THE BRANCH! even He hull branch forth from beneath; (i. e. from the root of Jeffe, David's Father, Ifa. 11, 10) and shall build the temple of the LORD; Eren HE fhall build the temple of THE LORD: Eren HE fhall receive glory, and shall fit and rule upon his throne, &c.- -And Ezekiel, in prophetic vifion, has minutely defcribed the dimenfions and buildings of this future glorious temple: Chap. 40, &c. which Tobit, who lived before the Babylonih captivity, fo critically diftinguished from Solomon's temple, and the fecond, built by Zorobabel, "but not like the firft" in fplendor and magnificence" when after the time of that age shall be fulfilled, [or the long continued period of defolation]-" they shall return from all places of their captivity, and shall build up Jerufalem gloriously: and the House of God fhall be built in it for ever with a glorious building; as the Prophets have spoken thereof."And perhaps to this final temple, may moft justly be attributed that fublime, triumphant exclamation of David: 66 Lift up your heads, O ye Gates! and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors! And THE KING OF GLORY fhall come in." Pf. 24. 7. -And to this, Solomon likewise probably alludes, at the conclufion of his moft noble oration, on the dedication of his Temple ::--“ O Lord GOD, turn not away the face of thy MESSIAH (Anointed); Remember the mercies of David thy fervant.” 2 Chron. 6, 42. "I WILL BE TO HIM A FATHER, AND HE SHALL BE TO ME A SON-This most important clause, which is cited, Heb. 1, 5. from the Septuagint verfion, to establish the tranfcendant excellence of JESUS CHRIST as the peculiar SON OF GOD, differs from the correfponding promife to Solomon on the latter prophecy-" He shall be to Me a Son, and I will be to him a Father," by a remarkable tranfpofition of the terms, (afcertained and verified by both the parallel paffages, and by all the verfions) as if on purpose to difcriminate the two cafes from each other, and prevent confufion in after-ages. It has been remarked, that in the former, prophecy, the promise seems to be abfolute; GOD previoufly engaging to become "a Father" to the MESSIAH, being fure of his dutiful obedience "as a Son" before hand; whereas in the latter, the promise feems to be conditional; that if Solomon behaved as "a Son" he might then rely on God's dealing with him as " a Father:" fee Pierce on Hebrews, 1, 5.—and this ingenious conjecture is strongly supported by the declarations of THE LORD himself to Solomon: 1. At the beginning of his reign; "If thou wilt walk in my ways to keep my ftatutes and my commandments, as thy father' David walked, then I will lengthen thy days." 1 Kings 3, 4.-But Solomon tranfgreffed, therefore his days were fhortened, for he died about fixty years of age; whereas his father David lived to feventy; and, 2. Again, after the dedication of the temple :-"If thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments; then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Ifrael for ever; as I promifed to David thy father, there fhall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Ifrael: But if thou shalt at all turn from following me, you or your children, &c." 1 Kings 9, 4. Whereas Solomon, was feduced into idolatry by his heathenifh wives, when he was old; wherefore God appeared to him a third time, and declared that He would rend the kingdom from his fon, &c. 1 Kings 11, 11. 6. The laft parenthetical claufe, intimate the MESSIAH's fufferings, and not his iniquity;" fo irrelevantly and ungrammatically rendered by all' the ancient verfions, followed by our authorized tranflation, "If he com mit 66 mit iniquity, &c."--For, the condition, " if he commit"—is totally wanting in the original;-the firft term, (to which it is fuppofed to correfpond,) we afher, fignifying who," or whofoever;" as in Exod. 9, 21. "And whofoever (w) regarded not the Oracle of the Lord, left his fervants and his cattle in the field," Jofhua 15, 16.-" Whofoever (ws) fmiteth Kiriath Sepher and taketh it, to him will I give my daughter Achfah to wife"-the phrafe being elliptical, and put for ws- omnis qui, or quicunque, as in Pfalm 115, 8.-"They that make idols are like unto them, and fo is every one that (wb) trufteth in them". -the fecond term, 11, be-haōthō, may either be taken as a verb, fignifying in injuring him" or as a noun "in his injury;" either from the verb, my aoth, which fignifies" to injure or wrong, by perverting judgement" as it is ufed Job, 8, 3. Lament. 3, 36:-or the noun ny aothah, in regimen, ny auth-thi, my wrong," as it is rendered Lament, 3, 59. (or by contraction, 'my aothi). And how exactly does this accord with the fufferings of the MESSIAH, who was "cut off" by an iniquitous judgment of his foes! as defcribed by David himself in the fecond and twenty-fecond Pfalms; and by Ifaiah, in his fifty-third chapter; and by Daniel, in his famous prophecy of the fecenty weeks*, chap. 9. and in fundry other paffages of ancient prophecy.-Perhaps the ancient verfions were led into this grievous error, (which has chiefly contributed to weaken the authority of this most noble and important prophecy, by fharing it with Solomon) by mifapplying to CHRIST the explanatory claufe of that fublime commentary upon this prophecy, Pfalm 89, 30-33.