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consistent with his relation to the human race. In fact," the relation of God to man-the relation of a moral and spiritual unity finds its historical completion in a miraculous Saviour, the sinless image of the true life of God in the soul of man. Our race has always had a consciousness, more or less distinct, of its divine nature; the thread of revelation runs through the history of all nations and ages; but this imperfect developement is ever dissatisfied, is ever striving for the attainment of a middle-point, and a spiritual elevation, from which a new stream of the divine life may pour itself out in greater fulness; and this middle-point, this elevation, is Christ, the real, historical Redeemer of mankind. In him humanity finds its highest developement. In him is God in his perfect revelation. This real, historical union of the Divine and human, this complete manifestation of the true life in the author and finisher" of faith, must be granted as essential to the introduction of God's spiritual kingdom among men." This view alone suffices for the faith of the practical Christian. He feels the necessity of such a Saviour. In the light of his character he has a fuller conviction of his own unlikeness to the perfect image, -of his need of redemption and reconciliation. The peace which he seeks he finds only in Christ, the revelation of the Father, the living, dying, rising friend of man. A cheerful hope of immortal life is inspired by his resurrection, and the Christian believer, confiding in him as the true way to eternal life, looks towards the spirit-land without apprehension, and goes down to the grave with unshaken heart and tearless eye.

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While in the above remarks we have expressed some of our convictions respecting the miraculous character and conduct of the Saviour, we fully admit the importance of all that may be said in reference to the spiritual nature of Christianity, the adaptation of its truths to our condition and wants, and the necessity of bringing them to the test of our own consciousness. We have no controversy with those who would bring the internal evidences of the Gospel into the clearest light, and commend them to the special attention of mankind. The signature of God is impressed in letters of living light upon the internal characteristics of our religion, and we sincerely rejoice in every attempt to guide the thoughts of men to a better apprehension of this truth. We make the above admission, however, without supposing, that the peculiarity of the Gospel consists in the nature of the truths which it discloses, in their novelty, or their bearing upon

the welfare of mankind. It is not the number or the extraordinary character of its truths, but the authority by which they are announced, and the sanctions by which they are enforced, that constitutes its claim to be considered an original, divine communication. Men did not so much need new truths, as that the old should be impressed with new power upon their consciences.

But we do not admit that even a secondary importance is to be attributed to the historical and miraculous character of the Gospel; or that whatever is positive in its history has lost any of its value through the lapse of ages. We believe that the facts are so interwoven with the truths of Christianity, that they cannot without violence be sundered; that the facts as well as the truths possess a permanent interest; and that to weaken their influence, would impair the strength of the foundation upon which Christianity rests in the popular mind. It must not be forgotten, that the great mass of Christians are most easily and effectually influenced by matters of historical reality, and therefore that an interpretation, which substitutes in the place of these an idea, however important it may be, or which renders necessary a train of metaphysical reasoning before the facts can be rightly apprehended, will with difficulty reach their understandings, and by no means commend itself to their hearts. The condition of the world when Christianity was introduced, and the condition of most men now, is a state of moral perversity. To use the mildest language, their attention is most easily excited by appeals to facts-to tangible and visible realities. They are earthly and sensual in their feelings; and to break in upon their worldliness it is well to represent the facts of the Gospel history in the bold relief of their miraculous character. There may be no spirituality in such a process, but it is an introduction to a better work.

But while a miraculous interposition presents a tangible and visible reality to the uninstructed mind, it is no less fitted to reach the understandings and influence the affections of the most cultivated and refined classes of men. The argument from miracles ever adapts itself to the progressive developement of the human mind; for it meets a deep, instinctive want of our spiritual nature. We suppose, that the purer and holier and more enlightened a created spirit becomes, the stronger will be its yearning for a miraculous communication, the more earnest will be its desire to hear the voice of God uttered in such a manner as to convey the assurance, that it is the

voice of God, and not a suggestion of the human soul. The only conclusive evidence of this is miracle.

