close of the first century, when these books are supposed to have existed in the handwriting of their authors, to the beginning of the 16th century. We wish to know whether alterations occurred during those fourteen hundred years, when copies were made by the slow and comparatively uncertain method of handwriting; and we are at no loss to answer the question.

Dr.

Well-nigh one thousand of these written copies, called manuscripts, have been carefully compared with one another, and no two have yet been found that are precisely alike. Mill, of Oxford, England, spent thirty years of hard labour comparing copies, word by word, and letter by letter; and in the year 1707 he published the result of his labours, which showed the discovery of about thirty thousand instances of differences among the copies which he and others before him had examined. This work of collating manuscripts, as it is called, has been prosecuted by subsequent scholars, the principal of whom are Griesbach, Scholz, Lachmann, Tischendorf, and Tregelles, until the number of differences, called various readings, have been swelled to well-nigh one hundred thousand! It is true, then, that a multitude of mistakes have crept into the New Testament.

Let us not be misunderstood. It is not affirmed that one hundred thousand, or even thirty thousand errors have been found in the Greek text from which our common English translation was made, and which is called the Received Text; nor that any such number has been found in any one Greek manuscript; but that all the various readings, in all the manuscripts combined which have thus far been collected, amount to the former of these numbers. I have seen no estimate of the number of errors which have been detected in our common Greek Testament, but they probably amount to only

two or three thousand.

These facts and figures, when first made. known to a believer in the New Testament, have quite a startling effect. They start the inquiry, If such an amazing number of mistakes have crept into the Scriptures since they were first written, how may I know when I read a passage, and think of relying on it, that it is not one of those which have been corrupted? It was this very inquiry, and the fear connected with it which prompted the learned Bengel, a German scholar of the eighteenth century, to enter on this department of Biblical study. The result of his investigations was a joyful confirmation of his faith; and such has been the experience of all who have pursued these inquiries until they have attained to a correct understanding of the facts. Indeed, the startling discoveries which we have mentioned above,

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were made, not by the enemies, but by the friends of the Bible. Sceptics are not the men to sit down with a pile of old manuscripts before them a spend a lifetime in patiently comparing em to see where a word has been omitted. r one inserted, or one spelt incorrectly, or one it in the wrong tense, number, person, case, or gender. But few men of this class, indeed, will even read the Bible in English; it is much easier to rail against it, as did Payne, who confessed in the second edition of his Age of Reason," that when he wrote the first edition he had never read the New Testament. The very fact, then, that these discoveries have been made by believers, and by men whose faith was stronger after their researches were completed than before they were begun, is sufficient in itself to quiet the fears of those who but partially know the facts. It enables us to rest contented, if our circumstances do not allow us to investigate farther, or to pursue our investigations farther, when opportunity offers, with equanimity.

In another article, we will endeavour to set forth the real extent and significance of the alterations in question, so that the reader may see for himself the grounds whereon the increased faith of which we have spoken depends.

THE CHURCH-PLANTING AND

DEVELOPMENT.-No. VI.

THE Christian Era is not so old, by some thirty-three years, as generally represented. It commenced not with the birth of Christ, as commonly counted, but on that Pentecost following His resurrection, to which already the reader's attention has been largely directed. The birth of Jesus commenced no new dispensation or age. The events of His life and death all transpired under the Old Economy. On the Day of Pentecost the old things passed away and the New Era, with its manifold and wonderous newness, came in.

It has been seen that the Apostles were chosen by the Saviour for legislatively loosing from sin. We left them waiting only for the promised baptism in the Holy Spirit to fit them for their seats of rule, in which they were inferior only to Him, on whose shoulder is the key of David, Who opens and none can shut, Who shuts and none can open, and who is pleased, in His Church, to legislate through them. them. His commission, to make and baptize Disciples, in order to the remission of sins and citizenship, came under notice in our last. "When the Day of Pentecost was fully come

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they were all with one accord in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting; and there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." This outpouring was not upon the multitude but before the many came together. There is no evidence that others than the Apostles were partakers. Thus were they empowered and sealed by visible external seals, so that none could doubt their authority to speak and act in the name of the exalted King.

The multitude having assembled heard and saw, and many of them believed and were thus begotten from above, by the Gospel, and prepared for the new birth. Some three thousand of them having gladly received the Word were baptized. Subsequently, one of the Apostles wrote "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came to his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believed on his Name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John i. 10-13.) Though these words are not limited to the men of Pentecost, they embrace those who that day gave their hearts to the Lord. The Nation-His own, in a peculiar sense— received Him not; but the three thousand numbered with those who did receive Him—that is believed on His Name; whereupon He granted them power to become Sons of God, by being born again; and thus were brought forth on the day of the church's planting as first fruits of the twice born race, three t ousand, filling up the Saviour's words, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spuit he cannot enter into the ingdom of God" (John iii. 5,)--the allusion 1 t being to the still future kingdom and glory, but to the present and earthly; as seen in v. 12, "If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things?"

The preaching of Peter culminated in"Therefore let all the House of Israel assuredly know, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." The result is thus stated-"Now when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter, and to the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren what shall we do?" They knew who to appeal to-the men who had been

said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; for the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even to as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts ii. 38, 39.)

