of must refer to the prophet's wife, who conceived and bare a son, as recorded in Isa. viii.

2. That before this child should know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land should be delivered from the evils which were inflicted upon it by the two hostile kings.

3. That the birth of a son, at the distant period of many centuries, was an event too remote to be a sign to Ahaz, of the certainty of an immediate deliverance of himself and Judah.

4. That the son here foretold, means the son of the prophet, concerning whom it is said, that before he should be able to say, my father and my mother, the power of both kings should be destroyed. Compare chap. vii. 16. with chap. viii. 4.

5. That the name of this child was to be Emmanuel, not Jesus.

These objections and others of a like nature, are to be met with in antient Jewish writers, and are still repeated by the learned Jews of the present age, as well as by other unbelievers. I should be glad, if some of your correspondents would furnish a judicious vindication of the apostolic interpretation of this prophecy, and thus throw light upon the truths of the gospel, which will never perish. I am, Sir,

Sep. 11th, 1824.

Yours respectfully,

PHILO-JUDAICUS.

and, therefore, should you deem the following observations worthy of public attention, you will oblige me by their insertion in your Miscellany.

In examining the circumstances under which our Lord's prayer was dictated, the Evangelist Luke, narrating his history, informs us, "It came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." Both from sacred and prophane history it appears that during our Lord's ministry there were four distinguished sects among the Jews. The first were Sadducees; this was a sect which denied the existence of angels and disembodied spirits-the resurrection of the dead, and a future judgment. But whether they admitted the providential government of God, and prayed that he would do them good, give them rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, and fill their hearts with food and gladness, we are not informed. The second sect were Pharisees; these were persons opposed in sentiment to the Sadducees, and habituated to frequent and long prayers, engaging in these exercises in the most conspicuous situations; in the streets, the synagogues, and the temple, and pleading their personal and comparative moral purity, though addicted to extortion and excess. The third were Essenes this sect were celebrated-for their celibacy-their community of goods-their agricultural pursuits, and their devotional exercises; for Josephus

ON USING THE LORD'S PRAYER. informs us that rising very early in the

MR. EDITOR,

I was lately requested to assign a reason on behalf of myself and brethren of the Baptist denomination, for our uniform omission of the Lord's prayer, both in domestic and public worship.

morning, they abstained from all secular conversation till day break, and put up certain prayers, received from their forefathers, as if making supplication for the rising of the sun. The fourth were the disciples of John the Baptist. These were persons baptized upon a profession of their repentance, and of their faith In order to assign a reason on behalf in the approaching reign of God. These of myself, I examined the circumstances persons, dissatisfied, I suppose, with the under which that prayer was dictated principles of the Sadducees, and also the writings and conduct of the Apostles with the prayers and conduct of the after the day of Pentecost-and also other sects, requested John to teach them the nature of the prayer itself. It is to pray. And the disciples of Jesus, somewhat remarkable that two publi- feeling a similar dissatisfaction, and cations on prayer, should so recently having witnessed the humility, subhave issued from the pens of Baptist mission, ardour, and faith of him, who Ministers; but, whether the subject" offered up prayers and supplications before me has been discussed in either of them, or has appeared in any periodical publication, is unknown to me,

with strong crying and tears," when he ceased, one said, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disci

ON THE USE OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.

ples." Such appear to have been the circumstances under which the prayer was dictated.

In examining the writings and conduct of the Apostles, I suppose that two principles will be admitted; the one is, that the apostolic prayers were "the prayers of the saints"-those which were offered upon the golden altar, and ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. This being admitted, it must be also granted that their prayers were accepted; and these prayers were offered up under a great variety of circumstances. We have on record a prayer at the election of an Apostle-at the release of Peter and John-at the martyrdom of Stephenthe imprisonment of Peter-the imprisonment of Paul and Silas-a prayer for complete sanctification-for preservation of body, soul and spirit, and for a capacity to comprehend the breadth, length, depth and height of the love of Christ; yet under all this variety no allusion is made to our Lord's Prayer. Their conclusions ran thus: "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us; unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end, AMEN."

The other principle, which I suppose will be admitted, is, that the apostles rigidly adhered to all positive precepts which were deemed binding after the death of Christ; for they, in obedience to positive precepts, went into Galilee tarried in Jerusalem-went into all the world and baptized the disciples, yet not the most distant allusion is ever made, either in conduct or epistle to the Lord's prayer; from which I infer, that this prayer was not deemed binding, and that its omission will not prevent our prayers from coming up with acceptance before God.

