all things common, and sold their pos- to sell my property, and feed people ever he commanded, with the hope of the promise, "I AM with you to the end of the world." If acted on, where is our faith if we doubt the fulfilment of this promise? We find, on referring to the apostles' understanding of the commission, they disobeyed it; for, having been directed to remain in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high, (Luke xxiv. 49) in the first chapter of Acts it appears they disobeyed this injunction they did not wait until the Spirit was given but Peter, who on other occasions was more forward than he ought to be, proposed that one should be ap-commands "that if any would not pointed in the place of Judas; and work, neither should he eat." But although they prayed, yet not for di- if my brethren in Christ, as well as rection as to the act, but as to the my brethren after the flesh were in choice, and having cast lots which want, my duty would be to make any they never saw on any occasion order- sacrifice rather than they should ed or sanctioned by the Lord Jesus- starve. Let it, however, be borne in and one was chosen by them, we do mind, there is no fear that the Godnot find ever approved by the Lord, fearing man or woman will be in nor do we find that any of their mea- want: faithful men and women who sures were ever afterwards decided are deserving of full confidence, are by lot, while we find that Paul was never found destitute - even the unchosen as an apostle. If the choice godly will lay hold on them as trustby lot had been approved, all difficul- worthy and employ them! I have ties would have continued to be set- seen as much of the world and human tled in the same manner by all Chris- nature as perhaps any man, from my tians. The event referred to by the various public stations in life; and in Lord, of tarrying at Jerusalem until all the cases of distress and want that endued with power from on high, we ever came to my knowledge, I never find in the 2nd of Acts, was fulfilled found one in hopeless want, or entirely by "cloven tongues of fire" from hea- destitute, that had an abiding sense of ven. When the multitude were God's providence! I am anxious to moved by what Peter stated, they said follow out the blessings which perto him and the rest of the apostles, tain to a church of God, where all "Men and brethren, what shall we their acts and measures are in accorddo?" Peter said unto them, "Repentance with the churches which "in and be baptized, every one of you, Judea were in Christ Jesus" (1 Thes. in the name of Jesus Christ, for the ii. 14); as, also, like the church at remission of sins, and ye shall receive Corinth, (1 Cor. xi. 2) who kept the the gift of the Holy Ghost." "Then ordinances as they were delivered to they that gladly received the word them by the apostles. I would entreat were baptized, and the same day all who are disposed to examine their there were three thousand souls add-profession as Christians, to try themed to them." "And they continued steadfastly (or statedly) in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers." "And all that believed were together, and had selves by the word of God, as set forth in the following passages :Mat. viii. 21, xv. 8; John vi. 53-663, x. 27, xiv. 15-21, xv. 10; 1 John ii. iii. iv. ; Rev. xxii. 14. If we are the judgments of God! A sparrow cannot fall but is known to, and alone by, the power of God. The wind, as well as his Spirit, reaches all life, both man and beast. In Him we live and move, and from Him we have our being: "He surroundeth our path, and is acquainted with all our ways" (Psalm cxxxix.) love? The following are some leading principles which have ever proved a blessing and a proof of wisdom in I close by asking those who hold those who carried them out in life. that obedience to the requirements of I shall set forth a few of the maxims the Christian walk is impracticalto prove how well adapted to produce 1st, Are there any restraints but such peace and joy :-Rom. xii. xiii. and as contribute to the happiness of those xiv.; the Apostle James affords spe- who obey them? 2nd, Are there any cial guidance in the i. ii. and iii. chap- rules or regulations laid down for ters; also Peter, in his Epistles. To kings, magistrates, parents, children, enumerate all the wise and heavenly masters, or servants, but ministers to instruction in the New Testament ob- their happiness if acted upon? 3rd, ligatory on Christians, would be tran- Does any Christian know of an inscribing the greater part of the Bible; stance where the rule set forth in the but the man or woman who looks for 18th of Matthew by the blessed Sajoy or peace, and the fulfilment of viour, as to dealing with a Christian Christ's promises, must ever keep in brother, has failed of its effect, if actmind, that it is alone upon their ad-ed on in the spirit of sincerity and hering to the terms Christ has laid down in Mat. xxviii. 