than we apprehend, yet to them who fleep, and are unconscious of what paffes, it will appear lefs than a moment; and the very fame inftant, which feparates them from this mortal life, muít to their thought and apprehenfion be that, which unites them for ever to their Saviour and their God. I do not mention it with any confiderable ftrefs, that there feems a fort of equality, which is not unpleafing to the human mind in fuch a conftitution as we are fpeaking of; where no perfon is distinguished from another, either to his advantage or lofs, on account of the difference in the time of his birth, which is wholly arbitrary, and constitutes no part of his character and defert; but each man appearing in his own order, and receiving at the hand of providence the materials of his future character and hope, having filled up the ftation affigned him either to his honour or difgrace, retires at the appointed time, and waits till a general day of retribution, to receive in common with all, who have borne any part in the concerns of human life, that sentence, which his conduct has deferved from the univerfal Judge and Parent. And one person has no more reafon to complain, that an examination has not been made into his character and conduct before this time; than another, that he was not brought into the scene sooner.' "We need not fcruple to confefs that this is a conftitution. which would not recommend itself by its agreeableness to our inclinations. The cafe of the firft Chriftians, and thofe of the prefent day, differs in this; that whereas the former had but very imperfect notions of the Divinity, and faint expectations of his favour and future happiness, they would accept with joy, even a distant hope of immortality: but we, having been accuftomed to confider immortality as our birthright, and an inheritance entailed upon our nature; not as the immediate gift of God by Jefus Chrift, to fuch as he approves, and is determined to honour in this way, are ready to look with displeasure upon a fcheme, which deprives us of thefe flattering notions, or promifes any thing lefs than uninterrupted confcioufnefs and enjoyment. Yet it would certainly be better, if, ceafing to argue from our prejudices and wishes to the real nature of things, and that which is, or ought to have been the conftitution of provi dence, we confine ourfelves to a fober impartial examination of the fcriptures; forming our judgment and hope by the light they afford us.' What weight thete reafonings may have on thofe, who have embraced the oppofite opinion, we cannot tell; nor is it our province to enter into a controverfy which hath already long engaged the attention of fome of our ableft, critics: but this we will venture to fay, that the paffages we have extracted are very fenfible and pertinent, delivered with great modefty and propriety, and deferve to be confidered,-Our Readers, in this preliminary G&4 preliminary differtation will meet with a very candid and ingenious criticism upon the famous text in the Philippians, Ch. i. 23. and fome very juft remarks upon our Saviour's memorable words to the thief upon the cross, To-day fhalt thou be with me in paradife, Luke xxiii. 43: but, agreeable as it would be to ourfelves to tranfcribe them, the limits we are confined to in this article forbid it; efpecially as we intend to give a specimen of our Author's critical learning and genius, from his notes on the 15th of 1ft Cor.-and the paffage we fhall felect for this purpose is that very difficult one in the 29th verfe, Elfe what muft they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rife not at all? a text which hath exercised the genius of commentators, and given rise to a greater variety of unfuccefsful conjectures, than almost any other in the New Teftament. After mentioning the interpretations that have been given by Voffius, Le Clerc, the late Dr. Ward, and other learned critics, Mr. Alexander proceeds to propose his own fentiments of the paffage in the following manner : I think that the apoftle does not fuppofe Chriftians in general, or any particular perfons among them, to have been in reality baptized for the dead, whatever fenfe we chufe to put upon the phrafe; but is only drawing a confequence from his adverfary's principles, and afferts here that Chriftians are baptized for the dead, juft as he had afferted, ver. 15, that Chrift is not raised, that is upon fuppofition there is no refurrection. And I understand the queftion in this manner:-not, What fhall they do, if the dead rife not, who are baptized for the dead? but, What shall they do, who, if the dead rife not, are