A. C.-If it bears upon the subject; for I wish to keep to one point at a time. Adelphos.-It will bear upon the subject so far as to show what sort of a word it is which the Spirit must accompany, if it accompanies all, or most of our called and missioned divines. My friend, the preacher is very zealous; and you might as well persuade some folks that Paul was not commissioned from Heaven, as that he is not. His text was, "Paul's Shipwreck." His method was to show 1. That the ship was the gospel, and exhibited its essential doctrines. 2. The escape of the mariners and prisoners denoted the salvation of the elect. In the illustration of the first head he demonstrated the following particulars : 1. The three masts denoted the three persons in one Divinity, because the three masts made but one ship. 2. The prow denoted the divinity of the Saviour, and the stern his humanity—their union, the union of the two natures. 3. The two seas meeting upon the ship, denoted the wrath of God and the malice of the devil, concentrating upon the Saviour in his last scene. 4. The hinder part of the ship breaking, represented the weakness and death of the humanity of the Saviour. 5. Their throwing overboard the tackling of the ship, denoted saints renouncing all their own works. In the demonstration of the second head, he showed1. That the saints by taking hold of Christ, as the sailors and prisoners took hold of the plank and broken pieces of the ship, keep themselves from sinking under trials. 2. Their swimming safe to land, denoted the sure and certain perseverance of all the saints. 3. Their all getting safe to shore, proves the ultimate salvation of all the elect. And, 4. Paul's behaviour during the scene of the shipwreck, denoted the use of gospel preachers, in aiding, directing, and encouraging the elect in the way of salvation. A. C. Is this fiction or reality? Adelphos. It is as true as preaching, and truer than the half of that. A. C.-Have you neither added nor diminished? Adelphos.-I have diminished; for he spiritualized many other occurrences which I cannot now recall. A. C.-And how was it received by the hearers? Adelphos. It was well received; and the preacher, praised both for his profound knowledge of the spiritual sense of scripture, and extolled for his genuine orthodoxy. A. C.-Well, I am sure none could be converted by such preaching. Adelphos.-One would think so; but if you had heard them sigh and scream when he told of the lashings of the storm upon the dear Saviour, and of the breaking up of the stern, you would have thought they were well nigh converted. A. C.-From such converts, and such conversions, may the good Lord deliver the church! Adelphos. From this prayer I cannot withhold my Amen. I have something more to add, but must defer it for the present.-Christian Baptist. QUERIES AND ANSWERS. Query. Do you really believe, that if a man can say simply that he believes in the truth of the scriptures, and that they are the word of God—that the salvation of that man is secured to him; or in other words, that a mere belief of that kind will entitle him to the approbation of " well done?" &c. &c. Answer.-To this query, in the fair import of the terms, I answer positively, No! It is only they "who keep his commandments, who shall have a right to enter into the heavenly city." Those whom the Judge of all will address with "well done," are those who have done well. No man, either at death, or in the final judgment, will be justified by believing the whole, or any part of scripture; believing it any way, historically, or in the popular style. Men are justified here by faith, and there by works: or, in other words, by faith, they are introduced into a state of favour, so that their prayers may be heard, and their works accepted. But the justification here is of pure favour: it is God's own philanthropy which grants them acceptance through faith in his testimony. No man, as the infidels object, will be condemned on the day of judgment for not believing-and no man will be justified for believing. It is here men are condemned for unbelief, and justified through belief-"I was hungry and you fed me," &c., is the reason assigned for the justification of the righteous-"I was hungry and you did not feed me," &c. is the reason assigned for the condemna tion of the wicked. We can reconcile Paul, and James, without a play on words, or without the labour of Luther. Few understand this matter scripturally. Calvinists have struck on Scylla-and Arminians have dashed on Charybdis. At least they have come well nigh breaking their prows; but nothing is more simple, nor more straightforward, than the ancient gospel-by a proclamation of mercy, all are brought into favour who receive the testimony of Jesus. The testimony believed assures them of forgiveness and acceptance through submission to Jesus; and being reconciled through faith to the divine character and government, they having been made accepted in the beloved-go to work, to fight, to run, to strive, to labour, for the crown-Paul did so, and he was not cast away; he did not make shipwreck of faith; he laid hold on the crown; and the Saviour has promised it to none but to him that conquers. This is the fact. And they are all dreamers and loungers who expect to receive the crown by believing any thing. We are able through the knowledge and favour of Jesus Christ our Lord, to wind up and settle this long controversy, if men will hear and be content with what the Oracles of God and right reason say. But if they will have mysteries, and dreams,, and notions for it, they may dream on till the Judge calls them to judgment. Arise, you sleepers! awake, stand up you loungers! embrace the proclamation of mercy, and the gift of eternal life through Jesus, and go to work and labour, as Jesus told you, for the food which endures to eternal life-be immersed for the remission of your past sins-get washed, you filthy and polluted transgressors, and get under the reign of favour, that your persons and your works may be accepted, and that the Lord may without equivocation or deceit say to you," Well done." Be assured he will not flatter you with "well done,” unless you have done well. Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, that he died for our sins, that he was buried, that he rose again, that he ascended on high, that he has commanded reformation and forgiveness of sins, to be proclaimed in his name among all nations? I say, do you believe the sesacred historic facts? If you do believe them, or are assured of their truth, you have historic faith, you have the faith which Paul and the apostles had, and proclaimed-Paul was no more than assured these facts were true; and if you are assured they are true, you have the same faith. Arise, and be immersed like Paul, and withhold not obedience; and your historic faith and obedience will stand the test of heaven. You will receive the Holy Spirit too, for it is promised by him that cannot lie, through this faith. School-men may ridicule your faith but there is no other. I call upon them, one and all, to show or prove any other. They cannot. I admit many have a dead faith, they believe these facts and do not obey the proclamation; and James told them eighteen hundred years ago, that this faith cannot save them-it is like a breathless or spiritless corpse. All the sons of men cannot show that there is any other faith, than the belief of facts, either written in the form of history, or orally delivered. Angels, men, or demons, cannot define any thing under the term faith, but the belief of facts, or of history, except they change it into confidence; while men are talking, and dreaming, and quarrelling about a metaphysical whim, wrought in the heart, do you arise and obey the Captain of salvation. And my word-nay, the word of all the apostles for it, and the Lord himself, you will find peace, and joy, and eternal salvation, springing from the obedience of faith. Query.-Is a sinner to be considered as possessed of that moral or spiritual power, by which he may by his own nature turn himself to God, repent, and savingly believe by virtue of the truth presented to him? Answer. My soul travails, for the travailing mind which conceived such a question. It is awfully jumbled by system. No sinner can turn himself to God by nature. But let me put the question as I known the spirit of the querist would have it. Can men just as they are found, when they hear the gospel, believe? I answer boldly, Yes; just as easily as I can believe the well attested facts concerning the person and the achievements of General George Washington. I must hear the facts clearly stated and well authenticated, before I am able to believe them. The man who can believe one fact well attested, can believe any other fact well attested. A man who can carry fifty pounds in England, can carry fifty pounds in France. A man who can believe at all, can believe any thing well documented. The Saviour or his apostles never told any man they needed new powers to believe what he said. Indeed, if any person told me that I could not believe him, although I could believe others, I would at once suspect him to be intending to deceive me; for if I could not believe him, it must be because I prove him to be a liar. To suppose that men cannot believe the testimony concerning Jesus, is to suppose either that it is not plainly delivered, sufficiently proved, or in fact true. I know, indeed, that if the Holy Spirit had not helped us to the truth, or had not vouchsafed the proof, we could not have believed such lofty pretensions. But as the case is, he who does not believe is a wicked sinner; for he has all the power of believing bestowed upon him in the accumulation of evidence afforded. Millions have been tantalized by a mock gospel, which places them as the fable placed Tantalus, standing in a stream, parched with thirst, and the water running to his chin, and so circumstanced that he could not taste it. There is a sleight of hand or a religious legerdemain in getting round this matter. To call any thing grace, or favour, or gospel, not adapted to man as it finds him, is the climax of misnomers. To bring the cup of bliss or of salvation to the lips of a dying sinner, and then tell him for his soul he cannot taste it, without some sovereign aid beyond human control, is to mock his misery and to torment him more and more. I boldly affirm then, that all men to whom the gospel is proclaimed, can believe it if they choose, except such as have sinned so long against the light as to have fallen into the slumber and blindness denounced against those who wilfully reject the counsel of heaven. THAT ONLY IS GOSPEL WHICH ALL CAN BELIEVE WHO WISH ΤΟ FATE OF THE APOSTLES. MATTHEW. This apostle and evangelist is supposed to have suffered martyrdom, or was slain with a sword, at a city of Ethiopia. MARK. This evangelist was dragged through the streets of Alexandria, in Egypt, until he expired. LUKE.-This evangelist was hanged upon an olive tree in Greece. JOHN. This apostle and evangelist was put into a caldron of boiling oil, at Rome, and escaped death! He afterwards died a natural death at Ephesus, in Asia. PETER. This apostle was crucified at Rome, with his head downwards, at his own request, thinking himself unworthy to die in the same posture and manner as his blessed Master. JAMES THE GREAT.-This apostle was beheaded at Jerusalem. JAMES THE LESS.-This apostle was thrown from a |