ther; or, in the words which our Lord, iii. 13. We shall here present our readers with two circumstances which place the two systems of Orthodoxy and Unitarianism, as to advantage in In examining those passages of Scrip- point of fair reasoning, in striking conture which elucidate our Lord's use of trast. The discourse of our Lord rethe appellation, the SON OF MAN, Dr.lated in John vi. 33-63, in which, as Smith appears to adopt that view of this Dr. Smith briefly, but justly states, very important and certainly very diffi- "his design was to break the charm of cult subject, which is commonly deno-destructive ambition, to wean his hearminated, the "Eternal Generation ers from their low voluptuousness, to Scheme." The grounds on which he produce a conviction in their minds of rests his preference of this opinion, the that all-important, but neglected spirireader will find amply stated in Vol. I. tual necessity under which they labourp. 314-318; and, we are ready to con- ed, and to excite them to seek the supfess that, although his criticisms fail in plies of divine grace by humble and convincing us of the justness of his earnest supplication," is, we are persua views, they are, from their candour and ded, one of the most offensive passages ingenuity, well worthy of the most to Unitarians which the New Testacareful perusal. We are far from being ment furnishes. It hangs the weight desirous of inducing controversy on this of man's salvation on the death of subject; nor, indeed, is this the place Jesus; a doctrine against which, (at for it; but as we have, we trust, a ra- least according to the view taken of it tional dislike to Socinianism, we do not by almost all professing Christians exfeel quite easy when the Doctor inti- cept the Unitarians,) their united force mates, that the rejection of his opinion is constantly directed. Jesus, as on must involve us in a coincidence with other, indeed on all occasions, was the Unitarian gloss, in interpreting John moved with compassion for the multi"And no man hath ascended tude to whom this discourse was adup to heaven, but he that came down dressed; he had wrought a miracle to from heaven, even the Son of Man supply their temporal wants, and from which is in heaven." We are perfectly this circumstance took occasion to resatisfied, that the scriptural use of the commend to them the unbounded, the expressions, from heaven, and being, inexpressible love wherewith he loved coming, or descending from heaven, plainly them. They were part of those whom indicates a DIVINE ORIGIN; Dr. S." the Son of Man came to seek and to justly remarks, that this language is never applied to any person excepting the Saviour of the world. His coming from above, is expressly placed in contrast with the personal origin of John, who is, notwithstanding, said to have been sent from God. The passage, therefore, cannot be understood as referring to a commission to make known the mind of God; but evidently refers to the Divine mission of Jesus; to his coming forth from the ineffable glory to which no mortal ever approached, or can approach: the glory which he had with the Father, before the world was, and to which he ascended when he had accomplished upon earth the work which he came to perform. In what other light, then, can we view this passage, than as containing, on the part of our Lord, a plain declaration, that, he who was at that moment conversing with Nicodemus, was the supreme Jehovah, whose presence fills the heavens and the earth? save;" and as one who could truly have "To vious occasion, that his own testimony known this Name and Glory was the could not be admitted on his own be- chief object of our Lord's labours and half: If I were to bear witness of my-instructions. But do not the Scriptures self, my testimony would not be worthy of credit;' chap. v. 31. But now he declares what is apparently a contradiction in terms ! If I even bear witness concerning myself, my testimony is worthy of credit. In your law it is written, that the testimony of two persons is worthy of credit. I am he that beareth witness concerning myself; and the Father who hath sent me beareth witness concerning me.' Was it ever known under any system of law, in any court of judicature, that when the written law had prescribed two witnesses as the lowest number admissible, a party in a case should step forward, and demand, upon the footing of that very law, to be accepted as the second witness in his own favour? Would such a composition of two witnesses be for a moment listened to?-it is of the very essence of juridical testimony, that it should be from other persons than the parties to a suit, and the very design of admitting witnesses, is to take the facts of a case out of the hands of parties. I must confess, that I can discover no mode of freeing the blessed Jesus from the charge of employing a low and disingenuous sophistry, (horresco reputans!) except the supposition that his mind referred to THAT HEAVENLY AND DIVINE NATURE which, upon our hypothesis, he was conscious dwelt within him." pp. 138, 139. in numerous passages represent Jesus as affording an exclusive display of the glory of God; and is it not on this ground that he is styled " the image of the invisible God, and the effulgence of his glory?" This manifestation of the name of God; this display of moral and spiritual excellency, Jesus declares himself to have accomplished. When therefore, Jesus prays that his Father would glorify him, the language which he uses plainly intimates that he considered the glorifying of himself by the Father as reciprocal to that which he had rendered to the Father. This idea is clearly expressed in the words, "Glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.