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"the same yesterday, to-day, and forever." While the value of dogmatic statements cannot be disputed, yet the feeling is, there is one thing better than such prodigious accuracy, and that is the truth. And so the Christian world comes out of this great agitation with one question uppermost, and that is, "What think ye of Christ?" Do you just remember how many lives of Christ have been written the last quarter of a century? Have you considered how much of religious thought there is around the tomb of Jesus? "Jesus and the resurrection" again as of old, claiming the first attention, and solving theological problems in the true Light. I would not be betrayed into a fanciful analogy, but I cannot help thinking that as the nations twenty centuries ago seemed stirred with an unconscious want which nothing could meet short of "God manifest in the flesh;" so are these restless enquirers in the world of thought, filled with an unconscious desire and prophecy of a new revelation of Christ. Perhaps a better understanding of the atonement will be had, only as the Atoner is more fully revealed. When the Creator is more fully seen, the creation may be. When the Life is more fully manifest the science of life may be. Is it unreasonable to suppose that when Christ is more fully revealed, his light shall touch scien- . tific enquiries and help science out of her difficulties and show that religion and science are one, and the long controversy cease?

What harm in supposing that the definitions, terms, and statements that have become venerable in venerable controversies will part with some of their exactness and yield a larger meaning in Him who is the Light of the world? Need we look for a religion of the future any better than that to which we are being conducted on the line of our own revelation through the very controversies, uncertainties, and infidelities that are so manifestly exalting Christ as "Head over all things to the church ?"

And if this be so we need no further assurance of an enlarged spiritual power. The stronger personality of Christ, as at the first, brings into view the person of the Holy Ghost. Perhaps this is what we have been waiting for; the abatement of dogmatic zeal, and the living Powers of salvation. When

the Christ comes, the Spirit comes, and with this a new era of preaching power. The magnetism of the Person shall thrill the preacher's soul. Religion shall be no less an opinion, but more a life; no less a principle but more a sentiment; our formulas of doctrine, an added power, for having found their source and center in Christ, and being an expression of his ⚫ love.

And so we make out our claim of the clerical profession upon Christian young men in view of the situation of religious thought, and the hope inspired by it. The foundations are assailed, our best things are challenged, leading minds are putting them through an unusually trying ordeal. The situation is a call upon the highest order of educated Christian. mind to conduct a review lesson over the studies of centuries; to refute the skeptic's argument, and also to accept it if the truth require it. Most great crises in history are political, civil, or military. The present is a crisis in that department of thought that involves practical religion, and so includes all others.

I wish the proper emphasis might be given to this subject in view of the fact not yet mentioned. This call is the more startling-shall I not say more inspiring-because of the threatened dearth of evangelical ministers at the present time. This brings up the Year Book again, with its significant fact, viz: that the number of theological students in our Congregational seminaries is now fifty-two less than five years ago, while of the whole number-275-forty-four were never connected with any college, and thirty-five others never graduated. Hence the complaint that there are hardly ministers sufficient now to take the places made vacant by death. The superintendent of Home Missions in Ohio will tell you that he could place forty men to-day in important fields, but cannot find them. He will tell of 200 places around him in neighboring states, calling in vain for the right men; not men who want "good places," but places that want good men: men who know what the world is thinking of, and are able ministers of the New Testament, notwithstanding: men who having truth, and knowing that they have it, and showing that they have it, can meet what has to be met in the sharp infidelities of the West.

Then think of the As the old philoso

In this view the call has a trumpet voice. Foreign Missionary emergency upon us. phies are feeling the stir of outside thought and are looking to their defences, the call becomes more important. The prospect is, that not a sleepy but a wide awake heathenism will more and more confront the Missionary.

The look of things is that the man of God thoroughly fur- · nished has before him a grander work of evangelism than has opened before since the days of the Apostles. The Son of man is coming, as it were, to a new enthronement; his voice is heard more distinctly, and his personal glory appears in the confusions around. "With power and great glory;" with a stronger personality among men, shall he not touch the deeper wants of these restless times?

