y01,',..1 . 1;10..N38. 7 Whp1e:r",N9
fottvg.
Truth Ilves On.
BE' JENNIE 43. EINEM
Ttinotiori the ruggedinareli of 'time,
Marked with misury„sin and crime,
Rif& atalki"with npreared head,
O'er her..tields of slaughtered Ilea;
Bat sbeneath her bloody tread'
The Truth lives on.
Waftfors strong and brave of yore,
Drettehed Judea piains With gore,
And the land with war was rife,
For his tomb who - hated strife,
In the teachings of whose life
The Truth lives on.
Prorgreii her ' car Along;
Slowly righting human wrong;
Might the .right may crucify,
Nothing can her power defy;
Though Herod live and Jesus die,. •
The Truth lives on. •
Burning faggots blazing high /
Gibbets tow'ring to the sky,
Inquisition's rack and pain,
Slavery clucking loud its chain,
Falsehood triumphs still in vain :
The Truth lives on.
Underneath this load of wrong,
Truth eternal moves along;
Every true heart's mighty throe
Rolls away some human woe
Error reels beneath the blow,
And Truth lives on,
Fountains of the deep are stirred,
Mighty thoughts unbreathed in word,
Till the living Future's soul,
Bursting forth will spurn control;
Shouts of Freedom heavenward roll,
And Truth lives on.
Every blow at slavery's yoke,
Every true word boldly spoke,
Every holy thought within,
Breaks and curbs the power of sin ;
Freedom's dawn is ushered in,
And Truth lives on.
--Christian Press
The City of Refuge.
Tay sun sinks low,
And his evening glow.
rs passing to quiet grey;
Haste, traveler I fly!
For against the sky
LIJS the home thou must gain to-day.
At those city gates
None ever waits,
And within there's a home for .thee;
Ply, traveler, 41
For against the alcy
Lies the refuge where thou wouldst be.
So still, so calm,
Na a rude alarm,
Not a fear when once safe within; •
For its long repose
A rest foreshows
For the souls that would flee from sin.
The open door
Is for thousands more,
And the , eityis strong and fair;
Fly, s inners , fly!
For it stands hard by, -
And its name is, " The Lord is therel"
A GOOD NAME.
Do not despise a good name. There is no
better heritage that a father can bequeath to
his children, and there are few influences on
socieqo more wholesome than the fame of its
worthies. The names of Luther and Knox,of
Hampden and Washington, of Schwartz and
Eliot, are still doing good in the world. Nor
is there in a family any richer heir-loom than
the memory of a noble ancestor. Without a
good name you can possess little ascendency
over others ; and when it has not pioneered
your way and won a prepossession for your
self, your patriotic or benevolent intentions
are almost sure to be defeated.
And yet it will never do to seek a good
name as a primary object. Like trying to be
graceful, the effort to be popular will make you
contemptible. Take care of your spirit and
conduct, and your reputation will take care of
itself. It is by " blamelesSness and good be
havior," that not only bishops, but individual
believers, are to gain "a good report of them
who are without.' The utmost that you are
called to do as the custodier of your own repu
tation, is to remove injurious aspersions. Let
not your good be evil spoken - of, and follow
the highest examples in mild and explicit self
vindication. 'Still, no reputation can be per
manent which does not spring from princi
ple: and he who would maintain a good cha
racter should be mainly solicitous to maintain
a conscience void of offence towards God and
towards men.
Where others are concerned the case is
different. To our high-principled and deseri
ing brethren, we owe a frank commendation
and a fraternal testimony.. "` TO"rejoice in
their good name ; to cover their infirmities ;
freely to acknowledge their gifts and graces;
readily to receive a good report, and unwil
lingly to admit an evil report concerning
them ; to discourage tale-bearers and slan
derers," are duties which we owe to our
neighbors,;, and good names are not so nume
rous but that the utmost care should be taken
of them. When Dr. M'Crie published the
Life of our Reformer, it was very noble in
Dugald Stewart to seek out the young-author
in his humble dwelling and cheer him with
his earnest eulogy. And when one ..of the
Reformation heroes was maligned, it was fine
to see their advocate rummaging amongst the
archives of the Public Library, till the dis
crepant date enabled him to exclaim, "Thank
God ! oar friend was by that time safe in
Abrahanee bosom ! " It was a happy thing
for Paul te iiitre ad good a name among the
Gentile Churches, that his mere request' was
enough to bring "large contributions to the
poor saints of Jerusalem; but, if so, what a
hsppy 'thought to Barnabas to know that
when Paul himself was an object of suspicion
to the Church at JerusalemA• his own.good
name had been the new convert's passport
and gnarotey.—.Dr.
* Westminster Larger Catechism.
tAets ix t-213,
. ,
SET not tho heart on this world.
IT is question floating on the minds of
men, in a very undetermined, form, whether
a man may risk anything in the operations
of life;.'or, this being admitted, how muck
and fer what measure of Probable success.
This, chiefly, is the scale employed in deeid
int on the prudence or imprudence of &man
actione. -His particularly so in war ; where,
ausoon - as we hear of a inbtenient being
made, we spontaneously begin :to 'mike in
quiry in .our thoughts, whether .the risk im
plied in it is ju.stifled by the circumstances of
the case;,, and so we, form our judgment of
the rashness or wisdom of the transaction.
