V FEB 1U1916 F A Al 1 IW A K 1. i; € T U U E S OX TnE PENTATEUCH; ( f^^B ^r.;, DELLVERED BEFORE THE MORXIXO CLASS OF BETH- ANY COLLEGE, DUl^ING THE SESSION OF 1859-60. BY,/ ALEXANDER CAMPBELL ALS«0 Short (Pxtviuls from liie Sermons bnriiig tl]e same Session Reported by CHAS. V. SEGAR, riioxoGRAPHEK. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED A BRIEF SKETCH OF PRESIDENT CAMPBELL'S LIFE. THK WHOLE ' EDITED, WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND OCCASIONAL NOTES. By W. T. MOORE. ST. LOUIS: CIIRTSTLVX PUBLISHING COMPANY. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by W. T. MOORK, In the District Court of the United States for the SDUthera 2>tjth«l of Ohio. TO THE STUDENTS OF BETHANY riOLLEGB WHO HAVE LISTENED TO THK "OLD MAN ELOQUENT," 4ND WHO WILL READILY RECOGNIZE IN THESE LECTURES AIUCB THAT IS FAiMILIAR, IS THIS ATTEMPT TO REVIVE SWKET MEMORIES OF THE PAST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BT ONE OF THEIR NUMP.EK PREFACE On accoiini of various causes, over which the Editor had no con- trol, the publication of this volume has been greatly delayed. Ac- cording 10 the original design, it should have appeared in the spring 01 1862; but as it was impossible to carry out that design, the man- ascript was laid aside until the present year. The work is now given to the public with an earnest hope thai it may do gooa, and that it will be considered not altogether unworthy the great mind whose thoughts it rescues from oblivion. In justice to Mr. Camt- BELL, it is proper to state that the report of his Lectures and Ser- mons appears without his corrections. This was not intended to be so, but could not be otherwise under the circumstances. It was very desirable to have the report pass through his liands, but on ac- count of his many pressing duties and failing health subsequent to the year 1861, it was deemed improper to burden him with such a laborious task. It is hoped, however, that this defect is, in some respect, compensated for by preserving Mr. Campbell's original style — the identical language, so far as reported, of his extemporaneous Lectures and Sermons. Some revision was found to be absolutely necessary, and in this labor the Editor desires to acknowledge the valuable assistance of his friend J. Sprigg Chambers, Esq., who has shown peculiar fitness for a work of this kind. The sketch of Mr. Campbkll's life was furnished expressly for this volume by Mr. Seoar, who took tlie liveliest interest in the publication of these Lectures, but whose recent death cut him off from all participation in tlieir final preparation for the press. Mr. Segar's work has been carefully revised, and is now believed yi PREFACE. to be not only a faithful account of the principal events of It /. Campbell's life, but a valuable contribution to Biographical Lite- rature. It will be seen that only a portion of Mr. Segar's phonographic report is contained in this volume. The Lectures on the New Tes- tament and incidental subjects, delivered during the session, are re- served for another volume, should there be such a demand for it as will justify its publication. Trusting that this effort to preserve the thoughts of one of the greatest and best men of modern times may meet with a generous approval, tne volume is committed to toe public, not without hope tnat It will mppt the uublic exnectation OiyciNNATT April. Ihn CONTENTS Biographical Sketch. 9 llfTRODUOTION, - - 51 Lecture on the Pentateuch, ------ 61 lucture i, - ^ , . 51 Lecture II, -.....- - 67 Lecture III, • - - - 74 Lecture IV, - 88 Lecture V, ------- * • 89 Lecture VI, - - - 96 Lecture VII, -...--.. 102 Lecture VIII, . - - . - - 109 Lecture IX, - • - - - - - - 115 Lecture X, . . - - 122 Lecture XI - 130 Lecture XII, - - 136 Lecture XIII, - - - 143 Lecture XIV, ----- • 148 Lecture XV, ♦ - * * 155 Lecture XVI, -..--- -161 Lecture XVII, - - - - - - i66 Lecture XVIII, - - - 171 Lecture XIX, . . - - i78 Lecture XX, . - - - 183 Lecture XXI, . - - - 188 viii CONTENTS. Lecture XXII, 194 Lecture XXIII, • - . • - . - - -200 Lecture XXIV, 204 Lecture XXV, - 209 Lecture XXVI, • • -215 Lecture XXVII, - - 217 Lecture XXVIII, ---..-- 223 Lecture XXIX, ..-.■-.- 228 Lecture XXX, . . - . - - • - 231 Lecture XXXI, - ..... 236 Lecture XXXII, 246 Lecture XXXIII, . - . . . 249 Lecture XXXIV, 260 Sermox on the Law, - 266 Extracts from Sermons, ... - - , , 305 ALEXANDER CAMPBELL: HIS LIFE AND PUBLIC CAREER.* The lives of distinguished men are the property of the public; not only of the generation they serve, but of all succeeding geaerations. Were there no future life, such persons would enjoy a species of enviable immortality in the present world, provided their career secured the com- mendation of men. The intelligence of a people is in the proportion of the calmness, frankness, and discrimination with which they form their estimate of their public servants. It is a duty to essay the task, and essay it with the determi- nation to profit by their excellencies, and be warned by their defects. If we condemn one invention, and exalt an- other into a great instrument of human progress and com- fort, we should a fortiori, as a man is superior to a ma- chine — as an immortal spirit has a higher value than mere *Tln*s work is compiled principally from four different articles concerning Mr. Campbell : one written by Prof, Pendleton, in the Millenial Harbinger; another in the ^Vheeling Intelligencer, by the editor ; one in the Christian Standard, by its editor, and A Memorial Address, by Elder Burnet, of Bal- timore. Each of the articles referred to, contained more or less interesting matter omitted by the others. All the events and facts scattered through- out the several communications have been carefully interwoven each with the other, and generally arranged here in the order of their occurrence. Some original matter has been embodied, and, all in all, it is believed to be the most accurate and comprehensive article yet published on the life and character of Alexander Campbell, 10 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. matter — and spiritual qualities are better than material — estimate human usefulness above all meaner things, and carefully select from a great character the true points of admiration and imitation. Alexander Campbell, the subject of this biograph- ical sketch, by common consent, has filled a larger place in the public mind of this generation than any other theo- logian on either continent, and the views attributed to him have been received by a larger number of religionists, within the last forty years, than those of any other man within the past hundred. No other man of this generation could count upon a half million of converts to his reli- gious position during the time of his natural life. Such success in the conflict of opinions, where the opposing parties were the peers of the most learned and the most pious, must argue great powers and great plausibility, and also must present ground for presumption of solid merit. Alexander was the son of Thomas Campbell, a rela- tive and classmate of the Scotch poet, Thomas Camp- bell. His mother, Mrs. Jane Campbell, was of a French Huguenot family, which fled to Ireland to escape massa- cre from the Catholics after the- bloody St. Bartholomew's day. She was an amiable Christian woman, and possessed and exercised those rare and cherished traits of character which gained the respect of those who met her, and se- cured the high esteem of all who knew her well. Thomas Campbell, the father, was a very remarkable man. One of the most devout men said, he never knew one so devout as Thomas Campbell. He was educated at the Glasgow University, and was one of the most accurate English and classical scholars, and an exact and thorough disciplinarian and teacher. He was several years a Pres- byterian minister of the New Market Presbytery in the LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. H North of Ireland, and on account of his amiable qualitiea, was chosen by that body a commissioner to reconcile the Burgher and Anti-Burgher Synods. When an Irish noble- man offered him a lucrative position he declined it, for fear it vrould corrupt his children with the vices of society. His house was a house of religious instruction and prayer^ and his parish is said to have been the most exemplary in the country. While he adhered to the catechism, he was rigid in his examination of parents and children. Feeble health drove him to this country, and in 1807 he settled as a minister of the gospel under the direction of " the Pres- bytery of Chartiers," then attached to " the Associate Synod of North America." Thomas Campbell had not been in this country long when, with enlarged views and a warm heart, he conceived a system of Christian Union upon the basis of the Bible and the Bible alone. His plan was distasteful to his pres- bytery, and ended in a separation in 1808. Three very remarkable papers emanated from his pen about this time, two of them in A. D. 1808. These were a Declaration AND Address, and a Prospectus of a Religious Reforma- tion. The burden of these papers was, the inefficiency of denominational organizations for the enlightenment and salvation of the world, and the necessity of a radical change of base for future assaults upon the kingdom of darkness. Discarding all creeds and confessions of faith, he formed a society in Washington county. Pa., to give expression and force to these sentiments, and not a great while thereafter two churches were organized professing these principles His associates and friends agreed with hiin in the purpose of "absolute and entire rejection of human authority in matters of religion," and the resolution to stand togethd 12 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. upon the proposition, that " the Holy Scriptures are all- sufficient, and alone sufficient, as the subject matter of faith and rule of conduct, and that, therefore, they would re- quire nothing, as matter of faith or rule of conduct, for 'v^'hich they could not give a " Thus saith the Lord^'' either in express terms or hy approved precedent. This was the initial movement which had much to do in shaping the cur- rent of events, issuing in what has been called the Re- formation of the Nineteenth Century. These reformatory movements in the Presbyterian Church were headed by Thomas Campbell, in Western Pennsylvania and Western Virginia, and in the same church in Kentucky and Ten- nessee, under the lead of Stone, Marshall, Thompson, Dun- levy and others. By these independent popular move- ments, without any definite or systematized idea of primi- tive Christianity, a latent force was excited which has taken the body and form of what is new known as the Christian Church, sometimes called the " Disciples." Alexander Campbell was born near Shane Castle, in the county Antrim, Northern Ireland, parish of Broughshane, in June, 1786, and was consequently nearly eighty years old at the time of his death,* which occurred in Bethany, Brooke county. West Virginia, at his residence, with fam- ily and friends around him, on the 4th of March, 1866. His ancestors on both sides migrated to Ireland from Scot- land, but on his mother's side they were originally of the French Huguenots. His preparatory education was conducted with great ♦There has been some discrepancy in the statements concerning his age, growing out of the fact that the family register was lost by shipwreck, on the voyage to America, but the above date is derived from a written mem- oran^^ srh^^^rp The finest passages in Greek, Roman, F rench and English literature, both in poetry and prose, were committed to memory, and in his late years it was a favorite recreation of his often over- taxed powers, to recite such of these as the incident of the occasion might suggest, to the delight and admiration of his companions. Even on his deathbed, rich passages that he had committed to memory when a boy, would often 14 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. comje to liira by some hidden association of ideas, to illus- trate with their golden beauty the subject of his discourse. Such was the academical discipline of this remarkable man. Meantime his relij^ious an d moral training was, if wi th any differe nce, even still more thorough and severe. Speaking of his father, he himself says: "His family training and discipline were peculiarly didactic, biblical and strict. The Bible, with Brown's Catechism, was, dur- ing the minority of his family, a daily study and a daily recitation." Few, if any men, in the course of a man's life, will be known or seen who could recite so much of the scripture, or who seemed to have so full and off-hand a grasp of the whole text and context of the inspired writ- ings. Like Timothy, he had known them from his youth. From such preparation as this, he passed to the Univer- sity of Glasgow, the Alma Mater of his father, who left the son in that institution when he departed to America. In the University he enjoyed the finest opportunities to perfect his previous studies, and to enlarge still more his knowledge o f literature and_s£ipncf». . "Professors Young and Jordan were his special friends and favorites in the University." The " Andersonian Institute " had just been founded, and he heard the first course of lectures in Nat- ural Science, delivered by Prof. D. Ure. During his col- lege life he formed a " very happy acquaintance also with Dr. Greville Ewing and Dr, Wardlaw, then very promi- nent actors among the Scotph Independents, as well as with Dr. Moutre, Dr. Mitchell, and others of the Presby- terian faith. These advantages were all improved to the utmost by his eager and industrious mind. Inheriting a vigorous and well-balanced physical and mental constitu- tion, and trained from his earliest years, by his learned LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 16 and accomplished father, to habits of severe application, ho grew up to manhood a constant and laborious student. Ho soon rose to a higli rank of distinction in the judg- ment and esteem of both the faculty and his fellow-stu- dents. He completed his university education at Glasgow, in 1808, and tlie next year Alexander set out, with the mother and his younger brother and sisters, to follow the father to the United States, but being cast away on the Island of Ila, their voyage across the Atlantic was delayed till 180 9,,^ He landed in New York in October, and thence came to Washington, Pa. Reference has already been made to the separation which took place in 1808, and which gave rise to the " Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington, Pa.," written by Thomas Campbell, and in which the nature and design of the reformatory movement were set forth and presented to the public. When Alex- ander arrived in Western Pennsylvania he found his father reading the proof-sheets of his Declaration and Address, as it was then passing through the press in Washing- ton. At the request of the father, while reading the proof- sheets, the attention of the son was first critically concentra- ted upon this remarkable paper. Alexander then predicted that the leaven of those papers w^ould work greater change than the author dreamed of, affirming, "in the Bihle alone you will never find infant baptism and some other things practiced by us. j jiQ restoration of primitive Christianity jwill work a mighty royoliitioTi'^ But the elder Campbell had counted the cost and launched his bark, trusting the voyage to the guiding star of truth. The son entered 16 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. heartily into his father's p-lans, not then dreaming th at his mo i-e active nature and irrepressible forne would, in^ ;J'ew jears^jDla^e_Jiimjn^_t^^ and never did one great mind fall into the shadow oF a greater, with equal grace and truer delight. There was no falling back of the elder, but Providence gradually bore the younger, Avith firmer tread and more agility, far in the advance. Which was the leading mind, was soon determined by the acclaim of thousands. The father rejoiced more in the son than in himsplfj for had he not labored for this very end? The avowed object of this movement, as set forth in this Declaration and Address, was " Jhe restor ation of pure, primitive^_apostolic Christianity, in-^etter and sp ivit^ in pTMrir>iplft and prnniinp'^ " With this exhibition," adds the venerated father, Thomas Campbell, " son Alexander was so captivated that, although the proposed reformation was universally opposed by all professing parties, and he and his family were as yet unprovided with an adequate por- tion of worldly property, yet he was so much attached to the good cause that he promptly declined the propitious oflfer of a thousand dollars a year, most kindly and urgently made by Lawyer Mountain, of Pittsburg, Pa., for under- taking the tuition of the academy of that place, of which Mr. Mountain was a principal trustee. His reason as- signed for rejecting this kind and flattering ofi*er was, that he could not possibly accomplish both, and tli a.t he felt, conscientiously bpund^ to do ev _^rythi^g J" his _power , through the Divine assistance, tQ^ ^romote the proposed ^Jlfifo rmatio n, described in the aforesaid address." This is one among many illustrations that might be given of the remarkable resolution and promptness with which Alexander Campbell ever took his stand on the side of what he deemed to be right, and his duty to defend. As LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMTBELL. 17 yet, he was simply a private disciple of Christ. His avo- cation in life had not been definitely chosen. He waa fresh from the college of Glasgow, and with a thorough education, splendid natural endowments, and in the midst of a people where such qualifications could command their own terms of honor and emolument, there were certainly many attractions drawing him to a life of ambition and worldly fame; but he chose the truer and better part, and determined at once to throw all his powers into the com- paratively despised work on which his father had, against so much discouragement, entered, and to submit the con- sequences to God. How wisely he chose in this noble self-consecration, let his subsequent career tell I At the advice and under the direction of his father, he at once devoted himself to the preparatory studies jor the __^ minis try. Soon after arriving mlVashingt'on, Alexander abandoned all other cares ; applied his powerful and disci- plined mind anew to the methodical study of t-he Sacred Scriptures. Meantime his father had gathered together two small congregations to whom he ministered, and who were agreed with him in the purpose of the proposed re- formation. One of these was at Cross-Roads, some six miles northwest, and the other at Brush Run, some eight miles southwest of Washington, Pa. Before tlie latter of these, in _Mav^,_1810, Aj£x an:der Camp bell pre ached his first sermon^nj\jnjrica_^pn_the .textj " Therefore every one that hoareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise man that built his house upon the rock. And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on the rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon 18 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. the sand, and the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." The text was evidently chosen as suggestive of the pro- posed foundation of this new organization, and afi'orded a fruitful theme for the consideration of all human bases of ecclesiastical union and fellowship. It was received with the greatest enthusiasm by the entire congregation to whom it was addressed, and resuUed in an immediate and unanimous call to ^ ^^(^ ni'^'^^^Ti At this time his father and James Foster were the only official teachers recognized in the movement, and the two above named congregations the only two formed in accordance with the principles set forth in the Declaration and Address. Alexander Campbell now added the weight of his rare powers, and the excitement everywhere to hear him became intense. In the absence of church edifices, meetings were held in the open air, and the groves in the valleys and upon the hilltops rang wdth the powerful voice of this bold and impetuous pleader for the authorit y of the Word of God, above and against tra- di tion, creeds, confessions of faith, and every human sub- _8titu te invented to put ecclesiastic b ond^ "p^^^ ''^^'{^iftv^ _ freedom and Ch ris ti"^ fellowship . Meantime these first movers in reform were themselves reforming. They had in the beginning only adopted the p rinciple of reforma-_ tion, that is : in all things strict conlormity to the Word of ^f God. They very soon came to the agreement to "Jb bread ^everv first day of the week, and it was not long before they felt themselves challenged to review the whole question of baptism. "The incongruity of w^eekly communion and infant church membership soon became evident" to the quick and original mind of Alexander Campbell. Indeed, when LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 19 he first read the third proposition of that address, he saw that the principle therein nnnounced, must lea ^^ to ^^» ahandonment of inf:i.nf, Iciptism. It is in these words: " That (in order to churcli union and communion) nothing ought to be inculcated upon Christians as articles of faith, nor required of them as terms of pommnnion^ Vmt whnt, ia expressly taught and enjoined upon them in the Word qj jL God. Nor ought any thing to be admitted, as of divine obligation, in their church constitution and management, but what is expressly enjoined by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles upon the New Testa- ment Church; either in express terms, or by approved precedent." " On reading this, I asked my father," says Alexander, "in what passage or portion of the inspired oracles, he could find a precept or an express precedent for the baptism or sprinkling of infants in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. His answer, in substance, was, ^It is merely inferential, but, to the law and to the testimony we make our appeal. If not found therein, we of course must abandon it. But,' continued he, ' we could not unchurch ourselves now, and go out into the world, and then turn back again and enter the church, merely for the sake of form or decorum !'" Thus the ob- vious difficulty w^as early seen, but such is the power of education, the force of early convictions, and the great proneness in the human mind to disparage positive in- stitutions, where there is already a consciousness of the Bubsfance of religion, that these honest, earnest, and un- compromising men stumbled long at the step which their principles clearly required them to take, and which would Rt once sever them forever from the great family of Pedo- baptists. So this matter was left under discussion, but it could 20 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. not be indefinitely postponed. Meanwliile, Alexander Campbell bad formed tbe acquaintance of Margaret Brown, daugbter of John Brown, of Brooke county (in the ex- treme western part of Virginia), and soon became the ac- cepted applicant for her hand. He was married in Mar ch, 1811, a nd immediately settled at her paternal home on the waters of Buffalo creek, the site of the present Bethany, and on which he has lived continuously for more than half a century. That spot, now the pleasant village of Bethany, was then a wild and secluded locality amid the hills, shut out almost from the world by the abrupt cliffs that overhung it, and the short windings of Buffalo creek, which, at that day, being unbridged, was often not forda- ble. It was in this romantic and remote spot in the New World to which he had come, amid peaceful agricultural pursuits, and in the prosecution of those studies befitting his calling, as a minister of the Gospel, that Alexandei Campbell's long and eventful public career was fully in- augurated, without a suspicion, on his part, we may add, that he was to become one of those great pioneers in the world of reform that have appeared at rare intervals in the history of mankind, and have had power by "the sole lever of thought" to upheave the weights of ancient tra- ditions, long-accepted formulas, and consecrated theories, from the mind of society. He began as Martin Luther and John Wesley began, not,jis^^ap--w^ttW^e--4Ui mlutioniat. but as a rcfon^oxjofJiLg^own immediate " houseliolj^Qf faith. " He looked forward to no new denomination, but simply to the correction of vital errors and innovations that had been fastened upon the primitive Gospel as preached in the pulpits of that day. Martin Luther pro- claimed "justification by faith," and the echo and effects of that startling proclamation went far beyond his own LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 21 conception and control. And thus, Alexander Campbell, in like manner, startled those with whom he was in com- munion by many bold and remarkable declarations. Alexander Campbell was unceasing in his labors ai I his studies, and became more and more convinced of the want of scripture validity in his baptism, and more and more impressed with the duty of being immersed, that he might conform in every particular to the divine require- ment with respect to the ordinance. His constant habit of reading the Greek New Testament made him an inde- pendent thinker on its contents, an d in 1812, Mr. Camp- bell declared to the family that he had never been bap- Jized. His great respect for his father's judgment and example could restrain him no longer, and he at length decided to be evangelically immersed. The subject was fully discussed, and seven persons, including most of the Campbell family, were immersed by a Baptist preacher by the name of Matthias Luse, into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He says, speaking of this passage in his life, " I thought it due to my father to inform him of the fact. Therefore, when I decided to be evangelically baptized, on my way to invite Elder Matthias Luse, of the Red Stone Baptist Association, to attend on the occasion, I informed my father of my purpose, and of the time for its accomplishment. Accordingly, on June 2, 1812, my father, mother, my sister, Mrs. Bryant, my wife, myself, James and Sarah Henon, in all seven persons, ^vere bap- tized into the Christian faith." An event so extraordinary as this, could not fail to ex- cite much comment and discussion. It gave also great notoriety to the prominent actors in the movement, and roused up the most intense opposition. Despite of all this, however, they steadily persevered, and day by day, 22 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. under the powerful and shaping intellect of Alexander Campbell, the pe culiar points in the organizat ion became uno re and more sharply defined and prominently set forth for ^"^1^ pnhljp OYnininnfinn — Week lx_ coin in union had been established; and immer- ,8ion followed in the n hn r nhps liprptofore Jiuffied ^— com- posed of pious persons From all quarters of the theological Jiaav£ns. Both father and son became deeply impressed with a conviction of the eyils and sinfulness of sectarian- j pm. Their first movement as reformers, was the repudia- tion of human creeds, as tests of fellowship, and a pro- posal to unite all the disciples of Jesus in one church, with the Bible as the only authoritative stand, and of faith and practice. Pursuing the stud}^ of the Scriptures, as free as possible from party bias, they, and those asso- ciated with them, were soon convinced that infant mem- bership in the church, and sprinkling, were unauthorized of God. In a few years, not more than two or three, some five or six congregations were organized in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and the adjacent part of Virginia, and _abou t 1815 they unitedly a j) ^ied for admission into t he Rod Stone Baptist As s oeiation, a nd were received, with the express understanding that they subscribe to no human creed or confession of faith, but that they should h^ I] old jM^sjToiisihlenJ onft to the W^vd 0^ ^^^ i n all things per- taining to faith a nd practice. To many of the preachers this union was at first very distasteful, and they accord- ingly commenced a series of petty measures of oppositicn, and an irrepressible conflict arose, and finally resulted in the withdrawal of these churches from the Red Stone As- sociation, and their union with th cMahoning Association _ jtfjQiuO j^ known to be more liberal in feeling . At the first meetins; of the Red Stone Association, LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 28 which was held after the union, Alexander Camphell de- livered his celebrated discourse on the law . The clear, stronji and original views announced in this address were new to most of the preachers, and excited against him the most relentless opposition. Tlie disaifection grew with time, and it was not long till such men as Brownfield, Fry and others, set themselves resolutely to work to excora- inuuicate him, and those associated with him, from the fel- lowship of the Association. Failing in several attempts upon the ground of heresy iD doctrine, overcome always in argument upon the scrip- tural authority for the proposed measure, and finding that the majority was always against them, these envious and ambitious leaders, resorted at length to a parliamentary artifice for accomplishing their purpose. A rule was adopted, as to the reception of congregations into the As- sociation, providing that all congregations which had been ^^ con ditutionally'^ admitted, should he permitted to con- tinue their connection. The design of this rule was not seen, at the time of its adoption. But it soon leaked out that Mr. Brownfield, who had succeeded in getting himself appointed moderator, intended to apply the rule to the exclusion of the '*six congregations that had come in with the Campbells." The artifice was this : the constitution of the Red Stone Association required a recognition of the Philadelphia Confession of Faith ; but these congre- gations had been admitted under a special protest against all confessions of faith, therefore, the moderator would rule, they have not been "constitutionally" received, and must be excluded from any further connection with the body. Having ascertained that such a course was to be taken, Alexander Campbell immediately proposed to the congre- gations aimed at, that they should peaceably withdraw, 24 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. and thus avoid all further strife ^vith the Red Stone Asso- ciation. This \Yas agreed to, and before the next annual meeting thej^ had all united with thft Million in or Associa- tion in Ohio . This union was one of complete harmony, and in a few years the Association dropped all preten- sions of ecclesiastical power, and continued to assemble only as a sort of reunion of sister congregations — annual ''big meetings" for co-operation and encouragement in the work of spreading abroad the restored principles of primitive apostolical Christianity. Against his own wishes, he was compelled by the force of ecclesiastical opposition, to act separately from the Baptists, seeking fellowship only with those who were will- ing to be governed by the Bible alone. Thus cut loose from his former connections, and with a fierce opposition stirred up against hiin, he gave himself supremely tr> tha advocacy and defense of his plea for a, return to primitive _Christianity. F or half a century he gave his strength to this work, making tributary to it all his treasures of learn- ing *and eloquence. During those trials, the extraordinary powers of Alex- ander Campbell became widely known. The people were with him, only the rulers of the then Baptist Israel were opposed to him. Their opposition, however, was evtry- where active. His advocacy was no less energetic and ag- gressive. He made frequent excursions, far and near, as Providence opened for him a door, and steadily enlarged his influence and increased the number of his disciples. His rp"m H jiation of infant haptL an, a.nd bold advocacy of immcrsion^ Jjrought u pon him the fiercest op position ^.ofL. the Pres byterians. Mr. Campbell announced what he believed to be funda- mental propositions in all his efforts to keep the unity of LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 2£ the spirit in the bonds of peace. He declared to the world that, " Christian miity can result from nothing short of the destruction of creeds and confessions of faith, inasmuch as human creeds and co nfessions have des troyed Phri^ji^in unify. That " whenever the setting aside of creeds and confessions shall be attempted, Christians will give to the ivorld and to angels^ and to themselves, proof that they do believe the Word of God^ This was Mr. Campbell's first great distinctive enuncia- tion or dogma. On this and others hereinbefore alluded to, Mr. Campbell took his stand, and reasoned and labored as few have done for the union of all God's children, on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. He appeared in public in defense of his views, and in vindication of his entire orthodoxy. He was, as might be expected, ar- raigned as the " setter forth of strange doctrine," and the would-be founder of a new sect, which accusations he re- pelled by saying that " ther e is nothing new in Chr istian- Jt^ ^ Alexander Campbell s oon became chiefly and promi- nently known as the r ecognized head of a new reli- gious__ movement. the purpose — of wlnV.li wns tfi_restore ^•imitive Christianity in all its simplieity and beauty. Out of this movement has grown a people who choose to call themselves Christians or Disciples , now num- bering not less than five hundred thousand members in the United States, and who are especially numerous in the States of Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mis- souri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and many in Pennsylvania and New York. The views as taught and expounded by Mr. Campbell and his father Zh LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. have also been adopted by a large mass of people in Eu- rope. Their peculiarities, as a re ligious people, are that they discard all human creeds and confessions of faith. andTalTcTlTc^Bible alone as aperfcct all- sufficient rule of .faith and practice: esteem all commandments and tra- dit ions of m en asnecess£ri ly fallibIe 7su£crerogatory. and in (lcrogatian_of the all-sufficiency as well as the express in- junctions of the Word of God., Another peculiarity is that they partake of ^^^'^?'''_^r'^""'^^^ ^f the Lord's Supper every S unday^ or first day of the week. They believe also that Ch ristian baptism can only be performed by im- jnersion, and that there is no warrant either in the exam- ple of Christ himself, or in the teachings and practice of his apostles, for any other baptism. J nfant baptism they^ rojoot, b ecause the command is to "repent and be bap- tized," and baptism, therefore, they hold, can only follow repentance. The arguments and details of these views are to be found in a work called the " Christian System " — the fun- damental wo"rk, so to speak, of the Disciples, as a religious people. The same views, especially as regards baptism, are also amplified and discussed in another work, known as the "Christian ]>aptist," first published in serial form, and since revised and collected as a sort of text book by the Disciples. The s peeches a nd writin gs of Alexander Campbell , upon his ideas of the theory and practice of primitive Christian- ity l ed to many controversies in the religious wor ld. The contest, with Mr, Campbell, was life-long, and gave rise to many extraordinary discussions. His debates, as reported and published in the regular order of their occurrence, were as follows : With the Rev. John Walker, a minister of the Secession Presbyterian Church, in the State of LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 27 Obio, lield at Mt. Pleasant, in the year 1820. This dis- cussion was upon the action and subject of baptism. The debate created a great local iuterest, and was attended by a vast concourse of people. Next followed his debate with the Rev. Wm. McCalla, on " Christian Baptism," held in Washington, Kentucky, in the year 1822 ; nex his debate with Robert Owen, the celebrated sceptic and socialist, on the "Evidences of Christianity," at Cincin- nati, in the year 1829 ; next his debate, in the same city, in the year 1836, with Bishop (now Archbishop) Purcell, on " Roman Catholicism;" and one on the points in dis- pute between Presbyterians and Reformers, with Rev. N. L. Rice, a well-known Presbyterian clergyman, held in the city of Lexington, Kentucky, in the year 1843. The spe- cific points of this debate were, " The Action, Subject, Design and Administration of Christian Baptism," also " The Character of Spiritual Influence in Conversion and Sanctification," and " The Expediency and Tendency of Ecclesiastical Creeds, as Terms of Union and Communion." This debate with Dr. Rice, embraced a period of eighteen days, and was conducted before a large and interested as- sembly, Henry Clay presiding as moderator, assisted by some of the first men of Kentucky. A like interest had been shown in the Owen and Purcell debates at Cincinnati, which were thronged by eminent theologians from all parts of the country. Mr. Campbell also held a written discussion with Dr. Skinner, on Universalism. In all these he maintained a high reputation for learning, digni- ty, and logical and critical acumen. It may be truly said that these discussions have exha'usted the subjects debated. Nothing is left to be said. The resources of learning and logic have been drawn upon till nothing remains that seems worthy of reproduction. These celebrated polemics 28 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. of Mr. Campbell called out in "full orbed splendor" the treasures of his great learning, and his marvelous powers of debate. Wherever he went, whenever he spoke, he made himself famous by the novelty of his teachings, and the remarkable ability with which he discoursed on the stirring themes of both Testaments. His calm dignity, the profundity of his conceptions, and his extraordinary power of generalization riveted every mind and charmed, as well as instructed, thousands of those who believed as he did, as well as those who did not accept his views of the Bible as orthodox. ^If Mr. Campbell had done nothing^ else than the single w^rk j^f defending ;; , nn n ynvVml nnr^ivn versialist, his views of scriptural autho rity of immersion^ and exposing; the hum an origin of infknt b aptism, hisjiame^ would de serve to stand amongJh^^nghtegtjm^lh^XolLlL public spea kers and reforin er^ It was during the debate at Lexington, that Henry Clay, the great man eloquent, formed so high an estimate of Alexander Campbell, as a scholar and gentleman, that he declared him the profound- est theologian, and most eloquent and able debater of the age. This was no rcean compliment, though no less mer- ited than generously awarded. In 1819, Alexander Campbell established the Buffalo Academy, at his residence, and for a few years, aided by his father, found it convenient to devote much of his time to educating young men in English and classical litera- ture. His father, after spending some time in Ohio, Ken- tucky, and Indiana came to reside with his son, after he opened the academy, ami there departed his useful life at the age of ninety-one. This school was crowded to over- flowing from the beginning, and through Mr. Campbell's example and influence, a lively impulse was given to the cause of education in the then new and comparatively un- LIFE OF ALKX'NDEU CAiMPBKLL. 29 lettered community by "which he was surrounded. IIo impressed his powerful nature upon many of his scliolars, and graduated a number of young men. who, in after years took high rank in the professional walks of life. During the existence of the academy, Mr. Campbell be- came acquainted with Walter Scott, one of the brothers, who was also a teacher in Pittsburg — an acquaintance, which, ripening into intimacy, lasted until the demise of the latter in 1861. They were true yoke-fellows, each in his sphere contributing greatly to the scriptural knowl- edge and spiritual development of the other. Mr. Campbell's public efforts, as a speaker and teacher, augmented his celebrity, and increased the desire to hear the objects of his mission discussed. These events deter- mined him to write, as well as preach, and in 1823, he be- gan his career as a journalist and publisher, at which pe- riod he established, at his home in Bethany, the Christian Baptist, a monthly periodical devoted to the defense of primitive apostolic Christianity. No religious publication, in our country, perhaps, ever created so wide-spread a sensation, and excited more controversy than this very bold and original work. This periodical soon became to the religious world what the ^^ Spectator''^ had been to the social world in the days of Addison. Questions were here freely propounded and discussed between friends and op- ponents, believers and unbelievers ; correspondents were answered, accusations refuted, and doctrines and dogmas commented upon with all the freshness and vigor which Mr. Campbell's active and original mind infused into every thing that claimed his attention. The author was in the full freshness and strength of his powers. He had a large and intimate acquaintrmce with the diversified phases of sectarian Christianity, was a keen and judicious 80 LIEE CF ALEXANDER CAxMPBELL. observer of men and things, entirely free from all shackles of ecclesiastical authority and prejudice, and withal inti- mately acquainted with the divine standard with which his principles led him to compare all things in professing Christianity. He saw many things which he judged to be not only Avithout warrant in the word of God, but which he regarded as positive corruptions or perversions of both its letter and spirit. Naturally with but little rever- ence for human authority, he did not feel it sacrilege to challenge any thing which he deemed contrary to the di- vine standard. Against such things he did not scruple to turn every shaft in his well-furnished quiver — argument, humor, wit, satire, ridicule — every power of his diversi- fied and bold genius was employed with an adroitness and energy, that carried every thing before him. He opened his pages to the freest and widest discussion and inquiry, and allowed a free hearing to both sides of every question which he deemed worthy of examination. Opponents crowded into the arena of his publication, like the Philis- tians upon Samson, and with a similar result. For seven years, he continued the publication of the Christian Baj^tist, and to the end maintained in his style and matter, a vigor and variety, that seemed inexhausti- ble. In 1830, the Baptist appeared in enlarged form, un- der the title of The Millenial Harbinger — a work which he continued to edit and publish till the end of 1863. It is still in existence, and has entered its thirty - eighth year, under the editorial charge of his son-in-law, Pro- fessor W. K. Pendleton, and Professor C. L. Loos — both thoroughly educated gentlemen, each possessing and ex- ercising, in an eminent degree, the rare ability to write, speak and teach in the most successful and acceptable manner. LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 31 These publications, altliougli enriched with contributions ,iora many gifted pens, were principally occupied with editorial essays, and on this mainly depended the public interest in them, and the originality of their views. Du- ring forty years Mr. Campbell also published other works, among which were six voluminous reports of oral debates; a translation of the New Testament, by G. Campbell, Doddridge and McKnight, wMth prefaces, emendations, and critical notes of his ow^n : the Christian System ; Infidel- ity refuted by infidels; Baptism — its Antecedents and Consequents; a volume of Literary Addresses; a life of his father, and other books, making about fifty volumes. These and his sermons gave him a great name and power among his fellow-men. His debates with McCalla, Walker and Owen had more to do in widening his influence, per- haps, than any of his other discussions. He also had two noted written discussions in the Harbinger, one with Bishop Semple, and another w^ith Rev. Mr. Skinner, a Universalist of New York. His debate with the celebrated Owen, the zealous and talented propagandist of infidel sociology — deserves ad- ditional notice. Owen published a challenge to the clergy of the whole country to meet him in debate on his pecu- liar belief. He put it forth in New Orleans, and no one dared or cared to take it up. Finally, it fell under the eye of Alexander Campbell, and he at once resolved to accept it. Speaking of this challenge he says, " I have long wondered why none of the public teachers of Chris- tianity have appeared in defense of the ^ last, best hope of ^m ortal man.' ^ " I have felt indignant at the aspect of things in reference to this libertine and lawless scheme," and " relying on the Author, the reasonableness, and the excellency of the Christian religion, I will meet hira in 32 LIFR OF AI-KXAXDER CAMPBELL. debate." This, as well as the discussion witli Arclibiiihop Puree]], was a labor which Mr. Campbell felt he owed to Christendom. Tlicy were, in no exclusive sense, con- nected with the special work of reformation to which he was more particularly devoted. His important defense of the truth of Christianity against the infidel attacks of Owen, and his even greater vindication of Protestantism against Romanism, deserve the gratitude of the Christian world. He stood, in both of these conflicts, as the cham- pion of evangelical truth, and his overwhelming assaults upon these two decided foes of pure Christianity, will ever be remembered as forming an era in the victories of the true Church of God. In the winter of 1829-30, Virginia called a convention to amend the state constitution. Alexander Campbell had never taken any public part in politics — but the peo- ple knew that he was identified with them in interest, and that he was a man to whom they could safely commit their cause, and they called him to their service with an earnest- ness he could not refuse. Thus he became an active mem- ber of the convention which sat in Richmond, Va. There has never been such a gathering in Virginia as in that convention, and it is probable there never will be again. Among his associates in that convention were the venera- bles ex-President Madison and Chief Justice Marshall, and the excentric John Randolph, of Roanoke, all stars of the first magnitude. He bore a prominent part in the proceedings of the convention, acting on the judiciary committee with Marshall, and came into conflict with Randolph, and other leading minds of Eastern Virginia, in his advocacy of the interest of the western portion of the state. It was in that convention that Mr. Campbell gave a prophetic notice of what would ultimately be the LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 38 course of Wostoni Vii-gini;i, niid wliat he lived to see ac- complislicd. Ilis colleague iVom liis portion of the state was Philip Dodse early, and he and my father were walking on the por- 84 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. tico in the early sunliglit, wlien the latter asked Mr. Madi- S'^n his opinion of Alexander Campbell. After speaking in very high terms of his abilities as displayed in the con- vention, he said, 'But it is as a theologian that Mr. Camp- bell must be known. It was my pleasure to hear him very often, as a preacher of the gospel, and I regard him as the ablest and most original and powerful expounder of the Scriptures I have ever heard.' We were then just enter- ing our teens, but the aspect of this venerable man as he walked, Avith elastic and graceful step, in the morning's sunlight, we shall never forget. This opinion of Mr. Madison was of course highly gratifying to my father, and was often repeated by him to others in after j^ears." AL^xander Campbell performed, with marked ability, the services confided to him by his constituents, and upon the adjournment of the convention he returned to his home with greatly enlarged influence for good, and with increased zeal for religious labor, for which he was so pre- eminently distinguished. By this time, through his untiring labors, his public de- bates, and his many and extensive tours, through all the states of the Union, Mr. Campbell, aided by many able and devoted co-laborers, had attracted to the movement of which he was the great and acknowledged head, many myriads of zealous and earnest sympathizers. Congrega- tions had been organized in almost every state of the Union, and in many localities, the Disciples constituted the pre- vailing religious people. He had long seen and felt the growing want for an educated ministry, and earnestly meditated upon the best means for meeting the necessity Already taxed to the utmost, by the innumerable public demands upon his time and his learning, he for some time, shrank from undertaking what seemed the only alterna- LIFE OP ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 86 tive, but the necessity was urgent, and he resolved to post- pone it no longer. Consequently, in 1840, he commenced the great and crowning work of his life — the founding and' endowment of Bethany College. He did not wait to raise the means from others, but with a sublime confidence in the merit of the enterprise, which was his strong charac- teristic in all that he undertook, he threw some ten ov fif- teen thousand dollars of his own capital into the business, and at once contracted for the erection of the necessary buildings. All the energies of his great mind and heart were thrown into the enterprise, and by the fall of 1841, the college was organized, with a regular charter, board of trustees, faculty, and over one hundred students as- sembled from ten or twelve different states of the Ameri- can Union. Mr. Campbell made the tour of the Western States more than once in its behalf. His appeals brought liberal re- sponses from the proverbially generous people of those sections, many of whom were so devoted to him that they traveled fifty miles to hear him speak. Even Whitfield, in the zenith of his popularity, never drew together crowds more completely under his influence. No religious refor- mer ever was more completely enshrined in the hearts of his associates than was Alexander Campbell, at the time j)f those celebrated tours during the last twenty-five years. He had then begun to grow old, and his head was whiten- ing — his views had spread far and wide among the peo- ple — his name was venerated, and thousands of men, wo- men and children regarded him with all the fondness of filial affection. And no wonder — as any one would say, who during those days, could have seen him standing like Saul among the people. His whole presence was com- manding — his enunciation was sonorous and magnetizing. 86 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. his pronunciation was accurate and scliolarlj in the first degree — tlie outward evidences of the highest mental and moral discipline, combined witli original greatness, were unmistakable, while his argumentation was as luminous and as grand and as all-sweeping in its comprehensive- ness as the sunlight itself. Men of all creeds heard him enraptured, and the tributes that were paid him by the journals of the day, wherever he went, were, perhaps, never accorded to a mere theologian in this country. From the founding of Bethany College to his death, Alexander Campbell was its president. Those who have attended that institution do not need to be told of its most interesting feature. Mr. Campbell took upon him- self, not only the duties of president, but also the daily labor of lecturing on the Bible. Indeed, he made the daily and thorough study of the Bible the peculiar characteristic of Bethany College. As he regarded the Bible, and the Bible alone, as the only authority to the church, in all matters of faith and practice, and the only infallible sourco of a perfect morality, so he conceived it should form tho basis of all Christian education, and he made it the lead- ing text-book of educational instruction. This great thought he ever cherished, as the ruling principle of his college labors. And to raise up men who would sympa- thize with him in his sublime aim of magnifying the value of the Book of Books, and enforce its claims to authority over the hearts and consciences of men — was the great motive which prompted him to superadd to his already oppressive labors, the additional responsibility of Bethany College. The students of the College will readily remem ber its most interesting feature — the morning lec- tures of the president. A chapter was read in the LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 37 Bible by some student, selected in alphabetical order, and then commented upon by the president. During these lectures he in his latter years sat in his chair, and his re- marks were of tlie easiest and most conversational char- acter. He spoke with remarkable power and distinctness. Sluing in a plain arm-chair, with the Bible sometimes open and sometimes closed, upon a little table before him, Mr. Campbell's talk to the students would possess a vigor and eloquence in articulation seldom equaled by the most impassioned efforts of other speakers in the pulpit or on the orator's stand. Frequently the greater portion of the morning hour would be consumed on the philology of a single verse. Misconception of generic terms, Mr. Camp- bell always contended, had been the foundation of untold errors in Bible science. In all his debates, and in all conversations, not less than in these lectures, he, there- fore, stated a proposition, stripped of every vestige of ambiguity, by compiling a definition of terms. These terms he would trace down to their roots in the dead lan- guages. It was the privilege of all, and the custom of many students, to leave questions on his desk, and these were frequently made the subject of a lecture. Thus his intercourse, every morning with the whole number of stu- dents in attendance at the college was of such a character as to greatly endear him to them. At the close of each term the senior class were examined as thoroughly with reference to the morning lectures as they were upon the sciences and languages. This branch of the college course furnished a fair field for President Campbell's extensive knowledge of the Holy Writings, and his lectures on the Pentateuch, the New Testament Biographies, and Acta of Apostles, were such as few other men could deliver. In 1847, Mr. Campbell made a tour to Europe, partly 88 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. for liis health, and partly to visit the congregations of his church in Great Britain. On reaching London he was the honored guest of our Minister at the Court of St. James, Mr. Bancroft, and through him and through letters from the first men of this country, was the recipient of honors and attentions from the great leaders and molders of po- litical opinion in England. Only in Scotland, in the city of Edinburg, did any thing occur to mar the influence and pleasure of his trip. His position on the slavery question had been grossly misrepresented by a clergyman who was desirous to engage him in debate, but with whom Mr Campbell refused to hold any intercourse on account of his questionable character. The refusal, for the cause as signed, led to a recourse before the civil tribunals, on th». part of the clergyman, in an action for libel, the final re- sult of which was a verdict in Mr. Campbell's favor. The labors and events of this tour, added to the burden of the college, seemed to have materially aff*ected his mind and general health ; but the deadliest portion mingled in his cup of baleful care and sorrow, was the sad news which awaited his touching the shores of his adopted country. The son of his old age, the child of his prayers and hopes, was no more! Wyckliffe Campbell had been drowned at his father's mill ! It is said by those who were near him, that Alexander Campbell never was equal to himself after this stroke ; but it was long before the admiring world perceived any change. Mr. Campbell was intensely Protestant, steadily cher- ishing, through his life, the cardinal principles of what is called evangelical truth. lie was also a profound admirer of American iii.stitutions. llis heart ever beat with the impulses of freedom, lie never was the champion of American slavery, lie believed, however, that the rela- LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 89 tion of master and slave had existed in biblical times, un- der the Divine sanction, or, at all events, tolerance, and while he did not desire to be regarded as the apologist of American slavery, he contended that it should not be a test question of communion in the churches. This was his position in Scotland, before the people of that country, as it had been here at home before the American people. His own slaves that came into his possession by marriage, he had emancipated many years previous to his visit to Europe. His tract to the people of Kentucky, urging them to adopt a system of gradual emancipation, was an earnest and powerful appeal. Mr. Campbell was always on the side of religious and educational reform. In 1841, a teacher of a small school in Bethany was requested by some of the citizens to receive the colored children into her school. Knowing that to be a penal offense in Vir- ginia, she demurred ; but the noble-hearted Campbell vol- unteered to come between her and the law if any fine was imposed, whereupon the teacher yielded to the wishes of the friends of the colored children, and they were taught six months unmolested. It will be evident from what has been recited, that it was never a purpose of Alexander Campbell or his father to build up a new party or sect in religion. Their pri- mary aim was to reform the errors of the existing organi- zations, without schism. They thought they would per- suade them to reform, and to conform to the scriptures, without division ; and, as far as the Mahoning Associa- tion, to which they attached themselves, was concerned, this was accomplished. This was a recognized Baptist Association at the time the six churches, represented rop-inly by Thomas and Alexander Campbell, united with it ind it was never subjected to any ecclesiastical excom- 40 LIFK OF AI.KXANDEll CAMPBELL. municatioii from Baptist fellowsliip. Alexander Campbell was recognized as a Baptist everywhere in his travels for many years after his witlidrawal from the Red Stone As- sociation, and would, of his own accord, never have broken fellowship with them, if they had allowed him the freedom which he claimed in preaching what he believed to be the simple truth of the gospel, and at the same time the right of exhorting his brethren to return, in all matters of faith and practice, to the express teachings of the Word of God. But prejudice, envy and clerical bigotry are hard things to persuade, and still harder to contend against. And so the strife commenced, and for more than forty years went on with a zeal, and in some cases a passion that in calmer yeai>s both sides must regret. Of one thing his most in- timate friends are sure, that during the riper years of his life, Alexander Campbell often thought earnestly and fondly of a restoration of fellowship between the Disci- ples and the Baptists. But he could not see the way. His proposition for a friendly discussion of mutual differ- ences with Dr. D. R. Campbell, of Kentucky, made in 1858, was conceived in this hope, but the spirit in which it was met, showed that the proposition was made too soon. He ever met any fraternal advances on the part of a Baptist with the most cordial welcome, and cherished with special care every development of returning good feel- irjg which he discovered in the prominent men oi the de- nomination. But further than this he did not see reason to go. The very recent movements, however, in ecclesiastical circles are indicative of a strong desire, in certain lo- calities for a union between the Baptists and Disciples. Among the denominations of the Middle States there are strong symptoms of the same desire, and as the wish be- LIFP: of ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 41 gins to find utterance, it is not improbable that the cher- ished hope of Alexander Campbell, in this particular re- spect, Avill be realized in the consummation at an early day, of a union of the two most powerful and prosperous branches of the family of immersionists in our country. Having dwelt at length upon Mr. Campbell's antece- dents as a reformer, in religious matters, it is meet to close this sketch Avith brief notes of his social and private characteristics as an extraordinary man, both in his pub- lic and private relations. Alexander Campbell's reputation was Avithout a spot. His bitterest enemies failed to find a flaw in his character for truth, integrity, and goodness. To those who knew him well, he was most cheerful, gentle, genial, just, and devout ; and as dearly beloved for his goodness as he was venerated for his greatness. And it was in social life, in the midst of his friends and relatives, especially around his own ever-thronged and ever-hospitable fire-side, that Mr. Campbell was most truly loved and honored — and there the vacuum can never be filled. His manner toward the humblest domestic of his household was kind and en- gaging. Never were the inborn characteristics of a gen- tleman more certainly and happily manifested than in him. Children loved the sight of him. "None knew him but to love him." His amiable disposition made him a native gentleman. Mr. Campbell was not self- asserting, but deferential and devout. He belonged to that class of men who will lead under any circumstances, whether they desire it or not. It will ever be remembered to his honor, that with an almost unbounded personal influence over a religious community, numbering hundieds of thousands, he ncvoi sought the least ecclesiastical control. Although the tel 4 42 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. egram, from Wheeling, announcing his death, spoke of him as "Bishop Campbell," it will surprise many to learn that he was merely oie of the bishops of the congrega- tion meeting in Bethany, and that, outside of this, he never sought and never exercised the least ecclesiastical authoi ity. Nature, education, and circumstances made him a lu- minous radiating center, but his position also made him equally a focal point, where were concentrated the rays emitted by a thousand minds — his correspondents on both continents. The suggestions and queries of every mail were invaluable No man ever more scorned the idea of imposing his name upon a party than he did. He felt humbled when any one would put ite to the sylla- bles which designated him, or the members of the Chris- tian Church, from among other men. In the newspapers which have lately alluded to him, he is generally spoken of as the talented founder of the Christia7i Church. Nei- ther he, nor those who have been stigmatized as his fol- lowers, have felt flattered by that word " founder." He founded nothing that he called, or they call, religion. Ho was often at special pains to show, not only that the things which he taught were in the Bible, but that they had been severally recognized by leading authors, at dif- ferent periods in the history of the church. Mr. Campbell's career of public labor and influence was a long one. For forty years he labored with an assiduity and energy rarely if ever equaled. Through long tours of months, he would travel and talk and preach, with a strength and endurance of mind and body almost incred- ible. His great fame attracted to his public appointments vast concourses of hearers, and he was accustomed to ad- dress sucli, almost daily, for several hours at a time — and LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 48 not unfrcquently, tAvo or three times a day, with all the power and animation of one fresh from the rest and pre- paration of the study. He was, in the broadest and grandest sense of the word, a discourser. His ideas flowed on in a perpetual stream, majestic in its stately volume, and grand for the width and sweeping magnifi- cence of its current. With a voice that thrilled with the magnetism of great thoughts, and a person imposing and majestic, as his mind was vigorous and commanding, no one could hear and see him, and fail to discover that he was in the presence of one on whom nature had set the stamp and seal of transcendent greatness. In his family and domestic relations he was a faithful husband, a kind and considerate father, and a just and respected neighbor. In 1828, he was married a second time, to S. H. Bakewcll, who, with four of her children, survives him. These four are all that remain of fourteen that were born to him from his two marriages. His descendants — children, grandchildren, and great-grand- children, in all, number only thirty-one. This is a small number to survive an octogenarian. But a bright family had gone before him across the Jordan, and he did not find his mansion untenanted when he too was called to the heavenly home. Though a manager of vast interests, in his family, reli- gion was a daily business. Those who lived by him and with him for years, say he was the most persistent man in the religious instruction of his family that they ever knew. Reading the scriptures, expounding them, talking of the great themes of the Bible, singing God's praises, were as regular as morning and evening. No matter what h;id been the fatigues and labors of the day, he al- ways found strength and t'nie enough for this cardinal 44 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. feature in liis liouseliold economy. He liad but little con- fidence in a piet}^ that Avas.not nourished and instructed by the daily study of the word of God, and a perpetual habit of prayer. So he taught, and thus he practiced. How did it fit him to die? The colloquial powers of Mr. Campbell were of an un- usually high order. In every circle he seemed to be the center of radiance, and as constantly the devoted center of attraction for old and young, stranger or relative, as ever were the most celebrated conversationalists of modern times. His information, derived from life-long study and from travels in Europe and America, and from his expe- rience among every variety of life was inexhaustible, and always charming by its exceeding simplicity. In conver- sation, if he be compared with Webster, Chalmers, Calhoun or old Dr. Beecher, he was their superior. It is neces- sary to look further for his peers, and find them in Luther, Macauley and Coleridge. In private as in public debate, he was more the sage than the controversialist, and com- pelled a rare respect and deference. The universe was his library ; his conversation a living study. When traveling, wherever he might sojourn for the night, and during intervals of public speaking, throngs would collect to hear him talk; and between these fire- side and public preachings, his tours would be almost an endless monologue. Nobody wished to talk in his pres- ence. His themes were so much out of the range of ordi- nary conversation, that but few people cculd sustain a part in their discussion. A question would sometimes set him agoing — but very soon his vast learning, especially in the department of biblical lore, would lead him into wide fields of discourse, nil familiar and easy to him, but strange and unknown to his hearers, and it was their pleasure to sit LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 45 in silence and learn. But lie was not pedantic. Tho great ideas, wliich were tlic woof and substance of his dis- course, were too grand and sublime for the trivialities of pedantry. No man ever talked with a more manifest ab- sorption of his soul in the transcendent volume of the truths which he discussed. His were truly " thoughts that breathe and words that burn.'