1. Is the religion of Jesus Christ indeed destined to become the religion of the world? 2. Is the Christian system-the system of means and agencies, developed in the New Testament, for promoting Christianity, indeed efficient for the conversion of the world? Or, 3. Is there any scriptural or reasonable grounds for the conclusion, that other means and agencies, (such as a second personal advent of Christ) will be needed and employed? 4. If the instrumentality of the church is destined to convert the world, have we evidence of its present fitness for the task? If not, it will be necessary to inquire, 5. Did not the primitive church evince all the influence, activity, and perseverance that may, "speaking as men,” be deemed requisite ? 6. Is there any intimation given in the Scriptures, that the Christian religion would, necessarily, in succeeding ages, lose any of its power: that the experience and practice of Christians should necessarily degenerate; and that strife, and division, and inefficiency should mark the character of the church? 7. Is there, at present, any insurmountable obstacle to an immediate return to primitive purity, both of heart and life, by the members of the church? 8. Why, after nearly four centuries have been spent in professed reformation, has not such a return been generally effected? 9. Why have modern revivals of religion, generally, been limited as to their influence, and transient in their duration?-How is it that after every period of renewed spiritual life and energy, and of consequent success, a state of indifference, inactivity, and declension in piety and zeal, has generally, if not universally, succeeded? -Thus not only arresting the progress of the revival, but undoing all, or a great part of, the good work that had been accomplished. 10. Does not the temporary and transient character of revivals, if essentially connected with them, take away all ground of hope for the world's conversion, by the ordinary means? But, 66 11. Are revivals of religion necessarily transient as to their duration, and limited as to their influence?" Does not Christianity furnish a remedy for this most distressing, most discouraging, and most fatal defect, in the modern operations of Christian communities? If so, 12. Is it not solemnly incumbent on every community, on every congregation, and on every individual, promptly to apply the remedy? 13. What is that remedy?-what is it that shall give permanent and perpetually-increasing influence and success, to a revival of religion? By what means shall the "little leaven" now in the world, leaven the whole moral lump? Lastly. What may and must each member of the church become,-what may and must each be and do, in order to acceptable and effectual co-operation with the God of all grace, in the accomplishment of his glorious designs? And now we have to invite our Christian readers to accompany us in our search after a satisfactory answer to each of the questions which have been proposed. These are by no means matters of cold and unprofitable speculation, or idle curiosity; they are full of intense interest,they affect the destiny, both temporal and eternal, of all the existing millions of the human race, and of "ten thousand times ten thousand" millions yet unborn. We hope to present to those who do accompany us, such information as will, at least, repay them. And we invite assistance. We ask for a free and dispassionate expression of the opinions of our friends, whether in unison with our own, or opposed to them; and for the kind communication of all such facts and reasonings, as may appear calculated to elicit and establish truth. In conclusion, we most affection. ately ask our readers, whom we have previously called "Christian readers;" are you such? We desire to ask of each, Reader, are you a Christian ? We ask not, are you called a Christian? We ask not, do you profess the Christian faith? We ask, are you a Christian? "Have you received the Holy Ghost?" Have you received, "not the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption, enabling you to cry, Abba, Father? If not, we say, in all affection and sincerity, you are not yet prepared to accept our invitation. For you one thing is needful." First of all, we entreat you, give yourself to God. Seek, oh! seek the knowledge of him "whom to know is life eternal." For the present, let your sole inquiry be, "what must I do to be saved?" If you will but make this your inquiry, you most certainly shall have a speedy answer. Then, having found salvation for yourself, and not until then, can you duly understand the evils which exist around you. We purpose to commence the series of articles, to which this is introductory, in our next number. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. THE present age seems to me to be distinguished from former ages in three important particulars: its inquiring spirit, its utilitarian character, and its reforming tendency. It is well for Christians to understand the spirit of the age in which they live, that they may so regulate their conduct, as to render that spirit subservient to the great objects for which God has called them into being. The first great peculiarity of the present period, is the restless spirit of inquiry which so extensively prevails. There have been times when for centuries the spirit of inquiry seemed to be completely dormant; opinions descended like estates from father to son; institutions that had existed for a length of time were deemed so sacred that no man was at liberty to question their utility or dispute their worth; and when the fact, that any doctrine was maintained, or any practice sanctioned by the priest, was deemed sufficient to prove that doctrine true, and that practice right. The iron yoke of the feudal system entered into men's souls, and the galling bondage of Popish superstition rendered their degradation complete; and by the conjoint influence of the two, men were transformed from free, intelligent, thinking beings, into the tools of an ungodly, ambitious priesthood, and the abject slaves of an unjust, tyrannical oligarchy. Civil and religious society were both divided into castes or classes; and it was regarded as the prerogative of the one, todictate, and the duty of the other, to submit; one class regarded themselves as entitled to command,—the other believed themselves bound to obey. Inquiry was prohibited on pain of death; and indications of any disposition to act freely, were sure to be followed by the severest penalties that the rulers could inflict. For hundreds of years did this state of things continue; and it seemed as though the heaven-born spirits of men, designed for light and liberty and