It is not, however, in war, only, but in every
sphere of action, that the principle we are
speaking of, is
,found to . be the measure by,
whiah thii character 'of attiona iirrespeef
wisdom is determined. If, therefore, a law
could be diseovered, or a rule given, appli
cable to hutnan actions in this respect, it
would be of value to thosewho are nailed- to
act in great affairs, and to those to whom. it
belongs to, decide upon their merits.
The following might be taken in most cases.
as a safe standard for action and for judg
ment. A secondary or a limited advantage
that may be lost without seriously injuring
our prospects, may be risked, or, indeed, at
once surrendered, for the strong probability
of thus securing, an advantage of decidedly
greater importance. But an advantage of
primary consequence, that involves our posi
tion, safety, expectations, and the end for
which we are living and striving, must not
be endangered in any degree, however slight,
in favor of the most extensive benefit what
soever, that is not absolutely certain. It is
often wise policy in an army to abandon a
good position for the purpose of occupying a
better one ; but to be seduced from a position
upon the occupancy of which the fortune of
the campaign is suspended, by anything less
than the certain prospect of, striking a final
blow in another quarter, would be a proof of
unquestionable inefficiency in any com
mander.
MEM
The Athenians, having invaded. Sicily,
sought how they might, with the least dan
ger, effect an advance to Syracuse, the ca
pital of the island. Accordingly they de
spatch an emissary, who, in compliance with
their instructions, feigning himself a de
serter,assured the Syracusans that if they
marched at night and fell upon the Athe
nians by surprise, whilst they passed thfir
time in security at Catana, they could not
fail to destroy them at a blow. The Syra
cusans were deceived ; and leading their
whole military force from the city which
they were assembled to defend, they marched
to Catana. In the meantime, the Athenians,
apprised of their movements, having embark
ed with the entire train, land without moles
tation, and fix their encampment under the
_
This, on the part Of the people of Syra
cuse, was a great and unwarlike error. It
was one of those instances of rashness that •
even success cannot redeem; for had they
succeeded in their undertaking, this transac
tion would have stood, as it does, an instance
of .glaring folly amongst the exaniples of '
war.
That which marks it as an'act of impru
donee, is that they left unprotected, a city
whose safety was felt both by themselves and
their enemies, to be identified with the safety
of the country for alu advantage every way
doubtful, and of which they had no other as
surance than the testimony of a stranger,
who might be false in the character he as
sumed, or if not, yet mistaken in the judg
ment he had formed of 'the practicability of
what he advised. Unless the evidence they
possessed of their power to cut off the Athe
nians, had amounted to rational certainty,
they could not be justified in leaving unde
fended all the approaches to the capital of
their country. With such a certainty, the
movement in question would have been emi
nently wise; for the best protection they
could have thrown around the walls of their
metropolis, was to annihilate the invader.
But since the case was not so, and since but
the lowest probability - existed of their suc
ceeding at °ataxia, their leaving - Syracuse
naked and defeneelesa behind them, must be
set down among the worst-examples of mili
tary indiscretion.
Following with our private affairs the prin
ciples ccnsidered under the foregoing ex
ample, we' conclude that things or secondary,
importance, and such as are not essential to
our happiness and fortune, may be Haled for
a reasonable probability of improving our
condition ; but that We must not for any ad
vantage, kowever splendid, or however full
may be-our information regarding it, if it do
not rise to the, highest . degree of certainty
which such things admit,—bring into the
least conceivable peril our present and essen
tial blessings, the great interests of our life,
and such things as go to constitute the means
of Our honorable support, the basis of our pro
gress, the elements.of 'our suCcess.
The correctness of this rule is proved from
the fact that it rests upon the same common
foundation with the duty of pious content
went. Our actual situation, with the pre
sent blessing of competence, is the gift of
God, and is the measure of external good
which he knows to be best for us ; hence it
is morally wrong, and so unquestionably un
wise to throw these away,- or subject them to
any liability of being lost, for the gratifica
tion of a restless appetite for things super
fluous,
perhaps injurious, and in regard to
which we have no reason to believe, as we
have in regard to our actual present posses
sions, that they are the appointment of God
concerning . us. .
If the above considerations be just, as
stating correct principles, and faithfully ex
hibiting the mature combined judgment of
mankind, reercling the, questions proposed
at the beginning of these remarks, we per
ceive in a new light, the egregious folly of
those who, without examination, reject the
Scriptures and the offers of salvation through
the death of Christ, and who indolently make
up their minds to brave eternity without their
light, and without their help/ Therel is, in
the course of these men, ,such -insolent con
tempt of the wisdom of the human race, of
which they are members, such reckless de-.
finnenof the principles which they themselves
are accustomed to weigh with uniforin consi
deration, in estimating, in every other in=
stance; the character'of actions and'Of ir4n,
that indignation almost takes the place in
LESSONS' OF WAR.
NO. VIII.
