that the election is merged in the predes tination. Our Church considers election as distinct from predestination, and that persons may come under the one descrip tion without being comprehended in the other. They may be called and elected but not predestinated, inasmuch as they may after their calling and election fail through their own fault of attaining to everlasting felicity." Is this also an accurate description of the modified course of the Church in the interpretation of Scripture? And yet, as if the doctrine were not already sufficiently perplexed, another reference is made in imitation of Dr. Copleston Mr. Sumner's excellent treatise on Apostolical preaching, particularly his chapter on election, which refers his expressions on that subject, to "to the election of the Gentiles rather than to personal election." Thus the Church of England does and does not hold Calvinistic election, does and does not hold conditional election, does and does not hold personal election. Instead of these crude theories on a doctrine which perplexes the minds and disturbs the peace of many men, how much more worthy would it have been of the advocate of the invaluable formularies of our Church, to explain the child's avowal of his sanctification with all the elect people of God, by the corresponding answer in which he gives thanks to the heavenly Father, that he hath called him to this state of salvation prays that he may continue in the same unto his life's end. 'and It is not easy to conceive the mischief or the misery, which arises from these jejune and unsatisfactory references to controverted doctrines. The minds of men are thus kept in a state of continual ferment and agitation, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. The depraved but too popular passion for religious gossip may be indulged, and fed like the antient Moloch with the sighs and REMEMBRANCER, No. 43. groans of men. The sin of slander nary holiness of an ignorant and inmay be confounded with the imagijudicious zeal; and men and women of less discernment than presumption, whom a very little insinuation will tempt to suspect the fidelity of their pastor, will be hurried away. in the pursuit of doctrines, which and which promise to gratify for the have at least the merit of novelty, hour the love of choice and change, of an assumed right of independence and a practical unsettledness in their whose religious education has been spiritual communion. Too many principles of the doctrines of Christ, neglected, and who have no fixed will be distracted in the sincere enquiry for religious truth, by the errors imputed to its ostensible teachers, will be embarrassed with doubts and scruples, and ultimately and schism, into a neglect of public inveigled into false doctrine, heresy, worship and instruction, and a ge-neral indifference and unconcern of minds not sufficiently grounded to sacred truth. Even clergymen in the Scriptures, and exquisitely sensitive and conscientious, may be. of a British Reviewer, impressed alarmed by the confident assertions rity and integrity of their doctrine, with vain apprehensions of the puand led astray from the good old paths in which they have been taught and accustomed to tread, doubtful speculation. None but into the bye ways of error and the scorner and the infidel has occasion of rejoicing in the sins and of controversies, in which they have sorrows of the Church, in the issue no interest or concern, but in their known tendency to counteract the progress of truth and righteousness. No conceivable advantage can result from a tissue of insinuations offered in such a spirit as distinguishes the article which has challenged our observations, and of which it is only doubtful whether the blame principally devolves upon the writer or ЗІ the editor, who suffered its inser- The Manifold Wisdom of God made known by the Church: a Sermon preached at the Cathedral Church of Calcutta, on the Third Day of December, 1820, being the First Sunday in Advent. By Thomas Fanshaw, Bishop of Calcutta. With Notes and an Appendix. 8vo. pp. 56. Balfour, Calcutta. 1821. WE should be happy, if we could convey to our readers the same pleasure which we have ourselves experienced in the perusal of this clear and masterly discourse. The text is from Ephes. iii. 10, and the three topics offered to our consideration are these. 1. What is the manifold Wisdom of God? 2. Why should it be proclaimed to the Gentiles? And, 3. What are the means, by which the work may and must be carried on, till all the kingdoms of this world are become "the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." (Rev. ix. 15.) In treating of the first, the Bishop justly remarks, that the very phraseitself," the manifold wisdom of God-" "Seems to overwhelm us by the variety and weight of the topics, which it immediately suggests. Manifold, indeed, (he continues) is that wisdom; infinite in its conceptions and modes of operation, even as apprehended by the faculties of man; and what then must it appear to sublime and heavenly intelligences, although even they, as the text plainly intimates, are as yet but scholars and novices in the knowledge of the Divine dispensations." From this the Bishop takes occasion to point out the excellence of this wisdom, as it is displayed in Creation and Providence, and more especially, (as that which is chiefly contemplated by the text,) in the dispensation of Grace, and the scheme of Redemption. "In Creation, the field which displays ́the divine wisdom, is absolutely immeasur able: into whatever district our curiosity or piety leads us, there we discover the wisdom of the Almighty, whether the object of research be a plant or an insect, or the system, by which worlds revolve; whether it be the instinct of animals, or the reason of man; whether it be the structure of the human frame, or those faculties and powers, which constitute the activity inherent in mind. And then what a countless multitude of subjects are either too great or too small to be grasped by our feeble vision! What regions lie beyond our reach, of which we but dimly descry the confines! There is no boundary to what we see: we discern not the termination of any thing: there is always something beyond, seen more and more indistinctly, till it is lost in distance: the whole circle of human knowledge in comparison with all the subjects of knowledge, with all which might be known by an infinite intelligence, and therefore is known to God, is probably but as a single leaf torn from the middle of some vast volume, filled indeed with references