send not by me. Or, if animated by a portion of Isaiah's fire, they trecly of fered their services in the sanctuary, they would, at least, be sensible of the necessity of themselves previously undergoing a strict discipline in the school of Christ, before they stood forth as teachers and examples of the flock. About a year after Simon became the Disciple of Jesus, the miraculous powers of his Master were displayed on two occasions, which nearly concerned him. His wife's mother was raised from a sick bed, and honoured with an opportunity of evincing her gratitude, by ministering to Him, who had restored her to health. But though this species of miracle was calculated to produce the strongest sense of personal obligation, it seems (perhaps from the commonness of its occurrence) by no means to have affected his mind with the wonder, awe, and faith, which were produced by the miraculous draught of fishes. For when Simon, who had been fruitlessly toiling all night, and who, without any hope of success, had reluctantly let down his net once more, at the command of Christ, saw that the draught of fishes was so great as to break the nets, and to fill both the ships till they began to sink, his astonishment was inexpressible; and the fervid piety of his mind discovering itself in his expressions, he threw himself at the feet of his master, and exclaimed, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord! But our Saviour cheered the humbled spirit of his servant, and both to confirm and illustrate the promise originally made to him; said, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And no sooner had Simon and Andrew, and James and John, brought their ships to land, than they laid aside the trade of fishermen, and wholly devoted themselves to the service of Christ. By this miracle, Simon was taught to whom he was to look for direction in his ministry, and to whom he was to ascribe the glory of its success. Not long after, our Saviour thought proper to initiate his Disciples into the ministry for which they were designed, and to set them apart for it by a solemn ordination. The process of this important transaction deserves our notice. First, he excites the pity of his Disciples for the perishing souls of sinners, by pointing out to them the deplorable state of the multitudes who flocked to his ministry, but who were as sheep scattered, and without a shepherd. He then rouses their zeal, by remarking, that the harvest was plenteous, though the labourers were few; and exhorts them to pray to the Lord of the harvest, to send forth more labourers into his harvest. When dispositions suitable for their work had been thus raised in them, he himself retired to a mountain to pray for them. Having spent the night in intercession, in the morning he collected his Disciples, and from their number selected twelve, whom he named Apostles, and whom he invested with power to cast out unclean spirits, and to heal every manner of disease. Simon had the honour to be the first nominated; and on this occasion he publicly received from our Lord the distinguished appellation of Cephas, or Peter, which was descriptive of the strength of his character, as well as in allusion to his being one of those twelve spiritual stones, on which the Church was to be founded, Jesus Christ being the head stone of the corner. How interesting is the scene! The fainting sheep and the sympathizing shepherd, the praying Disciples and their interceding Lord, form a picture which every Christian Bishop, and every candidate for Holy Orders, should ever have before his eyes. The next incident we shall mention, as serving to throw any particular light on the character of this great Apostle, took place immediately after our Saviour had made an astonishing display of his power, in the multiplication of a few loaves and fishes. Having sent his Disciples across the lake in the ship which attended him, he dismissed the multitude, and retired, as was his frequent practice, alone, into a mountain to pray. But at the fourth watch of the night, while the Apostles were painfully rowing against a contrary wind and high sea, Jesus went to them walking on the water. Neither their courage, nor their piety, nor their miraculous gifts, could sustain the shock of this wonderful spectacle; but they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit, and cried out through fear. But our Saviour's well known voice soon calmed their terror, It is I, said he, be not afraid. Mark the rapid and violent transition which took place in their minds, and learn to guard against such transitions. St. Peter had probably, the moment before, been strongly agitated with fear. He is now rapt in admiration of the power of his Lord, and is even possessed by a desire to prove the strength of his faith, by walking with him on the sea. Hurried away by his ardent feelings, and not reflecting, whether he had any warrant for this adventurous display of faith, or whether in attempting it he acted from right motives, he exclaimed, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. He received the permission he solicited, leaped on the water, and, sustained by Omnipotence, walked on the waves to go to Jesus. But when he observed the boisterous wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried Lord, save me! And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, with this gentle reproof, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ? We have already censured the selfconfidence of St. Peter in this attempt; but let not the frigid son of syllogism and demonstration deride the error of this illustrious Apostle. It was an error which none but a St. Peter was likely to commit; and he, who seeth not as man seeth, tenderly turned his censure, rather to the weakness of Peter's faith, than to his presumption of its strength. Yet happy had it been for the Apostle, if this impressive lesson had precluded the necessity of that more humiliating one, which he afterwards received in the palace of the High Priest. The next morning, Jesus preached to the people in the Synagogue at Capernaum, when many of those were present, who, the day before, would have made him a king; and endea voured to shew them what was the true nature of his kingdom. He proposed himself to them as the true manna, and the living bread, which he would give for the life of the world; and this declaration he peremptorily confirmed, by saying, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. But the doctrines of the atonement and faith in Christ, which were couched under this highly figurative language, appeared to the people unintelligible and absurd; and