* No one ever suspected him of "talking for effect," in the vain sense of that saying. His whole nature seemed animated with a divine enthu- siasm for the knoAvledge that brings salvation. He could not be induced to talk long on any other subject. No mat- ter where he was, he was the observed of all observers, and he would bend the conversation, sooner or later, by the talisman of his superior genius and zeal, toward the love and the mercy of God, as manifested in the gospel. Not unfrequently has Mr. Campbell been seen in company with reputed conversationalists, and friends have been curious sometimes to see how he would sustain himself in such cases ; but while he was ever courteous to listen, his associations of thought were so original, the range of his learning so out Of the ordinary track of fashionable and superficial attainments, and the divine elevation of his ideas so lifted up above the common-places and plati- tudes of ordinary conversation, that even the vainest talk- ers soon grew silent, and listened, if not with delight, at least from necessity. The charm of his discourse was, that it breathed the freshness of a heavenly revelation, and, lifting the soul up into the region of things ineffable, made.it, at least for the. moment, feel that it was divine. Still, Alexander Campbell was not, in the proper sense, a conversationalist at all ; he was a discourser. And as a speaker, he had no equal in his peculiar sphere. He "was not what the world calls an orator, and could not be 46 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. compared ^Yitll tlic great Whitefield. He had not White- field's voice, his action, nor liis emotions; nor had White- field liis mind. Nor had he Wesley's enthusiasm and directness. He had feeble exhortatory power, and lie was seldom tender. The paihos of Kirwin he could not ap- proach. But he drew crowds equal to either of these ora- tors. He was clear. He was generally understood by the masses, always by the cultivated. His entire mastery of the Bible captivated every one ; all felt his power there. In action and in mind, he was Webster rather than Clay. Grand and sublime was he, but it was the sublimity of his theme. He never seemed to make an effort, while he charmed by his exegesis — his sevc're logic or his lofty rhetoric. He was unlike most all speakers, but always gentle, courteous, commanding. His discourses were ex- temporaneous, often exceeding two hours in length, but were so clear in statement, cogent in argument, rich in diction, and forcible in illustration, as to hold his auditors in rapt attention to the close. His habits of extempora- neous speaking never caused him to degenerate into slov- enliness of style, but sometimes led to undue diffusiveness and discursiveness. This feature was particularly ob- servable in the writings and speeches of Mr. Campbell during the closing years of his life. He was not less laborious and celebrated as a writer than as a speaker. And as a writer his power was ac- knowledged far and wide. When quite young he had read Scott's Commentary through ; he had committed the gems of the better English poets to memory ; the Proverbs and Psalms he had at his fingers' ends, all of which seemed to be at command always. The earlier years of his editorial career were distinguished by lively and earnest contro- versy. The arguments and criticisms of his opponents, LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, 47 given in full on his pages, and the replies, exhibiting a completeness of information on the topics discussed, ripe- ness of judgment, strength of argument, keenness of re- tort, and withering exposures of sophistry, that render them admirable models of polemical theology. Seldom dv'» the writings of other distinguished scholars exhibii such playfulness of wit and keenness of satire joined with such gentlemanly dignity and logical power. At no period in writing did he take much time to dress his thoughts. When his mind was on draught, he gave what flowed, and this was always characteristic of a great and cultivated mind. His fine taste seldom left him at fault. He adorned every subject on which he wrote. In person, God set the stamp of a man of power upon Alexander Campbell. In hight he was five feet eleven inches, and when in health and in his prime, muscular without fleshiness ; his brain vigorous rather than massive, but well-balanced; his nose aquiline, and his very dark blue eye had an eagle's fire. He was well-formed, and in every way well-proportioned. Up to within four years of , his death, he sustained a healthful and spirited tempera- ment, combined with remarkable vigor of mind and physi- cal energy, but during the last two or three years of his life, the manifest power in his face, the kindly humor which was wont to twinkle under his eyebrows, as well as his genial and animated expression of countenance grad- ually diminished. He was one of the most generous of benefactors. Though modest and unassuming, while dig- nified and manly, he impressed himself upon every one as a benevolent and discriminating power. For a considerable time before his death, Mr. Campbell had been gradually failing in strength, and he had, in con- sequence, to withdraw, in a good measure, from active la- 48 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. bor, ])oth in the college and in the church. Three weeks before his death he had taken a bad cold, and nearly lost his voice, but for a week longer kept about. His last days were as the effulgence of the sun, when it sinks gloriously through gorgeous drapery of rifted clouds. He went to his rest through fitful gloamings of a sublime intellect, but with a faith that never faltered. The scriptures proved his unfailing consolation. He quoted them with great point, wlien he seemed to know or notice but little else. A few days before his departure, upon some allusion to the Creator, he quoted the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis in the Hebrew, and then the first verse of the first chapter of John in the Greek. His mind delighted to dwell upon the glorious character of Christ, lie would look around upon the friends about his bedside and ask : " What think ye of Christ, his divine nature, his glorious mission, his kingly ofiice, the Sovereign Ruler of the heav- ens and of the earth, the fountain of universal being !" His gentleness and patience amid his suffering were in- expressibly affecting to his friends and relatives who wit- nessed his dying hours. The commanding and fascinating elements of his character were intact in the midst of the wreck of matter. And even in his wanderings the grand sentences which fell from his lips ; the beautiful soliloquies upon " the fleetness of time," and upon " doing good when we can," etc., were wonderful to all who heard them. All the records of great men, and their closing hours, fur- nish few such precious remembrances. Humboldt, look- ing upon the setting sun with his dying eyes, said : "Light ! rcoie light ! " And Goethe, dying at the same hour of clos- ing day, raised his hand and made as though he were writ- ing in the air, according to his habit of describing all his LIFE OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 49 sensations as they came. An evening or so before he died, Mr. Campbell was watching the glories of the departing sun. Its last rays were streaming through the window directly in front of his bed, and fell upon it. His eyes rested inquiringly upon the quiet glory, and he was told it was the setting sun. " Yes," he repeated, " the settina sun ! it will soon go down. But unto them that fear 7a-« name, shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing ir. his wings." His politeness and gratitude, through all his illness, were among the most conspicuous expressions of his heart. At times his room would be nearly filled with visitors, and he would think they had assembled to hear him preach, and ask if it was not time to begin the services, and when reminded that they were only friends calling to see him, he would request some one to thank them for him, and then, turning to the nearest, he would quote : " Society, friendship and love, Divinely bestowed upon man ; 0, had I the wings of a dove, How soon would I join ye again. My sorrows — " And his voice would fail him, and with a graceful wave of his hand he would close his eyes and relapse into si- lence. There were many memorable death-bed sayings of th's great and noble man of God, but their recital would protract this article beyond the proper limit. When his voice had almost entirely left hira, and he was st'-uggling for breath, his wife said to him : "The blessed S» vior will go with you through the valley of the shadow of death." He looked earnestly into her face for a mo- ment, and then with a great effort said emphatically: " Tl-at He will ; that He will !" And this was about the 50 LIFE OF ALEXANDFR CAMPBELL. last intelligent and pointed expression of his dying confi denc^ Such were the closing hours of Alexander Campbell \ By thousands and tens of thousands esteemed to have been the greatest theologian of his day. INTRODUCTION. One of the chief attractions of Bethany College, during tlio lifetime of its founder, was tlie Familiar Lectures which were delivered annually before the Morning Class. Hundreds of young men, now scattered over the United States, will bear willing testimony to the interest and value of those Lectures. They, more than any thing else, made Bethany College a success, and gave to its students that peculiar power before the people for which they have always been distinguished. Mr. Campbell's method of instruction was, in many-re- spects, original. Although educated in the Old Country, he was not bound by the mannerisms of European col- leges. He was not cramped by either the cumbersome machinery of written discourse, or what is worse, written human formularies of faith. He was emphatically a free man, and his thoughts were always full of the inspiration of freedom. Acknowledging no master but Christ, bow- ing to no authority in religion but the Word of God, and reverencing only that which had the sanctions of Truth, it is not strange that we find him breaking away from the tyranny which has so long characterized our educational (51) 52 INTRODUCTION. systems, and establishing a college whose foundation is the Bible, and whose comprehensive aim is to furnish an education commensurate with the wants of the whole peo- ple. His was the first successful effort to make the Bible the principal text-book in the college. True, the ques- tion of its practicability and importance had been before discussed. But to him alone belongs the credit of having actually made the experiment, and that experiment a per- manent success. While other American institutions were loaded down with European curriculums, Bethany College, under the direction of the great mind which presided over it, threw oif the bondage of obsolete ideas, and adopted a system of education in hiarmony with man's en- tire nature — Body, Soul and Spirit. And as the Spirit is superior to either Body or Soul, this part of man was especially provided for. Hence, Mr. Campbell was not only a religious Reformer, but he was also a Reformer of our educational ideas. And we think it would be difficult to determine in which department he has accomplished the most good. In fact, these two works are so intimately associated that they may be regarded as one and the same thing. And we can not help believing that the time is not far distant when the importance of Mr. Campbell's labors will be fully recognized and appreciated. The present is a remarkable age. Never in the history of the world has there been so much mental activity as now. This is particularly true of our American mind. In our society the Anglo-Saxon predominates, but he is INTRODUCTION. 53 siirroiiiided by other elements, which hirgely intensify that energy for which he has always been distinguished. Then again, the freedom of our political institutions tends to ex- pand and enlarge the area of thought. In such fi com- pound civilization as ours — made up as it is of represent- itives from all nations — where energy is the distinguish- ing characteristic of the people, and where the govern- ment tolerates the largest political and religious liberty, we may reasonably expect an immense amount of conflict. Out of this conflict will necessarily come an immense amount of error, unless the mental activities of the people are directed by some unerring counsel. This can be done only by making the Word of God the principal text-book in all our institutions of learning. One of the most prominent characteristics of the pres- ent age, is the disposition manifested almost every where to re-examine the foundations of the Christian Faith. Infi- delity, in the garb of science, is seeking to undermine and destroy the religion of Christ. The conflict between Truth and Error is rapidly growing more intense. Strauss, Colenso and Renan are only the leaders of the hosts of Skepticism. Thousands of others, not so .well known to fame, but just as eff'ective in their mischievous work, are en- deavoring to overthrow the Church of God. And, the alarming fact is, that no small amount of this infidelity finds its origin in our colleges, and is fed and fostered by them. In order to save the Church and the world, the Bible 54 INTRODUCTION. must be introduced as the text-book of morals and religion, in all the schools, colleges and universities of the land. Not the Bible as interpreted by science, falsely so called, or human creeds, but the Bible as an authoritative revela- tion from God ; as the expression of the Divine Will to man; and as a sufficient rule of faith and practice. This is the crying want of the present age, and until this want is supplied, we may expect that infidelity will raise its de- fiant form in opposition to the Truth of Heaven, and gain new trophies in the interests of the Prince of Darkness. Having a just appreciation of the times in which he lived, and foreseeing the diflSculties in the way of the progress of Truth, Mr. Campbell bent all the energies of his great mind to the establishment of a correct system of education, both in the pulpit and in our institutions of learning. And his first step in this direction, was to give the Bible supreme authority in both places. This was his distinctive work in Bethany College, and this the great ele- ment of power in his Religious Reformation. And it was in the interest of this great work, that he delivered to the stu- dents of his college, what were familiarly called his Morn- ing Class Lectures. These Lectures were not intended to exhibit logical ar- rangement, concise reasoning and regular sequence of thought. In manner^ they were simply conversations ; in mailer, they sought only to impress upon the students of the college the inestimable treasures of the Word of God. They were never intended for publication ; in fact, INTRODUCTION. 65 they were wholly extemporaneous eiForts, frequently called forth by a note found upon his desk, after he had taken his seat. He seemed never to know the chapter to be discussed, until attention was called to it by the young man whose time it was to read. Burke has said that " the perfection of conversation is not to play a regular sonata, but, like the iEolian harp, to await the inspiration of the passing breeze." Mr. Camp- bell's conversations* with his Morning Class furnish a fine illustration of the truth of this remark. Possessed of a mind remarkable for its native strength, and having at his command the richest stores of learning, he was always ready for any intellectual emergency that might arise; and generally, the greater the emergency, the more cer- tain he was to succeed. When he seemed to be wholly unprepared to treat a subject that came up for considera- tion, then it was that he became superior to himself, and electrified you by the ease with which he disposed of the most difficult problems in science, philosophy and religion. He needed no written discourse upon any subject ; for his mind seemed to be one vast manuscript in which were already prepared the richest thoughts upon all subjects. Hence his familiar conversations were often as profound in thought, as felicitous in expression, and as finished in * We use the word "conversations," because lie spoke in a con- vei'sational style. While talking, lie always remained seated, and frequently occupied much of the time in questioning the class. M. 56 INTRODUCTION. style, as were any of his ^Yl•itten addresses. But this was not intended to be so. He seemed rather to avoid any thing like the regular style of professional lectures. He aimed only to unfold the rich treasures of the Bible, and develop in the heart of every hearer a love for the True, Beautiful and Good. In view of these facts, we need scarcely remind the intelligent reader, that he can not judge of these Lectures by the ordinary rules of criticism intended specially for prepared addresses. They are simply the off-hand utterances of a great mind im- pressed with the idea of an important mission to perform. As such they should be judged, and judging them thus, they are truly wonderful productions. But after all, their chief value rests in the fact, that ihei/ are the emhodiynent of Mr. CamphelVs idea of Biblical instruction in a college. Considering that he was the first man in this country to give practical importance to the Bible as a college text- book, the manner in ivhich he lised the Bible in the business of education, can not fail to be an interesting subject for study. His Morning Class Lectures will supply "us with all necessary information in reference to this matter, and consequently these Lectures have a very important histori- cal bearing upon Mr. Campbell's great life-work. And just here we deem it proper to give some account of the origin of these Lectures in their present form. More than ten years ago, while sitting upon the students' bench and listening to the old Patriarch who was the presid- ing genius of the college, it occurred to us, that if a faithful INTRODUCTION. 57 report of his Lectures to his pupils could be obtained, much good might be accomplished by its publication. Believing, as we did, that he who rescues from oblivion one thought of a great mind, is to that extent a public benefactor, we felt well assured that, if we could secure in some permanent form Mr. Campbell's familiar talks, it would be doing the cause of truth a good service as well as the public a great favor. This conviction never left us, but continued to grow in importance even after we had finished our collegiate course and entered upon the great struggle of life. At last we determined to accomplish what had been for some time a cherished purpose. Ac- cordingly we employed Mr. Charles V. Segar, lately de- ceased, an excellent phonographer, to attend Bethany during the session of 1859-60, and report Mr. CampbelFs Morning Class Lectures and such portions of his Sermons as might be thought specially worthy of preservation. A part of the result of Mr. Segar's labor is given to the public in this volume. We do not claim to have in every respect a verbatim report, for we do not believe that any phonographer, how- ever skilled in his profession, could have thus reported Mr. Campbell. His elocution, though generally stately and impressive in a remarkable degree, and always in har- mony with the grand themes upon which he discoursed, sometimes, nevertheless, under the excitement incident to the discussion of topics involving the eternal destiny of man, became a living fire or a sweeping tornado, fore- 68 INTKODUCTION. ing you to forget all idea of logical connection, and im- pressing you only with the idea, of pozver. At such times he spoke with a rapidity and fervor of utterance which literally defied phonograph}^ and so enchained the mind and heart as to paralyze the hand that would otherwise have reported his every sentence. Consequently, to ob- tain a verbatim report, in every respect, was simply im- possible. We do claim, however, that our reporter has given generally the exact language, and always substan- tially the meaning of Mr. Campbell. And should the reader occasionally notice a want of logical connection and accuracy of style, it can be accounted for by remem- bering that we have endeavored to give a faithful report of what was delivered without any special care for either the one or the other of these ; the Lecturer's whole object being to properly impress his hearers with the grand realities upon which he discoursed. In addition to the real value of these Lectures, on ac- count of their historical connection with educational re- form and the useful instruction contained in them, they possess a melancholy interest, because they belong to the last session of Mr. Campbell's active duties in the college. They are the last consecutive Lectures he ever delivered. And it can not be denied that even these frequently fall below the standard of his Lectures during previous ses- sions. He had already begun to sink under the weight of labor and of years, and it is to be regretted that some one did not do, years ago, what we have endeavored to do, INTRODUCTION. 59 when almost too late. This volume, then, while it will be admired by many, will be loved bj more, not only because of its intrinsic value, but because of its endearing asso- ciations. W. T. M. Cincinnati, Feb. 27, 1867. LECTURE I. INTRODUCTORY. * YoiTNG Gentlemen : I am deeply sensible of this cor- Jial reception ; and feel honored by you, through the Ci- ting remarks of your speaker, on this occasion. I regard myself as placed by Providence in a very peculiar, and, 1 maj say, affecting position ; yet, in the allotments of his infinite wisdom and goodness, I am placed where and as I am. Prompted by the feeling which grows out of the re- lation I sustain to you — akin to that of a father toward his children — perhaps, I can not do better on the present occasion, than to speak to you of things most intimately and agreeably associated with your present calling. The object of education is, to develop man, in harmony with his whole constitution, and his relations to the uni- verse. I am engaged in an effort to establish a system of education, concordant with the genius of human na- ture, and its bearings to the world, physically, intellectu- ally and morally. In the first place, with respect to the physical develop- * When the session commenced, Mr. Campbell was absent on a lecturing tour, througli the States of Illinois and Missouri. Upon Ids arrival at home, the students of the college bade him welcome, in a happy speech by Mr. E. T. Porter, since deceased. The report of Mr. Campbell's response to the students' welcome, is here in- serted as the introductory Lecture, because it sets fortli, briefly and couiprehensively, the object and character of the course of Lectures, delivv^red during the college term of 1859-'G0. — Reporter. (CD 62 LECTURE I. ment of man, it is obvious that he should possess an anal- ysis of his whole constitution, and that, too, in harmony with his duty and future destiny. This view of man re- quires that the Bible should be a text-book in every in- stitution of learning — from the infant school to the uni- versity ; inasmuch as it is an infallible revelation, in re- lation to himself, to his usefulness and happiness here, and his honor and glory hereafter. Education, in its every department, ought to be based upon a thorough investigation of man; and this would re- quire an analysis of all his powers ; and first, with regard to the full development of his physical constitution, which is the basis of man. In examining the mortuary reports of diiferent countries, we can not but remark how large a number of the human family lose health and life, through ignorance of the constitution of their nature. Indeed, a very large proportion of the human family depart this life prematurely, in consequence of their neglect of a proper and competent self knowledge. Hence, the necessity of a thorough knowledge on the part of man, of his physical, as well as of his intellectual and moral nature. Man being capable of possessing a knowledge of God, which is a peculiar difi"erential attribute, it is impossible for him to form a just estimate of himself, without the re- vealed knowledge of God; hence, we say, that he should consecrate his whole body, soul and spirit, to the revealed will of God. Man's infallible knowledge of his Creator, being wholly dependent upon a supernatural revelation, renders it highly important, that this supernatural revela- tion should be a standing topic in every well-organized school. "We, therefore, make the Bible a text-book of man as he was at first, as he is now, and as he must be hereaf- ter. But, in making use of the Bible as a text-book, we LECTURE I. 63 pay no respect to existing orthodoxy or heterodoxy; these being mere visionary theories, and not realities, nor at all adequate to the demands of human nature. The failure of popular systems of education (which ex- clude the Bible as a daily text- book), presents to us, very impressively, the truth that facts, and not theories, reali- ties, and not speculations, arc essential to the true intent and meaning of education. Theories, void of facts, nef er can become the basis of religious science. All human theories are defective, and inadequate to the true and proper knowledge of man. True Science is always based on facts, and these facts, can only be safely founded on the revealed knowledge of man, and not upon Grecian or Roman, or any modern speculations in regard to hu- manity. Man requires a revelation of himself, as much as he does of his Creator. The Bible is a revelation of man to himself, and of God to man. He needs a revelation of himself, from the Author of his being; as that alone can comprehend him, in all his relations to the universe, and his destiny in it. Therefore, we must adapt our whole system of education, to the entirety of man. This was our rudimental conception, in the establishment of Beth- any College. The Bible is the true theory of man ; and being the only book, that contains and imparts this knowl- edge, it is essential, that every school which has for its ob- ject, the enlightenment and the happiness of man, should adopt it; not simply as an occasional reading book, but as a preceptive subject of daily consideration. It has been urged as an objection to this system of edu- cation, that youth are incapable of thinking independently, of this great subject; and it hos been assumed, that this book is not adapted to them, because of their inability to 64 LECTURE I. apprehend and compreliend its important teachings. Ilcnce tlie attempt to adapt "its doctrines, to the capacity of tlie young, by more simple, rudimental and catecheti- cal instruction. This we should esteem to be a reproach upon the Author of the Bible; as though man were more competent than He, to address the human understanding in. the infancy of man! Can not God speak as intelli- gibly to man, as man to his fellow; and that too in every stnge of his being, from infancy to mature manhood? The Bible being addressed to the human family in the aggregate, by Him that knew what was in man, would of course be adapted to all intelligent beings; and more ade- quately than an3^ thing man could devise, in his imperfect knowledge of both God and himself. The Bible addresses humanity, in harmon}^ with its entire capacity; and speaks as did the Apostles, to old men, to young men, and to babes in Christ. It is all important, that the elements of piety and hu- manit}^ should be inculcated in the first lessons of every school, from the lowest to the highest; and equally impor- tant that all education should be conducted with a view to the great object of qualifying man, to act his proper part in the drama of humanity, and thereby develop him, with reference to the world as it now is, and the world to come. The popular summary of education, is happily express- ed in the two words, literature and science. Literature comprehends languages, living and dead, accessible to man, merely as signs of ideas — a medium of communication, capable of developing the most subtle motives and objects that actuate humanity'. Science has repect to the classi- fied knowledge of man — whether creature or Creator be the subject, and the classification must be adapted to the capacity and progress of the pupil. Our colleges, one and LECTURE I. 65 all, nre founded n[)oii tins view of language and science; the former ms subservient to the latter. Morality has its facts and its documents as much aa physical nature has. The true basis of moral science, has long been a question of doubtful disputation in the schools; and, indeed, if we confine ourselves to the insti- tutes of Greece and Rome, the Joubt still remains. Bui Moses in the Law, and Christ in the Gospel, have given as solid a foundation, for the moral relations and duties or man to God and man, as appear in the ordinances of na- ture, in reference to natural science. It is this view of the subject, Avhich presents the great necessity of intro- ducing the Bible into every institution of literature and science; for it alone imparts the true knowledge of man and of God, as he was and is, and must forever be. There is a very important difference between Natural Sci- ence, as based upon the facts of creation, usually called na- ture, and Moral Science, as based exclusively upon the facts of humanity and divinity. In the physical developments of nature, we have many text-books, because of the large field presented to the vision and understanding of man, in the positive works of creation and providence ; but in Moral Science, we have only one infallible text-book, and that is the Holy Bible — the charter of morality — having God for its author and man for its object. The objection urged by some to Moral Science, that it has not as solid a founda- tion as Physical Science, is true of Grecian, Roman and Anglican Science, but not so of Moral Science, as devel- oped in the Bible — a book Avhich not only gives us pre- cepts of morality, but facts and documents, upon which moral obligation is based. We know it contains truths, both divine and human, which constitute the support of religion and m'orality, and that, by using it, we study God 66 LECTURE I. in man. and man in God — tlie being made in the image and likeness of God. We endeavor to establish all our instruction upon a positive divine revelation of God to man; for we need as much revelation in respect to the latter, as to the former ; and we are glad to know that these views are not peculiar to us. but that in the march of Science, and the growth of the human understanding, their correctness is being more and more realized. We might pause here, young gentlemen, in these gen- eral observations, to impress upon your minds, by a single illustration, the necessity of a divine revelation of the moral nature of man. Time was, when retaliation was enjoined as a duty, and revenge itself was esteemed ne- cessary to the happiness of an injured party. And this was the doctrine alike of philosophers and fools. But since the divinely enunciated precept, *' Love your ene- mies," applied the touchstone to the misguided heart of man, it has been discovered, that apart from the happiness incident to obedience to the divine injunction, the malig- nity of any being, who is not a fiend incarnate, yields to the spirit's discipline of returning good for evil. In conclusion, young gentlemen, we are happy to say, we have here, a sort of Congressional College — represent- atives from the North, the South, the East and the West, a circumstance, not only agreeable, but profitable; result- ing in intimacies, which frequently redound to the mutual advantage of all the parties. But, leaving these and other matters, for a more full development in our regular Series of Lectures, which we congratulate ourselves in being able to deliver this session, I have only to hope, that a true appreciation of the ad- vantages which must accrue to you, from the thorough and LECTURE II. 67 comprehensive course of instruction in our college, "will prompt you to acquit yourselves honorably before God and men ; and thereby secure to yourselves, all the advan- tages, which a kind and beneficent Providence has placed within your reach. With these remarks, permit me to thank you for your esteemed attentions. LECTURE II. GENESIS I. Gentlemen : We commence properly, this morning, the consideration of a volume, surpassing all others in the blessings vouchsafed to man. It is a superlative work, of transcendent value and importance. It spans the whole arch of time, leans upon eternity past and eternity to come, and comprehends time in its history and in its pro- phecy. It gives to man a knowledge, paramount to all knowledge of the sciences of earth ; yea, it involves his whole destiny, and is, therefore, the superlative study of life. There is an invigorating power in the principles and developments of this Book of books, which manifests it- self in the difference between that system of education, based upon the Bible, and that founded upon Moral Sci- ence, oftentimes falsely so called. Few men are capable of conducting or understandino; a consecutive train of ab- stract reasoning — especially upon abstruse or speculative topics; but almost every man of good common sense, can understand a matter of fact exhibition : and, for this rea- 68 LECTURE II. son, we claim that the Holy Bible, was never intended to present a theory of divinity.- It simply furnishes a relia- ble statement of what God has done, and what man has done. The Bible is established upon a matter of fact foundation, and whatever it says in the form of didactic information, is essential to the improvement and happi- ness of man. What man can never comprehend, he can never use ; what is beyond his ken, he need not know ; hence, we see the goodness of God's infinite wisdom, in concealing some things, and revealing others, to man. As a book for calling forth superior qualities of the art of reading, it is worthy of all consideration. The importance of understanding, is not greater than the im- portance of properly reading, a chapter ; and we main- tain that it requires more and better learning to read a chapter of the Bible, as it should be read, than to read one of Cicero's orations ; and in some European colleges the highest degrees of honor are conferred upon the best readers. It requires hours of study, in many instances, to be able to read one verse or chapter in the Bible, so as to produce the proper effect, upon the reader and the hearer. In the consideration of this book, it is necessary for you to understand, as you go along, in order the more successfully to appreciate the sequel. Much of its con- tents appears very simple to those of junior years ; but I assure you, young gentlemen, that they grow in value and in interest as man becomes riper in understanding. At the earliest age of accountability, the Bible should be the first book introduced to the young ; and where this is, or is not the case, the experience of mankind shows con- clusively that the Bible — the inspired volume — is the last LECTURE II. 69 book oil earth which all men think 'of in their dying hours. Moses, the writer of this book, the author of what we denominate the Pentateuch, gives us all the reliable his- tory we have of the Word — the personal Logos — up to fif- teen hundred years before the birth of our Lord and Sa- viour. He antedates all the writers that have come down to the knowledge of man, and he antedates them an im- mense period of time, when we regard it in connection with the present age of the world. We are aware that some writers of modern, as well as of ancient, time, think the Mosaic account of creation should be discarded as erroneous, because the various strata of earth, according to Geology, evince a higher an- tiquity than five or six thousand years. The geological theory differs in some respects, from the record given by Moses. Nevertheless, we affirm his statement to be true, and shall stand or fall by it ; because it does not conflict with the scope and meaning of the six days labor, as we understand them. We place the inspired record, as given by Moses, under a divine commission, against all the the- ories founded upon nature or science, as interpreted by man ; and we believe the Mosaic account will grow brighter and brighter, as the geological theory fades and recedes into comparative oblivion. * Moses wrote the first book of his history under the title Genesis; which word, in our modern language, signifies origin^ generation^ that is to say, the book of creation. ♦In this stMtcMieiit, we see Mr. Canipbcll's great reverence for the Word of (jcnl. He was not opposed to Geology; but when there was a seeming conflict between the (Geological and Mosaic Kecorde, he did not hesitate to adopt the latter. With him the Bible wae the only authoritative history of man. M. 70 LECTURE II. Ilcnce our inspired author, in the first oracle, announces the great cardinal fact, that, " In the beginning, God cre- ated the heavens and the earth." Undoubtedly, reference was here made to the universe proper — the material uni- verse — connected and identified with the history of man. The given names of the difi'erent creations which follow are very instructive and suggestive. We are so consti- tuted that we must have some representative, intelligible form or expression, of every Idea which we cherish in our minds; and this is the important characteristic of all language. The clause in the beginning^ we understand to mean originally — at the first — in some undefined period. There are parallel expressions in the Bible ; for instance : '' In the beginning was the Word, and the Word Avas with God, and the Word was God." " The same was iyi the beginning with God." " The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old." '' I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning^ or ever the earth was." God is here used in the sense of Creator^ the originator, the maker of all things, and of course out of nothing. God, " the creator of the heavens and the earth," created — that is, made — all things of the material universe, and " without him, was not any thing made that was made." " The North and the South Thou hast created them." For, '' He spake, and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast." " He commanded and they were created." " Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things." " Create in me a clean heart, oh God" — make a new thing, some thing which had no existence be- fore. Heaven and earth meaning the material universe and all its tenants. All the words of this verse are pre- fatory statements, giving nothing further than the fact LECTURE n. 71 that God is the fountain of the universe ; the originator of it. " By the word of the Lord were the heavens made." Afterward the historian proceeds to furnish a detailed ac- count of the condition of things antecedent to the creation of the heavens. The second verse is especially important, inasmuch as it has to do with the many dates entertained by geologists, in regard to the antiquitj^ of creation. But as already remarked, we take the Mosaic account, against all the world of authority of whatever nature — always accepting however, the geological history, so far as it accords with the inspired record. In this verse Moses presents us with a statement of the condition of things, in that undefined period, anteceding all the acts in the drama of creation, presented in the sequel of this chapter. How long a measure of time is assumed in this series of facts, is be- yond the mental scrutiny of mortal man. It seems that the earth was premature matter, "void of form — " a des- olate, confused mass ; and during this period, no light hav- ing yet been created, darkness brooded or rested over the mighty deep — the fathomless abyss — and enveloped all things. "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Here wo have a grand and stupendous idea sug- gested. This indicates the iniatory step, or preparation for a marvelous act of creation. "Thou sendeth forth thy Spirit, they are created; thou renewest the face of the earth." " By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens ; and all the host of them, by the breath (Spirit) of his mouth were they made." The language " Spirit of God," as here used, does not probably signify Avhat is called the Spirit of God now. In the Hebrew style it is regarded in the superlative de- 72 LECTUllE Ilr gree. We read of cedars and mountains as being asso- ciated ^vitll ideas of God in tlie Holy Scriptures, and in the style of the patriarchs, any thing that was incompre- hensibly great, was considered" in connection with some- thing calculated to enhance the conception of its grandeur. It is probable, therefore, that such should be our concep- tion of the term in this connection. The Spirit of God is a mighty thing, as indicated by this language, and should always be regarded in the highest degree of con- ception. It should be duly considered, for it acts a very important part as set forth in the drama of creation. With respect to the Spirit, it is well in passing, to make a note of other significations given to the word, in various relations. We read in the common version (in reference to God), of a S[jirlt, which by the way is a very old mis- conception. It also sa^^s, God is a Light; and it is just as well as to say God is a Spirit. We also learn that man is a spirit. It is said again that God is Love. In this book some translators have been compelled to abandon a uniform method of translation, so true it is, that an error committed in the interpretation of the Will or the Word of God, begets the necessity of other errors, to preserve consistency. They might as well have said God is a Love as God is a Spirit. But the truth is God is Spirit, God is Love, God is Light. These are the three capital divisions. He is not a light, a love, nor a spirit. Wo have light, spirit and love in various forms, but God is Light absolute. Spirit absolute, and Love absolute. Those who are familiar with logic, will at once com- prehend the meaning of the different species and terms made use of. In order to have a firm and clear founda- tion for the study of the Bible, or any other study, we must possess a knowledge of the different terms and LECTURE II. 73 l)]irascology it develops. Every science has its peculiar terminology. In the Bible we are taught not by abstract rules, but by doctrines perfectly adapted to the fullest de- velopment of man, so far as God has vouchsafed him pow- er to appreciate them. Of course our understanding of the Bible and its laws, is measured by our apprehensive and comprehensive ability. If our eyes, and ears, and other parts of the human system, were not adapted to the purpose for which they were created, we could not see, hear, nor use our other senses effectively. ^' God hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in the balance." Everything was good, per- fect in creation and adaptation, most excellent in intention, and grand in execution. What splendid imagery, yet not at all exaggerated. Every particle in this vast universe of matter and animation, has been weighed in the mighty balance of the Divine mind, and not a particle of residu- ary matter remained when the universe was completed. The composition of oxygen and nitrogen in the air, its pressure and other relations to nature, in all its forms, its wonderful phenomena — indeed all the world are in exact harmony with the Divine conception. We repeat, young gentlemen, by way of impressing your minds with the im- portance of these great truths, that with God, what was first in intention, was last in execution. The Divine conception of sound and liglit, existed when the eye and ear of man and beast were not yet created. Tlie peculiar qualities of mind and matter, the composition and various character- istics of the air we inhale and exhale, the marvelous law of gravitation, the revolution of the earth, and the rota- tion of the seasons, the creati(jn, redemption and salvation 74 LECTURE III. of the world of human beings, were all, first and last, with the Supreme Creator and Preserver, who is the same yesterday, to day and forever.* (Bell rings.) LECTURE III. Gexesis 1. Gentlemen : We now have before us the details of the drama of creation, and in the third verse we have in a few words a grand presentation of the power of God. When God spoke for the first time, as recorded here, it was with reference to material creation; and he said, "Let there be liiidit, and there was lio;ht." But this fiat has noth- ing to do with the sun. This was but one act, in a perfect and magnificent programme, of all that was to enliven and perpetuate animal and vegetable existence. Confusion and darkness seem to have preceded this fiat, whereby light was developed; but how long we know not; and pro- bably if we did, we could make no profitable use of the *The reader must remember that these Lectures never occupied more than half an hour. The manner of proceeding was as follows : at the ringing of the bell, the students assembled in the College Chap- el. After the calling of the roll, the young gentleman, whose time it was to read, came forward to the desk where Mr. Campbell sat, and read the chapter which followed in the regular order. At the conclusion of the reading, Mr. Campbell led in prayer. This exer- cise usually consumed about half an hour; and then tlie remaining lialf hour was occupied by the Lectiu-e, or in questioning the class. Sometimes the hell would ring in the midst of an interesting discus- sion, and this will account fur the abriija manner in which some of these lectures close. ^- LECTURE III. 75 knoAvledge. The awful solemness of nature was broken by God's oracle "Be light/' " He spake, and it was done ; he commanded and it stood fast." God never works in the dark. " For God commanded the light to shine out of darkness." " He coverest himself with light, as with a garment, and stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain. He spreadeth the light upon it." In this positive and cre- ative fiat God pronounced the imperative command, " Be light," and the darkness thereupon became the mater (mother) of light ; the two being divided and separated, each from the other, in the most miraculous manner. " And God saw the light that it was good," in other words, it was what he intended it should be. The magnificent fiat creating light, as presented in this connection, is superbly sublime, in conception and expression. I do not wonder that both ancient and modern critics present this as one of the finest examples of true sublimity, in language or speech. True sublimity of lan- guage does not consist of mere verbiage, of high sound- ing words, void of power and significance. " Let there be light" is one of the most superlative elements of an oracle, divine or human, ever read or heard by man. When such passages are found in the Bible, we need not wonder that it requires more and better learning to read a chapter of Holy Writ, as it should be read, than to read one of Cicero's orations; or that in European col- leges honors are awarded to the best readers. We find much in the sacred volume that appears very simple to undeveloped minds, but it grows in value and importance as men become riper in years and understanding. It often requires hours of study to enable us to read a verse or chapter in the Bible as it should bo pronounced. Whenever it is desirable to investigate subjects or ideas 76 LECTURE III. relating either to mind or matter, we must endeavor to obtain a knowledge of the adjective terms bearing upon those tilings ; such being tho only, or at least the practical, way in which to acquire a knowledge of such subjects. God sets many examples in his economy, by giving repre- sentative signs of ideas. " And God called the light day, and the darkness he called nio-ht." Here is a desi2:nation and formal division set up between light and darkness. ^' And the evening and the morning were the first day." This last expression, concerning the union of the two portions of time, under the head and title of one and " the first day," is deserving of close observation. It is a pass- age of scripture which has troubled and perplexed a great many students, to understand, and the great mass of man- kind fail to comprehend its meaning at all. We endeavor, or make an attempt at least, to bring the whole difficulty and its solution within the territory of the understanding and the precincts of reason, by what some may denomi- nate a novel plan or theor3^ God, in his infinite individuality and omnipotence, re- tires within himself, then uttei-s a mighty fiat, and at his be- hest all creation springs erect into existence — into the most consummate and mature existence. In support of our idea, we presume to hold, that Adam never was a boy; that Eve never was a girl; that the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, and the fishes of the sea, also the noble and majestic palms of Galilee, that lifted their lofty heads so grandly toward the heavens — yea, every thing through- out the entire range of the animal and vegetable king- doms, all that constituted the universe, were in their first stage, created in a state of high and wondrous perfection. The oak did not spiiiiL!; iVom an acorn. Can any one show when or where God created a seed, or left any thing nwule LECTURE III. 77 by him in a state of imperfection or immaturity ? Un- doubtedly, God originally placed all tilings in their full and mature stature.* It is in accordance Avith this theory that we look at the sun in his first attitude with respect to the latitude and lon- gitude of man's first locality — the garden of Eden. When that great luminary was formed and placed in the heavens, it did not appear to Adam, rising from the east, but first appeared at high noon, in full-orbed and surpassing splen- dor. And how emblematic of perfection and design was its position ! From that stand-point, the sun began to de- scend, until it disappeared from Adam in the western'hor- izon. The earth having revolved once round on its axis, from west to east, the splendid orb, at the end of twenty- four hours, had arrived (the next day noon) at its starting point, '^ and the evening and the morning were the first day." In the absence of any positive scriptural explana- tion of this matter, we put forth our own theory, which, if not accepted as orthodox, can not be pronounced im- probable, nor at variance with reason or the laws of na- ture. The creation of the Garden of Eden is a matter of great interest and importance. And in connection with its development in history, we remark, in passing, that from the time Adam was banished from Paradise, the drift, the course of mankind has been westward. How strikingly is this fact illustrated in modern times? We are told that Adam was placed in the Garden of *Thi8 theory is evidently aimed at what is known as the pro- gressive theory of creation. Modern infidelity has sought to estab- lish the view that man was once a monad, and has gradually devel- oped to what he now is. iMr. C. had no sympathy with this pseudo- Bcientific view of the creation. M. 78 LECTURE III. Eden, and that in the midst thereof the tree of kno\Yl- edge was phiccd, which, by the way, is a figurative ex- pression. It was the fruit of the tree that gave the knowledge, by which Adam and Eve should become as gods — knowing good and evil ; and man could not have one without the other. It is a synecdoche — an expression in which a part is put for the whole — as the tree, in this case, includes the fruit. We have an allusion to the creation of Eve, in the sec- ond chapter. The Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adfim — a sleep in which he doubtless became totally un- conscious — and so profound was that sleep, that a rib was taken from his side, and the wound healed, without Adam's knowledge. Of this rib God made the being called wo- man, which means, in the Hebrew tongue, taken out of man. The instant Adam awoke he recognized her at a glance, and said, " This is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh ; she shall, therefore, be called woman, because she was taken out of man." There is no philosophy more natu- ral than this, and in this we have the origin of the three personalities — father, mother and child; the first, second and third. We have the same in God, notwithstanding all the fighting about the matter between Trinitarians and Unitarians. The distinctions I, thou, he, are purely gram- matical, though they originated in God. God holds a con- sultation within himself: "Let us make man, in our im- age." The baptismal formula, and the benediction, but de- velop what is here a germ. In the third chapter, the serpent is presented for our consideration. We call him serpent, as Moses did, but we presume that was not his name originally. The word ser- pent means creeper. He fell into this condition because LECTURE III. 79 of the deception he practiced upon tlie inhabitants of the garden. I presume he was originally very like man. I do not mean man as he is at present, but as he was origi- nally. Men have become greatly humanized,* and in this, our day, some are to be found scarcely distinguishable from the lower animals. The serpent is introduced to our knowledge as the most subtle beast of the field. There is a great deal in the choice of an instrument for the accomplishment of diffi- cult ends. The serpent was, doubtless, more familiar with man, in those days, than was any other creature. It was easy, therefore, for the woman to believe him, although we recognize fully the truth that it was the part of wisdom then, as now, to be governed by the counsel of the Great Father and Friend of humanity. The serpent enters upon his task in a wonderfully captivating manner, fully justi- fying his introduction as the most subtle (cunning) beast of the field ; and you Avill find a great deal of plausibility and deep policy in the temptation to which our first pa- rents were subjected. Moses quotes his Avords, and leaves us to interpret them. He says to Eve, substantially, " Is it possible that you must not eat of every tree ? Certainly you must be mistaken ! God has not said so." (There is a great deal in the manner of presenting a topic.) The woman said, " We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it; neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." The serpent hav- ing secured the attention and confidence of the woman, now says boldly, " You shall not surely die." This is a perfect illustration of the workings of human nature! *A quaint, rather than correct, use of the word. 80 LECTURE III. The more tlioronghly we study this book, the more fully do we sec man and liis nature developed ; for there is no work in the world tliat sliows him up so impartially as the Bible. It speaks like an honest man under oath — telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I entertain no doubt that the serpent was incarnated in the human form.