PITILADELPIiiA„,`MURSDAY MAY 22, 1862.
our: breasts, 'of -that compassion we would
otherwise feel, in view of the 'melancholy con
sequences of their unbelief. Their condnet
is so destitute of any reason that' might be
pleaded in its favor ; it is such an abrupt and
unexplained forsaking.of all thaanaxims - -
human prudence, that a transaction in: war
or trade, bearing ; the same marks, would in
evitably stamp .upon them the reputation ; of,
niadnesS and imbecility. It is immeasurably
more unwise than the most desperate actions
to' which the name of risk is usually - applied.
For such actions imply some sort of - balance
between the advantaged on one side and the
other; but in this case, all the danger -is
found to ,exist upon one side , only, Without a
semblance of anticipated good 'to counterba
lance it; whilst on the other side there are
advantages,- present and future, that swallow,
up in overwhelming prevalence,. all the pm,
sent evils that are to be encountered for their..
sake. To take the side of gratuitous dan
ger, to throw away everlasting andinfinite,
good without-gaining anything by it, is not
a risk; it is a deliberate choice of ruin ; it is
such a'perverse and studious abandonment of
oneself, that the pencil of the Spirit of God:
alone has been able to, catch and'express its
dark and unnatural colors " They lay wait
for their own blood ; they lurk privily for
their own. lives';" for, admitting . the gospel.
untrue, they will not dveri pretend-that- they
would forfeit reputation, self-respect, or hap
piness here or hereafter, by the honest study
and acceptance of its doctrines; whilst
they cannot but admit that if it be true, they
are un.done for ever. S. P. A.
—Banner of the Covenant.
INDIA'S CONVERSION.
LYDIA had been, .a devout worshipper of
God before, her conversion, but devotion is
not Christianity. You may see every day
, is you awaken numbers of yonr sisters re
turning from the Itomish temples of this
city, after pouring out their souls before a
picture of a dead woman who can neither
hear nor help. There are doubtless many
others who pray. necasionally in the time .of
distress, to God, but he is to them a strange
God. Perhaps some of my readers have often
wished that they could• pray. You have felt
sorrow; you have been convinced of sin;
your knew that ytni should pray, and you
have knelt down and repeated some words ;
but there was a chillness and a coldness
lbout the matter which you could not get
over. You could not feel as if you were
speaking to any person; you could not bring
yourself to believe that God cared, for you.
You could not imagine any claim you. had
upon God, but you thought that after-a long
time of very diligent
,reading, of the Bible
and attendance on worship, private and
public, and privation of many, gaieties you
were accustomed to enjoy, you would be good
enough to deserve an answer to your prayers.
But still-yon found you-- weregrowing no
better, by your devotions;; but Tather, the
more . you swept at the -long. neglected cham
ber, ,the more dust you raised„,a,nd the less
lope you had of pleasing God. It is well if
you were not driven to the chilling conclu
sion that you could no more in the matter,
and so would give up religion entirely, for
the gate of Heaven was closed against you.
But, my dear sister,
you are laboring un
der a great mistake. Heaven is not closed
against you. God's-ear is open to you. The
hindrance in the way of your access _to God
lies in yourself. Have you ever called on
an acquaintance of whom you had heard some
unfavorable report. She. had been, you were
told, speaking hard of you, or trying to do
you an injury,_ and you hail called to talk to
her about it. You remember the freezing
salutation, and the chilling formality and
reserve, and the unpleasant constrained
pauses in • your conversation, and the oft
formed wish to rise and escape from her' pre
sence. Yetshe seemed calm and kind as usual,
and,her apparent kindness only provoked you
the more, for you thought it all hypocrisy.
At length you, mustered courage to tell what
you had heard, and inquire the truth from
your friend h9rself. With the air of sincerity
and the unmistakable accents of truth she
assured you that the story was false; that
she loved you as ever she did; that so far
from wishing to injure you, she longed for an
opportunity; of tiding you kindness:. And'
you burst into tears, and confessed yOur un
worthy suspicions '
and blamed yourself that'
you had harbored such thought of one you
should have known so well._ Then your in
tercourse with her became free and, friendly
as before, for the prejudice which prevented
your access to her sympathy was removed.'
Your heart was opened.
Now, something like this is the state of
many a devout Lydia's heart towards God.
She harbors unworthy thoughts of God. She
has heard the word of 'the gospel, but not
with attention, and has hastily taken up a'
wrong impression of God's character. God's'
justice seems to= her a, harsh unfeeling way;
of tormenting poor helpless sinners, and
God's holiness ,a proud contempt for weak
erring mortals, and God's law a yoke of
bondage, only a little less grievous than the
service of sin, and prayer the price she
,pays
to conscience for any little peace she enjoys._ l
The very last thing she could imagine would be
that God should receive her into intimate and
familiar friendship, and fold her to his breast'
as a beloved daughter. Itis true that 'God
in the preaching 'of the gospel again and
again assures her that He is reconciled in
Christ ; that He has loved her so well that
He gave Jesus to 'die for her sins, and to
obey for all her shortcomings ; and that she,
has nothing more to, do but accept of Jesus'
doing and. dying as her own, and be at peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ) by
whom we have now received the*aionement.
