wholly unapproachable. They are right by necessity, by prescription, by inheritance, because they are right; and you are wrong because you are wrong, or because you dissent from them. It is not intended by Him that rules in heaven, that we should possess either faith, knowledge, or grace by inheritance from our earthly or ecclesiastic progenitors. He intends that every man should dig in the mines of faith and knowledge for his own fortune-that every man should live and be rich by his own efforts. He thus calls forth and employs all our faculties, and affords us the pleasure of profiting by our own exertions. "If," says Solomon, "thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord, [true religion,] and find the knowledge of God," which is eternal life. Bible reading is, therefore, as much an essential part of Heaven's scheme of human sanctification, as the giving of the Bible is essential to the communication of the light which it contains. There is no substitute for it. Sermons, prayers, conversations, catechisms, tracts, and each and every religious exercise superadded, can never compensate the neglect of Bible reading. It has a place, a power, and an influence peculiar to itself. There is a communion with the Father, and with his Son, our Saviour, attainable by means of this sacred reading, which is not vouchsafed to mortals in any other way. But there is a critical reading of the Bible-a polemic reading-a sectarian reading-and a penance reading-which, however frequent and sincere, reach not within the circles of grace and spiritual enjoyAment. The Bible is a sort of world in itself; and as mankind pursue and find many different objects in this wide world of nature and society, so Bible readers of all classes will find in it the respective objects of their pursuit. The politician, the jurisconsult, the orator, the rhetorical florist, the chronologist, the antiquary, the poet, the historian, the philosopher, the man of science, the artist, &c. &c. may all read the Bible with advantage to themselves and their professions; and, indeed, every class will find that in it congenial with its aims and designs in reading. But a devotional and sanctifying reading of that sacred Book, is essentially different from the readings of the theologian, the moralist, the sectary, and the virtuoso of every caste and school. The man of God reads the Book of God to commune with God, "to feel after him and find him," to feel his power and his divinity stirring within him; to have his soul fired, quickened, animated by the spirit of grace and truth. He reads the Bible to enjoy the God of the Bible; that the majesty, purity, excellency, and glory of its Author may overshadow him, inspire him, transform him, and new-create him in the image of God. Such a reader finds what he seeks in the Bible as every other person finds in it what he searches for. The words of Jesus to such a one are spirit and life; they are light and joy; they are truth and peace. Such a one converses with God as one who speaks by signs. His readings are heavenly musings. God speaks: he listens. Occasionally, and almost inconsciously, at intervals he forgets that he reads, he speaks to God, and his reading thus often terminates in a devotional VOL. III.-N. 8. conversation with God. The Lord says, "Seek you my face;" he responds, "Thy face will I seek." Thy Spirit saith, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;" the Christian reader replies, "Open thou my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." The Spirit saith, "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart;" and the devout reader answers, "With my whole heart have I sought thee. O let me not wander from thy commandments." The Bible reading of all enlightened Christians generally terminates in a sacred dialogue between the Author and the reader. There is a peculiarity attendant on this reading which I beg leave to remark with emphasis. The Author of the Bible is always present with his Book. This is not true of any other book in the world. Most authors are dead; and we sometimes regret that we cannot speak to them. But this Author for ever lives, and is for ever present; and, therefore, while we read his written word it is as natural as life sometimes to speak to him on certain subjects as they occur. "Truly, then, our communion is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Christians, do you read the Bible in your families every day? Do you read it in your closet every day? And do you read it not to quiet your conscience as a work of penance; but do you read it as a pleasure anxiously to be sought after? If you do, I need not tell you what utility, pleasure, and happiness is in the blessed employment. But if you do not, you may rest assured there is something greatly wrong, which, if it is not abandoned, subdued, or vanquished soon, will cause you sorrows, if not agonies, when you will be less able to conflict with them than at present. Resolve this moment, I pray you, that you will begin to-day to read the Bible, to enjoy God and Christ and the hope of immortality. "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee, bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thine heart; so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Then will you say with Solomon, "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding: for the merchandize of it is better than the merchandize of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared with her. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor: her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." "Begin to-day: 'tis madness to defer." The religious world-I mean the great majority of all professors, are Bible neglectors. Their ignorance, prejudice, and error show it. I beseech you, daily, habitually, constantly, prayerfully read the Bible in its proper connexions, and you will grow in grace as you grow in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Lord will bless you, as he has said, in this deed. Read James i. 22-25., and may you prove it true! Erwinton, Barnwell District, S. C. A. C. OLD SCHOOL THEOLOGY; OTHERWISE CALLED ANTINOMIANISM. OUR old friend, Mr. Mark Bennett, in a late number of his Primitive, has thought proper to overhaul our theology, and in the same connexion has proceeded to edify his readers with a few lucubrations of his own. We should have preferred to see Mr. B. answer the questions already propounded before proceeding to other business; but as he has seen fit to do otherwise, and as we are disposed to gratify his propensity to the utmost, we shall hereby call his attention to a few more inquiries. We wish him to understand, however, that we have no idea of absolving him from his obligation to meet the questions already proposed. In the article before us, Mr. B. informs his readers, that the gospel is exclusively "a system of promises and gifts"-that, in the gospel, "the sinner can live only by believing"-that "the gospel has nothing to demand, but all to give"-that "faith and repentance are purely gospel gifts," that they are not commanding nor binding as duty upon sinners," and that there is neither guilt nor condemnation connected with their omission-that sinners can neither repent nor believe the gospel-and that "wherever there is the appearance of a command to believe or repent, it is but direction or instruction given"!! For the edification of his readers we hereby request the aforesaid editor to answer the following queries: 1. Has Christ a kingdom on earth? If he has, does he govern by laws, like other sovereigns; or only by "a system of promises and gifts"? If he govern by laws, where are they to be found-in the New Testament or somewhere else? 2. Are baptism and the Lord's supper enjoined in the gospel as duties, or are they only gospel "promises and gifts," which men are at liberty either to observe or to let alone, as may happen to suit their convenience? 