undissembled cheerings of almost the entire body | nexion of the colonies, at the moment of their of educated men throughout Europe. They used revolt, with France and the prevalence of a the only language then common to the civilized peculiarly eager and uncorrected commercial temworld, and a language which might be imagined per-and the absence of every sort and semto have been framed and finished designedly to blance of restraint upon opinion-were concurrent accomplish the demolition of whatever was grave circumstances, belonging to the infancy of the and venerated; a language, beyond any other, of American Union, of a kind which put to the raillery, of insinuation, and of sophistry; a lan- severest test the intrinsic power of Christianity, in guage of polished missiles, whose temper could retaining its hold of the human mind. Could penetrate not only the cloak of imposture, but the infidel experimenters have wished for conditions more equitable under which to try the respective forces of the opposing systems? shield of truth. 8. "At the same portentous moment the shocks and upheavings of political commotion opened a thousand fissures in the ancient structure of moral and religious sentiment, and the enemies of Christianity, surprised by unexpected success, rushed forward to achieve an easy triumph. The firmest and the wisest friends of old opinions desponded, and many believed that a few years would see Atheism the universal doctrine of the western nations, as well as military despotism the only form of government. 11. "And what has been the issue? It is true that infidelity holds still its ground in the United States, as in Europe, and there, as in Europe, keeps company with whatever is debauched, sordid, oppressive, reckless, ruffian-like. But at the same time Christianity has gained rather than lost ground, and shows itself there in a style of as much fervour and zeal as in England; and, perhaps, even has the advantage in these respects. Wherever, on that continent, good order and intelligence are spreading, there also the religion of the Bible spreads. And if it be probable that the English race, and language, and institutions, will, in a century, pervade its deserts, all appearances favour the belief that the edifices of Christian worship will bless every landscape of the present 9. "It is hard to imagine a single advantage that was lacking to the promoters of infidelity, or a single circumstance of peril and ill omen that was not present to deepen the gloom of the friends of religion. The actual issue of that signal crisis is before our eyes in the freshness of a recent event. Christianity has triumphed. But shall it be said—wilderness that shall then blossom as the rose." or if said, believed that the late resurrection of the religion of the Bible has been managed in the cabinets of monarchs? Have kings and emperors given this turn to public opinion, which now compels infidelity to hide its shame behind the very mask of hypocrisy that it had so lately torn from the face of the priest? To come home to facts with which all must be familiar. Has there not been heard, within the last few years, from the most enlightened, the most sober-minded, and the freest people of Europe, a firm, articulate, spontaneous, and cordial expression of preference, and of enhanced veneration, towards Christianity? 10. "The spread of the English stock, and language, and literature, over the North American continent, has afforded a distinct and very significant indication of the power of Christianity to retain its hold of the human mind, and of its aptness to run hand in hand with civilization, even when unaided by those secular succours to which its enemies in malice, and some of its friends in over-caution, are prone to attribute too much importance. The tendency of its republicanism, which obviously has some strong affinity with infidelity--and the con VI. We have now taken a brief, and, necessarily, imperfect, view of the guarantees which we possess for the original divine character of the revelation comprised in the sacred Scriptures, and for the integrity and preservation of the text by which it has been handed down to us. These guarantees are of the most satisfactory description, each one of them possessing at least the highest degree of probability; and the combined strength of the whole furnishing an amount of moral demonstration which cannot be challenged for any other ancient writings, nor be resisted by any ingenuous mind, surrendered up to the deliberate and dispassionate investigation of its claims. The word of Jehovah is "a sure word;" it comes to men in the "demonstration of the Spirit," and with "power," "bringing down high imaginations, and everything which exalteth itself against God;" humbling man, that it may raise him to the dignity of “a son of God," and justifying to worlds-seen and unseen— the inscrutable providence of its beneficent and "only wise" Author. CHAPTER IV. SACRED INSTITUTIONS. In the prosecution of that divine purpose which we have seen it to have been the great object of revelation to accomplish, the Supreme Being has, from time to time, prescribed various institutions, and enjoined various duties. The discussion of some of these pertains more to the science of theology than to the art of interpretation; but there are others of them, comprising details, both of ceremony and of import, that are so frequently spoken of or alluded to in the sacred writings, as to render the knowledge of them indispensable to the biblical interpreter. To these we shall now invite attention, adverting to the former class of institutions only in so far as they are expressly and incontrovertibly described in the Scriptures. SECTION I. THE CHURCH-PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH, AND CHRISTIAN. Members of the Church-The Patriarchal Church-The Jewish § 1. Of the Church, generally. THE truths of divine revelation were published and tendered to the acceptance of the world-of mankind at large; but they have been, in all ages, received only by a few out of the general mass, which few, thus distinguished from the rest, have constituted "the church of the living God," or the assembly of believers and worshippers, Acts ii. 47, vii. 38; Heb. ii. 12. The Greek appellation Exxλn6ia, from 8x, out of, and nahew, I call, is clearly derivable from p kehl, a calling, a gathering together, an assembly. It is applied to the general collection of the Israelitish people (Deut. xviii. 