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estimated too highly, nor sought after with solicitude more serious or persevering than its importance justifies, and its necessity requires. But we secondly consider scriptural views of the person and cha

of all, in the final decisions of the last day. By the former, many of these doctrines are looked upon with contempt as fictions or absurdities; while the latter deems them the peculiar doctrines, the most prominent features of evange-racter of the Lord Jesus to be lical religion. If the views of the highly important, because they informer include a proper reception timately affect our devotional feeland discernment of the christian ings, and are necessary through the faith, the latter must be guilty of whole process of experimental reconnecting with it the vain tradi-ligion.

tions or vainer subtleties of men. When our Saviour commenced But if the latter derive their doc-his sermon on the Mount, by teltrines from the New Testament, the creed of the former must be essentially defective and radically

wrong.

ling the people that the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the spiritually minded, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, And yet, upon closely examin- and the persecuted on account of ing the subject, it will be found righteousness, are alone truly blessthat these differences, however re-ed; it was doubtless his intention, mote, are not suppositions formed to call the minds of his disciples for the sake of argument, but facts from outward grandeur and supernaturally arising from the influence ficial charms to the solid but unof different hypotheses, in the or- obtrusive graces of interior worth; dinary operations of belief. No and to show them that the kingdom person who has tried the experi- of heaven which he had come to ment himself, or been conversant establish, consisted not in idle with persons long grounded in the speculations and useless forms, different systems, will be disposed but in the inward possession and to deny the facts assumed in this authority of wisdom, righteousargument, whatever he may think ness, peace, and joy in the Holy of its application or force. Per- Spirit. Good men under other haps a solitary instance or two dispensations, indeed, through the may occur to his recollection, of wisdom which they derived from persons who espoused opposite the light of nature or from the opinions concerning Christ, while patriarchal and prophetic revelatheir view of other points usually tions, have paid close attention to deemed evangelical, remained in the exercises of the heart, and a great measure unanimous. But, cherished the sublime affections of with this exception, it must be a pure and elevated devotion; of acknowledged, that the systems which the poetic and devotional which men adopt in all the depart-parts of the Old Testament furnish ments of theology, are intimately a decisive and interesting proof. affected by their views of the per- But the devout affections of the son of Christ, and of the work Christian assume a higher tone, assigned him in the divine eco- and are excited and sustained by nomy. If then the knowledge of superior principles. In all their Christ be so essential to receiving modifications and influences, they the gospel in its native purity, un-are deeply tinctured with a pecucorrupted and undiminished by liar flow of feeling, like the stream human speculations, it cannot be flowing from the rock smitten by

the rod of Moses, created in the abasement before God, and melts soul by the knowledge of Christ, his heart to tears of penitential and the efficacy of his atonement, sorrow. It likewise, at the same as the only Saviour. time, by a charm which no philoIf in contemplating the attributes sophy can boast, soothes the anof Deity, the mind of a Christian is guish of his soul, calms or dissifilled with holy reverence, adoring pates his fears, rests his hope on gratitude, filial confidence, and a solid foundation, and fills him supreme love; what is it that tends with joy and peace in believing,— most powerfully to excite these the joy which is unspeakable and affections, but those views of the full of glory. Having experienced divine character which are most this change of his moral powers, displayed in the person and media- and become a new creature in tion of Christ? Does he moreover Christ Jesus; is the believer refeel a deep sense of his depend-stored to divine favour? Does he ence on the divine bounty, and receive the spirit of adoption? Can love to approach the footstool of he rejoice in hope of the glory of his grace, that "in every thing, God? Does he glory in tribulaby prayer and supplication with tion also, knowing that tribulation thanksgiving, he may make known worketh patience, and patience exhis requests unto God?" He ven-perience, and experience hope? tures to claim that privilege only And to prevent timidity and shame in the name of the Lord Jesus, is the love of God shed abroad in believing that he alone "is the his heart by the Holy Spirit which way, and the truth, and the life, is given to us? It is because he is and that no man cometh accept-"justified by faith, and has peace ably unto the Father but by him." with God through our Lord Jesus If likewise a conviction of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come, has subdued the pride and obstinacy of his heart, awakened conscience from its slumbers, and excited within him feelings of undissembled humility and contrition, the efficacy of those convictions is heightened and maintained by an affecting view of the evil of sin, the purity of the divine law, the greatness of our guilt and danger, and the matchless character of divine love, as displayed in the cross

Christ." In describing the production and support of this spiritual vitality the christian often apprópriates to himself the expressive language of St. Paul. "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. God forbid, therefore, that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I A vivid sense of the condescen- unto the world!" Nor is this the sion, sufferings, and resurrection language of the weak and unedu of Christ, as the means of accom-cated alone, whose feelings outplishing our redemption, and of step their judgments, and among the considerations which rendered whom the fervours of enthusiasm so extraordinary a plan necessary, are most likely to be indulged. fixes the believer's attention; calls him away from every subterfuge, subdues his mental and moral pride, humbles him in the dust of self

of Jesus.

