Images de page
PDF
ePub

mightily broken by it. Hence, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Indeed, there is much of this wisdom of God apparent in the fact that he has chosen the term Logos to represent the author and founder of the Christian faith, in his antecedent state of existence. And hence, John represents Jesus Christ himself as the Word of God incarnate. "Now the Word was made flesh," or became flesh, "and dwelt amongst us." This is a mysterious name. He had a name given him which no one can comprehend. His name is the WORD OF GOD. Now, as Jesus Christ was "once God manifest in Word," and now God manifest in flesh, we have reason to regard the Word of God as an embodiment of his wisdom and power. This, however, is spoken with a reference to the gospel Word; for Jesus Christ is both the wisdom and the power of God, and so is his gospel; because containing this development. It is the wisdom and power of God unto salvation, to every one that believes it.

It was not, however, in creating light alone that God employed his Word. Every work of creation is represented as the product of his Word. He said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters," and it was so. Again, "Let the dry land appear," and it was so. "Let the earth bring forth grass," and it was so. And last of all, "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion. So God created man." God, therefore, made man in his own image by his Word, and he now restores him to that same image, by his Word of power. Thus we have all the authority of the Bible with us in our views of spiritual and divine influence. A spiritual, or moral, or creative power, without the Word of God, is a phantom, a mere speculation. It receives no countenance from the Bible.

will in his Word. Now the will Divine volition is divine power. "Let there be," is a mere volifurther and say, that the Word

XIII. The Lord has embodied his of God is another form of his power. The Word of God is the fiat of God. tion expressed. Indeed, we may go of the Lord, is the Lord himself. The word of a king, is the king himself, so far as authority or power is considered. As the Lord Jesus is the Word of God incarnate, so is his Word an embodiment of his power. For, as Solomon says, "Where the word of a king is, there is power;" there is the power of the king himself. The Word of God is, then, the actual power of God. God is a consuming fire, and his "Word is as fire, and as a hammer that breaketh the rocks to pieces." It should not, therefore, be thought strange, that the Word of God, and the Spirit of God, are some

times represented as equi-potent-as equivalent. Indeed, in all those passages that represent the Word and Spirit of God as being the causes of the same effects, this equivalency is clearly implied. Hence, while Peter says, "By the Word of God the heavens were of old," Job says, "By his Spirit he has garnished the heavens."

Can any one imagine what power could have been superadded to the Word of God, that created light, that made the heavens and the earth, that made man upright or holy. If so, let him explain what that power could have been, which was distinct from, and attached to or that accompanied that word by which all things were created and made. Explain that accompanying power, and I will explain the accompanying spiritual or supernatural power in the case of regeneration! You cannot break a man down by physical power. You cannot soften and subdue the heart, as you grind a rock to pieces. A superadded power beyond motive, is inconceivable to any mind accustomed to think accurately upon spiritual and mental operations. The heart of man is to be subdued, melted, purified from all its hatred of God and enmity, by love; by developments of grace, and not by any conceivable influence of a different nature. His love is poured out into our hearts, says Paul, by the Holy Spirit that is given to us.

Men had better be careful how they speak of, and how they treat, the word of God. It will stand forever. Till the heavens pass away, not one word shall fail. Mountains, by the wasting hand of time, may crumble down to dust-oceans may recede from their ancient limits the heavens and the earth may pass away-but God's word shall never, never pass away. It is God's mighty moral lever, by which he raises man from earth to heaven. It is his almighty, awful, sublime and gracious will, embodied in such a medium as can enter the secret chambers of the human heart and conscience, and there stand up for God, and confound the sinner in his presence. The love of God is all enveloped in it, and that is the great secret of its charm-the mystery of its power to save. It is love, and love alone, that can reconcile the heart of man to God. Now love is a matter of intelligence-a matter that is to be told, heard, believed, and received by faith. "The power of God to salvation," is the persuasive power of infinite and eternal love, and not the compulsive and subduing power of any force superadded to it. The promise of eternal life is itself a power of mighty magnitude. So are all the promises that enter into the Christian hope. These are almighty impulses, when understood and believed, upon the veracity and faithfulness of God.

XIV. There yet remains another argument, if I may so call it. It is, indeed, an induction of every case of conversion reported in the inspired record. It is an account of the various influences of the Holy Spirit in adding members to the Christian church at its very commencement, and to the end of the Apostolic history. Of these I will give a few specimens:

When the Holy Spirit fell from heaven on Pentecost, it fell only on "The one hundred and twenty," and not upon the promiscuous assembly. For the multitude, after the Spirit's descent, did still upbraid the disciples with drunkenness. Those who first received it that day, preached by it to the audience. The thousands who heard, were pierced to the heart, and yet had not received the Spirit. They believed, and were in agony of fear and terror, but yet had not received the Spirit. They asked what they should do, and yet had not received it. Peter commanded them to "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Of course, then, they had not yet received that gift. They, however, gladly received his word, and were baptized. We have, then, the first three thousand converts regenerated by gladly receiving the Word and baptism. This is a strong fact for the first one in my fourteenth argument.

The second fact of conversion is found, Acts iv., and the question is, how

were they regenerated? We shall read the passage. "Now that many of

them which HEARD THE WORD believed, and the number of the men was about five thousand." We are now morally certain that these five thousand were converted by the Spirit only through the Word. We have already eight thousand examples of our allegation, and not one instance of one converted without the Word.

