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Not only, however, among the Jews was feasting invariably joined to sacrificing, but among the Heathen also, the same practice seems to have prevailed from the earliest ages. In Homer's Iliad, one of the most ancient Heathen writings, it is repeatedly and familiarly mentioned, and the concurrent testimony of both Latin and Greek authors establishes it as a uniform custom. Plutarch, for instance, mentions it as strange, that in the worship of one goddess they who offered the sacri fices did not partake of them. Strabo speaks of a pe culiar worship used by the Persians, in which the offerers ate the whole of the flesh, and their divinity was supposed to have the soul of the victim.

and the peace-offering. The first mentioned, viz., | three set times were appointed in the year in which burnt-offerings, were wholly offered up to God and burnt every male was to come up and see God at his taber. upon the altar, but they always had peace-offerings nacle, and eat and drink before him. annexed to them, when they were not offerings for the whole congregation, but for any particular person, that so the owners might, at the time of their offering up to God, feast also themselves upon the sacrifices. The second and third, viz., sin-offerings and trespass-offerings, were partly offered up to God, and were partly eaten by the priests. The owners were not perfectly reconciled to God, being, for the present, in a state of guilt, for which they made atonement in these sacrifices, and therefore they themselves did not eat, but the priests, who were their mediators, and as their proxies, ate of the sacrifices for them. In the fourth kind, viz., peace-offerings, which were brought by those who had no uncleanness on them, (Lev. vii. 20.) and so were perfectly reconciled to God and in covenant with him, there was not only a part offered up to God, and also something bestowed upon the priests, but the owners, in their own persons, ate of these sacrifices which they had offered unto God as a federal rite between him and them. The eating of sacrifices, either by the offerers or the priests, thus appears to have been a due and pro- | per appendix to all Jewish sacrifices. And, accordingly, we find, that in Scripture eating of the sacrifices is continually brought in as a rite belonging to sacrifice in general. Thus in the history of the golden calf, (Exod. xxxii.) we read, that "Aaron built an altar before it, and made a proclamation, saying, To-morrow is a feast unto the Lord," (see how the altar and the feast were akin to one another,) "and they rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peaceofferings, and the people sat down to eat and drink." | Which passage the apostle makes use of when warning the Corinthians against idolatry, "Neither be ye idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink," 1 Cor. x. 7, for this was no common eating, but the eating of those sacrifices which had been offered to the golden calf, and therefore a participation in the worship of the calf. See also, Exod. xxxiv. 15; Num. xxv. 2; Ps. cvi. 28; Exod. xviii. 12; where the sacrifices joined to the burntofferings are interpreted, by the Jewish commentators, peace-offerings; 1 Sam. i. 4, where the portions are portions of the sacrifices to be eaten; 1 Sam. ix. 13; xvi. 3, 4, 5, 11; Judges ix. 27; xvi. 23; Heb. xii. 10.

The idolatry of the Jews is hence often described under the notion of feasting, as in Isaiah lvii. 7, " Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed" (or couch, for in ancient times they did not sit at feasts, but reclined on beds or couches,)" and thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice." See also, Ezek. xviii. 11; and xxiii. 40, 41; Amos ii. 8.

It is also worthy of being remarked, because it is not commonly understood, that whilst the Jews were in the wilderness, they were to eat no meat at their private tables, except that whereof they had first sacrificed to God at the tabernacle, (Lev. xvii. 4, 5.) So that one of the Jewish writers beautifully and truly says, " Behold, God commanded at first that all which the Israelites did eat, should be peace-offerings." This command was dispensed with when they were settled in the Holy Land, and their dwellings were remote from the tabernacle, (Deut. xii. 21,) but it was instead thereof that

The question that arose in the primitive Church, whether it were lawful to eat things sacrificed to idols, is another instance of the same. The Heathen feasts were actually held in the temple where sacrifices were offered, (1 Cor. viii. 10,) and to join in such feasts was forbidden by the apostle. But when the feasts were ended they were accustomed to carry portions home to their friends, and in reference to these practices as well as in reference to other meat presented upon the private tables of the heathens, (whereof they were accustomed, like the Jews in the wilderness, first to offer a sacrifice,) the apostle says, "If any one that believes not, invite you, and you be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no questions for conscience' sake." 1 Cor. x. 27. Part also belonged to the priests, and we learn from Augustine that these portions were sometimes sold in the market. Hence Paul says, in the twenty-fifth verse, "whatsoever is sold in the shambles eat, asking no question for conscience' sake."

