= To confirm this view, let it be borne in mind, that in the Old Testament the arredos, angel, is often used for an ordinary messenger (see 1 Kings 19: 2. 1 Sam. 16: 19. Job 1: 14, etc.). Any messenger, in the unappropriated sense of the word, according to Scripture usage, is an angel. the word is, in a few cases, used in a similar manner. = In the New Testament, a quotation from the Old Testament, God is represented as calling John the Baptist rov ayyeλóv pov my angel, or messenger τὸν ἄγγελόν μου (Luke 7: 27). So in the epistle of James (2: 25), the spies, or messengers, sent to spy out the land of Canaan, are called rovs ἀγγέλους = the angels. Now let us make a supposition, a supposition in itself exceedingly probable, that the seven churches of Asia which are named, and to which epistles are addressed, had sent each its ayyeλos, or messenger, to John in Patmos, and that these messengers were with him when he received the άnoxάlvis "to show unto his servants things which were about to come to pass." What could be more natural, in this case, than that John should send letters to their respective churches, making them the bearers of these letters, or that the Holy Spirit should make them the means of conveying his reproofs, expostulations, warnings or encouragements, to the churches from which they came out; and that the Redeemer should be represented as holding them in his right hand, denoting his absolute control over them and care for them, while he is, exhibited, at the same time, as walking in the midst of the churches from which they had been sent, to denote his close inspection of all their affairs and his knowledge of all their ways? Further, this view meets and removes the difficulties involved in the inquiries: Why are only seven churches, and these seven churches of Asia, named and addressed by letter? and, Did John send directly, a letter to each of these churches; and, if he sent a letter to each, how did he send it? These inquiries have perplexed the commentators; but, according to the view we advocate, they are easily answered. The seven churches named, and only these, had letters addressed to them, because messengers sent forth by them to visit the venerable Apostle in his exile were with him; and these letters were actually conveyed to them by the hands of their respective messengers. So far, then, as we can see, this view, which is based on the primary and usual meaning of the word angel, meets the exegentia loci; is perfectly natural in itself; meets and removes various difficulties, and is open to no fair grammatical, logical or theological objection. ARTICLE VII. RICHARD BAXTER'S "END OF CONTROVERSY." On the 21st of January, 1691, Mr. Baxter wrote the Preface to this celebrated treatise. The title of the treatise is: "An End of Doctrinal Controversies which have lately troubled the Churches by Reconciling Explication without much Disputing. Written by Richard Baxter. Psalm 120: 6, 7, My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace; but when I speak, they are for war. Luke 9: 46, 49, 50, 54, 55, There arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest, etc. London: Printed for John Salusbury, at the Rising Sun, Cornhill, 1691." On the 8th of December, 1691, Baxter died. Of course, the present treatise could not have been published many months before his decease. Parts of the treatise, however, had been, for twenty years, lying by him in manuscript. The work, therefore, may be presumed to contain his latest and maturest views. Notwithstanding all that has been said with regard to his theological fluctuations, this treatise develops a good degree of harmony pervading the entire course of his theological speculations. He changed his opinions sometimes. Not seldom has he contradicted himself; so did Dr. Owen and Dr. Twisse contradict themselves; but most of the contradictions found in Baxter's later works, were found in his earlier also. In one sense, he was consistent with himself in adhering to them. A succinct but luminous and richly suggestive view of Baxter's theological system, spirit, and history, was given in two Articles of the Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. IX. pp. 135–169, 300— 329. The only doubts which we have heard expressed with regard to the entire impression of those Articles, were derived from the suspicion, that Baxter may have modified his theological system toward the close of his life. The design of the present Article is to give a brief synopsis of the last important theological work which Baxter published, and thus to exhibit the symmetry between the principles laid down in his "End of Controversy" and the principles which were ascribed to him in the ninth volume of the Bibliotheca Sacra, and were advocated by him in the volumes, Catholic Theologie and Methodus Theologiae Christianae, which he published in his earlier, although, intellectually, not in his more vigorous, manhood. The same spirit characterizes the present volume which distinguishes his preceding works. It is a spirit of conciliation, but of decided invective against the divines who refuse to be conciliated, and to whom he applies the proverb: vespae habent favos. "I am blamed by Dissenters," he says, "as coming too near by conciliatory explications, to some things which they call dangerous points of Popery, Arminianism and Prelacy; but whether it be by truth or error I leave to trial.”1 "Controversies I have written of, but only to end them, not to make them."2 "If those that have long reproached me as unfit to be in their church (and said, ex uno disce omnes, with their leader), find any unsound or unprofitable doctrine here, I shall take it for a great favor to be confuted, even for the good of others excluded with me when I am dead." 1. Reasonableness of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Whatever of truth lies in the adage, that we must heartily believe a doctrine in order that we may understand it, Baxter was inclined to prize far more highly the maxim, that we must understand a doctrine before we can heartily believe it. "A true knowledge of God," he says, "is necessary to the being of religion and to holiness and glory. No man can live, obey, trust or hope, beyond his knowledge." There is much that is incom. prehensible in every doctrine, but, according to Baxter, we affectionately receive only so much of that doctrine as we first intellectually apprehend. "Nothing that God commandeth us to believe," he says, "is either contrary to or above reason (that is, the reasoning intellect) informed by evangelical revelation or * Chap. I. §§ 1, 3, 4. 