that men of exalted piety, both in the ranks and among the officers, have retained the military calling; and that in the late war in the Crimea this was extensively proved. Our author selects for the hero of his tale, a young officer, possessing every grace of mien and feature, educated and accomplished, brave and honourable, and withal very ambitious of military glory. He has a high sense of duty; but is proud, haughty, aspiring, and not under the influence of religious opinion or feeling. Through the instrumentality of a sergeant of his corps, he is brought to a knowledge of Christ, and thenceforth becomes humble, regarding the sergeant as a Christian brother. Both fall in battle, and the influence of Christianity in inspiring an immortal hope, is exemplified in their death, as it had been in the life of the brave and faithful sergeant. There are various incidents introduced; such as the rescue of a beautiful child, and its preservation by our hero; and the fidelity to this infant of a noble dog, an episode which is touchingly told. We cannot honestly say that the plot of the poem is well constructed; it is open to severer criticism than we care to indulge in. Nor is the poetry of a high order, a considerable portion of it being prosaic enough. The author has some capacity for portraying battle scenes; and his picture of the storming of the Redan is true and graphic. It strikes us that there is an occasional imitation of Wordsworth. The poem abounds too much in classical allusions for modern taste, having been probably suggested by the perusal of Milton. The author's aim in this book is obviously to be useful to others. Had the style been more simple, and the illustrations less frequently drawn from heathen sources, we think the work would have been more popular, and better adapted to answer the author's real design. We commend it to the notice of the Soldier's Friend Society, and to the zeal of private Christians, as a means of calling their attention to divine things. The Pope the Antichrist, and the Church of Rome the Great Foretold Apostacy, with a view of the Scriptures referring to the Career of Russia, and the doom of Turkey, France, and Rome; being Strictures on the Rev. C. M. Fleury's Lecture on Prophecy relating to the Russian Empire, delivered before the Young Men's Christian Association. By the author of "Coming Events." (Dublin: William Carson; London: Houlston and Stoneman, 1854, pp., 132). An able little work on the great controversy of the times, worthy of the attention of both Protestants and Romanists. The author has rendered good service to the cause of truth. Notes of the Month. AMERICAN BIBLE UNION. DR. Macleay has published a pamphlet on the subject of the new translation of the Bible by this Union, which contains some astounding revelations. From this pamphlet, it appears that the revisers of the New Testament have both "added to" and "taken away from" the received text, and have thus incurred the denunciations mentioned in the last chapter of the book of Revelation. The specimens of erroneous translation given by the Dr. are so glaring, that we shall not offend the good sense of our readers by quoting them. Suffice it to say, that they are evidently the work of an Unitarian, and, as such, unworthy of insertion in our pages. CHRISTIAN MISSIONS. THE North British Review has, it appears, in an article on this subject, made some highly objectionable remarks on the question of the salvation of the heathen. The author of that article has conjured up an imaginary dogma in his mind, and has endeavoured to fasten it upon some who hold views of the love of God, in the salvation of men, opposite to his own. We heartily agree with the following remarks from The News of the Churches: "The view ordinarily held on this subject is precisely the view of the great missionary apostle, in the first and second chapters of the Romans. The whole world, Jew and Gentile alike, lies guilty and condemned before God. The violation of the law of nature is quite sufficient to condemn the Gentiles. Out of this guilty and condemned condition, there is no way of being extricated, but through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This righteousness, the apostle argues, is received by faith alone; and in the tenth chapter, he asks, How shall men (they) believe in him of whom they have not heard?'" The language of the reviewer on this point is not fit to be quoted; but, as the dangerous doctrine of salvation in some other way than by faith in Christ, is spreading in our churches, we think it right to give this note of warning. MORMONISM. WE are utterly astonished at the apathy of the public mind in relation to the spread of this pernicious error. If ever Satan assumed the character of an angel of light, to the destruction of the human race, it was certainly in the promulgation of the doc. trines of Mormonism. We can conceive of nothing more horrible, nothing more destructive of every principle of virtue, than their devilish tenet of a plurality of wives. Can Englishmen stand coolly, and look on at the awful degradation of their countrywomen, and allow them to cross the broad Atlantic to become the vile slaves of adventurers? We have said, countrywomen for all, for the persons bearing the appearance of men who join this infamous alliance are no better than women. We have not words to express our detestation of the tenets of this sect, and the horrible misery which they entail on their deluded followers. Yet it appears that they hold the doctrine of the personal advent and reign of Christ on earth! Can nothing be done to stop the tide of emigration to the Salt Lake? Ominous word, Sodom and Gomorrah were turned into a burning, and then into a Salt Lake! Are we to stand by and say, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Surely it is high time that some organised effort should at once be made for the rescue of English women, and if possible, English men, from the grasp of Mormonism. Who is on the Lord's side?