Scriptural phraseology, too, a sword is spoken of as an emblem and instrument, sometimes of division,* sometimes of civil justice; and that is said to be intended, which, in fact, is nothing more than the unavoidable consequence of a particular event or measure. If these remarks fail to satisfy us, we shall nevertheless -admit that the best expositor of the words of Christ is Christ himself. Look, then, at Luke xii. 51, and all doubt will be removed, "Suppose ye that I am come to g ve peace on earth? I tell you nay, but rather division." He returns here to a subject, which he had touched upon before, in this very chapter (Matt. x. 21), and he now enlarges on the fact, and points out its proper application. Not only so; as if to obviate the possibility and suspicion of ambiguous language, he explains himself by saying, "for I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, a d the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's foest shall be those of his own household." Thus he predicted that the unbelieving members of a family would be the bitterest enemies of those under the same roof, who worshipped the one living God in the name of His Son Jesus. Mr. Bryant approached to a just interpretation of this verse, which he explains,§ of the impending Jewish war, and the ruin of Jerusalem-of the evils that would necessarily be brought upon his countrymen, for their rejection of the Messiah. That the words do not relate to the earth in general, or to any distant time, but to the land, and to the age in which Jesus lived, I infer from the context.

K.

Authentic Report of the Public Discussion between Joseph Barker and William Cooke at Newcastle-uponTyne, on August 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 26th, 27th, 28th, and September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, on the Question 66 What is a Christian?" &c. &c. Sold by Mr. Mardon; 1845 (pp. 620).

London:

Different men have different missions in this world of ours, varying according to the aptitudes of their minds, and the opportunities afforded by their post in life. Every man has somecapabilities, and, of consequence, correspondent obligations. None liveth to himself; and to all is addressed the injunction, "Occupy till I come. All are to strive to be useful in their generation -all should endeavour to give a reason in their life for being here-all should seek to make the world the wiser, the better, or the happier by having lived in it. But this may be

* 2 Sam. xii. 10; 1 Kings iii. 24; Luke ii. 35.

† Job xix. 29; Acts xii. 2; Rom. viii. 35, xiii. 4.

Micah vii.6.

S Treatise upon the Authenticity of the Scriptures, &c., ed. 2 pp, 218, &c.

Luke xviii. 8.

done in various ways. There is a diversity of gifts, but one Spirit. One may devote himself, with a feeling of religious responsibility that shall hallow his pursuit, to art, and science; another, to general knowledge and literature. This man may have it in charge to advance the cause of Education; that to promote moral and philanthropic Reforms. To some it may belong to pass their time in secluded study, working out, in their meditations, thoughts that shall stir men's souls, and move them to battle bravely with the wrong and uphold the right; whilst others may be called to go forth into the world, and speak in a thrilling tone to the masses, of their rights, their duties, and their responsibilities. It is the mission of one-and a lofty mission it is-to labour in the retirement of home to call forth in her children's minds the love of all that is true, and pure, and of good report; it is that of another to go abroad and urge the claims of a purer Theology, a more practical Religion, a more earnest Piety.

This latter appears to us to be eminently the mission of Joseph Barker, and right well and faithfully is he fulfilling it. He is a true Religious Reformer. He not only pulls down, but he builds up. His influences are creative as well as destructive. He demolishes Error, the more effectually to establish Truth, and, like the Apostles of old, if he calls men from their "vanities," it is only that he may lead them to the "living God." This is the genuine spirit of Reform, a spirit which needs but to be more widely diffused to purify the church and bless the world.

And surely a nobler work than this of Religious Reform cannot be engaged in. All truth is important; but Religious Truth is of supreme value. Whoever believes that Jesus came into the world to bear witness to the truth, must also believe that that which was introduced by means of so many miracles, and at the expense of so much suffering, is of infinite moment. All honour then to those the real benefactors of society-who seek to rescue the teachings of Jesus from the admixtures of human error with which they have been blended, and to disseminate the pure Gospel, that by the Truth men may be made free and sanctified.