or allusions to what has preceded, or with faint anticipations of what is to follow, and therefore but imperfectly understood, yet leading the mind to lofty speculations, and admiration of its author: we understand just enough to be instigated to thought and inquiry, and to be convinced from the little we comprehend, that wisdom must have dictated the whole. For how many benevolent ends do we discover in all the realms of nature, and in every work of God? What mighty effects are accomplished by means the most simple, and apparently the most inadequate? What provision is made to meet what in human mechanism we should consider as insuperable difficulties, but which in the divine workmanship serve only to evince the operation of one Pervading Mind? and what adjustment in a system inconceivably complicated, so that there is no collision or interference, where all at the first superficial glance would seem to be confusion? Our limits will not permit us to illustrate these general remarks by individual examples: but they will be verified by every inquiry into the works of the Creator. "But what shall we say of Providence? The evidence under this head would probably be more striking, than under that of Creation, if we were equally capable of deducing it; which, however, seems not to be the case. In Creation much may be inferred from the contemplation of single parts, and those the most obvious and familiar to our apprehension. A blade of grass or an ear of corn, though indeeed we detect not all its contrivance, is yet sufficiently complete for the purpose, and exhibits indubitable and connected proofs of profound design; but in the system of Providence the proofs are not easily drawn from parts: we are required to contemplate and compre hend the whole. We cannot sever a link from the midst of a chain, but the chain is broken. In Providence we have to consider a long series of causes and effects, of purposes and results, which, in that view of the subject, exist not but in connexion. The results, indeed, are apparent, but not so the process: we cannot always clearly connect the first cause with the primary effect the intermediate steps elude our investigation. Let it not, however, be thought that this difficulty at all invalidates the doctrine of Providence, as evincing the wisdom of God. It is as if we beheld some vast river discharging its waters into the ocean, but were not permitted to trace it upwards to its source: we catch, indeed, glimpses of it at distant intervals; but mountains and forests frequently intervene. Still we are sure, that it has its source somewhere, however distant or inaccessible. And so it is with all the good we enjoy in the world, with all the provision made for our wants, with all our deliverances from danger, in short with all that is incident to men or to nations: events are brought about, good is accomplished, and evil averted, not only through means quite inadequate to the end, as we estimate these things, but frequently in opposition to natural causes, of which we see the full force and efficacy, and are quite at a loss to understand how they have been defeated. And what is the inference? It is, that what is not of man is of God: it is that an over-ruling Power directs all things; influencing the wills of those, who serve Him, to what is ultimately good; and in those, who by corruption are biassed to evil, averting the consequences, if not to themselves, at least to others, or even converting them to His purposes. Here, however, we pass to what our text chiefly contemplates the manifold wisdom of God in the dispensation of Grace and in the scheme of Redemption. This wisdom, indeed, is not so easily discerned by minds, in which Religion has made but little progress, as that which beams forth in the works of Creation, or as that of which the proofs are more slowly deduced from God's moral Government of the world. To be in any degree appreciated, it requires a preparation of the mind and heart; it requires us to divest ourselves of pride and prejudice, and to be deeply sensible of our condition The mere Philosopher is very capable discerning facts, which establish the doctrine of final causes: or the Metaphysician may be driven by the necessities of his argument to acknowledge a pervading and over-ruling Mind; but to gain eveu a glimpse of what the Apostle had called in the context the unsearchable riches of Christ, you must be in principle, in heart, and in sentiment already Christian: the first step in your progress must be humility; humility, however, not as prompted by unreasonable despair, but as founded in eternal truth. Look, then at the natural con, dition of the species; of man without Religion, meaning Faith in a Saviour and Redeemer: what is his confidence, or even his hope." P. 5. The forcible and affecting picture which the Bishop draws, of the forlornness of the deistical scheme, is worthy of very serious attention. "We are evidently in the situation of those, who have violated a law fortified by penal sanctions, without any power of sa tisfying the penalty. Sceptics in the pride of their hearts, may cavil at this comparison; but they have never adduced any evidence to shew, that it is not strictly applicable. If they will only admit the being of a perfectly just and holy God, all substantial consequences, which the Christian claims, will inevitably follow: it will follow, that the wisdom and mercy of God were in some way to be exerted for the restor ation of violated order and the indemnity of man. But even reason should revolt at the very ground-work of the deistical scheme, if scheme it can be called, which has no consistent application. In what light does Deism, if closely examined, place the Deity? It leaves Him in possession of perfect attributes, which are, however, but imperfectly exercised: it recognises His sovereignty, but would suspend His functions: it admits and even insists upon His mercy, but in a way which forbids us any longer to consider Him as infinitely just, and which affords us no means of asserting His holiness, It represents Him as the author of a Law, the sanctions of which can never be abrogated, and the dignity of which can never be maintained. It acknowledges Him to be the eternal source of purity and truth, although if the language may be endured, He acquiesces in falsehood and counivés at iniquity. These results are inevitable, if Christ hath not appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Heb. ix. 26.)" P. 9. Nor does the Bishop stop here; but proceeds to ask of those who profess