Imatges de pàgina
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them?

PASCAL.

men in these two important such suitable remedies against truths, that there is a God, whom they are capable of knowing and enjoying; and that there is that corruption in their nature, which renders them unworthy of this

blessing. It is of equal importance to know both the one and the other of these points. It is equally dangerous for man to know God without the knowl edge of his own misery, and to know his own misery without the knowledge of a Redeemer, who can deliver him from it. For one without the other, begets either the pride of philosophers, who know God, but not their own misery; or the despair of Atheists, who know their own misery, but know nothing of a Redeemer.

And thus, as it is equally necessary to man to possess a knowledge of each of these principles, so is it to be ascribed alone to the mercy of God, that he has been pleased to teach them to us. And this is the office of Christianity, and that in which its peculiar essence consists.

Let men examine the economy of the world on this principle, and they will see, whether all things do not tend to establish these two fundamental truths of our religion.

If any one knows not himself to be full of pride, ambition, concupiscence, weakness, misery, and unrighteousness, he is blind. And if, knowing this, he has no desire for deliverance, what can be thought of so irrational a man? How then can we do otherwise than esteem a religion, which so well understands the defects of mankind? Or do otherwise than wish that religion may be true, which provides

CAIN AND ABEL.

[From Bishop Hall's Contemplations.]

It hath heen an old and happy danger to be holy; indifferent actions must be careful to avoid offence; but I do not care what devil or what Cain be angry that I do good or receive good.

There was never any nature without envy; every man is born a Cain, hating that goodness in another, which he neglected in himself. There was never envy that was not bloody; for if it eat not another's heart, it will eat our own; but unless it is restrained, it will surely feed itself with the blood of others, oftimes in act, always in affection. And that God, who (in accepts the will for the deed, condemns the deed in evil. If there be an evil heart, there will be an evil eye; and if both these, there will be an evil hand.

good)

How early did martyrdom come into the world! The first man that died, died for religion; who dare measure God's love by outward events, when he sees wicked Cain standing over bleeding Abel, whose sacrifice was first accepted, and now himself is sacrificed!

Death was denounced on man as a curse; yet, behold it first lights upon a saint: how soon was it altered by the mercy of that just hand which inflicted it! If death had been evil and life good, Cain had been slain and Abel had survived. Now that it begins with him God loves, "O death, where is thy sting!"

- ANECDOTE OF JOHN KEPLER. . If any man can seriously believe that chance may have conducted things with all this regularity for so many ages, he would do well to repeat honest Kepler's experiment. John Kepler was a plain man of good natural understanding, and the best acquainted with the structure of the universe of any of his day. He was very unwilling to believe that chance had built it, though chance had then many zealous advocates, who loudly contended that the whole honour of the work belonged to that blind divinity. To give the question a fair discussion, he resolved to try whether chance could do a much

more simple thing, with the letters that compose John Kepler's name, in Greek. He wrote these ten letters upon ten slips of paper: these he rolled carefully up, hustling them in a hat, and then drew them out one by one, to see whether, in repeated trials, they would come out in the required order. He continued his experiment until he was quite tired, without success. Indeed, according to the best computations I can make, chance was not likely to do right above one time in 163,459,296,000. The fortuitous concourse of atoms has had many a more serious answer, but never had a better one.

De Stella Nov. in ped. Serp.

Miscellaneous.

We are happy to observe, in almost every part of the Christian world, an increasing attention to the interests of Zion. The General Synod of the Associated Reformed Church in North America have manifested their concern for the Church, and their zeal to furnish well qualified Pastors and Teachers, in the following Act for establishing a Theological Seminary, passed at Philadelphia, June 4, 1805.

"WHEREAS the ministry of reconciliation is the great means instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ for perfecting his saints, and edifying his body; and, Whereas, he has required in his word that they who are called to this excellent and important work, be furnished with gifts and graces above those of other believers; especially, that they be faithful men; apt to teach; workmen who need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth; wise stewards to give the household their portion of meat in due season; able to convince gainsayers, to stop the mouths of

unruly and vain talkers; to reprove, to rebuke, to exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine and authority; and to know how they ought to behave themselves in the house of God, ruling well, and being ensamples to the flock-And, Whereas, the aforesaid qualifications, since the miraculous effusions of the divine Spirit Spirit have ceased, cannot be obtained in any other way, than by his blessing upon the cultivation of natural talent, sanctified by his grace; which cultivation consists in a good acquaintance with those various branches of literature, which are necessary

for understanding, expounding, defending, and applying all the parts of revealed truth-And, Whereas, seminaries erected for the special purpose of instructing the rising ministry in things immediately connected with their holy vocation, are the most probable means of attaining the proposed end, have been cherished by the Christian church with much affection from the earliest ages; and have been remarkably owned of God, for the preservation of her purity and glory And, Whereas, the Lord has been graciously pleased to incline the hearts of Christians, both at home and abroad, to assist the Associate Reformed Church in the design of establishing such a seminary Therefore,

:

The Ministers and Elders in general Synod convened, do hereby Direct and Ordain,

That their seminary be forthwith established in the city of New-York, for the sole purpose of preparing for the work of the ministry such young men as, having passed through a previous course of liberal education, shall resolve to consecrate themselves to the service of God in the gospel of his Son.

And the Synod further direct, That the course of instruction in said seminary be conducted by a professor in theology; to be chosen by their ballot at all times hereafter, and to hold his office and emoluments until removed by a vote of two-thirds of the General Synod: which vote shall not pass till a meeting subsequent to that at which it shall have been proposed; provided, that this shall not be construed to impair the power of the Synod, on any charge of gross error or immo

rality, to suspend a professor from the exercise of his func tions, till judgment be definitively given.