The chapter concludes with intimation that The Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved. But all thus added were avowedly believers. Infant salvation and Infant church-membership have no place here. The salvation of infants, as such, is, though dependent upon the death of Jesus, irrespective of faith, repentance, baptism, remission, the Holy Spirit, and the Church. Neither on Pentecost, nor subsequently, was an infant, whether of unbelieving or believing parents, ever received into the Church of Christ-that is, for such reception there is neither precept nor example in the New Testament. The members of the church are all under the New Covenant, and by the terms of that Covenant, as already seen, all are excluded who do not know the Lord, or that need teaching to know Him. Then the requirements of Peter absolutely exclude infants, Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, is inapplicable to babes, as they cannot repent and have no sins to remit. Only one sin, in its consequents but not in its guilt, came upon them, and that is covered by the obedience of the Christ, so that dying by the First Adam they shall live by the SECOND.

But Peter declared the promise to be unto them and to their children, and are not believers and their babes thus bound together as entitled to the promised salvation? Yes, if "children" necessarily includes babes, and if the promise be of salvation. But the term is frequently used to denote descendants, and under circumstances which exclude infants; as, "If ye were Abraham's children," "The children ought not to lay up for the fathers." Posterity is understood. The promise was not merely to those to whom it was immediately made, but also to such of their descendants as should be conditioned and called to receive it. A. Barnes, though a Pedobaptist, thus comments-"It does not refer to children as children, and should not be adduced to establish the propriety of infant baptism." baptism." Then again, the promise is not that of remission or salvation, but of "the gift of the Holy Spirit." The promise is that of verse 33, "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear;" also that of verse 16, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet

Joel; and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy." This promise was not only to the Jews, to whom it was given or fulfilled, but to their descendants; and not only so, it extended to those afar off-the Gentiles-not, however, to all Jews, nor to all Gentiles, but to as many as the Lord shall call to receive the gift. Nor is this gift put in the same close and necessary connection with repentance and baptism as is the remission of sins. Prof. Lechlen (writer of the Commentary on the Acts, in Dr. Lange's great" Bibelwerk") says-" This aphesis amartion (remission of sins) is unquestionably connected more intimately and directly than the gift of the Holy Spirit with the baptismal act : the former remission' (aphesis) is indicated by the word eis (for the remission) as the immediate purpose of baptism, and as the promise inseparably connected with it; while general terms are all that succeed, viz., and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The promise, then, was of the Spirit, and not to infants, but to those whom the Lord should call to receive the same.

The day of the Church's planting brought into its membership over three thousand souls, all begotten of God, by the incorruptible seed of the word, by the Gospel preached by the Apostles, heard and believed, and by an immediately subsequent birth of water; which also is attributed to the Spirit, as the Gospel given and attested by the Spirit is the Spirit's word. From that day till now no change has been made by Divine authority in the qualification for, nor in the mode of, induction into the body of Christ. His church, so far as His authority is concerned, consists only of those who have confessed faith in Him, repentance toward God, and who have been born from above, born of water and the Spirit.

THE FAITH WHICH IS UNTO
SALVATION.-No. IV.

To the Editor of the E. 0.-THE view of faith considered in my last letter was, that it consists of a belief that we are saved. Some, who are strongly opposed to this view of it, contend

II. That it is simply the belief of God's testimony respecting salvation.

ROBERT SANDEMAN, who has been already mentioned, did so. He says that saving faith

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See

is "the bare persuasion of the truth." his "Letters on Theron and Aspasia," p. 344. He contends that, if the testimony of the Gospel be believed, a man's "passions and affections are set in motion" by the nature of that testimony (p. 257); that "when once saving truth is admitted into the conscience of any man, it becomes, as it were, a new instinct in him' (p. 353); that the change so made is "called conversion, regeneration, new creation" (p. 352); and that to talk of "acts of faith" is ridiculous "jargon" (p. 282-4). But this view, if correct, would make wilful sin impossible, for in that case every one who believed that he ought to love and obey God would do so; but no man, by nature, even when he knows God, glorifies Him as God. (Rom. i. 21.) The mere belief that a thing is right or true does not lead men to do it. If it did, there would be no need of the work of the Holy Spirit. Such a belief has its seat in the head; the heart and life may be wholly untouched by it. It may exist without repentance, without the love of God, or any of the fruits of the Spirit-without any semblance of holi

ness.