to admit no test but reason, whether life is rational without religion? or this present state, when uninformed by the views and hopes of the Gospel, any thing but a scene of vanity? And having forcibly shewn this, he goes on to state more distinctly, in what particulars especially our reason discerns the wisdom of God in the scheme of hu man Redemption; and to combat a notion but too prevalent, that all questions of this kind are purely speculative, and consequently of comparatively little importance. Whereas, as his lordship justly remarks, “all the speculative truths of Religion, which are revealed in Scripture, (and no others deserve any serious regard) are in their inferences, and consequences, and relations, highly prac tical; they are in truth, the very basis of all practice; and none is more extensively so, than the doctrine of our Redemption through Christ." is strikingly exhibited in detail, and on the whole the Bishop thus concludes. This "These reflections, capable however of being pursued through a thousand channels, may prepare us to form some imperfect estimate of the wisdom of God in the work of our Redemption. Mysteries, it is true, envelope the doctrine theoretically considered: but in a practical view nothing can be more intelligible. Our nature, in its inconsistencies and contradictions, in its weaknesses and in its strength, in its elevation and depression, conspires with Scripture to bear witness to our primeval fall: and the wisdom of God has been exerted in a scheme for our restoration through Jesus Christ; a scheme, in which mercy is the moving principle,-in which Holiness is vindicated, in which Justice is satisfied,in which our weakness is upholden by divine support-in which holy desires are instilled into the heart,-in which sorrow is comforted, in which repentance is efficacions, in which sin is pardoned-in which God is reconciled, in which the world is overcome, and in our last hour Death is deprived of his triumph. It is to such a scheme more especially, that the Apostle refers, when he speaks of the manifold wisdom power and wisdom we are able to a certain of God:' and its complicated characters of extent to appreciate, even with our faiut perception of things divine. In no specu lation merely human have such difficulties ever been proposed for solution? still less can it be said that they have been solved upon principles at once so coherent, and at the same time so sublime in their objects, so simple in their operation, and so effec tual in their result. The greatness of the Deity and the misery of man had been the theme of sages from the earliest times: but who had ever suggested, as among things possible, a theory, by which, while God should be vindicated, man should be saved?" P. 14. In treating of the second question suggested in the text, "Why should the manifold wisdom of God be proclaimed to the Heathen?" the Bishop confines himself to the argument which the Apostle uses. The edification, however, of the heavenly Spirit by the preaching of the Gospel here on earth, is an argument, which does not readily present itself to the mind. Nor is it at the first sight sufficiently familiar to us, whose intercourse is with God or men; yet when presented, and duly weighed, it must be allowed to be well fitted to call forth our warmest exertions for the conversion of the Heathen. For, whatever tends to unfold the wisdom and goodness of God, must lead to the increase of his glory, which is the legitimate end of true zeal. And that, whereby the very Angels, those superior In. telligences that surround the throne of God, shall become wiser, must surely be needful in a tenfold degree to man in his present state of weakness and ignorance. And, "Where, (asks the Bishop with reference to the East), shall the energies of this zeal be excited, if they are dormant in the land which we now inhabit? In what other region of the known world is the glory of God more effectually obscured, and His truth, to allude to the Apostle's saying, more pal, pably turned into a lie? (Rom. i. 25.) The case of ruder nations furnishes no answer to this question: refinement when corrupted, may be worse than barbarism; and system has a power of evil beyond simplicity. Where else too, we may ask, do we find more evident vestiges of that fall from primeval uprightness, which the Gospel was designed to repair? From the dislocated strata and confused position of heterogeneous substances in the bowels of the earth, the Geologist attests the breaking up of the vast deep in times remote, if be yield not implicit faith to the Scriptures: and here, in like manner, does the Christian trace indubitable evidence of that wreck and ruin of the moral world, which the same Scriptures record: the best qualities or tendencies of our nature and their opposite defects are found in immediate contact: the fear without the knowledge God;-courtesy without brotherly love ;profuseness without public spirit; -lowlisin without the want of a Saviour;-fortiness without humility;-a consciousness of tude without feeling or resignation; and a contempt of death without a thought of immortality;-these are among the inconsistencies and perversions of original goodness, which every day's observation may exhibit to our notice: and who can conthem? or who that laments them, can be backward to employ the remedy? I mean not, of course, in any way but that of affectionate and Christian solicitude, and by teaching and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.' (Acts xix. 8.)" P. 18. template these appearances and not lament that The conclusion of this part of the discourse is occupied by a satisfactory reply to those prejudices, which have been, and may even yet be entertained by certain, against all endeavours to disseminate Christianity among the Hindoos. Those prejudices, which are purely political, are very briefly and properly dismissed with this pious and just remark, all policy is, to say the least of it, very questionable, when it is manifestly opposed to the purposes of Him, "who ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will." (Dan. iv. 17.) And the question is thus reduced to the very simple one, whether the temporal and eternal good, one or both of them, of the nations of the East would not be promoted by a gradual developement to their minds and hearts, of the truths of the Gospel? We say with the Bishop gradual; for he, who should attempt or expect more than this, would in the attempt do mischief, and in the expectation evince little knowledge of the actual state of things. |