3. On the subject of doing we read the following:-"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matth. vi. 21. "And every one who heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand." Matth. vii. 26. "Faith without works is dead." James ii. 20. "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. i. 8. An exposition of these passages is requested. 4. On the subject of gospel commands we find the following:"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent." Acts xvii. 30. Are we to understand from this, that sinners are commanded to repent; or are we to understand that they are only advised or instructed to do so? 5. On the subject of gospel condemnation we read the following:"He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already; because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil," John iii. 18, 19. Are we to understand from this, that sinners are under obligation to believe in Christ, and that both guilt and condemnation are contracted by their refusing to do so; or are we to understand that faith is a gift, which may be either accepted, or set aside with impunity? 6. On the subject of ability we give the following:-"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark xv. 16. Agreeably to this statement faith is clearly indispensable to salvation. Is it to be understood, then, that Christ has made the sinner's salvation depend on his doing that which he has no power to do on a mere contingency, over which he can have no more control than he had over the time or manner of his own birth? If so, can we be shown the equity of such proceeding? 7. If the sinner has power neither to repent nor believe the gospel, will Mr. B. please inform us why he preaches to sinners at all?—and in what they differ, so far as moral and religious obligation is concerned, from so many pine trees? 8. Finally, if the sinner has not power even to accept the "promises and gifts" of the gospel, can we be told what those promises and gifts are worth-or what can be the worth of that gospel which makes them known to the world? Early and direct answers to the foregoing questions will no doubt be very acceptable to the readers of the Primitive. So soon as these points shall be settled, we shall probably be able to furnish our friend with a few more. REMARKS ON THE ABOVE. THE preceding, from the "Biblical Recorder and Southern Watchman," conducted by our courteous friend Meredith, of metaphysical regeneration memory, is what we reformers would call a good common sense, rational, and "biblicai" article-fully as heterodox as any thing we would wish to hear or read on the subject. We congratulate our friend on his redemption from the tyranny of super-oxygenated Calvinism, and are glad to find in him so able an advocate of the New Translation cause. He, certainly, has fully routed all the Baptist opponents of a new version of the sacred writings for home, as well as foreign distribution, amongst whom our quondam friend Dr. W. T. Brantly was chief, and is now successfully fighting the battle amongst his brethren of the South, which we had on our hands some dozen years ago. In his essays on these subjects will be found much good sense, much hard argument, and some improvement of manners. I think our friend Lynd ought to catechise his brother Meredith on his Old School Theology; for surely he is as heterodox as I am on this subject: for if, as the seventh question affirms, "the sinner has power to repent and believe the gospel," all Mr. Lynd's necessity of regeneration before faith, or assistance to believe, is as gratuitous and imaginative as assistance to see, or regeneration in order to vision, in the case of a person who has natural eyes and a natural sun. I am pleased to find that the Baptists in the South are being enlightened by our friend Meredith on various subjects, on account of introducing and discussing which, we have been so unjustly and unkindly treated by them of the North. It will soon be the popular doctrine of the South, that a new heart is the EFFECT, and not the CAUSE, of faith. This will be a full settlement of the controversy which we have introduced on the subject of the Spirit's preceding and accompanying power in order to belief. I never wished to push this matter any farther than Mr. Meredith has carried it in these eight interrogatories; and certainly will not debate with any man about his theories of supernatural aid who teaches that "the sinner has power to repent and believe the gospel." SAVANNAH, GA., December 10, 1838. A. C. THE DIRECT, AND IMMEDIATE INTENTION OF THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTION. ESSAY I. THE immediate, proper, and practical intention of the Christian Institution is personal holiness, or a life entirely devoted to God-a life of fervent love to him, of sincere delight in him, of profound reverence for his glorious authority, of gratitude for his ineffable kindness, of admiration and adoration of his infinite excellencies: with a hearty and unlimited determination to do his will on earth as it is done in heaven; that is, with a prompt, unwearied, and delightful constancy. In order to provide for and secure this divine intention, it enjoins the constant and diligent use of the holy scriptures, not only for private personal instruction and comfort, but also for family education, and church edification, as the proper and necessary means divinely appointed for those blissful purposes; that by these the heaven-born Christian might be "perfect, completely fitted for every good work." And as the divine word is the grand comprehensive means of personal sanctification, the diligent and proper use of it becomes indispensably necessary, for all that would enjoy this highly distinguishing and blissful privilege. We say, the diligent and proper use of it; for there is but one right way of doing any thing. Therefore, we may so use the scriptures as to abuse them: and this, we fear, too often happens. However, we do not think it necessary to our present purpose to attempt to describe or enumerate the various ways, in which the sacred oracles have been, or may be misused; but rather to ascertain the only correct and proper use of them; which will, in the mean time, answer every desirable purpose to those who wish to enjoy a life of holiness,the supreme and blissful end for which they were graciously given. Now to make the proper use of any thing, we must use it for the very |