friend, have been resigned, in faith that triumphed over agony? What will you teach my boy, that will give his mind strength to wrestle with the world's sin, and the soul's passion, and keep him upright, pure, benevolent, obedient to the laws of his God and his country? What holier guard than gospel truth have you prepared for the gentler creature, whose tenderness is so easily rifled, and whose happiness lies at the mercy of perils so numerous, so insidious, so fatal when not shunned? Have you de

vised an expedient for making life a better and more comfortable thing, and death an easier trial, than the Christian finds or makes them? In a word, what-in the name of all that is human-what better have you to offer than the Bible you would tear from us? The Bible has been tried. A christian faith, hope, obedience, have all been tried. And millions, in all varieties of lot, in all the varied shades of character, living and dying, have attested, by the strongest proofs, their inestimable value to mankind. Let the infidel produce something more excellent, more adapted to the human heart in all its needs, and the human condition in all its exposures, or, in mercy to sinful and suffering mortals, be silent and at peace.

COLOSSIANS I. 16, 17. }

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

THIS passage is cited by some Christians to prove that their Master was the creator and preserver of the universe.

But before we admit such a position, it ought to be fairly tested. No resemblance of words is alone adequate to support the opinion, that what is here said of Christ is precisely that, which is affirmed of Jehovah in the scriptures of the Old Testament. A candid man must needs doubt the Trinitarian assertion on the first glance at the context. In the verse preceding those just quoted, Christ is styled "the first-born of every creature." And is it to the everlasting Creator that such an appellation belongs? In the verse following these, it is said of Christ that he is"the first-born from the dead." But was Jehovah ever numbered with the dead? Have the gates of the grave ever closed on the self-existent Being? Consider, however, that it is of one who tasted death, that all which is included in the sixteenth and seventeenth verses is declared. And are we not justified in the belief that, whatever be meant by the words, "by him were all things created," they cannot be consistently interpreted as denoting the original formation of the universe, when we find these words to relate to one who is the first-born of every creature, the first-born from the dead?

How much is included in the term "all things," is decided by the text itself, "whether they be thrones or dominions," &c. The extension of the term to make it comprehend the whole universe of existing things, is therefore inadmissible. Exactly the same limitation occurs in verse 20th, "And by him to reconcile all things to himself, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven." It is plain that "all things" here, comprehends only such a part of the whole as needed to be, or might be, reconciled to God. A similar use of a general or universal term is found in the next chapter, where it

is said of the gospel, that it was preached "to every creature under heaven." Now the only creature to whom it is preached is man, among the countless varieties of created things. We are compelled by the nature of the case here to qualify the language of the sacred writer. So are we in the verses under discussion. Thrones, dominions, and principalities, are words designating particular things, and therefore of those particular things we must regard the text as speaking, and not of all things universally. What then is the import of these words? They manifestly denote "those who sit on thrones," "those who exercise dominion," &c. Thus civil rulers are denominated in Titus iii. 1, "principalities and powers." Paul exhorts the Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God-and adds, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Of Christ it is written, "having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them." And again, the apostle declares to the Romans, "I am persuaded that neither life nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, shall be able to separate us from the love of God." These are examples of the use of these terms in the New Testament. To ascertain what sense to attach to them in the passage under consideration, we may examine the preceding verses. Paul has just spoken of Christians as "delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God's dear son." It is to power, authority and preeminence in that kingdom, that the words" thrones," &c. probably relate. And the "creation" intended, is not the natural creation, but a

moral one-that effected by the Christian dispensation. The whole passage is designed to express the supremacy of Christ, in that kingdom of which he is the founder and head. However eminent the subjects of his kingdom, they are subjects still; "those who sit on thrones, those who exercise dominion, those who administer governments, and those who have power." For he is the first born of the whole new creation, to him all things in the christian world owe their origin, "all were created through him and for him;" and "he is before all,"first in dignity, office, and character; and "by him all consist," that is, are supported and kept in being through their relation to him. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning; the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence; for it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell. The same general sentiment is expressed in the second chapter, "Ye are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power." We find it also in Ephesians, first chapter, "When he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.”

Similar ideas are conveyed elsewhere, under the figure of a building, of which Christ is the corner stone, and of a human body, whose members have all relation to a common head.

But what authority have we for considering the creation

spoken of in these texts, as a moral one? The authority of the apostle who styles the change effected by Christianity a new creation, and tells us that we are "God's workmanship, created in, or through Christ Jesus unto good works." A similar use of language is common in the Old Testament. "I create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy." "I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, thou art my peo ple." "Drop down ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, let righteousness spring up together, I the Lord have created it." These passages relate to the restoration of the Jews to a happier political and moral state. We surely do not depart far from scripture analogy in our interpretations of the term "create," as applied to that recovery which restored life and hope to a world.

Should the signification attached to the words, "thrones," &c. be distrusted, it is confirmed again by the known customs of Jewish speech. For by these and such like titles, the Rabbis were distinguished-probably as an indication of that dominion and authority which they acquired by their learning. Nor are the scripture appellations applied to Christians extremely unlike. They are styled a royal priesthood, kings and priests unto God, children of light, lights of the world, salt of the earth, &c.

If it be objected still, that "all things were created by him," must include more than we admit; we answer again that not we, but the apostle has himself limited the