16); to the universal body of Christians (Matt. xvi. 18); and to any particular organized body or congregation (Acts xvi. 5; Rev. i., ii., iii.) Among the characteristics of this community, must especially be noted, the fidelity of the members to themselves, to each other, and to God (Gen. v. 24, vi. 8, 22; Exod. xx. 3-17; Psalm xv. ; Matt. v., vi., vii. ; Phil. iv. 8). But every thing is included in the spirit of hearty and habitual co-operation; “striving together," or as the duvadhoUTES taments, this spirit and practice are impressively demanded, Psalm cxxxiii.; Isai. xi. 12-14; 1 Cor. xii. 31, xiii. 1-13. To increase their numbers, to proselyte from the world, to wait and wish for the accomplishment of sacred prophecy, to be united and unceasing in their exertions, is their imperative duty and highest joy.* § 2. Of the Patriarchal Church. 1. THE Patriarchal church was limited in its faith, and simple in its ritual and worship. The object of the dispensation under which it existed, was to inculcate the doctrine of redemption, through the piacular death of the woman's promised seed; with its necessary concomitant-the doctrine of a recovered happy immortality. The church, at this period, therefore, comprised those who received and confided in these doctrines; as Abel, who obtained a witness from God that he was righteous (Heb. xi. 4); Enoch, who walked with God (Gen. v. 24; Heb. xi. 5); Noah, who was heir of the righteousness which is by faith (Heb. xi. 7); Abraham, who, taught the doctrine of redemption, through the interrupted sacrifice of Isaac, looked for a heavenly country, and died in the faith (Heb. xi. 8-19); Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, with many of their contemporaries and descendants, no doubt taught by their discourse and example, who by faith anticipated things to come, and obtained a good report (Heb. xi. 20— 22, &c.). 2. The Patriarchal church consisted of two periods. The first, from Adam to the flood; during which the apostasy of Cain and his descendants took place, which consisted in the rejection of the atonement, and which at length spread amongst the descendants of Seth. The second period was from Noah to the establishment of the Levitical dispensation; the apostasy from which consisted in astronomical hero-worship; while the doctrine of the atonement was strenuously maintained. ‡ 3. The priesthood, whose duty was to offer * See "Outlines of a Biblical Cyclopædia," in Critica Biblica, vol. ii., pp. 495, 496. the three Dispensations may be advantageously consulted. x of Phil. i. 27, reads, "jointly contending For the proofs of these statements the reader must be rewith one soul." In numerous places of both Tes-ferred to Faber's Treatise, already spoken of. sacrifices, instruct the people, and superintend the worship offered to Jehovah, under the patriarchal dispensation, originally belonged to the first-born, Cain; but he forfeited it by apostate infidelity and murder. It then devolved upon Seth and his posterity, and was handed down through Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-Esau having sold his birthright to his younger brother-and thence to the time of Moses. 4. Of what may be called the discipline of the patriarchal church, we know little or nothing; the notices comprised in the book of Genesis (which, with a few passages in the Epistles to the Galatians and Hebrews, constitute the only records we have of this period) being few in number, and | scant of information. $ 3. Of the Jewish Church. pure church, and hence the whole nation is said to be ،، Of these (1) Slaves who embraced Judaism without receiving their liberty were either foreigners, who had been by some means bought into Jewish families, or they were the children of these foreigners. Of this kind of proselytes was Eliezer of Damascus, the steward of Abraham's house (Gen. xv. 2, 3), and to this does God compare Israel when he says, in Jer. ii. 14, “Is he a homeborn slave; why is he spoiled?" 1. THE Jewish church retained the same great and fundamental article of faith as that which constituted the prime feature of the patriarchal theology, but with additions called for by the peculiar character of the times when it was constituted, and the awful apostasy from the faith which prevailed almost universally in the world. The law given to the Hebrews by Moses was not intended in any way to interfere with or set aside the covenant made with Abraham, but rather to preserve it intact, and insure its fulfilment. Such is the reasoning of Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians, who appear to have mistaken this matter. The gospel, as he argues, was preached to Abraham, and the covenant of faith made with him was so confirmed as to be incapable of being annulled :—“ And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God (3) The proselytes of righteousness were more gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of trans-highly favoured than the proselytes of the gate, gressions, till the seed should come to whom the for they might trade with Jews, marry with Jews, promise was made, and it was ordained by angels enter within the sacred fence of the temple, and in the hand of a mediator," Gal. iii. partake of the annual feasts. There were several things, however, to which they were bound to submit, before they were entitled to these privileges; as, instruction in the principles of the Jewish religion, circumcision, baptism, the offer 2. Godwyn distinguishes the people of Israel into two sorts, Hebrews and Proselytes. Jennings advances a step higher, and divides the whole world, after the formation of the Hebrew commonwealth, into Jews and Gentiles.