1 Preface, p. 4. 2 Ib. p. 2. 8 Ib. p. 6. 30 notice, and honestly and soundly qualified to judge otherwise." "This is apparent, — because we have no faith in us, but what is an act of reason and rational will; and, therefore, that cannot be said to be above reason, which is itself essentially an act of reason." Very far, however, was this theologian from overrating the amount of our knowledge. Of this fact his "End of Controversy" gives even more evidence than is found in his other works. His favorite maxim was that, "perfectly nihil scitur of anything, but imperfectly aliquid verum is known." "Nothing is so certainly known as God, and yet nothing is so defectively known." Much of our knowledge concerning him is derived from similitudes. These are suggestive but inaccurate. "He that would know how to conceive of God, must first know himself, and what his own soul is. The true conceptions of your souls must be the prime helps to conceive of God by similitude.” "God is said to clothe himself with light as with a garment, and a man will say, I have seen the king to-day, who saw him but in his garments. And if he saw the skin of his face, how little of the king did he see? In Scripture, they that have seen angels are said to have seen God, and heard his will by them." In conformity with this principle, and also with the prevalent mode of reasoning among the schoolmen, Baxter makes especial effort to render the doctrines of the Gospel intelligible. He strives to explain the Trinity. He often reiterates the affirmation "that the Trinity in unity is imprinted by God on the whole frame of nature and government or morality, and that doctrine of the Trinity, which to the ignorant is a stumbling block, greatly helpeth to confirm my belief of the truth of the Gospel and Christianity, while I find it so congruous to the foresaid impress, and attested so much by all God's works; especially on man." Man, while in the image of God, has a nature, holiness, and dominion; here he begins to illustrate the Trinity. The nature of man is one, yet has three faculties, the vital, active power, intellect and will. The same soul of man hath three more general faculties, that is, mental, sensitive and vegetative (or igneous). These are distinct, but not divided, yet are not three souls but one."" "The sensitive soul in brutes hath the faculties, first, vitally active; secondly, sensibly apprehensive; thirdly, sensibly appetitive; one of these faculties is not the other, yet all are but one sensitive 1 Chap. V. §§ 6, 7. 4 Ib. I. § 14. 2 lb. § 1. 6 Chap. II. § 2. 8 Ib. § 12. 6 Ib. § 13. soul." So the plant is one substance, but has, first, a power of motion; secondly, a power of separating its proper nutriment from other things; thirdly, a power of assimilating its nutriment to itself. The sun and similar bodies have the power of motion, of illumination, of calefaction. "The motion is not the light, nor is the light the heat, nor is the heat the light or motion. Nor are these three suns or substances, but one substance is in all three."2 A similar tripartite relation is noticed by Melanchthon in music, geometry, grammar, arithmetic. Baxter adds illustrations from logic, politics, etc. The great truths designed to be illustrated are, that God has, first, essential life; secondly, infinite knowledge; and thirdly, perfect will; the Divine faculties are, first, simply potential; secondly, in immanent action; thirdly, in emanent activity; as Jehovah is the God of nature, grace and glory, so he is, first, Creator; secondly, Redeemer; thirdly, Sanctifier; thus, first, he exists, has a substance; secondly, he exists in and of himself, he knows himself, he loves himself; and, thirdly, he expresses his feeling in the three acts of creation, redemption and sanctificátion. This threefold relation of the Divine attributes and acts to each other and to the Divine substance, is included in the Trinity. Accordingly, Mr Baxter adopts various modifications of the word Person as applied to each distinction in the Trinity. He does not proscribe the word; for usage has established it. He does not strenuously insist upon the word; for, ever since it was introduced, it has been condemned by some orthodox divines. "The bare use of the name Person, by one that knoweth not what that word signifieth, doth prove no man orthodox, but only that he useth orthodox words; it will save no man to use a word which he understands not." The Scripture hath all necessary names for the Trinity." "Doubtless the word Person of the Trinity is of very different signification from the same word applied to man." "To say that [the Persons in the Trinity] are three minds, or spirits, or substances that do invicem conscire, is to say that there are three Gods. And because every mental substance hath its own active power, intellect and will, it supposeth three Trinities instead of one."5 Such remarks are not at all surprising to one who is familiar with many ancient speculations on the Trinity. These specu lations make the Trinity nothing more than relative. We should 1 Chap. II. § 14. 2 Ib. § 16. Ib. § 22. * Ib. 23. • Ib. 25. |