baptized for the dead? We are then to inquire what is meant by being baptized for the dead. To do any thing for the dead, with a view to benefit ourselves or others while under that state, is a mark of extreme madness and ftupidity, and can agree to none but fuch as have loft their fenfes, and are entirely governed by fuperftition or phrenzy. It is for this reafon, that ungere mortuos, mederi mortuis, and fuch kind of phrafes, were made use of to exprefs labour loft. Something of this kind was perhaps intended by being baptized for the dead. That fo many learned and judicious critics have been able to fix no rational fense upon the words, as alluding to Chriftian baptism, is a fufficient prefumption that the apoftle intended to exprefs an abfurdity. For what could be more happily thought of, to describe the desperate and hopeless fituation of converts to Chriftianity, upon the fcheme he is confuting, than to confider them as having all their views centered in the grave, and by their very baptifmal engagements entering into alliance with, and recognizing their relation to, all who have gone down to the habitation of the dead. • Some Some have thought the expreffion elliptical, and that we may fupply αναστασεως between ύπερ & νεκρων ; as if the apoftle had faid, What fhall they do who are baptized for a refurrection of the dead, if the dead rife not? But this is not probable and if we may fill up fentences in this arbitrary manner, without regard to the genius of a language, and the received rules of interpretation, the province of criticism would be reduced to mere fuppofition and guefs-work. Befides, what Author, who had any regard to perfpicuity, would fay that men performed any action for, or for the fake of the dead, when he only meant that they did it for the fake of a refurrection from the dead? • We need not perhaps be very ftudious to fix the precife and determinate idea which the apoftle had to the phrafe, being baptized for the dead; fince, whether we confider Chriftians as being baptized for the dead in general, or their departed friends in particular, or only with a view to their own condition and fettlement in the grave, their conduct muft appear in the fame abfurd and ridiculous light. Yet as this comes after the affertion above, that Chriftians were of all men moft worthy of compaffion without the hope of another ftate, it may be confidered as a proof or illuftration of fuch an affertion. It is connected by the conjunction π, a particle, which, in the argumentative ftile, is ufed when any one defigns to confute an adverfary's principles by fixing upon them fome abfurd confequence, or eftablifh his own by fhewing a neceffary inconvenience that will attend the denial of them and it may be rendered, for in fuch a cafe, or otherwife, according to the connection. Our tranflators, by rendering it elfe, according to the laft fignification, feem to have thought it connected with the claufes immediately, preceeding. But it is more probable that the apoftle is confirming his former reafoning, and here refumes the chain, which he had dropt at the end of the nineteenth verfe; because he continues it from this place, and proceeds to fhew other abfurd confequences that follow from the denial of a refurrection. If any fhould ftill happen to be of opinion, that the parts are too distant to be confidered in this clofe connection, I do not know any other fignification that can be given to it, except that very rare one we meet with now and then in Plutarch; who, as the grammarians obferve, ufes it fometimes for dana, but. Upon the whole, I imagine the writer to have this thought; "It is evident we embrace Chriftianity with no worldly views, for our religion gives us no profpect of what men call honour, power, riches, or pleasures; on the contrary, we become fubject to endless troubles and indignities, are reviled and perfecuted by all the world, and are under obligations to part with every thing, and life itself, rather than give up the truth and deny deny the name of Jefus.You fay further, there is no referrection, nor future recompence. It remains then, that the men, who look for nothing in this life, nor in a life to come, muft have their whole attention turned to the grave, and expect fome honours and advantages in that filent abode; for which they are fo willing to refign the momentary bleffings of life, that they may fecure an intereft with death, and enjoy undifturbed repofe and tranquillity there." I think it can hardly be doubted, but his defign was to contraft the fublime expectation of Chriftians, with that deplorable ftate, in which