CHRISTIAN HERALD,
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Christ and religious sects. So shall every summer, costing enough to side of the mooted question, we
we best fulfill the mission which make a family comfortable for the give a place to what another critic
has been imposed upon us,— .Chris­ winter, or educate a boy or gill, may say on the opposite side.
The question of “ predestination ”
very few will add one particle of
tian Evangelist.
real health and enjoyment to the as over against “ the freedom of the
Burying and Planting.
travelers, and many will bripg will,” has been in sharp discussion
On the first _of_May one of our weariness, dissapointment, and amongst Christians for at least
city families removed to New Jer­ heartache. All the dissipations fifteen-centuries. An7r~hb~ single
sey. The fiist work was to put the bury money, and what money can­ passage of the New Testament has
garden in order. Charley, a pre­ not buy, in a grave from which been of more prominence in this
cocious little boy, watched his father there is no resurrection. To read discussion than the words in the
intently for two or three mornings, worthless or poor books; to go to current lesson of t|ie International
asking innumerable questions about places of amusement which merely Series, “ As many as were ordained
entertain, without lifting iho seoti U> eternal life-beliuvGAL’’. ...Tlui-yuac-
potatoes, corn, peas and squashes, ments and imagination; to spend tical question in the study of this
lie caught the idea, as many older time in gossip with idle comjian- passage has been, and still is, Did
people catch ideas, by the tail. It ions; to form habits which lead to those persons believe because they
was the third night when his costly and hurtful practices; to were ordained ? or, Were those per-
"ffroiTnno^
"sonTo^^
"lather “can^^
general mourning in the family. heart’s life—is a burying of what —or on the ground that they would
Several choice china dishes, a ought to have been saved to plant. believe ?
When this passage was under
score of costly ornaments from the And from burying nothing but de­
parlor, and three or four valuable cay and ashes come.* The trouble consideration in the lesson for July
small pictures had disappeared. In with most people is that they have 15, 1877, the Rev. Dr. Kendrick,
the confusion Charley had been spent their days in burying instead writing in our columns, took the
forgotten. The maid said he had of planting, or in planting what ground that Luke here. “ declares
clearly that the divine foreordain­
been amusing himself in the garden had better been buried.
To plant wisely and generously ing purpose determined the fact
all the afternoon. His father went
is
the.great thing. The secret of and the number of the believers;”
out and found him planting the
Fast picture. The little fellow happyTprofitable living, of heat&T and that “ this carries with it in
wanted to raise a whole crop of and friendship, arid public respect, essence the doctrine of election—a
beautiful things, and failed to see is in knowing how and what to doctrine essential to our conception
why if twenty potatoes would grow plant, and doing the work well in of Deity.” On the other hand, the
from one, twenty pictures and china the season of it., Every good lesson Rev. Newman Hall, also writing in
cups and articles of vertu could not learned is a seed planted to bring these columns, said :
forth fruit in its season. Every
“ What is the meaning of the
be produced in the same way.
good
habit,
every
good
book,
read,
word ‘ordained’— tetagmenvil The
The difference between planting
every
noble
purpose
carried
out,
verb is found in 1 Cor. 16 : 15, ‘ Ye
and burying is as poorly understood
every
true
friendship
formed,
are
know the house of Stephanas, that
by many grown people as by the
things
planted
that
will
yield
a
they have addicted themselves [‘set
little city boy. And there is a vast
rich
harvest
in
due
time.
It
is
as
themselves ” in the Revised New
deal of burying done under the
foolish
to
expect
happiness
from
Testament]
to the ministry of the
pretense of planting. People are
too apt to forget that burying is recklessness and folly as a crop of saints,’— etaxan heautous, that is,
not planting, and that every in­ paintings from planting chrouios in they ordained, ordered, disposed,
vestment of time, talents, interest, the back yard. It does not come addicted themselves to this service.
and money which is not likely to in that way. Wickedness planted Also in Rom. 13: 1, ‘The powers
yield a return of something valuable brings forth wretchedness. It is that bo are ordained [tetagmenai
is not planting, but burying. A only by planting the best things at eisin] of God, that is, are arranged,
great deal of the money spent by the right time, and in a wise and appointed. In these cases, refer­
thoughtless, fashionable people generous way that the rich harvest ence is made only to the present
time. In the former case, persons
yields no return gf comfort, of hap­ is insured.— Christian at Work.