Mr. M'LEAN and Mr. BRAIDWOOD, of Edinburgh, both agreed with Mr. Sandeman on this point, and the same view is still held by some excellent men. Mr. M'Lean, in his work entitled "The Commission," etc. (A.D. 1786), says, "It is evident that faith is neither more nor less than belief, and that saving faith is a belief of the Gospel, or of God's testimony concerning His Son" (p. 63). But Mr. M. held, nevertheless, that no one has this belief but those who are taught of God; that "it is the special gift of God," and "peculiar to the elect;" that, "whatever appearances there may be of it in false professors, they have not at bottom the same perception of the truth, nor that persuasion of it upon its proper evidence which real believers have" (p. 64). Like Mr. Sandeman, he maintained that such is the "salutary nature of saving truth testified in the Gospel,

that it is no sooner perceived and believed than it takes possession of the will and affections, and becomes in the soul the ground of its hope, trust, and reliance," etc. (p. 64). Surely this view is as strongly at variance with Scripture as with experience. James said, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou dost well; the devils also believe and tremble." (ii. 19.) If a sound creed always corrected the "will and affections," there would be no need of Divine grace when the creed was sound. Paul had a sound creed, but it was not his creed, but "God's grace," which was sufficient for him. (2 Cor. xii. 9.) There are a few passages of Scripture which seem to declare that the mere belief that

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Jesus is the Christ (as 1 John v. 1), or that God has raised him from the dead (as Rom. x. 9), ensures salvation; but, as repentance and holiness are elsewhere made essential to salvation, such passages must imply more than they fully express, or they would contradict other and far more numerous passages. He who maintains

that the mere belief that Jesus is the Christ saves, says that the vilest of impenitent and hardened sinners, if they believe this, are sure of heaven. This view is, therefore, dangerous and delusive in the extreme.

III. Another view of saving faith is that it is trust in God through Christ, considered as distinct from any act or purpose of obedience. This view adds to belief of God's testimony, a desire to be saved, and confidence in God as both able and willing to save us. It omits from saving faith all idea of active obedience to God's will.

It must be remembered that, when works of obedience are mentioned in this controversy, the works meant are not works done to merit heaven or justification, but works in which faith. lives and rests itself on God's promises, and that justification is admitted to be wholly and solely through the righteousness of Christ.

TURRETTIN, a Calvinist, whose "Theology" was published at Geneva, in three volumes, in 1688-1690, says, that faith consists of knowledge, assent, and trust. But by trust, or confidence, he that he means a persuasion "that says the Gospel is not only true, but good, and most worthy of our love and regard;" and that "its promises of pardon and salvation to those who believe and repent are most certain." By trust he means "a full persuasion of the power and will of God" to save. (Vol. II., p. 614.) This trust, therefore, resolves itself into a desire to be saved by God, and a conviction that He is both able and willing to save. Such a desire, however, and such a conviction, may exist without any settled intention to serve God in everything, come what may. Such a person may resemble one who, having £500, and desiring interest on it, is well assured that a certain mode of investment is sound and trustworthy, and yet has a stronger love of pleasure, and, therefore, squanders all in dissipation. Such trust is meditative and contemplative only. Turrettin admits that true faith "works by love," as Paul says; but contends that, so far as it is the mediu:n through which we are justified, it is not to be viewed in that light-that is, is not to be viewed as working at all. (Vol. II., p. 739.) So that his view seems to be that faith, viewed as the medium of justification, is complete, if there be desire and confidence, without any development as yet of intention to obey. But James says of

Abraham that it was "by works his faith was made perfect;" and, more than this, that it was by means of works of faith that he was "justified." (James ii. 21, 22.)

VAN MASTRICHT, whose "Theology" was published at Amsterdam in 1715, says (Bk. 2, chap. 1, sec. 24), "The Reformed, though they do not deny that faith is an act of obedience, deny nevertheless, that in the work of justification it is considered as an act of obedience." "They deny moreover that faith is the observance of the commands of Christ, and affirm that it consists chiefly in the reception of God as the Supreme end, and of Christ as the only Mediator." By this separation of faith from all acts of obedience, and all thoughts of obedience, it is limited to the contemplative rejection of all false grounds of dependence, and the contemplative reception of the true grounds of dependence, without any development, as yet, of intention to obey. This Author, in order to prove that every kind of obedience is distinct from faith, quotes passages of Scripture which refer to works of merit, such as Gal. ii. 16; iii. 2, 5; Rom. iii. 20; and says, that, even in Gal. v. 6, where faith is said to "work," or "act with energy," by means of love, "Scripture distinguishes between faith. and obedience as cause and effect;" whereas faith is there spoken of just as God is spoken of, when he "works in us." (Eph. iii. 20; Col. i. 29.) And who can say that the indwelling of God in us is complete, when nothing has been worked in us which He, when He saves, effects?

IV. Others say that faith or trust, to be saving, must have in it the intention of unreserved obedience; that there must be belief of the truth, desire for salvation, confidence in God as able and willing to save, and in addition to theso, the intention of intrusting our all to God by doing His will. They do not regard any act of obedience, if there be but a fixed intention to obey, as so essential, that even when omitted from ignorance or impossibility, that omission affects the reality of faith. But they do consider the formation of a fixed intention to obey God, imparted by God's gift, and wrought by the Holy Spirit, to be a part of saving faith or trust; so that true faith is the intrustment of ourselves to God in Christ for salvation by means of a fixed intention to do His will, attended with confidence that, in so doing, we shall be saved; without such intention to obey, there cannot be either true repentance or true holiness, for all want of conformity to the will of God is sin. This undoubted truth proves that the faith or trust which God gives when He renews the soul, includes the intrustment of ourselves, through grace, to Him by obedience to His will.