-(" If his children forfake my laws, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my ftatutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their tranfgreffions with a rod, and their iniquity with Stripes :) But his children," alas, were his perfecutors!" He came unto his own home, but his own household entertained him not!" John 1, 11. "He was defpifed and rejected, by that wicked and apoftate generation". who unwittingly "crucified the LORD OF GLORY"-and have ever fince been vifited with the rod," and chaftifed "with stripes;" furnishing an aweful lesson and tremendous example to mankind, of the severity of divine vengeance, and of the minute accomplishment of THE SCRIPTURE OF TRUTH. INSPECTOR. ་་ FAITH AND WORKS CONSIDERED. "AND, let every one that nameth the name of Chrift, depart from iniquity."2 Tim. 2, 19. Since it is only in a kingdom of righteoufness that real happiness can exist, and was any thing that defileth or offend *See a CRITIQUE on this famous prophecy, in THE INSPECTOR; and THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET DANIEL, in THE IRISH PURSUITS OF LITERATURE: in which, the attention and fcrutiny of the most learned is invited and intreated to a new chronological expofition of the prophecy itfelf; and of its connexion with the grand prothetic period of 2300 days, or years; comprizing the fortunes of the Jewish nation, from the compleat reftoration of this civil and religious polity, after the Babylonish captivity, about B.C. 420. to their final restoration, after the long continued period of defolation, ever fince the Roman captivity, A. D. o. which it is conjectured, and upon no flight nor fanciful grounds, will end about A. D. 1880. The whole period being fuppofed to be ascertained by the Roman captivity A. D. 70. dividing it into two unequal parts; 490 + 1810 = 2309. eth eth to be admitted unto that ftate, the perfection of it would be destroyed; and, therefore, are we affured, that fuch thall in nowife enter therein. Still, though I cannot charge attempts fo reprehenfible on a writer who appears fo feriously devout, his words, it must be confeffed, lie open to the deduction of inferences which are moft pernicious. Many from the first appearance of Chriftianity have been found inclined to turn the grace of God into lafcivioufnefs, and this generation, we know, is not yet quite extinct; fhould his addrefs, therefore, fall into hands like thefe, will they not from the turn of his expreffions conclude, that there is no obligation on them to exert their strength in acts of moral virtue; no occafion to labour in cleanfing their hands or purifying their hearts, or refifting temptation; fince these are all acts of moral virtue: nay will they not be ready to infer, that if they ftrive to follow the narrow path of fobriety, righteoufnefs, and godlinefs, they will be feeking for falvation by fome thing befides the works of Chrift, and thereby difhonouring Him, and acting in direct oppofition to His gofpel? And what must naturally be the confequence of this, but their continuance in fin, that grace may abound; and in excufe for the practice of those things on which the final judgements of the Lord are threatened, pleading in all the wretched cant in which fo many Fanatics are known now to abound? Laftly, I cannot fuppofe that a minifter of Chriftianity, who appears to have fo awefull a fenfe of his office, would afcribe to the divine illumination any thing unworthy of its fource; but I own his phrase, "to come under the divine teachings," bears fo great a refemblance to many ufed by thofe who prophane that Holy Name by boating of being led by the spirit, that I doubt whether fuch may not be encouraged to wreft other things which he has faid, in the third part of this tract, to the meaning of their own jargon, not interpreting his maxim that a man should in " a minifterial capacity go forth in nothing but by the fpirits commiffion" of the truth it contains, that none fhould affume to themselves that character, or prefume to take it, but from the appointment of thofe, who have derived their power to appoint from them, whom the fpirit in the beginning of the gofpel fent forth to ordain;" but of their own fancied feelings of an inward call to commence preachers; and thence conclude, that they have the approbation of this able divine in all their fanatical career; thus tranf forming him into a teacher of breaking not one of the least of the commandments of his Lord. 66 Having stated my fears of the ill ufe which may be made of various paffages of this addrefs, an use which, I have all along prefumed, was not forefeen by the author; it remains for me either to prove that the principles he has affumed are falfe, or that thofe conclufions which he has drawn, do not neceffarily arife from them. That we do appear as worthlefs finners before God in our feafons of worfhip, or that falvation is uniformly fet forth in all the offices of the Church of England as the effèct of the fole merit, righteoufnefs and death of the Lord Jefus Chrift, or that it is the doctrine of the fame church, that the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Jefus to thew unto His people, I mean not to controvert, either in the whole or in part: but if from these premises conclufions may juftly be drawn more agreable to the doctrines of fcripture, as well as to thofe of the church, but totally inconfiftent with thofe of this clergyman as taken in a dangerous fenfe, though agreeing with them fo far as they are capable of being interpreted conformably to the express declarations of Holy Writ, it It will, I think, be manifeft, under the Church of England's own declaration, that his conclufions are neither true in themfelves, nor doctrines of that church, any farther than they are confiftent with mine. Now, from having acknowledged ourselves to be finners, and ftricken with forrow for our offences, does it not neceffarily follow, that if we do not fincerely ftrive to amend, our confeflion will prove no more than an hypocritical effufion? and is it not then a duty of a minifter of the church to exhort his congregation to prove the fincerity of their confeffions by bringing forth fruits meet for repentance? and are not these fruits most plainly fpecified in fcripture? does not the Lord by His prophet Ifaiah thus call on His people "Wath you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; ceafe to do evil; learn to do well; feek judgement, relieve the oppreffed, judge the fatherlefs, plead for the widow." If. 1. 16, 17. and again 58. 