so generally were they offended, that from that time, many of his Disciples avent buck, and walked no more with him. On this occasion, Jesus addressed to the twelve this pathetic inquiry, Will ye also go away? Though proba bly they also were amazed at his doctrine, yet the miracle of the last night was too recent to allow them to entertain a doubt of his divine authority, and St. Peter answered, with his constitutional ardour, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life: And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the liv ing God. To confirm his Apostles in this fundamental point of Christianity, Jesus soon after asked them, Whom do men say that I am? and after he had heard the various opinions which were in circulation, he put the question, but whom say ye that I am? Here again the zealous Peter fervently replied, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Our Lord immediately avows the character which St. Peter had ascribed to him, applauds the faith which, under the form of a servant, could recognise the Only Begotten of the Father, pronounces him blessed, and declares that this grand discovery was not the effect of human sagacity, but of divine revelation. Then, in allusion to the name he had given him, Jesus added, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. So warm a testimony could not fail to set St. Peter very high in the estimation of the other Disciples of our Lord; and it seems to have had the effect of raising him too high in his own. Of this he not long after gave a strong indication. For Jesus having established his Disciples in the primary truth noticed above, began now to develop a second, equally necessary to salvation, though more opposed to the proud and carnal reasonings of men. He predicted his sufferings and death; but they neither understood the necessity of his death, nor the glorious effects which were to flow from it. The idea of a crucified Lord was subversive of all they had been taught to hope from the Messiah's advent, while it stood directly opposed to that love of human praise and distinction, and to that fear of worldly shame, which form so striking a part of the character of fallen man. Nor can we wonder that they should stumble at a doctrine, which many reputed wise, even in our own day are pleased to call foolishness. Here again Peter betrayed the worldliness of his spirit, as well as his characteristic rashness; for tak ing his Master aside with affectionate freedom, he tried to dissuade him from his purpose, Be it far from thee, Lord! this shall not be unto thee. The severity of our Lord's reproof, proves that there must have been something exceedingly wrong in the spirit, which dictated these words of Peter; for he turned, and said to him, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me; for thou savourest not the things which be of Gud, but those that be of men. Let the rational Christians, who reject the doctrine of the atonement, or who plead for the love of human praise, or the fear of worldly shame, as lawful motives of action, explain on what ground, upon their principles, this favoured Disciple could merit such pointed reprehension. This failure of St. Peter's did not forfeit his Master's confidence. He knew the man, and how to free him from his constitutional defects. He selected him along with James and figuration, and of the conversation he then had with Moses and Elias respecting his decease; on which occasion we find him manifesting his usual want of consideraton. By this manifestation of the glory of Christ, the Disciples were made more docile and respectful; such freedoms as St. Peter had lately taken were checked; and by the testimony of their Legislator, and the greatest of their Prophets, they were taught to consider the sufferings and death of Christ, as events necessary to the accomplishment of the Law and the Prophets. Nevertheless, they did not then thoroughly understand the design of the vision; for as they descended from the mountain, they questioned, what the rising of the Son of Man from the dead should mean. Simon Peter and his Brethren had now spent three years in the school of Christ, and had made, it may be presumed, great improvements in knowledge and piety; but they had still to learn the grounds and consequences of his death, the evidences of his resurrection, and the spiritual nature of his kingdom. These they were to be taught, as in former instances, by the eye as well as the ear; not only by words full of grace, but by the mighty works of their Master. He therefore declared to them, that his hour was at hand, and conducted them to the appointed scene of his sufferings, with a cheerful firmness, which excited their astonishment. The curse pronounced on the fruitless fig-tree, the second day after his entry into Jerusalem, fixed the attention of St. Peter, and ought to fix ours. The nature of the miracle, and the particular time at which it was performed, seem to indicate, that it was intended as a warning to all the Apostles, of the sudden and total ruin, which one of them soon after brought upon himself, by unfruitfulness and apostacy; and it forms a striking emblem of this event.-Reader, mayest thou never feel the blasting of the Saviour's malediction! SIR, (To be continued.) To the Editor of the Christian Observer. John to be the witnesses of his trans- THE Publication which you have an. his acknowledgments to the Serpent (an adored figure of Heathenism), for his temptation to the forbidden tree, for which the earth was subjected to this fallen Spirit? nounced has been long a desideratum. the arch-enemy of mankind; an angel We are surfeited with the antiquarian of light in his transformation, making trifling, and unimportant genealogies of another Monthly Miscellany: the fashion of my grandmother's shoetie, the true and genuine history of Cadwallader Pumpkin, and a fac simile of the hand-writing of Hopestick Capon, Jerothmiel Bowers, and Harbot. tle Door. You have called upon the Clergy for their assistance. I, as one of that body, should be happy to afford it, if either the extent of my library, or leisure from weekly composition for the pulpit, enables me to comply with your invitation. Yet, Sir, allow me to offer you my suggestions; they shall put you to no expense of postage; and you may either adopt them, pur. sue the hints offered, or use them to light the companion of your lucubra tions. There seems to be a prevailing taste in the public mind for antiquities, voyages and travels, and anecdote and this may be converted to the uses of religion, by a view of such Remains of Antiquity as illustrate Scripture history; or