from the very first committed to the flames, as a noted heresiarch. This was refused by the doge and senate, who, when he was at last condemned, freed him from the punishment of the fire by an express decree. It was the will of God that he should bear his testimony to the truth for so long a time; and that, like a person affixed to a cross, he should, as from an eminence, proclaim to all the world the restoration of Christianity, and the revelation of antichrist. At last, this pious and excellent man, whom neither threatenings nor promises could move, sealed his doctrine by an undaunted martyrdom, and exchanged the filth and protracted tortures of a prison for a watery grave.'" pp. 231–236. We would gladly go on, but must bring our extracts to a close, by strongly and earnestly recommending both works now under fell at his feet, and supplicated him in the his imprisonment. In the first place, the The Burial and Resurrection of and characteristic fault of all his gelists, or two passages of the same Evangelist, he is too ready to fear the hostile use of such an apparent contradiction, and too prone to acquiesce in a suspicion of the inspiration of one or other of the parties, or of the genuineness of one or other of the original passages. We do not mean to say that they are light or superficial difficulties which would shake the faith of such a scholar as Michaelis, but that where there exists a real one, he is too apt to supply some sweeping sort of solvent that gets rid of all the difficulty indeed, but takes something else along with it-more than in many cases we are disposed to concede. Michaelis was one of those jealous critics that did not like to see a single obscurity in the face of revelation. Anxious to remove every cause of objection, every stone of stombling and rock of offence, he has sometimes become guilty of attempting to make the road smoother or straighter than it has been left by the unerring spirit of wisdom. It may subserve, rather than impede, the interests of Christianity, to concede that there are many, and at present, and to us, inexplicable difficulties connected with the sacred volume. Let the advocate of revelation recollect, much more serious and alarming inferences would be connected with the total abolition of difficul ties in revelation, than now result from all that can be collected by the ingenuity and the learning both of friends and enemies. In our zeal to remove the difficulties and meet the objections of adversaries, we ought not to overlook the important distinction between what is essentially absurd, and what may only appear so to inadequate judges and incompetent faculties. should never omit to remind opponents that every thing which appears difficult of explanation is not absolutely inexplicable; and We that there may exist many irreconcilable statements which may not be false, because the means of reconciling them may once have existed, or may yet be discovered. This has been the case with numberless objections to different biblical statements, which, in an inferior state of knowledge and science, appeared inexplicable; but which have vanished before later discoveries. It is demonstrable, that had no difficulties at all existed in reference to the contents of revelation, we should have been deprived altogether of some very material branches of the internal evidence. The continued discovery of such difficulties, supposing them never to reach the amount of a full and clear absurdity, is one continued source of new proof, which we could not have enjoyed, upon the supposition of only a few, and those temporary difficulties. It must be shown that the existence of such difficulties at all is inconsistent with the nature of God, and irreconcilablé with the fact of a relevation being given from him, before any argument can be drawn from them to the prejudice of that revelation. This, we think, will never be at tempted by men of any understanding, or of any honesty, so long as analogy supplies them with difficulties in the natural world quite as appalling as any that are connected with revelation. Supposing the obscurities and difficulties had been few in number, and slight, or superficial, they would soon have been removed, and would not have supplied continued excitement to friends and enemies, and their existence, therefore, altogether, would have subserved no important end. If difficulties have a use in reference to the internal evidence, they must be not only "hard to be understood," but " very hard to be understood," as Mr. Benson has remarked; and to render them efficient, it is necessary that a considerable portion of them should remain for explanation age after age. It is incalculable how much the Christian argument is indebted to this arrangement of providence, which has allowed the existence of Scripture difficulties. The faith of believers is greatly confirmed and renewed by their elucidation; and every age, as it stands in need of excitement, and of that kind of excitement which shall perpetuate the faith of men of learning and talent, must therefore either supply new difficulties by fresh discoveries, or employ themselves in endeavouring to reduce the original stock that may yet remain unsolved, and some of which, it is probable, will continue to exercise the learning and ingenuity of biblical critics to the last age of the world. It should be borne in mind, that every real difficulty, when once removed before increasing light and science, becomes a fresh argument; and the