How great the privilege of ministering that Word in a clearer revelation of Spirit and Life. The living Christ spiritually apprehended will be heard gladly; the preacher will have great boldness. Questions will be decided in a short time for all the future. Is it a vain hope that a better day for preaching the gospel is upon us, when the blessed truths elaborated by those who have gone before, shall be transfigured in Christ, and the Psalmist's longing be realized: "Arise, O Lord, into thy rest! thou and the ark of thy strength." The poor Judah of "the college, the synagogue, and the Sanhedrim," comes to be the man of both rest and strength, and salvation to the world.

ARTICLE VII.—THE REVISED VERSION AND THE FUTURE STATE.

THE question forming the theme of this paper is: Will the common reader of the Revised Version of the New Testament form any different ideas concerning the Future State from those which his reading of the Authorized Version would give him; and if so, what? The inquiry, of course, does not go back of the two versions. We are not concerned here with textual criticism, nor with reasons for variant translations. We simply compare on this one subject the two versions as they stand. The present paper, moreover, will be largely the simple furnishing of data, from which each one can draw his own conclusions.

A careful examination shows in all seventy-three passages where, on this subject, the Authorized and Revised Versions differ. This includes, as will be seen when the passages are cited, some that are only remotely connected with the subject. It has been deemed better to err by inclusion rather than by omission. These passages are divided among the New Testament Books as follows:

Matthew 13, Mark 8, Luke 3, John 3, Acts 4, Romans 3, I. Corinthians 5, II. Corinthians 2, Galatians 1, Ephesians 2, Philippians 2, Colossians none, I. Thessalonians none, II. Thessalonians 5, I. Timothy 2, II. Timothy 2, Titus 1, Philemon none, Hebrews 2, James none, I. Peter none, II. Peter 5, the Epistles of John none, Jude none, the Revelation 10.

A classification of the passages is attempted as follows:

I. Certain passages found in the Authorized Version are omitted in the Revision. These are: Mark vi. 11, the last clause, "Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city." Also Mark ix. 46, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." This variation, it may be remarked just here, becomes unimportant when we find the exact phrase used in both versions in verse 48.

II. Passages which are alike in the text, but with a different reading suggested in the margin of the Revised Version.

These are: Matt. v. 30, "Thy whole body go into hell." Margin, Gr. Gehenna. Matt. xiii. 39, "End of the world." Margin, "Consummation of the age." Matt. xiii. 49, the same. Matt. xxviij. 20, the same. Matt. xxiii. 15, "Son of hell." Margin, Gr. Gehenna. Mark ix. 43, "two hands to go into hell." Margin, Gr. Gehenna. Mark x. 30, "world to come." Margin, "age." Luke xii. 5, "power to cast into hell." Margin, Gr. Gehenna. II. Peter ii. 4, "cast them down to hell." Margin, "cast them into dungeons." Gr. Tartarus.

Here four times "hell" is called Gehenna and once Tartarus. Four times "world" is rendered by "age." But these are marginal and not textual readings.

III. Two passages are found where for "world" in the Authorized Version is put "times eternal" in the Revision.

These are: Rom. xvi. 26, "since the world began," changed into "through times eternal." Titus i. 2, "before the world began," changed into "before times eternal." These are quoted simply as tending to throw the light of the eternity past upon the eternity future.

IV. Passages in which there is some slight variation in phraseology. This is considerably the fullest class.

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The passages are these: Acts xxiv. 25, "judgment to come,' -"the judgment to come." Acts xxvi. 23, "should be the first that should rise from the dead,"-" that he first by the resurrection of the dead." Rom. ii. 7, "immortality,"—"incorruption." I. Cor. xv. 4, I. Cor. xv. 4, "rose again,"-"hath been raised." xv. 20, "them that slept,"-" them that are asleep." II. Cor. v. 4, "mortality,"-" what is mortal." II. Cor. v. 10, "appear," "be made manifest." Eph. i. 10, "which are in heaven,"-" the things in the heavens." II. Thess. ii. 2, "as that the day of Christ is at hand,"-" as that the day of the Lord is now present. II. Thess. ii. 10, "them that perish,"-" them that are perishing." II. Thess. iii. 5, "patient waiting for Christ,"-" patience of Christ." I. Tim. vi. 12, "eternal life," "the life eternal." II. Tim. iv. 1, "at his appearing and his kingdom,"-" by his appearing and his kingdom." II. Tim. iv. 8, "a crown of righteousness,"" the crown of righteousness." Heb. vi. 19, 20, "Which

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