Our third exemplification is found, Acts v. 14: “ And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.". Women are here mentioned as well as men. We have, then, got multitudes of both sexes to add, in proof that the Spirit converted these, not without the Word, but by what they saw and heard.

We shall find a fourth example, Acts viii. 5, 6, 12 Philip went to Sainaria and preached Christ to them. "And when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of the Lord Jesus, they were baptized, both men and women " So the Samaritans were regenerated by the Holy Spirit through faith in the Word, which Philip preached.

A fifth example is found in the eunuch. "If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest." He said: "I believe that Jesus is the Son of God." Then he, too, was born of the water, and converted, not without the Word. Paul furnishes a sixth case. When he had fallen to the ground, he heard "a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecuteth thou me—I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." His case is certainly one of indisputable certainty. He both saw, heard, and believed, and was baptized.

To these I might add the case of Eneas, the citizens of Lydda and Saron, the assembly in the house of Dorcas, Cornelius and his friends, Lydia and the jailor, Dionysius, Crispus, the Corinthians and the Ephesians, &c., &c., as reported in the Acts of the Apostles. In not one of these cases did the Holy Spirit operate without the Word, but always through fit.— Of the Corinthians, it was said, and many of the Corinthians hearing belived and were baptized. This was true of all that were regenerated through the Sprit, during the ministry of the Apostles. Hence, to convert men by the accompanying influence of the Holy Spirit, we must do what Paul commanded Timothy-" Preach the Word, be instant in season and out of seasou." Then, no doubt, many will be enlightened, renewed, sanetified and comforted by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. A. C.

BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS.

Delivered July 4th, to the Graduating Class of Bethany College. WITH you, young gentlemen, this is commencement day. The diploma in your hand, just now conferred, is legal evidence of the fact. On receiving it you are not constituted Knight Bachelors, wearing henceforth a shield and a lance; nor are you invested with the Toga virilis assumed before a Roman Prætor in a Roman Forum, but are simply constituted BACHELORS OF ARTS.

Of what arts do you ask? Not of the mechanic arts; for into these you have not yet been initiated. Not of the fine arts, such as poetry, music, painting, sculpture; for these are not taught in colleges. But beside the mechanic arts and the fine arts we have those properly called the liberal arts. These furnish and qualify man for the attainment of all the useful and ornamental arts of social life. It is in these you have taken the first or bachelor's degree. From this day you commence the life of bachelors of the liberal sciences and arts. Hence its prominence in academic life. It is, indeed, a sort of literary majority. For as a young man arrived at legal age of manhood is permitted thenceforth to manage his own affairs; so from this day, according to collegiate and scholastic law, you are henceforth permitted to manage your further improvement and education in those languages, sciences, and arts, constituting that which, by common consent, is called a liberal education.

They are called liberal arts and sciences, not merely because they free the human mind from vulgar prejudices, ignorance, and error which they certainly do; but because they are general in their character and application, and open to us an extensive acquaintance with literature, science, and art; and thus furnish us with the means of extending our acquaintance with nature, society, and the Bible, to any extent commensurate with the wants of our nature and the limits of our existence.

It may, perhaps, in this curious and inquisitive age, be asked;Why this degree is called Bachelor of Arts rather than Bachelor of Sciences, or than Bachelor of Sciences and Arts, since it is strongly affirmed that graduates in all colleges are much more conversant with sciences than with arts. It is, however, true that we have a science for every art; and, therefore, as many sciences as arts: for what is science but the theory of art, and what is art but the proper application of theory? Now, as utility is the proper standard of SERIES III.-VOL. VI.

37

appreciation, it is customary, and it is right, to give precedence to the useful rather than to the speculative-to the practice rather than to the theory. Art is, indeed, the fruit of science, without which science is of little or no value. The art of logic, rhetoric, mensuration, surveying, navigation, &c., &c., are to society, as well as to the possessor of them, more important than the theory or science which directs them. Science, too, may sometimes, more or less, exist without art; but art cannot exist without science. Much more, then, that is both useful and honorable is indicated by the designation "Bachelor of Arts" than could have been expressed by the designation Bachelor of Sciences.

But, my young friends, you need not now to be enlightened on this subject. Our purpose on this occasion is to suggest to you some things for the future, rather than to comment on either the present or the past.

There is one science and one art, which, at your time of life, are always interesting; and if not with you severally, or at all, they are with many all-constraining and all-engrossing. This is the science and the art of becoming a great man.

It is not our purpose to inquire into the reason of this love of eminence or excellence indicated by the term greatness. The fact that all recognize its existence, and, indeed, more or less, its importance, is indisputable. And that the desire of greatness is often, though not always, the means most essential and direct to obtaining it; nay, that the innate desire of it is itself an element of it, as well as essential to its attainment, are matters so evident as not to call for argument or proof.

But as it is a relative idea, and that which it represents is not attainable by all, it is important to propound to your consideration a few thoughts on the subject of a great man, and that with a reference to some, if not all of you, possessing more or less both the desire and the means, as well as the intention, of becoming great men.

This being to myself a new subject, and not knowing any author who has ever formally written an essay on the art and mystery of becoming a great man, I feel as if I were about to set sail for some terra incognita, without a proper chart to guide me on approaching its coast.

But if on any occasion it be highly important or essential to define the terms of a great proposition, and thus to show one's own position on a grave question, the present occasion and the subject would seem to demand at my hand a very lucid and definite indica

« PrécédentContinuer »