Buc she has taken up a prejudice against
God,, as if He bore -some spiritual. grudge
against her, and .persons like her.: That.
Christ should die for godly people, and- that;
God should be reconciled to h ly persong,.
she can very well see;, but that Christ should
die for the unholy, and that God should be
reconciled to an unholy sinner, as conscience
tells her she is, seems very unlikely. And
so her heart is closed-against God,' and:she'
is resolve&to keep on' civil honest terms with
Him, and seek no favors from Him for which
she cannot pay. She will be..*ery religions
that GO may lie:very, bountiful.; but, until
sho 0. 11 ....g.r,(jat deal better and holier;thaq she,
is now, , she cannot think 91 acceptiug,God's
mercy, 'or thelolieris His loire; You would.`
say that God must change His way of salvo,-
tiOn. by grace, if4it would win the heart of
such a person.
The Lord, honever made no change in His
• A
feelings towards , por auspicious Lydia. He
continued' thi? same! Merciful, glerious,
God as before.-' heart did not need to
be opened: to her.: :cafe - did not _leave her to
'her own. folly a& heart misery,' Ho opened
' i her heart ? ~whs ;her ~:oWn ignorance of
' God's' character ask. a: God who pardoneth
iniqiiity; or her prejudice'againSt the bleiSed
ness Of the - Maii - Whose iniquity is forgiven,
and whose:sin is.dovered, Which:kept her from
peace. God brought her to light by opening
the door of her dark heart, rand letting the
blessed sunshine of love of God in Christ
JesliS Stream into her soul., "The key by
which unlock4the door, we,are told, was
Paul's preaching, the things spoken by Paul.
,Doubtless it was such. a speakiiig as he utters'
'in his letter lo-
Syntiche, and other women of Philippi, who
afterwardff: - the.gospel;
a plain account ' , of:4lle 'opening of his own
heart,l such as lon read. in Phil. 3: 4-11.
Turn to the ',passage in` your Bible and
read it.
What' fearful dmvulsions of body,, and,
awful distress of soul must have accOmpatied
this work of the .reconciling of an offending
sinner to. a holy G 44? Did not the Lord in
converting Lydia. work such fearful terrors
in her soul that she neVer'could forget thein ?.
'Yes, 'there was felarful bodily anguish and
awful distress ofaclid, when offending sinners,
were reconciled' to 'a holy God; so fearful
that, the sun hid his face'from. the sight, and
the very earth groaned and shbok with hor
ror, until the sniFfiitir'.said-:-4t. is finished.
But when he - Said so, the penal. 'sufferings of
all his people were finished. It is one of
Satan's strong delusions, in the ;present day,.
to Make you believ44,hat you -~cannot receive
Christ's salvation, tmteia you undergo a pre
vious penance of terror and - cOnviction r amt
intense mental and kb dilyeeitement. Some
of God's people may have these feeling"; ;
others - may not. tut if, in either case; the
attention is diverted from the finished work=
of Christ on the cuss; to the, details of the
process of your conversion in - .the church;
rest assured ail& going backwards in the
work - of salVatioh. Observe the subject of
Lydia's attention:":-Not the anxious-bench;
not the tears. and- groans - of -those around'
her ; not the frames and feelings of her soul,
though doubtless - she ..-felt very) deeply; and
perhaps gave a, natural expression to her
deep feelings. But her feelings could net
save her. She attended not to them when
the Lordopenecl-her heart ; -She - attendedto,
the things spoken by Paul:
Let anxious sou ~ 'groping= after saving
faith in Christ, olfserve this description - of-
Lydia's faith. Perhaps you say—" I would'
willingly believe the 'gospel; ''l do wiSh to
believe in the •Lori, Jesus for salvation, but
Ido not know how to believe. None can
believe unless it b4iVen from abbv6.Then
this, grace or, faith is given me I Will believe,
and enter into Peace with God,' but till that
time l canna work faith in my heart, and so
cannot have peace." But let me ask you, was
Lydia trying hard to work faith in - her heart
when she was:converted?, F Was,she thinking
of faith at all? Did she define it to herself?
Do we even read that. she ; , was .praying ,for
it ? In whatform did her faith appear . ? ln
the simple form of aptention. Hear, says
Christ, and your soul shall live. , How,is
this? Because it is the truth spoken which
is believed. Faith is not the belief of some
thing different-from the. Bible truth. P It is
surely the belief of God's message ; and' it
comes by hearing-that message, and in its
simplest form it is just giving attention to
the things spoken„ that God hnh: given to
us eternal life, and this- life; is in His Son.
This is God's truth, whether you attend to
it or contemn it ; whether you Make it the
chief subject of attention, or only bestow a
careless thought upon it ; whether you dis
miss it, by plunging among worldly Com
panions or household cares, or taking up the
follies of the novel, .or: whether you are saved
by keeping in memory that Christ• died for
our sins according to the Scriptures. Lydia's
faith was attention to the things spoken by
Paul. Would you only attend to them earn
nestly, obediently„ believingly, and continu
ously, you also Would have peace. R,: P.
—Banner o f the Colienithit.