But it delineates the devotional and christian feelings of a man, who was brought up in the school of philosophy, and the energy of

whose mind, independently of his in fact systems are embraced, excellence and authority as an which exclude a prominent exhiapostle, entitles him to rank with bition of our Saviour's character, the highest characters. To the and reduce christianity to a mere truly enlightened Christian, indeed, code of morals, the christian miwhether in other respects he be a nistry loses its effect, and the philosopher or a peasant, the name trains of devout and penitential of his Lord and Saviour is a sound feeling, which according to the always delightful, which forms New Testament should characterwithin him a tone of elevated piety, ize our churches, gradually sink and by a train of solemn recollec- into retirement, and are ultimately tions, creates a melody of sacred unnoticed and forgotten. Chrissentiment and sublime feeling, tianity thus modified, may recomwhich no strains can emulate but mend itself to men of refined taste, the harps of heaven. Its vibra- virtuous habits, or philosophical tions are mingled with every de- attainments; and in comparison vout exercise, and by their habitual with the hard sayings of other sysoperation and powerful effect, si- tems, may be deemed a rational lently direct the course of his ex-belief. But an impartial view of perience, and become the chief its principles will discover the means of elevating his affections, purifying his taste, forming his dispositions, and making his virtues strong, his motives pure, and his pleasures heavenly.

absence of those elements, by which alone the great mass of mankind can be savingly reformed; while experience proves, and will still prove its utter insufficiency to To an unbeliever, perhaps, these effect the grand purposes for which exercises of experimental piety the christian ministry was instimay appear like the ravings of a tuted and christianity designed. If disordered intellect; while, by a moral, discussions, however beauperson who admits christianity to tiful, forcible, and eloquent, were be true, but has no idea of its truly adapted to arouse the careauthor, except that he was a man less, to inform the ignorant, to of great wisdom and virtue, they spiritualize the sensual, to humble will probably be regarded as the the proud, to change the worldling, wild fire of a false devotion, lighted or to inspire the profane with a up in the temples of irrational be- pure and elevated devotion, in lief; and the language of sacred christian assemblies or in modern writ used to express them, will be times; these triumphs of virtue accounted for, as the strong hyper- would long since have been ef boles and bold metaphors of the fected at Athens and at Rome, by east. A person of this persuasion, the reasonings of a Plato and the indeed, neither feels the sentiments eloquence of a Tully; and the we have been describing, nor be- work assigned to the apostles of lieves in their necessity. And if, Jesus and their successors, might in recommending religion, or dis- have been achieved in superior coursing about its influence, he style by the professors of rhetoric, should employ terms of ordinary philosophy, and classical erudiusage to express the devout ex-tion. But the preaching of Christ ercises of the heart, they would and him crucified," which, though assume in his phraseology a differ-"to the Jews a stumbling block ent sense, and be used to desig- and to the Greeks foolishness," nate different operations. When gave such efficiency to the minis

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the commencement of which period the resurrection of the righteous, and at the close thereof that of the wicked, is supposed to take place, has lately been revived with great confidence and high pretensions, by the Rev. E. Irving, G. Noel, H. M'Niel, and others of the Established Church.

