one case as the other; it is as easy to see the necessity of mediation for the wants and sufferings of the mind as the body; it is as easy to conceive of enjoying spiritual life by death, as natural life by death. If you will explain these things in nature to my understanding, I will engage to explain the same things in revelation to yours. With much affection and benevolence, I am your friend,

M. S. CLAPP.

THE GOSPEL-No. III.

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the GOSPEL which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein ye stand: by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." 1 COR. XV. 1-4.

It is related of the followers of the celebrated Wickliffe, that the Papists used to call them, in derision, Gospellers, because they were wont to speak so often of the original gospel, in place of the legends and traditions of the Catholic superstition. It were well if modern reformers would so signalize themselves by their devotion to the gospel in its simplicity as to deserve so good an appellation.

In entering upon the consideration of this most important subject, our attention is naturally first engaged with the terms and phrases employed by the sacred writers to designate it. The precise meaning of these terms and phrases may be certainly and easily ascertained from the divine record by means of the definitions furnished by the inspired writers. And if in any case definitions be not furnished to our hand, we can form them, with the greatest accuracy, by a careful induction of the various passages in which these words and phrases occur. This last is the course which we naturally pursue when in reading an author we meet with a word or expression new to us. We have at first only a vague impression of the author's meaning, and we are obliged, for the time being, to substitute our conjecture in order to make the passage at all intelligible. The next sentence in which the word occurs in a different connexion renders their conjecture a little more definite and correct: a third example of its use narrows still more the field of doubt; till at length a

more extensive induction supplies us with the fixed and accurate definition.*

It is customary in every language to have a number of different words and phrases to express the same idea. These synonyms we find very often in the New Testament, and not a few of them are used in reference to the topic before us. Upon examination it will be seen that no less than sixteen are employed to designate it. These are the following:-The word; The word of God; The word of the kingdom; The gospel; The gospel of the kingdom; The word of the Lord; The word of salvation; The word of grace; The word of the gospel; The word of reconciliation; The word of truth; The gospel of salvation; The word of life; The word of the truth of the gospel; The word of faith; The testimony of God. It is only necessary to consider the connexion and application of these phrases in the places where they occur, to be satisfied that they all have reference to the same thing-to "the word," to use the language of Peter, "which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ-that word which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after John's baptism, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; who went about doing good-whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the third day-To him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."

It is this annunciation which Paul, in the motto which we have prefixed to these papers, denominates "The gospel;" for in the definition which he there supplies, he enumerates in substance the same facts concerning Christ, of which Peter speaks, to wit"that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; that he was buried, and that he rose the third day according to the scriptures." It matters not whether we say with Peter, that 'Him they slew and hanged on a tree-and that to him bear all

* It is worthy of remark that those terms which occur least frequently in the seriptures, have been most often the occasion of dispute. We may instance, "born again;" "born of Spirit;" "regeneration;" "end of the world." The reason is, that their meaning is more difficult to fix, as they occur in few passages, and with little change in their connexion and collocation.

† Compare Matth iv. 23, and xiii. 19-23, with Mark ii. 2; iv. 14-18, and Mark xvi, 5, with ver 20; and all these with Luke v. 1; Acts ii. dl; iv. 4, 31: vi. 2, 4, 7; viii. 4, 25; x. 36, 37, 44; xi. 1; xii. 24; xiii. 26, 48; xiv. 3; xv. 7; xvi. 10; Rom x. 8; 2 Cor. iv. 2; v. 19; vi. 7; Eph. i. 13; Phil. i. 14; ii. 16; Col. i. 5; Titus i. 3, 9; Jas. i. 18.

Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins;' or with Paul, more briefly, 'that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures'-the prophetic scriptures of the Old Testament. It matters not whether we say with the former, "Him God raised up the third day;" or with the latter, "He rose the third day according to the scriptures." The facts to which they refer are identical and their exposition of the terms, "word," "gospel," &c. which they em ploy, and the application which is made of the various phrases which we have quoted from the Evangelists, enable us to perceive with infallible certainty that they are all used in reference to the leading facts of Christian history, looked at from different points and in various associations. We have only to except the Apostle John, who uses the term "word" in a peculiar and appropriated sense. This we could with facility have gathered from his writings by induction, but it is rendered unnecessary by the definition with which he has himself furnished us in the last clause of the first verse of the first chapter of his testimony.

The etymon of the term "gospel" is Saxon. It is from godess pel, which signifies God's good tidings, and nearly answers to the Greek word used by the inspired writers-euangelion, good news, glad tidings. The gospel of Christ then is, The glad tidings concerning Christ.