And the Synod further direct, That the outline of instruction in the seminary be as follows: viz.

1. The scriptures themselves shall be the great subject of study.

2. The period of study in the seminary shall be four years; and the session shall continue for seven months successively; that is to say, from the first Monday of November till the first Mon. day of June.

3. These four years shall be divided into two equal parts; and the course of study shall proceed as follows:

Every student shall begin and close the day with exercises of secret devotion; uniting to prayer the reading of a portion of God's word; and using as a help some book of impressive practical religion. In these exercises he is to read the scriptures, not as a critic, but as a Christian; as a saved sinner, who knows no other way of peace but that which belongs to him in common with the least of God's redeemed; and who lives by faith, for daily counsel, and strength, and consolation, upon that Saviour, whom he is afterwards to preach to others.

Such a portion of every day, (the Lord's day excepted) shall be devoted to the study of the scriptures in the original tongues, and of that literature which facilitates this study, as by a faithful improvement of time, may enable the student, at the expiration of his course, to read the originals with tolerable ease.

The holy scriptures in our

common version shall be read in such daily portions, as shall finish the whole during the first period of two years and to render the reading thereof more profitable, the professor of theology shall direct the student to succinct treatises on scriptural subjects, as they occur; and shall carefully examine him on these subjects.

Having completed this first reading of the scriptures, the student shall commence a second course of the same nature; dividing it in such a manner as to finish it at the expiration of his last year. He shall now consult the originals, step by step, as he goes along; and have his course of biblical reading extended under the direction of the profes

sor.

With his third year the student shall commence the study of systematic theology: and, as a basis for it, he shall commit to memory, during the previous two years, the whole text of the confession of faith and larger catechism. He shall read, on each topic, such proper books as may be digested within the time allotted, and may give him an acquaintance with the substance of the system.

The professor shall also lecture upon the primary topics of the system, following the general order of the confession of faith. That his students may enjoy the benefit of his whole course of lectures, he must not fail to complete it within two years. And, on the other hand, that this time may be sufficient, his lectures are to be concise and dense, accommodated to the principle, that his work is not so much to furnish his pupils with

thoughts, as to set them upon a proper train of thinking for themselves.

In the fourth year of the course, the professor shall also deliver critical lectures; which are to embrace, not merely the philology of the context, but al so its connexion, scope, and argument. No authority is to be admitted in these lectures but that of the originals; the stu dent shall have them before him, and turn to the parallel texts cited by the professor. These texts are to be few, and well selected.

Every student shall prepare in his third year, two of those discourses commonly called lectures, and two popular sermons; and in his fourth year, three of each; neither to exceed half an hour when deliberately spoken. All the scriptural proofs, cited by a student in any exercise of his fourth year, must be referible to the originals.

Hours of study must be so distributed as to leave a suitable portion to miscellaneous reading; such as history, morality, belles lettres, &c. and to healthful bodily exercise."

The professor was to commence his course of instruction on the first Monday in November, 1805; at which time the superintendants were to meet in New-York, for the purpose of organizing the seminary.

At the time the foregoing act was established, the Synod

"Resolved, That the different Presbyteries be forthwith informed of the establishment of a seminary for the instruction of youth in the knowledge of theology, and enjoined to send their students to the city of New

York, at the time appointed for opening said seminary.

Resolved, That measures be immediately taken to have all our ministers supplied with the scriptures in the original tongues, and with proper helps for prosecuting the study of them.

Resolved, That every minister be enjoined to pursue, in so far as it shall be applicable to his circumstances and consistent with his engagements, a course of biblical reading similar to that which is recommended in the report on the plan for the seminary, to which they are referred.

Resolved, That every Presbytery be, and they hereby are directed, to devote a suitable portion of time, at least once in six months, to the investigation of portions of the original scriptures, previously selected for the purpose: That at least one of their number, taken in rotation, shall, at such meeting, deliver a critical dissertation upon some scriptural subject to be previously assigned him; and that they keep a regular journal of their literary transactions, and preserve the dissertations among their papers."

. The superintendants of the seminary are, the Rev. Messrs. ROBERT ANNAN; JOHN MC'JIMSEY; ALEXANDER PROUDFIT; JAMES GRAY, D. D.; and JAMES LAURIE.

A letter, addressed to the members of the Associate Reformed Church, relative to a theological seminary, follows the foregoing Act. This letter, which is a fine specimen of Christian eloquence, concludes as follows. "If we

use not flattering

words, brethren, it is because we are deeply serious; and because we are well assured, that if your seminary perish, there is no human expedient to save your churches from desolation. Here, then, is an object, which, entering into the essence of your social stability, prefers a claim upon your purse, which you cannot innocently resist. In vain do you "pray that Satan's kingdom may be destroyed, and the kingdom of grace advanced," if you will give nothing toward the means to which the Lord has directed for that end. We repeat it, a little from each of you is enough. Who will grudge a few miserable shillings once a twelvemonth, in an affair of such magnitude? Who will be the poorer at the year's end? or venture to insinuate that the Son of God, whose is "the earth and the fulness thereof," will remain in his debt for such a donation? The duty is plain, the promise pointed. "'Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." Do not act, brethren, as if the word of your God were unworthy of your trust. Let it never be forgotten that he will have a share of our property; and if we defraud him of our free-will offering-of the "first fruits of all our increase," he will wrest from our hands that abused wealth for which we do not make him an acknowledgment in kind. Many a delinquency of this sort has been punished with a bad debt, or a bad crop; and no man ever gains by the commutation. The winds of heaven, the devouring

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