-who? POPERY. IN proportion to the spread of erroneous doctrine in our churches at home, so is the increase of Popery becoming more and more developed. When weak-minded Christians find that orthodox sentiments once held by them and their ancestors are beginning to be abandoned by their ministers, and a laxity both of principle and discipline is becoming fashionable in places which were formerly the strongholds of true gospel doctrine, we cannot wonder that, having no root in themselves, they are easily shaken from their orthodoxy, and are glad to take refuge in a church which has stood so long as the church of Rome, and which therefore lays claim to infallibility. But such individuals ought to remember that antiquity is no proof of validity, and no test of truth. Lies have been uttered ever since the first lie was uttered by the devil, and lies have been believed ever since our first parents believed that lie. The antiquity of sin renders the antiquity of the church of Rome a doubtful ground of infallibility; and if the Pope, by reason of his long established authority, fancies that his power over the church will for ever remain unshaken, so may the devil, in consequence of the longer continuance of his reign among men, imagine that his authority will never be overthrown. Such, at any rate, appears to be the opinion of their respective followers. But he whose right it is to rule over the kingdoms of this world, will come, and will not tarry; and let all men know assuredly that when he does come, it will be to thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; while he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. The chaff of Neologian Theology and Romanism will be equally swept away by his fan, and the strong wind of his wrath will drive it away from the face of the earth. Then shall the saints of God take the kingdom. BIBLE REVISION. THE controversy on the revision of the Bible continues. "An Incumbent of the Province of Canterbury," in The Times, proposes some reforms, which we proceed to notice. The first is the "change of obsolete idioms to the modern phraseology." This, though proper in general, must be done with great caution. It will not do to transform, "O woman, great is thy faith,” into, "O lady, great is thy faith," or to turn "sirs" into "lords,” or "gentlemen." Yet in 1 Cor. xiii., it would be advisable to change " charity" into "love" throughout. The second is, 'Where identical phrases occur in the original, they should be preserved in the translation." This is simply impossible, as in John iii., where wind and spirit are identical in the Greek, and if either be adopted in both parts of the sentence, it will make absolute nonsense. The third is, "Where the same proper name is spelt differently, it should be spelt the same way." This has been done in two places already, to the complete injury of the real meaning of the text, see Acts vii. 45, and Heb. iv. 8. The fourth is the "alteration of passages obscured in meaning by inattention to the exact meaning of the original." This canon of reform is the only one that is strictly legitimate and correct. This is the grand object of revision. The fifth is a part of the fourth rule, and therefore correct, namely, "the removal of the arrangement of chapter and verses," which the "Incumbent" calls insane! The sixth, "To give the various readings in the MSS. of the original, or notes to the same effect, and placing doubtful paragraphs in the margin." To this we say, by no means; this we would most strenuously oppose. Let every proper effort be made to ascertain the genuine reading; but let not the humble mind of the unlearned Christian be distracted by any such display of learned criticism. Ignorant infidels would be sure to make a bad use of them; and ali gainsayers of the truth would make these differences and discrepancies a ground for rejecting the Scriptures altogether, owing to their total unacquaintance with the history of these variations. It is utterly impossible to make every man a biblical critic. ACCORDING to every conception we can form of the wisdom and goodness of the Deity, as well as according to the most express and unequivocal language of the Bible, "God formed man upright:" he was furnished with a clear and sagacious mind, with reason bright and strong, and possessed transcendent qualifications for the most elevated happiness. But, that he might be accountable, he was necessarily created free; and, that he might never forget that he was under the cognizance and dominion of a moral Governor, a test of obedience was set before him. In this respect, God did not deal worse with man than with his other creatures; but man acted worse towards his Maker than any of them. He did not conform to the laws of his nature, but broke his allegiance to God by choosing evil instead of good. Thus he ruined his original happy state, and, according to the constitution of things, "Brought death into the world, and all our woe."