Having thus shown that both among the Jews and the Gentiles, (for Paganism is nothing but Judaism degenerate,) it was a solemn rite to join feasting with sacrifice, and to eat of those things which had been offered up, the very concinnity and harmony of the thing suggests the idea, that the Christian feast under the Gospel, called the Lord's Supper, is the same thing, and bears the same notion, in respect of the true sacrifice of Christ upon the cross, that those did to the Jewish and Heathen sacrifices; and so is Epulum Sacri. ficiale, a sacrificial feast, that is a feast upon sacrifice, or Epulum ex oblatis, a feast upon things offered up to God, only this difference arising in the parallel that because those legal sacrifices were but types and shadows of the true Christian Sacrifice, they were often repeated and renewed, as well as the feasts which were made upon them; but now the true Christian Sacrifice being come and offered up once for all, never to be repeated, we have no more typical sacrifices left among us, but only the feasts upon the true Sacrifice, still symbolically continued and often repeated, in reference to that one great Sacrifice, which is always as present in God's sight, and as efficacious as if it were but now offered up.

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THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 1638.
BY THE REV. THOMAS M'CRIE, EDINBURGH.

THIS famous Assembly met at Glasgow on the
21st November 1638. A more noble, grave,
and learned body of men never perhaps convened
to deliberate on the affairs of the Church. It
consisted of one hundred and forty ministers,
freely chosen by their different presbyteries, with
ninety-eight ruling elders, of whom seventeen
were noblemen of the highest rank, nine were
knights, twenty-five were landed proprietors, and
forty-seven burgesses of great respectability, ca-
pable of representing their respective communities
in Parliament. Some of the noblemen and gen-
tlemen, hearing that an attempt would be made
by the Marquis of Hamilton, the king's Commis-
sioner, to overawe the Assembly by a large retinue
of followers, came accompanied by their usual
retainers in arms, a precaution which was after-
wards used against them by their opponents. The
Assembly was conducted throughout with the ut-
most gravity and decorum; but Baillie makes
grievous complaints of the manner in which they
were incommoded and jostled by the crowd, who
were very naturally anxious to witness their pro-
ceedings, and he gravely lectures the Scottish people
in general, for not taking a lesson on "modesty
and manners" in church, "from Canterbury, yea,
from the Pope, yea, from the Turks or pagans."
"We are here so far the other way," says he,
with too much truth, "that our rascals, with-
out shame, in great numbers, make such din and
clamour in the house of the true God, that if they
minted to use the like behaviour in my chamber,
I would not be content till they were down the

stairs."

The order and dignity which characterised the proceedings of the Assembly itself, meeting as it did in a period of such excitement, were mainly owing to the consummate tact, firmness, and address of its Moderator, Alexander Henderson. For the exercise of these qualities, he found abundant occasion in the course of the seven days No. 32. AUGUST 10. 1839.-1d.]

during which the Commissioner kept protesting and disputing against their constitution. The king had called "a free General Assembly" of the Church of Scotland; but it soon appeared that he had never any intention of allowing it to meet. His secret correspondence with the Commissioner, now published to the world, unfolds the duplicity of his character in the most extraordinary light. He exhorts Hamilton to use all his endeavours to divide the Assembly by sowing the seeds of jealousy between the laics and the clergy; if this failed, he was to protest against all their proceedings, and on no account to allow them to proceed to the censure of the bishops. Then the bishops, who had been subjected by the king's proclamation to the censure of the Assembly, instead of appearing in answer to their summons, sent a declinature, in which, with ridiculous effrontery, they refused to acknowledge the authority of the Assembly, chiefly on the ground that an archbishop was not made Moderator, and because it was partly composed of laymen, as they were pleased to call the ordained elders of the Church-thus setting themselves up as judges of a court before which they were cited as criminals, and presuming, in their own persons, to settle the grand point at issue, relating to the government of the Church, which was to come before the Assembly. The first question therefore came to be, Whether the Assembly found themselves competent judges of the prelates? On this question being put by the Moderator, the Commissioner, after a long speech, in which he extolled his majesty's grace and condescension, presented to them a proclamation in the king's name, discharging the Service-Book, the Articles of Perth, and High Commission, and declaring that the bishops should be answerable from time to time, according to their demerits, to the General Assembly. The obvious design of this measure was to quash all further proceedings [SECOND SERIES. VOL. I.

against the bishops, whom Hamilton persisted in styling "the lords of the clergy,"-to divide the Assembly and, at the same time, by apparently granting all the popular demands, to throw on the members of the Assembly, should they continue their sittings, the odium of unreasonable opposition to a pious and gracious prince, who had done so much to satisfy the desires of his people. As to the promise of subjecting the prelates to the censure of the General Assembly, it was sufficiently clear, from their declinature, that nothing was farther from their intentions, or more unlikely to happen.