the narrations of respectable voyagers and travellers; as also, which the times seem to require and your plan admits, facts that exemplify the genius and temper of the church of Rome. 66 2. Another large Medal represents three hands joined, held over a caduceus, and that caduceus placed over and across what appears like the ancient fasces, while round the medal is inscribed, "Salus humani generis.” This Medal was struck in the reign of Augustus. It cannot refer to the Triumvirate, which was over, and which certainly was the reverse of Salus humani generis. Montfaucon can make nothing of it. I conceive it to refer to the salvation of the Gospel through the decree of the Triune Deity, made known by an heavenly message (caduceus), and supervening the condemnation to which mankind had become liable by the law of justice. It 3 A third remain of antiquity, which Montfaucon does not attempt to explain, is so obvious, that it is surprising he should overlook its import. is the view of an island in the Tiber, originally cut into the form of a ship; all the facings being of stone, and having had originally a temple of Esculapius upon it: the ruins remain to this day, as I have been informed by a gentleman who has been at Rome; who also, upon my inquiry, said he could, in recollection, trace some remaining form of a Roman galley, in the ruins. What can this symbolize but the Deluge, and the escape from it; in memory of which a temple was built, in acknowledgment of the wonderful preservation by a ship? Do not the ancient figures of the constellations on the celestial globe commemorate this? Let this be more fully developed. 1. With regard to the Remains of Antiquity, Mr. Bryant, in his Discourse on the Apamean Medal, has given an argument in proof of the Mosaic History of the Deluge, which shews the use of such researches: and it is remarkable, that Cellarius has noted in his Asia Minor, an Apamea Kares" -the very name of which place is a confirmation of the history. In turning over lately Montfaucon's Antiquities, some medals and prints caught my eye, and arrested my attention, but of which he declares himself unable to On this subject, Sir, I beg leave to give any account which I presume offer an incidental observation. The was occasioned by his ignorance of sign Sagittarius, in going off the field the symbolical language of the an- as it were, looks back and directs his cients. One small medal represents a arrow to the flood, or river, &c. Now winged human figure, bending forward and holding out a patera to a serpent twisted round a tree; the right foot of the figure being placed on a globe on the ground. May not this symbolize Ainsworth, on Genesis, remarks, that Methuselah's name implies, that at the departure of that Patriarch the Emissia (of the waters, scil.) or Dart shall be! This actually occurred. The deluge followed upon the death of Methuse. lah, and the sign or constellation of Sagittarius was that, in which the sun was during a part of the season, in which the windows of Heaven were opened and the flood came. I shall be happy in the recommendation of the OBSERVER; and rejoice, that while infidelity stalks abroad under so many various shapes (springing originally out of our heathen education), there is something coming forward in an amusing form, that may successfully detect and expose it, and support the truth. A NORTH RIDING CLERGYMAN. To the Editor of the Christian Observer. FEW publications have been more acceptable to the religious world, than those which contain brief reflections of a pious and edifying nature, on select texts of Scripture, for daily or occasional use. With an eye to this circumstance, and for family as well as private use, the correspondent who transmits the present article, has been for some years in the habit of making Extracts or Epitomes from the sermons of a beloved and highly valued pastor. Some of these are now offered to you. The writer is conscious, that, in such limited performances, much of the spirit and excellency of the originals must have evaporated; but such as they are, should you deem them conducive to general edification, he requests you to give them a place in your interesting Miscellany. York. W. G. 1. Job xlii. 5, 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abbor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. SELF-ignorance is the necessary consequence of ignorance of God. While men hear of him only by the hearing of the ear, and have no spiritual discovery made of him to the eye of their understanding, they will be apt to plead strongly for the merit of human actions, look upon some sins as slight and excusable, and persuade themselves that God will not be extreme to mark what is done amiss. But as light is most evident when contrasted with darkness, and beauty with deformity, so a clear discovery of the holiness of God which will not suffer him to endure iniquity, of his justice which obliges him to punish it, of his goodness and mercy which render offences against him the more inexcusable, of his omnipresence and omniscience which baffle all attempts to hide transgression, and of his almighty power which renders it impossible for offenders to escape or resist him, must necessarily make sin appear "exceeding sinful," and convince men of the guilt and malignity of those offences, which before they could justify, palliate, or conceal. The latent wickedness of their hearts will then be discovered to them; as a sunbeam shining into a room displays before was imperceptible. They will every grain and speck of dust, which then be ready to cry out with Job, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor, &c."; with Isaiah, on a like discovery, "Woe is me! for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts." Happy are they, who are thus humbled in the dust and stript of every self-righteous plea; and thankful ought they to be for the methods, however painful, which have been employed to produce this disposition in them; for all the promises in the Gospel belong to the poor in spirit and contrite in heart, and its grand maxim is, that "he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Y. A SHORT CATECHISM OR PLAIN IN STRUCTION, Containing the Sum of Christian Learning, set forth by the King's Majesty's authority, for all Schoolmasters to teach. 1553. (Continued from p. 92.) Master. I see (my son) thou art not ignorant, after what sort Christ is rightly said, to be from us in body, and with us in spirit. But this one thing would I know of thee: why Christ our Lord is thus conveyed away from the sight of our eyes: and what profit we take by his going up to heaven. |