The word ransom, in our language, is the same as redemption, or the sum paid for the redemption of a captive, and is used in law for the redemption of a capital punishment, due by law to any offence (Horne, lib. iii. 1. De amerciament taxable :) and hence the etymology of the word ransom; French, rançon, from rende somme,-render, or give the sum; i. e. what the law requires for the offence committed. The word Aurgov, from Auw, to loose, or to pay a price, has in Greek nearly the same meaning,-the sum of money required to be paid for the redemption of a captive, and thus to loose or dissolve the obligation the person was under to serve or to be punished. But the word Avrihurgov, used here by the apostle, sig. nifies properly a corresponding price, or ransom, the redeeming life by life. Hence Hesychius interprets Avriλurpa, by aveluxa: "Antilutra signifies those piacular sacrifices in which life is given for life;"-or the life of one redeemed by the life of another: and this was the true notion of sacrifice in all ages, and among all the inhabitants of the world. Cæsar tells us that it was the opinion of the Gauls, among whom human sacrifices were prevalent, that "the anger of the immortal gods could not be appeased unless the life of a man was redeemed by the life of another." Quod pro vita hominis, nisi vita hominis reddatur, non posse aliter deorum immortalium numen placari arbitruntur. Com. lib. vi. sec. 15. Jesus Christ gave his life for the life of the world:-he laid down his life for the sheep. While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son :-for he was delivered for our offences; and God made his soul (life) an offering for sin. With such assertions the scripture abounds. The same word, Avriλurpov, is rendered by Hesychius, avridorov, antidote, but this does not signify merely a medicine by which poison is counteracted, or destroyed; but one thing given in the place of another; as in the case above, the life of Christ given for the life of the world." For ALL," that is, for all who had sinned, -for all those whose nature he had assumed :. for, "he took not upon him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham," an expression, by the way, which has been misunderstood, and pitifully misrepresented: for it is supposed that by the "seed of Abraham," the Jewish people are particularly represented ;-but when was the covenant made with Abraham?"In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Was it while he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? In uncircumcision surely, when he represented the whole of the children of men,before the distinction of Jew and Gentile had ever taken place: and the covenant embraced, not only all the nations, but all the families of the earth; and is extended to every individual of those families, by those solemn words of the apostle, "Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for EVERY man.” Can the Molochian doctrine of unconditional reprobation look these scriptures, or the incarnated Jesus in the face, and not hasten to hide itself in the pit of perdition from whence it arose !-He died for EVERY Man : "His pardoning grace for ALL is free, For him who forg'd the dire decree,- 5. This glorious system of truth is to be "testified in due time ;" and may be thus summed up. (1.) There is one God. (2.) This God is the Creator of all. (3.) He has made a revelation of his kindness to all. (4.) He will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. (5.) He has provided a Mediator for all:-and, (6.) This Mediator gave himself a ransom for all. As surely, therefore, as God has created all men, so surely has Jesus Christ died for all men. These are truths which the nature and revelation of God unequivocally proclaim; and which, according to the text, are "to be testified in due time." The original words, το μαρτύριον καιροις ιδίοις, are not easily interpreted, and have been variously understood. The most authentic copies of the Vulgate have, Testimonium temporibus suis, which Calmet translates, rendent ainsi temoignage au tems marque; "Thus rendering testimony at the appointed times." Wakefield translates, "The testimony reserved to its proper time." Rosenmuller, Hæc est doctrina temporibus suis reservata; "This is the doctrine which is reserved for its own times :" "that is,” adds he, quæ suo tempore in omni terrarum orbe tradetur; “The doctrine which in its own time shall be delivered to all the inhabitants of the earth." Here he translates apsupov, doctrine, and contends that this, not testimony, is its meaning, not only in this passage, but in 1 Cor. i. 6. ii. 1, &c. Several MSS. read the clause thus,—οῦ τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις εδόθη. The testimony of which was given in its own times. The oldest printed copies of the Vulgate read the passage thus: Cujus testimonium temporibus suis confirmatum est: "The testimony of which is confirmed in its own times :"-which.our first translation renders, Whos witnessinge is confermyd in his timis. This is about the sense:Christ gave himself a ransom for all: this, in the times which seemed best to the divine wisdom, was to be testified to every nation, and people, and tongue. The apostles had begun this tes timony: and in the course of the divine economy, it has ever since been gradually promulgated, and at present runs with a more rapid course than ever. As God wills the salvation of all men, and has given a revelation of himself, which he wills that every man should hear, understand, and acknowledge; it is necessary that the Bible should be sent to every nation and people, that in their respective lan guages they may hear the marvellous works of God. This design the present generation appears to understand better than those who have preceded us. Hence the earnest, united, and indeed marvellous efforts made by Christians of all denominations, in all countries, to send the gospel of Jesus to all the nations of the earth. Bibles, in almost all the languages of the universe, have been printed in millions, and sent throughout the world. The British and Foreign Bible Society, and its auxiliaries in Europe, Asia, and America, have performed a work in a few years, which former generations could not have believed possible in so many centuries. The apocalyptic angel is flying with increasing celerity in the midst of heaven, "having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people; saying with a loud voice, Fear God; and give glory to him :" (Rev. xiv. 6, 7:) so that "from the ends of the earth" we have "heard songs, even glory to the righteous." Thus the knowledge of God is spreading over the face of the globe; and it appears from the present prospect, and the continued energetic labours of the excellent agents of this divine institution, that the Bible will shortly be found in all the regular languages of the babbling earth. But is this sufficient? Is it enough merely to send the Bible to the different nations of men, so that they may all read the word, which the Lord