* When the woman looked at the fruit, and saw its dazzling beauty (for it was pleasant to the eye), she yielded to the additional fascination of becoming wise, and plucked and ate it. She then handed it to her husband, wdio like- wise ate. We are disposed to make all the apologies we can for poor humanity, but are much more concerned about the consequences of their sin, than about the mo- tives which prompted its commission. The moment they tasted the fruit their eyes were opened, and they saw that they were naked. How, in the name of reason, we have been asked, was it that they thus made this discovery ? They were not clad before; how did they remain in ignorance of the fact, until they * Whether this be true or not, it must be evident that the influ- ence brought to bear upon Eve was of the most powerful kind. We can not conchide, a priori^ that the conquest was an easy one. There were too many incentives to a sinless life, and the conse- quence, which must necessarily follow an act of disobedience, alto- gether too fearful, to suppose, for a moment, that the woman readily assented to the serpent's desires. Doubtless, the conflict was a long and fearful one, in which the whole power of Hatan was waged against the innocent inhabitants of Eden; and as the victory was finally on the side of Satan, we are inclined to the opinion that the statement is true that he " was incarnated in the human form." He would most probably exert a greater seductive influence in this form than in any other; for " a fellow-feeling makes us wondrous kind.' M. LECTURE III. 81 had fallen ? What docs this mean ? This point has boon, in a great degree, overlooked, nlthoiigh it has occasionally been the subject of sharp controversy. We endeavor to impart our views of the question by the use of this figure : You have a beautiful lamp burning before you. It must have a wick and pure oil, in order to produce a brilliant light. This brilliancy continues while it burns, but it goes out and nothing is left but smoke and blackness, which can only be seen, by the light of another lamp. There was a halo of glory about the persons of Adam and Eve, as about the blaze of the beautiful lamp. The beauty and glory of their persons, in their primeval state, was doubt- less superior to the beauty and glory of the sun ; but the moment they ate of the forbidden fruit, the lamp of their glory went out, the brilliant halo vanished, and they stood in the presence of God, and of one another, naked and ashamed. They then sewed together leaves, to make for them- selves ^'aprons." The original word does not mean aprons, and we owe the corruption of the word, like many other errors, to the influences of f^ishion. They were more properly vails, which they threw over their persons. Adam and Eve, in their primeval state, were the beau- tiful lamps of the Garden of Eden, but the moment they violated the divine commandment, the glory of God de- parted from them. Before this, their persons were envel- oped in a halo of beauty and brightness, and were invisi- ble even to themselves. Denuded of this, as a conse- quence of sin, they stood naked, ashamed and self con- demned. We must take facts, as they are stated, in their historical import, and endeavor to analyze them. " And they heard the voice of the Lord God, walking in the Garden," when coming to pay them one of his 82 LECTURE III. usual visits, when probably he took them by the hand as we do ench other, and conversed with them familiarly. Adam and Eve hid themselves. Condemned by their own consciences, they were ashamed and afraid to meet their benefactor and friend — an inevitable consequence of sin. We are told by Moses, that the Lord God said: ''Adam, where art thou?" What is thy apology? No man can apologize satisfactorily for the fla'grant violation of a di- vine law. Saith Adam, " I heard thy voice in the garden, I was afraid because I was naked, and hid myself." How childlike was this ! Yet it was all he could say in justifi- cation of himself, save only that he had been tempted by Eve ; and the woman, in palliation of her offense, added that she was beguiled by the serpent. This is human nature throughout the history of mankind. Beginning at the fourteenth verse of the third chapter, we have the report of the Judgment in Paradise. First, the serpent was cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field, and doomed to crawl upon his belly in the dust of earth all his life. No doubt, he was the most beautiful creature of earth, before this, but was thus paralyzed, and made to grope his way by the C('nvolu- tions and contortions of his paralyzed body. " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and be- tween thy seed and her seed; and it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." No oracle in the New Testament, concerning Jesus Christ, can be made clearer to the understanding than this. Christ, dying upon the cross, took away the terrors of that death, wrought by the serpent. The Christian man has nothing to fear from death, and should meet it always, with a smile of resignation. Christ came into the world to reinstate man in the bless- ings forfeited by Adam's disobedience. God expelled LECTURE IV. 83 Adini from the garden, lest lie should cat the fruit of the tree of life, and become iimnortal in misery, with no hope of changing or dying. Therefore, like all the acts of the All-Avise and JJeneficent Creator in dealing with man, it was gracious. (Bell rings.) LECTURE IV. Gentlemen : We take for our consideration, in this morn- ing's lecture, a passage of Scripture, which suggests to us, two of the grandest themes in the universe. They are the two transcendent themes in the whole area of hu- man reason and human thought. They are the two great summaries — the grand categories, which God has given to man, and wdiich he alone couhl give. They are two great public personages, the most eminent that ever lived ; the one is Adam, the other is Christ; in other words, Adam first, and Adam second — the one, the earthly father of man ; the other, the heavenly son of man. The first was the image; the second, the express image of God. They were both representative of all before them, and both rep- resentative persons of all who came after them. They are the most perfect representative characters of man- kind, spoken of, in the entire limits of literature, and they are so, in the superlative order of representation. The first Adam was made in the image of God — the most splendid creature, we presume — and we presume on good authority — that ever lived in the world. Of course, we do not mean to convey the idea, that his spiritual per- fection exceeded that of Christ; but in himself, in his 84 LECTURE IV. own personality, he wiis the embodiment of the entire universe, in the two great elements of mind and matter. He was an epitome, of the spiritual and animal creation, or, if you please, of the animal, intellectual, moral and spiritual nature ; so that he was a perfect animal and a perfect spirit. A person like this, is a glorious creation — transcendently sublime, being so regarded, in the wis- dom of the wisest judges, in the highest senate in the uni- verse ; nor need we wonder, that the preamble to his cre- ation, was the most sublime ever published on earth or in heaven. By the word, and through the fiat of the Almighty — all other things being created, God commanded the first spiritual being into existence. It was in this wise that He first broke the awful silence of eternity: "Let there be light," whereby brilliant light sprang out of gloomy dark- ness — which, so far as we can conceive, became the parent of light, the most singular offspring ever known. When the then existino; creation was consummated, when the entire work of all but the last act of creation had been completed, God retires within Himself, as if in solemn de- liberation — and in a sentence, unrivaled for beauty, brev- ity and wonderful significance, He thus announces the work of the sixth day of creation — " Let us make man in our im- age, after our likeness; '' and let them have (He adds), do- minion — possession of this earth and all its appurtenances. Why, this singular expression so unlike any other in Holy Writ, if it were not to arrest the attention of man, to fix the mind of succeeding generations, upon the transcendent import of the first oracle, that gave birth to the intellect- ual and spiritual — the moral and natural population of the earth ? In this connection, keeping in mind the form '^let us" LECTURE IV. 85 it will be well to observe, the peculiar and characteristic style of the language employed, which clearly indicates plurality; the doctrine and existence of three persons in the Godhead.''^ Preceding acts of creation were introduced by the expression, " let there ^e;" for example, "Let there be light," " Let there be a firmament ; " but here the form of expression suggests meditation^ consultation^ or mutual understanding on the part of the creative power. By way of further confirmation of the sublime doctrine of the Trin- ity, we find similar passages, referring particularly to man. At one time God said, " Behold the man is become as one of us. And upon another memorable occasion. He says, " Let us go down and confound their language.'' Again we have, " Whom shall 1 send, who will go for ws.'' Also this language, '^ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." God commanded the earth to bring forth man. Was that all ? Was it simply to raise up the form of man ? Was not that wonderful form, next inspired with the breath of the Almighty ? Does not Job, the oldest writer in the world, when translated, literally say, " The Lord builded me up, but the Spirit of the Almighty hath given me life ? " The house was built, and then the tenant was installed. * No man ever received more liearlily the doctrine of the Trinity, as taught in the Rihle, tlian Mr. Campbell. It is true, that he ob- jected to the scliolastic phraseology and dogmatic utterances, on this subject, of many of tlie human creeds, but lie fully indorsed and rev- erently accepted the doctrine of the j>re-existence of Christ. Be- cause he sometimes spoke against tlie abme of this doctrine by the schools, some hyper-Trinitarians have conclmled, that he held to the Unitarian view of tlie Divinity of Christ. But in this, tliey only illusUate what is a common fault among Theologians, viz: to con- demn every man, wlio does not nccopt their theory of a thing, as if he did not believe the thing itself. M. 86 LECTURE IV. God made man to stand up In full animal being, and tlicn breathed into liim, the breath of lives. He breathed into man, the animal and intellectual, the moral and spiritual life — all were imparted to him, and man stood forth a truthful likeness of the great Jehoyah, possessing a plu- rality of attributes and personalities. The order of creation as you well know, was of three persons, embodying the image of God. The second per- son of humanity proper, was taken out of the side, near the heart of man, and it was thus, that man and woman were created — possessed alone of the image of God, in all the universe, having in themselves a sublime combination of the bodily or physical nature with the Spirit Eternal. We again call attention for a moment, to Adam as he was at the beginning. We have a very simple declaration, the most sententious ever heard, and that in a single pe- riod. " Let us make man in our image, and let him have authority over all the earth." This was an oracle like the rest — like the one when God stood in the dark silence of eternity, and in His Almighty dignity, commanded light to be. All the time. Omniscience saw and comprehended all things, to the end of creation's programme. The heavens were spread out and garnished, the air, the watxir and the earth filleil with their appropriate tenantries, and finally, at the bidding of God, Adam arose from the dust. In the twinkling of an eye, he stood forth erect, a perfect, a most beautiful representative of Deity, in the person of humanity. It was not enough to say, " Lefe us make man in our image ; " hence, as if to make the oracle more impressive and complete, God adds, " After our likeness," after our similitude, arid then and there installs him in the dominion and possession of the entire earth, over the fish of the sea, and the fowls of the air, over the cattle and LECTURE IV. 87 over the very reptile, that crawls upon the face of the earth. So God created man in his image, male and female, created he them. We observe then that the highest honor vouchsafed to man, and the greatest glory to which he could have as- pired, is anticipated, and bestowed upon him, in the very moment of his creation — incorporated as an element of his original constitution, in that he possesses the spiritual likeness of the Creator. How can man be in the image of God? has been for ages, and still is, a question of absorbing interest to many minds. How could he be possessed of such an attribute, composed as he is, of flesh and blood, bone and muscle ? The discussion of this question has figured largely in the writings of skeptics, and has formed an important element of their arguments, or what we more properly denominate sophistries, against the Bible, as a book of divine inspira- tion. But the likeness of man to God does not convey, the idea, when thoroughly investigated and understood, of a material image. That could not be ; for God has no ma- teriality about him. Nor does the identity of the divine likeness belong to the personal portion — the corporiety of man. As I have frequently remarked, and the fact is one generally understood by the intelligent portion of man- kind — every man wears out, or lives out, a larger or smaller number of bodies in his life time; or, to state the fact differently, and according to the laws of physiology, the whole physical system of man is changed every seven years.* ■'^ This is a popular error, and has no foundatioti in fact. It is a matter of some surprise that Mr. (Jaiupbcll shouKl adopt a tlieory 80 unphilosophical, and so at variance with actual experience. Tlie whole physical system, of man freqnenlly undergoes a number of changes, witliin the space of seven years. Physically considered, it 88 LECTURE IV. Still there must be some one — some grand essential attri- bute of man, that knows no change, no dissolution, for the image of God is born by humanity. That similitude can not be material, as God has no materiality. His govern- ment is not material, neither is the soul of man — though that may die, so far as its animal nature is concerned; that is, its life may cease to exist. AVhat, then, is the iden- tity, and wherein consists the image of God ? Gentlemen, the spiritual attribute of man! — that is the eternal differentia, which o-ives him the imao;e, which im- parts to man the likeness of God — the Creator of all things. And what is this image, this divine characteris- tic, Avhich stands out in such bold relief, on the canvass of the universe, but the type of the great heir of human- ity ! We some times say — and say with apparent propri- ety, too — that knowledge is the only mark of resemblance. But the devil has knowledge, and a vast deal of it, too ; yea, througli the abundance of that knowledge, he knows man better than do all the savans of earth. Nothing can be more sublime about man, than his spir- itual attributes. Adam, the first man, was, in his original structure, of earth, earth}"; until he received the breath — the immortal spirit of God ; while Christ, the second Adam, was, from the beginning, heavenly and spiritual ; but in his own nature, he assumed the qualities of human- ity, which he triumphantly supported to the end of his earthly mission. We may properly add, that there was no infringement between one or another attribute of his requires a very short time for " old things to pass away, and all things to become new." One of the most wonderful manifestations of nature is, the rapid change which takes place in the physical man, without any change in his personal identity. Tliis is a phe- nomenon which science lias never been able to explain. M. T-ECTURE V. 89 humanity upon his divinity. He was perfect in all these respects. From what we have offered in our discursory remarks this morning, you may, perhaps, be enabled to entertain a more elevated and comprehensive view of man, and to un- derstand the important fact, and reason, of his being the end of all things created, and the crowning work of crea- tion as well. Every thing from the center to the circum- ference of animate or inanimate existence, is all for man ; and man is for God. Hence the salvation of the human family is the grand and glorious climax of all ideas, ever cherished by mankind on earth, or angels in heaven. [Bell rings.) LECTURE V. Genesis I. Gentlemen : We open our observations this morning, in continuation and conclusion of yesterday's lecture. We shall refer to like subjects in similar expressions, yet, upon close examination, we presume you will find sufficient va- riation to justify our apparent repetition. All this par- tial repetition and elaboration is indulged in with the hope that the importance and true character of our themes may be more fully and clearly impressed upon your memories- Our last lecture had reference particularly to the crea- tion of man, and while our remarks this morning Avill re- trospect in part the area already traversed, they will, as a whole, bear upon the superiority of man, and the wonder- 90 LECTURE V. ful wisdom and goodness of the Creator, as manifested Id the closing acts of his six days' labor. In the study of the facts associated with the first ap- pearance of man, we discover that God has a moral char- acter, as well as a creative character. He is first intro- duced as the Creator, and subsequently he appears as the moral Governor of the universe. The foundations of man's morality are being laid when God says, " Let us make man." He utters an oracle no less remarkable in style than significance. Before it is uttered, a solemn pause en- sues, clearly showing that God was about to produce a work of unprecedented importance. The earth is built and finished, the heavens are spread out and garnished. All is ready for man. Awful solemnity exists for the time being, and the silence is only broken by the declara- tion, " Let us make man, in our image, after our likeness." God speaks of things that are not, as though they were actually self-existent, and co-eternal with himself. The solemn pause occurs, as if he were thinking within him- self. And is not all this in harmony with his plurality — his triune character — as being God in the person of the Father, in the person of the Son, and in the person of the Holy Spirit? And to enhance the importance of man, God forms him, his perfect image in the spiritual respect. We claim that the trinity, the plurality, appears here, inasmuch as he does not say let me make man, but let us make man. Very lofty is this, indicating the idea of so- ciety in God. And God imparts to man extraordinary and paramount qualities. He elevates him in his nature and authority, above all other creations, makes him sus- ceptible of moral pleasure, and capable of enjoying moral relations. He enables man to understand, to speak, and to rejoice with joy unspeakable. This is what we are LECTURE V. 91 pleased to consider a climax of grandeur, so far as mate- rial nature is exhibited on the part of man. God also installs Adam the ruler of all things earthly — as much so as Christ is the Ruler of all things, human and divine. What a Lordship ! IIow transcendently magnificent is the entire oracle, in conferring the greatest power and the highest honors upon mortal man ! The superiority of man is strikingly developed by com- parison. Wonderful and grand are the qualities that dis- tinguish man from all things else; for there is no creature beside man, on the face of the earth, capable of being in- ducted into the conception of a moral idea. You may impart different kind of instruction to animals — to the horse, the dog, or the elephant, and other beasts of the field, as well as birds of the air. You may teach them to regard their names and obey orders, train theai to perform acts, some useful and some fantastic ; but you can never communicate to any animal the idea of moral obligation. To conceive the relations and nature of all these realities, requires powers which are reserved, as the highest charac- teristics and the exclusive characteristics of man. He alone, of earthly beings, is susceptible of spiritual and moral influence ; and he ought, therefore, to be regarded as the favored object of creation, as compared with all other beings. These excellencies were given by Divinity to man, under the conditions of his birthright, and he pos- sesses one 'surpassing all terrestrial distinctions. There is not a creature of the brute kind, made to look up to heaven. • The very eye of man is calculated to look upward, in order to scan the heavens in their celestial splendor; while all, or nearly all, the creatures below him, are formed to look downward, or straightforward upon the earth. All the higher attributes, are reserved and be- 92 LECTURE V. stowed upon iiian. Among these, and the one paramount in importance, is the capacity man possesses to enjoy all conditions and realities, associated with intellectual and moral feeling. This is one of the great lessons taught us in the opening scenes of creation. Man is distinguished by his ability to communicate with every thing in the uni- verse. He only has the spiritual and moral requisites, to be regarded in connection with the spiritual and eternal attributes of the Divine Author of all things. In the essentials of superiority possessed by man, there is a marked order or gradation. Some of the parts con- stituting the whole, are superior, one to another. Man's soul and spirit, are the grand cardinal characteristics of his individuality. But the soul of man is diiferent from the spirit; as the spirit is different from the body. The elements, so to speak, of the spirit, arc superior to those of the soul. The soul is sometimes made to represent the whole man, "Soul is form and doth tlie body make." It is said that " All the souls of the house of Jacob, were seventy souls." Again, in reference to Paul's being ship- wrecked, it is said, "We were in all, in the ship, two hun- dred, three score and sixteen souls." Peter affords us a similar example, in his reference to the Ark, " Wherein eight souls were saved." By these expressions we are to understand, that numbers are indicated, as if it were so many men of the house of Jacob, so many persons in the ship, and eight individuals saved. The spirit of man, in the constitution of whose nature, the entire power and composition of creation concentrate, enables him to see moral beauty and excellence, as well as to comprehend ideas, in harmony with the laws and the character of God. It may be enough for us to know, that there is an ani- LKOTURK V. 03 malism in the sonl of man, hut tli.-it thoro is none in his spirit. The spirit of nitin is tlio i!;lory of man, and the special emanation from God. We may ponder upon this subject, but we can never fathom its depths, or scale its glorious bights'. God has given the spirit to us, and it is in accordance with this idea, that God is glorified. He is just as much the spirit of our bodies, as He is the spirit of the Church. He is also as much the spirit of the whole Church, as our spirit is the life and light of our own cor- poriety. After God had created man, and breathed into him, the breath — the spirit of life, what did he then? We can not place too great a value upon the infinite wisdom and love, clearly presented to our understanding and gratitude, in God's dealings with our first parents. He honored them with his presence — placed them in a glorious habitation, having made them a little lower than the angels. What next? Why, the inspired writer tells us, that God blessed them — made them happy, by bestowing special and divine favor upon them. The words blessed and happy, are tan- tamount — they convey the same idea, as used here. God made Adam and Eve happy, and gave them license to assume possession of the earth. . And God also said, " Be fruitful ; " that is, God commanded them to increase and multiply, in order that the earth might be peopled. God's commands are all blessings, and obedience thereto is hap- piness to man. Thus, gentlemen, for this morning, we terminate, our consideration of the last act of God, in the drama of cre- ation, since time began. We have spoken of man as he is by the constitution of his nature, in the physical, intel- lectual, moral and spiritual aspects. However we may dis- tribute him, he is the superlative consummation of the 94 LECTURE V. creative labors; and in him we have a sort of microcosm — a universe in miniature. No clement exists in the universe, which does not enter into his constitution,* And the most marvelous changes and workings, are continually going on, in every human system, whether awake or asleep. The living body of man, presents the most complete and complicated piece of mechanism, in structure, and yet the most harmonious and simple in operation, of any thing in the wide world. Inwardly and outwardly, man is won- derful indeed. The Psalmist exclaimed to God, "I will praise thee, for I ^m fearfully and luonderfully made ; mar- velous are thy works." The emotion of this inspired saint, in the contemplation of his own nature and organ- ization, transcended the highest thought of the ablest and purest mind. The analysis and study of man, is indeed, an important, an interesting and sublime investigation. Pope, one of the few great poets, who rhyme and reason at the same time, sung : ' Know then thyself, presume not God to scan ; The proper study of mankind, is man. But unfortunately this does not tell the whole truth, though true as far as it goes. For, while there is no sub- * This statement must be taken in a qualified sense. If Mr, Camp- bell means what he seems clearly to say, then the statement will scarcely pass for truth. The Science of Chemistry has already recorded more than five times as many simple elements in Nature as are found in the body of man. Should the statement refer to the whole man — Body, Soul and Spirit — then no one can tell whether it is true or not, Mr. Campbell's fondness ior generalization led him sometimes into doubtful positions, in reference to particulars. His mind was so absorbed by the grand conceptions which he had of Creation, Providence and Redemption, that he occasionally over- looked the smaller matters which engage the attention of other LECTURE V. 96 ject of Iminan investigation, wliich can so properly engage our attention, as tlic stmly of man, it completely compre- hends the consideration and study of God, tlie Creator and Ruler of the universe; thus presenting to our con- templation, in one view, man in God and God in man. The earth and its tenantry constitute the world, or more properly speaking, humanity in the aggregate con- sritutes the world; and the contemplation of this aggre- gation in the detail, greatly augments the happiness of man. We frequently have the term world, applied to the earth; but the world, in Holy Writ, and in the language of reason, is not the earth, but it is the population thereof, that constitutes the world. And we claim, that if a man would enjoy himself perfectly, that is, if he would derive all the pleasure possible from the healthy exercise of all his faculties, he must possess a complete knowledge of his mental and physical, moral and spiritual constitution and character, together with his sih-rounding circumstances. Such knowledge will not only comprehend the whole out- ward and inward man, but it will radiate, and lead off the inquiring and ever active mind, into all the branches of material and social science. All his study, meanwhile, must have respect to his social system, and a social sys- tem which is but an offshoot from the social element of humanity. Hence, from the very constitution of his na- ture, man's happiness will always be incomplete, if de- prived of society. Study then to know yourselves, re- membering all the while, that " the greatest mystery to man, is man," and the greatest miracle to man, is man made in the image and likeness of God. " Man, know thyselfl all wisdom centers there." {Bell ring$,) Ofi LECTIIRK VI. LECTURE VI. GENESIS II. Gentlemen : We are informed in the beginning of the second chapter of the book of Genesis, that "the heavens and earth were finished, and all the host of them." Also, that " on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made." It appears, therefore, that the creative acts extended through six days, and that " God rested on the seventh day from all his works." These seven days constitute our week. Now, we desire you to concentrate your minds upon the phenomenon of weeks. There is nothing in nature to suggest it. We know that the moon wcrks out the months, and the sun rules the day, while for seasons are produced by the variations of the earth, revolviiiiT upon its axis, as affecting the relative positions of the earth to the sun. Nature makes the day, the month, and the year; but what makes the week? This is a question of great importance — a question that staggers the boldest of infidels, and the most expert of theorists. The subject has developed much ingenious thought, and profound reasoning, but we affirm that nothing on earth or in heaven, can be assigned as an argument for the week, aside from the fact that the heavens and the earth were created in six da^^s of twenty-four hours each. This ordinance of time, depends entirely upon absolute will for its origin. The cessation of the creative labors of God on the seventh day, gave rise to this division of time; for which there is no type in nature. There is a type, or some symbolic mark, for every cardinal institution of the LECTURE VI. 97 divine economy, except tlie week, and that has none. We tlierefore designate this, in the category of positive institutions, and tlic fact of its being a positive institution, places tlie explanation thereof, beyond the power of Im- man reason. It can not be accounted for by any Egyp- tian or other scheme, which has been or may be concocted and digested in the human brain. The most careful skep- tics have overlooked this, in their inquiries ; and when it is propounded to them for an explanation, it brings them to a full stop, and they are obliged to acknowledge them- selves at a loss to account for this remarkable division of time. The creative drama culminated in a week ; and, while the works of God are commemorated by it, God himself commemorates the week as a positive institution. Those matters which refer to the division of time into weeks, are identified in a prophetic view, and none other could comprehend the subject, for it is above and beyond the pale of mortal nature. In the writings of Jeremiah, reference is made to similar subjects, " The Lord gave the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars, for a light by night." You perceive nothing is said relative to the institution of the week. That remains among the positive ordinances of God, and as such, surpasses the comprehension of man. The week culminated in the seventh day — at the end of the creation of the world — and that being a day of rest for man, is commemorative of God's ceasing to create, and the term rest is disposed of, on the ground that it is simply a figu- rative expression, so far as God is concerned, signifying, merely, that he ceased to act at the end of the week, but by no means indicates that the Almighty stopped to rest — to recover from the exhaustion of labor. In the establishment of the week, which was perfect in 9 ^ 98 LECTURE VI. the completion of the creative hxbor of God, we are not to understand by the expression, " God rested on the sev- enth day," that the Creator was tired, or exhausted. The term rest, in this case, we repeat, simply conveys the idea of cessation from labor ; the work of creation had been completed, and by the word rested, we are taught that God no longer appeared in his active, originating capacity, but that he retired from the sphere of human vision (or con- templation), into the quiet of his own eternity. " Hast thou not known ? Hast thou not heard that the everlast- ing God, the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary ?" Keeping this subject-matter under consideration, we invite attention to another remarkable fact, bearing upon this interesting question. It is this : Every one of the ten commandments begins with the phrase, " Thou shalt" or " shalt not" do this or that, except the fourth, and that begins with, " Remember." This is quite peculiar, and its significance is worthy of notice. Why this variation in the form of expression, as introduced at this particular command? May we not presume or affirm, that it is be- cause the Author had in his mind the fact that there is one day above all others in importance ? It was of extra- ordinary regard, because God had ceased to work on that day, and for this reason man is especially commanded to " rememher'^ (always) " the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." On that day of days, God terminated the creation of the heavens and the earth, and retired into the solitude of his own infinity. Out of respect for this great truth, this important event, it was meet that man should cease to work on the same day, for the purpose of commemorating the great termination. Our moral laws are established by many eminent prece- LECTURE VI. 99 dents. God commanded liis people to follow a glorious example. " Six days slialt tlioii labor, and do all thy work." By this coininaiidmcnt man is as clearly bound to labor tlie full six days as he is to rest throughout the sev- enth. We are not aware that any verbal or written dis- quisition has ever considered this point in this light. It has not entered into the terminology of the system builders, all of whom make systems and creeds no larger than their own minds. And we hold that no man, or organized sect of men, can concoct or comprehend a system larger than the combined scope of their own minds.* In the fourth verse (Genesis ii), we are told that '' these are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created." This term " generations" is of fre- quent occurrence in the Bible, and conveys different ideas, according to the associations of facts and events in which it is found. As used in this connection, for " the generations of the heavens and the earth," we would say, in modern ■* If this view of Mr. Campbell be correct, it seems to us that it forever settles the question concerning the importance of human creeds. If the creed makers can not construct a system larger than their own minds, it must be evident to all that their s\stems will be applicable. to such persons only as are equal or inferior, in mental capacity, to the author or authors of the systems. Consequently, superior minds can not be accommodated by these human inven- tions. And this being true, we must conclude that in order to meet the wants of the immense variety of mind, the number of creeds must be very great, unless we can find one that is equal to the re- quirements of the greatest as well as the humblest intellect in all the world. Reasoning, a priori^ we would expect just such a creed from an Author who is infinitely wise, and from none other. There- fore the Bible is demonstrated to be the only creed that is perfectly adapted to everi/ creature; consequently, it is a sufficient rule of faith and practice, and an infallible " Lamp to our feet and Light to our pathway." M, 100 LECTURE VI. Style, the creations of the heavens and the earth. Gener- ation signifies now quite a different thing from what it did two or three hundred years ago. The phrase here which emhodies the term "generations," constitutes a summary of what had been done, and reference is here made to the arrangement of all things as they were cre- ated, and the whole sentence or verse may be regarded as a sort of resume, or recapitulatory assertion of the in- spired writer. " In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens." Here the query doubtless arises in your minds as to what is the meaning of the term heavens. It is in the plural form, and the manner of speech clearly indicates degree and number. We have the heaven and the earth, also the heaven of heavens. Does not Paul speak of knowing a man "who was caught up to the third heaven," whereby we may understand him as referring to the heaven of heavens? In physical philosophy, we have a vapor and an atmos- phere, wherein all things that live and grow may be said to have their being and existence. I do not wonder that Egyptian philosophy assumed that water was the mother of all things. We have strata in the material universe, and we have repeated layers or currents of atmosphere, leaning upon the surface of the earth. These atmospheres are filled with heat, cold and moisture — all varying in degree according to circumstances, and as we ascend they continue to become more and more rarified, until they fail to support life, ^ronauts travel upward, even into the clouds, in balloons, and frequently reach an elevation where the excessive cold is beyond the endurance of man. These atmospheres, resting upon the earth, form a grand covering, and their elements of heat and cold constitute LECTURE VI. 101 thcin wonderful life preservers, so long as man or other animate beings remain in their proper position. Hence this theory of " the heavens" may be illustrated variously, because it is in harmony with the teachings of science, and true science never conflit5ts with the teachings of the Bible. In the fourth verse — the latter part — we have " In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens." Here we have a peculiar and an absolute name combined. In this expression we notice that this is the first time that God is mentioned in such a connection. Up to this point in the creative history, the expression " Lord God" is not found. The reason is, that the term Lord indicates sove- reignty and proprietorship ; hence the term was not pre- fixed to the word God while the creation was going on ; but after the drama was completed, the Creator is spoken of as "the Lord God." His sovereignty is manifested in God's dispensation and exercise of authority and love, for the good of man. And let it be observed that it is in the sense of Lord, or Jehovah, that God introduces himself in the grand plan of redemption. God is the absolute name expressed by MoMvi, and Lord may be denominated the peculiar or discriminating title presented in Jehovah. For the name " Lord God," as introduced here, we would have in the original " Jehovah Elohim." Jehovah, then, in the language of the record, is presented as the one proper and peculiar name of the Creator and Preserver of the earth and the heavens. The inspired writers of Holy Writ speak perspicuously concerning the existence and sublime cliaracter of Jeho- vah, from Genesis to Revelations. God said unto Moses, "I am the Lord, and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty ; 102 LECTURE VII. but bj my name of Jehovah was I not known to them." The Psalmist, in his complaint, beseeches the Lord, who has done wonderful works, and whose name alone is Je- hovah^ to make men know that he is the Most High over all the earth. By the great prophet, God says to the world, " I am the Lord, that is my name," and more than seven hundred years afterward, the Evangelist continues this line of history, saying, '-Verily, verily, before Abra- ham was, I am." Thus in a record from the close of the creative to the opening of the redemptive period, we con- template the grandest designation of Jehovah ever re- vealed to mankind. {Bell rings) LECTURE YIL Gentlemen : We continue this morning, our remarks touching the creation and individuality of man. We can not, we think, say too much, with reference to the spirit- ual identity of humanity. In the seventh verse of the second chapter of Genesis, we are told "that the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and njan been me a living soul." After God had made him (in stature), he breathed the breath of life into him, as we are informed here. In the original, it is the breath of lives; and this rendering," is in consonance with the fact, that )u;in possesses a trinity, in his bodily, mental and spiritual qualities. This passage may be termed a repetition of the preceding acts. The spirit of God may LECTURE VII. 103 be said to have created man, and in this passage it is shown of what particular material man's corporeal pro- portions were formed. Elihu says to Job, "The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Thus one part of the record is veri- fied, and Job accords with the other, and at tlie same time concurs with Elihu, by saying, "I also am formed out of clay." Indeed, all the hosts of the heavens and earth were made by the breath of the Lord's mouth. There are other noticeable points in the record as found in this book ; and it could not be otherwise, for all could not be contained in one sentence, or on one page. Never- theless, the creation of man, was perfect " in the beginning." Even then, God saw and understood all things, from the beginning to the end of time. When the Psalmist would praise God for his all-seeing provi- dence, he sings, "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect, and in thy book, all my members were written ; which in continuance were fashioned, Avhen as yet there were none of them." Man was the end, and the crowning glory of creation. He was not created for other things ; but all things else were created for him. The grand conception of man, existed in the infinite mind, from the beginning ; and God's wonderful economy, as manifested in the human form, is beyond the compre- hension of the human understanding. But humanity, in its creation and decay, in all its multifarious and suc- cessive stages and relations, will continue until it cul- minates in the last act of power, essential to the glori- fication of humanity. There will be a reason for the last man, just as much as there was for the first man; and there will be just as complete and strong a reason for the death of the last man, as for the decease of the first. 104 LECTURE VII. Hence, the time will come as certainly as we now live, when the curtain will drop upon the stage of time, and terrestrial existence — when time and earth shall cease, and eternity begin — when the theater of earth shall be taken down, and the glory of God shall permeate the entire universe. But let us add another remark with reference to the distinguishing features of the "human form divine." Some men — and among the number we find men of posi- tion and influence — contend that man is nothing but a biped : and so is a goose a biped, having body, legs and many principles in its locomotive structure, similar to some in man ; yet is it not utterly destitute of any of those characteristics, that fall within the sphere of de- sire or ambition, and that would make it stand out ^er se, like man ? Man stands pre-eminently at the head of the material creation, and is a sort of winding up — a grand culmination and conglomeration of all the various and multifjirious capacities and characteristics of nature. It would appear from the substance and manner of the record, that man is to be regarded as a wonderful and comprehensive combination of the entire universe ; so that there is nothing above, nothing below us, nothing around us, that is not in the human system. He is an epitome of the great living volume of nature, whereby we are prepared to realize the value of the oracle, that God has constituted man a marvelous incorporation of all his other works. God only has, and represents the spiritual alone, while man possesses the animal and spiritual natures in combination.* * In some respects, man may be considered superior to the angels. They are ministering spirits, ministering to them who are the heira LECTURE VII. 105 \ye have nothing, short of the spiritual, beyond the scope of human action and comprehension. Man alone, is the sum total of natural matter in structure, and the earthly power supreme, over the destiny and action, of all animate and inanimate nature. lie is a comparatively small creature, weighing a few score, or a few hundred pounds at most ; but with all his feebleness of body, he can make the earth and all its tenantries, as ministering servants to his power and skill. He draws the winged lightning from the clouds of the sky, and brings the levi- athan from the depths of the ocean. By his ingenuity — his physical and intellectual power — he can withstand and conquer every natural antagonist that opposes him. He can not infringe upon natural law, without suffering the penalty, nor can he regulate or disorganize the order of natural elements; but he can adapt himself to them — be- ing qualified to live in the zones, at the burning equator, at the freezing poles, and very much in the water. He can adapt himself to these varieties in the outward cir- cumstances of his constitutional personality, and do like- wise with reference to his mind. Again, and perhaps for the last time in this connection, we call your attention to the subject matter of spirit and materiality combined. We may thank God that we have minds so large, so comprehensive, that the earth and all its attributes, can not fill them, and thank him too, because there is nothing finite, which can satisfy the infinite; yet " of salvation. Angels, then, are the servants of man, in a certain qualified sense. But in what consists man's superiority? Most probably, in his three-fold nature. He has a body, soul and spirit and, consequently, unites within himself, the interests of three worlds. M. 106 LECTURE VII. as we are, we can only take a very limited view of objects, and our powers of comprehension and appreciation, are comparatively impotent. No man can comprehend the smallest particle of matter, ever discovered by the eye of man, aided by the wonderful power of the microscope. Matter is as incomprehensible as spirit. How in the name of reason — of eternal reason, could man divine, how spirit permeated matter — gave being to it — how could it bring this vast universe, in all its immensity and perfection of life and action, out of absolute nihility? To see, to know this, is to possess knowledge far above that of our sphere — far above the sphere of terrestrial beings. In what man- ner, and by what auxiliaries, every thing could be brought out of nothing, is not however the question now to be con- sidered ; nevertheless there was, and ever more will be, that Spirit by whose omniscient and omnipresent potency the vast heavens and earth, with all their host were cre- ated. And there is not a single particle of matter, not the minutest insect, that does not afford unmistakable evidence of the power and benevolence of this Spirit, as much as does the being, whose mighty stature is measured only by the universe and eternity. The study of the human form divine, is the chief sub- ject of our consideration. In fact, all other studies are or should be pursued, for the purpose of giving us, the power of properly investigating humanity; for is not man, the basis of our sciences? We study the material and spirit- ual, the moral and religious natures, for the ostensible pur- pose of becoming more fully acquainted with ourselves. And in our persons, we have an inexhaustible subject, one which we frequently call a microcosm, it being the sura of all realities and varieties in nature, from the iron in the LECTURE VII. 107 blood to the power ethereal, to the spirit and the oxygen, the indispensable ingredients of life. Every thing in man's corporation, is mysterious and sublime ; he being the culmination of animation, and a grand revelation of God's power, wisdom and goodness, and, therefore, the most desirable and lofty theme for th meditation of the human mind. We can conceive of noth- ing, which does not relate to or enter into, the constitution of man ; for he is a universe in himself Analyze his body, and you find there the solids and fluids, the mental and physical quality, and there also is the soul — as the animal life or center of all sensation and impression. But above all these is the Spirit eternal, that grand culmination of power, whereby every act and entity in materiality, is di- rectly influenced. It is transcendent in its workings — Ave know no power like that of spirit. It is even more mighty than the material mechanism with which it is asso- ciated. How lofty and sublime, the acts proceeding from the spirit — that inconceivable, incomprehensible some- thing — that wonderful entity, which by the will, enables man to put whole armies, numbering millions of men, in motion — array and fight t^^m in the field, convulse soci- ety, revolutionize nations! It is the spirit that constitutes the glory of man.* By virtue of the Spirit, man excels *Tl)e Bible, which contains the only sound system of Tlieology, contains also the only sound system of Psychology. Theologians have given too much attention to Theology, and not enough to Psy- chology. The distinction between Soul and Body is obvious, and seems to have been well understood by the old Piiilo-sophcrs; but the distinction between Soul and Spirit, is peculiar to Christian Psy- chology, and is that which especially distinguishes the philosophy of the religion of Christ. The Scriptures furnish us with the only un- mistakable distinction between tlic riicnma and the Psyche. Hu- man reason could never have suggested the phiIo.sophy of the Pnevr 108 CHAPTER VII. every thing^evcrj being that hath tlio breath of life. Ho can scale the heavens, fathom the seas, drift his mind be- yond the milky-way, and with propriety and profit look, into the infinite past, and into the infinite future. Man never can be expressed by mortal man. Every w^here, in every thing, we read with wonder and admiration the glo- ries of man, and w^e ponder upon the mystery of his creation, which is past finding out. {Bell rings.) ma. This is that part of man which was created in the image of God^ and which was lost, or greatly obscured to the eye of human vision, by the Fall. And hence, it must now, of necessity, be a mat- ter of revelation. Plato taught the immortalUy of the' soul, but the '■''eternal life'' conferred upon man, through the Gospel, is a very diflferent thing from Plato's immortality, Plato's idea was little more than the opposite of immateriality. His Logos., or Nous., is never identical with the New Testament Paeiuna. The first is as old as Philosophy itself; the last is found only in Christian Psychol- ogy. Immortality, wlien considered by itself, was understood as well by Pagan, as by Christian Philosophers; but immortality in con- junction with Life^ came to our knowledge by Jesus Christ, who ^'brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel." The distinction between the Psyche ?i\\d the PaeumaQQQmQ to have been at first well understood by the Greek Fathers, but was soon corrupted by the Platonic philosophy. Gnosticism and semi-Pan- theism grew out of this corruption. And, in the reaction against these errors, the Latin Church rejected altogether the distinction between the Ps^cAe and the Pneuma; and so the usual dichotomy of man into Body and Soul only, became the prevailing view through- out the West. And even now, many Tlieologians treat the distinc- tion between Soul and Spirit, as though it were only a verbal one, instead of what it really is, the distinction between Pagan and Chris- tian Psychology. ^ LECTURE VIII. 109 LECTURE VIII. Gentlemen : It is to be observed, that in the develop- ment of the social system, God institutes society; and for this reason among others, we know that God has so- ciety in himself. Society had its incipiency, its actual existence, originally, in the Divinity itself. God is not, and never was, a solitary personality ; but has in himself, duality and plurality ; hence, in the Holy Scriptures, we have the three manifestations of God. In the strong lan- guage of both the Greek and Roman, as well as of the Protestant Churches, God is Father, God is Son, and God is the Holy Spirit. God, therefore, never was a solitary person, in the annals of the universe ; but always possessed society in himself. When he made man in his own image, he constituted the three natures of man, and these natures are the outward body, the inward soul and the innermost spirit. This analysis of man, is based upon a proper com- prehension of the Holy Oracles, and is the foundation of all education — even scientific. Of course, we do not refer to the details of Astronomy, Geology, and other kindred sciences, but to the fundamental facts, upon which the science of society is based. There is a distinction I desire to make this morning. We liave moral and positive institutions, and I affirm, that the institutions of religion, are positive ; every institution, that belongs to religion (proper) is positive. Ancient writers on this subject, had them differently divided ; but we affirm the positive and moral relations, and that these divisions comprehend, every thing, that can enter into re- ligion. Morality is based purely upon the relation of God to 110 LECTURE Vin. man, and of man to God. . The positive came from God directly ; it never came to us a priori Let us suppose, for example, that a man is conscious of having sinned against God. By what process of reason, could he come to the conclusion, that if he killed a lamb, he would ex- piate his sin ? * What if he should kill a man ; and burn his body upon the altar ; would that in the forum of reason, mitigate man's offense ? I introduce this to show, that in- ferential reasoning, has no starting point from which to work out such a conclusion. We take this as our back-ground, for all our reasonings upon such matters, whether revealed or natural. The very word religion, indicates a schism, between man and God. We do not propose to enter into a discus- sion of the term soJdsm this morning ; but the facts upon which the relation, between man and God rested, called for an offering in expiation of man's offense : and the con- ditions and nature of this offering, must not be dictated by the offender, but must be prescribed by the offended. God being offended by man's transgression, must be recon- ciled, and that not in the modes and tenses of human im- pulse or passion ; but in harmony with the thoughts and • The idea of Sacrifice lies at the foundation of all religion. And this is very conclusive proof that religion itself is of Divine origin, for no man could ever have originated the idea of sacrifice. That man would have come to the conclusion, apriori, that the life of an innocent victim would propitiate Deity is an absurdity which is only equaled by the insanity of infidelity itself. The first thought to a mind, unassisted by Revelation, would be that the anger of Deity would be kindled at the sight of such a Sacrifice; and consequently, it would never have been used as a means of appeasing anger, unless done by the authority of some Divine command. Hence, we con- clude that God originated it. M. LECTURE VIIL 111 language of Divinity. Hence we say, that religion is a proposition positive, originating with God. We speak of it as supernatural ; not preternatural, nor natural ; but supernatural. Then arises the question, what are the grand elements of religion ? We answer, not fine doctrines, or fine points ; or any thing else of that nature ; nor is its analysis in harmony with human reason at all. The tran- scendent idea of the remedial system, originated above all human incipiency. No man ever had a new idea, in the strict sense of that phrase. He may decompose, or recompose, but never can originate, any thing as purely original. Hence, we need a positive revelation of relations and ordinances ; and those of the Bible, are in two categories, the one moral, founded in the nature of things — the other positive, founded in the revealed will of God.* These terms must be adopted as appropriate, and essen- tial, to proper definition and distinction, in the incipiency of religious science. When we inquire what are the es- sential elements of religion, three ideas present themselves at once — the altar, the sacrifice, the priest. These are the essential elements, and Avithout this conception, there never could have been a remedial system. We have then the whole of rehgion suggested by the altar, the ofi'ering, the priest. The first controversy of which we have any authentic record, after the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, arose between two brothers, and began at the altar. How came this controversy ? Abel, we are informed, brought, as a sacrifice to the Lord, a lamb, the *The Moral is comm&nded, because itis right; the Positive is right, because it is commanded. -M. 112 LECTURE VIII. fruit of his toil as a shepherd. Cain brought the fruits of his labor, as a tiller of the soil. The one offering was an animal, possessing animal life, and was sacrificed for the sake of its blood. The other was devoid of animal life, or of any susceptibility of life. Now, when the of- ferings were presented, one was accepted, the other, re- jected. The blood-sacrifice of Abel was accepted ; the vegetable sacrifice of Cain was rejected by the Lord. The principle of blood is the basis of all acceptable sacrifice, no matter whether the altar be of marble or not. We look at the lesson intended to be imprinted by this scene, upon the reason and conscience of mankind. We look upon the blood-sacrifice as the controlling idea of the whole matter, and are prepared to appreciate the accept- ance of one, and the rejection of the other offering. It was done visibly, and we see, by the eye of faith, the fire descend from heaven, like the lightning's flash, and kindle a flame beneath the offering of Abel. The smoke and flame ascend up to heaven ; but we see Cain standing, cold and stern, by his lifeless and bloodless offering, under which no fire is kindled, and from which no flame nor smoke curls upward toward the heavens. The fire was the hand of God, a phrase which, by a figure of speech, is applied to almost every divine instrumentality, and sig- nified the acceptance of the offering. Cain becomes in- censed; he frowns, his heart burns with pride and envy; and, forgetful of the natural relation between them, as men, as brothers, his resentment kindles against Abel, at the manifestation of Divine favor toward him, until he actually becomes a fratricide — giving another occasion to our Heavenly Father to signalize his hatred of sin, by the curse which he proceeds to pronounce against the first murderer. We present these facts not only as supposi- LKCTURE VTTT. 113 tions of wliat may liavc boon tlio liistory of tlic caso, but for tlie sake of principle, to sliow tliat since man fell, he has had no power, originating in liimsclf, by moral suasion or otherwise, of propitiating the divine favor, or of recon- ciling himself to God. Hence we see the necessity, by the teaching of God himself, of blood as an element of all oblations, from the foundation of the world. We look upon the philosophy of these things, as embodied in the doctrine of life for life, and we find that blood alone can make atonement for the sin of man. It had the power, typical of the great sacrifice for man, which came after that. We observe that the principle has been in every sacrifice of the Jewish people, and w^as the reason of the crucifixion of our Saviour.* He could not be annihilated, but being bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, and of the same spirit with man, he made himself an offering, his divinity being the altar, and his person the offering. We are now in the patriarchal age, and are considering cardinal laws; which involve the destiny of man. We have, in this brief history of Cain and Abel the details of human pride and envy better developed than any where else. A controversy arises between them. The first born of the flesh, yielding to passion, under the influence of the tempter, slays the first born of the Church, who is placed by the Apostle Paul at the head of the roll of the saints of eternal renown, and solely because he offered a better sacrifice — more acceptable to God, by faith in his promise. Doubtless, the instigator of the first murder was the * Perhaps tlie reason why Gotl demanded blood, is because the life is in the blood. What he really wants, as an oflering, is the life. Christ gave his life for us, but as the life is in tlic blood, " without she(•// ringft.) LECTURE IX. It is essential to appreciate all the developments of moral and religious history, that we may understand fully that Ave have what are called positive institutions. Some old philosophers, in their systems, had the moral positive and the moral natural. What they called the worshiping and religious conditions, is what we call the moral positive, the word positive restricting the word moral. The positive is the religious, the moral the social system. Where there is no society there can be no morality. Society and mo- rality are correlative terms. Religion is communion with God and fellowship with him. It is our business to look into the materials or proper types of it. In the consideration of this subject, we have the terms moral positive and moral natural, which we sometimes ab- breviate into moral and positive. Religion is a positive institution, designed as our immediate system, and for this nature, not for the state of nature ; for the natural or primitive state is always right — -just what it ought to be. But we are not in a state of nature. I am aware that our lexicographers define nature as the natural order of things ; but, as before observed, man is not in the state of nature, nor in a supernatural, but rather in a preternatural state. Hence we take the natural, preternatural and supernat- ural, as the best terras known to us to indicate the three conditions of humanity. Adam and Eve were in the state of nature when created 116 LECTURE IX. by God. They were primarily in the state of nature, which is always proper. They could not reasonably as- pire to rise above it, in any relation. If man were in a state of nature, he Avould be absolutely perfect. We are aware that natural theology (as some have it) speaks of man as now in a state of nature. But this is an unfortunate error. Man is in a preternatural or unnatu- ral state. Adam and Eve only of all the family of man, were ever in a natural state — in other words, in the condi- tion in which they were created by God. God made the natural state of man, sin and its consequences, the preter- natural, or unnatural, and the drama of redemption, the supernatural. Adam and Eve before the fall were natural, after the fall, unnatural. Men have no power to return to a state of nature, but by grace they can rise to a supernatural state. These are the definitions of the true science of man, which it is important to remember. The word nature comes from nascor (Latin) and is of undoubted currency among us, in its true signification. Perhaps it would be as well to remark in passing, that the study of the dead languages — Greek and Latin, is not important or essential to success in the ordinary business of life ; but to a proper study and analysis of the terms of science or of art, and to the orator in our vernacular, it becomes very necessary. We have thousands of words from the Greek, Latin, and Old Saxon languages, and in order to the proper com- prehension and analysis of them, we have a course of studies in what we call literature proper. But to return to three states of man we remark that as he came from the hand of God he was perfect — in other words in the state of nature. He fell by reason of sin — LECTURE IX. 117 rebellion against God — and came into the preternatural state, from "svhich he could only extricate himself in one way, which may be illustrated by paying a debt. A man owes a sum of money. He can only be released from the obligation by a literal payment in full. He lacks one cent of the amount. He can not, therefore, pay the debt, since the law does not esteem a debt paid while any part of it is withheld for any cause from the obligor. No man can can- cel his obligations to God. Hence, we are all bank- rupt, and are compelled to fall back upon the remedial system. In like manner if we lose a moment of time, we can never regain it. It is so much of the means of develop- ing man, lost forever. Hence, the importance of employ- ing every moment of time in its legitimate uses. Man is in a state of alienation from God. The Bible treats him as in a preternatural state. Hence, the neces- sity of religion. There is a reason underlying the moral institution, apparent to all. No principle secures to us the enjoyments of social life except the moral. Hence, moral science is the moral action and civilization of man. The social system can only be enjoyed in morality and must conform to it in all its ramifications. But why is religion called positive? Is every thing in religion positive ? If so in what sense ? It is positive be- cause based on express oracles of God — not upon a foundation supported by a priori, metaphysical ratiocina- tion — nor is it supported by a posteriori argument ; but it is based independently of all these speculations upon a positive and explicit revelation of God. And in this man- ner only can we sustain what we call, the true philosophy of man, with reference to his political relations. We find it appreciated by the Greeks and Romans, who could not get along, in affairs of state without religion. They soon 118 LECTURE IX. discovered tliat man could not be o;overned without relifjion. In vain did heathen philosophy represent morality in all its beautiful phases. Man's passions ^vere too strong to be restrained by these ; consequently all the philosophy of Deism and Theism, or natural philosophy as we some times call it, failed in restraining the passions, governing the motives, or directing the actions of men. In what we call religion — as derived from the sacred oracles — are three departments — the Prophet, the- Priest, the King — which became essential to the happiness and development of man. We speak now, with relation to the natural forms of the Patriarchal dispensation, considering those of the Jews, as typical forms of man in his social system, and in regard to the life present and to come. There has been a great deal said about the moral and positive, as though there was an antagonism between them. The moral is generally spoken of as that which has its foundation in the reason and nature of things ; hence all go for morality, in Deism and Theism, since man, as a social being, can enjoy himself in no other way. But true religion is entirely beyond the sphere of man's thought, unenlightened by a revelation from God. He never could have conceived of a spiritual existence.