THE STYLE OF JOHN'S GOSPEL
Ii? we pass- fron-the vocabulary of St. John
to the form of his, sentences; what has -been
said of the former still holds, good:innew re
lations. The characteristics which mark the
elements of his language, mark also his style
of ceinposition. There is the same simpli
city and depth in the formation of his recur
rent constructions as "lia the choke of his
familiar words ; and these qualities bring
with them, in each sefiaratb , -sdn'terice, clear
ness .and force. • Like,the key-words; of his
language; his i . construetions are almost with
out :exception most- obvious and-plain. The
effect which they produce is not gained by
any startling , or subtle ,form of expression,
but only by a calm and impressiye, emphasis.
Clauses are rather appendedthanSubordi
nated. - Everything is placed before the
reader in a. direct' form, - even in the-record of
the words of others, when the oblique narra
tion is most. liaturall; "I any of - , the'-people,
therefore, when they heard this Laying, said,
Of a truth this is the-Prophet. - others said, ,
This is the Christ., But„ , some said, Shall
Christ come, out.. of: , Galilee?. " lf remarks
are added either' to, bring . out more strongly
the featuree thescene,
,or.. to connect the
history with the immediate time, they are
added for .the most- -partiin abrupt iiirefithe
ses : -"Jesus, therefore, being weary with His
journey, sat thus omthe well:: It: as about the
sixthlcur. There °meth :a. woman of Sa ;
maria to draw water." . „ . •
,One result of this form of writing is cir
cumstantiality. The
,different details which
are included in an:action are given with
dividual care. . Word is added to word, when
it Might -have 'been thought,tbat the
ture was 'already included in the' picture'''
and yet sucb sentences - as "Jesus cried out
in the Temple, teachingland , sayine? " they
questioned Him and saidt to- Him and , the
like, it.w~ll_be thatithere7s something
gained by the distinct exprdsaort ofeaclimo-3
ment in the narrative which might otherwise.
fine,4wen , oyerlooked. .
s Anothermod% inlw,}44lt4ls fPna,nicnellt , a l T :
chkracter'of Jebri''s ' it"self i's'
repetition. The subject, or chief word of
the whole sentence, is- constantly repeated,
both in the narrative,and in the,recital of our.
Lord's discpurses.. "In_ the beginning.-was
the Word . ; and the Word ik-aswith God; and
the:Word 4as God." "Thsus then - When he
saw her weeping, - and the Jews- that were
with her weeping." * * * * • "If I
bear witness of, myself,--my .witness is not
true, - ; There=in Another that•heareth witness
of me; and .Iknow that the witness which he
witnesseth of me is true." ,
This tendency to-emphatic repetition.may
be seen again in the way in which the per
sons iiivolVed in the dialogue are brought
out into clear antagonism. Sentence after
sentence - opens with' the clauses, "'Jesus
said,"." the 'Jews said;" so that' tho'Cliara,e
ters engaged in the great conflict -axe never
absent from the Mina -of ,the =reader; aiid a
similar emphasis-is tainedAntother sentenoes
by the: introduction of a demonstrative, pro
noun, when an important clause has inter
evened between : the subject; a,n(1,413.e verb:
"lle that seeketh.His glory that, sent him
the same is true." -
If is to be referred to the same instinctive
'dcsire - to realize the full personality of the.
action, so to speak, tlat St. John frequently
uses the participle and 'substantive verb for
the more natural finite verb.' The distilla
tion' between the Awe forms of expression 'is
capable only- =of a rude representation in
English.; yet even so, it is -possible to appre,
elate the difference between ,the ; phrases "I
bear witness," and. "I am one who, bears-
Witn6s," and to feelthat the idea of the az
tion predominates in the one, and of the
,person in the' other. Else Where the' force of
'the clause is heightened, in a way Which the
English idiom cannot express, by the posi
tion of the verb at the beginning of the 'sea
fence., The central idea of the whole is
given first, and the remainder. of the sen
tenee is made dependent upon it.
- All these peculiarities converge to the
same point. The simplicity, the directness,
the peculiarity, the en3phasis of St. John's
style, give his • writings a marvellous pewer,
which is not, perhaps, felt at .first ;Yet .his
words seem to_ hang about the reader till he
is forced to remember them. Each great
truth sounds like the burden of a strain, ever
falling upon the ear•with acalm persisteney
which secures attention. ,And apart 'Fri . =
forms of expression with which all are early.
familiarized there is :no book in the Bible
which has furnished so many figures of the
Person and Work Of Christ which have
passed into the common use of .Chri.stians, as
the Gospel of St. Jelin. "I am the bread
of life;' "I am the light 'of -'the' 'World ;"
""I am the good shepherd ;" "I 'ani - the
are words wnich have guided the thatights of
believers from the first ages.
But while the particles in •St. Jan oeciipy
generally a, very subordinate place, two
express a-designed object and a_natu
ral sresult,however much these ideas may be
hid:den Sit ,the, p.rdi kq x,y,
fitqiielit' arid important ,vi - ew.