To assist our readers in judging whether the notion of the personal or the spiritual reign of Christ during the millenium is more agreeable to the representations of Scrip

late Rev. A. Fuller on Rev. xx. 1-6. a writer who, on the subject of prophecy, was distinguished for the sobriety of his views, and the solidity of the grounds on which he founded them.

try of the apostles, is alone calculated in itself, or employed by the Spirit of God, in the present day to produce similar effects. And in proportion as christian ministers, according to the New Testament, preach Christ to their hearers as the hope of glory, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, desiring to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus," we are warranted to believe, that, unless its efficacy be prevented by the obdurate spirit of infidelity, and the force of prejudice exten- ture, we copy the remarks of the sively diffused, devotional feelings will arise, and the best symptoms of personal religion become apparent. It must certainly be acknowledged, that, among those by whom we conceive the peculiar glories of our Saviour's character have been "A question of great importrelinquished or thrown into the ance is that which respects the shade, there are some truly devout nature of this millennial reign of men, who cherish in a high de- Christ, whether it be spiritual or gree the sacred affections we have personal. Those who favour the been describing. But the devout first, consider it as a time in which feelings of such persons, with the gospel will be spread over the scarcely an exception, are in all whole earth, and cordially emprobability the relics of a former braced both by Jews and Gensystem, whose impressions still tiles; when those prophecies will live in their remembrance, and in be fulfilled which speak of the defiance of the cold atmosphere cessation of wars; of the stone cut they have chosen, perpetuate the out without hands becoming a great existence, if not the fervour of mountain, and filling the whole their piety. We conclude there-earth; of the little leaven leavenfore that the knowledge of Christ ing the whole lump; of the knowis most intimately connected with ledge of the Lord covering the personal religion, and the great earth as the waters cover the sea; means of planting and maturing in the soul that powerful principle of spiritual life, which is the preparative and foretaste of life eternal.

(To be continued.)

THE MILLENARIAN SCHEME.

of the first dominion coming to Zion; and of the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, being given to the people of the saints of the Most High.

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Those, on the other hand, who plead for a personal reign of Christ upon earth, consider the MillenTHE notion of the personal reign nium as a state of immortality, a of Christ on earth during one state subsequent to the general thousand years, or the seventh conflagration, wherein the rightethousandth year of the world, at ous, being raised from their graves,

shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years; after which the wicked dead being raised, the general judgment shall follow.

thesis itself.

kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven being given to the people of the saints of the "Whatever respect I feel for Most High," no sooner shall that some who have maintained the horn be broken than the whole latter hypothesis, I find insur-earth will be destroyed with it! mountable objections to the bypo- "Secondly, The idea of a person. al reign represents Christ's second “First, The idea of a personal coming at a thousand years' disreign appears to me nearly to ex-tance from the last judgment; clude that of a spiritual one, by whereas the scripture speaks of leaving little or no place for it. the one as immediately following It is clear that the pouring out of the other, and as being the grand the seven vials is principally for object of it. "The Lord Jesus the purpose of destroying the Anti- will be revealed from heaven with christian system, and that when his mighty angels, in flaming fire, this is accomplished, the Millen- taking vengeance on them that nium follows. No sooner are the know not God, and that obey not beast and the false prophet taken the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: under the sixth vial, and the world, who shall be punished with ever(like the temple after being pol-lasting destruction from the preluted by Antiochus,) purified from sence of the Lord, and from the its abominations by the seventh, glory of his power; when he shall than the dragon is bound for a come to be glorified in his saints, thousand years. If then this thou-and to be admired in all them that sand years' reign be personal, the believe in that day." 2 Thes. i.7-10. second coming of Christ must im-" Behold the Lord cometh with teu mediately succeed the ruin of An- thousand of his saints to execute tichrist. But if so, how, or when judgment upon all, &c." Jude 14 are all those prophecies to be ful-"I charge thee before God, and filled which describe the prosperity the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall of the church in the latter days? judge the quick and the dead at How are wars to cease in the his appearing and kingdom." 2 earth, and peace succeed to it, Tim. iv. 1.* when as soon as the troubles of the earth are destroyed, the world will be at an end? On this principle Antichrist will reign till the heavens are no more. The end of the 1260 years will be the end of time, and the church will have no existence upon the present earth but "in the wilderness." Instead of the stone, after breaking in pieces the image, 'becoming a great mountain, and filling the whole earth," no sooner is the image broken to pieces, than the earth itself shall be burnt up. And on How this passage can be made to accord with the notion of two distinct eras of rethe destruction of the little horn,surrection,' with the long period of a thou(Dan. vii. 26, 27.) instead of "the sand years interposed between them, we

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the Redeemer's advent, that it will be at Respecting the period and design of the end of the world, and for the purpose

of holding a general judgment, the following additional passages may be referred to: Rev. i. 7. Matt. xxv. 31-34.; but more especially the declaration of our Saviour himself, (John v. 28, 29.) whose language on this subject, it appears to us, is explicit and decisive: "The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

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