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sponsibility will, in our humble opinion, rest on Christendom, for not preventing this horrible waste of human life, and insufferable outrage of all the claims of humanity itself. We perceive that much is still said about the interference of the European powers; but we see no evidence that any thing is likely to be soon attempted. Russia, it is stated, has succeeded in settling her dispute with the Ottoman Porte, in regard to the provinces of Wallachia and Dalmatia, without doing a single thing, so far as yet appears, in favour of Greece-of that Greece from whose ecclesiastical system her own has avowedly been derived. The religious zeal of Russia is employed, only in suppressing Bible societies and Protestant missions.

ASIA.

Notwithstanding what we have stated under the article Britain, in our present View, it seems to be rendered probable by the report of a Captain Endicot, arrived at Salem, N. E, that the war between the British and Burmese has been renewed. The report of Capt. E. is, that several British East India vessels had arrived at St. Helena, which left Calcutta a month after the articles of peace to which we have referred had been there announced. The captains and officers of these vessels stated to Capt. E., that after the signature of the articles of peace, a British detachment that had not been informed that peace was concluded, attacked and routed a division of the Burmese troops. Enraged at this, and supposing the British had proved treacherous, the Burmese attacked and defeated the British troops, nearly annihilating three whole regiments, We still are without information of the missionaries.

AFRICA.

We learn by the last arrival from Britain, that information had been received by a vessel recently returned from Sierra Leone, that the several British stations on the coast of Africa were more healthy than usual.-That it had been determined to break up two establishments, at one of which the English and Dutch blacks had commenced war with each other.-That Com. Bullen, with four or five vessels of war of a small size, was cruising on the coast, to suppress the slave trade. That information had been received of the death of Capt. Pearce and Dr. Morrison, the companions of Capt. Clapperton, in exploring the interior of Africa.-That the latter intrepid adventurer was living, and making his way toward Timbucto.-That Major Laing was also approaching the western coast from Tripoli-And that a survey was nearly completed of the whole coast of Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to Sierra Leone, as well as of the adjacent islands. We are also not sorry to learn, that the Pacha of Egypt is so embarrassed in his finances, that he is not able to carry on his military operations agreeably to his wishes. We hope this will turn to the advantage of the brave and unfortunate Greeks.

AMERICA.

COLOMBIA. The revolution, or insurrection, or rebellion-we know not which is the proper term-that we noticed the last month, as having taken place at Colombia, is not yet settled. General Paez affirms, that "by the free voice of the people, the supreme command of the civil and military administration has been conferred on him that the people were oppressed by a bad administration, and sighed for a remedy." This is the amount of his reasoning, in vindication of his opposing and attempting to put down by a military force, all the existing constituted authorities of Colombia. He appears to be popular at Caraccas, and to find, in that quarter, little or no opposition. But in the Province of Cumana, where General Bermudez commands, he is explicitly accused of treason, and his authority is set at defiance. Both parties have appealed to Bolivar, who, we are glad to hear, is hastening towards them, and we hope will be able to settle this most inauspicious controversy, which has arisen in his absence.

We have heard nothing new, either of the Congress of Panama, or of the war carrying on between Buenos Ayres and the emperor of Brazil.

UNITED STATES.-Legislation in our country, except in time of war, is commonly suspended during the summer months.-It is so at present, and nothing of interest in relation to our political concerns invites our attention at this time.

The drought which we mentioned in our last number as prevailing throughout our country, has been terminated by abundant and successive falls of rain. Not only is the ground now saturated with water, but the streams have been replenished, and are indeed, in many instances, raised to a height very unusual at this season of the year. In the removal of the general calamity, many local and partial losses have been sustained. By the creation of torrents, the overflowing of rivers, and the occurrence of hail storms, a considerable destruction of property has been occasioned, in several sections of our country. In some places too, the continuance of rainy weather has been unfavourable to the harvest of the winter grain. On the whole, however, our land

