remedy; whereas in the historick form, in which christianity is now conveyed to us, we have the most important doctrines and precepts frequently recurring in different parts of the story, and connected with facts which serve to explain and limit them; and what is of infinite importance to us, we have the life and example of Jesus running through the whole as a commentary on his instructions. Now,an errour or an obscurity in one place is of little consequence, as it is either cleared one nor the other should be irresistibly determined. But now the doctrine of our future existence and retribution is so connected with the facts of our Saviour's history, that the whole world has a pledge and assurance of these truths, superiour to mere oral or written declaration, and, at the same time,so much inferiour to the supernatural revelation of it to every individual, as to leave room for the exercise of the mind in inquiring into the proofs, and of the disposition in attending or yielding to them when discover-up by another, or else if it is a ed, and thus the whole subject is exactly adapted to the nature of such beings as we are. Again, If the principles and -duties of the Christian religion had been stated to mankind in one accurate system, philosophically composed, instead of being conveyed, as they now are, in his tories, and deducible from facts, and exhibited in the lives of the first christians and their Master! do we not see that such a statement would not have been so well adapted to the wants of the majority of mankind, who attend not to abstract propositions, but are far better taught by examples, narratives, and something which affects the senses and imagination? Besides, if the principles of Christianity had been presented in the systematick form we mention, a single errour,either in transcription or translation, would be likely to be followed with the most serious consequences; and a single misinterpretation of a part, would be almost without solitary and peculiar passage we may be satisfied that it does not contain any thing absolutely essential to our character and fate as christians; for in such various and diffuse compositions as those in which the knowledge of christianity is conveyed to us, the essentials of the religion must be continually occuring and often repeated in a great variety of forms. I might enumerate many other advantages of this form over a more systematick or compendious method of conveying Christianity. Now, the loss of one of the books of the New Testament would not much affect the evidences or the knowledge which we have of the Gospel; whereas, on the other supposition, the loss of any part would be irreparable; like a defect in the alphabet, or in the elementary book of a child, or like the loss of a volume of the statutes. I will say nothing of the superiour agreeableness of the historical mode over that of abstract precept; of the advantage derived from remembering the history, when a proposition or a doctrine may be forgotten or misunderstood. We are confident that no man who has studied the Gospels for his own sake, or has attempted the instruction of the young and tender mind, would wish to change the form in which Christianity is conveyed to us, There is a charm, an impression, and an influence flowing from the history of our Saviour, as we have it in the Gos'pels, which never could have been preserved in the philosophical mode of conveying truth. B. THE GERMAN AND DUTCH BAPTISTS. THE following important extracts are taken from Mr. Benedict's "General History of the Baptist Denomination :" "The German and Dutch Baptists, appear always to have held sentiments, peculiar to themselves. They deny the lawfulness of repelling force by force, and consider war, in all its shapes, as unchristian and unjust. They are averse to capital punishments; and feeling themselves bound to swear not at all, they will not confirm their testimony with an oath. "Respecting the number of communicants, in the Dutch and Mennonite Baptist churches, I have obtained no information whatever. According to a list in Rippon's Register, there were in 1790, in and out of the Netherlands, two hundred and fiftytwo churches of the Dutch and Mennonite Baptists, in all of which were five hundred and thirty-three ministers. Of these one hundred and seventy-five churches, and two hundred and seventy-one ministers, were in the Netherlands,and Generalities' Lands. Fifteen churches, in which were ninety-six ministers, were in Prussia. Twenty-seven churches and ninety-two ministers were in Upper Saxony.Twenty-seven churches and for ty-nine ministers were in France. The rest were in Switzerland, Poland, and Russia." Vol. I, pp. 49, 50. This portion of history must be gratifying to intelligent and reflecting friends of peace. If the principles of these Baptists, are properly represented, and if their number has not been diminished since 1790, they amount to two hundred and fifty Peace Societies, with five hundred and thirty-three ministers of peace. To this army of peace-makers, may be added, the congregations of Friends, and the Duhobortsi, on the continent of Europe. Instead of regretting that there are so many of these several sects in Europe, we should rather pray that they may be multiplied a hundred fold. The "mint annise and cummin," about which Christians have contended, are of little importance, when compared to the "weightier matters of the law" and the gospel, or that "wisdom which is from above." Mr. Benedict has one remark, on these European Baptists, which deserves some notice :"The Dutch Baptists held to dipping believers at first; they still retain the subjects of the ordinance, but by a surprising change, some, I know not how many, have departed from the Apostolick mode. And although they still retain the name of Baptists, yet we can have no fellowship with their present mode of administering baptism; for with every real Baptist, pouring, as well as sprinkling, is null and void."