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ment and bustle of the religious efforts of the day, though still far below the gospel standard, Christians are in great danger of overlooking the source and spring of all acceptable action. Many seem to know more of almost every thing else, than they do of themselves. We exceedingly want a department, enriched with such matter as Evans on the Christian Temper, Owen on In-dwelling Sin, Flavel on keeping the Heart, and Baxter's Saint's Everlasting Rest. I can hardly think of any thing which would so much enhance the value of your journal.

It is, you will permit me to add, my dear Sir, unspeakably important, in this blest age of religious revivals, that the nature and evidences of regeneration should be pointed out with great clearness, and frequency too, especially as the work of the Lord is often extremely rapid in its progress, and there is always so much danger of self-deception in young and ardent minds. I need not say, that this department of your work, including every thing else, which properly belongs to the infinitely momentous subject of revivals, will require much experience, uncommon judgement and discrimination, a deep knowledge of the human heart, and an intimate acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures. May God in great mercy to the church, constrain those of his servants, whom he has qualified to counsel and guide in these critical circumstances, to give us the benefit of their wisdom and experience!

One thought more, and I will bring this letter to a close. When any thing appears in a religious periodical, which is not exactly adapted to the state of things in a particular section of the church where it circulates, some readers are apt to find fault with its management, as if what they do not need, must, of course, be put down to the score of lost labour and expense. I hope you may never be embarrassed by this complaint from any quarter. It is based upon extremely limited views of the wants of a great religious community. As your work is to circulate in various and widely distant parts of the country, and will have to encounter open infidelity in one region, unitarianism in another, romanism in a third, and some other errour in a fourth, it ought, as far as practicable, to consult the wishes and interests of all its patrons. And to this end, it must of necessity have its local, as well as general bearings upon the cause of truth and righteousness.

I conclude, with offering my fervent supplications to the Father of lights, that he will richly endue you, and the dear brethren, your more immediate associates and advisers, with all needful wisdom, and knowledge, and grace; that in the faithful discharge of your arduous duties, you may grow in favour with God and man; and that the work of the Lord, which you have undertaken, may greatly prosper in your hands.

With great respect, I subscribe myself sincerely yours,

Amherst College, Dec. 21, 1833.

H. HUMPHREY.

ART. III.-GOD WITHOUT PASSIONS.

By Rev. JOHN WOODBRIDGE, D. D. Pastor of the Bowery Church, New-York.

BRAHMINICAL philosophers, Epicureans, and infidels,* who reject the Christian religion, have to a great extent denied to the Deity, under pretence of doing him honour, those moral perfections, by which he is proved to be the patron of virtue, and the enemy and punisher of sin. The assumptions of such daring speculators are contradicted by both reason and scripture. The reality of principles, equivalent to moral feelings, in God, (though, of course, infinitely distant from every thing which imports fickleness or imperfection,) is manifest from the fact of his performing any operations, and especially from the nature of those acts, which are achieved by his agency. We cannot conceive of him as purposing to act without some motive, nor of a motive or inward spring of action, which has no moral character; that is, which is neither selfish nor benevolent,-adapted to gratify neither a holy disposition, nor a mixed one, nor a temper of absolute malignity. What better than blind fatalism can that Power be, which exerts its energies without any rational inducement, or desirable end to be accomplished by its exertions? The nature of the effects which God has produced;-the implantation of conscience in the human bosom; the connexion he has established between certain moral actions and appropriate physical consequences; and the obvious tendency of his general system

Bolingbroke, for example, blames divines for distinguishing between the natural and moral attributes of God.

to promote the happiness of his creatures, demonstrate his goodness.

With these deductions of an enlightened philosophy, agree the repeated declarations, and indeed, the uniform tenour of the Scriptures; which, in all their laws, and in the terms of mercy they propound, exhibit God as the righteous legislator and judge of the world. This character of his is often inculcated in forms of expression derived, not from the immutable nature of the moral dispositions themselves, but from those particular modifications of them, which appear in imperfect creatures. Thus he is declared to be grieved, to repent, to be angry, to be jealous, to revenge, and be ferocious; because his procedure, in particular instances, is in the manner intimated, and because, in men, the exercise of virtuous or vicious dispositions, is connected with the manifestation of the emotions and passions, indicated by such phraseology. An attempt to vindicate the use of these terms, found as they are in God's inspired volume, would betray arrogance and folly. They are doubtless selected for the purpose of exhibiting in a popular and impressive manner, God's regard to righteousness, his disapprobation of wickedness, his earnestness in his commands, and his inflexible determination to manifest the feelings of his heart, in conferring rewards and punishments on his creatures, according to their character. They answer the end, for which they are employed; and in a multitude of instances, do awaken attention, solicitude, compunction, fear and hope, in the bosom of sinners. They are better adapted to the nature of the human mind, its tendency to inertness, the dullness of its perceptions in its uncultivated state, its fondness for appeals to the imaginative faculty, its relation to sensible objects, and its affections as modified by its present state of being, than any abstract propositions, however clear and definite, which come not in the warm colouring of figures and excited emotion. For the same reason, the attributing of corporeal organs and senses to God, though entirely metaphorical or analogical, is more impressive than the naked statement of the truths thus represented would be :-to say, "he spake, and it was done," is more striking than to say, he created the world by an act of his power: to affirm, that "the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good," touches every heart with a stronger sentiment of awe, than the more

philosophical affirmation, that omniscience is a perfection of the divine Being: and to allege, that "he opens his hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing," is more beautiful and affecting, than simply to declare, that he is the sustainer and benefactor of his creatures.