Which they open o the continuous working
of &Vine ProVidence, and of' the sequence
of .hunitin actions, is exactly- that hi which
St. John may be supposed have specially
dwelt; and which he brings out >with the
greatest distinctness. "The Jews said unto
im It is not lawful for, us to put any, man
to death; that the saying of Jesus may
fulfilled, which he spike signifying what
death he should die." " When he had heard,
therefore, that 'he was sick, lie abode two
days still in the same place where' he was."
Another form of connection is equally
characteristic of St. John, and equally in
structive. Successive sentences, 'no less than
the parts of 4. single'sentence, are combined
by the recurrence of a common word. The
repetition of the key-words of the former
sentence, in that which follows, unites the new:
statement, with that which preceded, and yet
invests it, at the same time, with an individual.
worth. Sometimes the subject is repeated:
4 1 am the 'geed 'shepherd. The good shep
herd lays down his life for the sheep." Some
times what appears a subordinate word is
transferred to the first - place : "Greaterlove
lath no man than this, that rai-man lay down
his life for his friends. .Ye are my friends."
* * * Sometimes a clause is repeated
whicb.gives the theme of the passage : "1 ,am
the true, vine ; * * * lam the .vine ye
are the 'branches;" * * -* and' again,
one -which npeats its closing cadence : "The
world hated them,tecause they are - not of the
world, even as I am-not. of the world * *
They are not of ;the ,world,..as I. am not: of the
world. * *a * Sanctify them in, the truth
* * * that they may -be sanctified in the
truth."_
This repetition is connected with another
peculiarity of St. John's style, which is ob
servable both in-the simple sentences and in
the connected record—the spirit of -parallel
ism—the inforaring'power. of Hebrew poetry
--which runs through it. It would not be
possible to find a more , Perfect- example - of
parallelism than the blessing of the Lord:
"Peace I leave unto you; my, peace I give
unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not _your heart be troubled, neither
let it be afraid." * * * But such in
stances are naturally very rare ; as they are
essentially peetical, though simpler forms
both of direct and antithetic parallelism occur
throughout the book. The parallelism, how
ever, which is most - characteristic of St .Tohn,
is a progressive or constructive ,parallelism,,
or rather a symmetrical progression. The
subject is stated and pursued "to a definite re
sult ; it is then started again, with the addi
tion of the nevl conclusion, and carried to
another limit In this way the truth, is pre
sented, as it Were, in a series - of concentric
circles; ever widening; each one in succes
sion includes all that have < gone_ before and
is in part determined by thein.
This characteiistic parallelism in thought
and language, Which is found in the narrative
and discourses-.of < St. John, leads the way to
the truest appreciation, of tie „entire Gospel.
It is, in fact,, the divinetiebrew Epic. Every
part is impressed with the noblest features of
Hebrew yoetry; and thetteatment of the sub
ject satisfLeg'tlis`conditiens variety,
gress and: completeness, which, , when com
bined with, the essential nature of the subject
itself Make up the notion 'of a, true Epic.
The history is not only of national, but of
universal interest The development of faith
and unbelief in the course, of the- Savioitrts
life- '
PE*
up to the fast agony of the 011. and,
the last charge of the :risen presents
moral picture of unapproachable grtndeUrf
the separate incidents fnibeervo to - thVeilit
bition of the one central idea of "the Word
made flesh dwelling among men ;" and every-.
thing is contemplated in its truly poetic, that
is, in its permanent and topical, aspect.—
Outward magnitude alone is wanting; and if
the narrative falls short in mere extent, this
secondary accident cannot neutralize all the
other details in which the Gospel fulfils the
requiremehts *of Wtsteott.
The Combination of Moral and Intellec
tual Excellence an Christ.,
ATTER what ha,s preceded, it is like try
ing to enlarge the infinite to seek - further
evidence ;that, in affirming-Himself to have
raised the dead, Jesus Christ neither spoke
falsely nor fell into mistake. It is, however,
certain that, we can never,, by considering
moral intellectual qualities,a part, arrive
at any just conception of their united action;
and we must; therefore, endeavor to form
some- faint idea of their combination in the
mind of the Saviour. -
- The _intellectual .and the moral elements
of,mind'have a' reciprocal influence. Intel
lect, never works so powerfully as in, alliance
with moral integrity ; and, conscience has no
such auxiliary as mental power. - In a mind
of feeble capacity the moral sense is always
at a diss'dvantage. Enthusiasm steals around
it like a humid mist, diffracting its beam,
arid dyeing itwith a thousand colors ; or er
ror is subtly insinuated' into the .oil by which -
its light is fed; or the vapors of unquelled
phantasy take shape of gigantic realities,
and its ray falls, in ghastly illumination on
the wild dance of extravagance or delirium.
Intellect clears and stills the mental atmos
phere, so that the flame of conscience burns
bright and steady. It brings discretion to
take the hand of zeal, and knowledge to open
her eyes'; it furniShes reflection to temper the
fire of passion, and sagacity to use it ; it
penetrates deception, detects error, suggests
method, and preserves moderation. 'lntel
loot. discerns the relations of things, so that
concience may apportion duty to each. In
tellect puts the stake in the ground, so, that
the-flower of moral feeling, which otherwise
would:1)e ,draggled in 'the. mire, may run up'
it into light. Right moral qualities, on the
other hand, are the guardian angels of intel
lect. They elevate its aims. They dash from
its lip the heady wine of vanity and conceit.
