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It would be easy to adduce a multitude of other passages by which the rules given are confirmed, and many others in which they are violated; but it is hoped that those given in the first part, will be sufficient to prove their correctness, and those given in the last, to shew the necessity of applying them more uniformly to the interpretation of the sacred text. From what has been said, it will be evident that the indicative and potential moods, when employed to describe moral and religious truths, should be rendered in the present tense; when employed to describe historical events, which transpired before the time of the writer, in the past tense; and when employed to describe future and prophetic scenes, in the future tense, so that in determining how they are to be translated, we have only to ascertain whether the subject is moral, historical, or prophetic. There will be few instances in which it will be difficult to determine that point; and when that is determined, the rules that have been given will be found as easy in their application, as they are simple in their nature.

III. On the Present State of Religion in England.

In considering the state of religion in any country, we may view it either in its general effects on the sentiments and conduct of the great body of the people, or in its more direct and genuine influence, on the hearts and characters of its sincere professors. In England the great mass of the people, cannot even in the present day be regarded as Christianized. A few of the general truths contained in the Bible are indeed almost universally acknowledged, and the name of Christian assumed; but vast multitudes are yet ignorant of the real nature and design of the religion of Jesus, while their hearts and conduct are uninfluenced by its renovating power.

Some good men think religion has been retrograding, and others think that, of late years, it has been advancing with rapid progress. This diversity of sentiment often arises from persons calculating merely from the state of their own sect or denomination, and not extending their view to all the sections of the Christian Church, which, though differing on some points, generally retain, in common, the grand essentials of the faith once delivered to the saints; and which, though not all equally pure in discipline or correct in sentiment, can each exhibit many members of undoubted piety and excellence of character.

Though the writer of these remarks is not of the number of those, who regard religion as on the decline, he is very ready to admit that there are some appearances, which at first view seem almost to indicate that its progress, if it is progressing, is but small and doubtful.

The unusual audacity of unbelievers, the shameless part assumed by irreligion, the increase of crime, the constant attacks made on religious institutions long venerated, the remarkable growth of

fanaticism, and the light and trifling character of multitudes who profess religion, cannot certainly be easily regarded as signs of the advancing state of real Christianity. But on considering these facts attentively, we shall find that they are far from proving any thing like a decline of religion in the country, though they shew that an immense work still remains to be accomplished before England can truly deserve the name of a "Christian land."

Nothing is more customary than to talk of the vast increase of infidelity. That it has increased in the number of its unhappy votaries is perhaps true; but it has done so, not by making inroads on real Christianity, but by drawing from the ranks of ignorance, vice, and irreligion. But though its professors may have increased, its moral inference has vastly sunk. Little more than half a century ago, nearly all the literature of the country was in the hands of men, who, if they did not assume the name of infidels, took little pains to conceal their scepticism. Philosophers, historians, and poets, seemed always to take it for granted, that Christianity was something fitted only to keep the vulgar in awe. Genius, learning, and reputation were almost universally engaged, directly or indirectly, on the side of scepticism. Principles subversive not only of Christianity, but of all piety and morals, were speciously blended with the more subtle truths of philosophy, so as to be generally received, even by believers of the gospel, and that often, alas, to the shaking of their faith and the ruin of their hopes. But where are now the champions of infidelity in England? Their names are seldom heard of, unless in police reports. The infidelity of England is too low and disgusting to do any harm to Christianity, though for a time it may prey on the unhappy beings, who through the neglect of others are unfortunately too ignorant to detect its sophistries, and too viciously inclined not to welcome it, as an agreeable release from the alarms of conscience.-We do not mean that no infidels are men of talents or learning; but wish to shew that the influence of Christianity is so great over the public mind, that a man who hopes by his abilities or character to obtain a share of public favor will rarely venture so far as to impugn the authority of the Bible. Public writers generally follow the public taste, and were not that decidedly in favor of Christianity, the cause of scepticism would soon call forth able and eloquent pens. It must also be remembered, that this bias of the public mind in favor of Christianity exists at a period when every one has perfect liberty to express his opinions, and when the veneration of the people, for long established systems and institutions, is weaker than ever it was before. Without the aid of racks or gibbets the simple moral energies of Christianity have laid all its enemies, who were worthy of notice, prostrate at its feet. A noisy, but insignificant party remain, whose mental and moral characters are sufficient to prevent their sentiments from making progress, unless among the ignorant or vicious.

Thus the powerful agency of the press in England has been nearly neutralized, or turned more or less in favor of Christianity. Infidel publications there are, and many works of pernicious tendency are constantly appearing; but still all the leading writers of the day are professed Christians, and in all their works, take for granted the truth of the Gospel, and are more or less cautious not to advance any thing subversive of its claims, while almost all the productions of the contrary description are too insignificant to be objects of serious apprehension to an enlightened Christian.

The bold part assumed by irreligion is often taken as an evidence of the decline of real piety; but that there is actually more irreligion now than in former times is far from certain. At every period of English history there has existed a vast body, who openly scoffed at every thing like serious piety: and though now some of this class may go rather further, in rejecting even the form of a religion of any kind; yet there can perhaps be no evidence adduced to prove that they have increased in number, or that their enmity to real Christianity has become more virulent. The increase of direct crime is undeniable, but the consideration of its causes is of too complicated a nature to be satisfactorily entered upon in our present limits: still we are convinced that it might be accounted for, by an examination of the present state of society, without leading us to conclude that it has arisen from any decline of religion.