—I have glorified thee; and now do thou, O Father, glorify me!" If then the glorifying of God was the manifesting of his name to the objects of divine favour, it is obvious that the glorifying of Jesus for which he prays, was "the manifestation of HIS NAME; the unveiling of THE SAME moral and spiritual excellence; THE SAME absolute and infinite perfection, in the person and character of the SoN OF GOD." From this reasoning, which the reader will find well supported by the most judicious appeals to Scripture, the inference is obvious. But here we would for a moment pause, and solemnly entreat particular attention to the senti ment which this view of the subject We shall here shortly notice one evidently involves. The question remore argument in favour of our Lord's specting Jesus of Nazareth is no such divine origin, which Dr. S. draws from indifferent matter as Doctors Franklin those passages of Scripture which speak and Priestley would have us believe. of the glory belonging to Christ. It is The former seemed to think this quesan important and unalterable truth, that tion could not be solved in this world; the glory of the Supreme Jehovah can- and the latter does not scruple to say, not be given to another. This he him- that " If we will but set Jesus down as a self has declared; nor indeed is there mere man, by whom God acted, we shall any being in the vast creation that can effectually secure the truth of all the decla be supposed capable of such communi- rations of Christ's proceeding from God, cation. The name of God is a term just as much as if he himself had been God." used in Scripture, to denote "his infi-If our appeals are made to the testi nite and absolute perfection, his fulness of all possible excellencies, the total of Jehovah's awful and lovely attributes, o far as they can be known by finite intelligences." The manifestation of this name to the universe is the grand purpose of the Most High; "and the display, or emanation of the divine excellency is called in Scripture the glory of God." Now it is obvious, that to make SO mony of Scripture on this subject, and it is there, and only there, that we have any certain information respecting the character of God, we plainly find that those texts which affirm the Unity of the Godhead are not more decisive in their language than those which assert the Divinity of Jesus Christ. We have already remarked that the glory of God cannot be given to another; and yet we have seen that this glory, in the proper sense of the term, is given to Jesus; yea, God is even said to be glorified in the Son of Man. "The illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God" is only to be obtained in the face of Christ Jesus; in no other manner hath the invisible Jehovah been pleased to reveal himself. All his appearances under the former dispensation had a direct reference to this final manifestation of his name: we say final manifestation; for there is not one solitary sentence in the word of God that warrants us to expect that "the only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see," will, even to eternity, ever make any other manifestation of himself than in the person of "THE MAN CHRIST JEHence when the Scriptures describe the consummation of all things; when the redeemed of the Lord shall be brought to Zion, to obtain that exceeding great and eternal weight of glory which is prepared for them, they uniformly represent this eternal felicity as emanating from him who sitteth upon the throne, even from him who loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood. SUS. Independently of the all-important truths which this controversy involves, it would amply repay the labour of the philosopher who, for the sake of observing the operations of the human mind, should carefully attend to the reasonings of Unitarians when pressed with serious difficulties. To illustrate this point, let us just examine the methods to which some of them have recourse in order to evade the force of our Lord's declaration," Before Abraham was, I am." This declaration by Jesus of his own existence before Abraham existed, Unitarians interpret, as affirming that he might be said to have existed as the Messiah in the purpose and decree of God; that is, "that he was designated to his office before Abraham was born." In support of this opinion, both Mr. Belsham and Mr. Lindsay urge the extreme improbability that our Lord would have communicated this fact to his enemies, while he concealed it from his disciples; and argue, that if he had intended in this instance to announce