to act. Henderson repeated the question for the third time, "I now ask if this Assembly find themselves competent judges to the prelates ?" "If you proceed to the censure of their persons and offices," said Hamilton, "I must remove myself." "A thousand times I wish the contrary from the bottom of my heart," replied the Moderator, "and I entreat your Grace to continue to favour us with your presence, without obstructing the work and freedom of the Assembly." The Earl of Rothes seconded this request, using various arguments to prevail on the Commissioner to remain, and even attempting to coax him into good humour, but without effect. Hamilton began to shed tears, lamenting that such a weighty burden should have been laid on such a weak man, and acted his part so well as to draw tears of sympathy from many in the Assembly. This scene continued for some time, when perceiving that they were determined to proceed to the business for which they had met, Hamilton rose up, and after repeating his protestations, he, in the name of the

In these circumstances, it required more than common prudence in the Moderator, to act a part at once respectful to majesty, and true to the interests of the Church. Henderson nobly discharged the arduous and delicate task. "It well becometh us," he said in reply, "with all thankfulness to receive so ample a testimony of his majesty's goodness, and not to disesteem the smallest crumbs of comfort that fall to us of his majesty's liberality. With our hearts do we ac-king, as the head of the Church, dissolved the knowledge before God, and with our mouth do we Assembly, and discharged their further proceeddesire to testify to the world, how far we thinkings. ourselves obliged to our dread sovereign; wishing that the secret thoughts of our hearts, and the way wherein we have walked this time past, were made manifest. It hath been the glory of the Reformed Churches, and we account it our glory after a special manner, to give unto kings and Christian magistrates, what belongs unto their places; and as we know the fifth command of the law to be a precept of the second table, so do we acknowledge it to be the first of that kind, and that next to piety towards God, we are obliged to loyalty and obedience to our king. It has pleased his majesty to descend so far to his subjects' humble petitions, for which we render to his majesty most hearty thanks,-offering therefore to spend our lives in his service. And we would do with him as the Jews did with Alexander the Great. When he came to Jerusalem, he desired that his picture might be placed in the temple. This they refused to grant unto him, it being unlawful so to pollute the house of the Lord; but they granted to him one thing less blameable and far more convenient for the promulgation of his honour, to wit, that they should begin the calculation of their years from the time that he came to Jerusalem, and likewise that they should call all their male first-born by the name of Alexander; which thing he accepted. So whatsoever is ours," said Henderson, with increasing animation, "we shall render it to his majesty, even our lives, lands, liberties, and all; but for that which is God's, and the liberties of his house, we do think neither will his majesty's piety suffer him to crave, neither may we grant them, although he should crave it."

On hearing this noble reply, the Commissioner said, "Sir, ye have spoken as a good Christian, and a dutiful subject." The "dutiful subject" had spoken; it remained for the "good Christian"

There are critical periods in the history of the Church, when the vital principles on which it is founded are at stake, and when to yield would entail, not only disgrace on the individuals more immediately concerned, but ruin on the cause in which they are embarked. And such was the present. Had the Assembly dismissed in obedience to this summary and unconstitutional mandate, it would have amounted, you observe, to a virtual acknowledgment of the king's claim to be considered as the head of the Church, and a denial of the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ. They would have been guilty of basely betraying the liberties of the Church, at a period when these were in danger, and when they had a noble opportunity of asserting them. Our fathers were men of another spirit. As Christians, they chose to "obey God rather than men," "not fearing the wrath of the king." As Presbyterians, they felt themselves called upon stand up for the distinguishing glory of Presbytery,-the independence of the Church. As freemen, they claimed the protection of constitutional law, in opposition to the arbitrary mandate of the sovereign. As an Established Church, they stood on the vantage-ground of having their spiritual privileges recognised and secured by the laws of the land. And as Covenanters, they had pledged themselves to maintain and defend these privileges at all hazards.

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While the Commissioner, therefore, was in the act of retiring, a protestation which had been prepared that morning, in anticipation of such an event, was presented by Rothes, and read by the clerk, in which, for reasons assigned at length, they declare, "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only head and monarch of his Church, that, from a consciousness of our duty to God and his truth, the king and his honour, this kingdow