* * The distinction made by Mr. Campbell, between Morality and Religion, is a very important one, but lias been very generally over- looked by both Christian and Infidel philosophers. Theologians have either failed to make any distinction at all, or else their state- ments have been so much confused as to throw little or no light on the subject. And yet, no subject, in all the area of human investi- gation, needs a more skillful and thorough analysis. The distinc- tion should l»e made broad and clear. The exact position of each, and their relation to each other, should be made to stand out in no uncertain light. Christian Scfence demands this, for it i& '^ipossibl^ LECTURE IX. 119 We take the ground without entering into metaphysics, that there is not a particle of matter in the universe which man can understand, even in analysis, by the arbitrary terms or names that are used in speaking of it. But it may be asked, do not these names or terms give the es- sence and powers of the orders and matters of nature ? Of course, we must answer in the negative. We say, on to have a proper appreciation of the Remedial System without some correct views concerning the meaning of these two words. Religion is a much larger term than Morality. Religion contains Morality, but Morality does not contain Religion. In other words, m order to be religious, it is necessary to be moral ; but a man may be moral, and yet not be religious. We go a step further, and af- firm that it is possible for a man to obey every moral precept in the Bible, and yet be far from being a religious man. Religion is ad- dressed to our faith, Morality to our reason. One rests upon au- thority, the other upon the nature of things. One has to do with God, the other has to do with the relations of man to man. One is for man's spiritual nature, the other for his soc/a? nature. One fits man for heaven, the other fits him for society. Thus we see there is a very marked and important difference between Religion and Mo- rality. And had this difference been clearly drawn by early writers on the subject, many of the errors whioh are now found in our Chris- tian philosophy might have been avoided. The practical issues growing out of this stibject are very great. Thousands of persons think that the Christian religion is nothing more than a System of Morals. They seek only to understand the teachings of the Bible on the subject of Morality, and imagine that this comprehends all that is necessary to know, in order to be saved. They forget that piety is an essential element of Religion, without which no man can see God in peace, and piety rests on positive law. No man is under any obligations to God to live a moral life, and hence there is no test of fidelity to God in all the area of Morality. The Pagan, the .lew and the Christian :ue alike controlled by the same motive in this respect. Their mor;)! obligations grow out of the natnre of things. To illustrate: Children are bound to honor their parents, not simply because they are commanded to do so, but 120 LECTURE IX. the other hand, that the Bible, whether historically, pro- phetically or didactically .considered, is, from Alpha to Omega, perfectly adapted to man in his social nature, in the three different conditions — first in the family, sec- ondly in the national, and thirdly in the universal rela- tion. Without these the wants of man could not be met. We have, therefore, the three dispensations of religion — the Patriarchal, Jewish and Christian. We come now to the religion of the first family. Bear because it is reasonable that they should do so — the thing is right in itself. But whoever obeys the command to be baptized, is influenced by other considerations altogether. He does not act from any sense of natural obligation, but solely from a respect for authority. He obeys simply because he is commanded to do so, not because he sees any reason or fitness in the thing itself It is the response of faith to i\\Q authority o^ Christ, and is therefore a much higher act of obe- dience than any growing out of moral obligations. Hence we con- clude that Morality, when considered alone, is pure seljishness, while the very first act of Religion lifts man out of self and places him, an humble, contrite sinner, at the foot of the Cross. Could the world be made to understand and appreciate this view of the subject, our modern Scribes and Pharisees — whose religion consists only in an outward observance of the moral law — would no longer be considered as the true exponents of t!ie Christian character. " By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified," is an oracle which needs to be more thoroughly comprehended. Men are seeking to please God by acts of obedience which rise no higher than the selfishness of human nature. But the Bible requires much more than this, in order to secure to us the Divine favor. We must render to God those acts of obedience which demonstrate our re- spect for His holy coinmandments. Hence the positive laws of Re- ligion must be obeyed, as well as the moral; for these are the only means of testing our fidelity to God. "Xot by works of righteous- ness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy ypirit.' Tit. iii, 5. M. LECTURE IX. 121 m mind that the allegiance of man in his primitive state, was not based in morality — upon the good order of his fiimily, or any thing of the kind. The question is fre- quently asked, why God gave to Adam the entire propri- etorship of every thing else in Paradise, and restricted him only in the use of the fruit of a single tree. This is a fact in religion — a most singular and elementary one. Mortal man never could have conceived a more sublime charter, than that given by God to Adam. Yet he limited him in one single particular. In old times, Avhen a king made a grant of land to a subject, the latter was required to pay three barleycorns per acre, and some times he re- ceived the land Avithout even so much as one barleycorn, upon the sole condition that he would not lay hands on the priests. In the first grant spoken of, the payment of three barleycorns was simply a recognition of the right of the lord paramount, the king; in the second, we have an obligation expressive of subordination to an authority, which had the right to prescribe conditions or terms, by which title or possession of lands was held under the sovereign. In regard to the tree in Eden, whose fruit was forbidden to man, it was simply a test of his allegiance, and taught him the lesson that he was a dependent being ; and from these two ideas of dependence and obligation originate all the relations of man to God, whether Patriarchal, Jewish or Christian. {Bell rings.) 11 122 LECIURB X. LECTURE X. Gentlemen: Having already made some progress in the book of Genesis, it may be proper, owing to circum- stances known to all (holidays), to give a summary of ■what has been passed over, in order to proper preparation for the important truths next to be considered. It is important, gentlemen, especially in this age, and in our country, to have a clear conception of what we call a constitution of principles. We live under a constitution ; indeed, a constitution is the basis of all stable government. The earth and heavens have a physical constitution. We, as human beings, have a physical and intellectual, as we have a moral and religious constitution. We have, as al- ready remarked, constitutions, and institutions under them, which may be considered in an individual or in a plural point of view. For example, we have the Patriarchal dis- pensation, with some characteristics pervading alike the Adamic, Noachic and Abrahamic periods, in each and all of which God is the Covenanter, and the individuals at the head of their respective eras, in their representative capacity, are the covenantees. These covenants embody the civil conditions under which the covenantees lived, during their respective dispensations. By reference to the political constitution under which we live, you will find that it contains certain elementary doctrinal principles, which give character to all the statutory enactments, civil or criminal, which constitute the details of our govern- ment. I can not discover, however, that with all the boasted progress of the present age, in all that appertains to civilization, we have originated one new idea — one idea not found in the sacred oracles. We have, moreover, in LECTURE X. 123 this volume, the recorded experience of the ohl world. We may see here the rise and fall of Eastern empires and kingdoms, and although we see now the causes of these great revolutions, we could not have anticipated them by any foresight which we possess. We look on the pages of history, sacred and profane, and see plainly that there were causes, lying back of these convulsions which re- sulted in the subversion of old forms and the erection of new, but we have not the faculty of knowing the future. By looking into this great book of charters, we find the names of all the covenantees, to-wit, Adam, Noah and Abraham at the beginning of their respective periods, or the dispensations known by their names. This is accord- ing to the genius of the ages in which they lived. All this, and much more of importance, is found in the book of Genesis. Now, we remark again, that a careful examination of the oligarchies and dynasties of the old world, and the principles and policies, developed under them, and a care- ful comparison of them with similar matters in our own era, will show that we have originated no new principle, but only developed those that lay at the foundation of former governments. We have, in other words, only been pro- gressing, by way of a better understanding. There is a social system, in the nature and essence of things. We give them names, according to the political notions that men have ; and these are the forms about which men contend. But the true fundamental and elementary principles, lie beyond and above all these forms, and names devised by men. They existed in God — he having society in himself Man too, as we have before remarked, has in himself, duality and plurality — he has body, soul and spirit. He is then corporate, and the beau-ideal of all cov- 124 LECTURE X. enants is found in man. Hence we find, that all the forms and machinery of governments and empires, are based on what are called the natural or physical order and condition of things. The different dispensations are called by the names of those, in whom are found the conditions, embodying the radical and fundamental principles, upon which they are based. The laws of God with man, were perfected in ac- cordance with the conditions of life. These are called es- sentials. Just so in the social system. There must be a constitution embodying organic principles, then laws fixing penalties for the violation of these principles, or other- wise providing for their enforcement in the details of government. In other words, we must have a constitution, and under that, institutions, comprehending the political, moral, religious, mercantile, etc. It is important to know, what enters into the constitu- tion of these cardinal circles. We died in consequence of violating the first charter. No man could have died had the first charter not been broken. It hinged upon one single principle. Nothing was to be done to secure it. All that was in the institution was negative. Yet man violated his charter and lost his birthright. The law was positive. It could not have been a priori^ and, there- fore, must have been positive. The first man was created a social being. Out of the first, a second was taken, and from these two — Adam and Eve — God made a third. Hence, we have three persons in society. On these elementary matters, is based all true science of man, intellectual, moral and political. We have the sub-basis in these, and if we inquire into them as we should do, we will understand the rights and duties of LKOTtlUK X. 125 man, hotter than by reading a. tliousaiul volumes of wli-at is called law — civil, ecclesiastical, etc In the Biljl(\ we have a perfect institraion, in every de- partment — perfect in the first, second and third — adapted to man in the various conditions of society. Perfectibility or progress, having become the great subject of considera- tion, in regard to man, it was necessary to raise him up out of the ruin into which he had fallen, and to enable him to achieve a status among the princes of the universe, throughout the cycles of an unending future. The Noachic institution was given after sixteen and a half centuries, of the world's antediluvian experience. In it we have an engagement, entered into, with the surviving head of the human famil3\ In other words, under certain conditions, it became expedient for God to say to man, that he would not ao;ain deluo;e the earth with water, and that time should be divided into seasons — Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. God gave man these guarantees, in ac- cordance with liis infinite wisdom and goodness, because if he had not done so, man could not again have gone to work, with any assurance of reaping the fruits of his own toil, or with any assurance or confidence of earthly happi- ness. But there was a sign of this covenant — a sign both artistic and sublime — the beautiful rainbow. All who are familiar with the first principles of physical science, un- derstand the principle and nature of the rainbow. A single drop of water will make a small one, but with a shower of rain, we can have a splendid bow, provided there be a dark background for the picture. It is contended by some that there was no rainbow before the flood, because there was no rain ; and that animal and vegetable life were sustained by copious dews, suflScient 126 LECTURE X. for the purpose ; also, tliat the first rain was the pouring out of the deluge by which the human family was des- troyed. We are startled by the tremendous sound made by the discharge of heavy cannon. The bursting forth of vast torrents of water, was a phenomenon somewhat similar in this respect. There must have been a terrific commotion of the earth and heavens, and the consequences are sup- posed by some, to be seen in the depression of the poles, producing the seasons of the year, by giving to the earth, an oblique relation of situation to the sun * The Noachic covenant was confirmed by the rainbow ; and while it is contended by some that the rainbow could not have appeared before the flood, for lack of the ele- ments necessary to produce it, there is another theory, which has much to commend it. The fact that the rainbow was recognized expressly, as some thing unusual, does not prove that it did not exist before the flood, nor that God created it after the flood, for a sign or memorial of his promise never again to drown the earth with water. The same is true in regard to the bread and wine used on re- * These statements concerning the question of rain before the flood, and the probable depression of the poles of the earth, at the time of the flood, are somewhat speculative, and must be received with con- siderable caution. Mr Campbell does not adopt these theories as true, but gives them as the views entertained by others. Many views, of greater or less plausibility, have been presented on these subjects, but there is no substantial scientific basis for any of them. They afford exercise for the minds of the curious, but in the present state of Geological science, it is impossible to tell what is the truth in the matter. It is sufficient to know that there is nothing in the Geological record that conflicts with the Mosaic account. M. LECTURE X. 127 liirious occasions. All these tliintrs existed in nature be- fore the flood, and before the birth of Christ, respectively. Nothing new was necessarily created, but old things were selected and set apart to signalize and perpetuate the events to which they referred. It is supposed by some that the earth was originally smooth and level — free from the towering mountains, deep valleys, dreadful gorges and multitudinous scoria which make it like a wrecked ship, broken to pieces by con- vulsions, during which it vomited forth flames and volumes of lava, burying cities and plains, and covering the face of earth, with apparent deformity. These eff*ects are recognized under this theory as the unmistakable evi- dences of God's indignation against sin, monumented in the broken and disrupted surface of the once beautiful earth.* ♦ The theory presented here is more fanciful than solid; it is fan- ciful, because unsustained by any inspired statement; it is not solid, because the whole weight of the evidence shows that the internal heat of the earth has been an active cause of mountain upheavals (and consequent depressions), at early periods of the earth's history. The mountains of Scripture — Arrarat, Horeb and Lebanon — and the deep-sunk valley of the Jordan, and sea of Sodom, are probably all of this class. Certainly, at an elevation of four thousand feet above the sea, whole shoals of fish are found in the rock — put there before the flood. Nor is it by any means certain that these upheav- als and depressions — yet going on — and volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, are to be considered punitive. They are rather conser- vative. Had it not been that every square rod of the earth's rock crust has been thus broken up, it is doubtful whether we should have had springs or constant streams; and certain it is that the stores of base and precious metals, and the vast deposits of coal, which are the essential elements of the world's civilization, would never have been rendered available to man. It should be observed, however, that Mr. Campbell does not receive the theory objected to 128 LECTURE X. God said, '* and it sliall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over tlie earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant, which is be- tween me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." This is the first time we have the word covenant. If is all important as it occurs in the sixteenth verse (Gen- esis ix). He says, " the bow shall be in the cloud" as a sign. We wish to say one word in regard to this. Some skeptics say this is no sign at all — that the sun makes it, according to the original ordinances of nature. This is all very true. A rock is lying on the boundiry of survey. ^Ye do not make the rock, but find it there. Now, we agree that the rock shall be the north east corner of our section of land. By doing so, we make the rock a corner stone. It was a rock before. We did not create it ; we simply ap- pointed it to a new^ use. It is just as reasonable to object to the rock as a corner-stone, as it would be to reject the rain- bow as a sign of God's covenant with Noah. The sophisti- cal arguments of skeptics are easily annihilated, by an ap- peal to the facts of Holy Writ. We need not create new things, but make use of old ones, for signs and bounda- ries. We have, then, the bow in the cloud as the signum^ the sign of the covenant between God and Noah, and all flesh. One remark further, gentlemen, in regard to this ever lasting covenant. The word everlasting, is not always ab solute, but sometimes relative, in its signification. Only God himself is absolutely everlasting. Creatures may be- come so. They were not so in the beginning, and must, as true. He refers to it simp]y for the purpose of giving the Class the benefit of all tliat lias been said on the subject. M. LECTURE X. 129 therefore, be made so by God. We have a system of iini- versalisni, based upon texts in which the word everlasting occurs. This is presumption.* God calls the hills ever- lasting — the word being merely significant of their per- manency. There is a figurative and a literal use of tlie word. There is scarcely any word, that is not sometimes used figuratively. Tropes, metaphors, aphorisms, etc., are very common in our language. This, however, has a ru- dimental and radical meaning. While time and earth last this sign shall be. In our efforts to understand what we call the systems of the different dispensations of religion, we do not mean theories. We know we have speculative systems, but we have no use for theories, in relation to these matters, al- though they may be necessary in some departments of education. We must see all around matters of this sort. We may have theories and important ones too, but we must have facts and philosophy, and by collecting, collat- ing and classifying these, we are enabled to draw the nec- essary logical deductions. (Bell rings.) ^The Universalist is the most inconsistent of all men who make any religious pretensions. The word " everlasting," is all right when it limits the word life^ but all wrong when it limits the word death. When the Bible speaks of God, of heaven, of endless happiness, etc., It must be construed as speaking literally ; but when it talks about the Devil, hell and endless torment, the language used must be al- ways regarded as fguratioe. That is, one side of the Bible means what it says, but the other is an ingenious play vpon words. Such trifling with the plainest laws of interpretation can only demonstrate the utter ignorance of, or else a fearful moral obliquity in, those who engage in it. M. 130 LECTURE XI. LECTURE XL GENESIS XXI. Gentlemen : Before proceeding to the consideration of some things suggested by this chapter, we wish to notice a few points, especially important to be remembered, in the study of every science. We have in every science what we call elements — first principles. It is very desirable to proceed in all things upon principle; not upon precedent, or a particular class of cases. There are great fundamental principles, under- lying the whole economy of heaven ; and it is far more im- portant, to understand these fundamental principles, or constitutional laws, though few in number, than to have a thousand facts in our minds or a volume of details. If we master the fundamental principles, we shall assuredly have the details. As before remarked, we have three dispensations of re- ligion, adapted to the conditions of man — to-wit: the fam- ily, national and ecumenical or universal; or the family, national or universal institutions. We are living under the last of these. The world had had two beginnings — one with Adam, and one with Noah. God gave Adam and Noah charters — charters of great importance, involv- ing duties of high obligation. The first charter guaran- teed to man, immortality, so long as he withheld his hand from the fruit of a certain tree in the garden of Eden. The fi-uit of that tree, could make an old man young, and it was just as easy for God to make an old man young, as to make a weak man strong. Man might have lived for ten thousand years, or for any period, in the gar- LECTURE XI. 181 den of Eden, witliout growing old, in the sense we now use that phrase. These idcjis are of prime importance. They are facts — stern realities, and not theories.''' We have in these facts — these realities, great material for thought. We must have materials before we can manu- facture; and we must store our minds with these facts, these realities, before we can reason, or draw our corol- laries from them. We have already had in the first twen- ty chapters of the book of Genesis, the elements of the whole volume — the whole Bible ; and in the light of im- portant definitions, Avhich it is our duty to give you, the elementa^ry matters to which we refer, become of much greater consequence, than you would at first suppose. The Adamic institution was adapted to man in a state of perfection. It was brief and simple — merely designed to keep man, in his original dependent position, in refer- ence to God; thereby securing to him the perfection of his original nature. There was no religion before the fall of man, either in Heaven or Paradise. That w^ould be a startling proposi- tion in the pulpit, yet it is irrefutably true. What is the meaning of the word religo, from which our word religion is derived? Is it not to bind again? Could there be a second binding, if there had not been an antecedent bond? There was no religion in Paradise, while it was the home of Adam, for there was no bond broken. Accordingly, "religion began after the fall of man. In like manner, there was no religion in heaven. There was superlative admi- * There is a boldness of utterance in Mr. Campbell's style which sometimes has the appearance of speculation; but we do not think he can be fairly charged with going beyond the facts in any case. This is specially true of him when treating Bible themes. He held that theorizing then was a grievous sin, M, 132 LECTURE XT. ration and adoration, but no religion. This brief discus- sion of the word religion will save you many blunders and much unprofitable thought ; provided you understand how it radiates and ramifies throughout all the statutes of mo- rality and piety. Now, while there was no religion in Paradise, and no ne- cessity for it, until there was a bond broken and rights forfeited, there was piety. "^ What is the meaning of the word fiety f It is no more nor less than gratitude. An un- grateful being is a monster ; hence Paul teaches us to hate ingratitude. Ingratitude is religious sin, and sin is no more nor less than ingratitude. Paul once said,, let chil- dren learn to show piety, by gratitude to their parents. In consequence of sin, man is now in a preternatural state ; not supernatural. The grace of God enables him to rise to the supernatural state. To this end Christianity is a scheme of reconciliation, and where there is no alien- ation, there can be no reconciliation. A few lessons of this kind, gentlemen, illuminate the darkened recesses of the human understanding — set it afloat in a sea of light, and enable it to throw off the * It is not always a safe rule of criticism to follow the primary signification of a word. As language changes we attach different meanings to the same word. While, what Mr. C. says of Religion may be true, when we consider the derivation of the word, it is the busi- ness of the critic to inquire after its current use. We use the term. now in a sense large enough to comprehend the word piety. It is now used to designate all acts of worship which grow out of respect for the authority of God. Philologically speaking, it may be im- proper to give so broad a signification to the term, but this is an- other question. So far as the present inquiry is concerned the only question to be decided is, what is intended to be represented by the word Religion, and does the word represent that thing in its popular currency ? 'bli. LECTURE XI. 138 fetters and manacles of forms and systems, and of a vi- cious terminology, which are of no value, in the pulpit or elsewhere. It is our duty to go down to the sub-basis of the whole remedial system, and learn thence why man is as he is. After the Adamic constitution came that of Noah. The first ended with a deluge of water. The second will end with a deluge of fire. [We omitted to remark, in the proper connection, that whether there was rain or a rainbow before the flood, or not, there was just as much water then as now — not one drop more, not one drop less. It is found in the bowels of the earth, in the atmosphere, in the seas, in the brooks, wherever God, in his infinite wisdom and goodness, thought best to place it, for the uses of man.] But we are considering those things that underlie reli- gious and moral obligation. Every obligation grew out of the social compact, maternal and paternal. We are now living in the Abrahamic institution, through Christ, and in the enjoyment of the blessings of the promise that in the seed of Abraham should all the fami- lies of earth be blessed. We must study to understand the three primary forms of society, before we can become adepts in humanity or divinity. We must contemplate God in man, man in God, and God in the universe. The three great fathers of humanity, as Ave sometimes call them, Adam, Noah and Abraham, had what are generally called covenants, containing the conditions of life under the three dispensations. All these governments were in- stituted by God, and adapted to human society in its dif- ferent stages. The cheapest and best government on earth would be a monarchy, if we had perfect men for kings. We can not 134 LECTURE XI. have such now, as we are all imperfect, and for this very reason unwilling to trust , each other. We would rebel against the government of one great earthly monarch. God's government is paternal, therefore, we can trust our Father, more than we can trust each other. Hence the Patriarchal government is the best for the present state of the world, and it is only the sins of men, and the ri- valries and competitions of many men, that make our gov- ernment tolerable at all. When we speak of the Abrahamic age we have three governments in one. God made Abraham a promise, or covenant, concerning his son — that his son should be su- pernaturally born, after he and his wife were past the age when such an event was possible, in the order of nature. He was one hundred, and his wife ninety years old, in round numbers. All this was a type of future transac- tions. In accordance with the promise, Isaac was born. The aged Sarah doubted if she should be made a mother, and from this doubt she laughed. This was the reason why her son was called Isaac (Laughter.) The name Isaac is a perpetual monument of Sarah's doubt, when God told her she should be the mother of millions yet to come. Isaac is an everlasting monument of incredulity, upon what we call natural principles. Isaac was supernaturally born, and therefore a proper type of the great Messiah. In the next generation of the seed of Abraham, we have the name Jacob — a dishonorable, yet an appropriate name. His name was a scathing rebuke of the sin which he had committed. He took advantage of his brother Esau, and bought his birthright for a mess of pottage. It was a great thing in that age of the world to be the first born, and for having obtained the honors and emolu- ments due to primogeniture, by a fraud upon his brother, LECTUKE xr. 135 he was called Jacob — that is asupplanter. To take away the odium of his offense, he was brought to repentance, and became instant (urgent) in prayer. He wrestled with God for a blessing, and so pathetic and persistent were his appeals, that God gave him the blessing he de- sired, in a manner so condescending and benevolent, as to be a perpetual monument of his goodness. After wrest- ling with God until he obtained the victory, his name was changed to Israel^ which means a prince of God — having power and dignity with God. The patriarchal institution is very simple, yet it con- tains all the elements of the family, national and universal forms of society. This covenant given to Abraham, blessed him with every spiritual doctrine; hence, it became, in its development, the greatest embodiment of piety and faith, the world has ever seen. Paul makes the covenants the basis of the institutions of Christianity — conferring all things upon Christians — the world, lifo, death, things present, things to come — "All aYe yours," says the Apostle, "and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's." The Christian religion is universal — comprehending time present, past and eternity. (Bell ringp,) 136 LECTUKE XII. LECTURE XII. GENESIS XX. Gentlemen : Before commencing to propound questions upon our past lectures, we will say a few words con- cerning the reading of this morning. We have the most perfect delineations of character in this book ; and in them we find more or less, of what are called the frailties of humanity. The best men who have lived in the world, are presented here, with all their im- perfections. The imperfections of the men of the Bible, are spoken of by the sacred historians, wath the same im- partiality, with which they present their virtues. There are no apologies or extenuations made here, for any im- perfections. The historians present things, in the most unequivocal and impartial manner ; and thus tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They do not discolor, or color too highly, a single characteristic in the life of any man. In this respect the sacred record may be considered a kind of type of the future judgment. In divine history, every thing is weighed in the eternal bal- ances of truth and justice, and all the duties incumbent on man, are propounded, with the utmost candor, impar- tiality and authority. In this chapter, there is an ambiguous expression, in regard to Abraham and his wife, which involves consider- able difficulty. The term sister, has not always been con- fined to those, to whom we now appropriate that term. Cousins, were sometimes called sisters, in ancient times. The word cousin, is not found at all in Jewish writings, until the Christian Epoch ; hence, they had sisters in the LECTURE XII. 137 first and second degree, etc. Again, a cousin was some- times called sister as well as the person, necessarily and properly meaning that appellation. Hence, Abraham said of Sarah his wife, " She is my sister." There is in this, gentlemen, a manifestation of frailty, in the character of Abraham. The virtues of no man ought to extenuate his faults. There is no flattery, no partiality, no exaggeration, in reference to character in this book. Hence, sainted men, are made to stand out in bold relief, on the canvas — just as they were. Abraham was called the friend of God, because of his fitness for the appellation, and for the ofiice it implied. God, therefore, entered into covenants with him, having reference to himself, and future generations. Neverthe- less, the apology which Abraham makes for his conduct, is very ambiguous. What he says is very humbly expressed, as a necessary precaution to save his life, and is clearly the result of frailty and weakness. He ought to have said boldly that his life was in danger, for the sake of his zvlfe — in the true acceptation of the word. [Here the Lecturer proceeded to examine the class in •reference to the matter of former lectures, and some ex- planations being required in regard to the work of creation, he occupies the remainder of the hour allotted to the lec- ture, on that subject. — Rep.] Some have supposed that the day at that time, did not, as now, consist of twenty-four hours — that it was a figura- tive expression, as illustrated in the sentence — a thousand years is with the Lord as one day — which is indeed a high- ly figurative expression, to show that there is no difference in })oint of time, with God. The Jews did not reckon time by days of so many hours each ; and for this reason some have contended, that the earth's strata furnish the only 12 138 LECTURE XIL reliable accounts, of the age of the woiM. You will find a great many skeptics in the world, who make a great deal of capital out of the geological structure of the earth ; and beino- unable to harmonize this, with the Mosaic account. the}' say it is out of the question to suppose, that all these strata, have been created in six consecutive days, of twenty-four hours each. But, as before remarked, we take the Mosaic account, against the skepticism of geolo- gy. We are sorry to have to say, that some of the best men, have perplexed themselves with these questions, and have in some instances adopted conclusions, far more difficult to admit, than the Mosaic history itself. We take the first book of the Bible — the book of Genesis — as the key to the mysteries of creation, geology to the contrary notwithstand- ing. Again I remark in reference to the passage, "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," that it is a remarkable fact in the Hebrew, that the word which signifies ivind^ also denotes Spirit. We can feel the wind and Spirit, without being able to see either, yet we have no more doubt of their existence, than we have of the ex- istence of soul and body. In the present age, we have artificial modes of express- ing different degrees of comparison, as the positive, com- parative and superlative; but in olden times when they wished to characterize any thing as being great, they as- sociated the word God with it. Hence we have handed down to us, the expression Spirit of God — the hills and mountains of God, all of which are found in the pentateuch. Whenever the word hill is used in this connection, it is used as an adjective to express grandeur. "And the earth was witliout form," "and the Spirit of God" (a mighty wind) ''moved upon the face of the waters." LECTURE XII. 189 From these and other expressions of the Mosaic account, Ave hold the geological afiiniiations — that the earth is a volume of pages — that these pages or strata, continue ad injiniium — that we can by these strata compute the age of the earth, as we can that of a tree by its successive annual growths — ^\e say, avc hold these statements to be erro- neous, fallacious.* * As Mr. Campbell frequently refers, in these Lectures, to a seem- ing conflict between Geology and the Bible, and as these references might lead the reader to erroneous conclusions concerning Mr. C'e views upon the subject, we deem it proper to say that Mr. Campbell received his education at a lime when Geological science was in ita infancy — when its alMrmations had to be taken with considerable caution. This, doubtless, was one reason why he did not venture much upon it. But there was another all-controlling reason which influenced him, and this will at once explain in a satisfactory man- ner to all unprejudiced minds, why he so summarily disposed of the dilhcullies between the Geological and Mosaic records. He was speaking to a class of young men, many of whom knew little or nothing about Geology, whose faith in ilie Christian religion might ea.sily have been shaken by an attempt to harmonize the Geological and Mosaic accounts, when it must necessarily be done at the appar- ent expense of the latter. To treat the whole subject of Geology so that all the students could understand its teachings, in a course of popular lectures not intended specially for such subjects, was simply impossible. Hence, it was better to dispose of all questions of this kind by confining himself to the plain statements of the Bible. That Mr. Campbell did hold nmny of the teachings of Geology in considerable doubt, can net be denied. JJut in this he was not pe- culiar. Many of his distinguished coteniporaries were as slow to adopt the testimony of the rocks, as he. And even now, there is much division, among great men, on this subject. Nor can we rea" sonably expect any very considerable degree of unanimity until Geo- logical science becomes much more satisfactory than it now is. It is by no means certain that the present artirmations of Geology can be re- lied on. True, there can be no doubt concerning some things that it teaches, but when it c:ills upon ustoHl)andon ihQ moi^tnaliiral i7Uer' 140 LECTURE XII. We learn that in the beginning God created tlie earth. A mighty 'wind — " the Spirit of God" — moved upon the formless mass of matter. How long ago that was we know not. It was no p?.rt of the six days. This was the an- tecedent state. It Avas a state of darkness. God said, " Let there be light, and there was light." He says the evening and the morning — why not the morning and the evening ? — w^ere the first day. This is an important matter to geologists. The reason is this, every tiling was (yreated in a perfect state. The sun, moon and stars were as per- pretations of the word of God, we may well hesitate before taking so important a step. This is all that Mr. Campbell did, and for this we ought to com- mend him, and especially for the good sense he manifested in refus- ing to embark on the ocean of speculation, while addressing a class of young men who were wholly unprepared for it. There is no necessary conflict between the Bible and Geology Truth is always in harmony with truth. Hence, truth in the Bible is in perfect harmony with truth any where else. We may make a conflict between the Bible and Nature by misinterpreting their laws, but in such a case the difficulty would not be in the Bible or Nature, but in us. We take our imperfect conceptions of these great Books as an infallible standard, and not being able to harmonize these con- ceptions, we conclude that there is some thing wrong in the Books themselves. This is very fallacious reasoning, but it is just tlie kind that passes current among infidels. It is amazing how much self- conceit some men have. They do not hesitate to pronounce condem- nation on the Bible, and to declare that it is full of inconsistencies, when a little reflection and a little humility would teach them that the whole trouble is on account of their own imperfections. They judge of God's wisdom by their own ignorance; God's power by their own weakness; and God's goodness by their own sinfulness. Using such a standard, we do not wonder that they come to conclu- sions at variance with the teachings of tlie Word of God. They first decide what i.s riglit or true by their own imperfect knowledge of things, and then, finding the Bible in conflict with their conclu- LECTURE XII. 141 feet when they began to sail in tlieir respective orbits, as they are now. They began by tlie imperative oracle, " Let them ftc," and they were. The power was in the word. This raight}^ wind of God (the Spirit), which moved upon the face of the waters, gives us a vague idea of a pre- existence, which might have been for millions of years, for what we know, and how apropos is the happy strain of the ancient bard just here : *' Ante mare et terras et, quod tegit omnia, coelum Uniis erat toto Naturse vultiis in orbe, Quern dixere Chaos, rudis indigestaque moles, Nee quicquam, nisi pondus iners, congestaque eodem Non bene junctaruni discordia semina rerum. eions, they reject it as unworthy their confidence and respect Such is the manner of infidels in their inquiries after truth. But another fact in this connection is worthy of remark. When there is a seeming conflict Detween the Bible and any Science, infidel- ity has always taken the side of the Science^ and against the Bible. Why is this ? Is it because there is more evidence for the truth of the Science than for the Bible ? We think not. The reason grows out of the facts already stated concerning the method of investigation employed by the infidel. Geology has furiiiehed a rich field for these objectors to the Mo- saic record to display their peculiar metliod of reasoning in. There is ample room here for the most latitudinous views. Consequently, this science has been used as the most effective means that infidelity could bring against the truth of the Bible. And it ought not to be a matter of surprise to any one, if we find such men as Mr. Camp- bell warning the rising generations against the seductive influence ©f that reasoning which forces the Bible to accept as infallibly true the imperfect deductions of Geology. And,when weseesuch amanas Agassiz running after his scientific hobbies until they lead him into an open conflict with the Bible, we should be slow to condemn iVIr. Campbell for sustaining the Bible against all the deductions of hu man reason, drawn from improper conceptions of scientific truth. M. 142 LECTURE XTT. Nullus adhuc raundo praebebat lumina Titan, Nee nova crescendo reparabat cornua Phoebe, Nec-circumfiiso pendebat in aere 'rellus Ponderibus librata suis; nee brachia longo Margine terrarum porrexerat Aniphitrite; Quaque fuit tellus, illic et pontus et aer. Sic erat instabilis tellus, innabilis unda, Lucis egens aer : nulli sua forma manebat, Obstabatque aliis aliud, quia corpore in uno Frigida pugnabant ealidis, humentia sieeis, MoUia cum duris, sine pondere liabentia pondus."* At the close of creation every thing existed in a state of absolute perfection — all that enters into animal or veg- etable life. Some creatures were made for the air, some for the water, and some for both elements. It is curious to observe the approximations of animal and vegetable life. For example, the grape and pea-vines appear to reach forth their hands, as if feeling for sup- port. No one at all familiar with horticulture can fail to observe how promptly, at the proper season, the tendrils of these and other kindred plants lay hold on whatever touches them; indicating a sort of progress of instinct which approximates, in its highest development, the rea- son of man himself. {Bell rings.) * This quotation is from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 1, 5-20. The reader can not fail to see a striking resemblance between this language and that used by Moses. Ovid's whole description of ilie Creation so closely resembles the Mosaic account, in many par- ticulars, that it is difficult to believe he did not have a copy of the Book of Genesis before him, or else some very truthful tradition of it M. LECTURE xrii. 148 LECTURE XIII. GENESIS XXIir. Gentlemen : We find in the development of the char- acters of this book, that the patriarch Abraham stands at the head of the roll of the great men of the Bible, and indeed, we may add, of human history. His name was originally Abram, and was subsequently changed to Abra- ham. His wife's name was first Sarai, afterward converted into Sarah. These are singular facts in the history of any individual. We can now, by a special act of the legislature, have a nAme changed — a very important ex- ercise of power, inasmuch as the condition of empires and the transmission of vast estates are greatly afi'ected by names. In the Bible, the changing of the name Jacob to Israel, of Abram to Abraham, and others in the same category, is al- ways intended to be monumental of some important event. It is made a matter of record, as commemorative of some signal interposition in the ordinary course of events, for the purpose of advancing the wise and philanthropic pur- poses of the great Ruler of heaven and earth. The change in Abram's name was indicative of the fact that from be- ing a father, and a great father, too, he was to become the father of multitudes innumerable — not merely in what is called one direct line, for in Abraham were other nations beside the Jewish people. He is a representative man, in one sense of that word, of both Jew and Gentile. Espe- cially was this the case in the day of circumcision, when it so elevated its subjects that a peculiar constitution was ascribed to them, and all others were treated by them aa 144 LECTURE XIII. barbarians. Ilencc circumcision and uncircumcision be- came distinctive appellations of the Jew and Gentile ; and in the writings of the Apostle Paul we read much of the circumcision and the uncircumcision. We look upon these things as peculiar and important. They never could have been instituted humanly, and inde- pendently of supernatural interposition. They afford monumental and internal evidences, which combine with othors. in the full establishment and perfect assurance of faith. The covenants of Adam, Noah and Abraham, are what we call constitutions. They are spoken of as sovereign. This word has been greatly hackneyed and abused — until we have now a definition of a definition. The word sove- reign, meant originally, what we call an absolute poten- tate — absolute as the law. Hence originated, autocracy — the high-handed government of antiquity, where the great head of the state, by the inheritance of authority and prop- erty, became possessed of absolute power. You will find, gentlemen, in reading ancient history these different forms of power or government, -revealing the foundations of the Russian Autocracy. Autocrats are necessarily arbitrary rulers, whose decrees whether right or wrong, are implicitly obeyed, by servile subjects. The Church in its various organizations, has gone far- ther into some of these principles of government, than others. Autocrats in church or state rise by degrees, giv- ing cause to reformations, revolutions, etc. Reforms in civil governments, have been greatly promoted by what we call protestanism. From protest comes the word pro- test-ant, now pronouncedjo?'o^estant. Any man who would stand up in old times, and protest against the oppressions of government, civil or ecclesiastical, had a great deal of LKCTUKK xrri. 145 passion, or a great deal of principle. In process of time, liowever, rebellious dissenters impressed upon the human mind, the ideas of independciicc and of constitutional liber- ty, and these continued to work, until monarchies became more or less limited — an occasional sacrifice of preroga- tive becoming necessary to the salvation of the remainder — and this state of things has continued, until we have the British Monarchy, while retaining its name, possessed of no more power, than the Executive Magistracy of our own Republican Government. We live now in the evening of the nineteenth century — standing upon the giant shoulders of the great men of Pagandom and Romandom ; and with a government rest- ing upon these Herculean columns, we occupy a position, in art, science and literature, transcendently paramount to that attained or enjoyed, by any people or nation, that has ever figured, in the grand drama of political or religious history. Probably, in our zeal to get as far as possible, away from the domain of despotism, we have gone too far, and got the other side of perpendicularity. If such be the case, we trust that time in its revolutions, wull correct our mistakes peacefully, regulate our actions, and circum- scribe our moral and intellectual wanderings. The failure to understand the primary principles of gov- ernment, in their relation to the constitution of man, has led many persons having an ideal sense of liberty into skepticism, and deprived them of the pleasure and happi- ness, consequent upon a due appreciation of the basis of society, as revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures. Such mistakes have caused tremendous commotions in nations, before they would rectify their errors. Revolutions in various forms of government have grown out of a few abstract ideas, and when we trace these back J3 146 LECTURE XIII. to their origin, we often find that the viohxtion of a single divine law, in the lieart of one man, has involved whole continents in bloody wars and made the earth an acel- dama. It is very important then, young gentlemen, that every man should understand the systems of government, from which all forms of society radiate. To understand these systems gives us the most perfect liberty of thought, which is one of the essential privileges to be secured by human government. Freedom of thought, and freedom of action, within the prescribed area of rational and responsible beings, are the zenith of all the aspirations of the human heart. When we look into the analytical system of any gov- ernment, worthy of the name, we discover three radical ideas permeating the whole structure, viz : The legisla- tive, judicial and executive. The legislative department of government is the source and fountain of law, the ju- dicial interprets and gives application to law, and the ex- ecutive enforces law. These ideas are not to be considered as absolute, but are suggested by the necessities of human nature, for the control of human action, the restraint of passion, and the subjection of man to the requirements of religion, in his intercourse with society — the religious ele- ment entering largely into all ideas of stable and rational government. It would be well for mankind if lawgivers would more frequently consult the divine wisdom, judges oftener em- ulate divine justice, and rulers remember mercy, while preserving the dignity of government and exacting the penalties due to the violated rights of individuals or com- munities. LECTURE XTTI. 147 Beyond tlicsc main ideas of government — legislative, judicial and executive — we presume to think, there is no improvement possible. The only necessities of govern- ment are a proper application and execution of these fun- damental principles. Revolutions and civil commotions originate from the neglect of the proper observance of these prime elements of government, beginning \vith in- dividuals, and finally pervading whole communities. Alexander Pope, justly fiimous for his beautiful writ- ings, speaking of human governments, says : " That wliich is best administered is best." But this is a mistake. We presume, the beauty of the ex- pression has doubtless led some persons to adopt its phi- losophy, and to conduct themselves improperly, in refer- ence to the duties and obligations which grow out of the relation of the ruler and the subject, when properly reg- ulated by law. In conclusion, young gentlemen, I would remark that it has been frequently observed that whenever and wherever the Bible has been read, whether in synagogues or public assemblages of the people, and read, too, without author- ized or unauthorized interpretation, it has done more to civilize and humanize society than all the lectures ever de- livered, or what is called moral science, as taught by the Greeks and Romans. This result is doubtless due to the unquestionable au- thority of the Bible. Our nature never was, never will be, nor can it be in the reason and nature of things, suc- cessfully ruled, otherwise than in accordance with the idea of one supreme or absolute head. This principle may exist under a variety of forms or 148 LECTURE XIV. names; and every federal compact, void of this important element, is no government, in the true sense of the Avord, and must fail to benefit a people or regulate tlieir aftairs successfully. {Bell rings.) LECTURE XIV. Genesis xxn. Gentlemen : It is not only my particular province to make remarks upon the orthoepy of this book, as embo- died in the English language, but we frequently do so, for the benefit of certain young gentlemen who never study the orthoepy of our language, unless they are con- strained to do so. Gentlemen, we say emphatically to you all, that if you wish to bring yourselves honorably before your fellow-men, study and appreciate that greatest of all passports to public favor and usefulness, elocution. I do not mean the highly artistic character of elocution, but the true art of reading and speaking correctly. To memorize a fine speech, and then to pronounce with proper emphasis and cadence, every period of it, is very good practice. But, after all this is done, unless we study and apply the prin- ciples of elocution in all our reading and speaking, our efforts at oratory will lack the genius, the imagination and the marvelous unfolding of the inner life, which charac- terizes and renders extemporaneous speaking so accepta- ble and influential with the people.