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called obedience, itself shows that he had no sin of his own to suffer for, for there is no obedience in one suffering the punishment which is due to him for his sins. The idea is absurd and destitute of meaning, that one on whom the law inflicts its sentence is obeying a command to suffer ; or that there is any righteousness, or any thing acceptable to God in such sufferings. But the righteousness or obedience of Christ consisted in his ta

was not due to him on his own account; and therefore we understand by his righteousness, his sacrifice, his blood, or his death, all these expressions being synonymous.

4th. As God threatened a punishment to Adam in case of his disobedience, so he promised a reward to Christ for his obedience. The penalty incurred by Adam was death

the reward set before Christ was dominion over death, and glory at God's right hand and this he has obtained, and is now in possession of.

know, any other command, not supposing any sin in the person to whom it is given, might have been given to Adam as a simple test of obedience, and all the consequences of his transgressing it, had he done so, would have been the same. But no other command could be given to the Son of God to fulfil than that which was given him; for no obedience of any other kind than that which is emphatically called his "obedience 99 and his righteousness" in this con-king that suffering upon him which nection, Rom. v. namely, his bearing the penalty of sin, could have produced the same consequences? and therefore it would not have answered the end God had in view. If sin had never entered into the world, we may suppose that the Son of God might by obedience to any command of the Father, have obtained a reward for himself, and even glory for others besides himself, if it pleased God it should be so; but more than this had to be accomplished. Man must be saved out of the condition into which he is come, as subject to death by the transgression of Adam, and then under the wrath of God as a transgressor of the law and the Scriptures teach us, that salvation both from death and from the curse of the law, could be brought to pass only by the sufferings of the Son of God, (Heb. ii. 10.) It was to this end that he took part of flesh and blood, or was made a little lower than the angels, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death as it is through his resurrection that we shall be delivered from the grave, and he has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. No other command, then, could have been laid upon Christ, which would have availed to take away sin; and therefore it is that his obedience means especially his bearing sin, or the punishment of sin.

That he should be commanded to suffer the penalty of sin, and thus that his sufferings for sins should be

5th. As we have seen that the consequences of Adam's transgression, or the judgment which came upon him, came also upon all who stand in a natural relation to him—that is, upon the whole human race: so the consequence of Christ's sufferings is not only the obtaining a reward for himself, but for all who are his. Upon this particular we shall enter in our next paper. A. B.

INQUIRIES OF A WESLEYAN. (Continued from page 422.)

AN APOLOGY FOR CHARITY.

Is it necessary in this great day of Christian profession, that the sweetest angel of the light should be defended from suspicion, vindicated from calumny, and so recommended that her entrance may not be unexpected and undesired? Is it by intellectual perspicacity, or by stupid, senseless, inveterate malignity, that the human

mind has discovered evil to be the consequence of man's manifesting to man the love of God? Certain it is that nothing is more unfashionable, nothing more unpopular, than doing good. To feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, are regarded by many of a doubtful, by some as a dangerous experiment. This strange state of things, in a considerable degree, has been brought about by a certain system of philosophy, which generated a school of politicians, whose tenets have obtained a very wide acceptance.

tion of the superiority of the Scripture principle over the narrow, crooked, selfish, and heartless speculations of man.

It would be a work of very considerable difficulty to describe wherein the current religion of this day consists. We would wish to be understood as leaving out of inquiry, for the present at least, the means by which a knowledge of salvation must be obtained-the way that leads to it, and as directing our investigations to what it is itself in its essential nature. And, indeed, this distinction is one of

In illustration of this important subject, we would state the following facts:—

1. True religion consists in loving

God.

But have the Scriptures said noth-considerable importance; for, had it ing upon this matter? Have they been more generally attended to, it left it an open question, the settlement would have removed the foundation of which was to rest with the discre- of many errors, and led to a more tion or caprice of man? "He that perfect and consistent interpretation hateth his brother, (i. e. is indifferent of the teaching of the New Testament to his brother's spiritual or temporal than what the moderns have in genewelfare) is a murderer, and ye know ral attained unto. that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (Read Mat. xxv. 31-46.) Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. How critical, then, must be the situation and destiny of those who, standing on the pinnacle of Christian influence, instruct men to break the great commandment of the law! Many that are first shall be last, and the last first.

2. God is infinitely blessed, and his happiness incapable of increase or diminution by any disposition or acts of men.

3. That God requires us to render the love and service we owe to him, to such of our fellow-creatures as may be in circumstances to require our kindness.