has received a rich mercy, which demands our notice and our gratitude. The danger of scarcity is apparently removed, and the promise of abundant fall crops is said to be flattering. In the mean time, health generally prevails, and the population of our favoured nation enjoy, or rather might enjoy, all the blessings of civil and religious liberty, in undisturbed peace and quietness. What we have most to regret, is the want of a due sense of our obligation to the great Bestower of all our blessings. Instead of manifesting our gratitude to God, by acts of cordial thanksgiving and praise, and especially by obedience to his laws, and a reverend regard to his institutions, profaneness lamentably abounds, and immoralities of various kinds are not merely tolerated, but seem to be countenanced and promoted by popular sentiment. This appears to be the case especially with reference to the day of sacred rest. The profanation of the Sabbath in our land, is an evil over which the friends of religion are constantly called to mourn, and which, unless reformation prevent, they justly fear will be followed by the marked displeasure of Heaven, in national calamities. This fear is the greater, because our government itself is not without guilt in this matter, having, it is believed, given occasion and countenance to the general licentious ness which prevails. By authorizing the travelling of the mail and the opening of the Post offices on the Sabbath, an evil example is continually presented to the publick view; and the laws of the particular States which prohibited publick travelling and all secular labour on the Lord's day, are in this instance set aside; and thus the way is opened to set these laws laws aside in almost every other instance. In the cities of Philadelphia and New York, the proprietors of steam boats advertise, with unblushing effrontery, for excursions for Sunday, with as much freedom as for any other day of the week. We have intentionally used strong language in stating this fact; because every such advertisement as we have here adverted to, goes to a direct violation of the law of the land-is a publick declaration of an intention to violate the law, and an invitation to others to do the same. Such acts deserve to be denominated effrontery, and we know not how our magistracy can with a good conscience forbear to punish them. In the city where we write, the Sabbath preceding the day of our national jubilee was profaned by the marching of two military detach ments through the streets with martial musick, and by their embarking for the fort in the river, that they might there be ready to perform certain services on the following Tuesday. Could there be even the pretence of necessity for this? There was ample time for reaching the fort, if the troops had left the city on Monday morning, instead of Sabbath morning. We remember that when Britain was threatened with invasion by the French, a few years since, a Sunday drilling of the militia was authorized by the government; and there the religious community raised their voice loudly against the measure, and if we mistake not, their voice was at length so heard as to be regarded. We do, for ourselves, most solemnly and earnestly protest against this desecration of the Sabbath by military parade, in a time of profound peace; and above all by those who are militia, and not regular troops.

Notwithstanding what we have said above, we have the pleasure-and to us it is a very sensible pleasure-to state that in various parts of our country, and in the city of Philadelphia among the rest, there was a religious celebration of the 4th of July, fol lowed by a contribution to aid the funds of the African Colonization Society. We rejoice to observe that this mode of celebrating the birth day of our nation is be coming more and more extensive; and we earnestly recommend that the friends of religion use their best endeavours to render it universal. In what manner can the morning of this day be so properly employed, as in devout thanksgiving to God for the civil and religious liberty, which by his special blessing on the efforts of those who declared the independence of our country, that country now enjoys in a pre-emi nent degree; and this thanksgiving, accompanied with earnest prayer for the conti nuance of the blessing to ourselves, and for its extension to our brethren of mankind universally-and that with our praises and prayers, our alms also, be presented as a thank offering to the Most High-alms to be applied in cleansing our land from that deep moral stain which the slavery of the unhappy Africans has impressed upon We object not to the spending of the remainder of the day, after the religious services of the morning, in any of those temperate and decorous festivities which are not inconsistent with Christian duty; and which may be favourable to the promotion of the love of liberty, and the cherishing of publick spirit. Christianity is a social religion, and genuine piety is the best friend of cheerfulness, while it is decisively hostile to all revelling and intemperate mirth. When shall the time arrive that the gospel sys tem, or true godliness, shall be so estimated-its spirit so felt, and its practice so exemplified-as that mankind at large shall be convinced, that "it is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come!"

THE

CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.

AUGUST, 1826.

Keligious Communications.

LECTURES ON THE SHORTER CATE

acts as prophet, priest and king of

CHISM OF THE WESTMINSTER AS- his church." There is one me

SEMBLY OF DIVINES-ADDRESSED TO YOUTH.

LECTURE XXIII.

Your attention will be occupied in this lecture, by two answers of our catechism-The first is"Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the office of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation."

This answer is chiefly to be regarded as introductory and preparatory to the three which immediately follow it, in which the offices of Christ are distinctly and particularly explained. There are, however, some things, of a general nature, which may, with more propriety and advantage, be considered here than elsewhere.

You will observe then, in the first place, that it is in his mediatorial character, that our Lord Jesus Christ is to be considered as exercising all the offices which have been specified. The mediatory office of Christ may be considered as a general one, which he always and invariably sustains, and of which the others are only several, or particular and constituent parts; that is, the office of mediator is never laid aside or suspended, but is always exercised by our Redeemer, when he VOL. IV. Ch. Adv.

diator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus."

Observe in the next place, that there is a clear foundation for these several offices of the great Mediator, both in the scriptures and in the reason and nature of things. This has sometimes been denied, and even treated with contempt; as if to speak of Christ as the prophet, priest, and king of the church, was no better than theological jargon. Nothing, however, can be farther from the truth than this. Christ was expressly predicted to the ancient Israelites under each of these characters; and he actually sustains them in the work of our salvation. Moses foretold the coming of our Lord, under the character of a prophet, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me: unto him shall ye hearken." Accordingly our Saviour was recognised as being he of whom Moses spake. When the people had seen one of his miracles, they said "This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world:" and Peter, in the Acts, expressly applies the prediction of Moses to Christ.