If to reconcile the Gospel to our scientific principles, we find it necessary to explain away or to deny the reality of its history, we must either restore the deficient portion in a scientific form, or incur the reproach of a needless violation of the integrity of the sacred records. Such restoration however can never fill the void which will have been made in the popular mind, or remove the suspicion of dishonesty which will naturally attach to such a proceeding. Christianity is not an idea only, but a reality also. "We cannot hold fast the Christian spirit, and reject the form in which it is presented. The spirit and the form are inseparable. Christian ideas have no value as abstractions, but as realities. There is no worth in the mere idea of a God, of a Divine kingdom, of redemption; but only in faith in a personal, almighty God, in an existing kingdom, in a historical, miraculous, ever-enduring Redeemer." We cannot dispense with these, to have them restored in the shape of barren abstractions, unprofitable to the understanding and the affections. Of what value to practical piety and virtue is the criticism, which removes almost all the historical facts in the New Testament, and substitutes for Christ a symbolical representation of the relation of all mankind to God? Or how can we apply to the general edification of Christians the idea, that instead of the spirit being poured out upon the Saviour without measure, we are to suppose that this expression intimates the impartation of divine gifts to all? Piety may well ask, what is left to love, upon an hypothesis which denies the historical and miraculous agency of the individual Christ, and adopts in his stead the collective idea of the whole human race. The Scripture represents love to the Redeemer as essential to the Christian life; but if the person of Christ be removed, or darkened with the shadows of doubt, and his peculiar activity be lost amidst the refinements of science, the mind no longer recognizes the object of its love. The mere idea, or the symbolical representation, cannot inspire the warmth of affection which Jesus enkindles in the bosom of his devoted disciples.

To such difficulties are men reduced rather than admit the positively miraculous in the history of the Saviour. So closely however is supernatural agency associated with the image of Jesus, so deeply is it stamped upon the whole system of popular belief, that the convulsive effort requisite to separate them would well nigh overturn that system

itself, and introduce essential, and in our opinion unfavourable, alterations into the popular ideas of the character of Christ as a World-Redeemer. Whatever might be gained in the accuracy of scientific exposition, would be lost in the practical recognition of the truths of the Gospel. We doubt whether the alleged conflict between revelation and science be not sometimes too readily admitted by the advocates of Christianity; and even supposing such a conflict really to exist, whether a factitious importance be not attributed to it, for the secret or avowed purpose of undermining the authority of revelation. If God be the great, first power in nature, his action must be the first department of true science." In Him alone nature and spirit find their perfect unity. He is the final cause of all spiritual and physical being and action." It is not our intention, however, to go further into this question, but only to remark, that if the claims of revelation and science conflict, we admit the desirableness of a reconciliation. But we deny the expediency of the attempt, if it must be made at the expense of the objective worth, or the religious significance of the Christian Miracles; or, if it be necessary to affix to them a natural, a traditionary, or a fabulous exposition. Our interest in them is a permanent interest. It is not diminished by the fact, that the age of their occurrence is long since past. To faith and piety they are ever new. "The world walks in the life-bringing light poured upon it by the Redeemer, as in the splendor of a never-setting sun, however the phenomena, which accompanied its approach and its arising, may now be withdrawn from immediate observation."

J. M. M.

EXPOSITION OF MARK VII. 11-13.

But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever that mightest be profited by me; he shall be free; and ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mother; making the word of God of none effect through your tradition which ye have delivered.

I WILL not embarrass an explanation of this obscure and difficult passage, by mentioning the different forms in which the original has been constructed and translated. All the versions of it which I have

seen agree essentially with each other. The English reader will observe that the words "he shall be free" were added by our translators. They are undoubtedly necessary to fill out the idea intended to be conveyed by the original.

The difficulty of rightly understanding this passage arises, in part, from the extreme folly, superstition and wickedness of the opinion which is the subject of our Lord's rebuke. It requires a considerable effort, to conceive that such an opinion could ever have been gravely asserted by professed teachers of morality.

The meaning of the words, " it is Corban" &c. is not,-" I have actually devoted to sacred purposes the money with which I might have supported you, and have therefore put it out of my power to use it, either for your benefit or my own." There would at least have been some show of consistency in such a meaning; and though the principle implied in it would have deserved severe censure, it is not worse than we might have expected, from what the New Testament exhibits, in many passages, of the disposition of the Jews to exalt the ceremonial over the moral part of their Law.

But the meaning is,-"Let that wherewith I might support you be as a gift set apart for sacred uses." This was a common form of abjuration among the Jews. If, for example, a man wished to express very emphatically his intention of abstaining from wine, he said, "Let the wine which I shall drink be as consecrated wine," that is, "If I drink it, let me be held as guilty as if I had drunk such wine." There were certain words indicative of, and relating to, vows, among which was this word Corban, the use of which in abjurations of this kind, whether uttered deliberately, or in anger, or inadvertently, were considered peculiarly binding, and the man who afterwards did what he had thus declared he would not do, was thought to be guilty of sacrilege. Such abjurations, it will be observed, involved no actual consecration of any thing to a holy purpose. The thing which was the subject of the abjuration might be used for any other purpose except that which was abjured. Only in case of its being used for the abjured purpose did it become as a consecrated thing,

According to this monstrous principle, an ungrateful child might, in real or feigned passion, say to an aged parent, "Let that be as a gift, by which thou mightest be profited by me," and he was at once absolved from the natural obligation of filial duty. His property was not sequestered from his own use, but if he employed it in cherishing

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