Erroneous inferences may, it is true, be deduced by weak minds, from the scriptural use of such language. The fault, however, is in those, who thus misinterpret the word of God. The Anthropomorphites have absurdly inferred from such passages as I have alluded to, that God is material, or has a body; but "they," says Calvin, "are easily refuted. For who, even of the meanest capacity, understands not that God lisps, as it were, with us, just as nurses are accustomed to speak to infants? Wherefore, such forms of expression do not clearly explain the nature of God; but accommodate the knowledge of him to our narrow capacity ?"*

These remarks of Calvin are not inapplicable to the class of texts, which seem to ascribe to the Most High the fitful passions of men. Passages of this description are designed to give us some practical and influential views of what is infinite, by allusions to what is finite; to teach us to adore and fear those attributes of our Creator which, in the abstract, are indescribable, by a comparison of their effects, with those of certain mental operations, of which we are conscious in ourselves. Some, however, have maintained, that the language employed in these instances, ought to be taken according to its literal import; and that the divine mind is as truly liable to the agitations of passion, as are the minds of men. It has been strenuously affirmed, even in the sober language of argument, that God strictly repents, and is made sorry, in view of the evils which exist under his government. Sinners have been told, that God does all he can to convert them; and that his heart will be pained, when he shall find himself necessitated to infix his bolts in their souls. All this has been said, not only without any qualification, but without the allowance of any, even in thought; since the system which embraces this scheme of exposition, denies any distinction between God's absolute and his comparative choice of the holiness and happiness of mankind. To maintain this strange dogma concerning the Almighty Creator, the literal interpretation is triumphantly urged, without any respect to the connexion in which the

* Inst. Lib. i. Cap. 13.

misapplied texts occur, or to the current language of the Scriptures.*

The common sense of the great body of Christians, indeed, accords with the statement, that God is infinitely superiour to all the harrassing and disquieting passions of men. While idolaters have attributed violent emotions, as well as physical weakness and moral imperfection, to their deities; believers in the Bible have represented it as teaching other and far more exalted views of Him, whose empire is wide as the universe, and lasting as eternity. They have exulted in the descriptions given in the Scriptures, of his unrivalled majesty, dominion, and felicity, and have called upon the world to contemplate and admire the difference between the object of their worship, and the vanities of the heathen. The very definition of the divine Being, contained in the Articles of the English Church, and the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Churches of Scotland and this country, includes, in agreement with the general creed of Christendom, the idea for which I contend. The language of each of these confessions on this subject, is the same. "There is but one living and true God,-without

*It may possibly be supposed, that the system above referred to on this subject, agrees with the theory of Dr. Emmons, in his sermon, entitled "Affections essential to the moral perfection of the Deity:" but however the two schemes may resemble each other in words, they are wholly unlike in their most material characteristics. In that sermon, Dr. Emmons says, (Works, vol. i. p. 111.) "It must, however, be observed, that God is a Spirit, who has no affections which resemble those bodily instincts and passions, which are to be found in the present state of human nature. The best of men here on earth, carry about with them some remains of selfishness, pride, envy, and other sinful passions. But God is perfect love, and all his affections are pure and clear as the crystal stream. There is a foundation for fear, and faith, and hope, and confidence, in the very nature of finite, dependent beings; but there is no foundation for these affections in the Supreme Being, whose power and knowledge are independent and unlimited. God is infinitely above all instincts, passions, or affections, which proceed from either natural or moral imperfection.' Again, p. 121. "It appears from what has been said, that God is pleased with the existence of every thing which takes place in the universe. If all things do not take place just as the Deity desired and intended, his infinitely strong desires and affections are deeply wounded. But it is the universal voice of Scripture, as well as the dictate of reason, that God is infinitely above the reach of pain, and enjoys the most perfect and permanent felicity. Though, therefore, there are ten thousand things constantly taking place in the world, which are, in their own nature, disagreeable to the Deity; yet there never did, and never will one single event exist, which, all things considered, he did not choose and intend should actually exist." The affections, then, ascribed by Dr. Emmons to the Most High, are fixed states, or permanent exercises of the divine mind, varying of course, from the very immutability of their nature, their expressions towards individuals, according to the changes which take place in their character. In the most important respect, therefore, his theory is the very opposite to that, with which it is affirmed to be identical.'

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