* ^ No man was better qualified to give instruction on the subject of extemporaneous speaking than Mr, Campbell, He himself was LECTURE XIV. 149 It will not do to read such a passage of Scripture as tliat before us this morning (or indeed any other), with a dead, cold, monotony. Such reading is absolutely intoler- able, and utterly fails to impress the auditor with the true meaning thereof, and obscures, rather than develops, the picture drawn by the Spirit's pencil, in which is portrayed the grandest scene of the noble life of the grandest man in universal history. It is a trite but true saying, that every thing worth doing, is worth doing Avell; and we again commend to you all, if you desire to figure successfully before the public, to study the art and mystery of reading well, and speaking well. The certificate for fine reading in a European college, is equivalent to the degree of A. M. We will now look into the lesson of this mo-rning. The word "tempt" requires some attention. To make God himself the tempter, would be a curious proceeding, when the Devil alone is the real tempter of mankind. Temp- tation came through the Devil. This is a faulty translation of the original word. It should read, God did try Abra- ham. And what was the point of trial? It certainly was not a trial which had no significance. The sequel will tell us. God said to Abraham, " Take now thy son — thine only son — " was ever a sentence, more replete with an- guish, through the channel of love ? It was a splendid climax! First, "Take now thy son — " then, "thine only son — ," "him whom thou lovest." What a trial was this! He was commanded to take a son — an only son — the son of his old age — the son of promise — the idol of a doting father's heart, and offer him for a hurnl offering. Of all a living example of the highest type of this kind of speaking. In all tiie elements that constitute the true orator, he was not excelled by any man of his age. ^'^ 150 LECTURE XIV. offerings this was the most terrific. It ^Yas not a cold oft*- ering — but an offering to be singed — scorched — consumed by fire. We have already seen the signal manifestation of God's presence and favor, at the first burnt offering, as illustrated at the sacrifices offered by Cain and Abel. That of the first remained unharmed, while that of the latter, was consumed to ashes, by fire from heaven — the symbol of the divine acceptance. Fire was the hand of God, in receiving the sacrifices of the Jews. The word " tempt " I presume you all understand now, to mean try. The great point of trial in this case' was not Abraham's honor, or his public philanthrophy, or other virtue which commands the applause of men. It was a trial of Abraham's faith. Every thing was specific. " Take now thy son — thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering, upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of." How many distinct elements, this oracle contains ! Yet, Abraham carries out the di- vine command, to the very letter. He utters not a single complaint, remonstrance, nor argument-^asks no questions why this or that is as it is, but submissive in all things, the divine requisition is met in every particular — com- pletely fulfilled. He rose up early in the morning, took two of his young men (some of his servrnts I presume), to carry the wood to the hill top, where the fire was to be made. Observe the time and place, both of which have a peculiar signifi- cance. It was upon a mount a kind of elevated table land, where the offering was to be presented, and the third day is appointed as the time ; not the first, nor the second, but the third day. Upon the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the prescribed place. Just here, gentlemen, LECTURE XIV. 151 you will see there is a provision made for contingencies ; which though readily suggested, is often passed over with- out attention. He said to his young men, "Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the hid will go yonder and wor- ship, and come again to you. It seems that for some reason, Abraham did not wish any spectators of the scene, as if to make it still more solemn, and possibly for fear of interference. Observe too, there is no one now to carry the wood but his son, Isaac. It was a strange spectacle — the offering, carrying the wood that was to consume himself. Do you recollect any thing in the New Testament, that is typified in this solemn transaction ? It is a picture of our Saviour car- rying the cross upon which he was to be crucified, up the hill of Calvary. Isaac had to carry the wood to the sum- mit of the hill, for all great events in olden times, con- nected with the divine government, occurred on hills or mounts, when possible. It was simply what we call a hill — an elevated portion of land. History has in some instances, confused the minds of men, by the use of the words mount and mountain, applying them indiscrimi- nately, to towering mountains and hills, or comparatively slight elevations. Mounts Sinai and Calvary, were simply hills — elevated portions of land, which did not rise to the dignity, of our conception of mountains, at all. Gentlemen, there is another coincidence here, connected with the third day, on which the offering was consum- mated. The very remarkable resurrection of the Messiah was on the third day, after his crucifixion ; which is sym- bolized in this case. After lifting up his eyes, and seeing the place afar off he gives orders to his young men, and takes Isaac to the place appointed. He does not tell him what part he is to 152 LECTURE XIV. act in the solcuni scene, for Isaac said, "Behold the fire and wood, but where is the himb for a burnt offering?" This shows that Isaac was entirely ignorant of the fact, that he himself was to be the lamb. Abraham replied, " My son ! God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." He spoke just as he felt. He did not realize, that this was to be a trial of his faith. It was to him a solemn re- ality. He proceeds to lay his son, passively upon the altar. It is well to observe, that there is no violation of an oracle or law in this case. It might be supposed that as Isaac w^as young — in the flush and vigor of early manhood — prompted by the instinct of self-preservation, he would have struggled to prevent the sacrifice. But so far from it, his conduct and Abraham's too, conspire to present a beautiful figure of a free-will offering. Isaac gave himself up to his father, just as Messiah gave himself up to his ac- cusers. Abraham lays his only — his beloved son, upon the altar — even takes the knife into his hand and raises it to strike the fatal blow, when the exclamation, Abraham! Abraham! — twice repeated, suspends the stroke. The double cry attests the depth of feeling from which it orig- inated. A moment more and it had been too late. The knife in his hand — his hand is raised, his son lies bound upon the altar, when the cry — Abraham ! Abraham ! falls upon his ear, and may Ave not say upon his heart too — as the sweetest eloquence. It was an angel's voice, calling to him from heaven. Now, what was done to consummate the matter? for, surely this is not to be a mere mockery. There must be an offering — a substitute. It would not accord with the divine character, to bring Abraham away from home, through all this preparation, as a mere experiment. Ac- cordingly there was a ram caught in a thicket, and Abra- LECTURE XIV. 153 ham seeing, took it and offered it as a substitute for his son. In honor and memory, of this capital combination of sin offering and divine interposition, the place of offering was called by Abraham, Jehovah Jirah. There is another fact presented in this transaction, worthy of attention ; because it shows the divine estimateof a voluntary submission to his will. We learn here, that the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a "second time," and proceeds to announce the divine purpose, in that magnificent oracle, which culmi- nates in the assurance that in his seed "shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," and why ? '-''Because thou hast obeyed my voieer Now, what is there in this whole matter, of such deep interest to the whole human race ? We are all interested, gentlemen, for according to the promise, all the families of earth, are blessed in the seed of Abraham. By the instrumentality of the first Adam, came sin into the world, and by the second Adam (Christ) virtue came into the world. There is such a thing as vicarious suffering, making one suffer in place of another. Thus the Lord provided a sacrifice in this case, acceptable to himself and at the same time, nothing had to be compromised. Now there are cer- tain divines — philosophers — who suppose all this was a mere formality, indicating Avhat might be supposed to be more appropriate. But it is not so. It was absolutely essential to the safety of the universe, that sin should be punished, by nothing short of death — hence the proverb in Israel, " The wages of sin is death." Old men and young men, are prone in these latter,days, to speak dogmatically and affirmatively, of what is called the propriety of the Scriptures. The pulpit and the press, 154 LECTURE XIV. have lost much of their original influence and respect, by attempting to bring every thing, no matter how solemn, or mysterious, down to the comprehension of every body.* This has been carried to such an excess, that skeptics and infidels have been strengthened in their opinions, by inter- preting and applying, as types and shadows — the stern- est realities and facts. There are, gentlemen, what we call essential matters, entering into the constituency of the grand idea of sacrifice, so as to make it acceptable, and in harmony with the wants of society. The unbounded philanthropy, the unequaled generosity of the great Author of the universe, is clearly shown in his promise to Abraham, when he said, "In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." In other words, the Lord promised to make his posterity innumerable. The history, and epochs of the history, of the Jewish people, was greatly characterized by miracles. I have never been approached by the skeptic and free-thinker, upon the subject of the promises of Christianity, that he has not been confounded by that argument. They will readily admit that a miracle is beyond the power of human beings, unaided by the Omnipotent, but they are at a loss what to say or do, when asked to prove that the oracles and prophecies of the Bible are unworthy of the Omnis- cient One, or of the respect and confidence of man, by * There are some things in Christianity far above the comprehen- sion of mortals. And we only make ourselves ridiculous and detract from -the character of the religion we profess, when vve attempt to explain them. This, however, is true only of the philosophy oJ Chiristiauity, not of its duties. M. LECTUllE XV. 165 using all the political ami philosophical wisdom and knowl- edge of the nineteenth century, in order to predict the condition of any state or nation one hundred, fifty, or even ten years hence. They itiay study the multitudinous phases, changes and revolutions of all past ages, acquire all knowledge of the present and of the future, within their reach, and they are wholly unable to predict, with any accuracy, the condition or fate of their own or of any other nation, fifty, or even five, years in the future. How pitiably does such blindness, such weakness, com- pare with the divine wisdom and power displayed in the miraculous prophecies of the Old Testament, many of which have come to pass, in the exact fulfillment of even their minute details, as given in Holy Writ. (Bell rings.) LECTURE XV. Genesis xxvii. [The Class read the 27th Chapter of Genesis, but in- stead of remarking upon it, as usual, Mr. Campbell pro- ceeded to read and answer certain questions handed in by members of the Class, and closed the lecture with some general observations upon the book of Genesis. — Rep.] Mr. Campbell reads the first question : " Why did not God before repent that he had created man, since he foreknew that he would be wicked ?" He remarked : This is a very proper question, and one which has often been propounded, by the wisest men. It is presented in various forms, and always based on Genesis vi, 7. From another 156 LECTUKE XV. source we have the following : " Why did God create man at all, when he must have foreknown that he would repent of his action ?" All the difficulty, gentlemen, grows out of the Avord re- pent. The question proposed has been presented time and again, by our most learned theologians, and admits of but one solution. We have figures in rhetoric of the eifect for the cause, and the cause for the eifect. It is a metonymic figure. A figurative expression is never to be subjected to a literal interpretation. Now that God could repent at all, in the ordinary acceptation of the term, is out of the question altogether, if for no other reason, because He could not do wrong. Hence we reject entirely the literal import of the word. The expression is a figurative one. This is the very language of poetry, occurring, too, in the best style of history. There is a law of literature prohibiting the excessive use of tropes. We say of a composition, it is too tropical. There is a vast deal of that kind of Avriting in the Bible — I mean figurative writing ; and this expression, " it re- pented the Lord that he had made man on the earth," may be called a figurative exaggeration. In our daily par- lance, we frequently observe the literal and figurative use of the same word. We use words in their true import, as far as we can, and it is a law, that when matters of fact are presented we should, as far as possible, use words in their common acceptation. It is also a fixed principle, in the interpretation of laws, historical statements, etc., that words must be taken in their established signification. But in poetry and prophecy we have what we call rhetorical license. We sometimes hear persons who never heard a line of LKCTUIIK XV. 157 poetry, or stiulicMl n rule of rlietoric, speaking the most :nlinir:i))le rlictoi-ic, a fact wliich results from Avhat we call a i):iiicity of words. They have to take an image of things — paint a word picture — because thc}^ have not lan- guage in which to express their conceptions of them lit- erally. The whole subject of metaphorical presentation is with- out fixed laws, growing out of previously established rhe- torical rules. Rhetoric originated and grew up from the necessities of language. It does not initiate, but only in- terprets what has already obtained currency. Now, the word repent, when used in respect to God, only shows an appearance to man. God was only about to undo what was done contrary to his will. He was about to change his course of procedure, because of inci- dents transpiring in the history of man. The metaphori- cal use of the word here may be interpreted by facts, as they transpired subsequently. He had determined to punish, or rather to drown, the world. Now, this is an- other figurative expression. The earth was not literally destroyed, although such was the language used in an- other place. He only changed his course of procedure, and visited the iniquity of man upon himself, for what he had done before the change. God's repentance, then, as the word is used here, was only in appearance, and not in fact. A man may commence to build a house of a certain material, and when he has progressed to some extent, he sees that he could have done better, changes his plan, and begins again. Now, this is repentance in the sense of the word as used in Genesisvi, 7. God, doubtless, created the earth in all the imagery of beauty, but changes his plan, by a decree that produces the effect proposed, and at his behest the heavens pour out torrents of rain, and the 158 LECTURE XV. earth vomits forth a flood of waters, and all is changed — all is repented. God Avill punish insults to his authority and majesty, now and hereafter. The idea that God could be sorry and repent, as men re- pent for having done wrong, is simply preposterous. It could not be. It is, therefore, a figurative expression — an appearance for a reality, and we desire that you should so remember. " Metonomy does new names impose, And things by things, a new relation shows." We have, gentlemen, in the book of Genesis, a very long period of history. It contains twenty-three hundred and sixty-nine years of the world's history. It is the most eminently historical of all the books of Moses. Exodus gives us an account of the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt ; but the three books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are merely didactical, and ex- planatory of the institutions which God had established. In the Pentateuch we have all the history extant of the first twenty- five hundred years of the earth's existence. Four hundred years only intervened between the prophetic age and the coming of Messiah. This book gives all that pertains to the Jewish religion, and, as before remarked, it was necessary that there should be three distinct forms of religion, so far as outward profession was concerned — to-wit : the personal, the family, and the national. The claims of religion, gentlemen, are paramount to all others, inasmuch as they are divine. The obligations of religion are continuous through life, as they are designed to bind man to God. The duties of religion apart from the authority which demands their performance, are prompted by gratitude, for favors multiplied beyond our powers of comprehension. LECTURE XV. 159 All the institutions of the Bible, as we have already said, come under two classifications — the positive and the moral. We have already illustrated the positive, by refer- ence to the ordinances of time — the week being a subdi- vision, which depends upon the absolute will of Deity, while the day, month and year, are the result of the laws of nature. The week is, therefore, a positive institution. There have been much learned comment and profound rea- soning on this topic, "but after all is said, we are bound to conclude, that it depends for its origin upOn the absolute will of God. We remark further that all the principles of religion are natural, ^. e. belong to nature. When we are in distress or trouble, we pray or beg for relief — hence, prayer is not a positive institution. Children pray to their parents, be- fore they know the meaning of the word pray. They are prone to ask favors. They do so from the promptings of nature. Prayer depends upon faith, as faith does upon evidence. It confesses dependence, while it asks succor. If a man be starving, or is otherwise in danger of disso- lution, he becomes terrified, and often calls upon others to assist him in his prayers. So we see that prayer is nat- ural — confined to no age nor country. \Bell nn^s.] [January 12, 1860 — This morning President Campbell, instead of the usual lecture, spoke to the class, upon the importance of order and punctuality ; and closed by com- menting on the prevalent deficiencies, in reading and speaking, "both in our institutions of learning and in the public spheres of life." We give only a few verbatim ex- tracts, the address being almost exclusively designed, for the correction and reproof of the class. — Rep.] "'Order is heaven's first law.' It is essential to the 160 LECTURE XV happiness and prosperity of the human family, in every department of life. Every where in the universe we see a eonsummate embodiment of this principle. It is all order. Hence, it is said very properly by some philoso- phers, to be the first lesson impressed upon the human mind by an intelligent investigation of the principles of heaven and earth. The great purpose of education, is to draw out — to develop the human understanding — to give it vigor and strength, with which to grapple the mysteries of science, and the tongue and the pen are the grand in- strumentalities, by which the principles of education are disseminated among men. " Owing to defective education, or bad models, or both, we have in the modern pulpit, a reading tone, a praying tone, and a preaching tone. " Strange Gods constituted a peculiar characteristic of the Greeks. They were strange to the Jews, who had been taught to worship the true God. The phrase " Strange Gods," means Alien Gods. They were the in- vention of men — idolatry in the bud. As the phrase was used by the Gentiles so it is used now. It did not belong to the Jews ; they borrowed it from the Greeks." [Bell rings,^ LEOTUUK XVI. Iftl LECTURE XVI. GENKSIS XXXVII. Gentlemen — There is not, in the limits of literature, a more touching biography, than that of Joseph. In it, we have the most splendid portraiture, of a young man of probity and honor — maintaining his integrity, under the most trying circumstances, and his faithfulness to God, under persecutions, the most cruel and persistent. We do not propose to enter into the particulars of his life in this morning's Lecture, but shall direct your attention to a principle, which underlies all our learning, and is the acting element of our nature. We call it the power of belief — usually denominated faith. It is made to apply to a great many things, that are not properly within its horizon. It is a pre-eminent element in the nature of man. It is a positive entity in his mental constitution ; and properly understood, will be found to be most essen- tial, to his improvement. We have to learn the first, and all the letters of the al- phabet, by faith. We must kno\Y that certain letters or signs, are adopted by common consent, to represent the sounds of the human voice — hence we learn the A B by f\iith. We wish to give you, rudimental principles, that are the basis of pure facts in the human constitution, as recog- nized in human history. We remark further that faith is an element, as essential to man, as reason ; and I can not discover, why any man should give a higher place to reason, than to faith, in the grada- tion of the powers of the hmnnn nndorstundino:. 14 162 LECTURE XVI. Reason has of course to do with the perception and atti- tude of things — with the comparison of one thing with another, locating and marking the difference — then draw- ing corollaries and conclusions : And we have terms for the various processes of reason, distinguishing its offices, from those of other powers of the mind. We have the proofs of bipeds, quadrupeds, and multi- peds, in what we call the analogies of living and moving creatures. Words alone, enable us to distinguish between the dif- ferent powers of men. Yet we must look into the generic idea, before we can clearly discriminate and appreciate successfully the gifts and powers bestowed upon us. Now, we classify things in this way, and in classification we compare them separate, and finally dispose of what are called the discordant elements of nature. But we look now particularly into the idea of faith, which of course, always pre-supposes testimony or evidence. We canv not have faith, without testimony ; they are rela- tive terms and this constitutes one of the important facts, to be remembered in the study of the sacred volume. We must have the testis (witness) the testimony and the testa- ment — all from, the same 7'adix. Now, whether testimony be credible or not, is a matter for investigation ; and here reason begins to work. Whether testimony is veritable or not, whether it is good, bad or indifi"erent, is to be decided by certain attributes. There is no telling the degrees, existing between the barest possibility, and the barest probability ; and wdth these there is a plausible probability, that arises in the process of reasoning. We do not propose to designate the degrees of credibility, which may carry us to a moral certainty. Faith, however, is pure belief; and is certainly the most LECTURl'] XV r. 168 important element, in the intellectual constitution of man ; for by it alone, does any man convert the experiences of other men, to his uses. As already observed, there is a continuous exercise of faith, in the study of literature. For illustration: We have what we call a dictionary — a book of evidence. Ev- idence of what ? Why, of the guaranteed meaning of words ! Every one who looks for a word, in any lexicon — whether English, Latin or Greek — and thus ascertains its meaning, is to that extent walking by faith, in his efforts to under- stand the significance of written or spoken language. In deciding upon the origin and derivation of a particu- lar word, a hundred questions may arise, which reason must decide ; and that decision may involve the amount of faith, due to the evidence. No one can graduate the shades of faith, but we all know it grows, until from absolute incre- dulity, there is not an inkling of doubt. We have general terms which express the character of faith, as weak faith, strong faith, and it reaches by degrees, under the influence of accumulated testimony, the full assurance of ftiith — in the truth of a proposition — when we entertain no more doubt of it, than we have of our own existence. Indeed, we often entertain as thorough a conviction of the truth of a proposition, based upon moral evidence, as of the result of a mathematical demonstration.* But mathematics is in a different category altogether. * The kind of faith is always determined by the thing believed — every thing shall produce after its kind — while the degrex of failh depends largely upon the amount and character of the evidence. A belief in Geology is geological faith; a belief in Astronomy is astro- nomical faith, and a belief in the Gospel is evangelical or gospel faith. The strength of the faith will be affected by the testimony on which it rests. ^^- 164 LECTURE XVI. We consider any result ascertained by testimony, as more or less certain, according to tlie amount and kind of proof; but results ascertained b}^ mathematical processes? as absolutely true. But upon what is the science of reason- ing by mathematics, based, if not upon certain convention- al terms — accredited by faith. Mathematics defines the terms, and faith gives them significancy. An angle is an angle, whether it be an acute, obtuse, or right angle, and thus are principles fixed, in what we call the sub-basis of mathematical certainty. Nevertheless, we may say with truth, that we have a,s much assurance of certainty, in re- gard to matters of fact, through faith as we have through mathematics proper. It is only a different kind of assur- ance. The one is from evidence, the other from argu- ment. We by no means concede wisdom to those skeptics, in and out of the Church, who say that faith is a bad foun- dation, on which to rest the eternal destiny of man. They say we require assurance in all other matters, and why not have it here. This is ignoratio elenchi — a mistaken position, for we observe that matters of fact, ascertained by competent testimony, or otherwise, are as much a cer- tainty to us, whether we wish to have them so, or not. If a man is told that his only son, in whom all his hopes are centered, has been suddenly killed, it is certainly a heart-rending fact. It is not the belief, however, that makes it so, but the thing believed, and so on to the end of the category. Hence, we say all the power of any kind of faith is in the character of the thing believed. We hear of a great many occurrences, in which we have entire confi- dence, which fail to produce any effect upon us, because of the character of the occurrences themselves. It is very important, young gentlemen, to make these LECTURE XVI. 165 distinctions carlj in our historical and biographical read- ings. God has kindly given the power of belief to man, to enable him to' profit by the experiences of others. With- out it, every man's knowledge would be limited by his own experience. The reading of the lives of eminent men, of their fortunes and misfortunes, contributes largely to our fund of knowledge. In olden times, so important was it deemed, to have historical knowledge, that when (Esop wrote his world-renowned fables, they were assumed to be true. Now, if not strictly true, they contained moral conclusions, which were valuable. Facts are im- mutable, and though we may not readily perceive their relations, by close analysis and comparison, we may arrive at conclusions w^hicli are valuable. This is not only true in the science of numbers or quantities, but in the science of human affairs. If we look about us, we shall find that we are walking by faith, in all the spheres of human thought and action. Hence, it was all-wise and all-good, in our Heavenly Father, to make this, the great fundamental principle of both religion and morality. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the Apostle Paul, happily defines faith in this wise : "Xow, faith is the sub- stance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." This properly developed, is a handsome definition. It is very rare that the inspired writers define terms, but we presume the importance of this, accounts for this de- parture from the general usage. This is an exceedingly important and deeply interesting theme, inasmuch as our civilization and salvation depend equally upon faith — the first in the testimony of men, and the last in the testimony of God. By faith we learn to read — by faith we learn the definitions of the terms of 166 LECTURE xvn. science, by faith we look far into the shady past and fu- ture of the experiences Of humanity.* [Bell ringsJ] LECTURE XVII. GENESIS XXXIX. Gentlemen — There is no study more popular, or more interesting to the great mass of mankind, than what we call biography. I presume there is a more general culti- vation of the taste for biography in the literary world than for any other description of literature, owing to the curiosity of human nature to know the fortunes, good or bad, of those who have obtained conspicuity in the drama of human affairs. We desire to say in passing, that we do not approve of the word ^'fortunes.^^ We are sorry it has been canonized by the public. There is really no such thing in the uni- verse, as what we call fortune, in the sense here referred to. Its derivation is from fors — a Latin word, indicative of chance, merely. We know too, it has been canonized by still another authority, and made to refer to the laws or providences of God. The word, among the educated classes, merely refers to a series of developments, or * In this rationalislic age, it is very important to make broad anil clear the distinction between Faiih and Reason. Mr. Campbell has given much attention to this matter in these Lectures. And it will be seen, that he properly appreciates the power orFaith,asane'ement of success, in all the allairs of life. M, LECTURE XVII. 167 events, the causes of which are inscrutable to the human understanding; and for this reason, are spoken of as coming under the head of chance or accident. The ancients because they could not see the concatena- tion of events, superstitiouslj referred them to fortune or chance. The word, no matter how, has become popular- ized, and we have in common parlance the phrase, "for- tunes " or chances of human life. If such language were proper, we should be compelled to admit, that human life is a lottery, and such being the case, that a man embarks blindly upon the ocean of life, the sport of every wind and wave, without any stimulus to exertion, in the pursuit of honorable ends, his destiny in life being the result of chance. But this is wholly inadmissible, and we consider it a real misfortune, for a man to believe in any thing called misfortune. There is a strong saying of the prophet, which may well be cited here : " Is there evil in the city and the Lord has not done it?" What does this mean? Is God the author of evil? Observe, if you please, that there are two kinds of evil in the world — moral and physical. Of course, the latter is here referred to. There are mis- fortunes, so called, which pain and agonize the human system. They may be called physical evils, not moral. There are apparent contingencies to us, because we can not trace the concatenation — the sequence of . events. There is a visible and an invisible hand of God. Such is the order and regularity of the divine economy, that we can foretell an eclipse of the sun or moon, measure the paths of the planets, the times of their appearance and disappearance in the visible heavens, and if properly ed- ucated in Astronomy, we can tell to a second when these chaniijes will occur. Now, this exactitude of calculation 168 LECTURE xvir. lias true science for its basis; and witliout observation and calculation all seems hap hazard. Now, chance, strictly speaking, represents only what we can not explain. We know there can be no effect, moral or physical, without ad- equate cause, and it is important to remember that the government of the world is in the hands of the All-Wise and Omnipotent Ruler, the Creator, the Preserver, the Friend of man. It is scarcely necessary to observe that we do not ap- prove of chance and lottery games of any kind whatso- ever. They are, for the most part, dishonorable tricks, that abstract small or large sums of money from the pocket of one man, to be transferred to the pocket of an- other, without a due equivalent. We hold that there is hap-hazard, and much sin, in all kinds of gambling ; and that it ought to be wholly repudiated by every man who wishes to maintain the high and competent bearing of a gentleman, and a useful and honorable member of society. These remarks, on " fortune and misfortune," bring us naturally to the consideration of the good and bad for- tunes of Joseph. They have been the subject of much comment. It has been said that the selection of instru- ments for the accomplishment of the great purposes of Deity, in ancient times, took place as in lotteries, by the hand of God. In order to have a unity of reliance, it was important that all remarkable events should be referred to the hand of God ; as in the election of a successor to Judas, and in order to mark the chosen one as approved of heaven, they cast lots, in order to ascertain which God approved. Matthias was chosen, for reaoons best known to the Infinite Mind. Thus the lot becurac the general ro- sort on occasions of difficulty. LECTURE XVII. 169 The history of Joseph is most interesting. There is one point in his history -which is of great importiince. He was persecuted for his virtues. If he had done any thing amiss to father or mothei-, brother or sister, there might have been something to justify or excuse an attack on his character; but all concur in acquitting him of any thing of the kind. He Avas a young man of fine appearance, and was, in all respects, body, soul and spirit, as perfect a young man as any of his cotemporaries at least. He was selected by Divine Providence for a great work, and it was highly important that he should be educated. It is a delicate matter, however, to assume, even in these times, the truth of the proposition that men ought to be edu- cated for certain spheres of action in human society. The words predestination, election, and others of kindred sig- nification, have become so full of controversy that they re- quire due consideration, although, in the sense of modern religious philosophers, they do not once occur in Holy Writ. Yet we do not suppose for a moment that God cre- ated this vast universe of matter and animation, and dis- missed it at once to the government of chance, or left it even to the regulations of physical laws. If such were the case there would be no distinction of character what- ever. But man has intellectual and moral, and, above all, spiritual power. And these. different powers of the human constitution must be developed and employed — developed that they may be successfully employed in promoting the happiness of their possessors, and of others. It is very important to know precisely what we call a man's duty. But it is highly improper for a man to pry into the misty future, or rather to try to do so, by witch- craft, wizzard-craft, or any otlier craft, comprising the visionar}^ schemes which oriuMiiatc in the liuman brain and 15 170 LECTURE XVII. are encouraged by the credulity of the ignorant and su- perstitious. Sucli tilings ought not to be tolerated by any man of common sense. No man ought to try to draw aside the vail which conceals the future. It is far better for man to remain in ignorance of what God has in store for him, than to have a full-orbed view of it. I agree With those who esteem ignorance of the future a blessing to man. Do you ask why? We answer, that if he could contemplate the assured beatitudes of his future destiny he would be miserable while on earth, his very life, would be an incubus upon him. Whatever God has concealed from man, he has concealed in benevolence. Whatever he has revealed, he has revealed in benevolence. Mark the important truth, young gentlemen, that the distinguishing attribute of God's dealings with man is benevolence. So let us sing with the bard : " Oh ! blindness to the future, kindly given, That each may fill the station marked by lieaven." You will see that this great and distinguished person, although hated and persecuted for years, was honored in the world, and became as God to Pharaoh. One calamity following close upon the heels of another came upon him, but his virtue — his unfaltering trust in God — sustained him. It seems that he was wonderfully skilled in the inter- pretation of symbols, which was an especial gift to him, for the benefit of himself, his family, and the whole world. It is not difficult to show that one boy of seventeen ycara of age, exiled from home though he was, bore in his own person the fortunes of all time. If we extend our obser- vations to the history of the whole twelve tribes of Israel, with all the ehanges and fluctuations of that history, we LECTURE XVII. 171 maj perceive clearly that but for the fact that Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt, the condition of human society would be very different from what it is. How opposite the saying of the prophet, " God's way is in the mighty waters," and his footstep may be traced. "Is there evil in the city" (physical evil) '• and the Lord has not done it?" These are strong sayings. We sometimes say God permits this and commands that to be done, but we will best un- derstand the history of Joseph, when we view it in the light of special and providential ordinances.* {Bell rings.) LECTURE XVIII. GENESIS XL. Gentlemen — The phenomenon of dreams, has been of great interest to a large portion of mankind in all ages of the worlil. Dreaming is the most singular of mental pro- cesses. We can not analyze the properties, nor understand all the constituency of dreams. Solomon's defiinition, Ec. V : 3, 7, is perhaps considered by most men to be a final disposal of the subject. He says dreaming "comes from a multitude of thoughts" — passing through the mind, I presume, that is to say, our dreams are for the most part a *Mr. Campbell was a strong believer in the special providences of God. He not only accepted the Bible as God's l>ook, but he saw, in all the chain of events that arc recorded in it, God's special and wonderful PnjvidiMice. Consctiucntly, his faith in the Bible was truly subjinu". And lliis faith made him vviu(t he was, a giant in intenccl and a chil.l in humility. M. 172 LECTURE XVIII. continuation of our waking tliouglits — hence, it has been set down as a criterion by wliicli to estimate our dreams- Dreams of the kind here referred to, are nothing more nor less, than every day thoughts passing through our minds when in a state of sleep. Our minds are subject to wak- ing as well as sleeping dreams, which are the result of the continuous activity of the mind, under different circum- stances, when not controlled, or directed by the will. But dreams of this nature do not come within the sphere of prognostication. The dreams of the Bible are those which come entirely outside of our waking thoughts. There is something truly startling in a vision of this kind, where a man, during a period of profound repose, finds himself, communing with persons and places which he never saw or thouglit of before. This is one of the essential charac- teristics of what we denominate admonitor}^ dreams. There is no question that dreams have been, and may still be in- tended as admonitory, i. e. such dreams as carry us en- tirely out of the walks of our waking hours. A dream of this kind may have a moral and should be so regarded and understood. There is, however, a great deal of superstition on one side of society, and a great deal of indifference on the other, in regard to the phenomenon of dreams. Some expect too niuch, others not enough from dreams. The importance of the dream, in the chapter read to-day, is because of the association with an individual; who seems at a particular crisis, to have had in his keeping the des- tiny of the world. No man who has lived, has been more closely connected with events, upon which was suspended the safety of the human race. Yet this fact originated in his interpretation of dreams, or of the symbols of a vision, which enabled the King of Egypt, through Joseph's instru- LECTURE XVIII. 173 mentality to guard against tlic disastrous eiFects of a seven years' famine. When we look at tlie connecting links of the great chain of Providential events, associated with the life of Joseph, we can not avoid the conclusion that he was set apart as the divine instrument for the execution of the great purposes of God, in connection with the Jewish people. The dreams of the Bible, w-e doubt not, have transpired in particular states of the mind ; when the body, in pro- found repose, presented no obstacle to the free and clear contemplation of such visions as passed in review before it — when the mind was perfectly abstracted from all sur- rounding circumstances, as it were, disembodied for the time, and brought naked in the presence of those visions, which symbolized events involving the destinies of a na- tion, or, it may be, of the race of man itself. They came entirely without the purview of any association of natu- ral ideas. Such were the dreams of the ancient days of Egypt, which carried man far beyond his natural sphere, and were, therefore, truly startling. It doubtless required time to comprehend the full sig- nificance of these visions. But, in ancient times, there were rudimental and radical laws, for the interpretation of the portents of Providential dreams, that is, those com- ing entirely outside the area of human thought. Hence, the places and symbols were pictured. Most of such dreams were robed in splendid imagery, sometimes aw- fully impressive ; but it was imagery suited to the scenes made to pass in review before the human mind. There were rules for the interpretation of every symbol and every picture. It was a beautiful study, and embodied 174 LECTURE XVIII. classified principles, resembling, in some respects, our al- phabetical systems. But these things are not essential to our condition of life ; but to understand the reasons why these things were so, is important, as well as interesting. The study of such things teaches us to realize that when there is a special providence over a special people, for a special purpose, they become so much the objects of divine supervision and direction as to have their ways marked out to them in dreams and visions of the night. I once heard a gentleman of integrity and veracity say, in reference to a similar matter, that he was once engaged in the harvest-field, when a very heavy storm came up suddenly and unexpectedly. The threatening cloud was surcharged with electricity, and knowing that the rain would soon commence, he took shelter beneath a hirge tree, standing near by, and while the rain was pouring down in torrents, he, unconsciously as it were, walked out into it, about forty paces from the tree, when a single flash of lightning shivered the tree to splinters. Why he walked out into the rain, in this involuntary manner, he could not divine. We have similar circumstances reported fre- quently, and equally remarkable. Such incidents as these, taken in connection with the phenomena of dreams, would go to show that God has communicated knowledge to man in mysterious ways. Joseph's dreams were of the symbolic kind, and there- fore required what, in the ancient law, was called oneiro- mancy — a sort of criticism established in old times to tell what each symbol meant; and for their skill in this art some persons had high positions in society, as they don — one not merely relating to a family at the time of pronouncing it, but one that per- tains to the remedial system; It is a patriarchal blessing. Jacob is represented as calling his sons together, in order to pronounce, what was anciently called, a paternal bene- diction. The manner, is beautifully illustrated in the third and fourth verses. Mark the sentence, "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel," etc. The Jews venerated this book as much as Christians do, and they interpret it as they would any other literary composition, i. e., literally — as having no double meanings. They do not indulge in metaphorical speculations, con- cerning the Bible. The fortunes of these people, were given in a very few words. For example, in the case of Reuben, the first of the family, he says, " Thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength — the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power." All these characteristics, were implied in the rights of primogeniture; which with the Jewish people, were then, and are now, very important matters. Jacob says plainly to Reuben, " unstable as water, thou shalt not excel." Reu- ben had been guilty of a very gross misdemeanor. We call your attention, gentlemen, to the first line of the fourth verse. It is a proverb, adopted in modern times, that the man called volatile or versatile, who turns his hand to a great many different things, but soon be- comes tired of his undertakings and abandons them, one LECTURE XIX. 179 after another, in quick succession, never does, and never can, excel in any tiling. Hence, it is important that those who desire to excel in any department of art or science, or in any sphere of human action, should have some pri- mary object in view, and attend assiduously to it. It is much better to have a perfect knowledge of one science, than a defective and imperfect knowledge of half a dozen. Stability is essential to success ; instability is the com- panion of misfortune and want, and is an obstacle to dis- tinguished success in any department of life. " Thou shalt not excel." The temper is doubtless taken into the account, but his moral character is given as a second reason. Reuben had been guilty of a flagrant vi- olation of law, and for that reason the patriarchal vale- dictory address is, by no means, flattering to this branch of the family. Of Simeon and Levi, he says, " My soul come not thou into their secret ; unto their assembly mine honor, be not thou united ; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will digged down a wall." That is, they had com- mitted homicide, and violated the rights of property. This is an awful character to be given of his sons by their father, but it is made the basis of their future fortunes. This account of the moral character of Simeon and Levi is of great value to those who wish to trace their history, and contemplate its influence on their destiny. The lives of Simeon and Levi may be distinctly traced in Jewish history. It is important to remember, in this connection, that the Priesthood belonged to the family of Levi. Commenta- tors say they w^ere not only exiled, but were denied any right of inheritance. It was not required that a man should be pious in order to be a Levite. He was so by 180 LEcrriiE xix. birth. The virtue of tlie institution was in the blood. Tliis distinction is made as prominent as any other. Yet, notwithstanding this clear distinction in regard to cere- monies, pertaining to the flesh, to make all this a reality and to convert these customs and usages into the worship of the true Church, as has been done by some, is one of the greatest errors recorded in human history. The Ju- daical Institutes were adopted by both the Greek and Roman Churches. We have the sub-basis of almost all kinds of institutions in the laws and institutes of one country. In ancient times, the custom of paying tithes was con- sidered, as in our country, a worldly institution, and in Europe, rather than submit to an unjust tax, to support a priesthood whom they did not approve, and a religion Avhich their consciences condemned, thousands upon thou- sands emigrated to this country — indeed, this was the ac- tive cause of the stampede of persecuted citizens from the Ohl World to the New. And from these came tliat strict- ness of religious sentiment and rigid sense of moral jus- tice, which we sometimes call New Englandism. The characteristic principles or doctrines held by the great mass of these emigrants, were, freedom of opinion and freedom of speech and action, in matters pertaining to conscience. We remark that men have suffered more in the maintenance of these rights, than in the attainment a^d preservation of fortune. Inroads and innovations, resulting in apostate institu- tions, have generally been trivial at first, like the mighty rivers, which may be traced to a small fountain. The enormities growing out of a union of church and state were small matters in their incipiency, but grew until they LECTURE XIX. 181 were intolerable, and have convulsed states and churches innumerable. The fundamental principles of government, called the rights of man, were found incorporated in the old Jewish institution, as well as in the modern Christian institution. The Priesthood began in the family of Levi, and the Sceptership in the tribe of Judah. These arrangements were made by the father of the holy tribes. Stooping as the lion, and crouching like the tiger, were intended as symbolical characteristics of that great tribe. The scepter was never to depart from Judah — they should never want a representative — until Shiloh came, and to this person was the gathering, the congregating of all the world, to be. There is a remarkable unanimity in the facts of this book, and we have in it figures just as clear as the char- acters representing the sounds of the human voice ; and we are thus enabled to trace facts and important eras in the Jewish age, as correctly, and almost as easily, as we can follow up the great events in our OAYn history, or the modern history of other nations. It was said the scepter should not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until when ? Until Shiloh came! Here, then, are fifteen hundred years embraced in one period before his coming. Shiloh means Messiah — the Son. This was the Elijah that was to come, which is interpreted to us by John the Harbinger, who preceded the Messiah. The scepter did not depart from the royal tribe — the tribe of Judah — the family of David. The skeptic objects to this, i\s too vague a statement to rely upon for proof of so important a matter. They want a clear basis for the supi)ort of such important facts. Ask these gentlemen what they want, and when they make out 182 LECTURE XIX. tlicir requirements definitely, Ave have just the proof on hand to satisfy them. No man with the telescope of faith, and the eye of culti- vated reason, can fail to see and believe, that the prophe- cies of the Bible have been fulfilled down to the present day. In regard to the possibility of a standing miracle, the argument of these skeptics is, that a standing miracle is always standing, and, therefore, no miracle at all. There is one kind of facts in this book which can be relied upon by all sensible men — a sort of backbone of Jewish history found in the history of the two tribes — Levi embodying the priesthood and altar, and Judah typifying the king and scep- ter. You may here find a synopsis of Jewish history, well worth looking into, by those who really desire to understand these important matters. The Jews look at these facts and read these portions of the sacred volume just as we do, but repudiate any such person as Jesus Christ.* IBell * Mr. Campbell spoke also of the importance attached by the Jews to the birtlis in their respective tribes, and the strictness of their at- tention to tlie right of circumcision, the record of the birth, and at- tending circumstances, also of the opinions and views of leading Jews in this and foreign countries with wliom he had conversed frequently upon these subjects. I would add, that Mr. C. spoke this morning more rapidly than usual, owing perhaps to irritation, caused by the ndsconduct of some of the students, and I am by no means confi- dent, that 1 have not failed in some parts of this lecture to report him correctly. — Reporter. LECTURE XX. 183 LECTURE XX. GENESIS XLIX. Gentlemen — We have a rery interesting summary in the last chapters of this book, of the divisions and history of the Jewish people. We have history and prophecy, united, so as to enable us to connect the past, present, and future, of this great and monumental people. It was a custom of the old patriarchs, and by the way, a very venerable one, at the approach of death, to give di- rections to their children, concerning the future. Hence, in part from this custom, we have history and prophecy, going hand in hand, throughout this whole volume. Records of past events are given us in the sequel, based on prom- ises, anterior to what has happened ; therefore, we have a whole volume, containing a history of the past and a proph- ecy of the future. The aged and venerable Jacob, appears here in the last scenes of his eventful life, with his family around him. Having called a convention of his posterity, he addresses them in the language recorded in this chapter. The for- tunes of each of the twelve tribes, are here briefly por- trayed. The first born was Reuben. He says to him, " thou art my first born, my might, the beginning of my strength," etc. What are called birthrights, were absolute, irrespective of the character of the inheritor. Reuben's family was the first tribe of Jacob — of the family of Israel — and there were other frailties in his moral character, besides instability ; which alone was sufficient, to prevent his arriving at excellence. Simeon and Levi, come next ; neither having much ex- 184 LECTUKE XX. cellence of chanicter, and their personal characters were by no means much appreciated, by Moses. The will of Jacob, as presented here, is in a very singu- lar style — perfectly original; and doubtless, altogether consistent with his feelings. He speaks like a man in so- liloquy, which is the most powerful and effective way of ex- pressing one's self. From Levi, who was a servant at the altar, sprang Moses and Aaron. The tiibe of Levi, were deprived of any portion of real estate, and derived their support alto- gether, from service at the altar of the priests.* Having spoken of these, he comes next to Judah. In him we have the Jewish people. He is highly honored — aggrandized in the superlative degree. Judah means praise — it is all glory. He is the lion's whelp. The destiny of his tribe, is made very emphatic. The most- precious promise in this book, is made in the tenth verse ; as it assures us of the comincr of Messiah — the Shiloh of the sacred historian. The book of Genesis, is regarded by all critics, whether Christian or Jewish, as one of the richest treasures vouch- safed to man. It has furnished names to many of the human family, and precious truths for man's enlightenment. Judah became distinguished, and from this tribe sprang the kings of Israel. Shiloh is sent as the Prince of peace, and "unto him shall the gathering of the people be." It should read peoples. The word indicates plurality, and *Tliis fact has been frequently used as an argument in favor of a salaried Clergy. The fallacy is in supposing that Preachers in the Christian Church come in the place of the Jewish Priests. It is right to pay any worthy man who preaches faithfully the Gospel — such should be well sup|)Orted— hut it is wrong to conclude that there is a dasa of men in the church wlio have a right to a salary by virtue of their official character. M. LECTURE XX. 185 the text clearly implies, that the Gentiles and all peoples, are incorporated in the term people, as here used. These three verses, properly interpreted, give us a historic view, so long before the events referred to transpired, that {hy accident, a few tvords were here lost to the reporter). It constitutes one of the best arguments in favor of the truth of the Christian religion to be found in the book of Genesis. The remaining passages in this remarkable benediction, although interesting, are not as pre-eminently so as those already referred to. We shall, however, glance at some of them. That concerning Dan is a very singular oracle, and of ambiguous interpretation. Beside being a serpent, he was distinguished for power. There is a very beautiful passage in reference to Joseph. " He is a fruitful bough," and clothed with fruit. This is a happy compliment, and has reference to his position in Egypt. When carried into Egypt, and sold into slavery, then honored and exalted, no man could have divined the intention of it. He was greatly blessed in person, and his history is the most interesting in the book of Gen- esis, and worthy of profound study. By degrees, he rose above the Pharaohs in real power and dignity — was en- throned in the admiration and affection of the people, and almost worshiped. It is wonderfully strange to us, that these old patriarchs should have seen so far into the future of the tribes ; but certain it is, that, by their prophetic power, they pene- trated the distant future, and told, with invariable accu- racy, what was to come from its dark recesses. It is said by all critics and lovers of the sublime and beautiful, that no benediction ever pronounced is so ro- 186 LI-CTUKE XX. plete with richness of sentiment as the blessing pro- nounced by the dying patriarch upon his son Joseph. The only person that fills the beau ideal of the oracle concerning Benjamin, is that, remarkable character, Saul of Tarsus. Although it may seem difficult to make him the subject of the oracle, yet when Ave look into the cata- logue of the world's great men, and find one who seems to have risen out of Pagandom — outside of the country of the twelve tribes of Israel — the descendant of a par- ticular family, justly famous throughout the realms of civ- ilization — we readily conclude that such a fact is worthy of an oracle. And although the oracle has an abbrevi- ated form, it is a significant admonition of what was to come. Hence, a great many learned interpreters of the Scriptures of divine truth, recognizing him as the most distinguished of the tribe of Benjamin, have decided that the oracle has reference to Saul of Tarsus. ' We are told, at the close of the last scene in the life of the great patriarch, that " all these are the twelve tribes of Israel," . . . . " every one according to his blessing, he blessed them." He charged them concerning his body, and said to them, " I am to be gathered to my people," and, after the remarkable custom of the ancients, he directed them in reference to the place where his re- mains should repose. A great deal of interest is mani- fested, in the patriarchal age, in reference to the place of burial of the dead. And Jacob, having commanded his sons, in reference to his body, " yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people." Thus, gentlemen, we have given you a brief summary of the lives of the three great patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You will find in the lives of these great men as much of the truly sublime and divine in history and LECTURE XX. 187 special providences, as there is in the whole Bible beside. One remark on providence. We have not time to discuss it now, but this much we must say, that in harmony with the whole creation, with the power and goodness displayed in giving birth to this mundane system, would it not be a serious reflection upon the character of the Creator of the Avorld, to suppose for a moment that he does not feel the deepest interest in its destiny ? And would it not be en- tirely compatible with his glory to bring this grand drama to a close highly honorable to himself, to his government, and to the subjects of that government — so wise, so pow- erful, so benevolent ? There is only one way in which we can study these things profitably, and that is, by looking at the parts, and then viewing the whole in reference to the several parts. This rule should be a fixture in the minds of all who would reason aright on this great sub- ject.* {Bell rings.) * This is one of the peculiarities of Mr. Campbell's teaching. Having analyzed his subject, and looked at each point by itself, or in connection with other points, he then studied each point as re/a^ed to the whole. And this, perhaps, enabled him to take that broad comprehensive view of things which always characterized his teach iugs. M. 188 LECTURE XXI. LECTURE XXI. Exodus, xxiv, xxv, 16. Gentlemen — We now commence to lecture upon that which properly pertains to what we call religion; not re- ligion, however, in any special form of worship, but that which enters into the constituency of the great remedial system. We have but three forms of religion, to which we frequently refer, to-wit: the famih^, the national and the imperial or universal. Society, in all age-s, from the earliest to the latest, has tended toward the formation of constitutional governments. But these governments have never attained the perfection which modern institutions exhibit. The social system has always existed in some form. It began in the family, then rose to the tribe, then to the nation, and culminates in the world. No one can study ttie heavens astronomically, and not observe how the very same economy permeates the entire area of all knowledge, celestial and terrestrial. We have the sun and fixed stars, also the wandering stars, called planets, and beside these there is another class called comets, which seem to pass through the universe, but which have never been fully understood by astronomers. There must be occasion for what we call a specialis in the government of nature. Y/'e must have general laws, and we must have special laws — in other words, law for a part and law for the whole. In the animal and vegeta- ble kingdoms, there arc principles essential to their exist- ence, and these principles, or immutable laws, may be va- riously arranged. Hence, in order to understand any science, we must classify its principles. We see, there- LECTURE XXT. 180 fore, the neccssit}' of Logic in presenting all science in three or more classes — the genus, the species, and the in- dividual. In no other form can man study science of any kind. Accordingly, Logic is the science of reason, and in this we have the individual word, the species or kind, and the genus of it. Philosophers say the most compre- hensive word in language is the verb to he. It is the gen- erallissimo of all words. It comprehends God, mind and matter ; every thing is comprehended in the Avord heing.^ In the study of the Bible, and of all systems from which we derive education or instruction, we must enter into the elements — the essential philosophy — if we would succeed in our undertaking. The Bible itself is a book of facts — it is a dramatic vol- ume. It is the drama of the world, and that's a stage, '^ where every man must play a part." There was no residuary matter at the creation. There is nothing, therefore, left out of science ; hence the world, in its entirety, becomes a perfect science. We have in all science fundamental and sieneral arrano-ements. We come now to a study of infinite importance, and of profound interest to mankind — and that is, the study of types. We need the study of types, in order to under- stand our religion. Religion is a supernatural institution ; not natural, nor yet preternatural, but supernatural. Moses was a great type-founder, and he gives us an en- tirely new font of types, which, by special study on our * The structure of language is highly suggestive of this fact. Every proposition has a subject, copula and predicate. Being is always asserted in the copula, and this precedes the action or state asserted in the predicate. Life first and action next, is the law of all things. Hence, being is the most comprehensive word in all the area of human speech. M. "190 LEuTURE XXI. part, will enable us to become thoroughly acquainted with the typography of religion. It is the most perfect social arrangement that can be conceived or imagined; and we are now about to enter upon that portion of oyr labors which we deem the most necessary and important to a good un- derstanding of the religious system. It is retrospective of Avhat we had in the patriarchal, and prospective of what we have in the Christian institution. We shall, there- fore, institute rigid and thorough examinations. Every thing here is providential. Moses himself is a phenomenon, from the beginning to the end of his his- tory. He was exposed to death, under a law of Egypt. He was put into an ark, and placed upon the river Nile, in the midst of crocodiles. His own sister was appointed his guardian, to stand upon the shore, and observe this ark. By a special providence, Pharaoh's daug°hter ap- pears upon the river bank, at her bathing hour, and the ark floating along at that point, the child providentially cried. That cry was the most eloquent oracle ever heard by the Egyptian or the Jewish people. Pharaoh's daugh- ter heard the cry, and dispatched a servant to look into this remarkable occurrence. She found the infant in the bulrushes, without any protector. The child was, provi- dentially, not fortunately, weeping. It was immediately adopted by the royal princess, being an exceedingly beau- tiful child. Beauty has sometimes been a source of great sin, and sometimes of great blessings. Pharaoh's daugh- ter's heart was captivated by the beauty of the infant Moses. She hired a nurse to take care of him, not know- ing what she was beginning to do. So the child was prov- identially placed in the proper place to be developed. The word Moses means drawn out of the water. The Jewish people, were blessed in this remarkable LECTURE XXr. 191 man. There never was before or since Moses, a man who possessed as much knowledge of God, during his hibors of twice forty years duration ; half of Avhich, were spent in leading the children of Israel, and the other half in leading the life of a courtier. We make these remarks, as prefatory to the study of the great institution, now to be comprehended — the reme- dial system by types. It is a noteworthy fact, gentlemen, that our types, with the use of one of the darkest, black- est substances, known — printer's ink — have been the light of the world. And it is a singular fact, that our light comes out of that which is providentially dark. It was providentially arranged that light should spring out of darkness, when the ingredients are rightly arranged and presented to the vision. It was thus arranged, that these types should be cast, and when studied and put in their proper places to be read, they should give to man a proper and adequate idea of the arrangements of God. There is an especial order, in the construction of the tabernacle, which was built by the divine command, and which great and holy house of the Lord, we must study carefully, if we would have a proper appreciation of religion. We have taken a cursory view of the patriarchal age, comprehending the drama of creation, and the memorial biographies of the patriarchal fathers, down to the pres- ent period; in which we have the great ideas, that per- meate, what we call religion. Here we enter upon the study of the house, first show ing in its position, furniture, etc., the great principles, in harmony with the laws o'f life.