* The form of the Hebrew government being theocratic, each member of the state was also a member of the * Jewish Antiquities, b. i., chap. 3. (2) Proselytes of the gate were persons who, without undergoing circumcision, on observing the Mosaic ritual, engaged to worship the true God, and observe the seven precepts of Noah. Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings v. 18) and Cornelius the centurion (Acts x. 2) are thought to have belonged to this class. It is right to observe here, that Jennings and other writers conceive this rabbinical distinction of proselytes to have had no existence in fact. See Jewish Antiq., b. i., chap. 3, at the end. Prideaux, Connex. A. A. C. 428. The ing a sacrifice to Jehovah, &c. After having be sacred and inviolable, 1 Sam. xxiv. 5-8; 2 submitted to the rites of circumcision and baptism, Sam. i. 14. the scholars who had attended as witnesses gave (2) The PROPHETS formed another class of the proselytes a certificate, which, when presented sacred persons, and were raised up by God himto any synagogue, constituted them church mem-self, to be the ministers of his dispensation. hers while they resided within the bounds.* If business of the prophets was not merely to reveal the head of a family was in this way baptized, secret things, whether past, present, or future; the infants and slaves were baptized at the same but also to instruct the people, and interpret the time, without asking their consent; the former, law and will of God. According to St. Augustine,§ because they could not give it; and the latter, as they were the philosophers, divines, instructors, and being the master's property, and having no rights guides of the people; forming the bulwarks of reliSons arrived at years of maturity gion, as witnesses of the Divine presence, and were not baptized unless they wished it.† living monuments of his will. In the earliest ages (4) The female proselytes were received by of the world, some individuals were raised up to baptism and sacrifice. of their own. sustain this sacred office; but from Moses to Ma(5) We must not omit to remark, that, after lachi there was an uninterrupted succession of these having submitted to the prescribed rites, the pro- public teachers, who testified against the misdoings selyte was considered as having been born again. of the people, laboured to call them back to a Thus the Jews say, "When a man is made a pro- sense of their duty, and comforted and animated selyte he is like a new-born infant," and " he hath the pious and sincere, by predictions of future a new soul." They even went so far as to main-blessings. Their mode of living was most frugal, tain that the bond of natural relation between him and his kindred was now dissolved. Some have supposed that there is an allusion to the proselyte's renunciation of his natural relations in Luke xiv. 26, where our Lord says, "If any man come unto me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple;" and that there is a like allusion in the following passage: “Hearken, O daughter, and ineline thine ear: forget also thine own people, and thy father's house," Ps. xlv. 10. Tacitus, in his character of the Jews, having mentioned their custom of circumcision, as adopted by proselytes, adds, "They then quickly learn to despise the gods, to renounce their country, and to hold their parents, children, and brethren in the utmost contempt." It is probable this unnatural contempt, which the Jewish doctors taught proselytes to entertain of their nearest relations, might be one thing, on account of which they are said to have "made them two-fold more the children of hell than themselves," Matt. xxiii. 15.|| 3. Among the sacred persons in the Jewish constitution, we may properly enumerate :— (1) The KINGS, who were the vicegerents of God, as the supreme magistrate of the state, and whose persons were, consequently, considered to * Basnage, Relig. of Jews, b. v., chap. 6, 7. Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. Matt. iii. 6. Brown's Jewish Antiquities, vol. ii., p. 8, sect. 5. Jennings' Jewish Antiq., b. i., ch. 3. and their apparel was generally very plain. Their fidelity and zeal in the service of Jehovah frequently exposed them to cruel persecutions, in which they chose rather to submit to death than to sully their sacred character. The gift of prophecy was not always annexed to the priesthood: there were prophets of all the tribes, and sometimes even among the Gentiles. Godwyn observes that, for the propagation of learning, colleges and schools were erected for the prophets. The first intimation we have of these is in 1 Sam. x. 5, where the company of prophets are supposed to have been students in a college of prophets at Gibeath. These students were called sons of the prophets, and are frequently mentioned in after-ages, even in the most degenerate times (see 2 Kings ii. 3, 5, iv. 38); and it seems from 1 Kings xviii. 