his pre-existence, he would have taught this extraordinary doctrine more fre quently, in a greater variety of phrase, and would have laid greater stress upon it. To this Dr. Smith replies, that such objections amount to a begging the questions; since he has already shewn that Christ did teach this doctrine, not infrequently, and in a considerable variety of phrase. As to the explicitness of the declaration, he puts it to any candid Unitarian to say whether he would have discerned any want of explicitness, had the same phraseology occurred with respect to any point now undisputed. "To demand," he adds, "that this doctrine, supposing it to be true, should have been taught by our Lord himself in the most clear and decisive manner, is not reasonable; for it was of the very genius and character of his ministry, that by it the peculiar doctrines of the Christian dispensation should not be fully unfolded. That complete manifestation was reserved for the ministration of the Spirit." But the grand, the palmary argument, as Dr. S. styles it, the sheet anchor of the Unitarian interpretation of the words in question is this: "In the language of the sacred writers, a being, or a state of things is said to EXIST, when it is the ETERNAL IMMUTABLE PURPOSE OF GOD THAT IT SHALL EXIST at the time, and in the circumstances which his infinite wisdom hath chosen and ordained." But this last resource is also shewn by Dr. S. to be at best but a puerile absurdity; for in a series of clear and forcible reasoning he proves that the Prophets did not "describe the Messiah as contemporary with" themselves; that none of the Jews ever understood their Prophets as representing the Messiah to be their own contemporary; but that both the Prophets themselves, and their countrymen, through successive generations looked forwards to ONE who was yet To COME. "Cyrus, John the Baptist, and probably other individuals, were graphically pointed out in the prophecies of Isaiah long before they were born; and that by expressions in the past or present tense. Would it then have been proper for either of them to have said, I co-existed with him, for he in prophetic vision saw my day and rejoiced, &c. Yea, by parity of reason, I may say, I existed before the Prophet's birth:-before Isaiah was, I was; I was the deliverer of the captives, I was the messenger of heaven." Yet such is actually 184 MR. STURTEVANT'S CONVERSATIONS ON PREACHING, &C. the low trifling, the absolute folly, of which the advocates for this interpretation represent Jesus as guilty. There is another interpretation of this important passage preferred by some of the Unitarians, the substance of which is, that our Lord on this occasion clothed his meaning in a species of enigma derived from the signification of the name Abraham, denoting father of a numerous multitude, which was given to Abram as a prediction of the calling of the Gentiles. As then this prediction was not at that time accomplished, our Lord is supposed as saying to the Jews, "Your great ancestor is as yet only yours, not the father of many nations as his name imports. He is not yet, in this eminent and final sense, Abraham; though he will soon become so, if ye continue to act as ye have hitherto done. For your privilege shall be taken from you, and given to nations who will act more worthy of it. Of them Abraham will be truly the father, &c. But I now am the promised Messiah plainly before your eyes. Therefore, verily, verily, I say unto you, at this very moment, before Abraham becomes what his name imports, and what he is on the eve of becoming, that I am, the Messiah, whom Abraham desired to see, and in whom all nations shall be blessed." This view of the passage is rejected by Mr. Belsham; it was the production of Lælius, the uncle of Faustus Socinus who seems to have imagined that it was communicated by special revelation, and in answer to many prayers offered to Christ himself. To such pitiful shifts are those reduced, who undertake the tremendous task of explaining away the fundamental doc trines of the gospel. Such "childish punning as this might do very well in the mouths of such men as Count Volney, or his humble imitator, Sir William Drummond, member of his Majesty's Privy Council," &c. &c. but it forms a most hideous association when connected with the profession of Christianity. Of this interpretation, however, the more sensible among the Unitarians are ashamed, as they are also of many of Dr. Priestley's extravagancies. Let us hope that the time is not far distant, when they will be ashamed of many interpretations of Scripture in which they now indulge, and when they will exhibit a zeal for the honour and glory of "God manifest in the flesh," superior even to that Letters and Conversations on Preaching; including Rules for the Composition of a Sermon, in which the Principles of the celebrated Claude are illustrated by Outlines of Discourses and Quotations from the best Authors. BY S. T. STURTEVANT. 