* This building (the Taber- *Mr. Campbell attached the greatest importance to a proper un ■derstanditig and appreciation of tlie Tabernacle. He regarded it at? 1 92 LECtURK XXt. Tiacle) uas first a tent. The people had a pilgrimage to make, and carried it with tliem ; hence, the whole structure was made to be taken down luid borne by men. Being pilgrims they carried their furniture with them. They pitched this tent, wherever they stopped. Those whose business it was to carry it, belonged to the family of Levi, while the high priest belonged especially to the family of Aaron. So long as they tarried anywhere, the services were going on in the sanctuary, and so it continued, until they came to the promised land — their own country. There in the course of time King Solomon, erected a splendid temple. We are, therefore, to study the temple, and the tabernacle at the same time ; for although the tabernacle was portable, it possessed every thing pertaining to religion, and in the temple, was nothing more nor less, than was contained in the tabernacle. The chapters read this morning, gave us a general view of the commencement of it. We look at it standing Eas* and West — longitudinally. It always opened to the rising sun. There w'ere departments for the outer court, the inner court, and the most holy court. There was then furniture for the court that had a back to it ; then there was furniture for the holy place. There was a beautiful curtain, embossed containing the seeds of things — presenting to the eye the whole remedial system, in miniature. During the discussion of this sub- ject he was accustomed to spend much of the time in questioning the class, and enforcing upon the minds of all every particular connected with this significant type of the redemption through Christ. Of course it was impossible to report these incidental discussions, and , consequently they are not given in the Lectures that follow. This omission must necessarily greatly detract from the interest that was always felt in Mr. Campbell's discussion of this subject. Neverthe- less we think enough is given to present every thing concerning the Tabernacle, in a clear light. M. I LECTURE XXI. 198 with clionibim between the liolj and most holy — the holiest of all. It was the all important center of the devotion of the people. Now we have three states — the state of nature, the state of grace, and the state of glory. This is enough probably for the present, in order to give you the outlines essential to a proper appreciation of the grand ideas contained in this magnificent structure. The art of printing, and the art of figuring in mathe- matics, or otherwise, are very important studies in order to a due appreciation of this institution. We have an alphabet printed in dark colors, favorable to the human eye — the black letter — in \Yhich is found all intellectual and moral light. As a source of intellectual light, its power is exhibited in giving significance^, to certain pictures. Again we have distinctions embodied in the vowels and consonants of language. Language in its structure, is rep- resentative of facts and ideas. Now we have the eye and the ear, wonderfully adapted to the entire development of man. The eye is the most important of all our means of communicating with the outer Avorld, and for this reason we have letters for the eye, and the sounds represented by vowels and consonants, for the ear. Now, a man of intel- ligence, has only to look steadfastly upon these symbols, and by and by every idea there represented, will penetrate his mind and permeate his heart. It is true that the let- ters of the alphabet are positively arbitrary, as they are used to represent this or that sound ; but there is no other way of representing the vocal powers, and why may not technical terms be employed, provided they be clearly defined, and the definitions strictly adhered to? We find that a great deal of information, has been derived from pictures, graven by the chisel upon marble pillars. A great deal of our knowledge, too, is communicated by 17 194 LECTURE XXII. the ear. Thus, we have pictures for the eye, and sound for the ear, and by looking upon the monument, and listen- ing to the interpreter of its symbols, we may comprehend and appreciate their significance. [Bell rings.^ LECTURE XXII. EXODUS XXV, 17. Gentlemen — There is a central idea, in every (properly so called) science. There is a grand central root to every science. Take for example, the sciences of Geography and Astronomy. Now the root of the first is merely gee the earth; of the latter astron^ a star. Hence, the whole science of the earth, is founded in gee, and that of the heavens in astron. These roots lie back of all terminology, hence, the importance of being inspired with their true significance. Adam was called upon to name every thing about him — no mean task, since, according to our philos- ophy, no man can give an appropriate name, unless he understands the difi'erential characteristics and attributes of the object. We discover Adam's wisdom in the fact, that he made not a single mistake, inasmuch as they were all approbated by God, and, therefore, scientific. The in- fallible test to which Adam's correctness was submitted, shows that he must have had an extensive fund of knowl- edge, so far at least, as materiality is concerned. Now, this splendid structure — the tabernacle — which we are about to consider in detail, is one of the most impor- tant and significant of all studies. We have Solomon's LECTURE XXII. 195 temple, as a consummation of tlie matter, but we have first tlie tent, already mentioned — adapted to a long jour- ney of forty years, in the -wilderness — which was the ru- dimental conception of all that was stereotyped in the Jewish temple. We take first, the central idea, as Moses gave it — the ark — which means chest, and may be of square or oblong figure. The furniture then of this in- nermost palace, speaking with reference to the three de- partments, to-wit : the outer court, the holy place, and the most holy place, was the central idea of the three depart- ments, which represented three states, called the state of nature, the state of grace and the state of glory. The Christian religion, is the grand development of these three divisions. The outer court, therefore, was for the whole w^orld. All humanity met there — a portion only congre- gated in the holy place, and a very select and compar- atively small portion, entered the sanctum sanctorum. Now no one can thoroughly understand and appreciate Christianity, who has not thoroughly mastered what we call the typography of it, presented here, in this beautiful and picturesque representation, whose position, intent and object, are all intimately related to Christianity. It was made to stand due East and West. In the outer court yard, of parallelogramic formation, there was first of all, the altar. Entering in at the door, the first object which arrested the attention, was a large brazen altar, with horns attached, and proper garniture, for burning with fire, the victims that were laid upon it. This is a strange idea, you may think, to bring a calf, a kid, or lamb — un- blemished — take the blood from its neck, and place it in a certain basin, for a certain purpose — and then to burn to ashes, the body of the victim upon the altar. But it is all significant, when viewed in relation to the remedial system. 196 LECTURE XXII. But we must look particularly at the outer court before we come to the sanctuary. Here then was the great bra- zen altar of burnt offering. Next to this was water, in a large urn — Loutron — now called in our language laver. This vessel of water, stood on the right side of the door as you entered. A blood off'ering was presented every morning and evening, and beyond this was the laver, where the priests washed their hands, and their persons if nec- essary, free from every speck of blood which might be on thom, before entering into the holy place. We must have all these matters fixed in our minds, as well as their posi- tion, before we are prepared to appreciate, the intent and meaning of the institution; and the objects to be accom- plished by it. It is next to be remembered, that the fire on the altar, was perpetual. It avms kindled first of ail by God himself. This gave it significance. It was not an artistic fire, kindled by the hand of man ; but was fiirst adjusted within our knowledge, at the sacrifices off"ered by Cain and Abel. There stood Abel and Cain, by their respective altars — the one with a blood offering, the other with the first fruits of the soil. We remember how God accepted the offering of Abel, and left Cain's upon the altar. Why was this? We have already enlarged upon this subject, by show^ing that blood underlies the whole system of redemption, and that Abel by faith, offered a better — a more acceptable sacri- fice than Cain, inasmuch as it was a bloody sacrifice, while his brother's was bloodless. No thank offering, not based on faith, ever was, or ever can be accepted by God, This is the idea — without the shedding of blood there is no re- ligion, either in the patriarchal, the Jewish, or the Chris- tian age. This great principle, is stereotyped, through- out the Old and New Testaments, and in the Epistle of LKCTUiii!: xxir. 197 Paul to tlie Hebrews, Ave have tlie subject discussed, with that infallible knowledge, given by God to that remarkable man. But Ave must consider the tabernacle with reference to its garniture. The altar stands betAveen the heavens and the earth. It occupies a mediatorial position, between heaven and earth. Nothing placed upon the earth, Avas acceptable to God * It Avas placed sufficiently high, to be Avithin the reach of man, and was consecrated to burnt offerings, presented to the Lord. The fire on the altar first came doAvn from God, and is to be considered the hand of God. It Avas a perpetual fire, kept on the altar from day to day, from Aveek to Aveek, from year to year. It Avas the duty of every high priest, during his administration, to attend to the altar, and take care of the fire, Avhich Avas perpetual for hundreds of years. There Avas no admission to the altar, except by blood, and then Avater. After the priest had performed his duties at the altar, he Avashed in the loutron. For this reason, the Apostle Paul has called the Christian Baptism a Avashing — the Avashing of the Ncav Institution. We, then, have the altar, the laver, the blood and the water. NoAv, who frequented the outer court ? Was it a select class, or those called the Israelites, that Avere alloAved to stand there ? We ansAver, all men, Avhether Jcav or Gen- tile, had a riorht to stand in the outer court, and the Avholo nation had the rights and privileges pertaining to that * This is a significant fact. When Adam fell the ground was cursed for liis sake, and since then, no ofiTering placed upon the earth is acceptaVjle to God. Tlie word Hagioa — translated holy — is derived from the Greek privative « — which means separation from — and^ee, the earth. Hence, the primary meaning of holiness to the Lord is separation from the earth — lifting the afiections above earthly things, and placing them on God. M. 198 LECTURE XXII. court; but there vfove other courts — the holy places — where only certain class.es were admitted. The outer court WMis free to the whole nation, but the priest alone served in the sanctuary ; and before he could do this it was neces- sary to make the offering, and Avash himself in the laver, at the entrance of the outer court. Having entered the sanctuary, what persons do w^e find in the first room ? Every part of the building was designed to be symbolical of some thing. The priest could go, after the preparation described, into the holy place, to Avorship. The holiest was accessible to the high priest only once a year ; and this was necessary to consummate the purposes of the institu- tion. The high priest must have admission into the divine presence, and in the holiest place there was constantly a splendid manifestation of the divine presence. Whenever the high priest appeared in the holy of ho- lies, he bore on one shoulder six names, and on the other shoulder six names, of the twelve tribes of Israel ; and upon his breastplate were four rows of three names each, representing, as did those on his shoulders, the twelve tribes of Israel. We omitted to remark, while on the subject of the blood- sacrifice, that the " life is in the blood" — the blood is the scabbard of life, and that the offering of blood was the offering of life. In treating of any topic we generally take a survey of the subject-matter. We look over a plantation, standing on some commanding point, and thus become acquainted with its outlines. So with our present subject, we circum- navigate the Avhole area, and look at its general plan, be- fore we enter into its minute details. But the grand idea underlies all these. The figures embodied in this struc- ture are all pictures, like the black letters of the printed LECTURE XXII. 199 page before us, ^vhicli constitute tlie fountain of our intel- lectual light. Just so with spiritual light, coming from the blood. There is an analogy here. In reference to blood as a sin-offering — an offering to expiate the sin of man, we have to say, that it is an insti- tution which never could have occurred to the human mind by a priori operation. It must have originated, therefore, in the Divine Mind, and thence permeated the mind and heart of man. We must next look at these symbols, in order to under- stand the details of this institution. By our circumlocu- tion, we will ferret out the secret of the building. We shall find every thing perfectly adapted to its purpose — first the blood, second the water, and third the bread of life. All these arrangements are made in the Divine wisdom. We have access to the first court, then we come to the inner court, and finally are granted admission into the Divine presence, and that is the acme, the culmina- tion, beyond Avhich the human mind has nothing to desire. We have, gentlemen, in this remarkable institution, all that enters into the lattitude and longitude of the whole Bible. {Bell rings.) 200 LECTURE XXIII. LECTURE XXIII. EXODUS XX7I. GENTLEMEN-:rMuch has been read and spoken in regard to order. All know that God is a God of order, but the best lesson ever read upon that important topic, is given in the construction of this edifice — this mystic edifice — every item of which is a type. Just as metallic type, in our day, are used for the purpose of communicating knowl- edge to mankind, so God has cast a font of type, in which, when set up in their proper places, and arranged according to the Divine economy exhibited in them, we are enabled to read the whole form of the remedial system. We have said that Moses was a great type-founder. We now add that he had the best education of any man on earth, having been twice forty days under the teaching of God. He had a perfect pattern of every thing. He was not left to vague and unprecise descriptions, but so care- ful was the Almighty Architect to have his design per- fectly accomplished, that as Moses descended from the mount, He charged him, saying, '' See that thou make all things according to the pattern Avhich I showed thee in the mount." Hence, there was not a blur or blot — not a single aberation from the exact image which he had re- ceived of this superlative palace. We have seen already that the object of Deity was to rescue man, to redeem him, which has been, and is, and ever will be, the noblest work in the universe. Gentlemen, when we look at the planet on which we live — look at it geographically and geologically, or in any other way in which science can penetrate its mysteries — we find it to be a great storehouse. We dig up its surface LECTURE XXIII. 201 and find that the elements of every thing animate or inan- imate are there. These things were all allotted and located in the best conceivable form, and for what purpose, pray ? Why is it that every climate does not produce the same things ? Why have we to dive into the depths of ocean, or tunnel the towering mountains, in quest of precious metals and sparkling gems ? Why is it so ? These are great questions to those who are inquisitive as to the works of God, and when answered will redound to His glory. The earth has a skin, as has man. That skin is the soil, which is covered with the sweetest of all colors — made to suit the eye of man. There is no color in the whole range of the floral kingdom, that affords as much pleasure^ to the eye of man as does nature's livery — green. Every thing is just as it should be — ^just as it was intended to be. All the water and all the earth were measured and weighed ; and nothing was found wanting — nay, so perfect is nature that one single grain of addi- tional matter might, for what we know, throw the whole universe out of equipoise. One single ounce abstracted might convulse the system — throw it into utter confusion. Gentlemen, there is a natural desire on the part of man to rise hi«2;her and hio-her. We do not mean to create new mind or matter. There is nothing more to create; but the capacity of man for the acquisition of knowledge has never been ascertained. He has one idea, which is the differential one, that ought always to be present to his mind. As we have repeatedly said, thegrand distinguish- ing attribute of man is not perpendicularity of position on the earth, nor yet the possession of external and inter- nal beauty. But it is the c;ipMcity and power to appre- ciate a moral idea. That power you can not impart to any other creature on earth. There is nothing that flies in the 202 LECTURE XXIII. air, swims in the water, or treads the face of earth, that can be taught to appreciate a moral relation or obligation. Hence, man, mortal, erring man, stands pre-eminently above all creation beside. This is the glory of man. Now, this whole book was gotten up for the express pur- pose of impressing upon man a true appreciation of his moral relations. They could never have been taught him in any other way, under the conditions of his being ; for, mark it, zvhat God does is best. There is, in all his works, a perfect adaptation of means to ends ; consequently, every thing in the material universe is a prodigy. There are more than ten thousand different items entering into the constituency of man, and every one, though distinct in itself, marvelously and harmoniously blended into one grand and wonderful whole. Behold his eyebrow, as its wonders are revealed by the microscope ! How wonder- fully it is adapted to shield the sensitive organ of vision from injury. How greatly it surpasses all the artistic ma- chinery of man's invention ; and yet there is not a single hair in that eyebrow which is not itself a prodigy. Is it not a wonderful indication of divine wisdom? Now, we should never have thought of building a tabernacle like this, independent of supernatural instruction. Hence, it required a programme, as God could not superintend it, physically or metaphysically. *It, therefore, became ex- pedient that he should give a perfect model of every por- tion of it, and that to Moses, who was, above all other men, possessed of the greatest natural endowments, the the finest constitution, aud the most eminent acquired fit- ness, to take charge of the undertaking. Think of a man living to be one hundred and twenty years old without losing a single power of mind or body! He was as young in his last days as in his earliest maturity. He was the LECTURE XXIII. 208 man for the place. So perfectly was he admired and con- fided in by the people, that it is truly remarkable that God should bury him, himself, where no man could ever find his remains. He interred Moses in the earth, but no mortal man knows where. Moses has not only been hon- ored as the meekest- man of earth, but no man has risen out of humanity with whom God spake face to face, for days and days, as he did with Moses. We are greatly indebted to the Author of all Good for the detailed account given here of this sanctuary, which was to be a programme, a typical figure of every item that enters into the scheme of the redemption of man. This mystic palace, whose architect was God. is the study of all studies, to interest the man of taste, even if he has no religious feelings. There is a myriad of inter- esting facts in the arrangement of the whole edifice. All the precious metals, are brought together here — all the gems of costly price, are here collated, and no man on earth was ever so richly and gorgeously dressed, as Aaron, the brother of Moses, when at the altar. He had a splendid cap, beautifully engraven with clear cgipital let- ters of marvelous significancy, and richly ornamented Avith fine jewels, and others engraved with the names of the twelve tribes both upon the shoulders and breast, were representative and symbolic of the great ideas in harmony with the building of the tabernacle. The importance of this structure, may be estimated from the fact, that there is no comparison to be instituted, between the programme and history of the building, and the account given of the whole original creation — the six day's labor of God. We read the latter in a single chap- ter ; but in the details of the tabernacle, we have chapter 204 LECTURE XXIV. after chapter, and book after book, and then we have a recapitulation of the wliole, in the book of Deuteronomy.* {Bell rings.) LECTURE XXIV. Exo xxxvin. Gentlemen — Aaron, who occupies so important a posi- tion in the worship of the tabernacle, is a mystic sort of personage as Ave use the word mystic, which comprehends what is merely shadowed before us. The black letters be- * The following minute description of the Tabernacle will assist the reader in forming a proper conception of this wonderful and significant type : 1. "The structure of the tabernacle; which was made accord- ing to the copy, model, or pattern, minutely given to Moses in the mount by Jehovah himself, with a strict charge to be very exact in executing 'the heavenly plan. Exod. xxv, 40; xxxvi, 1. Bezaleel and Aholiab were inspired by tlie Spirit of God, to construct this holy tabernacle a'ccording to the Divine plan. We noticC; 1. "The court within which the tabernacle stood. " Its length was one hundred and seventy five feet, and its breadth eighty-seven feet. This court had thirty pillars, at the distance of eight and a half feet from each other, and a curtain fastened from one pillar to the other. The entrance was from the east side, through a curtain. Into this court the whole nation was permitted to enter. David, perhaps, alluded to it when he said: 'Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.' Ps. c, 4. 'J'liis court was surrounded with another in Solomon's temple, and called the Court of the Gentiles. "The tabernacle was fifty-five feet long, eighteen feet broad, and eighteen feet high. It was divided into two apartments. The first LECTURR xxrv. 205 fore us would be mystic, as indicative of the sounds of tlie liuman voice, were it not for tlie (so called) conven- tional agreement as to their significance, which is an ar- bitrary arrangement for the convenience of mankind. There is a beautiful typography instituted in language, by Him who first tauglit man to speak. In this book we have a world past, and a world to is called 'the first tabernacle,' and 'the sanctuary,' and was thirty- six feet long. Tiie second apartment is called 'the second taberna- cle,' or 'the most holy place;' and was eighteen feet square. The entrance from the court to tlie tabernacle was on the east side, through a vail ; and the entrance from the sanctuary to the most holy place was also through a vail, which was rent at the death of Christ. Into the first tabernacle none but those of the tribe of Levi were permitted to enter; and into the most holy place none was allowed to enter except the high priest, and that only on the day of atonement. We proceed to consider, II. "The most remarkable utensils or contents of the different apartments. " First. Between the court and the tabernacle stood, 1. " A vessel called the ' brazen laver,' in which the priests washed their hands and feet, whenever they went to offer sacrifices, or go into the tabernacle, to signify their natural impurity and unworthi- ness, and their need of being washed with the blood and Spirit of Christ. And although the priests were washed at their consecra- tion, yet they were to wash their hands and feet every time they offi- ciated, on pain of death, intimating the continual guilt they con- tracted in their daily employments and converse in the world. Exod. XXX, 17-22. Solomon made a molten sea, of great capacity, and ten lavers. 1 Kings vii, 26 ; 2 Chron. iv, 5. 2. "Next to it was the brazen altar, of burnt-offerings, which it both supported and sanctified. It was nine feet square, and five and a half feet high. Upon this altar was a square grate, on which was the fire, first kindled miraculously, and kept perpetually burning. On the corners of this altar were horns of shittim wood overlaid with brass, which prevented the victims from falling off, and to these 206 LECTURE XXIV. come, presented in their typography. When we speak of the ^vorld to come, we do not use the word " worhl " merely in the sense of age. The term "world" is fre- quently confounded with the term, earth. A man going around the earth, is not going around the world, by any means. The words cosmos and gee, are not more different, than the meanings they convey. This book, however, they were sometimes bound, when about to be sacrificed. Exod. xxvii, 1--8 ; Lev. ix, 24. We now enter, "Secondly: The first tabernacle. 1. "On the leftside we behold the great golden candlestick, the richest ornament of the tabernacle. " It had three branches on the one side of the stem, and three on the other side, and at the top of each branch, and on the stem, was a lamp. It was the priest's duty to trim these lamps, morning and evening. This was a most useful, as well as a most ornamental, utensil in a room which had no windows. 2. " At the right hand stood the table of shew-bread, three and a half feet long, one foot broad, and two and a lialf feet high. Upon this table lay twelve loaves, six on a pile. These were changed every Sabbath day, and the old bread belonged to the priests. 3. "Near to the vail of the most holy place stood the altar of in- cense overlaid with gold, one and three quarter feet square and three and a half feet high. On this table the incense, was burnt morning and evening. Exod. xxx, 1--10. This incense of spice was very necessary to remove the ill odors from the sanctuary occasioned by the sacrifices, and to denote the acceptablenees of the services of the sanctuary before God. '' We now pass, "Thirdly: Through the rent vail, into the most holy place. Here we behold the mysterious and the most significant fixture, the which, he noticed one in ref- erence to circumcision, and another inquiring as to the significance of the golden candlesticks. We report a few words that he said .concerning circumcision, as they will seem to introduce the subject proper of the Lecture — Rep.] Gentlemen — The word "circumcision," from circum, around, and ccedo, to cut, means simply, cutting round about. It was Avhat we call a type. Perhaps this word may not now be understood, as we use it ; but you know, every letter in the English Alphabet, is called a type — types of the sounds of the human voice, made so by ar- tistic arrangement. There is no similarity between the letter C, and the sound represented by it, but the vowel sound of 0, is a very beautiful representation. All the efforts of the Greeks and others, to make the letters, rep- resent the sounds, were in vain, and it is noAV too late to form a new Alphabet. There never was a convention, called or assembled, for such a purpose, within our knowl- edge ; and, therefore, the use of the word " conventional," in reference to this subject, is merely a metaphorical ex- pression. An agreement to spell words, in a particular way, may be properly called conventional. God first spoke to man, and that is proof positive that language, is a rev- elation — in other words that God is 'the Author of lan- guage. We noticed this fact in the case of Adam, while yet in the school of God, and before he gave names to the IS 210 LECTURE XXV. animals, round about him. And we presume to say, that his names, were not arbitrary any more than biped, quad- ruped and multiped, though the representative character of names is partially artistic. The Divine mind, gave to man a typography of religion It was to give to man supernatural vision — to introduce him into the sanctum sandormu jf the universe, and there to give him an embodiment, in a form adapted to his reason, of all the elements, that entered into the constituency of religion. We have before observed, that the etymology of "religion," indicates a new institution. There is no religion in heaven, nor is there an}^ need of it there. Yet, you often hear our pulpits talking about religion in heaven. There is no such thing. Why? Because there are no parties there to reconcile. All is harmony. It is only necessary in a state of revolt or alienation. Man is to be reconciled to God, and when done, it is done. What is pure religion, but reconciliation, between alienated man, and insulted God? Clear and patent just here, is the language of the Apostle, when he says, " I beseech you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." This is re- ligion — the grand idea. If we are reconciled to God, He is to us. Hence, when Paul speaks to the Gentiles on this subject, he uses the words " to-wit — " the only time they are used by him in the Bible — as much as to say, I will explain to you what it means ; to-wit: "God was in Christ, reconciling man to himself" The intent and purpose of religion, was to bring man out of a state of anarchy and revolt, to a state of order and friendship with God. All other considerations in regard to religion, are merely sec- ondary matters. "-We beseech you — be ye reconciled to God." What does it -mean? Is the whole Christian re- ligion in one short period? God was in Christ, and he was LECTURE XXV. 211 to minister what? He was to reconcile us to God, and make it honorable in God, to forgive us. Two grand ideas embody it all — first, to be reconciled — secondly, to glorify God. When we look at the tabernacle, the grand divisions first arrest our attention : 1st, the outer court — the natural state. 2nd, the holy place — the state of grace. 3d, the most holy — the state of glory. Hence, the first inclosur« WHS for the whole world — the Jew, the Gentile, the Sama- ritan, etc., w'hen once naturalized. The holy place was for the priest, and the third and last, the holiest of all, rep- resented heaven, and taken altogether, they present a full-orbed view, of the three estates of man. The perpetunl fire kept up by the priests, was not merely to consume the flesh, thrown upon the altar; but.it was a symbol of that consumption, which shall come upon those, who refuse to be reconciled to God, through his Son Jesus Christ. And as the substitutive symbols of reconciliation, the lamb, the kid, the ox, etc., were consumed by fire, there was an atonement, wdiich in the Anglo-Saxon means to make at one. The atonement was the effect, but the material was called the sacrifice. There was no atonement, but through blood, and from this fact we learn the signifi- cance of the expression, " blood is the scabbard of life." At one was to be brought about, by blood; and there could be no reconciliation to God, save through death. There were no rays of the sun, no glimmering of the pale moon, and no twinkling light of the stars in the holy room. It was made impervious to the light; hence, the necessity of artificial light, and this was the purpose of the golden candlesticks. When the priest enters, he sees a handsome table with the bread of life upon it, and the light of life and the water of life, all of which were hap- 212 LECTURE XXV. pily represented in tlie furniture and appointments of this room. There was a beautiful symbol of what we call the light of reconciliation — called the light of life in the Holy Scriptures. Here we have the incense burning, while the worshiper is in communion with God ; and this is the state of the true church now — communion with God. Observe we have pictures in the innermost place. These •vere of beautiful form, and cunning work, showing that, the intercourse between heaven and earth, was conducted by special arrangement through angels. Angel is purely an official name, and means a messenger ; and, therefore, they are ministering spirits, that is, servants of Christ — messengers to wait upon him. Hence, in the holiest place there were pictures of angels, who were always present there. There is a curious passage in the New Testament, which we pause to notice here, made by the Apostle Paul, concerning the ladies, and their dress. They were not allowed to go unvailed into the primitive church. This became a topic of so much importance that Paul took no- tice of it in his writings. They were not to appear at worship without vails over their faces ; for there were spies always present to see if any thing was done calcu- lated to engender strife with Cesar. These spies came to observe their worship, hence it became necessary that the ladies should wear vails, to screen their faces from the stare of loungers and rude Gentiles, who frequented the churches. In this building, we are looking at humanity in its pro- gress from nature, through grace, to glory. The Laver and Altar are the two grand principles of the remedial system. Blood takes away the guilt, and water takes away the stain — blood for the criminality, water for the pollution. LI-:CTURK XXV. 213 Baptism is not symbolic of cleansing, because cleansing is itself a symbol, and Aye can not have a symbol of a symbol, but we can have a type. Onojnatopceia, a rhetorical Greek figure, gave birth to pronunciation, expressive of the connection that may exist between the objective and subjective ideas. Now, any person may go to the water, and strike it with almost any thing having a flat surface, producing the sound bap ; or with the edge and produce the sound dijj. This illus- trates the use of the Greek onomatopasia. It was a figure of high esteem, and much used in the Roman and other tongues, and so it is now in all countries. " Onomatopgeia, a name of sound By which the meaning will be found." Hence, we have bap, dip and plunge. We cast a large stone into the water, and it says plunge, almost as plainly as we can speak it. Thus, gentlemen, you find in the rhetorical and logical use of this terminology the rule that makes the eye help the ear, and the ear help the eye — the two great media of knowledo-e to man. The light in the outer room of the tabernacle was alto- gether artistic. The holiest of all was separated from the other compartments by curtains, through which the high priest entered to the throne of grace. Here are the pic- tures of angels. Hence, the holiest of all was a type of Heaven, where God is seen and worshiped in his imme- diate presence; hence, angels, ministering spirits, are sent from the divine presence to the church. They are minis- ters of the Divine government, as men are ministers of the human governments, which they serve. There are vast numbers of angels in the service of God. We are told that God makes the winds his angels, and his ministers flames of fire. The lightning is a special minister in the 214 LECTURE XXV service of God, and by sucli instrumentalities He executes his wrath and judgments ; hence they are called ministers, under the direction of the Great Head over all. Under Christ are orders and ranks throughout the universe. We are told by Paul, that angels, kingdoms, principalities, etc., are put under the control of the Son of God. What a grand and glorious office is that of Supreme Ruler of the universe. Before Christ gave up his earthly office he con- tinued to educate his disciples, in the peripatetic school. He took them Avith him, into the mountains, through the plains, and over the waters, and continued to instruct them, in this manner, for the space of three and a half years (more or lesa), before He gave them permission to teach. Christ was an embodiment of exousia — the legisla- tive, the judicial and executive powers were all in his hands — three divisions essential to all well-organized so- ciety. He was autocratic in this respect — all authority in heaven and earth being placed in his hands. Here, then, gentlemen — think of it ! — we have a man, the Son of God and the Son of Man, rising from a lowly and humble con- dition to the highest peak within the mental contempla- tion of humanity — possessing paramount authority over the entire universe, having angels, authorities and princi- palities subject to him. (Bell rings.) LECTURB XXVI. 216 LECTURE XXVI. EXODUS XXXVIII. [The class again read the thirty- eighth chapter of Ex- odus. Owing to the pressure of other engagements, President Campbell spoke but a few moments this morn- ing, and barely referred to the chapter read.] Gentlemen — No voice on earth is so various in sound as is the human voice. Among a thousand acquaintances you readily recognize each one, by the voice alone. The wild beasts of the forest, as well as all the varieties of do- mestic animals, have sounds and intonations peculiar to the species, but rarely to the individual. The lion has the lion's voice, the tiger the tiger's, and so with the horse and the ox. The songsters of the grove rejoice in spring time, with a remarkable'harmony and homogeniety of mu- sical sounds ; yet all these have a language. We call it language, because it has significance among themselves, and is promptly understood by them. No one well read in natural history need be told that certain species of birds and animals place guards or sentinels around their places of resort or abode, to give signals upon the approach of danger. This is a remarkable attribute, and indicates an approach to the wisdom and understanding of man. Such analogies permeate the entire scale of being. There is also a remarkable adaptation of the different grades of animate being to the requirements of their respective con- ditions. There is an adaptation to climates and atmos- pheres, as caused by the revolutions and changes of our planetary system, and if we look into the rivers, seas and oceans we shall discover the same remarkable adaptation 2iG LKCTUKK XX vr. of tliciv different tenantries. We can not perceive with the naked eye the peculiarities and beauties of atomic na- ture, much less discover the minute and perfect forms of livin^i" things, revealed by the microscope. Indeed, ^ve may say, with entire truth, that the atomic wonders of creation, animate and inanimate, have scarcely been pen- etrated by the eye of science ; yet, from the millions of animalculi^, up to man, through all the grades of being, we have indubitable proofs of the existence of systems and orders, until we know that the universe is a system of sys- tems, and that there is a law belonging to each, and a law for the whole. Now, man stands at the head of creation, and is a com- bination of all the forms of life, within himself. As be- fore remarked, he has animal, intellectual, moral, and spiritual life, and these are the bases of the qualities of humanity — the capacities by which he may distinguish and regard his moral relations and rise to a higher sphere of enjoyment; and certainly there is no condition so ele- vating, so purifying, so ennobling, as religious commu- nion. We are aware, that there are men in society, who have no admiration for religious principle, no taste for its du- ties; but this indicates an alienation so perfectly irra- tional, as to amount to an intellectual as well as moral aberration. No metephor can portray a man, who fights against his benefactor, who raises his puny arm in rebel- lion against the wholesome and wise decrees of his Maker, and defies his infinite power. We have, in the calendar of crimes, those known as patricide, and matricide, calling upon their perpetrators, the severest punishments of hu- man and divine Liav ; but neither of these is a crime, as heinous as rebellion against God — all-glorious in his at- LECTURE XXVII. 217 tributes, all-beneficent in his government — the Creator and the Friend of man. Now, to develop man, in harmony with his origin, his duties, and his destiny, as taught by the sacred volume, is the grand object of its promulgation in all its depart- ments, and we have the most beautiful and apposite typo- graphy in this divinely appointed structure — the taberna- cle, adapted to the inquisitiveness of human nature, and giving to man, in bold relief, an unmistakable outline, of all that pertains to the religious institution. Two of the most important personages in history sprang from the same ancestry — Moses and Aaron. Mo- ses was the law, but Aaron was more ; he was the law and gospel. No man can thoroughly comprehend the remedial system, who has not been educated by Moses — the greatest of educators. {Bell rings) LECTURE XXVII. Gentlemen — [When we say that every gentleman ought to go to church, we do not mean your church, or my church (to use the popular phraseology), but that every gentleman should attend the public worship of the Lord, on the Lord's day, somewhere ; for this is an indis- pensable means of education in every civilized country.] The world's civilization, is founded on the great idea of love — which at the same time is the tic between God and man. We are nowhere commanded to love angels, but to love God and our fellow-men. We may love what we 19 218 LECTURE xxvir. know of angels ; but we have no revelation which makes it incumbent on us to do so. Why ? We answer, that it is the distinguishing characteristic of the Bible, that it communicates only what we can communicate and enjoy. It reveals to man, how he came into existence, what he is now, and what he must be hereafter, and furnishes him with a knowledge of himself, which he could not possibly derive from any other source. Religion is a commemora- tive institution. There never was a religion without a rite, in the ancient and original sense ; but the word has been so travestied, that we scarcely ever speak it. We have nothing of the kind indicated by the present cor- rupted signification of the word rite, either in the Old or New Testament. They. have to do with facts. Histori- cally and prophetically, they present facts, including the destiny and relations of man. Now, these facts are prop- erly estimated in the new system of reasoning — which is the only reasonable reasoning — being neither a priori nor a posteriori.^ We have facts here and not theories ; hence, we hold that speculative systems of religion, stand upon no foundation at all. Protestantism, has given an impetus to the world, every where, both politically and religiously. Look at the little island of Great Britain ! — holding the destinies of both Asia and Africa in her hands ; indeed, I might say, with some degree of truth, of all Europe. An island containing a few millions of inhabitants, swaying * The Inductive or Baconian method of reasoning is the one here referred to. And, if this method was applied to the study of the Scriptures, as it has been to Science, there might be more unity among those who are the friends of Jesus. Theories must give place to fads, opinions to failh^ and love of party to love of the truths and then we may hope for Cliristian union. LECTURE XXVII. 219 the scepter — not formally but really — of half the globe, is a strange spectacle. She sometimes holds in abeyance the armies of the Eastern world! Whence this power? How does this come to pass ? We hold that it is her Pro- testantism, in the proper, not the factitious sense of the word, that gives her this power — that kind of Protestant- ism, that protests against the encroachment upon the rights of man — against usurpations of power which ought not to belong to kings or potentates. It is impossible to teach man without types, conse- quently we have types for the ear and the eve. A "^vord is but a type, and in order to understand man we must study typography all our life. We never study essence. We can not study the essence of any thing. ' Tis true, we have the word in the materialities, but it is figurative. No man can study an abstract idea. Who has done it? Nobody. The word esse, to be, is absolute, and while there is an entity, an essence, a to he, in every thing, no man can apprehend or comprehend it, further than it is manifested by outward signs or symbols ; hence, we see the value and importance of the symbols employed here, to assist us in the study of man as he was, and is, and must be hereafter. We remark further, that the distinguishing characteris- tics of the Bible were impressed by infinite wisdom, for a purpose. The study of these symbols is just as neces- sary to the study of humanity and divinity, as the study of the vowels and consonants, composing our alphabet, is to the knowledge of what is called literature. They were not instituted without cause, or without significance.* * Nothing more certainly assures to us tlie truth of the Bible than its splendid system of types. Not only because we have the ante- 220 LECTURE XXVII. They came to man through Moses, who was forty years a shepherd, forty years an exile, and forty years a king. He was a minister of God, to give laws to the Jewish people, and a record to the world of history, from the beginning of time — antedating all writers, Greek or Persian, or of any nation of antiquity. It Avas impossible to coixununicate to man any idea of a spirit, of a spiritual religion, or of a spiritual universe, in any other way than by the method adopted by Moses, or rather by that spirit that inspired him. All the idols of the ancients — no matter how precious the material of which they were made — were only embodi- ments of ideas. They could not have believed that an image made by man could possibly be greater than man himself. Of all stupidity exhibited by the superstition or ignorance of man, none surpasses that exhibited in taking a knife, a chisel, or other implement, and carving or casting out of wood, stone or metal an image of any thing on earth, or in heaven, and afterward falling down upon his knees to worship it, saying, " Thou art my God." We may search among the records of antiquity, or the history of the modern world, in vain, to find any thing more derogatory, more degrading, more unhumanizing types corresponding, but because the whole system is in perfect harmony with the development of liumanity at the time these types were cast. These embrace the simple elementary lessons of religion, and were just what was necessary at that age of the world. A sys- tem of religionlesssensuousthan the Jewish would not have been at all suitable. Man had to be gradually prepared, through these mor terial representations^ fur that higher and more spiritual worsliip — the religion of Clirist. The law of progress is first that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual. 1 Cor. xv, 46. M. LKCTUHE XXVIT. 221 tlian this. For any being in tlie universe to worship any tiling save his Creator, the Living and True God, is de- rogatory to both liimself and God, in the highest concep- tion of the term. God is as much anywhere as everywhere — he is ubiqui- tous ; hence, it has been beautifully said, " We live, and move, and have our being in Him," and to Him is our worship due. No man rises to a full appreciation of spirit. He does not know his own spirit. If the great Newton himself were upon the earth, and I should ask him, how is it that our train of spiritual associations lives ? why it is that a glance of the eye in the air in one direction, brings up one train of thought, and another glance in another direc- tion brings up another and entirely different train of thought — he could not answer the question, if it would save his soul. Our spirits are mysteries to us, through life. We are prone to think we understand ourselves, when we do not. If a strange or unusual phenomenon occurs to man, threatening his comfort or his safety, and he were asked what he intended to do under the circum- stances, his answer would almost certainly be, " I do n't know." If he knew himself, he would answer, I will do thus or so. But we are strangers to ourselves, with boundless aspirations, oftentimes prone to ask questions which man can not answer. {Bell iHngs.) 222 LECTURE XXVIII. LECTURE XXVIII. LEVITICUS XI. Gentlemen — We now come to the laws concerning the Levitical Priesthood. Two of the tribes of Israel were es- pecially distinguished, and set apart from the others — one under Judah, the other under Levi ; the former having in its hands the political government, the latter holding the ecclesiastical government. It was predicted in the ante- cedent portion of this volume, in the remarkable benedic- tion of the aged patriarch Jacob, that the scepter should not depart from Judah until Shiloh came. This specifica- tion in regard to Shiloh was the grand center of attrac- tion in the entire universe, and not merely to the tribes of Israel. From that particular tribe, that person was to descend ; hence, we have his ancestry noted with punctu- ality and precision, so that it can be traced from his nativ- ity back to Adam. The tribes of Judah and Levi had these characteristic and distinctive honors bestowed upon them — the first having precedence in all matters pertain- ing to the political government, and the last in whatever pertained to the religion of the Jews. The duties of each, because of their importance, were classified and arranged with great exactness. It is not our purpose to enter into the details, though it is important to the understanding of the religious system that we classify the elements that enter into the constituency of each of these divisions. The first and rudimental idea, that enters into the con- sideration of the Priesthood, is the altar. And why is it the altar ? It is said that the altar sanctified the gift- made it valuable. This seems a very singular idea. From the beginning of the sacrificial system it was a LECTURE XXVIII. 223 standing principle, that the altar should consecrate the of- fering. The reason of this we presume to be — and I am happy to say that it is the concurrent conclusion of almost the entire religious ivodd^ Jewish and Christian — that the altar is a type of the divine nature of Christ, upon which his human nature was offered as a sacrifice — himself being the priest. There is a right of primogeniture, recognized from the beginning, appertaining to the first born, to whom was ac- corded a sort of superiority, because in a certain sense, 'he was the guardian of the persons and property of his family. It ^vas a natural — an almost instinctive relation and arrangement of things. The first born had the larger portion of the family estate, from the earliest period of history ; because he had more to do with bringing up the junior members of the family. So this right of primogen- iture, has been consecrated from the earliest period of the world. Of course the younger members of the family, would lookup to the older: on account of his experience, especially when they had an interest connected with that experience. It was natural under the system that the first born should have the larger portion of the estate, and honors and titles of the family. The same law prevails now among the aristocracies of the Old World, where the same families control to some extent the destinies of em- pires, for ages in succession. We have seen that religion in its first stages, was a fam- ily affair, that is, in its social character. It was purely domestic. It must have been so from necessity. In the antediluvian age, there were no synagogues, because not adapted to the then condition of things. Gentlemen, there is an interesting conclusion arising from our observations upon the progress of religion in the 224 LECTURR XXVIII. world ; which it is important to notice. God only requires of man, that which he is able to perform. He has never exacted from man, a greater revenue tlian he was able to pay: In Paradise there was nothing required of man — no service, no tribute, to secure a continued residence in the garden of delights. He had only to withhold his hand from a forbidden act. This was a necessary arrangement ; and it is all-important to notice this beginning of the divine government. It was a fundamental principle, necessary to the government of the patriarchal age. Gentlemen, in these matters, it is highly important to see, that the essential happiness of man, depends upon the performance of his duty. We give it our highest sanction. God not only asks man to do this, but teaches him the propriety and rationality of it. We sometimes have duties that are rather disagreeable, which of course are performed reluctantly, if at all; they are duties still, however. We dislike exceedingly to hear of paying off, the obligations of duty, in divine worship. Those who thus talk, are sadly in the dark in regard to, not only the dignity of their Creator, but their own dignity. The word duty, is some- what corrupted in its current use, hence, to render it agree- able and acceptable, in regard to religious service, it re- quires considerable explanation and qualification. Hence, when men speak of discharging religious duty, they should bear in mind that voluntary service, is more acceptable to God, than that which is merely official. Free-will oflfer- ings — spontaneous from the offerer — were always more acceptable to God, and lie at the foundation of all pure re- ligion. NoAV, to say that a man 7nust pray, a certain num- ber of times in a day, that he must visit certain people now and then, that he must do this and omit that, in connection with religious service, from a sense of duty merely, is by LECTuiiH xxviir. 225 no means, conip:itiblc witli tliat love, wliicli is tlie essential element, in a free-will ofterinir — and the liiible? Might we not as reasonably say, that every man must beat once a Patriarcli, a Jew and a Christian ; a magistrate, a sub- ject, a father, a child, a nuister, a servant, etc., etc. And, certainly, it is as inconsistent to eay that Christians should equally regard and SEiatON ON T!IK LAW. 285 natod "that ^Yllicll is done away ;" tlio Inttcr " tliat which rcmiuiieth" — tlio former wiis faulty, tlie hitter faultless — the former demanded, this bestows righteousness — that gendered bondage, this liberty — that begat bond-slaves, this freemen — the former spake on this wise, "This do and thou shalt live;" this says, " Say not what ye shall do, the word is nigh thee (that gives life), the word of faith which we preach ; if thou believe in thine heart the gospel, thou shalt be saved." The former waxed old, is abolished, and vanished away ; the latter remains, lives and is ever- lasting. 2d. In the second place, we learn from what has been obey the Old and New Testament. All Scripture given by divine in- spiration is profitable for various purposes in the perfection of saints, .when rightly divided, and not handled deceitfully. But when the above considerations are disregarded, the word of God must inevita- bly be perverted. Hence it is that many preachers deceive them- selves and their hearers by selecting and applying to themselves and their liearers such portions of sacred truth as belong not to them nor their hearers. Even the Apostles could not apply the words of Christ, to themselves or their hearers until they were able to answer a pre- dous question — " Lord, sayest thou this unto us or unto allf" Nor jould the eunuch understand the prophet until he knew whether he spoke of himself or some other man. Yet, many preachers and hearers trouble not themselves about such inquiries. If their text is in the Bible, it is no matter where; and if their hearers be men and women, it is no matter whether Jews or Christians, believers or unbelievers. Often have I seen a preacher and his hearers undergo three or four metamorphoses in an hour. I'^irst, he is a moral phi- losopher, inculcating heathen morality; next a Jewish rabbi, ex- pounding the law; then a teacher of some Christian precept; and lastly, an ambassador of Christ, negotiating between God and man. The congregation undergo the correlate revolutions: first they are heathens; next, Jews; anon, Christians ; and lastly, treating with the ambassadors for salvation, on what is called the terms of the gospel. Thus, Proteus-like, they are all things in an hour. 286 SERMON OX THE LAW said, that 'Hhere is no condemnation to tliern whicli are in Christ Jesus." The premises from which the Apostle drew this conclusion, are the same with those stated to you in this discourse. " Sin," says the Apostle, " shall not have dominion over 3^ou ; for ye arfe not under the law, but under grace." In the sixth and seventh chapters to the Romans, the Apostle taught them that " they were not under the law," that they " were freed from it" — ^' dead to it" — " delivered from it." In the eighth chapter, first verse, he draws the above conclusion. What a pity that modern teachers should have added to and clogged the words of inspiration by such unauthorized sentences as the following : " Ye are not under the law" as a covenant of works, hut as a rule of life. Who ever read one Avord of the ^' covenant of works" in the Bible, or of the Jewish law being a rule of life to the disciples of Christ? Of these you hear no more from the Bible than of the " Sol- emn League" or " St. Giles' Day." Yet, how conspicuous are these and kindred phrases in the theological discus- sions of these last three hundred years ! But, leaving such phrases to those who are better skilled in the use of them, and have more leisure to expound them, we shall briefly notice the reason commonly assigned for proposing the law as a rule of life to Christians. " If Christians are taught," say they, " that they are delivered from the law, under it in no sense ; that they are dead to it, will not they be led to live rather a licentious life, live as they list ; and will not the non-professing world, hearing that they are not under the law of Moses, become more wicked, more immoral and profane ?" Such is the chief of all the objections made against the doctrine inculcated respecting the abolition of the Jewish law, in respect of Christians, and also as this doctrine respects the Gentile or heathen SERMON ON THE LAW. 287 world. We shrink not from a fair and full investigation of this subject. Truth being the only allowed object of all our inquiries, and the sole object of every Christian's inquiry, Ave should patiently hear all objections— coolly and dispassionately hear, examine and weigh all argu- ments "pro and con. That the first part of this objection is very natural, has been very often made, and strongly urged against the doc- trine we advocate, we cheerfully acknowledge. As this objection was made against the Apostle's doctrine con- cerning the law, it affords a strong probability, at least, that our views on this subject correspond with his. We shall then hear how he stated and refuted it. Romans vi, 15 : " What then ? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?" Here he admits the objection, and in his answer incontestibly shows that Christians are not under the law, in any sense. If they were in any sense, now was the time to say, "We are not under the law in some sense, or under a certain part of it; but in one sense Ave are under it, as a rule of life ? " We say the Apostle was here called upon, and in a certain sense bound, to say something like Avhat our modern teachers say, if it had been warrantable. But he admits the doc- trine, and states the objection, leaving the doctrine une- quivocally established. He guards the doctrine against a licentious tendency thus: "God forbid !" " How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein ?" and in the subsequent verses shows the utter impossibility of any servant of God, or true Christian, so abusing the doctrine we have stated. Now, whether the ancient way of guard- ing the New Testament, or Gospel, against the charges of Antinomianism, or a licentious tendency, or the modern way, is best, methinks is easily decided among true disci- 288 SERMON OX TITK LAW. pies. Not so easy, however, among learned rabbis and doctors of the law. But, query, " Is the law of Moses a rule of life to Chris- tians?" An advocate of the popular doctrine replies, "Not all of it." Query again. What part of it? " The ten commandments." Are these a rule of life to Chris- tians? " Yes." Should not, then. Christians sanctify the seventh day ? " No." Why so ? " Because Christ has not enjoined it." Oh ! then, the law, or ten command- ments, is not a rule of life to Christians any further than it is enjoined by Christ; so that reading the precepts in Moses' words, or hearing him utter them, does not oblige us to observe them — it is only what Christ says we must observe. So that an advocate for the popular doctrine, when closely pressed, can not maintain his ground. Let no man say we have proposed and answered the above queries as we pleased. If any other answers can be given by the advocates themselves than we have given, let them do it. But it is highly problematical whether telling Chris- tians that they are under the law will repress a licentious spirit. True Christians do not need it, as we have seen; " how shall they that are dead to sin, live any lon»ger therein ?" And dare we tell professing Christians, as such, that the law as a rule of life is a condemning law ? If not, then what tendency will the mere affirmation that they are under a law as a rule of life which can not con- demn them, have to deter them from living as they list ? Upon the whole, the old way of guarding against immor- ality and licentiousness among Christians will, we appre- hend, be found the most consistent and efficacious. And he that has tried the old way and the new, will doubtless say, as was said of old, " IS^o man also having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new ; for he saith the old is SERMON ON THE LAW. 289 better." And, indeed, every attempt to guard the New "J'estament, or tlie GJospel, by extrinsic means, against an immoral or licentious tendency, bears too strong a resem- blance to the policy of a certain preacher in Norway or Lapland, who told his hearers that " hell was a place of in- finite and incessant cold." When asked by an acquaint- ance from the south of Europe why he perverted the Scrip- tures, he replied, " If he told his hearers in that cold cli- mate that hell was a place of excessive heat, he verily thought they would take no pains to avoid going there." But as to the licentious tendency this 'doctrine we in- culcate is supposed to have upon the non-professing or unbelieving world, it appears rather imaginary than real. It must, however, in the first instance be ascertained ■whether the Gentiles, not professing Christianity, were ever supposed or addressed by the Apostle sent to the Gentiles, as being under the law of Moses. We have under the second head of our discourse, particularly de- monstrated that the Gentiles were never under the law, either before or after their conversion. To what has been said on this subject we would add a sentence or two. It was prophesied of the Gentiles that they should be with- out law till Christ came. Isaiah xlii, iv. " And the isles shall tvait for Ids law." The chief glory which exalted the Jews above the Gentiles, which the Jews boasted of to the Gentiles, was that to them '^pertained the adoption, the co- venants, and the giving of the law.'' They exclusively claimed the law as their own. And why will not we let them have it, seeing him whose law the Gentiles waited for, is come, and has given us a more glorious law. What- ever was excellent in their law our Legislator has re-pro- mulgated. But shall we say that we are under the law as a rule of our Christian life, because some of its sublimest 25 290 SERMON ON THE LAW. moral and religious pr:cepts have been re-promulgated by him, who would not suffer one tittle of it to pass till he fulfilled it ! As well might we affirm that the British law which governed these States when colonies, is the rule of our political life ; because some of the most excellent laws of that code have been re-enacted by our legislators. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, plainly acknowledged, in his addresses to them, that they were without law, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, having no hope, etc. And of them he said, that " when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law are a law unto themselves." But, in so saying, does he or do we excuse their sins or lead them to suppose that they are thereby less obnoxious to the wrath to come? By no means, for we testify that even natural conscience accuses them of sin or wrong in their thoughts, words and actions, according to its knowledge. And, consequently. " as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law." In so testifying, do we cherish a licentious spirit ? By no means. For there stand a thousand monuments in this present world, independent of Jewish law, on which is inscribed these words, " For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodli- ness and unrighteousness of men." But one thing demands our observation, that the Apostle sent by heaven to preach to the Gentiles, in accusing them of sins of the deepest dye, and of the most malignant nature, dishonorable to God and destructive to themselves, never accuses them of any sin which the light of nature itself would not point out, or natural conscience testify to be wrong. Hence it is that in the long black catalogue of sins preferred against the Gentiles, is never to be found the crime of Sabbath- breaking, or of transgressing any of the peculiarities of SERMON ON THE LAW. 291 Judaism. And now, what is the difference between an an- cient Greek and u modern American or European, who dis- believes the gospel? Under what law is the latter, under which the former was not ? Was the former a sinner, and chargeable in the sight of God, as well as the latter ? Yes. Would not natural conscience, according to its means of knowin"^ ricrht and wronor, or the work of the law written in the heart, condemn the unbelieving Roman as well as the unbelieving American ? Most assuredly. And what is the difference? Not that the latter is under any law that the former was* not under; but the means of discerning right and wrong in the latter are far superior to the former, and consequently their overthrow or ruin will be more severe. In point of'law or obligation there is no difference between the unbelieving American and the rudest barbarian ; though the former is polished with science, morals, etc., like the ancient Greeks and Romans, and the latter remains an un- cultivated savage. They will be judged and condemned by the same law which condemned the Roman who died nineteen hundred years ago. And the condemnation of the latter shall be more tolerable than the former, not by a milder law, but because his knowledge of right and wrong was much inferior to the former ; and having heard the gospel of salvation and disbelieved it, he adds to his nat- ural corruption and accumulated guilt, the sin of making God a liar, and preferring darkness to light, because he believed not the testimony of God. This is the sole dif- ference in respect of condemnation between the Indian and the most accomplished citizen. From these few remarks it will appear, we trust, obvious to every person who has an ear to distinguish truth from falsehood, that there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus — that they are under no law that can condemn them — that /lewho was 292 SERMON ON THE LAW. made under the law, isb.ccome the end of the law for right- eousness to them — that being dead to sin, they should live no longer therein — that there is no necessity, but a glaring impropriety, in teaching the law as a rule of life to Chris- tians — that all arguments in favor of it are founded on human opinion, and a mistaken view of the tendency of the gospel and Christian dispensation — that all objections against the doctrine we have stated, as licentious in its tendency, are totally groundless. " For the grace of God that bringeth salvation, teacheth us that denying ungodli- ness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly ,-righteously and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God, even our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for'us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good tvor'ks.'^ 3d. In the third place, we conclude from the above premises that there is no necessity for preaching the law in order to prepare men for receiving the gospel. This conclusion perfectly corresponds with the commis- sion given by our Lord to the Apostles, and with their practice under that commission. " Go," saith he, " into all the world, and preach the gospel unto every creature." *' Teach the disciples to observe all things whatsoever 1 command you." Thus they were authorized to preach the gospel, not the law^ to every creature. Thus they were con- stituted ministers of the New Testament, not of the Olil. Now, the sacred history called the Acts of the Apostles, affords us the most satisfactory information on the method the Apostles preached under this commission ; which, with the epistolary part of the New Testament, affords us the only successful, warrantable and acceptable method of preaching and teaching. In the Acts of the Apostles, we SERMON ON THE LAW. 293 see the Apostles and first preachers paid the most scrupu- lous regard to the instructions they received from the great Prophet. They go forth into all nations, proclaiming the gospel to every creature ; but not one word of law-preach- ing in the whole of it. We have the substance of eight or ten sermons delivered by Paul and Peter to Jews and Gen- tiles, in the Acts of the Apostles, and not one precedent of preaching the law to prepare their hearers, whether Jews or Gentiles, for the reception of the gospel. This conclusion corresponds, in the next place, with the nature of the kingdom of heaven, or Christian Church, and with the means by which it is to be built and preserved in the world. The Christian dispensation is called " the min- istration of the Spirit," and accordingly every thing in the salvation of the church is accomplished by the imme- diate energy of the Spirit. Jesus Christ taught his disci- ples that the testimony concerning himself was that only which the Spirit would use in converting such of the human fixmily as should be saved. He was not to speak of him- self, but what he knew of Christ. Now, he was to con- vince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; not by applying the law of Moses, but the facts concerning Christ, to the consciences of the people. The Spirit ac- companying the words which the Apostles preached, would convince the world of sin ; not by the ten precepts, but because they believed not on him — of righteousness, be- cause he went to the Father — and of judgment, because the prince of this world was judged by him. So that Christ, and not law, was the Alpha and Omega of their sermons; and this tlie Spirit made effectual tQ the salva- tion of tlKjusands. Three thousand were convinced of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, in this precise way of hearing of Christ, on the day of Pentecost ; and wo 294 SERMON ON THE LAW. read of many aftcr\Yard. Indeed, we repeat it again, in the whole history of primitive preaching, we have not one example of preaching the law as preparatory to the preaching or reception of the gospel. This conclusion corresponds, in the third place, w^ith the fitness of things * That men must be convinced of sin by some means, prior to a welcome reception of saving truth, is generally acknowledged. Now, as the gospel dis- pensation is the most perfect revelation of salvation, it must be supposed that it possesses the best means of ac- complishing every thing connected with the salvation of its subjects. It must, of course, possess the best means of convincing of sin. This truth, however, does not de- pend on mere supposition. The fact that the Holy Spirit makes an exclusive use of it in convincing of sin, is a striking demonstration of its superior excellence for that * Indeed we have yet to learn what advantage can accrue from preaching the so-called " moral law," to prepare sinners for the gos- pel. In tlie nature and fitness of things it can not prepare or dis- pose the mind to a belief of the gospel. The Apostle teaches us that "the law worketh wrath." This is inevitably its efiect on every mind which does not believe the gospel. It irritates and excites the natural enmity of the mind against God. A clear exhibition of the divine character in the law, apart from the gospel, tends more to alienate than to reconcile the mind to God. When a preacher of the law has labored to show his hearers the immaculate holiness, the inflexible justice, the inviolate truth, and consuming jealousy of Jehovali, manifested in the fiery law, supposing the gospel kept out of view, he has rather incapacitated and disqualified their minds from crediting the gospel or testimony of the condescension, love, mercy and grace of t lie ctcnml Father to mankind. How opposite is the divine wi.sdom to the wisdom of many modern scribes and teachers of the law ! TJu-y preach first the law to natural, fallen man, then the gospel, liut lie, who seetii not as manseeth, preached first the gospel to fallen man, and afterward added the law, because SERMON ON THE LAW. 296 purpose. But, independent of these considerations, it must be confessed tliat the gospel, or testimony concerning Christ, affords the fullest proof of divine justice and in- dignation against sin — it presents the clearest view of the demerit of sin, and of all divine perfections terrible to sin- ners — it exhibits the most alarming picture of human guilt and wretchedness that ever was given — and on these ac- counts is, of all means, the most suitable to convince of sin. It was already observed that the eternal Father con- demned sin in the person of his Son, more fully than it ever was, or could be, condemned in any other way. Sup- pose, for illustration, a king put to death his only son, in the most painful and ignominious way, for a crime against the government ; would not this fact be the best means of convincing his subjects of the evil of crime, and of the of transgressions, till the seed should come. Eternal life was prom- ised through the seed, and the law added till the seed come. Nothing can be more inconsistent than the conduct of the law preachers. When they have echoed the thunders of Mount Sinai in the ears of their hearers, almost to drive them to despair, and to produce what they call " legal repentance," then they begin to pull down the work of their own hands, by demonstrating the inefficacy, unprofitableness, and danger of legal repentance. Might they not zs well at once imitate the Apostles and primitive preachers — preach the gospeh which, when received, produces repentance not to be re- pented of? Might they not preach Christ crucified, in whom is man- ifested the wrath and judgment of God against sin ; and his conde- scending love, mercy and grace to the sinner? Might they not, knowing the terror of the Lord, persuade men by the persuasives of the doctrine of reconciliation, rather than to increase their enmity, awaken their suspicions, and work wrath in their minds, by an un- lawful use of the law ? But in order to this, their minds must be revolutionized— they must take up a cross which they at present re- fuse — and, what is difficult, indeed, they must unlearn wliat they have theniselves tauM SKKMONS. -'UT the inind tlie piuictiim salietis, and a due appreciation of the Christian institution. xxxvir. The existence of hierarchies, aristocratic distinctions and political honors in the church, is one of the greatest monstrosities ever tolerated by mankind. In the Roman church, how many have worn the title and honors of *' Lord Bishop ! " But a certain learned and good man once wrote, that there is a vast difference between " Lord Bishop "and the Lord's Bishop, Avhile only a single let- ter in the orthography prevented them from being the same. Now these personages were not made Bishops by the state, and we maintain, that to give a man a high po- sition in the political department, for no other reason, than that he possesses high ecclesiastical distinction, is to des- ecrate the one and impair the dignity of the other. It is both unfortunate for the church and unfortunate for the state, and if we would have each of these departments so organized, as to promote the prosperity, dignity and glory of a nation, they should be kept entirely distinct and sep- arate. XXXVIII. In the Bible we have presented to us the Father, Son and Holy Spirit — as being one in nature, but different in oflSce. Thus, for reasons which we can not "fathom in this life, our knowledge of God has been revealed to us in three departments, each of which possesses the entire nature of divinity. The Hebrew name Jehovah, is the only word we- know of in language, that stands in no re- lation to time, place or circumstance. There is no other name or term, that has not relation to something in this world. A good man implies a bad man — a small man, a large one — a wise man, a simpleton. We must, however, 318 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. have a fulcrum for our lever, hence, we have first a rev- elation of God, ill His absolute nature, under the name Jehovah. It signifies an absolute, self-existing being God does not. The word means the Good One, hence, it is a relative term ; as there could be no good without the bad, any more than there could be great men if all were alike. XXXIX. Imagination is often spoken of as an active, originating power of the human mind. We admit its activity, but does it originate or produce any thing but an image? The word imagination is derived from imago, which signifies an image. The very word presupposes an original and is suggestive of an image. If it create at all, it is not a reality, an entity, but merely an image, or modifies, com- bines or transposes our previous conceptions, sometimes presenting grotesque, ludicrous or startling pictures, which, however novel in their character, contain no element not previously presented to the mind. We are indebted to sense for the mental image of things present, to imagi- nation for the picture of things absent. To the painter or sculptor imagination is indispensable. The more vivid the mental picture of the ideal, which he proposes to transfer to the canvas, or to impress upon the marble, the more likely is he to succeed in his beau- tiful art, while the poet's fame is born of the word pic- tures, which he impresses upon the minds of his readers, and the more true to nature his pictures are, the greater his success, the wider his fame. But the poet, the painter, and the sculptor must confine themselves to their legitimate domain. There is a terri- tory which art must not invade, nor imagination desecrate. Neither the painter's pencil, the sculptor's chisel, nor the EXTRACTS FKOM SHRMONS. 310 poet's pen, can produce an acceptable image of that wliich tlie finite mind can not compi-eliend. We know it is no uncommon tiling for members of tlie Roman Church, to decorate the walls of their dwellinojs, with wdiat they call pictures of the Saviour, and they con- sider it proof of their piety, to -wear upon their persons, diminutive images (so called) of the same glorious person- age; ascribing to them a sort of amuletic power, against the ills of life. Now, we presume to say that this practice is pernicious, and highly derogatory to Christian character. The idea of attempting to embody the sublime character- istics of the Son of God, in a diminutive picture, or of practically ascribing to any artist, however skillful, the power to fix upon ivory or any other material, an expres- sion of the divine benevolence, calculated to enlarge a Christian's conception of his worthiness, is too absurd for notice. Our minds are too contracted to measure even the proportions of that hurSanity, which was magnified by the presence of the divine nature, our hearts too narrow to receive the full impression of His love, even with the world for His theater, and our lives are too short to illus- trate as it should be done, the virtues of His religion, which is at last but tlie teaching of His life — the impress of His character. How unworthy then of a Christian is it, to wear upon an amulet, a pretended image of Him, who fills boundless space with His presence, and eternity with His duration. XL. The idea that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins, was monumenteJ, in the mental con- stitution of man, from the sacrifice of righteous Abel, to that of Calvary; of which all antecedent sacrifices, were but types. This, with the prophetic history of the Jewish 320 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. people, which history is yet being enacted on the world's grand theater of action, in exact fulfillment of the pre- dictions of its inspired authors, and the continued observ- ance of the Lord's supper for eighteen hundred years, in all countries, and by all religionists, and always for the same purpose, are splendid, monumental proofs, of the divine authenticity of the scriptures, against which the waves of skepticism and infidelity, have dashed and broken in vain, for nearly two thousand years. XLI. Every science has its peculiar terms. You can not measure an angle, unless you possess a knowledge of the science of such measurement; and so, throughout all the departments of science, whether mathematical or founded on experiment and observation. Hence, no person can expect to prosecute successfully the study of the sciences, without first becoming familim' with the nomenclature of each. Now we hold that Christianity has a vocabulary of terms, just as distinct and definite, as any thing pictured to the eye of man. It is but too true, however, that the Christian Church, as the current phr-'?seology has it, pos- sesses a terminology, strictly partisan. Should you meet a man on the highway, and engage in conversation with him upon the subject of the Christian religion, you are able, if at all versed in the history of the different reli- gious denominations, to tell with almost absolute certainty, to what family of religionists he belongs. This is a very unfortunate and very lamentable state of things. The church in this respect, forcibly reminds us of the contin- ent of Europe. The Italian, who crosses the line, which separates his country from France, finds himself a stran- EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 821 ger, unable to communicate intelligibly with his near neighbors. It is so with a Frenchman, who crosses the line which separates France from Spain. In England, you find a state of things existing, presenting a still more ex- act parallel to the church; for the dialects of different shires, are wholly unintelligible to their nearest neighbors. This state of things ought not to be; hence we advocate the use of that terminology, consecrated by the Apostles in their teachings, which ought to be thoroughly under- stood by every Bible student. It is not necessary to add to it, for all we know of religion is learned from their teachings, and we have no legitimate use for any language »iot found in their instructions. XLII. Repentance is not merely regret and sorroAV for past sins, but a positive reformation in one's character ; that is, in bis thoughts, motives, and actions. Hence death-bed repentances are, from the nature of things, of but little value. Any one, with the whip on his back, will cry for mercy. Any one about to pay the penalty for some dere- liction of duty, will be very penitent and ready to make any number of vows for future good behavior. But no sooner is he freed from immediate punishment, than he falls back, as the dog returns to his vomit, or the sow to her wallow in the mire. How many (supposed) death- bed repentances we have, which would have passed for genu- ine, and have been recorded as such^ had it not been for the recovery of the persons who made them. Now, almost if not quite ninety-nine times out of a hundred, those who repent, upon what they believe to be their death-beds re- lapse to their former state. Hence we say, that kind of repentance is of little or no value. Grief of mind, re- 322 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. morse of conscience, distressing revulsions of feeling, un- less accompanied by an' absolute change of purpose, and a posjtive reformation of life, do not constitute Avhat v,e understand as evangelical repentance. XLIII. We have something above faith, and that is knowl- edge. A high degree of belief approximates knowledge and arrives at a partial appreciation of realities. There is no knowledge in philosophy, because it is speculative. The facts, however, on which it is founded are realities, and we can perceive and appreciate them us such. Hence facts become the great material of every system of knowl- edge. In the very nature of things, Christianity had to be presented in facts. We have no theory in the Bible — no theory in the government founded on its principles, and those that theorize on the subject convert the reali- ties of the Bible into mere gas which no man can lay hold of. No man can live on gas, nor can he live upon spiritual ideas. If a man was as orthodox as St. Paul, no theory could save his soul. There must be a motive power in knowledge. This power theories can not have. There is no potency in theories, but there is power in facts. XLIV. In tracing the elements of the Bible, we find that they are presented in three ages — in three dispensations. The word " age " originally had reference to the life of man. Afterward, its latitude and longitude, with respect to time, were greatly enlarged. The Greeks had the expression ^' age of ages," which with us is translated " forever and ever" — a strange repetition understood to represent eter- nity. Man can not go beyond this. Forever and ever, EXTRACTS FROM SERMOiNS. 823 is a mere repetition, iii(licatin<:5 the incomprehensibility of eternity. Such terms and such ideas give character to ■what is called transcendental philosophy — being trans- cendent, because beyond the area of the human under- standing. XLV. A man is in a saved state, when he embraces Chris- tianity, but he must afterward show forth fruits in harmony with that state. There is a vast difference between an American citizen, legally so — and an American citizen in the faithful and constant discharge of all his duties as such. They a'-e equally citizens, but diverse in character, and in their claim to the respect and confidence, of the government and the people. It is in the kingdom of Christ, as in the kingdoms of the world. XLVI. We have lost all faith in missions to the Jews, because they have been for centuries and centuries, without the Light of the world. The candlestick was removed from their midst, by the Messiah. The Gentiles now have the sway; and the Jewish people are to remain as they are, until the fullness of the time allotted to the Gentiles, has been fulfilled. Paul, as if in corroboration of this view, says : *' that blindness in part has happened to Israel un- til the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." Therefore, we say no one can expect a successful effort to convert the Jews. It is true that if we go into Judea and Jerusalem, we meet a great many Gentiles traveling between impor- tant points, and these may fall under missionary influence ; but to go into Judea and Jerusalem to convert the Jews, would be a hopeless expenditure of time and labor. They are destined to continue in their present condition until 324 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. the Gentiles are fully evangelized, and brought into the enjoyment, of all the rights and immunities, of the Mes" siah's kingdom. Up to this time the Jews will remain a scattered people, and then be admitted into the great fam- ily of the redeemed. These matters are fully developed by the Apostle Paul, and are well worthy to be studied and remembered. XLVir. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, consists in ascrib- ing to demoniacal influence, what is usually ascribed to the influence of the Holy Spirit. This demoniacal power, is taken in the malam partem sense, but it has also a bonam partem sense, as the Romans have it. Blasphemy, may be voluntary or involuntary. The verb blaspheme (noun blasphemy) is composed of two Greek words, which signify to speak against, or to the injury of, God. Blasphemy has an appropriate illustration in profane swearing. Men ac- customed to profane swearing, are called blasphemers — guilty of speaking to the injury and disgrace of themselves, and the contempt and disdain of God. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, has been considered a subject of great moment, and the reason why, is worthy of especial notice. We have blasphemy against the Father, against the Son, and against 4he Holy Spirit. The special subject of unpardonable sin, is connected with the Holy Spirit. And why blasphemy against the latter should be less par- donable, than against the Father or the Son, is a question for consideration. We have three revelations of Divinity. First : in the Patriarchal and Jewish institutions, God was known only as Jehovah Elohim. It was possible that a person sinning against Him, might be pardoned under the second dispen- sation—the dispensation of the Son — the Incarnate Word. EXTRACTS FllOM SKIUIONS. 325 There was a more liberal exercise of pardon under him, than under the Jewish Theocracy. God the Father, sent the Son, and the Son sent the Holy Spirit, the last and crowning manifestation of Divinity. There was no Medi- ator after him, and blasphemy against him was therefore beyond the reach of pardon. The sin of Wasphcmy under the Theocracy, might be pardoned under the merciCul reign of the Christocracy ; and the blasphemer under the Christocracy, might be par- doned, saved, and sanctified, through the Holy Spirit ; but beyond this, there was no forgiveness — no possible pardon, in harmony with justice, honor, and divine authority. Throughout all Christendom — Greek, Roman, and Pro- testant — blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is considered the unpardonable sin. XLVIII. A Greek Philosopher said there were three great ques- tions in the world: first: what ami? second: whence come I ? third : whither go I ? Ages would not have suf- ficed philosophy to answer these questions ; but happily for us, the Bible solves them all. It is an infallible oracle, revealing creation and every thing appertaining to man, from Adam and Eve in Paradise, down to the last scene, of the last act, in the drama of man's eternal existence. XLIX. " All in all " — omnipotent, omnipresent, everlasting. There is a sublime significance in these words. How much eloquence they possess ! A splendid oracle in three monosyllables ! In all power, in aU space, in all time, the first and the last, the Al})ha and Omega ! No man has scaled the hights, or fathomed the depths of this sublime idea. 326 EXTRACTS FROxM SERMONS. L. It is perfectly natural for man to think. We think a great deal ; but many of our thoughts are very shallow. We think more of the outward man, than of the inner or innermost man. Knowing as ^Ye do, that the outward man is always changing, that man wears out a house of flesh every seven years of his life, and that the innermost man is unchangable, immortal, we can have no excuse for think- ing or acting thus unwisely. LI. God is said to inhabit eternity. Yet he sustains and preserves all things by his will. We talk of mechanical and other powers, but there is no power in the grand and various machinery of the universe, but the absolute will — the will of Jehovah. This will moves all things. It was the motive power of the first fiat, and will be of the final doom of earth and its tenantries. LII. The ultimate end of all true philosophy is to teach man two lessons — himself and his Creator. LIII. The richest men I have ever known, have become such by giving. The more knowledge we give — the more wis- dom we impart to the wise, and understanding to the fool- ish, the more we have. LIV. God makes men happy, in proportion to their work. In the precise ratio of our progress in honorable labor will we grow in true happiness; and the converse of this prop osition is equally true. EXTRACTS FROiM SERMONS. 327 LV. To be instrumental, in the salvation of one human soul, is a greater achievement, than that of the Macedonian chief, ^vho conquered the world, and then wept that the field of his ambition was exhausted. How wretched is that man, who sets his heart upon that which ceases to be. If universal experience had not proved it, reason would teach that the perishing things of time and sense could not in the nature of things, satisfy the eternal spirit of man. LVI. Christianity is the only lever that lifts man from earth to the temple of the Great Jehovah, where there is no sor- row — no sadness — not a hope disappointed, nor a wish un- gratified. LVII. Those who refuse to come to Christ will be banished into eternal darkness — whose blackness shall never be dispelled by a single ray of hope. Can there be any thing more awful to contemplate, than tomb-like, total darkness — and that forever? It is spoken of in the Bible as outer darkness. Assuredly, my friends, there is a darkness, in- finitely horrible, as there is a light superbly sublime. LVIII. A mystery is not necessarily an incomprehensible thing. It is something we do not know — a secret. The revelation of the secret, annihilates the mystery, as it then ceases to be an unknown thing. LIX. From the time Protestantism, burst asunder the bonds of 8U}}er8tition and ecclesiastical tyranny, it has exerted a vitalizing, energizing power, and an elevating, refining 328 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. influence, over every mind coming within the scope of its influence. LX. A man may be king of nations — he may be the leader of legions. Yet, if he fail to control himself, his greatness sinks into insignificance beside the true greatness, the moral heroism of him, who in all cases governs his pas- sions, and holds himself in subjection to reason, as taught by religion. LXI. Death ! There is nothing more terrible ! It is so by the constitution of man's iiature. Of all the thoughts, that force themselves upon man's attention, not one is less wel- come, not one is more repugnant to his feelings. It is terrible in itself — it is still more so as the wages of sin. Yes ! it was sin that brought desolation and ruin into Par- adise, and death into the world. It is sometimes asked, why did God create so much of life — of germ and bud — of bloom and beauty, to perish and decay? This is a part of the divine typography. Life suggests death — the inevitable doom of every denizen of earth; but death and the grave have yielded up the sting and the victory to Him who rose a triumphant Conqueror, and brought life and immortality to light. LXII. It is said, the sweetest wine, makes the sourest vinegar, so the purest and holiest of all feelings — religious love, generates the bitterest hatred, between rival or warring churches. But is religion in fault? Is not the fault in the passionate animalism, the depravity of fallen man? We pause — but not for a reply. The cause of such a state of things, is in the alienated feelings of man, as re- EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 329 spects God — the devil ruling him through the passions of the flesh. LXIII. As we rise in this world from faith to faith so in heaven, we rise from glory to glory. There is no limit — no ces- sation of adoration or admiration, in the glorification oi God. The pleasure will grow with the employment. Our joy will increase continually, and so on from age to age throughout the cycles of a boundless future. There will be more true happiness in every succeeding hour of the presence and dominion of the Eternal Father, than in the perpetual enjoyment of all the honors and emoluments within the gift of the.'mightiest monarch, that ever wore a crown or held a scepter. LXIV. There are a great many people in the world, who want just so much religion as will keep them out of hell. They belong to a class, who never realize the value of Chris- tianity, until they stand face to face with the king of ter- rors. They studiously watch the boundary of the domin- ion of him, who rules in the kingdoms of this world, walk as near it as is possible with safety (in their judgment), but carefully avoid, as they suppose, coming within his jurisdiction. They want every thing of the ivorld^ that ministers to the pride, or panders to the lusts, of sensuous man. They want the honors and emoluments, which the world bestows upon those who flatter and serve it, and of course prefer to live along the borders of that kingdom, whose native products are adapted to their tastes; having recently emigrated from it, without witlidrawing their af- fections, or adopting the manners and customs of those, with whom they are nominally associated. Now, interpret 28 330 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. the actions of such people, and they say as plainly as language can say it, " I am very much afraid of hell, and as I know of no other way of avoiding it, but by accept- ing the religion of Jesus Christ, I propose to accept just so much of it, as will answer my purpose. If I knew of aify other way of reaching the same end, which involved still less self-denial, I would prefer it; but as I do not, I must keep along the borders of Zion, until the storms of life blow hard, and then retreat to the interior, and claim the security of those, who have all their life long, dwelt in the very presence of its King, ever ready to do His bidding." Alas ! for those who reason in this 'way. They are jeop- ardizing their souls' salvation every hour of such a life. They are in the blackness of darkness, and on the way to eternal perdition. LXV. God gives peace to man through righteousness. Peace is always the consequence of righteousness. Paul speaks of " the peaceable fruit of righteousness,'' which is freely accorded to just and righteous men and nations. There can be no real peace in the world, except through right- eousness — the grand source from which all happiness springs. LXVI. This earth will be consumed by fire, and there will be new heavens, and a new earth. Then there will be no sea. The very nature of water is such, that it may be decom- posed and burned; consequently, the broad Atlantic and the mighty Pacific Oceans, with all the minor seas and lakes and rivers, will become so many depots of combusti- ble matter. These, with the moisture of the atmosphere (forty-five miles high), and of the interior of the earth, EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 331 together with its internal fires, will make short work of our little planet and its various tenantries. LXVII. It is remarkable that the subject of religion per se, should be so carefully considered by pulpit orators and others, all over Christendom, and the Scriptures ran- sacked from beginning to end, to find an answer to the question, " What is it ? " Now, the Apostle James, whose style is remarkable, for its perspicuity and directness, says to his beloved brethren : that " pure religion, and undefiled before God the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keep himself unspotted from the w^orld." This definition, happy as it is, presents a fine example of metonomy — the putting of the eff'ect for the cause. LXVIII. The moral government of God is neither more nor less, than a government of motives. It is not, however, a gov- ernment of motives, developed through the physical na- ture of man, whereby he is involuntarily forced to act. But it is, in the highest sense of the term, a free govern- ment. We sometimes speak of man as being a free moral agent. Why is he so ? It is because he is treated as such. Any one possessing the power and the privilege of acting in harmony with the dictates and conclusions of a sane understanding, is to be regarded as a free moral agent. LXIX. Christ taught his disciples a form of prayer. His dis- ciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples; and Christ said unto them : When 332 EXTRACTS FROxM SERMONS. ye pray suy, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth." It was very natural that they, whom Christ commis- sioned as embassadors, to promulge the principles and advent of the approaching reign or kingdom, should ask for instructions as to what to proclaim, and how to pray. The representative of a president or king, when commis- sioned to execute business of state, receives general or special instructions, with reference to his mission. In the case now referred to, we hear the King of kings, direct- ing his subjects how to pray, and what to pray for. He teaches them to say, " Thy kingdom come ; " or, when properly translated, " Thy reign come ; " and this phrase, as constituting an important part of the prayer dictated by Christ to his disciples, is worthy of special notice. In the first place, it is not to be understood that the kingdom was to move. The reign of God was to be in- augurated — established on earth. We speak of the ad- ministration of a new president, or the reign of a new king, as coming or approaching ; before the former is in- augurated or the latter crowned. Great changes in civil and earthly governments, are expected, and even prayed for. The same is true in regard to ecclesiastical govern- ments. But when the new administration begins, or the new king is crowned, we cease to speak of it as coming, or pray for it as wished for. At the time Christ taught his disciples to pray, he was himself preaching to the people, saying, Reform, for the kingdom of heaven approaches. He dictated what is called the Lord's Prayer, as a model for their use, to be repeated until the inauguration of the reign of Christ. That glorious reign began on the day of Pentecost ; and EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 833 inasmuch as the kingdom of Heaven has commenced — the reign of heaven has come, what propriety, we ask, is there, in repeating and emphasizing, in our use of the Lord's Player the words, "Thy kingdom come?" What does it avail to say, "Thy reign come," when the dispensa- tion referred to, has already commenced? Nevertheless, the Lord's Prayer is repeated, six or seven times in one day's worship, in the Church of Rome and the Church of England; and we even hear it repeated frequently, in the worship of the Protestant Churches in the Old and New Worlds, just as if it was of special obligation upon churches and individuals, because of the authority which dictated it — although under a difterent dispensation. It is strange how authority, or even custom, will tyrannize over the understandings of men. Let it be remembered that there was no mediation, no Mediator when Christ gave this form of prayer, which doubtless the Apostles and seventy disciples used, all over Judea, until the king- dom prayed for — the reign of Christ — did come.* LXX. The Greek words for repent and reform are quite dif- ferent in form and distinct in signification. f Some persons repent from fear touching the consequences of their actions, without change of practice, or future intent or purpose. * Doubtless Mr. Campbell is right in saying the "kingdom " here refers to the reign of Christ, which was then near at hand. But the prayer is now used in reference to the fullness of the kingdom, con- templated in the Millenium. V/hether it can be lawfully so appro- priated is a question ; but this ia certainly the meaning of those who use the style to which Mr. C. objects. M. f From meiamelomai and metanoeo 334 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. ' We are not only required to repent, but are called upon by the Great Teacher to reform. There has been an al- most interminable war of words, about the true meaning of the word repent ; and this conflict of ideas or opinions, as waged by the press and pulpit, all over Christendom, has originated and continued, in the want of definiteness and distinctness in regard to the signification of the terms of which we are now speaking. A man may be very sorry for his past conduct — may repent and hang himself as Ju- das did, but there is no reformation, unless he changes the whole course and purpose of his life. The words repent and reform, ought to be clearly defined, in their verbal and substantial sense. With the word repent (and the meaning of it) we gen- erally associate convert or baptize. The word turn, as used with us, is equivalent to the term " convert." To a man going in a certain direction we may say, turn sir, you are going into danger — into the pit — turn to the right ! Here we have an illustration of the working of " convert '' as tantamount to turn. Hence, all that family of words indicates the termination of one course and the beginning of another and a better one. This thing of being sorry, the fact of grief or compunc- tion of conscience, for thought or deed, never does any good, unless it lead us out of the state or practice of sin, into one of righteousness — or in other words changes our life for the better. The words repent and reform are as distinct, one from the other, as the sun and moon. For although the latter are both luminaries, there is a wonderful difi'erence in their relations to and efi'ects upon nature. EXTRACTS FROM SKllMONS. 335 Lxxr. There is no theory in the teachings of Christ. The idea that there is, is a delusion which has broken the church into fragments. There are various theories and specuhi- tions of men, called orthodoxy or heterodoxy ; according to the stand-point from which they are estimated. Now we presume to say, that the Devil is as orthodox as any angel in Heaven, and there is not an oracle in the Bible, which his Satanic Majesty does not perfectly understand, so far as theory is concerned. But the Devil, nor theories, never saved any one. LXXII. We must stoop if we would rise — submit if we would conquer. We must rule our stubborn wills to the standard of right, and subdue our rebellious passions into obedience, then say to them, " hitherto and no farther." Christ, through his submission, is crowned with glory in Heaven and is the Ruling Autocrat of the universe. LXXIII. There are a great many men in the world, called Deists, professing to be very devout, who refuse to recognize the Mediator. Now the very essence of Christianity consists in the recognition and acknowledgment, of our glorious High Priest — our precious Saviour and Mediator. There is no other Mediator — or medium — by or through which, man's prayer can reach the throne of the Universe. Hence, speaking after the manner of men, we assert, that the Deist's prayer can not be heard or recognized in Heaven. Does not Christ say expressly, " I am the way, the truth and the life ; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me ?" No man is presumed to directly address God the Father by prayer ; or if he does, he shows that he does not under- 336 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. stand or appreciate tlie teaeliing of tlie Mediatprial sys- tem of Christ. There is no access to the Fiither, except tlirough tlie Son, hence, we say the prayers of the Deist can not be heard, and he wlio in his petitions refuses to recognize the rights of Christ is an imposter. The doctrine of the Deist would annul the law of the Pentateuch, for it denies the fact that the Jews were heard through the mediation or intercession of Moses, or through Aaron their High Priest, although when he appeared be- fore the mercy seat, he bore the names of the tw^elve tribes engraven upon his breast-plate. In like manner, in the Christian dispensation, the people of God are heard through Christ — the Annointed Son of God and our High Priest — the High Priest of the Christian dispensation, who has the names of his followers engraven upon his heart. He needs no tablet — he wears upon his heart, the names of those who were purchased by his blood. This in itself, is a grand inducement to prayer, and a guarantee that our prayers will be heard and answered, by our Father which art in Heaven. LXXIV. Why was Peter given more than one key, or w^hy is key in the plural number ? is a question often and properly propounded. To ask why there were two keys to the Kingdom of Heaven is a very natural inquiry. We gene- rally associate with a lock, the idea of a single key, or a key and its duplicate. Christ having complimented and congratulated Peter upon his candor, and upon his having received a revelation from his Father, not only announces, that " upon this rock I will build my church," but says to Peter, " I will give unto thee, the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." Here we have the plural form of the word *' key " associated with " kingdom " in the singular. Now, EXTRACTS FROM SERMOXS. 837 it is we believe admissible, upon the ground of reason and probability, for us to affirm, that this idea of a plurality or duality of keys, originated and became established in lite- rature, in and through the customs and manners of society — that this duality grew out of the conditions of humanity. Before, and at the time, the expression " keys of the kingdom " occurred, there were two distinct classifications of the human family — there were two principal and essen- tially different classes of mankind. One was marked and identified in the flesh, and for certain sufficient reasons, were constituted an elect nation, and made the special de- positories of the oracles of God. Are we not told that He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judg- ments unto Israel ? He hath not dealt so with any nation, and as for his judgments, they have not known them." Other nations have not known the God of Jacob, of Isaac, of Abraham, nor his statutes and judgments. The Jews in their pride, and high estimate of their own superior understanding, and character, used to consider, and treat the Gentiles as an inferior, and unimportant peo- ple. It was a matter of astonishment to the pupils of Christ, that he should speak of, or refer to, the Gentiles and Pa- gans, with their idols and worship, and even when they had been with the Master two or three years, they were at a loss to know, why Christ should notice the nations out- side of the Jewish fold. They manifested a great deal of spiritual pride in that respect. They looked down upon the Gentiles with sovereign contempt. The Jews were not allowed to eat with them, disdained to associate with them, and seemed to believe that they could not touch a Gentile, without being polluted. Thus we may perceive and under- stand, how unnatural it appeared, and how difficult it must 29 33s EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. have been, for Peter to reconcile himself to the idea of going out to preach to the Gentiles, when he was commis- sioned with the second key. For the Jews to receive the Gentiles into full fellowship, treating them as brethren, was one of the greatest revolutions ever witnessed or ex- perienced by any people of any age. Peter had to be specially educated and commissioned to bring about this result. We read of doors consisting of leaves, and it is sometimes beautifully pictured in history, that the gates of Heaven are composed of two leaves — one to open to the right, the other to the left — for the entrance of Jews and Gentiles respectively. Hence, it is an apposite figure of speech, to say that one of the keys, was to open the leaf for Jews, and the other to unlock the leaf for the Gentiles. Thus we have an application of Christ's promise to Peter, that he should receive " the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." LXXV. " The sound of many waters " is the most awe-inspiring sound heard by mortal ears. The thunders of heaven startle for a moment, but the water's everlasting, unchang- able roar holds man in silent subjection to its resistless power — its sublime music. The tremendous cataracts of earth never tire, they seem almost to paralyze the power of speech, while they fill the soul of man with the highest conceptions of the power and grandeur of their Author. Thus it is, that God has made the wonders of the universe the s}^mbols of his power, or the revelators of his goodness. LXXVI. There is a volume of meaning and feeling in the proper use of the two words of the Lord's prayer, " Our Father." EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 330 It is not merely our God — our Creator, but our Father.* There is notliing in the sublime imagery, of human speecli, in all the fine sayings or splendid conceptions of man, that can compare with the pathetic significance of these two words as tauglit to man by the Son of God. The Jews crucified Him for calling Himself the Son of God, but He freely shares the honor, with the fallen sons of men, and thus recognizes the brotherhood of man as joint heirs of the glory that shall be revealed. Lxxvir. We find variety in all the spheres of life. Why is this? It is designed unquestionably to minister to the enjoyment, the happiness of man. There is no one thing that con- tains all things, yet there is one being who in the dignity and grandeur of His entire nature, may be said to com- prehend the universe. That person is Christ, in whom are all the elements of humanity and divinity. He is the per- fect representation of the goodness and glory of God, and the grand central idea of humanity. LXXVIII. Man, in appoximation, and Messiah, in His entirety, con- stitute a similitude of God. Christ may be said to be a perfect representation of God. "He is holy, harmless, uudefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to ofi"er up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the peoples', for tliis he did once, when He offered up Himself." * This is a New Testament revelation. Under the former tlispen- dations, God was known as the "Lord of hosts," the "God of bat- tles," etc., but under the Christian dispensation, He is known by the endearing appellation of "Father." M. 340 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. Yes! Christ was pure,' just and lioly as His Father in lieaveu, being so from His first breath to His hist on earth. We liave reason to rejoice, tlierefore, in being under such a Glorious Ruler, who combines, in His authority, the leg- islative, the executive and judicial, and all the crowning and sublime capacities of divinity, in the recovery and redemption of man. LXXIX. What a wonderfully benevolent, mediatorial interpo- sition, is portrayed in the term Gospel. No Gospel was ever preached to fallen angels. There never was an invi- tation extended to one of that class who rebeled against God. They were cast out forever, into that darkness and misery — the abode of rebels and sinners — without and be- yond the heaven of eternal happiness. LXXX. No man has ever suggested an improvement to the par- ables of the Saviour. Like the fables of iEsop they were designed to impart knowledge to mankind, and they are the wisest exhibitions of literature in the world. In the parables, we have a perfect portraiture of man. Every thing is marked out, as large as life — no more, no less; and they stand in the precise attitude that their ideas are to be imprinted, upon the understanding and conscience of man. LXXXI. Think if you can — summon before your mental vision, the terrible revelation of our lives on the day of judgment! Yet, we see man playing the very pranks of childhood, upon the brink of endless perdition — loitering with abso- lute carelessness upon the verge of the fathomless abyss. EXTRACTS FROM SERiMONS. 341 He regards not the outstretched arm of Jehovali, he turns a deaf car to the sweet invitations of Him, who died to re- deem him — he turns away from the overtures of divine mercy, and regards the dictates of folly, and the suggestions of caprice, more than he does the revelations of the Infinite Mind. He follows the allurements of sin, panders to the pride of life and the lusts of the flesh — nay, willingly and willfully offers himself a sacrifice to sin, upon the altar of human passion. All these things and more will stain the fadeless record of those, who run from the kingdom, and refuse the invitations of the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ. Lxxxir. It has been said, that the sun never rises nor sets, with- out shining upon a Jew. Yet, this monumental people, still numbering millions, practice circumcision to a greater or less extent, throughout the world. The Jew, however, is perfectly passive under the operation of circumcision, which ceased to be a divine institution, after the circum- cision of Jesus of Nazareth. He was cut off — a beautiful application of the term, indicating that he was separated. The Jews themselves are guilty of the trial, condemnation, and crucifixion of the Saviour. It is true that Roman soldiers, were employed to execute their malice, but this does not relieve the Jews from the infamy of the act, as the soldiers were mere instruments in their hands, for the the accomplishment of a purpose, deliberately planned and cruelly executed. The practice of circumcision as a divine ordinance, was obligatory upon the Jewish people, until Christ came into the world, since which time it has been practiced as a national rite or distinction. But it is no longer a duty. If a Jew was converted to Christianity during the Apos- 342 EXTRACTS rilOM SEILMUNS. tolic age, he was baptized whether he had been circumcised or not. We consider circumcision, a supernatural com- memoration, of the covenant in the flesh, pertaining to the posterity of Abraham, whereby the separation from God's people from the children of this world, was admirably typified. LXXXIII. The original word, of which righteousness is a transla- tion, is one of the most comprehensive in the Hebrew language, or indeed in universal language. It is not Justice nor Mercy. Righteousness and Justice are not the same, as is sometimes supposed. Justice strikes us as a very stern matter, Avhile Mercy is subdued and tear- ful. It sees the guilt of sin as clearly as Justice does; but it pities the sinner, which Justice does not. In the Bible sense, we consider this word as very important — wonderfully and peculiarly significant. It is a sort of comminMino: of the attributes throuo;h which we love to look at God — Truth, Goodness, Justice, and Mercy. Omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence can not be regarded as lovely in their nature. They are beautiful and potent words — grand and awful in significance, but there is no attraction in them. Man's heart yearns for, and must have words — signs of ideas — significant of something that calls forth his love and devotion ; the exercise of which is calculated to bring him to a truthful appreciation of the attributes and character of God, " Our Father in Heaven," as Jesus taught us to call him — and to love him with all our hearty and all our strength, and all our mind. Righteousness combines, in an eminent degree, the lovable attributes of Jehovah. EXTKACTS FROM SERMONS. 848 LXXXIV. Adam was a representative man — his position Avas truly and awfully responsible. All humanity was, at one time, in one personality. Christ, as spiritually representative, stands precisely a second Adam. He represents those who are begotten in him, as Adam did those who were begotten of him — his descendants in the flesh. LXXXV. Among the most important ecclesiastical documents are the two oracles, which we sometimes denominate the ker- nel of Christianity — the Epistles of Paul to the Romans and to the Hebrews. They contain the most comprehen- sive and complete exposition of all that enters into Chris- tian faith and worship, ever spoken or written. LXXXVI. I beg you to remember, that Piety does not consist in words, nor in the forms and ceremonies of human wor- ship. What is Piety ? We understand it to comprehend devotion of spirit, devout gratitude and unaffected adora- tion and admiration of soul toward God, "for that is good and acceptable before God." LXXXVII. We thank God, that we have Adam second, as we had Adam first. Adam first was so called because he was made of red earth. God breathed into his nostrils the the spirit — set the waves of life in motion, and gave him a home in Paradise. But in all his happiness, he fell from grace — lost his crown — the glory of God departed from him. Adam second, was begotten of the spirit, born in a stable, cradled in a manger, and died on the cross. 344 EXTKACrS FKUM SERMONS. The first Adam, lost Paradise, and cursed the world. The second Adam, redeemed and blessed the world. Great, however — and awfully so — as was the loss, it sinks into utter insignificance, when compared with the sublimity of that eternal redemption, consummated in and through the second Adam, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. LXXXVIII. If we look at the Christian institution from the right stand-point, we shall find that it is no more nor less than a missionary institution. The Christian Church was es- tablished by missionaries. The word missionary means sent — sent on an errand, which we call a mission. We read in the Bible of God and Angels. Is the word angel a personal or official name ? It certainly is not a person- al appeHation, and never was applied, as a proper and ap- propriate name, to any person, and can not be, in the na- ture of things. An angel then, is a missionary — a mes- senger ; and a missionary is an angel. The universe has been, is now, and always will be, filled with angelic oper- ants and co-operants, with the Spirit of God in dissem- inating the truths and blessings of religion.* LXXXIX. Christ taught, and exemplified in his practice, that it was more pleasing to give than to receive ; but the miser says, by his action, that it is more pleasing to receive than to give. The man who gives is twice blessed — i7i the act and /or the act. * The reader will observe that most of tlie extracts are of a didac- tic cliaracter. This was almost invariably Mr. C.'s metliod in the Bethany pulpit. His audience was largely made up of the students of the college; and consequently he carried into the pulpit much ol the lecture style. M. EXTRACTS FROxM SERMONS. 