birth of Christ, says, that he should not only come forth out of Bethlehem; but also, that his goings forth have been of old, even from everlasting. He could not go forth before he had existence. This he had of old, long before his birth. Again, Christ prayed to God the Father, to glorify him with the glory, which he had with the Father before the world was. But he could have no glory be fore he existed. If the glory which he had with the Father before the world was, be understood of the essential glory of his divine nature, then what he prayed for was, that the glory of his divinity, which had been veiled and obscured in the view of men, by his humiliation, might shine forth in its full lustre by his exaltation in his human nature. Or if by the glory, which he prayed for, we understand the glory, which he received as man and mediator, as the reward of his glorifying God on earth by his obedience and sufferings; then it may be said, that though he did not actually possess this glory before the world was, yet he might be said to have it, as it was given, granted, and secured to him by God in the covenant of redemption. So Christ speaks of the glory, which the Father had given him, John xvii. 24, though it was not then bestowed on him. But it is objected, that this will not prove Christ's pre-existence. For the Apostle also speaks of the grace given us in Christ before the world began. As grace is given to us before we existed, so glory might be given to Christ, in the divine purpose, before he existed. I answer. Though a thing may be given to one before he exists, as legacies are often given those who are unborn; yet no one is said to have a thing before he exists. Though grace is given to us in Christ, being lodged in his hands as our trustee; (which by the way proves that he exist ed before the world was,) yet we have it not before we exist. But the Scriptures say, that glory was not only given to Christ, but also, that he had it before the world was, which is, I think, a clear evidence of his pre-exist ence. The same truth might be further confirmed, from the testimony of the Scriptures, that all things were made by him, and for him; that in the beginning he laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of his hands; that he is before all things; the beginning of the creation of God. I barely mention these proofs at present, as I shall have occasion to consider them further hereaf ter. These observations, it is thought, shew the error of those, who hold Christ to be a mere man, who had no personal subsistence before he became a man. Further evidence of this may be offered in a future number. A Christian of the old School. (To be continued.) SELECTIONS. ON THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Ir a sober, wise, and hon. est man should come and tell you, that in such a country, where he hath been, there is one who is the governor of it, that doth well discharge his office; that he hear eth causes, discerneth right, dis. tributes justice, relieves the poor, comforts them that are in dis. tress; supposing you give him that credit, which honesty, wis. dom, and sobriety do deserve; should you not believe that he intended a righteous, wise, diligent, intelligent person, dis. charging the office of governor? What else could any man living imagine? But now suppose, that another unknown person, or so far as he is known, justly suspected of deceit and forgery, should come unto you and tell you, that all which the other informed you and acquainted you withal was indeed true, but that the words, which he spake have quite another intention; or it was not a man, or any person, that he intended, but it was the sun or the wind, that he meant by all which he spoke of him. For whereas the sun by his benign influences doth make a country fruitful and temperate, suited to the relief and comfort of all that dwell therein, and disposeth the minds of the inhabitants unto mutual kindness and benignity; he described these things figuratively unto you under the notion of a righteous governor and his actions, although he never gave you the least intimation of any such intention. Must you not now believe, that either the first person, whom you know to be a wise, sober, and honest man, was a notorious trifler, and designed your ruin, if you were to order any of your occasions according to his reports; or that your latter informer, whom you have just reason to suspect of falsehood and deceit in other things, hath endeavoured to abuse both him and you; to render his veracity suspected, and to spoil all your designs grounded thereon? One of these you must certainly conclude upon. And it is no other wise in this case. The scripture informs us, that the Holy Ghost rules in and over the church of God, appointing overseers of it under him, that he discerns and judgeth all things, that he comforteth them that are faint, strengthens them that are weak, is grieved with them and provoked by them who sin, and that in all these, and in other things of the like nature innumerable he worketh, ordereth, and disposeth all according to the counsel of his own will. Hereupon it directeth us so to order our conversation towards God, that we do not grieve him nor displease him, telling us thereon what great things he will do for us, on which we lay the stress of our obedience and salvation. Can any man possibly, that gives credit to the testimony thus proposed in the scripture, conceive any otherwise of this Spirit, but as of an holy, wise, intelligent person, Now, whilst we are under the power of these apprehensions, there come unto us some men, whom we have just cause on many other accounts to suspect at least of deceit and false. hood; and they confidently tell us, that what the scripture speaks concerning the Holy Spirit is indeed true; but that in and by all the expressions, which it useth concerning him, it intendeth no such person as it seems to do, but an accident, a quality, an effect or influence of the power of God, which figuratively doth all the things mentioned; namely, that hath a will figuratively, and understanding figuratively, discerneth and judgeth figuratively, is sinned against figuratively, and so of all that is said of him. Can any man, that is not forsaken of all natural reason, as well as spiritual light, choose now but determine, that either the scripture designed to draw him into errors and mistakes about the principal concernments of his soul, and so to ruin him eternally; or that these persons, who would impose such a sense upon it, are indeed corrupt seducers, that seek to overthrow his faith and comforts? Owen on the Spirits, p. 49. ANECDOTE OF DIDEROT. In the account which the abbe Barruel gives of the closing scene of Diderot's life, is the following interesting anecdote : This infidel philosopher had a christian servant, to whom he had been kind, and who had waited on him in his last illness. The servant took a tender