The extraordinary spread of fanaticism can be no proof of the decrease of sober and real religion, but might easily be shown to be the contrary, however much we may lament the existence of the thing itself. Fanaticism has always appeared at times when a greater than usual proportion of people have had their attention turned to religious subjects. It is like the foam which rises on the surface of the agitated waters, which never appears when all is still and motionless. Were there not a large body of the people deeply interested about religion, we never should have heard of the unknown tongues, or of the other countless absurdities of the day.Some years ago a great many young men who had entered the church before they began to think seriously about religion, became decidedly pious. Finding themselves possessed of pulpits, but destitute of theological knowledge, they began to study the Scriptures; but not being possessed of sound principles of interpretation they plunged at once into the most difficult subjects, and often fancying they had made some new discovery, when their own understandings were quite bewildered and their notions crude and inconsistent, they began to announce them to their congregations with all the zeal and energy of new converts. The ignorant and wrong-headed began to speculate. The millenarian and other systems equally gross, were revived by some of the leading characters of this wildfire school of theologians, and hosts of the preachers and hearers of the same class received with delight all the theories of

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the modern prophets in succession. From this source most of the strange vagaries, of which so much has of late been said, have sprung; and it is easy to see, that to a great extent they have arisen from the very rapid increase of pious and zealous, but illinformed, ministers, and their more ignorant followers, and not from any decline of real religion. In this respect, the present day in some measure resembles the period of the Reformation, when the interest about religion became so general and exciting, that out of the agitated wars of mind it was no wonder that wild and monstrous systems were produced.

That in England a considerable increase in the number of real Christians has taken place, within the last few years, there is every reason to believe. In a great majority of those Churches or congregations, where the external evidences of real Christian character are made the test for admission to membership, a great increase of members has taken place, and the number of such churches has been about doubled within the last twenty years.

In the Established Church, it is well known that a very great increase of pious evangelical ministers has taken place; and though it has been chiefly among this class that the millenarian and other strange notions have spread, yet a large body have continued sound in the faith, and have been eminently successful in their labors. In fact, the Church of England never had, even in what are usually called her best times, so great a number of faithful and devoted ministers. That the Church is hard pressed in its relations with the state is evident; but as a body of religious instructors, her clergy were perhaps never more efficient, though it must at the same time be admitted, that a very large class, and that too the most influential, are still sadly defective in many of the most essential qualities of ministers of the pure and holy gospel of Christ. The improvement has however of late years been great, as it respects many, particularly of the lower clergy, and its effects on the advancement of piety among the people have been manifested.

Among the various bodies of Methodists considerable improvement has also taken place. The Wesleyans especially have increased rapidly, and among their leading ministers a more sound and enlightened system of teaching has become prevalent. Their preachers in general are now far superior in knowledge and moderation to what they were formerly, while they retain a large portion of that ardour and zeal through which they have been so successful among the lower orders. Still it must be confessed that among the Methodists, while there is much real piety, there is a good deal of rant and enthusiasm, the absence of which would enable us to estimate better the real amount of solid religion.-It is true genuine piety may often co-exist with a considerable portion of enthusiasm, (we use the word in its worst acceptation,) but it is always degraded

by the association, and often so enveloped in its fumes, as to have its very existence rendered doubtful.

The several denominations of evangelical Dissenters, it is well known, have been making rapid progress; and when it is recollected, that their forms of discipline require particular attention to the religious character of each individual, before he can be received as a member, their increase may safely be taken as some evidence of the advance of religion. The Socinian and other heterodox Dissenters have declined, while the Orthodox have been extending their churches in every direction, and daily augmenting the number of their members. The ministers among these bodies of Christians were perhaps on the whole never so effective and influential, nor so successful in collecting large and respectable congregations; while the piety and zeal for the promotion of the cause of God evinced by their churches prove, that their labors, in the highest sense of the term, have been effectual in accomplishing their end. The character of public preaching has also been greatly improved, by the adoption of a more correct and enlightened method of Scripture interpretation. The want of proper principles in interpreting the Bible has been the source of many errors, both in the doctrines which have been taught, and in the manner of teaching. The word of God has too often been explained, as meaning not what it says, but as having some hidden and mystical sense. The mal-formations of misconstructed minds have thus been passed off as the infallible dictates of divine inspiration, and what to common sense seemed plain and easy has been clouded in inextricable mystery. The historical parts have been allegorised, and almost every separate passage regarded as an enigma, to afford a trial of skill to rival preachers.

Now this system has been almost entirely abandoned, by all the respectable and influential ministers of every party, and a plain and simple mode of expounding Scripture has become nearly universal. The reins of fancy have been put into the firm and steady hand of enlightened Biblical Criticism, and the result is, that the doctrines of Scripture are more generally exhibited in public discourse, in their own simple and majestic character, while men are taught to draw their systems of belief more directly from the volume of inspiration. The true spirit of the inductive philosophy has been adopted in general by theologians. Systems are not first constructed, and then the oracles of truth tortured, in order to support them; but the various declarations of Scripture are sought for and compared, that by a cautious induction their combined result may be ascertained: as the philosopher first examines the numerous phenomena of nature, and by observing their agreement, obtains a knowledge of the laws by which she operates. The effects of this mode of study are manifest in the more simple character of preach

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