In examining the nature of the prayer itself, I find, there is no reference made to the mediation of Christ; yet this enters essentially into the medium of our access to God, a circumstance ever calculated to remind us of the holiness of his nature, "that he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight." And it also serves to remind us of our own

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impurity, that we are more spotted than the leopard, more ignorant than the ox, and more filthy than the swine: so that our prayers, if answered, can only be answered through the spotless purity of the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. In the Lord's prayer there is no reference made to the atonement of Christ;* yet this enters into the mode of our access to God. When the patriarchs and prophets prayed, it was either with the offering up of typical sacrifices, or at the time of their offering up, or with windows opened towards the place of their offering up. And when the Jewish High-Priest made intercession, he entered the holy of holies with the blood of others.-But Jesus is gone within the vail with his own blood;blood this which reconciles! which pardons! which forms the cloud of incense! and by which he intercedes for the transgressors And if we are answered, it is through this blood of sprinkling. I find no reference to the offices of Christ, yet these enter into the mode of our access to God. Jesus appears in the presence of God, as our great High Priest, one who has offered the prescribed and required atonement; as our mediator, one who, being "God manifest in the flesh," can lay his hands upon us both. And he appears as our righteous advocate; one who can plead, that in his conduct not one jot or tittle of the law failed, but all was fulfilled; and if we are answered, it is through this Son of man, whom God has made strong for himself. I find no reference to the influences of the Holy Ghost, one part of whose of fice it is, to teach us to pray-to help our infirmities and to make intercession with our spirs. And, finally, I find in the prayer itself, that its forms of expression are varied: compare Mat. vi. 11, 12. with Luke xi, 34. and what Matthew inserts in verse 13, the evangelist Luke wholly omits, which appears remarkable, if Luke himself adopted the prayer-or heard it universally adopted or if it had been designed for adoption throughout all ages. From these omissions I conclude, that, the prayer was not intended for a permanent form-that it may be used by persons who tread under foot the Son of

Neither is there any direct mention made of Christ's atonement in any of the other prayers recorded in Scripture, to which our correspondent has alluded. His argument therefore against the use of the Lord's prayer, merely on this ground, is inconclusive.-EDITOR.

REVIEWERS REVIEWED.

indecorum," we might echo their own, words, and say, that "though popular feeling may hold up the cause a little longer, it is high time for all wise and conscientious people to recant."

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examination. This is known to be the case, in many instances, with men of more than ordinary vigour of intellect; and it may therefore be very justly inferred to exist in a greater proportion, where men's minds are not so well disposed to, and fitted for enquiry.

Mr. Cox says, "that Pædobaptist Churches contain vast numbers of theo

These Gentlemen deny that "the best Pædobaptist writers have made us repeated and most important concessions;" and seem to intimate that many of the most able writers on other sub-retic Baptists, who have discernment jects, are very incompetent on this. But when I run over the names of Henry, Baxter, Doddridge, Owen, Poole, Bingham, Edwards, Leigh, Jennings, Witsius, Taylor, Wall, Hammond, Whitby, and others, I cannot help considering, that I have fallen upon some of the "best Pædobaptist writers;" and when I put together the concessions which they have made, from a simple survey of the word of God, when not under a particular bias, I confess that I am disposed to place little confidence in their final convictions, when that bias evidently sways them. In the former case, they advance upon a parallel with the sacred record, and in strict unison with the spirit of the Christian dispensation; but in the latter, they are observed to desert this straight path, for the purpose of propping up a rite entirely at variance with both.

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I cannot help remarking, how cruel it is in these Reviewers, to taunt the Baptists, with being one of the smallest of Christian sects, distinguished neither in its past or present state by any overwhelming majority of acute reasoners and genuine scholars," since it recals to their minds, the extreme folly of which they are guilty, in presuming, under such circumstances, to plead for the honour of Divine Truth, in humble imitation of a certain "small and undistinguished sect," which once similarly dared to confront, the "overwhelming majority of acute reasoners and genuine scholars," which the schools of Jewish law, and Greek and Roman philosophy produced.

enough to appreciate the force of evidence, but not piety enough to pursue the path of duty." It would have been better, had the latter branch of this sentence been qualified, since as it now stands, it conveys a charge which we would by no means desire to attach to our fellow Christians. But the general fact, that such persons are to be found in considerable numbers in Pædobaptist churches, is unquestionable; and that, not merely amongst "the young, the simple, and the ill informed;" those "who instead of being able to appreciate the argument, are notoriously incompetent for any such decision" "the timid, the scru pulous, and the weak minded;" but generally amongst those of mature age, of long standing in the church;-of acute discernment, and of cool, discriminating judgment. These circumstances exist, to a greater extent than many pastors are aware of, even in their own churches. Many have partial convictions upon the subject, but are afraid to investigate it fully, lest they should "unsettle their minds," others have carried their examinations further, but hesitate to avow their results lest they should incur reproach, and become the subjects of inconvenience; and others again do declare their opinions, but deen it unnecessary to act upon them; not considering the point as one of essential importance to their salvation. Every now and then, however, some of these persons are induced" to submit to adult immersion;" not "lest they should incur the TREMENDOUS guilt denounced upon them by some BIGOTTED PARTIZAN OF ANABAPTISM;" nor "from the staggering of some ANABAPTIST advocate," but from the convictions of duty becoming irresistibly imperative upon them; a consummation not unfrequently much accelerated, by the vehement and inconclusive reasonings of some Padobaptist partizan.