bliss, were always to be held in darkness and slavery and woe. But these ages of gloom and bondCenturies age have passed away. ago, the Gospel was brought forth from the cells and cloisters in which it had been concealed; the printing press multiplied copies of the Scriptures by thousands: men began to read, to think, to examine for themselves; darkness fled at the approach of day; and the chains of civil and religious bondage were both broken at once. It is true that the instruments of this happy change suffered greatly in their struggles for liberty and truth: many of them lost their lives in the conflict. But they neither lived nor died in vain. Their memories will be revered as long as the world itself endures and the mention of their names, and the recital of their sufferings, will inspire with a love of freedom thousands yet unborn. It is true that the work is not complete; that all are not emancipated from the yoke of unauthorized, anti-christian authority: but the work has been proceeding ever since the period to which I have referred. Each succeeding age has witnessed the removal of restrictions on freedom of thought, or liberty of conscience; and the present age is distinguished above all others by its spirit of bold, and fearless, and untiring investigation. Men seem to be determined to think for themselves at last; and nothing less than evidence, clear, sound, convincing evidence-will satisfy them now as to the excellence of any system that may be proposed for their adoption, or the truth of any statement that may be urged on their belief. Let it be understood that I speak of the general spirit and character of the age. There are of course exceptions, and these exceptions, in the aggregate, may be numerous; but still the general spirit of the age is as it has been described. There are individuals still, who, appearing to be unconscious of any power or right to judge for themselves, are willing that others should judge for them; and there are those who plead for a return to the worst peculiarities of the Popish system; who would extinguish the right of private judgment, and have men to form their opinions on all religious subjects according to the dictates of their teachers. But still these are the exceptions; and the deep, decided disapprobation of such sentiments as those last adverted to, expressed by the public, shows clearly that the public mind is embued with a love of liberty, and that men cannot, as formerly, be hoodwinked and led blindfold at pleasure. No, the inquiry now is, not what a certain class of men believe and teach, but what is truth? And nothing is regarded as too sacred to be made the subject of inquiry. A sentiment may have generally obtained from time immemorial; but its antiquity does not screen it from investigation. The inquiry, Is it true? is considered to be as applicable to it as to any other point. A doctrine may be very generally, nay, almost universally held; but its extensive prevalence cannot prevent investigation. Any man who doubts it, claims the right to express his doubts; and the public awards that right: "Let the man be heard," is the prevailing cry. A system may be upheld by the support of a great many intelligent, and wealthy, and influential men; but neither the talent, the wealth, nor the authority of its supporters can protect it from the most rigid scrutiny, in the present day. Men have learnt that intelligence is not confined to a class; that rich men are not infallible ; that the influence and authority of those who support any given system, constitute no guarantee for its truth; and they claim the right of inquiry. "But you must not inquire," say some who are interested in upholding things as they are: "The subject is too sacred for inquiry God has pronounced the doctrine true, and all inquiry is thereby precluded." Not so, say the thinkers of the present day. We do not wish to inquire whether what God says be true: but we do claim the right to inquire what it is that God says. We know that a doctrine pronounced as true by Heaven, must be true; but the object of our inquiry is, to determine whether Heaven has pronounced the doctrine in question true. You say that it is so; but that is not enough; we must see, and hear, and judge for ourselves, and then we shall be content. Such is the first characteristic of the spirit of the age. And what are the lessons that Christians should learn from a consideration of this state of things? I answer, we should learn to treat men as reasonable beings; to expect blind submission, and implicit faith, no longer; to expect conviction no further than we furnish evidence, and to expect compliance only in proportion to the weight of the motives we adduce. Men have been treated like children too long; and after they have asserted their claim to be regarded and treated as men in all other matters, they have still submitted to be dealt with as children in matters of religion. But they are now awaking to a consciousness of their rights and capabilities here also ; they are hearkening to the apostolic injunction, "in understanding be men." And if we are to plead the cause of truth and holiness successfully now, we must bear in mind that we are addressing men. Authority might awe the child; reasoning and persuasion must move the man. If you would have him believe your doctrines, you must prove them true; if you would have him to adopt your course, you must show him that that course is best. The Gospel is adapted to the condition and capacities of mankind in the most advanced stage of intellectual cultivation. It invariably ap peals to men as rational, reflecting beings. It asks not their acquiescence in a moment of excitement, when under the impulse of violent emotions. No, it calls them to retirement, to reflection, to deep, serious consideration. It lays before them the evidences of its Divine original, and asks them to weigh those evidences well. It spreads before them the character of God, and solicits their attention to its boundless excellencies. It shows them in all their spirituality and extent, the requirements of Jehovah's law; and appealing to the sense of moral rectitude that God has implanted within them by his Spirit, asks if these requirements are not just? It de scribes the sad results of disobedience to God's law, and referring them to what they see around them, inquires if the description be not correct? It tells the wondrous tale of redeeming love, and asks if the provisions of the redeeming plan are not alike honourable to God and replete with blessings to mankind? It states the conditions of salvation, and leaves it for the consciences of men to determine whether these conditions be not