4, that they were very numerous. They were educated under a proper master (who was commonly, if not invariably, a prophet) in the knowledge of religion and of sacred music (1 Sam. x. 5, xix. 20), and were thereby qualified to be public teachers of religion. It seems that the prophets were generally chosen out of these schools. (See Amos vii. 14, 15.) It was usual among the heathen to designate all such persons as were conversant with divine things by the name of prophet, in conformity with which Paul, when citing a passage from Epimenides, calls him a prophet (Tit. i. 12). Speaking of prophets in the Christian church, the same apostle clearly defines their character by saying, that "he who pro § De Civitate Dei, l. xviii., ch. 41. phesieth, speaketh unto men to edification, and | Nazariteship. Maimonides says, that he who exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor. xiv. 3).* (3) NAZARITES were persons separated from the use of certain things, and peculiarly devoted or consecrated to the service of God. The law relative to the Nazareate is given in Numb. vi. The vow of the Nazarite consisted in the following particulars: (1) He consecrated himself in a very especial and extraordinary manner to God. (2) This was to continue for a certain time, eight days or a month, but perhaps seldom less than a year, that he might have a full growth of hair to burn in the fire, which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offering. (3) During the time of his separation he drank no wine nor strong drink, nor used any vinegar formed from an inebriating liquor, nor ate fresh or dried grapes, nor tasted even the kernels or husks of any thing that had grown upon the vine. (4) He never shaved his head, but let his hair grow, as the proof of his being in this separated state, and under vows of peculiar austerity. (5) He never touched any dead body, nor did any of the last offices, even to his nearest kin, but was considered as the priests, who were wholly taken up with the service of God, and regarded nothing else. (6) "All the days of his separation he was holy;" during the whole time he was to be incessantly employed in religious acts. Perpetual Nazarites, as Sampson and John Baptist, were consecrated to their Nazariteship by their parents. Those who made a vow of Nazariteship out of Palestine, and could not come to the temple when their vow was expired, contented themselves with observing the abstinence required by the law, and cutting off their hair in the place where they were: the offerings and sacrifices prescribed by Moses, to be offered at the temple by themselves, or by others for them, they deferred till a convenient opportunity. Hence Paul, being in Achaia, having made the vow of a Nazarite, had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, a port of Corinth, but deferred the complete fulfilment of his vow till he came to Jerusalem, Acts xviii. 18. When a person found that he was not in a condition to make a vow of Nazariteship, or that he had not leisure fully to perform it, he contented himself with contributing to the expense of the sacrifices and offerings of those who had made and were fulfilling this vow. By this means he became a partaker of such See Godwyn's Moses and Aaron, b. i., chap. vi.; Jennings' Antiq. b. i., chap. vi.; Stillingfleet's Orig. Sac. p. 92, &c.; Lamy's Appar. Bib. b. i., chap. viii.; Dr. A. Clarke on 1 Cor. xiv. 3. † Dr. A. Clarke on Numb. vi. 5. would partake in the Nazariteship of another, went to the temple, and said to the priest, “In such a time such a one will finish his Nazariteship; I intend to defray the charge attending the shaving off his hair, either in part or in the whole." When Paul came to Jerusalem (Acts xxi. 23, 24), James, with other brethren, advised that to quiet the minds of the converted Jews, he should unite with four persons, who had vows of Nazariteship, and contribute to their charges and ceremonies, by which the people would perceive that he did not disregard the law, as they had been led to suppose.‡ §4.-Of Corrupt Judaism. 1. It is impossible to take even a cursory survey of the Jewish religion, without being struck with its vast superiority over the most refined and exalted system adopted by the heathen nations of antiquity, even where these had borrowed most of their light from the Sun of righteousness, which shone with such resplendent glory in Judea. Its principles were so congenial with the nature and character of man, his obligations and duties, his wants and desires; its advantages so numerous and manifest; and its ritual so fascinating and engaging; that it would seem almost impossible that its subjects should ever abandon it in favour of the disgusting rites and degrading superstitions of idolatrous worship. Nevertheless, it is a lamentable fact, that the people who were favoured with this revelation, and destined to be the preservers and teachers of the knowledge of the true God, at various periods of their history abandoned their temple and oracle-their religion and their Godto mix with the surrounding nations in the impurities of their worship; and at others, engrafted upon their pure and hallowed system of doctrines sundry idolatrous rites. 2. To trace the rise and progress of idolatry among the Jewish people, or even to enumerate the idols and idolatrous customs adopted by them, during the period of their history prior to the captivity, would greatly exceed the limits of this work. We can only observe, therefore, that the first palpable exhibition of a desire to relapse into idolatrous practices was made under circumstances of the most aggravating character, in the wellknown matter of the golden calf. Under the administration of the judges there was an awful Calmet's Bib. Ency., art. "Nazarite.” |