CHRISTIAN HERALD, V- 4 •< » ' _' • 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. ----------- ♦ » ........... 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. >