Had he been, not a reed shaken by the wind of temptation, but a cedar or an oak rooted in God, and so calm amid all the storm that beat upon him in that dreadful crisis, we should have inherited stronger natures, and have been fortified by nobler habits, and elevated by holy tendencies. But the " one man" who stood in the very forefront of the battle and was severely assailed by the Tempter, used the will he had, (and without which will he could not have had any virtue) and chose to sin. And to-day our parents' sins, our ancestors' sins, even back to the sin of the first sinner, have exercised their share of influence in making us what we are. Our yielding to the temptations presented thus and otherwise to us, is none the less guilty than Adam's.

For if on the one hand our nature is weaker than his and our tendencies more debased than his, on the other we have in the sufferings and deaths of generations of men, a warning and a beacon such as he could not have known. So without charging home on our "first father" more than his due proportion of guilt, we summon him here as an unanswerable witness of the vast influence of individual men. Our sins should ever be discouraged, our virtues excited by the remembrance that "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.”

Brothers, let us thank God for the Gospel that so gloriously meets at every point the sad suggestions of our text. Is death in the world? Its conqueror, He who has taken its sting and crushed its power is the ever living, ever present Christ. Is sin in the world, working its fearful ravages as the ally, the precursor, the very parent of death? The Saviour from sin, the sinless example, the mighty Redeemer has trodden this same earth, breathes this same air, and is even more intimately one with this same human race. As one man" sinned, one man," even the Incarnate One, has redeemed the world. And where sin abounded, grace shall Let these glad tidings be our theme,

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much more abound.
and their spirit our life!
Bristol.

U. R. THOMAS

Biblical Criticism.

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES:-EMENDATIVE RENDERINGS.

Acts ix. 2.-Asked of him, &c.

2.-men [avopas], &c.

3. And as he was going, it fell that he drew near Damascus, and suddenly there flashed around him, &c.

4. And falling upon the earth, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me?

stress is to be laid on me, not at all on thou.)

(Here the

5.-But He said (leaving out "the Lord "), I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. (Omit the rest of the verse, and the beginning of verse 6, as far as 66 Arise.")

6.—and it shall be spoken to thee whatever is binding on thee to do.

7.--And the men that were way-faring with him, &c., but beholding no man.

8.-But when his eyes were opened he saw nothing, but by leading him by the hand they led [him] into Damascus.

10.-and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold me, Lord.

11.-the lane called Straight, and seek in the house of Judas for a man named Saul, of Tarsus, &c.

12. And saw [omitting "in a vision"] a man [avòpa] Ananias by name, coming in and laying [his] hand on him, that he might see again.

13. I have heard from many concerning this man [avèpoc], what evils to thy holy ones he did in Jerusalem.

15.-Go, for a choice vessel is this man to me, to bear my name before nations and kings and the sons of Israel.

16. He is bound to suffer, &c.

17.-And Ananias went away and came into the house, and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord hath sent me, Jesus that appeared to thee in the way that

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thou camest, that thou mayest see again and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

18.—And forthwith there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he saw again [omit forthwith], and arising was baptized. 19. And taking food, he was strengthened. And he was with the disciples in Damascus some days.

20.-And forthwith in the synagogues he preached Jesus, &c. 21.-And all that heard were beside themselves, and said, Is not this the man that wasted in Jerusalem, &c., and had come hither that he might lead them bound unto the chief priests?

22.-But Saul was more made powerful, and confounded the Jews that dwelt in Damascus, establishing that this is the Christ.

23. And when, &c., plotted together, &c.

24. But their plot was known of Saul, &c.

25.-Then his disciples, having taken him by night, lowered him by the wall, letting him down in a basket.

26. And when he was arrived in Jerusalem, he essayed to cleave to the disciples: and they all feared him, not believing that he was a disciple.

27.-Led him to the apostles, and recounted to them how in the way he saw the Lord, and that He spoke to him, and how in Damascus he preached boldly, &c.

29.-Preaching boldly in the name of the Lord; he spake also and disputed against the Hellenists, but they took in hand

to kill him.

30.-Which the brethren knowing, &c.

31.-Then the church throughout the whole of Judæa and Galilee and Samaria, had peace, being built, and going in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, was multiplied.

32.-He came down also to the holy ones, which, &c.

33.-Eneas by name, for eight years bedrid, who was paralytic.

34.-Jesus the Christ healeth thee, &c. 35.-Who turned to the Lord.

36.-Which interpreted is spoken Dorcas [that is, Gazelle], &c. 37.-That after sickness she died: and having washed her they put [her] &c.

38.-But Lydda being near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men [avopas] to him, beseeching that he would not delay to come to us.

39.-And Peter arising came with them. Whom arrived they led up.. and shewing up what coats and cloaks Dorcas made while with them.

40.-But Peter thrusting them all out, kneeling down, prayed; and turning to the body, said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes, and on seeing Peter, sat up.

41.-And giving her [his] hand, he raised her: and after calling the holy ones and the widows, &c.

42.-And it got known through the whole of Joppa, and many believed upon the Lord. W. C. M.A.

The Chair of Theology.

[This position we have rather been elected to by others, than arrogantly assumed of ourselves. Studious young men, in and out of orders, are adopting the custom of asking us for information and advice respecting a course of theological study, the choice of books, and the like. The thought has occurred, that it would be for their advantage, and our convenience, to throw such remarks as we are able to offer into a systematic form, once for all, that our correspondents may be referred to a standing document.]

NOMENCLATURE-SCHOLASTIC AND SCRIPTURAL.

We have now to examine the Scriptural use of the word ADOPTION. It occurs only in the New Testament, and there only in the following five places:

Rom. viii. 15.-For ye received not the spirit of bondage again to fear [sis póßor]; but ye received the spirit of adoption [violecias], whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom. viii. 23. Even ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption [vio@ɛσaív], the redemption of our body.

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Rom. ix. 4.-Who are Israelites, whose is the adoption [ violeria], and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [ λarpeta], and the promises.

Gal. iv. 5.-To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption [TMǹv viodeoiav].

Eph. i. 5.-Having predestinated [poopíoas] us unto adoption [violeσíav] by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

It will be observed that the English word adoption stands in all these passages for the Greek violeσía, which is used in three places without, and in two with, the article. In all these places the Vulgate renders the word adoptio filiorum, adoption of sons. De Wette renders it Kindschaft, that is, sonship.

The word is compounded of vios, son, and Geois, position. Bretschneider says: "In the writings of Paul, it is used concerning those, whom God by the Messiah adopted as sons, and made heirs of the promised salvation. It is adoption and the right of sons; that is, as the adopted son is heir of the father's goods, so God, giving us by Christ the right of sons, has given us also certain hope of future happiness, in which He Himself rejoices, to be obtained after death, in heaven." Adoption was, among both Greeks and Romans, recognized by law. It was called by the Greeks εἰσποίησις, ποίησις, Géois. The adopted son was registered as the son of his new father. Among the Romans, a legal ceremony was necessary, in the case of those under age, to transfer them from their natural to their new parents.

Whether in the Scriptural use of the word there was any reference to these Greek and Roman usages is very doubtful. At any rate, the thing is sufficiently plain without supposing any such reference. By nature men are children of God; but by sin their sonship has been marred and obscured, though not destroyed. The Israelites, by virtue of their covenant with God, were called His children. The original relation was restored and made manifest. Under the Gospel, since there has been a revelation of Christ the Son of God, in Him