4. That God regards the acts of kindness and love we do, even to the most despised of his disciples, as if they were done unto himself.

But this subject has had the misfortune to be almost continually misstated. The question is-will the universal diffusion of the principle of kindness and benevolence, the universal belief of the Scripture statement, that it is better to GIVE than to receive, have the tendency to create a needless dependency upon others, or have any necessarily evil tendency what-ness and benevolence to men. ever? And the answer which every right-minded man will give to this question, will be a triumphant asser

5. That God loves mercy rather than sacrifice-works, deeds, and actions of kindness and love—more than any religious forms, ordinances, or observances whatever.

6. That God takes no delight in ordinances and observances, when unconnected with the practice of kind

7. Where these ordinances are unconnected with the holy practices referred to, God views them not only

without approbation, but with positive and intense displeasure.*

8. That the work of mercy and love ought to be recognized in Christian exertions and in Christian institutions, in proportion to the important position it sustains in the divine law, and in the New Testament scheme of Christianity.

These propositions will, I believe, recommend themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God, and

can scarcely be thought capable of successful opposition.

Now if we examine the position and exertions of the leading churches of Protestantism, we shall find that religious ordinances, observances, the preaching and established routine of worship, are almost the only things contemplated and provided for by these exertions. Need we a stronger proof that the churches of this day are very imperfect and inadequate exponents of the religion of Christ; and it is certain that their proceedings in this most important respect are diametrically opposed to the practice of the original apostolic churches. Religion is not unfrequently exhibited in these days, as having a work to do with the ignorance, the superstition, idolatry, profaneness, and wickedness of the world. But there is another aspect it bears in the word of God, which relates to the misery and suffering the world contains. God designed the Christian church to be the representative of the divine

character upon the earth—the image of the divine mercy, love, compassion, benignity. And this aspect of Christianity is the more important, inasmuch as it contains the secret of its moral power, and the means of its universal prevalence on the earth.

(To be continued.)

* God takes no delight in acts of kindness and benevolence to men, unconnected with

obedience to all the ordinances of his instituted worship. To be acceptable to Him, theory and practice must be united. Then are you my friends, when you do whatsoever I command you, 1 Cor. xiii. 1-3. ED.

PRELIMINARY

DISSERTATIONS ON THE ACTS
OF THE APOSTES.

1. THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK.

ALL antiquity assigns to Luke, the companion and fellow-labourer of ble and admirable narrative. Whether Paul, the authorship of this invaluathis Luke was one of the seventy dis

ciples, commissioned by the Lord in person, to announce his approaching reign; whether he was the companion of Cleopas, to whom the Lord apthe day of his resurrection; whether peared on the way to Emmaus, on he was a Jew or a Gentile by birth; whether he was the same with Lucius

of Cyrene, a prophet of the church of Antioch; whether he was the "beloved physician" saluted by Paul in his letter to the Colossians; or that Lucius, the kinsman of Paul, at Rome, named in the conclusion of Paul's letter to the Roman saints, I shall not now take time to debate.* The learned Lardner, Michalis, Horne, and other critics and antiquarians familiar to many of us, differ collated ancient traditions, opinions, on some of these points, and have and inferences concerning them. Such disquisitions are foreign to our purpose. It is enough for us that while some learned men differ on

these matters, they all agree that the author of this book was that Luke, who, for several years, was travelling companion of Paul, and whom Paul commends to Philemon as one of his "fellow-labourers" in the work of the

Lord. Still more satisfactory the fact, that this "Book of the Acts has been uniformly and universally received by the whole Christian church in all places and in all ages. It is mentioned and quoted by almost every Christian writer, and its authenticity and authority universally admitted."

* Col. iv. 14; Rom. xvi. 21; Acts xiii. 1; 2 Tim. iv. 11; Philemon 24.

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Chrysostom called it "THE Book, THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE RESURRECTION," because it infallibly proves the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. It is usually called "THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES;" but this though a popular, is not a correct title. It is not strictly true. It is not THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES; for only two of the Apostles occupy the particular attention of its author; nor is it THE ACTS of even two of them. It might with more propriety have been designated ACTS OF APOSTLES. This, indeed, though correct, is but a meagre title. With more easy intelligence, and with as much authority, it might have been called THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Still, when a name has been consecrated for however inapposite or improper, it will reign for a long time despite of every remonstrance. We must then speak of it, allude to it, and quote from it under the appellation of ACTs OF APOSTLES. But in strict propriety no one can justly call it The Acts of the Apostles.