interest in the melancholy situation of his master, who was just about to leave this world without any preparation for another. Though a young man, he ventured one day when he was engaged about his master's person, to remind him that he had a soul, and to admonish him in a respectful way, not to lose the last opportunity of attending to its welfare. Diderot heard him with attention, melted into tears, and thanked him. He even consented to let the young man introduce a clergyman; whom he would probably have continued to admit to his chamber, if his infidel friends would have suffered the clergyman to repeat his visits. This story may furnish us with an useful lesson. We are often deterred from an endeavour to do good, by conceiving that the attempt will be vain. Yet surely it becomes us to beware, that we lose no opportunity of being serviceable to another, especially in his highest concerns, by an idea of the improbability of success. We may be mistaken in that respect. Christian charity, let it always be remembered, is not that cold calculating spirit, which weighs exertion before it makes it, and which fears to ven. ture upon an act of benevolence, lest it should be thrown away. True charity has its eye more on what its object may lose for want of assistance, than on what itself may expend in vain. The anecdote above related, furnishes a reproof to those overprudent persons, who are afraid of saying a word in season. Such a word, uttered in a becoming spirit, may have more effect, than we may think we have reason to expect. The words of truth, spoken in simplicity and love, have power even in cases which appear desperate. The hardest hearts may be softened by them; the most learned and philosophic man, the man whose mind is for tified by a whole life of prejudice, may not be able to resist their force. Let the christian remember this, and however low his situation in life, let him be desirous freely to impart what he has freely received. But especially when he sees a fellow-creature REVIEW. DR. REES' CYCLOPEEDIA, VOL. II. PART II.* THE articles ARIAN and ARIus, are treated in such a manner, as to discover a bias in the mind of the writer, against what has been usually called the orthodox of faith. The American editors have inserted a paragraph or two, of correction and caution. Under the word ARK, the En. glish Editors have very properly given the results of several com putations, by which it appears, that Noah's Ark was sufficient ly capacious to contain all the animals, which, according to scripture, were preserved in it; and that there could have been no lack of room to receive provisions for them all, during a much longer time than they were thus confined. This would hardly deserve our notice, were it not The following part of the review of vol. ii. should have appeared in the last number. that both learned and vulgar in. fidelity have objected, to the Mosaic account of the flood, the impossibility of crowding so many animals, with necessary sus. tenance for them, into a vessel of so moderate dimensions, as that constructed by Noah. Dr. Arbuthnot computes that the Ark must have been of 81,000 tons burthen; and consequently it would carry more than 100 India ships of 800 tons each. Additions have been made to the following articles in Geogra phy, viz. Antwerp, Apoquenemy Creek, Appleby, Appletown, Appomatox, Apurimac, Aranjuez, Ararat Mount, Arcos, Argos, Argyleshire, and Arkansas; and to the following articles on other subjects, viz. Anthropophagi, Antimony, Antipathy, Antipodes, Antiquity, Antiscorbutics, Ape, Apepsy, Aphtha, Apiary, Apium, Apo cynum, Apollinarians, Aponogeton, Apparition, Apportionment, Appurtenances, Aranea, Arch, Archery, Arda, Areca, Argali, Argument in Astronomy, and Aripo. The follow ing articles are new, viz. Antiquarii, Appetits, Antrim, Antuchio, Aralians, Ar, Amakutan, Arctic Ocean, Argeenah, and Aricaras, all of which, except the two first, are in geography. The additions to this part of vol. ii. have been on subjects much less important to the public, than those which have heretofore been the topics of our observations. As to the correctness of printing, the work loses no credit, as it progresses. The errors are few, and the English edition is in many instances corrected. We have been more particular and minute in our account of the matter added by the American Publisher, than will be necessary hereafter, as our readers have had a specimen sufficient to enable them to form a judgment, on the claims which the work has to their patronage. shall not in future hold ourselves obliged to mention every small addition or correction. Our object will be to take notice of those articles only, which afford occasion to say something more interesting, than a naked list of additions and alterations. VOL. III. PART I. We After a pretty impartial explanation of the term ASCETIC, taken from Mosheim and Athenagoras, Dr. Rees proceeds in the following manner : "In the next century, and particularly in the reign of Constantine, these Ascetics, who, as an ele. gant historian describes them, (Gib bon's History vol. vi. p. 239,)" obeyed and abused the rigid precepts of savage enthusiasm which represents the gospel, and were inspired by the man as a criminal, and God as a tyrant;" fled from a profane and degenerate world to perpetual solitude or religious society, and assumed the name of "Hermits," "Monks," and "Anachorets," expressive of their lonely retreat in a natural or artificial desert." To this the American editors subjoin the following paragraph: "This is a remark worthy of the "elegant historian," from whom it is extracted, as it was his favorite object on all occasions to sneer at the christian religion We wish, however, to remark for ourselves, that we have yet to learn what those "precepts of the gospel" are, which deserve to be called "rigid,"-That in our apprehension the life of the Ascetics, so far as it was culpable, is not in any measure to be attributed to their having" obeyed" the gospel, but altogether to their having abused" it, or rather to their having disregarded, or been ignorant of, such precepts as that of the Savior. (Matt. v. 16.) "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." And that though we think it nothing short of blaspheming to represent "God as a tyrant," yet we never can hold it to be savage enthusiasm" to represent "man as a criminal," because by an authority, which we believe to be supreme, it is explicitly declared, that "all the world is become guilty before God," and that even those that were truly pious, were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." The American editors might have been readily indulged in further observations on such a passage. Some thoughts, which they have not expressed, we take this opportunity to offer. In the first place, we are opposed to citing the opinion of Gibbon, or of any writer of the same character, on the subject |