and her peace, this Assembly and her freedom, and the safety of ourselves and our posterity, in our persons and estates, we profess, with sorrowful and heavy, but loyal hearts, we cannot dissolve this Assembly." They likewise protested, that "if anie stirre should arise by impeding of their lawful meetings, the cause should not he imputed to them, who did ardently desire the Commissioner's abode, but to the prelates, who had declined them, being conscious of their guiltiness." This protest having been read, the Moderator delivered a cheering speech, in which, with admirable dexterity, he converted the conduct of the Commissioner into an encouragement for them to do their duty. "All who are present know," he said, "the reasons of the meeting of this Assembly; and albeit we have acknowledged the power of Christian kings for conveening of assemblies, yet that may not derogate from Christ's right; for he hath given divine warrants to convocate assemblies, whether magistrates consent or not. Therefore, seeing we perceive his Grace, my Lord Commissioner, to be so zealous of his royal master's commands, have we not also good reason to be zealous toward our Lord, and to maintain the liberties and privileges of his kingdom?" This, with similar exhortations from other members, made such an impression, that, with the exception of one or two who slunk away, they all remained firm at their post. Lights were ordered to be brought in, and the question being put, "If they would abide the whole time of the Assembly and adhere to the protestation ?" the whole Assembly rose, and, with one voice, declared that they would. Lest in the confusion created by so many voices, any dissenting voice should have been unheard, the roll was called, and one by one they declared their resolution to remain till the business of the Assembly was finished. Just before the roll was called, an incident occurred which greatly encouraged the Assembly. A young nobleman, Lord Erskine, son of the Earl of Mar, who had obstinately refused to sign the Covenant, stepped forward to the table, and begged the audience of the Assembly. In a low tone of voice, but with great earnestness, and an utterance almost choked with tears, he said, "I request you for the Lord's cause, right honourable and worthy members of this Assembly, that ye would receive me in your number; for I have remained long obstinate to your wholesome admonitions, being moved and stirred up by my own private ends, rather than any checks of conscience, which ends I cease to reckon before you; but I am ashamed of them, and that I should have dallied so long with God. Therefore I request you for Christ Jesus' sake, that ye would receive me into your number, and suffer me to subscribe our covenant." "Which words," says the record from which I quote them, "because he spake them with a low voyce, the Moderator rehearsed to the Assemblie, professing he could scarse utter them for tears, so that all almost who did hear him, through joy, were constrained to weepe." "We all embraced him

gladly," says Baillie," and admired the timeousness of God's comforts." This was followed by another gratifying occurrence. Mr Patrick Forbes, son of Mr Forbes who suffered so much under the former reign for the Aberdeen Assembly, with another young man, both of them preachers of the Gospel, who had been with the army in Holland, having heard of this famous Assembly, had come from abroad expressly to attend it, and having newly landed they came in at this moment and requested to have their names enrolled in the Covenant. The son of such an old and worthy champion of the Church was welcomed, as we may easily believe, with singular satisfaction; and the Moderator addressing him, said, “Come forward, Mr Patrick; before, ye wer the son of a most worthie father, but now ye appear to be the most worthie son of a most worthie father."

Having now got free from the interruptions of the Commissioner, and asserted their intrinsic right to sit as a Court of Christ, the Assembly proceeded unanimously to censure, depose, and excommunicate the bishops, condemn Episcopacy and the late innovations, nullify the pretended Assemblies by which they were introduced, and restore the Presbyterian government in all its primitive purity and simplicity.

The Assembly having now sat from the 21st of November to the 20th of December, and held no less than twenty-six sederunts, Henderson addressed them in an eloquent concluding speech, from which we give the following extracts:

After apologizing for his own weakness in the part he had taken in the proceedings, and complimenting the members on the diligence and fidelity they had displayed, he exhorts them to "give God his own praise, for he has raised us out of the deeps of the earth; he hath raised us from the dead, and exalted us very far." "Next, I would have you to consider and I put no question but ye have considered it-the goodness of the Lord our God, and his great bounty toward us in this great work which now, ecclesiasticallie, is brought to a kynd of conclusion. Remember ye not that our adver saries were at a verie great height of pride? Remember ye not that they prydit themselves in authoritie, and in their prudence and policie, and if there were any name of learning in the land they would faine have had it appearing on their syde, to be a terrour to us, whom they thought sillie poor ignorant soules besyde them? And how our sun was almost sett at noone, and we would surely have died in darkness, except the Lord had appeared and made his light to shyne?

"Nixt, beloved, I would have you to consider how small the beginnings were, yea, both small, weake, and obscure; and so soon as the Lord touched the hearts of men of all ranks from the highest to the lowest of the countrey, how sensiblie the Lord wrought with many a soul, what light filled their mynds, and what heat filled their hearts! For many old men, who were freezing for cold for want of devotion, found yet their hearts glowing with the heat that was breaking

upon them at the renewing of that Covenant, and |
we found the documents of his presence at all our
meetings; for howbeit there were thousands met
together many tymes, there were nothing but
quyetnes and peace; and surelie our adversaries
themselves have contributed to our conclusions,
(thanks be to the Lord that rules all the actions
of men!) for they have wrought more for our ends
than our owne prudence hes done.