-p. 151, 152. According to the principles of Baptists in general, they could not receive, as members of the visible church, the Dutch and Mennonite Baptists, who have been baptized by pouring on water. Let, then, a case be stated:-Two brethren apply for admission to a Baptist church. One of them has been baptized by immersion; but he is a famous warriour, and has shed the blood of many; he still retains both the principles and the spirit of war, and is as ready to fight as to pray or eat, The other is a meek Mennonite Baptist, who has been baptized by pouring on water; but he has so learned of Christ, that he abhors both the principles and the spirit of war, and would sooner die, as the Sa viour did, praying for his enemies, than to embrue his hands in their blood. The warriour is received, and the follower of the Lamb is rejected! Now, what must the Prince of Peace say of principles of communion, which lead to such results? This case has been stated, not to reproach our Baptist brethren, but to lead them to reflect; and not them only, but christians of every denomination, who have established creeds and rules for the admission of members, which would expose them to prefer the bloody warriour, to him who is "meek and lowly of heart.". Most of the other sects of warring Christians, have, perhaps, been as inconsistent in this particular, as they have supposed the Baptists to be; and while they have blamed the Baptists for their test of admission, they have established some other, not less injurious to the cause of Christ, and the cause of peace. As we rejoice in the existence of the Baptist Peace Societies, on the continent of Europe, we also rejoice, that a number of Baptist ministers, both in Great Britain, and in the United States, have adopted the principles of peace. We can wish "God speed" to ministers of any denomination, who are disposed to employ their influence in promoting "peace on earth and good will among men.” All churches should be peace societies, and all ministers of religion should be peace-makers; and all those who are truly such, "are ONE in Christ Jesus," by whatever sectarian names they may be distinguished in this contentious world. It is not an agreement in rites and forms, nor in creeds of human invention, which constitutes men brethren in the Lord; but that faith which worketh by love, and that love which worketh no ill to its neighbour. WERE THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST VICARIOUS? As the word vicarious has often been applied to the sufferings of the Messiah, it may be useful to consider, in what sense it may be proper to apply the term. A vicar, is one who acts for, or in the place of another. According to Walker, vicarious signifies "deputed, delegated, acting in the place of another."Christ, indeed, acted as a deputy or by delegated authority, in all he did and suffered for us. But he received his commission from God, and not from men. "This commandment, said he, have I received of my Father." "The cup which my Father hath given me to drink, shall I not drink it?" Still it is true, that "he died for our offences," he "died the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God," and "gave his life a ransom for many." If, in saying that the sufferings of Christ were vicarious, it be intended that by them he paid the sinner's debt to divine justice, and thus absolved him from liability to suffer; this cannot be admitted for several reasons: 1. This would preclude the propriety of adopting the form of prayer, which our Lord gave to his disciples, "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." For if the debt be paid by a vicar or deputy, the sinner has no occasion to pray for pardon ; but his duty is to give thanks that the debt has been cancelled. 2. Notwithstanding the sufferings of Christ, the forgiveness of sin is an act of grace. "In whom, says Paul, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace:" that is, the grace of God, our heavenly Father.But after a debt is fully paid, whether by the debtor, or a substitute, the release of the debtor is an act of justice, and not of grace. 3. As Christ "is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world," if his sufferings were of the nature of paying a debt, or if they satisfied the demands of divine justice against the sinner; the obvious consequence would be, that no sinner, can be justly punished for his transgressions, either in this world, or in the world to come, and that the threatenings con tained in the gospel are nugatory, or unjust. Nay, on this principle, all the evils we suffer in this life, must be accounted for on some other ground, than that of just chastenings or punishments for our sins, and never regarded as tokens of God's displeasure. Nor can we admit that the sufferings of Christ were vicarious in this sense, that they were of the same nature with the suffer ings to which those were exposed for whom he died. For as "in him was no sin," it was naturally impossible that he should feel remorse for transgression, or the gnawings of the worm that never dies. But if no more be intended, than that Christ suffered for us, with a view to prevent our suffering the penal consequences of sin; in this sense it is admitted, that his sufferings were vicarious, and of infinite importance. As the death of the paschal lamb, and the sprinkling of its blood, were the appointed means for preventing the death of the first born of Israel, while those of Egypt were slain; the lamb might properly be said to suffer for them, and as a ransom for many. So the Lamb of God suffered as the appointed medium of Divine mercy and forgiveness to all who obey him. It would be easy for incredulity to raise objections against the appointment and the efficacy of the blood of the paschal lamb; but God's thoughts are not always as the thoughts of unbelievers, or objectors to his government. If we do not perceive all the ends which were to be answered by the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, or why it was more wise to save the first born in this way, than it would have been to pass over the houses of Israel, without this sacrifice; still, neither our ignorance, nor our unbelief, can be any valid objection against the wisdom of Jehovah. The death of the paschal lamb, was at least calculated to impress the minds of the Israelites with a sense of their sin, and ill desert, and of the mercy of God, in thus sparing them, while he destroyed all the first born of the Egyptians. So the gospel account of the sufferings of Christ for us is adapted to keep alive in our minds, both a sense of our ill desert, and of the mercy of God, which is displayed through the medium of the blood of Christ in the forgiveness of sins, and the salvation of souls. But of all the opinions which have ever been entertained of the sufferings of the Son of God, no one appears to me more groundless, or more dangerous, than that which regards his sufferings as a substitute for that benevolent and heavenly temper, which be both exemplified and requir ed. |