Of the various successful labours of Joseph Barker in this field we need not here enter into detail: they must be too well known to most of our readers to require this. We will simply state that a few years since he was a very popular and influential minister amongst the New Connexion Methodists; but having a mind too bold and free to submit to the trammels of conference, he was, in 1841, expelled from that body. This proceeding, contrary to the design of its promoters, neither checked his zeal nor impaired his influence, but added materially to both. Many thousands left the New Connexion after him, and formed themselves into independent churches, adopting generally his principles as this bond of union and ground of action.

At the time that he left the Methodists Mr. Barker had given up the doctrines of the Trinity, and Vicarious Satisfaction, and he has since relinquished other kindred doctrines of Orthodoxy. The extraordinary vigour and success with which he has disseminated

his altered opinions, from the pulpit and through the press, in the lecture-room and at open-air meetings, has, as might have been expected, called forth against him opponents not a few from amongst his old associates. Of these Mr. William Cooke, an active New Connexion Minister, has not been the least zealous. He published several tracts on the subject, and the Discussion, the Report of which has occasioned this notice, was the result.

We are not much inclined to view with favour viva voce controversies on subjects so grave and important, and involving so many serious points, which ought not to be decided upon without much thought and careful deliberation, as the various controverted doctrines of Christianity. In such discussions, party spirit, we are apt to think, generally predominates over calm judgment, amongst the auditors; whilst the principals are strongly tempted, each to seek a personal triumph over his opponent, rather than the establishment of Truth. We are glad, however, that the present Discussion has taken place, not that these dangers have been entirely escaped, for there are abundant evidences in the Report, of great warmth of party feeling among a portion, at least, of the audience; and the greatest stretch of charity cannot acquit Mr. Cooke of a most unbecoming desire to excite prejudice against his opponent personally, rather than fairly to meet his arguments. His frequent allusions to Mr. Barker's former opinions; his habit of classing him with Lloyd Jones, an unbeliever whom Mr. Barker had on a former occasion successfully met in controversy; his appeals to the passions of his audience; the extraordinary way in which he availed himself of the " Terms," to prevent his opponent completing his observations on the miraculous conception; and then the bombastic childishness with which, after resorting to this despicable artifice to stop his opponent's mouth, he "waved the banner of triumph," and, "in the name of the Christian Public claimed the victory!" are sad exemplifications of the dangers incident to platform controversies.

Yet, we repeat, we rejoice that this Discussion has taken place. We believe it will greatly subserve the cause of Truth; and to any one in doubt as to the various topics it embraced-to any one whose mind may vibrate between the arguments of the upholders of the Trinity and its cognate doctrines, and those of their rejectors-the Report of this Discussion will be most valuable. We trust it will have a large circulation. Agreeing as we do substantially with the views of Mr. Barker, on the Trinity, the Supremacy of the Father, Human Depravity, the objects of Christ's mission and death, &c. &c., we are most desirous that his admirable defence of these views, should go forth side by side with the speeches of Mr Cooke, in support of the contrary opinions. We are quite willing that the careful reader should look on this picture and on that, and decide accordingly.

We speak thus after a careful perusal of the Report. The more we read the more were we interested by the unaffected style, the profound thought, and the calm, clear reasoning of Mr. Barker; and the more did we admire the readiness and power,

with which, notwithstanding the unfair disadvantage of having to speak last every evening, he at once met his opponent's arguments, and exposed his sophisms. Not a point escapes him; but, throwing aside all the personal matter in which his opponent so much indulged, he in every address comes at once to the principles in dispute-takes up his opponent's reasonings one by one, omitting none, however trivial- fairly meets and answers them, and then proceeds to enunciate and defend affirmatively his own views. More than once have we felt, in reading this Report, that if every man were a Joseph Barker, in candour and aptness for debate, we should certainly get over the doubts we have expressed as to the expediency of these discussions.

We will not attempt an analysis of the controversy. Besides our want of space for such a work, we trust it is altogether unnecessary; as the price of the Report being so low, we should hope it will be in the hands of all our readers. But we would especially point attention to Mr. Barker's clear and satisfactory explanations of the various passages relative to our Lord's death, which are so often misunderstood and misapplied. He shows them to have a beautiful significance, alike in accordance with God's glory and man's eternal interests, teaching and illustrating the glorious truth, that Jesus came into the world to deliver men from sin, and reconcile them to each other and to God-to break down the partition wall between Jews and Gentiles-and to assemble all, as obedient sons, and a united brotherhood, around the altar of one common Father, and one common God.