They, avert.the deadlier intotication of pride.
They protect it from the danger that lurks
in every form of self-seeking. ,
Now we have seen that the character of
Christ's mind was superlative excellence,
both intellectual and moral. The subtlest'
deluaion creeping in would have been seen
and smitten by the keen light of His lute'.
lectual,vision. The most delicately plausi
ble, the most *tenderly -disguised, of pious
frauds, would'have been pierced by the Itha.
riel spear ef Jlis moral; purity. -In such a
mind intellectual sight, and moral, intuition
would be combined in, one act. of infallible,
reaso . n, of re,ason,poisingitself as perfectly,
Hating as - free as a . iinged the' aft'
or heaven. Hence that Divine self-command
and self-poSsession of Christ ; that never-agi
tated repose ; that calm,' God.-like majesty.
He is never sudden, never partial, never im
patient ' His path is asthe path of a star,—
the Morning Star., His_words, His actions,
are simply, absolutely right. As we revolve
thiSse words and actions, a natural associa
tion .seems' to lead our thoughts to sublime
and solemn objects,— ' the cloudless sky, the
slumbering ocean, theeverlasting hills. We
feel ourselves unable to say that one excel.'
leire,e is more-conspicuous in Him than ano
ther ; all good having,s, moral and intellec
teal, combine in Him into a serene -perfec
tion for which we can find no name, unless it
be of that ineffable Wisdom by which the
crowned,sage designated Christ of-old.
Among the heedless sayings of skepticism,
one of the, most heedless, yet not least plau
sible is, that the Eastern mind differs from
the-Western' in an imaginative vagueness and
superstitious credulity. These, "it is said,
obliterate the lines which separate fact from
phantasy, and dispose to the wholesale ac
ceptance _of - wonders. , The miracles of
Christianity„it is concluded, were but part
and parcel of the airy architecture of Orien , ,
tel poetry. Such are the arguments with
which some content themselves, as they turn
lightly away from the ladder of Divine re
velation let down by God out of heaven, and
decldre, it to be but a dream. How light
the , •effort, of consideration required to prove
the entire fallaciousness of such reasoning !
The Jewish people first ofall, were. marked
ly different from -every other Eastern race.
No nation ever was more, practical. Amid
the Vagaries of Oriental polytheism they held
firm the belief in one God; and for eighteen
hundred years, though scattered and peeled,
with nationality 'destroyed and sceptre bro
ken' theyhate shown themselves capable of
being pitted in the arena of commerce, of
science, of *art, 'and` of literature, with the
most robust and sharp-minded Western races.
The Jews have 'been a gold-dust among the
nations of ipodern Europe, a gold-dust which
will, one day be gathered into the crown of
`humanity. Christianity, in the second place,
was, almost from the first, a thing of the
West. It had not received its name when it
,was taken up by the acute Greek intellect;
a few years after the death of Christ it was
accepted in the city, of Rome; it has since
appeared. too definite, practical, and calmly
wise to be retained in purity by the Asiatic
`mind; but it " is still," as says Gibbon, " pro
feseed by the
,nations of Europe; the most
distinguished portion of, human kind in arts
and learning as well as in arms." The most
complete refutation, however, which can be
conceived of this thoughtless sophistic, is de
riired 'from a consideration of the exact ba
lance of all- powers in the Saviour's mind.
Christ's parables and similitudes 'are clothed
in, no Oriental,drapery ; they have a chaste
simplicity and clear-cut distinctness, which
ally them to the,mest exquisite poetry of an
cierit Greece and of modern Enrope. In ip
telleet; as in averf, human characteristic,
Christ belongs `not ;tea nation; batio marl='
kindl'Ha is thelitcond - Adam, the type of
perfect huManity.
Ifis hot, then, I ask once' more, incredi
ble and inconceivable that Christ should
have'said that , He raised 'the dead without
havingdoiie.so ?—Peter Bayrte.
wili have Christian tolive a lifeof
dependence, to run, to Jahn. eve i ry, ' ur
ne w strength of grace, a's they; behold their'
own weakness. I ive hot'
Heiron.