Whether, then, we interpret the phrase according to its etymo logy, or take the definition furnished by the Apostles, or ascertain its import from its use in the New Testament, the result is the So that, finally, we have only to sum up the whole in the words of Paul, and say that the gospel is, "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

same.

These three facts, then, constitute what is truly and essen. tially the gospel. "Jesus was born to die," and however joyful his advent, it was so to the guilty sons of men only as the foretoken of their deliverance by his death for their sins, and his resurrection from the grave for their justification. Had Jesus come into the world only to leave an example of heavenly virtue, and return in a cloudy chariot to the skies, mankind would have remained in the same unhappy condition as before in respect to

pardon and acceptance with God. It was the shout of victory with which Jesus expired upon the cross, which communicated at once the first intimations of defeat throughout the trembling dominions of the Prince of darkness, and of joyful deliverance to the ears of sleeping saints. There can be no joy where there is no salvation. But it is not possible to conceive of any tidings so truly deserving the epithet of "joyful," as the annunciation of the facts which constitute the gospel, when these are understood in their natural relations, consequences, and tendencies.

R. R.

MR. LYND AND SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE.

I HAVE not had leisure since my return to read Mr. Lynd's late attempt to prove that "the Holy Spirit does exert an influenae in connexion with, or through the truth, in renewing sinners, which is not found in the motives themselves presented by the truth." "This," he says, "is the controversy." I have read the close of his last essay to ascertain whether he would redeem his pledges, and accept of the rules which I proposed, for a complete and final discussion of the points at issue, as he has drawn them up and expressed them in the conclusion of his last effort. He explains away, or, in truth, recalls his challenge; and declines the proposed discussion, alleging that he only "stood prepared to prove that Mr. Campbell's system subverts the fundamental doctrines of the gospel." Very good, and very orthodox, truly! Of course I stand prepared to show that Mr. Lynd's system "subverts the fundamental doctrines of the gospel." Well, I will accept of Mr. Lynd's definition of the controversy, as above quoted in his own words, and redeem my pledge, or defend myself against his allegations. But there must be some method-some rules of discussion. I have now published three attempts of Mr. Lynd, with my defence. He is not yet content; but, instead of meeting me on the ground of his own challenges, which I unequivocally accepted in all their import, he has given us a fourth attempt, and refuses to meet me on his own allegations; unless, forsooth, I will not hold him bound by his own acknowledged confession of faith. His words are, "I shall not obligate myself to enter into any discussion hereafter, unless I can have some assurance that I shall not be metamorphosed into a confession of faith."

Well, Mr. Lynd shall not escape from his present unenviable posi tion, under any such cloud or pretext. Let him disown the Regular Baptist Confession of Faith in the articles quoted, and I will not once more name it to him. But so long as he has solemnly vowed his faith in those words, and pledged himself to teach and preach accordingly, and so long as he quotes from my writings elicited by that Confession, I will quote from his Confession of Faith as fairly representing his views. If, then, he will candidly and explicitly disown a Confession, of which he now seems to be ashamed, I promise to quote it no more against his views. So that the removal of this difficulty is in his own power. Or if he promises to make his fourth attempt final, I will reprint and review it in the Harbinger, if he will have my reply republished in the Cross and Journal, and so close the discussion.

Mr. Lynd, then, must do one of three things, or own himself convicted of error.-1st. Disown the Confession. 2d. Meet me on his own statement of the controversy according to his challenge and the rules I proposed. 3d. Or admit my answer to his fourth attempt into the Cross and Baptist Journal as the finale of the whole discussion.I am persuaded that the community needs to hear, both sides of this long-litigated question fully and scripturally discussed, in a few pages. Mr. Lynd is as competent as any of the Baptist society to defend the scholastic and metaphysical theories of speculative influence. A volume of 100 pages, 50 on each side, stereotyped, and circulated by the Disciples of Christ and the Baptists as an end of the controversy, would doubtless be a desideratum.

I will accept of the controversy as drawn up by himself in his own words-as indicating an influence distinct from motives, not of motives, superadded to the motives of the gospel in renewing sinners. Let him, then, prepare himself for the discussion upon fair and equal principles, and let it be stereotyped for the purpose of cheap distribution. Thus will the bane and the antidote, the poison and the medicine, the pro and the con, the truth and the error, stand before the community side by side, and be tried on their respective merits and pretensions by all candid and inquisitive persons. Are you afraid, Mr. Lynd? Then you confess that my words of error are more powerful than your words of truth-that error is stronger than truth-inasmuch as your truth requires new and supernatural assistance, while my error by its own energy can overcome your truth. I am greatly mistaken in your character, if you would not prefer such an issue to my saying that you are weaker than I; and that the difference is not in the dogma, but in the dogmatist.

A. C.