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piness, of anything desirable; it is
devoted themselves to a certain
“
Ordained
to
Eternal
Life.
”
work ; and in the latter, it is God’s
simply buried. A large proportion
———— t
Once more the International appointment, that there are civil
of the investments made by shrewd”
business men under the infatuations Lessons bring before the Bible­ magistrates to maintain order. So
of speculative crazes are not plant­ studying public a passage of Scrip­ in this passage we may read, ‘ As
ed, but buried. Only last week a ture which has for centuries marked many as were disposed to, addicted
railroad bed which cost nearly a a division line between great bodies to, set in order for eternal life (by
quarter of a million dollars was of Christians, and which can hardly whom, whether themselves or God,
sold for $35,000; the original in­ be treated fully, and with fairness, is not stated), believed. The con­
vestment was money buried. More without indicating the denomina­ text seems to settle the meaning.
than half of the things bought in tional preferences of the writer. In verse 4G we are told that the
these days because other people According to our custom in such a Jews were hot disposed to receive
have such things—articles of dress, matter, we do not close our columns the message of eternal life; they
ornament, finishing gewgaws—give against the expression of positive judged themselves unfit for it, they
no pleasure to the buyer, and add opinions on the point at issue, by thrust it away, they were not in a
nothing to the satisfaction of living; the writer of our Critical Notes for Btate of recipiency and desire, they
they represent money buried. Of the time being; but, in view of did not ‘ addict themselves ’ to
the fashionable excursions taken what he may have to say on one seeking salvation, they were not
z
- zzzzzz—r
therefore ‘ oidained to eternal life.’
But, in contrast to their condition,
we are told that the Gentiles were
candid in listening, felt their need
of the gospel, desired to be saved,
cultivated an inquiring and recep­
tive disposition, and so, ordained to
^^FnaTlife, 'ilTwas not wonderfud
that they should receive what they
so desired, and that they ‘ be­
lieved.’ ”
And now that the passage is
again before our readers, Dr.
Woolsey asserts that “ Luke speaks
both historically and theologically;”
moreover, that “ there is no good
reason for the translation ‘ had ar­
ranged themselves, or put them-
■seTves)"in the ra'uks foreternal life,
which some have given to this
passage.’” As over against this,
we lay before our readers the
statements of Dr. D. D. Whedon, a
prominent Methodist scholar, in his
Commentary on Acts. He «ays on
this point:
‘“Ordained to eternal life’—
should be rendered, disposed to
eternal Ji
the eager predisposition just above
mentioned in the heart of many of
these Gentiles on learning that old
prophecy proclaims a- Messiah for
them, its many as were so inclined '
to the eternal life now offered,com­
mitted themselves by faith to the
blessed Jesus. Rarely has a text
been so violently wrenched from its
connections with the context, and
strained beyond its meaning for a
purpose, than has been this clause
in support of the doctrine of pre­
dr stination. There is not the least
plausibility in the notion that Luke
in this simple history is referring to |
uny eternal decree predestinating
these men to eternal life. The
word here rendered- ordained
usually signifies placed, positioned,
disposed. It^may refer to the
material or to the mental position.
It is a verb in the passive form, a
form which frequently possesses a
reciprocal active meaning; that is,
it frequently signifies an action per­
formed by one’s self upon one’s
self. Thus in Rom.
22, The ves­
sels of wrath Jitted to destruction
are carefully affirmed, even by pre-
deatinarians, to be fitted by them­
selves. Indeed, the very Greek
word here rendered ordained is
frequently used, compounded with
a preposition, in the New Testa­
ment itself, in the passive form
with a reciprocal meaning. Thus
Rom. .13: 1, lie subject unto the
higher powers, is literally, place
yourselves under the higher powers. >