GENESEE EVANGELIST.---Whole No. 835
JUDGE ME, 0 GOD
BUT you inquire, appalled, How shall we
escape these terrors ? Listen—be judged
here,' lest ye be judged hereafter. Say with
David, Judge me, 0 God !' Utter the words
to-day, whilst still a merciful judgment may
be expected, and before the cause is finally
decided. • This must of necessity be expe
rienced. .Do not let your first aspiration be
Sanctifyme - P but begin with Judge me, 0
God for God makes no one holy, whoin He
has, not previously, judged . And when Ho
thus enters into judgment with us for our
salvation; He first of all presents before us
the - Mirror of His holy law, in which we see
unfolded' to our view, - what ? Alas, a lost
life:! And yet we hesitate with our surren
der 1 we grasp:at fig-leaves, subterfuges and
evasions.! But the eye of the Omniscient
and the Judge is upon us, penetrating into
the deepest recesses of our being, and disco
vering 'everywhere nothing but death and cor
ruption; by which we are rendered mute as
the grave. He requires holiness, and we
:•daily find ourselves only the more guilty,
powerless and heavy laden. - At length the
moment arrives when we.give up the idea of
appeasing-Rim, and the cry of despair arises
from the depth of our wretchedness : It is
in vain ; I have no righteousness of my own;
I, find none ;I am under the curse !' We
long and languish for one thing alone; we
cry for mercy, and, God be praised, mercy
is' to be found. A bloody cross presents
itself to our view, and a Voice exclaims,
Comfort ye; comfort ye my people. Speak
ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto
her, that her warfare is accomplished, that
her iniquity is pardoned.' Through the hor
rors of judgment we press to Jesus, and
through Jesus into the kingdom of life and
love. Henee hoW necessary is the prayer,
" Judge me,:o God !'
He that belieVeth - on Afie;' saith- Jesus,
shall not be condemned.' - But when once
we 'are one with Jesus, how willing are we
then to-be judged of God! The prayer to be
so, then, points out a state of the greatest
blessedness .to which we can attain in this
world'; for We then appear before God,
clothed with the spotless robe of Christ's
righteousness,' and His judgment respecting
us can then be only mild and favorable,—a
judgment such as• that pronounced upon
Abraham, Daniel, "Paul or John.
Formerly we might have said, 0, let not
God enter into judgment with us but now
we rejoice that alp final decision rests with
Him ; and when our conscience condemns us,
we, take refuge with Him, Consoled by the
consciousness that He is greater than our
heart, and khoweth all things.' It causes us
pleasure to perceive that He continues to re
prove us in*ardly, and ceases not to judge
us by His Spirit, respecting our faults, until
we again - stand : humbled before Him. We
are then happy, in observing that He is really
our. Father, and know that renewed forgive
peSS:,_,goes hand in hand with the renewed
"corisjudgment 'and - feeling's of
humiliation whilSt, on the contrary, there is
nothing more 'painful than when we are left
unnoticed to proceed on our way, and when
we are no longer conscious of His eye being
fixed. upon uS, and no longer feel the hand
of His correcting love. In this sense, there
fore, it continues one of our most essential
petitions, as long as we live; 'Judge me, 0
Goa'—yea, judge me daily, but in mercy !
Dr. Krummdcher.
A GERMAN 'VIEW OF ENGLISH RATION-
A SM.
H.BNP-STENBERG, the celebrated evangelical
critic, and scholar, has- recently expressed
himself upon the "Essays and Reviews."
We quote some extracts as we find them in
the llfetliodist. The reader will please mark
the sentences we have put in italics. It is
more and: more apparent that only sciolists
attack Christian verities :
" The authors of the.*Essays' have been
trained in -a German: school. It is .only the
echo of German infidelity, which we hear
from the midst.of the English Church. This
German infidelity- is also the evil demon of
North America. The people from which, at
the time of the Reforinatien, the blessings of
the . fear and the love of God were widely
poured out through the lands, has now be
come a spring of infidelity for the world, and
those who drink from its waters are poisoned
and must die." "The authors of the Essays
apPear to us as parrots, that they imitate
more orless - perfectly." " The treatise of
Temple is in its scientific value about equal
to an essay written by the pupils of the mid
dle elasseS of our colleges." "The essay of
Goodwin on the Mosaic Cosmogony displays
the naive assurance of one who receives the
modern critical science ,from the second or
tenth hand. The editor [Hengstenberg]
asked the now deceased Andreas Wagner [a
distinguished professor of natural sciences at
the University of Munich] to subject this trea
tise to
. an examination from the standpoint of
natural science. The offer was accepted, and
the book sent to him. But after some time it
:was returned by him with the remark, that he
must take back his promise, as the book was
beneath all criticism." " All -the Essays tend
towards. Atheism. Their subordinate value
may:also.be seen in this,, that their authors
have. not the energy of mind to recognize
their goal clearly, and not the courage to ex
press this knowledge openly. , Only Baden
Powell forms in this respect an exception.
,TTe uses several 'expressions , in which the
-grinning spectre makes - almost undisguisedly
his appearance. He speaks not only sneer
,ingly of the idea of a positive external reve
lation, which has hitherto. formed the basis
of all.systems of the Christian faith he even
raises himself against the Architect of the
-world,' - whom the 'old English'Free Thinkers
::and - Freemasons had not dared to attack."
In . conclusion, - Ilengatenberg exhorts the
Church .of England-not -to. slight this matter,
warning theta_ Ghat they have to. do with the
most dangerous enemy that threatens their
isle, .and, remindingthem of the example of
Germanyoviiehia,s fallen under .the power
of this enemy, and still lies prostrate on the
ground, Unable to raise, itself.—Chris.
SOTJND DOCTRINE.-Of all the forms skep
ticism ever assumed, the most insidious, the
most ilangerous, and the most fatal, is that
which suggests that ,it is unsafe to perform
plajri a nd simpleduty. for fear that disastrous
petiseVteifeesi may therefrom.--Sena
tor Hale.