-Dr. Olinthus Gregory. Postscript to Contributors and Correspondents. Several important articles in type have been postponed for want of room. Received, "Beta," "A Subscriber," and several others. We request our correspondents to attend to the rule, that their names and addresses must be communicated to us, privately at least, in all cases; the reasons for this are sufficiently obvious, and have been previously stated. No MSS. are returned unless by special request, and stamps sufficient to cover the expense of postage, be sent at the same time. EDITOR OF THE BIBLE TREASURY, care of D. F. Oakey, 10, Paternoster Row. All advertisements to be sent to the publisher, D. F. Oakey, 10, Paternoster Row. All communications and books for review to be sent addressed to the Reviews. A NEW BIBLE, OR A TRUE BIBLE? * No. I. pro word usually employed in the translation of the Hebrew words Elohim, Eloah, and El, is God, a Saxon word signifying Good. This translation, accordingly, conveys to our minds the idea of the goodness of the Creator, GREAT efforts are making among certain classes of reinstead of his power; it substitutes the consideration ligionists to induce her Majesty's government to accede of one attribute of the Deity for that of another; and to the proposal of a new translation of the Bible, or at it tends to weaken the force of the idea intended to be least to that of a thorough revision of the authorized conveyed by the original, namely, the ascription of version, and to force, if possible, the appointment of a power to Him who made the heavens and the earth. It royal commission for the purpose of carrying this is proper, however, to state that the name of God, as posal into effect. It therefore behoves the members of now used, conveys but a very indistinct conception of that government to beware how they listen to the the great Being to whom it is applied. This name, indeed, plausible schemes of designing sectarians on this im- is generally understood to include the idea of a variety portant national question, and to be cautious in permit-of attributes; to signify at once the greatest, the wisest, ting the authorized version to be subjected to important the most benevolent, and the most powerful of all alterations, or to be superseded by a new translation, beings; and to convey, in one word, the idea of Him without the general approbation of all sections of the who lived before all worlds, and whose existence extends Christian and protestant church of these realms. It is from eternity to eternity. admitted on all sides that some revision of the Bible is both necessary and proper; but before submitting any plan for carrying this into effect, it may be advisable to explain the reasons why it should be done, and to exhibit prominent and pertinent examples of its necessity and propriety. THE NAME OF GOD. In translating the Holy Scriptures out of the original tongues into any other language, it cannot admit of a doubt that it is highly proper to employ such words in that language as will most clearly express the meaning of any given words in the original. Let us take, for example, the name of the great Creator of the world. The Hebrew word most commonly used for this purpose is Elohim; it occurs in the first chapter of Genesis, and is used about 2,500 times in the Old Testament. This word is the plural of the noun Eloah, which is also used for the same purpose, but occurs only about 60 times in the Old Testament. Both of these words are derived from the word El, another name for the Deity, rarely used alone, but frequently found in connexion with an adjunct or a cognomen, and in composition. The word El, in Hebrew, signifies Mighty or Powerful; and the derived words Eloah and Elohim have originally the same meaning. According to Gesenius, the great authority in that language, the noun El is the root of the verbs Alah and Alah, which signify respectively to swear and to adore, that is, to invoke God and to worship God. It is evident that this invocation and worship is due to God, on account of his might or power. Hence it appears that the plural name Elohim signifies the Mighty, the Powerful, or the Adorable. In the authorized version, the English 1. The Pocket Paragraph Bible.-The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, according to the authorized version. Arranged in paragraphs and parallelisms, with an entirely new selection of references to parallel and illustrative passages, references to the several books, and numerous notes: 12mo. No date. The Religious Tract Society, London. 2. The Annotated Paragraph Bible: containing the Old and New Tes taments, according to the authorised version. Arranged in paragraphs and parallelisms, with explanatory notes, prefaces to the several books, and an entirely new selection of references to parallel and illustrative passages. The Old Testament, 8vo., 1855. The Religious Tract Society, 3. Revised English Version of the Holy Scriptures. By the American Bible Union. Parallel edition. Parts I. and II, containing the Book of London. Job, chap. i. to chap. xxix. verse 7. Trübner & Co., London. No. 6. Vol. I.-November 1, 1856. From these observations it may be inferred, that a very considerable improvement, both in accuracy and in emphasis, would be gained, by translating the word Elohim, by such words in our language as most clearly express the original idea, namely, Almighty, Omnipotent, or Adorable. We prefer the second of these; and we doubt not but the pious English reader will be more than pleased with the following version of Genesis i. 1: "In the beginning, the Omnipotent created the heavens and the earth." The word God is a noun in the singular number; but the word Omnipotent is an adjective, both in the singular and the plural, and is therefore better adapted to indicate the intention of the Spirit of Inspiration, in the selection of the plural noun Elohim as the name of the Creator. ADUMBRATION OF THE TRINITY. With great justice and propriety, an argument has been founded on the constant use of the term Elohim, in favour of the true orthodox doctrine of the everblessed Trinity, the grand object of the adoration of all created intelligences. This argument derives powerful support from the fact of the triple ascription of Holiness to the Lord God Almighty, by the six-winged seraphim. of the Old Testament, and six-winged living creatures of the New, which metaphorically, but strikingly points out the threefold