19-20, to which I have already adverted, that his promise can be pleaded. This will lead us to examine as to an obedience in his worship; and should any inquirer be led to search for the cause of the rejection and casting off the children of Israel, he will find it was on account of their departure from the order of worship ordained. See 1st Samuel xv. 22, &c. as to obedience. These things were written for our admonition (1 Cor. x. 11.) The qualifications of bishops or elders and deacons, and how they should be liberally supported by their brethren, are all set forth-nothing is enjoined to be done but what is plainly revealed, while the doing of what is not enjoined is sin. No expediency or authority rests with any to sanction adding to or omitting. I would openly declare my firm conviction, there is not a devoted obedient child of God, who suffers, or has suffered from war, pestilence, or famine, which have so largely prevailed of late. All, all are The servant of Christ has nothing to do with sedition, wars, or tumults. If he cannot be permitted to live quietly where he is, the Lord will open a residence to which he can flee. May the Lord lead all who profess his name, to walk worthy of their profession. In the language of Paul to the church at Ephesus, "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” JAMES BUCHANAN. SCRIPTURE DIFFICULTIES. NO. XXI. "Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified." Thess. iii. 1.) (2 Do any of us use these words when we bow our knees and hearts in humble prayer to our heavenly Father? If we do, what are the favors we then ask? Should any be unprepared with a satisfactory answer, this endeavour to ascertain what blessings St. Paul desired through the Thessa lonian disciples' prayer may be the more acceptable. Do we, by using them, adopt the popular persuasion, that a special divine influence is in each case necessary to give the word of Christ its saving effect in the conversion of a sinner; and, that his gospel is powerless, however attentively heard and clearly understood, unless the sinner's mind is, by an internal operation of the Holy Spirit, disposed or made willing to believe and embrace it? And do we, according to that persuasion, ask Him to bless his own preached word; to send down his divine power with his gospel into sinners' hearts to make his truth effectual to their enlightenment, regeneration, and conversion, that so his word may be glorified? And do we therefore adopt the pious phrases, "I was powerfully led to see my sinfulness;" "By a work of grace on my heart I was enabled to repent and turn to the Lord;" "It was given me to believe the gospel and to hope in Christ?" If such are our persuasions, intentions, and declarations, in the use of these words we may well cling to them, for if they fail to warrant us we shall in vain look for other authority. But if we disclaim such persuasions and intentions, it may be asked, what blessings do we in these words pray for? A Wesleyan says, "We ought to unite in prayer and continue to pray until the blessing sought is obtained-until thousands on every hand are converted to God." And a Scotch Baptist observes, "If (in conversion) the agency of the Holy Spirit be not requisite to shine into the heart, causing light to spring up out of darkness, even the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, then all prayer for any such blessing is superseded, and the individual who engages in it, while holding such a sentiment can only be mocking heaven with idle words while he prays that God would crown his no 1st. Must we of necessity conclude that the gospel testimony can otherwise be glorified than by sinners' conversion; although the Gentiles at Antioch in Pisidia seem to have "glorified the word of the Lord" by extolling or praising it ? 2nd. Must we of necessity believe that the words are generally applicable in prayers for others, although the Thessalonians' prayer was to be specially for St. Paul and his brother apostles? These questions seem to open the truth to our minds, and our minds to the truth: for we are at once inclined to reply, "There may have been other ways in which the word of the Lord could be glorified; and there may have been special petitions for the divinely commissioned apostles which are not applicable to us." But there are intimations in the following sentences, which help us in this inquiry: 1st, "Even as among you"-so that we are to learn how the word of the Lord had run or rapidly spread at Thessalonica; and how it had been glorified, or magnified, or honored, (the original word being rendered by all three) among the Thessalonians. 2nd, "That we apostles may be delivered from brutish and evil men, for all men have not faith," or faithfulness, which was clearly to be a special petition of the Thessalonian believers for the apostle's deliverance from the wicked persons alluded to. St. Paul was then, it is believed, at Corinth, where both open enemies, and false "faithless" brethren, were known to be actuated by deadly designs against him. Under such circumstances he might well entreat the churches to pray to the Father on his behalf: but his own deliverance was, with him, a secondary consideration; his first was, the glorification and spread of his gospel. own Now considering St. Paul's position-an ambassador of heaven, entrusted with a glorious mission of heavenly light and redeeming love from King Jesus to Gentile nations, yet on every occasion dependant upon the heavenly Father's " will" in answer to prayer for the credentials of his mission what might we expect to be the most earnest wish of his ardent mind in his ever-present anxiety to turn men from darkness to light and from Satan to God? May we not be assured it was this, that his divine message might every where be divinely accredited that his supernatural testimony might be supernaturally confirmed; and that by stupendous miracles his gospel might, even to Idolaters, be made "a credible saying, worthy of all acceptation," to spread rapidly from man to man, and from heart to heart? We here naturally ask, had his message of mercy been thus attested among the Thessalonians? Paul