reasonable, just, and gracious? It acquaints them with the relations they sustain to each other, and urges them to the cultivation of brotherly dispositions, and to the performance of kind and brotherly deeds. It opens out before them the prospects of immortality; shows them that the steps they take must exert an influence on their eternal destiny; and urges them to act, not on the foolish maxims of earthly prudence, but with an eye to eternal consequences. By motives and considerations drawn from the divinity of its own origin, the boundless perfections of God, the equity and excellence of his laws, the terrible nature and sad results of sin, the wonders of redeeming mercy, the terms on which men become personally interested in its blessings, the relations they sustain to each other, and to an unending state of existence, the Gospel seeks to induce men to learn its lessons, to embrace its principles, and to act according to its directions. From first to last it treats man like a being capable of thinking, of examining, and of judging for himself. And if we are to promote the spread of Gospel truth, we must do so too. We must make ourselves acquainted with its evidences; we must study its principles; we must trace its influence; we must imbibe its spirit; we must conform our practice to its requirements; and by manifestation of the truth, we must commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. The means by which some professors of religion have sought to maintain and propagate their sentiments, are as much opposed to the spirit of the Gospel, as they are uncongenial to the spirit of the age in which we live. All intimidation and persecution, all craft and earthly policy, are contrary both to the spirit and letter of the Gospel. And they are as unsuitable to the times in which we live, as they are improper and unchristian in themselves; and those institutions and systems which can be sustained by no better means than these, must inevitably perish. Already their days are numbered; and the fabrics which have been reared on such a foundation, already totter to their base. Truth needs no such measures to support it; the Gospel spurns all alliance either with earthly influence or earthly authority. The secular arm,—the aid and countenance of rich worldly men,— splendid magnificent structures,— the attractions of music,-the charms of oratory, these, and a thousand other kinds of earthly influence may be requisite for the support of error and superstition; but the Gospel needs them not. Nay, those who would use such means in support of the Gospel, only obscure its lustre, and impair its efficiency. All that it asks of its advocates is plain truth, and a consistent life: all that it solicits from those to whom it is addressed, is a calm, and serious, and impartial consideration of its claims. More than this it does not need; more than this it will not accept. All attempts to fetter men's minds, and subject them to the influence of low, selfish, worldly considerations, it repudiates and rejects; adopting as its motto, "LET EVERY MAN BE FULLY PERSUADED IN HIS OWN MIND. PROVE ALL THINGS; HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD. FOR THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE ARE NOT CARNAL, BUT MIGHTY THROUGH GOD." My fellow-Christians, let us act on these lofty, noble principles. Let us never stoop to an alliance with earthly influence or power. Let us never depend either on numbers, or wealth, or rank, or eloquence, or any thing but the power of truth, and the power of God. Let us seek a perfect knowledge of Jehovah's will, and let us never rest till we are perfectly conformed to its requirements. Let us seek by earnest believing prayer the promised influence of the were we just now to commence a universal system of infant instruction, and continue the course through all the higher departments formerly specified-in the course of twenty years all the children who are now about two years of age (if continued in life) would have arrived at the age of twenty-two in an enlightened and moralized state, and would form the most numerous and influential portion of the population, and give a tone to all ranks of society. Even the physical aspect of the globe, within the course of another century, might be renovated and adorned with every thing that is beautiful and sublime. The wealth that has been expended in the madness of warfare, even by civilized nations, during a century past, had it been appropriated to philanthropic improvements, would have been sufficient to have cultivated all the desolate waste of our globe, to have made its wildernesses like Eden, and its deserts "like the garden of the Lord,"-in short, to have transformed it into something approaching to a terrestrial paradise. We have it in our power to accomplish all this in the century to come, if we are willing to devote our ener**gies and our treasures to the purposes of philanthropy and general benevolence. To be continued in the next number. An Extract from Dr. Dick on the Moral Improvement of Mankind. "Is it inquired, when we expect the millennium to commence ?" I reply, just when we please. Are we willing that it should commence in the present age? We have the means in our power if we choose to apply them. In the course of forty years from this date the millennium might not only be commenced, but in a rapid progress towards the summit of its glory,-provided we were willing at this moment to concentrate all our moral and intellectual energies, and to devote all our superfluous wealth, **** to the furtherance of this object. Nay, in the course of half that period, we should have a generation rising up in knowledge and holiness, far superior to any race which has appeared in the world during the ages that are past. For But is it of any avail to address this subject? the majority of our fellow-men on No we might as soon speak to the tides and currents of the ocean, and expect them to stop at our command, as to expect that the current of licentiousness, folly, ambition, and avarice, in which three-fourths of mankind are carried headlong, will stop its course, and diverge into the channel of religion, philanthropy and beneficence. I trust there is still a select band of Christian Philanthropists who only require to be convinced of the necessity of extraordinary exertion, and to receive an additional stimulus, in order to excite them to a God-like liberality. But What sacrifice would it be to a man who has £500 a year to devote annually £100 to the purposes of religious and intellectual improvement? to another who has £1000 a-year to devote £300, and to another who has £10,000 to allot £4000 annually for the same object? |