True to his mission, too, Mr. Barker takes every opportunity of setting forth the great practical principles of the Gospel, and some of the most interesting parts of his speeches are those passages in which he dwells, with a sweet and winning simplicity, on the important duties which form the sum and substance of true religion. His application of Scripture phraseology is here most apt and striking. In the course of his speech on the seventh night of Debate, he says:

I come, now, to ask what is the sum of practical religion? For I should not feel easy, if, after seven nights' debate, it should be found that we had not called attention to our own practice, our own business, and our own great interests.-What, then, the sum of true religion? I answer, it is to love God with all our hearts, and always to try to please him; it is to love our neighbours as ourselves, and to labour to do them good-to do good unto all as we have opportunity. This is the simple religion of Christ. This was the religion which Jesus Christ himself practised. And it was by the practice of this religion that he obtained his Father's special approbation. It was by fidelity in the practice of this religion, as the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews de clares, that he obtained such distinguished honours; it was because he loved righteousness, or beneficence, and hated iniquity, that God chose him to be the Messiah, anointed him, took him out from among his fellows, and made him the honoured instrument of instructing, regenerating, and saving the world. That was Christ's religion. He loved his Father, and always did the thing that pleased him. It was his meat and drink to do his Father's will. He loved mankind, and he went about doing them good. He did not go up and down preaching against

and denouncing those who happened not to hold correct opinionsbringing down fire from heaven on those who could not exactly see so far as himself, and sending poor Samaritans to hell because they took only the five books of Moses, while the Jews took the prophets as well. No; he went about teaching people the true Gospel, not orthodoxy. He exhibited the charity of the Gospel in his own example. Doing good was the business of his life. He did good to all, always varying his benefits as their several circumstances required. To some he gave food, to some health, to some instruction; and he regarded all with goodwill, he treated all with kindness. He was especially wishful to impart instruction; and he laboured most zealously and constantly to save men's souls. And he had no respect of persons. The Samaritan was as dear to him as the Jew, if he possessed a kind heart and a pious. disposition. And he more than once took occasion to set forth Samaritans, who had distinguished themselves in a striking manner for their piety or charity, as examples to the Jews. He repeatedly held forth Samaritans as giving them an example which they ought to imitate. He went about doing good, not only to people's bodies, but to people's minds. And his efforts were unwearied. He exercised the utmost patience and forbearance towards his disciples; and he never delighted in denouncing judgments. When he did choose to thunder, his thunders were directed, not against the poor, common people, that could not give up their minds to be governed by men's traditions, but against the Rabbis, who occupied the chief seats in the chapels, and doomed men to damnation, because they would not adopt their traditions. Such was the religion of Christ. And if we are religious after Christ's fashion, we may depend upon it we shall be religious indeed, and religious to good purpose.

Again, in the same speech, after having quoted largely from the Gospels, to show the practical character of their requirements, he says:

This has always been true religion. To love our fellow-men, to do men good, to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God, was the religion enjoined on the patriarchs, and on the ancient Jews. To inculcate this religion has been the object of all God's dispensations from the beginning of the world to the present time.

Debates are of no use, but as they tend to promote this kind of religion.

This debate will be so far useful, as it tends to let folks see that there is no end to men's wranglings about orthodox mysteries, and the inventions of men; that the whole of true religion and man's welfare are summed up in love to God and in love to mankind; that to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, as God's Son, and to place ourselves in hearty submission to Christ's instruction and authority, that we may learn and do God's will, is everything. And unless this debate answer these purposes, it is time and labour lost. I have done my best to make it answer them. I trust you will all ponder what you now hear-that you will compare it with the Scriptures-and then judge whether the whole end of the Bible is not, as we have said, to make people good in their hearts, and good, and holy, and God-like in their lives, and I shall be satisfied. Let men attend to this, and make it their whole object to be good and do good, and they will be saved indeed. Let us attend to this, and we shall continually grow wiser, and better, more free, and more God-like; and we shall grow more useful, and more happy too. This simple religion is man's all; it is man's glory,-it is man's perfection, it is man's safety,-it is man's happiness, it is man's heaven.