this new doctrine reprefents them. ton. The phrafe T Torso is fometimes equivalent to Ti cpeños, and may be rendered, what will they be bettered or advantaged, Παρασίας λιθον λοιδορει τι ποιήσεις, ανιόν τις ως λίθος ακοή, τι οφελος τω λοιδορούζι ; "If you ftand by a ftone and rail at it plentifully, what would you get by fuch an action? if therefore you accuftom yourself to hear ill language, with as little emotion as a stone, what advantage can another man have over you by an abufive tongue?" Epictet. ab Arriano, p. 131. Ed. ÚpBut it is the fentiment of Alberti, that these words denote diftrefs and danger, a ftate of deep affliction and mifery. Thus, he fays that Oμos T1 Spαsw; Alas! what fhall I do? is an exclamation very common in antient tragedy, and expreffes the grief and anxiety of mind to which perfons are reduced by unexpected calamities, or fuch as they fee no way to be delivered from. And though he does not quote any authorities from tragic or other writers, to fhew that Tons is used by the Greeks, as quid faciam? perii by the Latins, yet perhaps the following ufes of the phrafe will be fufficient to confirm his opinion. Ovx εχων ၀ါး ποιήσει and αμηχανων οτι ποιήσει fignify quite at a lofs what to do, in the utmost diftrefs how to act, Xenophontis Ephes. p. 75 & 78. OUTS OLEO DE TOIESEID H. T.,λ. To what a difmal fituation do you think he will be reduced, &c. Plutarch in Phocion, v. 4. p. 184. 1. ult. So Job xxxi. 14. Ti yaр πcin5w ×. T. λ. What fhall I do, or what will become of me, when God rifeth up? We may therefore tranflate the whole paffage in its connexion, thus: "If we have hope in Chrift only in this life, we really deserve pity beyond any men in the world. For what can be more wretched than their fituation, who have only been baptized for the dead, if the dead never rife?" We hope our readers will excufe us in giving this long note, not only as it is upon a difficult text, which hath much divided our ableft critics and commentators; but as it ferves to fhew, what learning and fagacity our Author difcovers in the ufe he makes of his claffical reading, towards explaining particular phrates in the facred writings. We We fhall conclude this article, with juft mentioning the fermon, which is printed at the clofe of the work; the title of it is this; A diligent application to the proper business of life recommended from the immortality of man: it is founded upon those words of Solomon Ecclef. ix. 10. Whatfoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goeft. The difcourfe is a fenfible, grave, and truly moral one, and upon a fubject ever seasonable and important: but what determined his friends to give it a place in this publication was this remarkable and highly affecting circumftance; it was Mr. Alexander's last Sermon, and composed by him the day preceding his death: he went to bed on the Saturday evening apparently in perfect health, and was found dead early the next morning; and this difcourfe lay upon his defk, juft finished. A circumftance, which without any mixture of fuperftition, might well be fuppofed to affect every serious mind: and we cannot help adding, that if fome of his furviving brethren had delivered this difcourfe, as his, at the time of his interment; it could not but have made a deep impreffion upon the minds of an audience: with how much force and energy muft they, under fuch circumstances, have received the following fentiments, which we meet with towards the conclufion of the fermon? The longest life of man is fhort and fleeting, and foon comes to its period. But how much of this fhort duration may be reckoned upon, even by the young and vigorous, is the most uncertain thing in nature. A thoufand unforeseen caufes may operate to break the thread of pur days in the midft, and abridge even this narrow period. The narrow limits of human life leave no room for idleness and delay. Every moment, as it paffes before as in quick fucceffion, calls upon us to improve it to the utmoft; and make that our own, by wifdom and virtue, which when once past can never be recalled. Year after year admonishes us that life speeds away, and that we have bufinefs of importance to be finifhed. The present moment is now before us, as the former one; but when it is gone, it will never return; no prayers or entreaties can bring it back; it must be fet down to our account, either to our praife or confufion.-To-day then, while it is called to-day, let us lay hold upon life, and improve the bleffings that are put into our hands, that we may die the death of the righteous, and that our latter end may be Jike theirs.' S |