346 XC. It is a deplorable folly, that many professing Christians, are continually fighting about this dogma or theory, and that speculation in regard to Christianity. The strife of various denominations, over the orthodoxy of their written creeds, resembles in a great degree, the quarrels of chil- dren, over their toys and plaj -things. They Avould do well to remember, that the acknowledgment of a good rule, is quite a different thing from the practice of it. xcr. When we speak of our Father in Heaven, we should never forget, that it is through his Son Jesus, the Beloved, that we properly approach him. The Son has all author- ity in the universe : for has not God made him King of kings and Lord of lords— the Way, the Truth, and the Life and our Judge at the last great day ? God the Father will not judge the world — and we speak with great rev- erence when we say so — although the Church of England and the Church of Scotland too, m.ake God in person, the final judge of the world. It must be because they have not fully realized the glorious truth, that Christ is just as much the grand center of the spiritual universe, as the sun is the center of the solar syste/n. When this great truth is fully understood, it must necessarily become evident, to every sane mind, that Christ, by whom or for whom, all things were created, will from the very nature and condition of things, judge the world and then' resign his commission to the Father. Having done this, Christ will enter with his ransomed children, into the enjoyment of the glorious in- heritance, prepared for them by God in the Heaven of Heavens. 346 EXTRACTS FR02,I SEKMONS. XCII. In the second chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, there are many important questions propounded, and we desire to note this one particularly : " If every transgres- sion and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" We desire to make a true and important distinction in re- ference to this passage. The question may be regarded as addressed to the men and women in the ChurcJi, more particularly than to those Avho are out of the Church. All persons out of the Church, despise the salvation in their hearts. We wish to be explicit in the use of forcible terms. This word " neglect " is, and has been, greatly abused. A man never was, and never can be, false to a character he never possessed — in other words, a man never neglected a trade until he assumed the character of a tradesman or craftsman. No man really neglects a business, with which he has nothing to do. We, therefore, desire to impress upon the minds of all, that this remark of the Apostle, has particular reference to those who have entered into the Christian Church — into the Congregation of the Lord ; and in reference to passing over the threshold into the King- dom, it bankrupts human conception to attempt to give an adequate idea, of the glory, dignity and felicity, real- ized upon this triumph of faith and piety, over unbelief and alienation of heart. There are people — thousands of them in the world — who pay no attention whatever to religion. Such persons can- not strictly be charged with neglecting, what they never undertook ; but their conduct amounts to no more nor less, than an expression of contempt for the calling of a Chris- tian. Yet every man possessed of sanity, who has read or heard the testimony of God as recorded in Holy Writ — EXTRACTS FROM SERMON'S. 347 has weighed it in tlie scales of reason — must be compelled to admit, that it comes not from the mind of man, but from the inspiration of God. Alas ! how many of the human family', in the estrangenaent of their hearts, are standing out in rebellion to God — yes ! actually defying Omnipo- tence to arms. Plead with them — present to them the in- finite importance of submission to divine authority — re- mind them of the just recompense of reward for every transgression and disobedience — and the result is absolute- ly wonderful — incomprehensible ! They will treat it with far more disdain than they would an invitation to engage in folly, or even in crime, provided only you will not call it crime. They reply in effect, " God gave me passions and appetites, and I intend to indulge them — to follow the dictates of my own feelings. Do you suppose you can scare me by pictures of hell ? God gave me the power, and the capacity to derive and enjoy pleasure from a variety of sources ; and as long as I have the opportunity, I intend to do so. As for your religion, I scorn it. It inculcates principles, precisely antagonistical, to my natural inclina- tions, and I prefer to follow the latter, let them lead me where they will.^' Now, though men may not give audi- ble utterance to the words and phrases we have used, such is the interpretation of their acts — oftentimes more eloquent and truthful than words. The sinner in this age and particularly in this country, virtually refuses to have Christ to reign over him. Yes! the transgressors and disobedient, fail to recognize Christ except as an imposter. As an imposter did you say ? Yes, 1 repeat it, as an im- poster. To believe otherwise is to believe them devoid of reason. They have been told of the blessings of the King- dom — of the terrors of hell, as revealed by the Son of God, and taught by his Apostles. Now, no man to whom sal- 348 EXTIIACTS FKOxM SERMONS. vation has been offered upon the terms of the Gospel, and bj the authority of Jesus Christ, can reject that salvation, if in the possession of reason, without practically saying that this religion is a cheat and its x\uthor an imposter. Gentlemen ! Ladies ! It is a fearful thing to reject the Son of God — to refuse the salvation which he has obtained for you, through his own precious blood. XCIII. There may be an endless variety in the talents given to humanity; nevertheless, every man is accountable to God, for the powers and capacities bestowed upon him. God is just and merciful. "He renders to every man accord- ing to his work." This divine law is just as applicable to nations as to individuals ; and when we consider this subject in its true light, we can not fail to see and under- stand, that as a nation, our position is more responsible, than that of any other people under heaven. We justly glory in our national birthright. We have more of the marks of true heroism than any other people created by God. We are honorably proud of our freedom of thought — we rejoice in our freedom of speech and free- dom of action — liberty" restrained from licentiousness by the operation of law. We thank God for our birthright, our honorable ancestry, our constitutional liberty — secured to us as a people. Our forefathers jeopardized life, fortune and honor, that we their children, might enjoy the rewards of their sufferings, their sacrifices and their toils — their patriotic and priceless victory. Behold the land of free- dom — from the North to the South, from the East to the West, covered with institutions, religious, literary and scientific, and all in complete consentaneity, with the growth of our national strength and honor! KXTRAi'TS FHO.M SKllMONS. 349 We envy no people on the globe. In arts and sciences, iji the honors, gratifications and blessings of a mighty peo- ple, we stand high on the ladder of renown, while in na- tional wealth, political power, and moral glory, we are ele- vated to a high and complete scale of happiness and pros- perity. Hence, our responsibility to God. The sun does not shine upon a people, more prosperous or more respon- sible, than the people of the American States. Did it ever occur to any of you, or to all of you, that you had not properly weighed your responsibility to the state, to the church, or to Him in whom we live and move and have our being ? Would not such ingratitude, constitute the climax of iniquity? For a man or a nation to receive and enjoy from day to day, and from year to year, all the blessings which a bountiful and beneficent Providence bestows upon a people circumstanced as we are, without opening the lips or the heart, in thankfulness to the Author of them all, constitutes the basest ingratitude. In what respect can those, who thus act, claim superiority to the horse or the ox, which eats and drinks, and lives and dies, in the sun- beams of heaven, without ever looking up to the source of its enjoyments ? But with all our short-comings as a people, professing Christianity, we trust and believe (and we thank God for that belief), that we are a prayerful and grateful people. XCIV. How shriveled — how nearly annihilated, must be the soul of that man, who entertains the idea of making God his debtor. Could man offer the globe as a sin offering, God could not possibly be under any obligation for it. It is our highest honor — our greatest happiness to serve God, By giving to God, we enrich not God, but ourselves, and 350 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. our happiness will always be in the precise ratio of our manlike and Godlike labors. Christ in His life and death beautifully illustrated the truth, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. xcv. We desire in the course of a few remarks, to invite the attention and admiration of our hearers to one of the most interesting of the prophetic psalms, of the sweet bard of Israel. The relations of Christ to His kingdom, and to the world, are probably better indicated here than any where else. We refer to the one hundred and tenth psalm. In the first place, who and what is David? In the He- brew his name simply signifies, "the beloved" — no more, no less than the name Christ. But, listen to the reading of the psalm : " The Lord said unto my Lord sit at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." This rendering is not correct, literally translated, it be- comes, "Jehovah said unto my Lord," etc. This is spoken in reference to the time of the incarnation. There was a prior condition, but now you are to bear in mind, that the Son of man, and the Son of God are in one and the same person ; being in character and capacity perfect man, and perfect God. All His characteristics stand out in the boldest relief. But to return — can there be a more humiliating position, than that ascribed to the enemies of Jesus? They shall be placed beneath His feet — become His footstool — as understood by the Jews and Greeks. " The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." Here we must remark, with respect to the word " strength," as used in this passage, that it is a very lame translation. It is true that the original word signifies strength ; but EXTRACTS FROM SKHMONS. 351 that term, with us, in most rehitions, is associated with en- ergy. We incline, therefore, to the belief that a bettei translation would be, The Lord shall send the rod of thy power, out of Zion. The rod of his power — of his em- pire, was to be sent out ; and this term, roi, is precisely tantamount to what we denominate scepter. The passage, then, would stand more modernized — more improved, if it read, The Lord shall send the scepter of thy power out of Zion : rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. In other words, Thy rule shall commence in Zion, and there, too, in the very midst of thy enemies. How is this kingdom, this rule here indicated to be ac- complished — to be established ? Omnipotent Jehovah is to send out the scepter of his power, and by His infinite wisdom and authority, the reign is to be inaugurated and perpetuated. What a tremendous scepter— the symbol of Omnipotence — held aloft by the power of Jehovah, who foretells the wondrous event, and commands, " Begin thou, in the very center of rebellion to rule — to erect the su- preme power — to exercise the paramount authority — at the place where thou wast persecuted by the high priest and the elders. Yes ! begin on the very spot where thou wert tried, condemned, and crucified between felons — where the mob reviled thee in the agonies of death, and where thou didst burst the confines of the grave, arise from the dead, and gloriously, under the escortage of the i.ngelic host, ascend into heaven. It is said that a prophet is not without honor save in hia own country. It is equally true that a man must regain his character and sustain his reputation, in the place where it has been lost or assailed. No man would ever think of migrating to a distant and strange land, to regain that which was lost at home. On this account, Christ was to 352 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. begin to rule in the strongliold of his enemies— he was ti'iuniphantly to reinstate his authority and his good name, where it had been inhumanly wrested from him. And how could the glorious object of his mission into this world be consummated more successfully. It may, to some per- sons, seem strange ; but, in the wisdom of God — in the fulfillment of prophec}', and for the good of man, it was proper that Christ should be glorified in the precise locality where he had been rejected, betrayed, persecuted, reviled, and ignominiously crucified. The sweet and sainted bard looks down through the vista of a thousand years, and enthrones, in prophetic verse, the Man of Sor- rows, while his enemies become as dust beyeath his feet. Our attention is arrested by the words " thy people." Christ was to be the head of a great people — the glorious Leader of an everlasting people. He did not die without a purpose. He suffered death for an object the most glorious ever oracled in prophecy, or achieved by human or divine agency since time began. Christ died to live — He stooped to conquer. He submitted, that he might lead death in the retinue of those enemies over whom he triumphed when he brought life and immortality to life. Christ rose a conqueror — but, having gained the grand- est victory on record, how did he treat his enemies? Did he torture them or kill them ? Did he destroy or save his enemies ? They were conscience-stricken, self-accused, self-condemned ! What else could they have expected but annihilation, for the crime of putting to a cruel and infamous death, the Son of God — the Redeemer of the world? He was now King of kings and Lord of lords; constituted the Supreme Ruler of the universe. His stricken followers now became the heroes of a new era, confronted the wicked Jews in their synagogues and as- EXTRACTS FROM SKRMONS. 353 semblies of the people, and boldly charged them with the murder of the Prince of Peace, declaring tha.t the same Jesus, whom they had crucified, had become both Lord and Christ. No other prince, after triumphing over his enemies and ascending to the very zenith of power and authority, ever failed to signalize his triumph by the des- truction of his foes. Jesus achieved the same end, but by different means ; for, by an act of unbounded grace and mercy, when seated on the throne of the universe, he promised pardon and salvation to those who had imbued their hands in his blood — three thousand of whom, on the day of Pentecost, became his friends, and thus it was that Jesus destroyed his enemies. What else do we find here worthy of notice? The psalmist tells us in the third stanza — '' Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Yes! the followers of Christ were not to consist of conscripts — men impressed into service, but the loyal people of His reign were to be- come volunteers, in the day of His power. The reign, proper of Christ did not commence while He was on the earth, for all the time previous to His crucifixion He was subject — obedient to the Roman Government, When trib- ute was demanded He paid it. If He was without, He got it, as when He sent to the sea and procured it from the mouth of a fish. He was subject to the laws that were. What a splendid exhibition of loyality ! Omnip- otent power, submitting to human authority — a father led by his child ! The deportment of Christ under the cir- cumstances, presents a beautiful model for man's imita- tion — giving respectful submission to the authorities of the land, and practically condemning rebellion. David speaks still further of the reign of Christ, refer- ring in this connection, to " the beauties of holiness from 30 354 EXTRACTS PROM SERMONS. the womb of tlie morning." These words we can not fully appreciate. We have exalted notions of what we call outward and sensuous beauty, but there is a beauty of ho- liness, which eclipses the sensuous as the bright rays of the noon day sun eclipse the glimmering light of the twinkling star. The language here referred to is not merely complimentary, but by infinite wisdom it is ordained to aid the rightful claim of Messiah to the adoration and admiration of His people. Again, we have the language, ^' The Lord hath sworn and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedek." Now it is not necessary for Je- hovah to swear. He could not literally utter any thing in the nature of a profane oath; but to make the language intelligible to man, and to secure the desired object, the psalmist adapts his language to the genius of human na- ture as it now is, and, therefore, he addresses man in har- mony with his nature and understanding. The oracle is equivalent to this, " The Lord hath covenanted and will not change it." Christ is a priest forever after the order of Melchisedek. Melchisedek had no predecessor — was without father or mother, brother or sister, and Christ too was of an en- tirely independent order. He was ordained a High Priest forever, to intercede at the throne of grace, in behalf of man's salvation and eternal happiness. XCVI. In the last chapter of the Apocalypse, we receive from the Apostle John, a very important revelation. It was given to those disciples through whom " the gospel of peace, and the glad tidings of good things, Avere preached to every creature which is under heaven," for is it not EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 355 written, that." their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world?" We are always interested in the last words of a man ai)out to depart this life, and we contetnplate the last admonitions of the Book of Books, with feelings peculiar to the associations of a dying man. In one of the last verses, of the last book of the Bible, we are presented with a significant and comprehensive or- acle. Christ says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega" — the Greeks knowing very well what this meant, for they were the first and last letters of their alphabet ; but to make it plain to those who did not read Greek, He adds, " the beginning and the end," and for those who might not understand the full significance of even this. He continues as if to render it universally intelligible — culminating in the bold Saxon words — "the first and the last." Thus we have the glorious oracle, expressed in three forms, adapted to different varieties of the human race, and conditions of the minds of men ; and in these three forms or phrases, or figures of speech, we have the precise same meaning ; each conforming in significance to both the others — tantamount and identical in meaning. In the succeeding verse, we read, " Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Your attention is directed for a moment to the word "blessed." We have another word tantamount to this and more generally understood. It is the word ''^'ha'p'pyr From the original we learn that it indicates the highest degree of happiness ; hence, we may, with pro- priety, render it, " happy are they, that do His command- ments, that they may have right to the tree of life." Mark the point of " rights Let us have a practical 356 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS, view of the matter. Tlie keeping of His commandments did not give the " right," nor the 'professing of them ; neither does the acknowledgment of them, but it requires that we shall actually do them, if we would have a right to the tree of life. A man may acknowledge the obligation of a law or command — profess to believe in its rectitude, acknowledge its authority — but these do not include the doing of it, and in that is the special obligation — the all- important idea. Christ the " Son of David," in a spiritual sense, revived perpetuated and glorified, the royal race of His father. David assures us that there is a reward for those " who remember His commandments to do them." But the true, unalloyed happiness of the soul of man, consists not in the very act of doing the commandments of God. The rich reward is consequent upon the keeping of the pre- cepts of the Great Teacher and Governor. There is a great difference in the effect of a principle and that which is inherent in the principle itself. In keeping the com- mandments and precepts of Christ, there is a present re- ward, but that reward is but the shadow of that which is to come to those, who dare and do — who live out the com- mandments and fight the good fight of faith. XCVII. I believe there is not a man living, who has a perfectly undisturbed conscience. If I should undertake to sketch a happy man — or the conditions of true happiness, I would put down, as of prime necessity, a careful reading, an earnest, prayerful study of the sacred oracles, and an un- faltering walk in the light of their inspired teachings. If any thing can make a man happy in this life, it is a con- tinued, thoughtful, and active communion with God. EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 357 But happiness in its nature and degree, has respect to the powers and capacities, natural and acquired, of the individual man. Some persons enjoy more happiness than others, under similar circumstances ; and although there are a great many degrees of happiness, if the soul of man, whether large or small, be full of the love and glory of God, the measure of his happiness is complete; for the soul of man, through communion with God, can only be full of happiness. A wag once asked a devout Christian this question : ^' Whom do you worship ? " "I worship God, " said the Christian. The wag added, " Is he a great or a little God ? " The answer was, " I worship a great God and a little God." " How can that be?" said the quiz. "Why, sir," said the man of God, " He is so large that he fills the universe with his presence, and so small that he dwells in my heart." These answers were happily conceived. The soul of man can be no more than full, no matter what its capacity may be. Hence, if the belief of a man's mind is right, whether his capacity be large or small, if it be full, his happiness is complete. This is per- haps the best way to settle the question of man's happi- ness. God says, " I will dwell in the hearts of my peo- ple " — and if the love of God fills the heart of man, he must be happy. The novitiate in the school of Christ, un- der the Spirit's teaching, can be as happy as King Solo- mon in the zenith of his grandeur and renown. What a beautiful thought it is, that the poorest beggar that walks the earth can l)c as happy as the proudest monarch, shin- ing in all the splendors of a throne. The felicity of a Gabriel or Raphael, or of any other bright angel of heaven, can not exceed the happiness of a pauper of earth, pro- 358 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. vided only, the latter enjoys perfect union and communion ^vith the great / Am. XCVIII. "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him bo Anathema Maranatha." We read this remarkable passage in the concluding por- tion of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, and it is worthy of special consideration and remark. These words were not spoken or written to a promiscuous auditory — not to a public assembly of Jews and Gentiles — nor to a Gentile community, as such, nor yet to a synagogue of Jewish worshipers, but to a very splendid Christian Church in the renowned city of Corinth — a city designated. by Cicero as the full eye of all Greece, a city fi'om which the Apostle had written a number of letters to other churches. With all its greatness and boasted piety, it had become deeply imbued with lukewarmness and general licentiousness. A great congregation, having been built up in Corinth by the preaching of the Gospel, Paul has written more to it than to any other mentioned in the New Testament. Hence, the propriety of analyzing the different items, contained in documents so important. But our cursory observations at this time, will be confined to the passage already re- ferred to. After many and forcible reasonings and exhortations, with Gentiles and others in the Church, Paul concludes with this terrible sentence, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ " — he gives his name in full — " let him be Anathema Maranatha," — a fearful curse, the true signifi- cance of which is — Let liini tliat loves not the Lord Jesus be cursed now, and until tlie Lord comes. It is a wither- ing denunciation without a precedent in any of the Apos- tolic writings. It is not the language of excitement, nor EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 359 does he speak under the influence of a feeling of resent- ment, nevertheless, to those who fulfill the conditions there is woe unutterable in this fearful curse. We may remark very properly, that this verse suggests far more than it expresses. The suggestive indeed was the characteristic style of the Apostle, and the same remark is true in regard to his cotemporary and fellow-worker. But we presume that no one possessed more of this power, than the great Apostle to the Gentiles. In his letters and speeches, there are single words of more scope and significance, than are found in whole sentences of other writers and speakers. His manner of speaking is eminently calculated to enlighten the mind of man, and to advance him more and more in the full realization of the great elements of Christianity. A single question in the teachings of the inspired writers, is sometimes worth more, than a volume of uninspired dis- sertations ; while their assertions and proofs, in regard to certain principles and positions in the divine economy, are of wonderful significance and irresistible force. The pointedness of this curse seems to pierce the very heart of man, and we are irresistibly prompted to ask, " Why should it have been pronounced ?" It is all the more remarkable in view of the fact that Paul had elsewhere commended the Corinthians, and had given them much attention. The secret of the whole matter is, that while Paul appreciated and commended their virtues, he had dis- covered a spirit in the church at Corinth the manifesta- tions of which he did not approve, and against the ten- dency of which it was necessary to warn them in these words of fearful import. With the abundance of their spiritual gifts, there was much of selfishness and worldly ambition, through the influence of which the church was likely to fall short — to fail of its great mission. And here 360 EXTRACTS I'KOM SERMONS. let US pause to remark upon the unreasonableness of that pride in the possession and selfishness in the use of that which man could not originate, and which he possesses solely as the beneficiary of the bounty of heaven. Imag- ination often puff's men up with extravagant ideas of their own superiority, and thus a spirit haughty and imperious is made to supersede the humility, which is an essential at- tribute of Christian character. The existence of such a spirit is wholly incompatible with the love of our fellow- men or of God himself. Such inordinate selfishness can not easily be defined in words, but its manifestations in the lives and characters of men, render a people or a church offensive in the sight of God. He knoweth a proud man afar off. There is one kind of pride (so-called) which we delight to see, and to commend. For example, we delight to witness on the part of man a respect for, and an appreciation of, his own good name and repute. It is a little dangerous, however, to indulge such a feeling, as it is so difficult to distinguish it, in its manifestations, from pride of person or of circumstances ; and the pride of life and circumstances do not come into communion and fel- lowship with the feelings and sentiments of the children of God. Persons given up to the pride of life — to say nothing of churches thus affected— will find it very diffi- cult to enter the kingdom of heaven. " God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." Has not Christ said that unless you become as little children you can not enter the kingdom of God? ^' Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." The language of Paul seems to be, and doubtless really is, a reproof of a deficiency in love to God ; and surely ingratitude to God transcends all. other manifestations of the sin of ingratitude possible to conceive of. It must be EXTRACTS FKOxM SERMONS. 861 possible, it must be practicable, for man to love God, or he would not condemn him for failing to do so. Man has a mind to appreciate the goodness of God. He has the Bible — the throne of grace — ever accessible, and a glori- ous Mediator ! And what more than these can he ask or need ; If he will permit the evidence of God's love to penetrate and permeate his heart, he will reciprocate that love, and if he have that love, he will manifest it to his brother man, as well as to the Lord Jesus, for, like the sun, it is a glorious center of radiation — an ever-active princi- ple, diffusing light and heat throughout the sphere of its influence. It ought never to be forgotten, that hatred never ceases to act in the absence of love. They are the two ever active principles of the universe. Love works perpetu- ally in its own good mission, and hatred never tires in its evil mission. They are precisely antagonistic. There are many degrees of both. SuflSce it to say, that there is a perfect hatred and a perfect love. In Satan, the adver- sary of God and man, the influence of hatred will finally culminate and terminate. Love is conservative in its in- fluence. It will secure to man the rights of heaven, the throne of grace and eternal life. We can not dismiss this subject, as involved in the pas- sage read, without referring to the practical use, which the Apostle evidently designed we should make of the threat or exhortation in regard to the love of the Lord Jesus. We know that it is possible to grow in love to God, and to prosper in his worship every day of life. We understand that God will punish our neglect to culti- vate and covet this love. The very curse invoked by the Apostle convinces us tliat we may have it if we will. If we are devoid of its influence, it is nur sin — the result of 362 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. a neglect to avail ourselves of the Divine benevolence in its rich provision for the education and endowment of the souls of men. Have we not the throne of grace — testi- mony equal to the establishment of a glorious faith — and repentance as a consequence ? Have we not the resur- rection, ascension, and glorification of the Lord Jesus, and the glorious hope inspired thereby? None of these things originated with man — \)\it they are the gift of God —blessings vouchsafed to man as the means of working out for the ransomed of Christ a beatification as broad as creation, and as enduring as eternity itself. xcix. In order properly to understand the grand themes of the Old and New Testament writings we must examine the Bible carefully. No man can understand an atom of the universe without a general view of the mass. We must always look at the parts in the whole, and examine the whole in the parts. And the parts of the whole of this volume are embraced in the two great ideas of God and man. The two cardinal elements of the whole Book of Booku are Divinity and humanity. Hence, in the details of its historical facts, these subjects are thoroughly and beautifully expanded, and so described and developed as to afi*ord us a complete treatise, on these two sublime topics, as the leading object of our desire and meditation. They are subjects that will always grow in interest and importance, as we grow in knowledge, and intellectual and spiritual power ; and, we presume to say, that their ex- pansion will be as eternal as mind itself. Angels desire to look into these things, and why? Because they con- stitute the only legible revelation of God. No other lan~ guage than that of the Bible, could ever have given to EXTRACTS PROM SERMONS. 363 man a, true conception of the Creator of man and of the universe. It is through the works of God that we learn his name and character. And though we begin with the minutest animalculae of creation, and continue to ascend through all the grades of vegetable and animal life — even through the spiritual, up to Cherubim and Seraphim, we find no end. Thus, as we advance in wisdom and happi- ness, in the order of the wondrous and sublime revela- tions of God, to the growing comprehension and capa- city of man, our growth, after all, will only prove that the finite can never reach the infinite — the creature never rival the Creator. c. After having read the whole of the thirteenth chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans, we desire to say a few words, suggested by the latter half of the chapter. The antecedent portion of this epistle, presents to us the most sublime conception, that had ever been entertained in re- gard to the grandeur and authority of the Founder of the Christian's faith and hope. All over Christendom, it is conceded that the epistle to the Romans, if not the most important, is one of the most important documents, in the Avhole volume of inspiration. It undoubtedly takes in the largest area, in its reasonings, precepts, and exhortations. This epistle, and that to the Hebrews, are, emphatically, the two great productions of that great master in Israel, known as the Apostle to the Gentiles. They relate, inter alia, to the Sonship of Christ— to the Mediatorship of our Saviour, and they dwell particularly upon the Priest- hood of the Messiah, which is the glorious center of our religious system, and the great central idea of all true forms of religion. Indeed, it embraces the world ; for the arm of Divine Providence has been thrown around the en- 364 EXTRACTS FliOM SERMONS. tire family of man, by that great philanthropist, who took humanity upon His divinity, and came down to earth, from the glory of Heaven, to elevate man from the moral darkness and ruin into which he had fallen under the machinations of the great adversary. We must have a general view of the contents of this whole volume, before we can profitably enter into the study and investigation of any part of it. This remark is true in regard to this epistle of Paul to the Romans, than which no more important document ever emanated from his pro- lific pen. We refer briefly to the contents of this section, begin- ning with the seventh verse : "Render, therefore, to all their dues — tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor." We direct attention particularly to the exhortation de- duced from this passage. The first sentence is indicative and comprehensive, equal in its scope to the remainder of the paragraph, and the whole verse is a kind of summary of those matters contemplated by Paul, in these compre- hensive groupings. They are all well worth remembrance. In this address there are two grand ideas presented to those in power. The leading period, '^ render, therefore, to all their dues," engrosses the sentiment of the exhorta- tion. Observe that this has respect to the antecedent por- tion of the chapter, as well as to the government of the earth. And what is this government but a dispensation under the moral sovereignty of God, a dispensation for the well- ordering, the well-being of society ? This dispensation, in its details, provides for the proper exercise and develop- ment of the physical, social, intellectual and spiritual ca- pacity. There is no possibility of a man's being happy. EXTRACTS FROiM SERMONS. 865 unless he can exercise and enjoy his whole nature. In order, therefore, that all these capacities of human nature may be developed and enjoyed, we have the fountains of pleasure and gratification opened up to us, by infinite wis- dom and benevolence, in manner and degree, exactly adapted to the demands of our nature. The whole study of nature, human and divine, reveals the sublime fact that every thing is relative, to God and man ; and the great oracles of the Bible prove that creature and Creator are the two central ideas of all the dispensations of God ; whether the dispensation be on earth or among angels, principalities and powers, in heaven — it is always the same. There is no tameness, no insipidity, in any of the institutions of God in the universe, and the order thereof affords to man the most complete and consummate hap- piness. Many of the best summaries of Christianity are found in Paul's epistle to the Romans. The several verses under consideration are conceded generally to be excellent and elevated revelations of God, in respect to our duties, under his absolute sovereignty. The sovereignty of God is a most sublime idea, and one that bankrupts our powers of language, when we presume to give expression even to our own inadequate conceptions of it. It is an absolute and unlimited sovereignty — the fountain of life as well as of power. All the controversies of modern or ancient Chris- tendom, on this subject, remind us forcibly of the conten- tions of children — useless and fruitless, for the simple rea- son that those who have engaged in these theoretical and speculative disquisitions upon the Sovereignty Divine of the universe, have never started at the right place. We must assume a position that will command and com- 366 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. prehend the whole universe, in order to understand this absolute and eternal sovereignty of God. But let us look into this portion of Scripture that has respect to our dues. We can not have a civil government without paying for it, hence we must labor and conduct ourselves in such a manner as is best calculated to establish and support it. There is but one government that requires no aid, no tribute, for its support. That is the govern- ment of God. In all other governments of the universe man is the actor — both the ruler and the ruled, and the great ends and aims of man's government are and should be to develop and to aggrandize himself, and at the same time to honor and glorify his Maker. Man should be careful never to dishonor himself, and as we honor others, we should honor ourselves in all our thoughts and deeds. This is a high conception in a moral code, and ought to be taught to every man. God has planted deep in our natures the great fact that if we would be honored in the estimation of others, we must respect and honor ourselves. One mode of doing this is to render " to all their dues." We owe them — we owe our parents — we owe our children, we owe our brothers and sisters, and we are every day to render our dues (our duties) of affection, respect and honor. These are not pecuniary debts. But what are the pecuniary debts of this world but representations of the realities, due from man to man, and from man to God. Hence these ideas of the Apostle, inculcated in this valu- able and practical letter to the Romans, are of real inter- est and concern to all. We are exhorted to pay tribute, as the minister of God calls upon us. These expressions, so characteristic of EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 867 olden times, are well calculated to give us a correct idea of the principles which the Apostle wishes to illustrate. We are also to render cuotom to whom custom is due. Custom is still required upon the foreign commerce of most of the nations of the earth. But when we are re- quired to render fear to whom fear is due, we are not to understand this command as approving a servile and crouching spirit. It has respect only to the reverence due our superiors, both on earth and above the earth. We are bound to render reverence and respect to every m»an, ac- cording to his education, standing and- influence in soci- ety. Honor and regard from man to man, grow naturally out of our legal and civil relations. Every man is protected by his government, or at least ought to be, in the enjoy- ment of all the rights of citizenship, and for this reason he is bound to sustain and support the government, and to respect those who represent its sovereign powers in the various departments of government. The absolute sove- reignty of God, however, requires no support from man, but his duty is to do all in his power to honor and glorify himself and his Creator. We are commanded to owe no man any thing, but to love him — to love our neighbor as we love ourselves — but we are never asked to love anybody more than we love ourselves ; henc(3, our own personal love is the standard of love to all others. The love of ourselves, properly un- derstood, is the fulfillment of every command, both God- ward and manward ; and honor and love in these direc- tions, are the great central ideas of all happiness. It is in accordance with that omnipotent and omnipresent econ- omy which has to do with our present and future destiny. We have good reasons for honoring God, for all we have is the gift of his boundless benevolence. We are happy in 368 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. doing it, and no man can be unhappy in honoring God. We can never show higher' esteem or greater honor to our- selves than to devote our highest and noblest powers to the honor of Him to whom all honor is due. Honor, hom- age, respect and love are the legitimate debt of every ra- tional and responsible being that lives, and God claims these of every creature whom he has endowed with reason. If there be any portion of the animate universe that owes more to God than any or than all the rest, it is man. We presume to say that he is the greatest debtor in the universe. How^ infinitely more indebted is man to his Maker — fallen, alien and rebel as he is — than was Adam before he tasted the forbidden fruit. He was debtor, before the fall, for all the joys of Paradise. These he forfeited by an act of disobedience, fell, and transmitted his fallen nature to his posterity; yet, by the boundless grace of our Father in heaven, we are permitted to return to his family, and enjoy the glories and beatitudes of an eternal life in heaven. Then is it more than right, that we should con- secrate all our thoughts and feelings in adoration and ad- miration of God, our Creator and Benefactor ? It is in obedience to the law of nature that all men shall honor God. Man is so constituted that he can not be happy without honoring God. Hence, heaven's law of honor and love is binding upon every being that can form an idea of moral obligation. God commands me to love my neighbor as much and no more than I love myself; and he commands my neighbor to love me as much and no more than I love myself, and that will be just as much as he loves himself. If we respect and honor A., B. and C, then will A., B. and C. respect and honor us ; so, the more we honor the more are we honored. This i&the beau- tiful economy of heaven. The more we give the more we EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 369 have to give, and the more we seek to please God and glo- rify hira, the more we please and gratify ourselves. God will glorify and honor that man who glorifies and honors God; but I know of no greater impossibility than for God to honor and glorify that man who denies his Saviour and Maker their just dues in thanksgiving and praise. On the part of God it would be to brook the grossest insult, to countenance the blackest ingratitude. By makhig ourselves lovely and agreeable we render those around us happy, and if we thus live we can but be happy. Though persecutions and proscriptions may trouble us now and then, they will be short-lived, and form the exception, while the general law holds good. " Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." How perfect in conception and prolific in universal happiness, is this divine law ! Do you not see instantly that its exercise vouchsafes to man the highest degree of happiness of which his nature is capa- ble, under the conditions of life ? Love thy neighbor as thyself is an oracle that breathes the spirit of social love. I love my neighbor as I love myself, and my neighbor loves his neighbor as he loves himself. Thus the flow of aifection, continuing through the millions of human hearts, forms one unbroken chain of love, which vibrates and thrills the soul of every member of the great family of man, throughout the length and breadth of God's universe. CI. We propose a short discourse suggested by the thir- teenth chapter of Paul's eminently synthetic epistle — the first I ) the Church at Corinth. There are different aspects in which we may look at the Corinthian Church. They were an eloquent people. They 370 EXTRACTS FROxM SERMONS. were also carnal, profligate, and completely absorbed by an inordinate ambition for oratorical display. They were withal addicted to all manners of animalism. Hence, no church organization in the whole broad diocese of the great Apostle, required a spiritual censor and adviser more than the Church of Corinth, and no other received as much attention in the way of epistolary instruction, exhortation and reproof — he having written to it two long letters, re- plete with valuable information and advice.. The spiritual condition of the church made it very appropriate for the Apostle to present, in their proper attitude, all the tempta- tions in the social system to which man could be subjected. Paul, always equal to the occasion, recognizes and meets the necessities of their condition, in every conceivable case ; so that the man who studies the two epistles to the Corinthi- ans, their spirit and letter, in the light of surrounding cir- cumstances, refines himself in all those particulars to which he refers — especially in the twelfth and thirteenth chapters — and provides himself with a Christian armor, sufficient, with vigilance, to shield himself from all the fiery darts of the adversary. It requires great concentra- tion of mind and discipline of thought, properly to appre- ciate the great fundamental truths which characterize this letter. We consider this a most important epistle, when we take into consideration the circumstances which required and the motives which prompted it. As already re- marked, vanity and ostentation, in reference to their ora- torical powers, were distinctive characteristics of the Corinthians, who were an eloquent people ; and the church there, above all others, required just such a letter as this. Relations, conditions, manners, and customs, ex- isted among the people to whom this letter is indited, EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 371 through which a man might be tempted in almost every conceivable way ; and to one of the great sources of their aberrations from spiritual and eternal truth the Apostle refers, when he says : " Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels^ and have not love, I am become as smnding brass or a tinkling cymbal." In all our readings, in Grecian and Roman lore, we find scarcely any thing, which does not lead us, directly or indirectly, to the all-absorbing subject of oratory or eloquence. Hence it is, that we see in ancient history, so, many orators receiving the highest honors within the gift of the people. In the Demosthenean and Ciceronean schools, no class of men shone more brilliantly, and none were placed more conspicuously before the public, than the orators. It was the magic eloquence of the accom- plished orator, that shook the very thrones of Greece and Rome, as it was the masterly displays of speech, that magnified and perpetuated the fame of the glorious vic- tories recorded in their respective departments of history. The Apostle's language would lead us to suppose, that angels spoke more eloquently than men. No doubt the tone of their speech was greatly elevated, above the vocal articulation of men, and their language was, then as now, the language of the everlasting heavens. "And though I have the gift of prophesy and under- stand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing ; and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor; and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing." The Apostle takes high ground, and thoroughly depreciates the powers of man, unless sanctified and energized by the power of love. Though I speak with angel's tongues, 372 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. and make. the highest intellectual displays, it profiteth me nothing — at least there is nothing soul-regenerating — nothing approved and commended by God, unless per- vaded by the spirit of love. This is a practical way to question their practices. The Apostle had a point to carry — he had a long arm to his lever, but never lost sight of his object, though he began afar off. Paul thinks in a characteristic way. Although I have the gift of prophecy and the power to understand all mysteries ; although I have faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. Regarding the term love as including pure philanthropy, it compre- hends a great deal. Although I bestow all my goods to feed the poor ; although I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. He says, there is nothing in the eloquence to which he refers, nothing in the manifestations of that philanthropy which is supposed to elevate and refine the souls of men, unless prompted by love ; and to meet the issue, in still another way he says, if he sells all his goods to feed the poor and needy, and even gives his body to be burned at the stake, and thus receives the admiration and applause due to a philanthropist and a martyr, it profiteth not, unless love be at the bottom — be the moving principle of the sacri- fice. It is true, as well as remarkable, that our greatest heroes often seem destitute of this principle, so eulogized by the Apostle ; yet they are the admired of the admir- ing, more than any other class of men. Why is this, un- less because they have done more to illustrate human power, in the work of revolutionizing nations and over- turning kingdoms, than any other people ? Go over the Old World— traverse the New World— go any where and EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 373 every where, and the proudest monuments are erected in honor of military heroes, who have brought the fame of victory, the honor of success to the flag of their country, upon the battle fields of earth. In many instances these heroes have died for their country, and their memory is enshrined and cherished in the hearts of their countrymen as patriots. Yet, and we pause to notice the fact, patriot- ism is never once named in the New Testament. But the question yet remains, what is the object of this love, referred to by the Apostle ? Also, what does he mean by the expression, " And now abideth Faith, Hope, Love, these three ; but the greatest of these is Love ?" There is no power or influence connected with the Chris- tian faith so elevating, so enlivening, so energizing as love. We have philanthropy, generosity, magnanimity, but these are not enumerated among the Christian virtues. The virtues of the Spirit — listen to Paul ! — " are love, joy, peace, iong-suff'ering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- ness, temperance — against such there is no law." They are commended, but not restrained. This is the splendid cluster of the Christian virtues, as set forth by the great Apostle. No man can love by the mere force of precept. No man can love merely because he is commanded to love. It must come, if at all, spontaneously, upon the presentation of beauty. Love is the appreciation of the beautiful. The term love is appropriated to objects of beauty. It seeks and worships nothing but the beautiful. Hence, the beauty of Holiness has elicited the most splendid exhibi- tions of love. Love looks for and enjoys the beautiful in its highest conceptions ; and holiness stands far above all other objects, and is the most powerful in evoking this in- dispensable virtue. Purity, absolute purity, is the beau 374 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. ideal that underlies what is called the beautiful, the lovely. God is pure — He loves the pure, and he is often called a God of love. Faith has truth for its object — reported truth. Hope has promises for its object, but love has neither one nor the other — it has beauty. Every one knows that there are numerous and various kinds of beauty. The variety is limited only by the number of kinds which possess this elevating quality. There is a love for the fine arts, for iculpture, painting, and for the beauties of nature. We love great and good men — heroic men, who devote their talents to the achievement of noble purposes. But this is not the kind of love here named. We have portrayed in the Bible a character most perfect — absolutely perfect and divine in all His eternal attributes — in every attribute presented to the ear, the eye — to all the sense of raano The world had never seen a perfect man when SoU mon sang. But such an one did and does exist, in the person of Him who was perfectly divine and perfectly human. CII. In our lectures upon Sacred Literature we have made use of three cardinal books. They are the Bible, Butler's Analogy and Paley's Evidences of Christianity. These three comprehend the subjects of our off-hand remarks, during a session of Bethany College. Analogical argument, from the very nature of the term, is an interminable argument. Strictly speaking, in reli- gion there is no need whatever of analogous argument. but as Butler has happily selected some of the very best arguments of the kind for the establishment of religion beyond all doubt, we are pleased to give him due credit, in the study of Christianity. EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 375 Analogy can furnish no positive proof. It goes no farther than to show that there is nothing discordant be- tween the voice of nature and that of the Jewish and Christian religions. We naturally begin to reason by an- alogy, and probably owing to this fact, we have a certain kind of religion among men called natural religion — an unfortunate name, we think, inasmuch as the word natural (like nature) is too ambiguous definitely to characterize so important and significant a term as is religion. The only meaning we attach to the phrase " natural religion" is a religion founded upon the laws of nature. We do not con- cede to the word religion, in this connection, the Christian sense of the term, although the phrase " natural religion" is popularized all over Christendom, as founded upon the course of nature ; but analogous to and homogeneous with Christianity. Hence, the diiference between the two kinds of religion becomes a matter of some importance. We have already entered into the etymology of the word religion, and shown it to signify a process of bind- ing over — not simply binding, but an indissoluble re-bind- ing. In the Roman courts of law, they said to the proper officer, " administer to that witness, religion." While we do not approve the term, " natural religion" we by no means repudiate it, because, owing to its current significa- tion, we are, in some cases, compelled to use it. We presume every one is acquainted with the fact that there has been a great change of terminology, both in the New World and the Old, by the substitution of the Bacon- ian style of reasoning in the place of the old Aristotelian method, which was eminently a priori. When the Bacon- ian system came into use the former style was laid on the shelf. Consequently, wc have now to reason from facts, so that the logic of the present age is far superior to that 376 EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. of the Greeks and Romans, in consequence of their sys- tem being founded so much upon a pnon principles — upon assumptions and presumptions. Butler's Analogy is founded upon correct principles of reasoning, and the ar- guments of liis elaborate and unsurpassed document may be summed up in one period. It goes to show that every objection urged against the revealed religion of the Bible, may be used ivith equal force against the laws of nature. It shows that so far as nature has any thing in common with religion, it coincides with and corroborates the positive in- stitution of the Christian religion. The mere study of analogy is a very fruitless matter in itself; yet, it is important to know these facts, as I have found learned men who have been unfortunately misled and mystified in their minds, by not knowing the radical diiference between natural and revealed religion. Natural religion is pure Deism, and among all its pros- elytes, though some are learned and influential men, we have never yet found one that could sustain himself for a moment, on the presentation of the question, " Is there any thing in nature that could possibly suggest to the mind of man the idea that the killing of a lamb or a kid, and ofi'ering it as a sacrifice, would compensate for sins ?" We wish to have the line of demarcation between natural dnd revealed religion clearly drawn. There are analogies in nature which we should study carefully, and by careful study we discover that the evidences of nature all tend to establish the proofs of the truth of revealed religion. Every thing in nature that we can measure at all, is ma- terial. We never saw, nor had a conception, of a spirit, nor can we form any adequate conception of its relations and workings in the Divine economy. The electric fluid is material when compared with spirit. EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 377 It possesses tremendous power, killing men and animals, and rending rocks and earth asunder, instantly ; yet, it is a simple element of nature, after all. We may ascend from the grossest to the most ethereal matter, yet we find nothing but the physical, and are compelled to return un- satisfied from the search for moral evidence, in what we call the study of nature. We are, by this very constitu- tion of our nature, chained to earth, and revelation must unlock the mysteries of our being and of our relations to a higher power, before we can ascend to a conception of the spiritual. Nature is the mere course of things. Every thing in it moves imperatively by the power of absolute will. There is nothing in it analogous to the motives and actions of hu- man reason ; yet, the study of what is called natural reli- gion is profitable, inasmuch as it discloses the evidences of design, indicating power, wisdom and benevolence, on jhe part of the Author of the great frame work of the universe. But, while nature attests the existence of these attributes of its Author, it does not originate such ideas. We have a case in court, wherein a witness is called to testify, who saw only a part of the transactions connected with the case. He can only testify to what he saw or heard. In other words, he can only prove what he knows. It is so with nature in regard to revealed religion. It only shows that it has nothing incompatible with the truths of revelation, or the principles of Divine administration. But neither nature nor the volitions or actions of reason could have suggested the idea of spirit. Nature reasons well, while she confines herself to earth — to the domain of rerson — but she has no power to go beyond these, and must consent to be the mere helpmate of revelation, in the domain of religion,- which is beyond and above her sphere. 378 EXTBACTS FROM SERMONS. We have met young men and old men who have read and studied the system embraced under the name " natu- ral religion," and though they found nothing objectionable in it, they were ready to acknowledge that there was some tiling wanting — that it did not satisfy the cravings of the immortal mind. There was a point within the sphere of their aspirations which nature could not reach ; because there is nothing in Butler's Analogy, nothing in Paley's Evidences of Christianity, that could create the idea of an absolute spirit, of a great first cause, uncaused ; nor of what we call merit and demerit, in the true sense of those terms. Where there is no soul there is no sin. Hence animals, like the horse and dog, can not commit sin ; and those persons who attempt to beat them into subjection, to ex- tort from them submission, as if they had reason, mani- fest very great weakness. Such persons sometimes pun- ish animals as if they had the power and inclination to sin against moral principle. This is all wrong. There can no blame attach to any creature on this planet of ours except man. Nature never could have suggested to man a remedial system. Therefore we may read Butler to show that there is nothing wrong in religion, and Paley to learn the power and wisdom of God ; but we repeat it, they do not suggest the idea of spirit, or the principles of revealed religion ; and for this reason these books may be consid- ered mere plagiarisms. We have found many infidels in the world, professing to be so, because of the unsatisfac- tory reasoning of Paley and Butler. '' Why," say they, they are regular text-books in Cambridge and other cel- ebrated institutions of learning; but we have not found in them any satisfactory argument in favor of religion." EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS. 379 I incline to the opinion that these books militate agains*-. progress in the study of revealed religion, inasmuch as they fail to give us any clear, reliable argument, in demon- stration of the truths of revealed religion. We do not need them, and might perhaps do better without them. We can only use them eifectively to stop the mouths of those who are continually saying, we look up through na- ture to nature's God. Nevertheless, as they are recognized authorities in sacred literature, and popular in some cir- cles, and as they contain some arguments useful to the lower order of reasoners, it may be well enough to receive them at what they are worth ; but they possess nothing valuable to the well-educated student of the Bible. Date Due Wi»M& ^^^ BS1225.8.C18 Familiar lectures on the Pentateuch Princeton Theological Semmary-Speer Library 1 1012 00041 0425