400 pp. 12mo. 4s. 6d. boards. London: R. Baynes, 1822. WHEN we first took up this volume, and began to open the leaves, we found ourselves strongly prompted to quarrel with it; and it was not until we had gone through it and examined the whole of its contents that we became disarmed of all hostility towards the author. Not that we had the smallest objection to the subject of which it treats; but solely because Mr. Sturtevant has discussed it in "Letters and Conversations," for which, it appeared to us, prima facie, altogether unsuitable. But if he has not made a complete and perfect convert of us to the wisdom of his plan; it is but justice to him to say, that he has done enough to silence our objections and conciliate our esteem, which he will probably consider as no small point gained! In a sensible and well written Preface to the volume, the author has assigned his reasons for undertaking its publication, and they are such as must be allowed to reflect honour on both his zeal and disinterestedness. Claude's Essay on the Composition of a Sermon, is well known and deservedly esteemed. It contains excellent rules and directions for assisting young Ministers in their preparations for the pulpit; but it can only be procured in connection, with Mr. Robinson's farrago of Notes, at the price of a guinea and a half; or, as prefixed to Mr. Simeon's Skeletons of Sermons, at an equal, or still greater price. But the present day abounds with "a goodly company" of plain, unlettered preachers of the gospel, out of whose reach those works are placed on various accounts. A republication of the "Essay," therefore, in a cheap form, in which its principles should be amplified and illus trated, was certainly a desideratum, which it is the object of this volume to supply. judicious observations, the result of much good sense; and we have been surprised at the intimate acquaintance which he has obtained with the writings of Blair, Walker, Jay, Robinson, Davies, and most of our modern divines; by particular references to which, he has illustrated the different topics as they came under discussion. The Conversational Preceptor, in French "But if," says Mr. Sturtevant, "this publication does not meet the exigency of the case, the fault lies not wholly with the author, but partly with those who are capable of producing a more finished performance, and have not done it. It cannot be disputed, that there is an increasing demand for auxiliary preachers; there is, therefore, the greater necessity to render them help in studying for the pulpit. The author acknowledges his incompetency for the task; it was necessary that it should be done by some one; and if a better work at a cheaper price appears, he will withdraw his work from sale." Preface, p. 10. Such a declaration as this, is sufficient to disarm criticism of all its hostility, were there much more room to exercise it than we have been able to discover in the work before us. But, really, Mr. Sturtevant's labours to serve his brethren are so far from requiring an apology, that, in our humble judgment, they are entitled to great praise. We know, indeed, we shall be told by some cynical old codgers, that works of this kind are quite superfluous; that, if a preacher possesses a competent portion of common sense, and be not insufferably lazy, he can bring out the doctrine contained in his text, and lay it before his hearers in a plain and simple manner, without these adventitious helps; and that if he be deficient in that essential, the best rules in the world will be of no use to him. But without disputing the truth of this, may we not be allowed to say that there is a perfection in every thing, and that there are many degrees of advancement towards it. Every thing that is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. Let any one take up a volume of Sermons preached and published during the times of the PuritansDr. Owen's, for instance; or indeed almost any other, anterior to the appearance of Claude's Essay; and compare them with the style of sermonizing that now prevails, and, surely, candour THE name of the author of this must admit, that a wonderful alteration Volume of Lectures, revived in our for the better has taken place. Without recollection a volume of "Sermons and pledging ourselves to an agreement with Expositions on interesting portions of Mr. Sturtevant in every opinion ad- Scripture," which was noticed by us, vanced in this work, we think it due to with no inconsiderable approbation, in him to say, that he has acquitted him- the New Evan. Mag. Vol. v. p. 317. very creditably in his undertaking: On that occasion we parted in so friendly be has evinced a profound acquaintance a manner, that we are happy to meet with the subject in all its ramifications, him again, and renew our acquaintance, and successfully illustrated Mr. Claude's which we think the present work is not rules by a great variety of pertinent ill calculated to increase and perpetuate. examples. His volume abounds with The volume comprises twelve Lectures; self VOL. VIII. Lectures on the reciprocal obligations of Life; or a practical Exposition of Domestic, Ecclesiastical, Patriotic, and Mercantile Duties. By JOHN MORISON, Minister of Trevor Chapel, Brompton. London: Smith and Elder, Fenchurch Street, 1822, pp. 380, 12mo. price 7s. boards. 2 A |