5-7. Is it such a faft that I have chofen? a day for a man to afflict his foul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulruth, &c. Is not this the faft that I have chofen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppreffed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out to thy houfe, &c.?" and was the great herald of the Gospel ignorant that the prophets had ftated thefe to be fruits meet for repentance, when he called on the people to bring forth fuch, at the very time that he was announcing the approach of the Chrift?-Did he tell them, that reliance on the merits of him who was coming was fufficient for their salvation, without paying any attention to their own works? or did the great apoftle of the Gentiles preach this doctrine, when he writes "Know ye not that the unrighteous fhall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abufers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, fhall inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. If I already find myself unworthy of mercy, fhould I not strain every nerve not to become more fo, neither, by an impenitent heart defpifing the long fuffering of God, heap up to myfelf wrath against the day of retribution? Are not these very things the fubject of the apoftolick directions? Does not St. Paul direct the preachers he instructed, to descend in their exhortations, even to the particulars of the domeftic duties? fetting us the example in his own practice at the clofe of the greater part of his epiftles. This I will be bold to say on the authority of the New Teftament from the beginning of St. Matthew to the end of the Revelation, that no man can faithfully discharge his office as a minifter of Chrift according to St. Paul's account of it, without the fincereft endeavours to press these duties on his flock, or otherwife hope to fave either himself or thofe committed to his care. A natural confequence of my being convinced that I can obtain falvation only through the merit, righteoufnefs and death of the Lord Jefus Chrift, is the love of Him through whom I obtain this ineftimable gift; which love this writer fays, it ought to be the great object of every difcourfe to excite. But our Lord himfelf has declared, that if a man love him, he will keep His words; and indeed, He defcribes fuch a man as exclufively this character, "He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me." John 14, 21. Hence then furely it becomes the duty of His minifters to remind men, that by this touchstone the fincerity of their love must be tried, and to teach those who are are ignorant what those commandments are, and that they should follow the example of the great bithop of their fouls, working while it is day, and keep the charge delivered by His apoftle, to work out their falvation with fear and trembling. Laftly, If without the grace of God's Holy Spirit to prevent and follow us we can do nothing, doth it not behove us not to grieve that Spirit? Against this the apostle I have fo often quoted warned the Ephefians, mentioning feveral particulars by which this heavenly Gueft may be offended. Will then a preacher at present act wrongly, who copying this pattern exhorts his congregation to "let no corrupt communication proceed out of their mouth, to let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-fpeaking be put away from them, and all malice?" I trow not; on the contrary, if he does not remind them, that of every idle word that men fhall fpeak, they fhall give account thereof in the day of judgement, he will not teach them to obferve all things whatsoever his Divine Mafter hath commanded him. Having thus gone through the inferences which feem to me neceffarily deducible from the premises laid down in the tract before me, I must now, gentlemen, leave it to the judgement of you and your readers to determine whether they are confiftent with those drawn by the author; that they are fo with Holy Scripture I have proved by citing the words of the facred writers on every point. I would hope therefore, that fhould these remarks ever be feen by the author of the Solemn Questions, he will be convinced, that a minifter of Chrift not only may without relinquishing his duty exhort his hearers to good works, but that he cannot confiftently with that duty omit this; that on reviewing the points he has touched on, he will fee, that there is in fact a wide difference between the works of men meriting any reward in themselves, and their being made by divine appointment neceffary conditions of obtaining heavenly bleffings that he will perceive that no dishonour is done to the Son of God by maintaining, that every one who hopeth to fee falvation through Him, thould purify himself as He is pure; while teaching that a man fhall be faved, if he have faith, though he have not works to prove that faith to be any thing more than what St. James terms a dead faith, is undermining that gospel which hath appeared to men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we fhould live foberly, righteoufly, and godly, in this prefent world, and leading men to fruftrate the grace of God, and make themselves tranfgreilors. For my own part, to close mine answer to the Solemn Questions, I am not confcious of having ever wandered, in my preaching, from the doctrine of our Lord, delivered to the world by His apoftles; and, while I prefs on my hearers, faith and good works, according to the models they have left, I conceive, I thall not only build on the true foundation, but keep clear from the charge of erecting thereon, either wood, hay, or ftubble. I am, Gentlemen, your humble fervant, Nov. 25th, 1801. V. C. BIOGRAPHICAL QUERIES. TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN, THROUGH the channel of your very ufeful mifcellany, permit me to folicit from fome of your numerous readers and correfpondents, particulars of thofe two learned and pious men, ROBERT SPEARMAN, Efq. author |