III. ITS OBJECT.

ages,

That Luke intended in this book to set forth in order a narrative of all the prominent facts and events connected with the commencement and progress of the Christian Institution under the immediate iufluence of the Holy Spirit, and administration of those special Apostles to whom the Lord exclusively committed the beginning of things, is unquestionably evident; not merely from an inspection and analysis of the book itself, but also from his manner in his first

treatise as declared in the beautiful, clear, and concise preface to his memoirs of the author and founder of the Christian system. But if the drift

and details of a volume can demonstrate the object of its author, then may we infer that the mission of the Holy Spirit and the calling of all nation into one new association under the government of the Apostles, divinely commissioned for that purpose, constitute the peculiar design and effort of the author of this most authentic history of the prominent proceedings of the two great Apostles

Peter and Paul.

It is, indeed, a continuation of the scheme formed by its author, and expressed to the honorable and excellent Theophilus in the introduction to his first book, in the following words :— "It seemed good to me also, having had a perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you, in order, most excellent Theophilus, that you might know the certainty of those things in which you

have been instructed." Now as his memoirs of the Messiah consisted of those things which Jesus "began both to do and to teach," so his history of the incipiency of the Christian church consists of the things which the Apostles " began to do and teach" under the plenary inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit.

This book of apostolic acts and proceedings is therefore second in importance only to the book of the sayings and doings of the Lord himself. It is the only infallible document on earth explanatory of the meaning and importance of the commission given to the Apostles with reference to the erection of a new association composed of persons of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. It is the record of the ministration of the Spirit from Mount Zion in Jerusalem, as is the Exodus of Moses a record of the ministration of the Letter from Mount Sinai in Arabia. It is the only authentic, infallible, ecclesiastic

history of the commencement of the Christian church, and a perfect derelopment and demonstration of what the gospel is, as ministered by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. In this point of view its importance cannot be easily exaggerated.

era.

IV. ITS DATE AND PLACE OF
PUBLICATION.

This volume, containing the history This volume, containing the history of only thirty years of the church, or of the labors of the two most prominent Apostles, must have been written in the year 63 or 64 of the Christian It could not have been written before Paul was a prisoner in Rome, for that event is a portion of the history; and it could not have been written after the two years spent in Rome, for then Paul's history would have been continued to a later period, and the event of his imprisonment would have been stated, as Luke was his companion during these two years. This history of the commencement of the Christian church commences with the twenty-ninth year of the Christian era,* and ends most probably with the sixty-third or fourth. As Luke seems to have continued with Paul in Rome during his imprisonment, Rome most probably was the place in

which his narrative was written.

V. ITS PLAN.

The development of the mission of the Holy Spirit in the erection and organization of a Christian community, in pursuance of the promises of the Messiah, engrossed in the commission given to the Apostles, and the order in which that commission was to be executed, being the chief designs of this narrative, must have suggested to its author a plan of operation in all the details of his volume. That plan is both natural and perspicuous. After a very natural exordium and retrospect of the interval between the resurrection and ascension of the Messiah, he introduces the scenes of

*The 29th year of the Christian era is the 34th of the life of Jesus Christ.

the first Pentecost, and details the descent of the Holy Spirit. The achievements of that day and the commencement of the new administration, with the transactions of the Apostles in Jerusalem, down to the martyrdom of Stephen, prepare the way

for a general diffusion of the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. After noting these, his plan is to give special conspicuity to all persons and

events connected with the extension

of Christianity beyond the narrow compass of the Jewish nation and peoofficer, and of Saul of Tarsus, and the ple. The conversion of the Ethiopian mission of Peter to Cesarea, are of the Christian kingdom to all nations specially noted because of the opening

on the same continent. After the Zebedee and brother of John, by martyrdom of James, the son of the travels and labors of Paul as the Herod Agrippa, he prepares to give Apostle to the Gentiles, and makes

his travels and labors in Asia and

Europe the main burthen of his narrative. In the whole book of the Acts the descent of the Holy Spirit, the erection of the mother church in Jerusalem, and after this the labors ference to organizing the church and of Peter and Paul, with special reputting things in order, and in extending the gospel throughout all nations, seem so fully to have occupied the mind of Luke as to have dictated not only the plan of the narrative, but to have confined his attention to the chief of the Apostles to an almost entire exclusion of all other persons or events not connected with these developments. But of these matters we shall have occasion to speak more in detail as we proceed in our notes on this book. Meanwhile we can only commend the importance of the study of this book to all who desire a perfect understanding of the origin and character of the Christian Institution.

Of the New Testament historians Luke is the most eminent. He gives

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