himself furnishes the reply "Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance :" adding that they, seeing his preaching thus divinely confirmed, received it, as in truth the word of God; became followers of the churches of Christ in Judea, and that from them sounded out the same word on every side. He could therefore with much propriety entreat them to pray for him, that his message might, at other places also, be honored and made credible by wonders and powers, as it had been among themselves. The heavenly King, before his ascension, promised his apostles these attestations. Mark informs us "they went forth and preached every where, the Lord co-operating with them and confirming the word by signs"doubtless such as the wonders on Pentecost, the cure of the lame man at the Temple gate, the healing of diseases by the shadow of Peter, the cure of Dorcas, and of the impotent man at Lystra: each case producing more or less effects as the cure of Eneas, namely, "all they of Lydda and Saron saw it and turned to the Lord." These miracles left the sinner no excuse. Accordingly the Apostle asks the Hebrew believers, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which beginning to be spoken by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him, God also bearing them witness by signs, and wonders, and divers miracles, and distributions of the Holy Spirit according to his own pleasure ?" But did the Thessalonians comply with Paul's request, and did the Lord give the asked-for blessings? Both these questions must be answered in the affirmative, for we read (Acts xix. 11) that "God wrought extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried from his person to those that were sick, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits came out"-wonders that so greatly confirmed, honored, and glorified the word he preached, as to make it credible and acceptable to thousands, some of whom proved their faith by the burning books valued at 50,000 pieces of silver; "so mightily grew the word of God and prevailed," through the Thessalonians' prayer. Prayers, by the disciples, for the apostles, having for their object confirmatory miracles, improved utte rance, and deliverance from unfaithful men, were frequently made as occasions called for them. At Jerusalem when the apostles were persecuted by the Rulers the brethren cried, "Lord behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants (apostles) that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus" when lo! a shaking of the place, and a divine boldness in the speaking, intimated that the prayer was heard and answered. It is thus manifest that apostolic preaching owed not its amazing success to persuasive words of human eloquence, but to these demonstrations of the spirit and of power: and that the converts' faith rested not upon the wisdom of men but on the power of God. Thus it was that the Lord opened to his apostles doors of faith, and diffused by them, the odour of the knowledge of Him in every place. That miraculous attestations are now neither promised or given, is manifest to all. The fact that they have not been given since the completion of the divine code, is proof sufficient that in the estimation of our heavenly Father they have not been needed. The prophecies contained in that code, fulfilled, fulfilling, and to be fulfilled, are, to us, at least equal to miracles. It only therefore remains to be observed, that seeing the Thessalonians' were here asked to pray that divine manifestations might attend the apostles' preaching, and seeing that such manifestations are not promised to us and are not expected by us, we ought not to use these words in our humble pleadings at the throne of grace.* J. DAVIES. THE PAYMENT OF PASTORS. In this notice of the article contain ed in the last number but one of the British Millennial Harbinger, it is not our intention to prove that pastors may not be paid, although we hold that the paying of them is a main pillar of the apostacy, and subversive of true and undefiled religion. * Erratum-page 419, 2nd column, 9th line from top, for " eminent" read "penitent." A desire expressed by the Editor of the Harbinger on the last cover, to bring this matter to a close with this communication, leads us to conclude, not to attempt an exhibition of proof that PASTORS OUGHT NOT TO BE PAID but to confine oneself to showing, that Brother Lee presents no reasons for concluding in favor of the contrary position. We must first notice some misrepresentations of a few phrases in our former letter. Brother Lee cites our words "6 high offence," and “deluding the brethren," as if we had applied them to him on account of his having mistaken the words timè and misthos, and affirming that it was the law of heaven to pay pastors. The phrases which Brother Wallis hopes will be avoided, were not used in relation to Brother Lee's mistake or his opinion. This mistake J. G. Lee made, which we wrote to the Harbinger to correct, requesting him, for the satisfaction of the reader, to acknowledge the error: months passed away, and no acknowledgment—no notice. In the meantime we had the testimony of a brother that J. G. Lee had admitted to him his mistake, which led us to write again, urging that he was bound to announce it, and intimating that for one to print an error, and to refuse or neglect to recall the same upon finding it to be one, was to "commit a high offence" and to "delude the brethren." Thus our words were applied not to the mistake, but to the refusal publicly to acknowledge it. |