"And now we are quyte of the Service-Book, which was a book of slaverie and service indeed,— the Book of Canons, which tyed us in spiritual bondage, the Book of Ordination, which was a yoke put upon the necks of faithful ministers, and the High Commission, which was a guard to keip us all under that slaverie. All these evills God has red us of, and lykeways of the civil places of Kirkmen, which was the splendour of all these evills; and the Lord has led captivitie captive, and made lords slaves. What should we doe less than resolve, first, since the Lord has granted us libertie, to labour to be sensible of it, and take notice of it. For we are lyke to a man newlie awakened cut of a dreame, or lyke a man that has lyen long in the irons, who, after they are tane off and he redeemed, he feills not his libertie but thinks the irons are on him still. So it is with us. We do not feill our libertie; therefore it were good for us to study to ken the bounds of our libertie wherewith Christ hath sett us free, and then again to labour earnestlie that we be not more entangled with the yocke of bondage.

them.'

"Then, for these nobles, barrons, burgesses, and others, who have attendit heir, this I may say confidentlie, and from the warrand of the Word, Those that honour God, God will honour Your lordships, and these worthie gentlemen, who have been honouring God, and giving testimony ample of your love to religion this tyme bygone, (though I will not excuse your former backslydings,) if ye will goe on, the Lord shall protect you, blesse you, honour you; and your faith shall be found, in the day of the revelation of Jesus Christ, unto praise, honour, and glorie. And I must say one word of these nobles, whom Jesus Christ has nobilitat indeed, and declaired sensiblie to be worthie of that title of nobilitie : Ye know they were lyke the tops of the mountains that were first discovered in the deluge, which made the little valleys hope to be delivered from it also; and so it came to passe. I remember reading, that in the eastern countrie, where they worship the sun, a number being assembled early in, the morning to that effect, all striving who should see the sun first, a servant turned his face to the west, and waited on. The rest thought him a foolish man, and yet he got the first sight of the sun, shyning on the tops of the western mountains. So, truelie, he would have been thought a foolish man, a few years ago, that would have looked for such things of our nobilitie; yet the Sun of Righteousness has been pleased to shyne first upon these mountaines; and long, long may He shyne upon them, for the comfort of the hills

and refreshing of the valleys; and the blessing of God be upon them and their families, and we trust it shall be seene to the generations following.

"Last,—I must give a word of thanksgiving to this cittie, wherein we have had such comfortable residence, and to the principal magistrates of it, who have attended our meeting. The best recompense we can give them, is to pray for the blessing of God upon them; and to give them a taste of our labour, by visiting their college, and any other thing that consists in our power; that so the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ may be established among them, and that the name of this city may from henceforth be, Jehovah Shammah,- The Lord is there.""

The hundred and thirty-third Psalm was then sung:

"Behold how good a thing it is,

And how becoming well,
Together such as brethren are
In unity to dwell."

The apostolical blessing was pronounced, and Henderson dismissed the Assembly with these memorable words, uttered in a solemn and impressive tone, "We have now cast down the walls of Jericho; let him that rebuildeth them, beware of the curse of Hiel the Bethelite!"

The Assembly of 1638 may be regarded as one of the noblest efforts ever made by the Church to assert her intrinsic independence, and the sole Headship of our Lord Jesus Christ. Single martyrs have often borne witness to the same purpose,-single ministers, and even congregations, may have stood out boldly for the same truth; but here we have the whole Church of Scotland, by her representatives, in her judicial capacity, lifting up her voice, and proclaiming, before the whole world, the sovereign rights of her Lord and King. No church, except one constituted on the Presbyterial model, could have horne such a testimony, or gained such a triumph; and the simple fact, that such a noble stand was once made by the Church of Scotland, ought to endear her to the hearts of all who, whatever may be their denomination, are the genuine friends of liberty, of the Christian religion, and of the best interests of mankind.

SABBATH.

BY CHARLES MOIR, Esq. "This is the day God made, in it

We'll joy triumphantly."-PSAL. cxviii. 24. SCOTLAND has long been famed for her strict obser the distinction she has gained among nations from this vance of the Sabbath; and she may well be proud of cause. Let her be tenacious of her right to dedicate this day to the great end for which it was instituted. Other nations, less strictly moral and religious, may smile at her austerity, but He who has the issue of all things in his hands will exalt the people by whom the blessed institution of the Sabbath is held in due respect and veneration.

When we hear of encroachments on the sanctity of that day which we are commanded to set aside for

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