ART. V. Essays on the Formation and Publication of Opinions, and on other Subjects. From the Essays on the Pursuit of Truth, on the Pro- gress of Knowledge, and the Fundamental Principles of all Evidence and Expectation. Lectures on Revivals of Religion. By Wm. B. Sprague, D.D., Pastor of the 2d Presbyterian Church, Albany with an Introductory Es- say. By Leonard Woods, D.D., also an Appendix, consisting of Letters from the Rev. Drs. Alexander, Wayland, Dana, Mil- ler, Hyde, Hawes, M'Dowell, Porter, Pay- son, Proudfit, Neill, Milledollar, Davis, Grammaire Arabe à l'usage des eleves de l'école spéciale des langues Orientales vivantes ; avec figures. Par M. le Baron Silvestre de Sacy. Seconde édition, corrigée et augmentée, à la- quelle on a joint un Traité de la Prosodie et VI. VIEW OF THE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Or the Emigrant's and Traveller's Guide to the Grammatik der Hebræischen Sprache des A. T. in vollständiger Kurze, neu bearbitet von 1. Constitution and Laws of the Board of Edu- cation of the General Assembly of the Presby- 2. The Annual Report of the Board of Educa- cation of the General Assembly of the Pres- byterian Church; presented to the General Assembly at its sessions, in May, 1832, 2d edition of same, August, 1832. ART. I.-RITES AND WORSHIP OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH. From the German of Neander*. As the idea of the priesthood of all Christians, became more and more superseded by the notion of a class of persons peculiarly consecrated to God, and set apart for divine service; in the same proportion, the original relation of united Christian worship to entire Christian life-a relation grounded in the very essence of the system-became more and more obscure. It was forgotten, that the divine worship of believers is confined to no certain places, times, or actions, but embraces the whole of a life consecrated to God. Distinguished theologians, however, such as Chrysostom and Augustin, acknowledged that vital Christianity could proceed only from that *This article consists of a translation from the last volume of the Ecclesiastical History of Neander. The reader will bear in mind that all the statements which it contains relate exclusively to the period between A. D. 312, and A. D. 590; the second period, according to the division of this historian. It falls, therefore, within that part of the work which has not yet appeared in English; for the translation by Rose included the history of the first period only. The extract here given will probably be interesting, both as the specimen of a work which is attracting great attention in Europe, and as containing a body of instructive matter upon a very important branch of the subject. [Ed. Bib. Rep. & Theol. Rev. VOL. IV. No. I.-B primitive Christian conception, according to which the whole life of religion is viewed as the worship of God in spirit and in truth; and they endeavoured to recal this conviction, and by all means to oppose the error which made the essence of Christianity to reside in the opus operatum of mere participation in outward rites; and to impress the truth, that instruction in divine things, the reading of the Scriptures, and prayer, were not restricted to ecclesiastical assemblies, but were to be diffused through the whole Christian life. Thus Chrysostom says in his sixth discourse against the mingling of Judaism with Christianity:* "God has suffered one temple at Jerusalem to be destroyed, and in its place has erected thousands of far greater glory; for the Apostle says, Ye are the temple of the living God. Adorn this house of God, cast out of it all evil thoughts, that thou mayest be a worthy member of Christ, that thou mayest be a temple of the Spirit; and lead others to be such also." "Christians," says he, in another discourse, "should not merely celebrate a single day as a festival, for their whole life should be a festival; as the Apostle says, 1 Corinthians v. 8: Therefore let us keep the feast, &c. We are not to stand by the ark of the covenant or the golden altar, since the Lord of all existence has himself taken us for his habitation, and we ever have communion with him, by prayer, by the celebration of the holy Supper, by the sacred Scriptures, by almsgiving, and by bearing him always in our hearts. What need then of the [Jewish] Sabbath, to him who celebrates a continual feast, who has his conversation in heaven? Let us, therefore, keep a never-ceasing festival; let us abstain from all evil, for this is the true festival." In opposition to those who imagined themselves to be truly devout because their attendance upon the Church was punctual, he says: "If the child goes every day to school, and yet learns nothing, is this meritorious? Is it not rather a reproach? So it is also with us; for we go to Church, not for the sole purpose of being there, but that we may depart thence with great improvement in divine things. If then we go away empty, our zeal in frequenting the Church becomes our condemnation. To prevent this, let us, when we go away, endeavour, the friend with his friend, the father with his children, the master with his servants, to trans • Adv. Judæos, vi. § 7. T. I. 661. H. 39. in Matt. § 3. ed. Montf. T. vii. P. 435. |