Our Lord is also distinctly predicted as a priest, in the 110th

2 U

Psalm." The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchisedeck." This prediction is quoted and applied to Christ by the author of the epistle to the Hebrews; and a considerable part of that epistle is employed, for the very purpose of showing in what a superior manner our Lord sustained and performed the office of a priest. Again. In the 2d psalm, which is a continued prediction of the Messiah and his acts, Christ is represented as the anointed and reigning king of Zion-"I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." Under this character the Messiah was, and indeed still is, looked for by the Jews-sadly mistaking, as they did and do, the nature of his kingdom, in supposing he was to be a temporal, and not a spiritual prince. Hence it was, that on one occasion they were about "to take him by force, and to make him a king.'

99

You will be careful to notice that these offices of Christ, as mediator, relate to the state, character, and situation of mankind, as sinners--"The nature of our salvation required that it should be revealed by him as a prophet; purchased by him as a priest; and applied by him as a king. His prophetical office, therefore, respects our ignorance; his priestly office our guilt; and his kingly of fice our pollution, defilement, and thraldom in sin: Accordingly, as a prophet he is made of God unto us wisdom; as a priest righteousness; as a king sanctification and complete redemption.”*

So also, in regard to the promises of God made to his people" They are revealed by Christ as a prophet; confirmed by his blood as a priest; and effectually applied and fulfilled, by his power, as a king."t

And here it may be proper just to mention, that all these offices did

Fisher's Cat, altered. + Idem.

never centre in any one person but in Christ alone. In order, as it would appear, to shew the unequalled dignity of our blessed and glorious Redeemer, none of those who were typical of him, under the Old Testament, were ever clothed with them all. Melchisedeck was a king and a priest; Moses was a ruler and a prophet; Jeremiah was a priest and a prophet; David was a king and a prophet; but Christ alone was prophet, priest and king.

It is only necessary farther to remark on the answer before us, that Christ did and does execute these several offices, both in his estate of humiliation on earth, and in his state of exaltation in heaven. Having done on earth whatever these offices here required, he hath gone to heaven, there to sustain them in the kingdom and temple of God above. The manner in which this is done, is explained in the three following answers to the first of which we now proceed.

"Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation."

The office of a prophet is, to reveal and teach the counsel and will of God. Of the nature of prophecy in general, it would lead me too far from the subject immediately before us, to speak particularly. Yet it is an important subject in itself, and does not occur again in the very compendious system of theology given in the catechism. In Buck's Theological Dictionary, a work to which you may easily have access, under the word prophecy, you will find an extremely well written article, which I would recommend to your careful perusal. In the mean time, some leading ideas on the subject, will naturally mingle themselves in the discussion before us.

My children, we owe it entirely to our Lord Jesus Christ, in his prophetic character, that we have a Bible. "He executes the office of a

prophet, (says the catechism) by revealing to us the will of God for our salvation"-in the first place, "by his word." The Holy Spirit, the third person in the adorable Trinity, is the immediate agent in making prophetic communications inwardly to the minds of men. Hence says the apostle Peter"The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."-But the blessed Spirit, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, is considered, in this work, as the Spirit of Christ. This is expressly taught, or affirmed, by the very apostle just quoted-Attend carefully to the following passage. "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace which should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." Here we see that it was the Spirit of Christ, which was in those holy men of God; who, in old time, spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

You must observe that there have been three dispensations of the covenant of grace, Patriarchal, Mosaick, and Christian. Revelations were made to prophets and holy men, from the very time of the first apostacy. We are not told of the precise manner in which a communication was made of the threatening and doom pronounced on the tempter, nor of the gracious intimation given to our first parents immediately after the fall, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head: Yet we are explicitly informed of the fact, that these communications were made; and we have reason to believe, that the faith of our first parents in the intimation of a Messiah to come, was effectual to their salva

tion. We are expressly informed, in the New Testament, that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, was a prophet; and a part of his prophecy, or the subject of it, is given us. Divine communications, after this, were made to Noah, to Melchisedeck, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Joseph, and it is probable to several others, till the time of Moses.

Moses was the most eminent prophet of the dispensation to which he has given name. He wrote the first five books of the Bible, which from their number are denominated the Pentateuch. He has given us the history of the creation, of the fall of man, of the antediluvian world, and of the church up to his own time. It is of no consequence to know, if it were possible to knowwhich it is not-how much of this early history Moses might be able to give from authentick tradition; which, before the use of letters and during the long lives of the antediluvians, was doubtless much more accurate than with us at present. That much of these things was then known by tradition to others, as well as to Moses, there is no reason to question. But we are sure that the history of the creation itself could not be known to any mortal, but by a revelation from God: And if revealed, as it no doubt was, to Adam, Moses, who wrote under the guidance of inspiration, was preserved from all error, in the account he gave, both of this and of subsequent events. In whatever manner his information was acquired, whether by tradition or revelation, or both, the portion that has come down to us was just as much as God saw meet to be put on record. The whole, I repeat, was at least verified by an unerring revelation to Moses; so that all errors of tradition, if errors there were, were corrected, and an account, free from all inaccuracy, was thus secured, for the use of the church to the end of time.

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