God speaketh unto them? No; nor was it ever the design of God that his work should end here. The Ethiopian eunuch had in his hand the prophet Isaiah, and was reading it devoutly, even while journeying on the way. Yet to bis salvation the messenger of peace was as necessary as the writings of the prophet; and therefore God sent the evangelist Philip to meet him on the way, and to ask the important question, "Understandest thou what thou readest?" He answered, "How can I except some man should guide me?" And although he was reading of Him, "who was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and in whose humiliation his judgment was taken away," yet he understood not the truth till Philip, from those passages, preached unto him Jesus! The whole economy of grace in the salvation of men supposes the Bible, and the minister of the Gospel. The Bible is the divine testimony,-the Christian missionary is the advocate. This testimony he pleads on, applies, and enforces, in order to lead men not only to the knowledge, but also as εywo, to the acknowledgment of the truth. A man may know the truth without acknowledging it. To acknowledge it, is not only to allow that it is the truth; but to confess it,-to feel one's own interest in it,-to be affected by its contents, to be alarmed by its threatenings, encouraged by its promises, and influenced by its precepts. The sacred word is, in general, superficially considered,—it is not duly weighed :-it requires the strong exhortations of the messengers of the gospel, to stir up the drowsy and careless. God designs that both shall go together; and hence the age that has been distinguished by an unparalleled dissemination of Bibles, has been equally conspicuous for missionary exertions. In almost every instance where the BIBLE has gone before, the MIsSIONARY has followed after; and to them who have received it, the tenor of his first question has been, "Understandest thou what thou readest ?"-which is the introduction to his preaching unto them Jesus! The truth, the gospel of the grace of Christ, must be proclaimed to men; and it is the duty of all who know it, to diffuse it far and wide: and when it is made known, it is the duty of those who hear it, to acknowledge and receive it. This is the proper import of the original word, that they may come sis siya ansias, "to the acknowledgment of the truth," -that they may receive it as the truth, and make it the rule of their faith, the director of their life, and the model of their practice. But, in reference to this, the man of God, the missionary, is indispensably necessary. In general, this acknowledgment is brought about only by his means: and what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. I have already stated that it is the duty of every man who possesses the truth, to dissemiThere are many nate it, as far and as wide as he possibly can. nations, containing many millions of immortal spirits, who are perishing for lack of knowledge; and starving for want of the bread of life. We have enough and to spare :-the means of diffusion are in our power, and we shall be highly criminal in the sight of God if we do not use them. God has given the Bible and God has prepared the men. The first has been given by the inspiration of the Almighty :-the latter show that they have received his commission to take it to the ends of the earth. There are only two ways in which these messengers of peace can be sent to the destitute nations of the world. (1.) By divine supernatural agency. (2.) By human means, under the direction of divine providence. (1.) Among all the extraordinary messengers whom God hath sent to announce his will to the nations of the earth, there is no genuine evidence that he ever used any extraordinary or supernatural means to send any of them to the place of his destination. By an especial call he pointed out the men whom he had commissioned to bear his name among the Gentiles; but he left what has been technically called their "out-fit" to themselves and his people; to be regulated by their own prudence and benevolence, under the direction of his providence. Even Jonah himself, who had such an extraordinary commission to minister to the Ninevites, was left to choose the ordinary modes of conveyance; and St. Paul and his companions, when sent as extraordinary messengers to the Gentiles, were brought on their way by the brethren, and were obliged, in the execution of their commission, to subject themselves to the general difficulties of land journeys, and to the perils of ordinary sea voyages. Nor did God choose so particularly to interfere with the general dispensations of his providence as to prevent even a shipwreck, which occurred in the ordinary course of things; though he exerted his power to preserve the lives of the sailors and passengers, while he left the ship and its cargo to be destroyed by the storm. Prophets, apostles, and evangelists, like all their successors in the sacred ministry, while they had the positive command to "go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," were left to make their way to the places of their destination, by those means which their own prudence and the benevolence of his people might suggest. It is true, we have an ancient account which seems to be an exception to this apparently general rule, viz., the miraculous transportation of the prophet Habakkuk from Judea to Babylon, to minister to one of the Jewish captives in that city; whom, it is said, the "angel of the Lord took by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head; and, through the vehemency of his spirit, set him in Babylon ;"-and when he had accomplished his mission, the angel conveyed him back in the same manner, and set him "in his own place again," in Judea!-But if no prophet was carried in this miraculous way from Judea, to minister salvation to the captives in the land of the Chaldeans;if no apostle was carried miraculously to Syria, to Asia Minor, to Greece, to Rome, to the Islands of the sea, to preach Christ crucified to the Gentiles ;-we may safely conclude, that the prophet Habakkuk, who had made a mess of pottage for his reapers, was not, with it, suddenly transported to Babylon, for the infinitely minor purpose of giving Daniel his dinner!-This legend has no higher authority than the Apocrypha can confer; and I leave it where I found it, in The story of Bel and the Dragon, verses 33-39. (2.) We are led, therefore, to form the very rational conclusion, that although it is the province of God to prepare, qualify, and commission the preacher, yet it is the duty of his people to equip him for his journey, to find the means for his conveyance, to bear his expenses, and support him in his work, while he is going forward, taking nothing from the Gentiles. Now, as there are whole nations in which Satan sits enthroned; as there are, after all that has been done to evangelize the earth, more than six hundred millions of immortal souls who know not God who bought them, and are a prey to superstition, |