Whether "one half of the Pædobaptist ministers living" admit that the primary meaning of Barrw and BaTTi is to immerse, I know not; though I think it may very safely be asserted, that more than one half have never bestowed the labour of their own minds upon the subject; but taking the statements of Having dismissed Mr. C.'s Advertisecertain favourite writers as their textment, the reviewers "enter upon the books, they have sat themselves down, work itself," by "beginning with the fully satisfied, without any further closing part of his argument," which

expressly denies, that the earliest writers | Fathers, 150 years from the Apostles, ever mention Infant Baptism in direct when all manner of corruptions were terms and as a thing not to be questioned. fast inundating the Christian Church, This denial stands untouched, for the can never be made the rule of our faith earliest writers are not at all referred and practice; and our brethren may to in the Review. The evidence of therefore remain in full and peaceable Tertullian, with the trifling addition, possession of all the sanction which which our brethren would make to it, they can obtain from Cyprian, and his only goes to prove the "existence" of successors. the practice, but certainly by no means its "prevalence." It does not appear from this, that it was "universal" and unquestioned," ," but rather that it existed as an innovation, amongst those to whom this "Father" wrote, and was by him, not only questioned, but condemned. There seems not in this early age to have been any claim of apostolic authority for this practice, but rather that it was founded upon necessity and expediency; and it is precisely upon the ground of this expediency and necessity that Tertullian combats it. In referring to Irenæus, the Reviewers bear very hard upon Dr. Gale, for questioning the authenticity of the chapter whence a very important quotation is made; and attempt to justify the "Father" at all hazards, in the contradictions and inconsistencies which that chapter contains; but surely we may be allowed to look with much jealousy upon a statement, which so palpably contradicts facts fully established by the Sacred Word, and which must have been perfectly known by Irenæus; and when in connection with these statements, are others so completely in accordance with the corrupt opinions and practices of the church, from whose hands we have received the only copies of these writings which we possess, we may with that "most confused, illogical, and unfair of controversial writers," Dr. Gale, be permitted still to doubt its authenticity. The reference to Justin Martyr is as usual pressed into the service, but without adverting to the luminous display, which he, in another place makes of the views and practice of the Christian Church in this particular; it is not by any means clear, how the fact of many aged persons having been discipled to Christ by teaching, (which is manifestly the import of the term,) in their childhood, can be made to serve the cause of Infant Baptism. We admit their consecutive Baptism, but the associated circumstance of instruction effectually excludes infancy.

Proceeding, the Reviewers inveigh in very uncourteous terms against the observations of Mr. Birt, than which nothing certainly can be more temperate, judicious and conclusive. The point of view in which he has placed the subject is a galling one for his opponents, but it is correct; and the correctness is in no trifling degree proved, by the attempts our reviewers have made, to evade the force of his remarks, and give consistency to their own practice, by pleading for a "relative religion.” But what is this "relative religion?" Surely they need not to be told, that religion as revealed to and enjoined upon us by Christ is entirely personal. Its means, and its obligations, however socially attended to, have all a personal reference; and there is not a single duty which can be discharged, obligation fulfilled, or blessing enjoyed by one person for another. The head of a family maintains an altar to God in his house, and commands his children and his servants to attend him to the sanctuary; but of what avail are these acts to the latter parties, except as ordinary means by which their hearts may become affected? Notwithstanding their punctual performance by the parent and master, the children and servants may continue, and thousands are unbelievers of the very worst description; and this relative religion is therefore a nonentity. Widely different were the circumstances of the Patriarchal and Mosaical dispensations, where first to families, and afterwards to a nation, God especially made himself known; but now we recognize only personal religion. For "in every nation, he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness is accepted with him;" and this has a relative effect, only in the fulfilment of the duties we have to perform to those around us, and the accomplishment of which can lay them under no similar obligation, unless they are conscious and voluntary agents.

The long paragraph on "poptism," seems to be a mere waste of ink. What is contained in the subsequent | Whether Mr. Cox has or has not suc