personality of the One Living and True God. This argument derives additional strength from the words of the Scriptural record concerning the last and noblest act of creation, the formation of man, which in a still more emphatic manner indicates that this personality is real and not figurative; see Gen. i. 26: it is now plain that the incarnation of the second person The following extract from the Greek poet, Aristophanes, of the thrice-holy and ever-blessed Trinity was dimly, in an English translation, will convey to our readers but surely adumbrated in the language used in Scripture some idea of this heathen scheme of creation : respecting the creation of Adam. Hence, Christ is also called the Second Adam, the Lord from heaven. He was made for a little, lower than the Elohim, but for the suffering of death he was crowned with glory and honour. All power was given unto him in heaven and in earth. The explanation of the use of the plural noun Elohim for the name of the Supreme Being, the ever-glorious Creator, on any other principle than that which admits of a plurality in the Godhead, is entirely irrelevant and nugatory. The pretended use of the pluralis majestatis, the plural of majesty, in the style of Eastern princes, which is set up by the opposers of the doctrine of the Trinity, has no foundation either in fact or in sound criticism; and is therefore equally erroneous in philology and theology. THE BREATH OF THE OMNIPOTENT. "First all was chaos, one confused heap, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; The mouth, whence breath immediately issues, and saying, "Let light be, and light was.' This view of the true translation of the passage in question, is remarkably In the Holy Scriptures, and especially in the Old Testa-confirmed by a parallel passage in the Psalms, which ment, the Divine Being is represented as possessing the refers to the creation, both of the heavens and the earth, organs, feelings, and dispositions of a man. This figura- Ps. xxxiii. 6-9: tive representation of God is called, in Greek, Anthropopatheia, a word which simply means humanity, or a partaking of the nature of mankind. The reason of this assumption of humanity is evidently twofold: first, that by the adoption of language suited to our finite capacity, Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. God might convey to our minds a clear understanding of For he spake, and it was: he commanded and it stood fast." those heavenly truths which concern both our temporal In the Annotated Paragraph Bible, very recently and eternal welfare; and, secondly, that he might shadow forth that wonderful exhibition of his love and published by the Religious Tract Society, we have the mercy to fallen man, which, in the fulness of time, was in the text: "Or brooded; a metaphor referring to the following annotation on the word moved, which appears to be made known to us in the scheme of redemption. life and beauty which the power of the Spirit would Hence, the learned Dr. Owen says, in his treatise on the Person of Christ, "that the whole of the Old produce." It was not the "power of the Spirit," but Testament, wherein God perpetually treats with men by creation, as clearly set forth in the passage from the "the word of the Lord," which produced the work of an assumption of human affections unto himself, pro-Psalms just cited, and in many other passages which ceeded from the person of the Son, [through the Spirit,] will at once occur to the minds of our readers. in a preparation for, and prospect of, his incarnation." old heathen idea of the Spirit of the Divinity brooding The first instance of the Anthropopatheia, or figurative exhibition of human organs and feelings on the over chaos, and fluttering over the abyss, as a bird part of the Divine Being, which occurs in Holy Scrip- hatching its young, is still retained by the annotator, ture, is seen in the narrative of the first act of creative notwithstanding the express declarations of Scripture to the contrary. The Lord Jesus Christ is invariably power, as recorded by Moses, Gen. i. 2, 3. Translated in strict accordance with this view, a view founded represented as the Creator of the world; "all things on the analogy of faith, and consonant with the sim-were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life." The Word, plicity of the Hebrew language, this passage reads as the Son, was the Generator of all things; he spake and it was." The Spirit is the Regenerator of souls, the Author of the new creation in the heart of man; except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." The offices of the Son and the Spirit are distinct, and are clearly laid down in the Scriptures. The Son is the Creator, the Spirit is the Re-Creator. The brooding of the Spirit of God on the face of the waters is, therefore, a figment of human invention, and not the dictate of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the heathen notion concerning the hatching of the mundane egg, like a false meteor in the sky, sinks before the light of divine truth; while the idea of the simple fiat of the Omnipotent arises with majestic power from follows: "And the breath of the Omnipotent moved upon the face of the waters, and the Omnipotent said, Let light be, and light was." That this is the true translation of the passage is evident from the consideration that the idea of the Spirit of God, a non-material existence, moving upon the face of the waters, a real material existence, as given in our authorized version, is both an incongruous and unnatural figure; and appears to have been borrowed from the notions of the heathen, concerning the origin of all things. According to such notions, the Spirit of the Divinity is represented as brooding over chaos, or the egg of the world, and hatching all things into life. |