mind, that makes, and the many minds that receive, the discovery, all feel an excitement and confirmation of faith proportionable to the obstinacy or the bearings of the difficulty removed. it by concealing, in the translation, the real import of the term ȧv0váry, and have employed a word of ambiguous meaning. The discovery of an ancient medal, with this very same title assigned to the governor of this province, and of about the same age, has for ever removed the objection, and solved the difficulty, but not without greatly confirming the faith of learned men in the historical accuracy of the book of the Acts. "When the learning or ingenuity of some laborious antiquary or divine has met with an inscription on a marble or a coin, which has hitherto been overlooked or unknown, and by applying it to some difficulty under which we were labouring, gives a clear and happy solution of the whole, a new and unwonted vigour is immediately communicated to our faith. an apparent objection to the credibility of the Bible has thus been turned into a real evidence of its truth, and the consequence which naturally follows, is that of giving an additional degree of confidence to our reliance upon a religion whose very weakness has been proved to be strength."-Benson. For But we have alluded to the proneness of Michaelis to attach too much weight to such difficulties as appeared to him hard of solution, and to his extreme sensibility to the bearing of such difficulties. This, as we have said, we think was the characteristic defect of his mind, and it is the great defect pervading his writings. It is singularly prominent in this volume. We could select several instances, but shall content ourselves with one which admits of being briefly stated. We have made these observations under the impression that Michaelis, with all his learning, appears to have been unconscious, or, at least, not sufficiently sensible, of the advantages which revelation derives from the obscurities contained within its own pages. A single instance of such advantage arising from the difficulties, we shall state, for the sake of illustrating the remarks we have offered, Acts xiii. 7. The title of Proconsul is given to the governor of, Cyprus. Infidels have very On Mark xvi. 18, "They shall properly objected, that he should take up serpents," he observes, have been stiled the Prætor of the p. 267. province. So seriously did the difficulty weigh, both with our translators and with Beza, that they have endeavoured to evade "Or, as it is in some manuscripts, although I do not consider this addition to and take up serpents with their hands;' be genuine. The only instance of such a miracle, recorded in the New Testament, is Acts xxviii. 3-6 It has been asserted by some critics, that the words in the common text, and which are in all manu scripts and translations, are not genuine; and that they should be, and they shall banish all serpents; although it is not pretended Paul banished all serpents from Malta. But such criticism cannot affect the authenticity of the received book. I cannot refrain from saying, that these words do not exactly please me; although my objection to them is of another kind, and rests upon this,-that from want of perspicuity, they have not sufficient dignity, and, at the first sight, strike the reader as something inferior. To have serpents in you hands, namely, such as are accustomed to it, or rather, whose four poisonous teeth are taken out; or to hold hold them by the tail, when they cannot turn round their head to seize the hand, is one of the common mountebank tricks of impostors in Asia and Egypt: it is scarcely credible, that the apostles would imitate this degraded piece of art, to take up serpents in their hands that really had their venomous teeth entire. What happened to Paul, upon whose hand a serpent dashed from the fire, and coiled round him, is totally distinct; it happened only once, and was not so much taking up serpents, as remaining uninjured by them. I would not, however, upon this account, expunge words which are so common in manuscripts and old translations ; but rather let my doubts operate upon the whole of this appendix to Mark.' Thus the learned author would derive from this passage, destitute as he deems it of perspicuity and dignity, and for these very reasons, an impeachment of the concluding verses of Mark's Gospel. But in so doing, he has taken very unjustifiable ground; and it is not a little singular, that a critic of his acuteness should have overlooked the fact, that these words coincide most remarkably with the Saviour's address to the seventy disciples, Luke x. 19. "Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you." It was unworthy so distinguished a philologist and divine, to charge this verse in Mark with the want of perspicuity and dignity, or to insinuate that it had an air of inferiority. Certainly, by associating the idea with the tricks of Egyptian and Indian jugglers, he has cast an air of inferiority about it; but when it is viewed in connexion with the verse from Luke, it will surely not seem destitute either of meaning or of dignity. much by way of confirming the But though we have said thus moderated opinion we entertain of Michaelis's judgment and feeling, we are yet willing to subscribe to the general tribute of applause, which his critical labours have received. Perhaps no man of his age was equally versed in all Jewish affairs. From his extensive knowledge of their history, literature, and manners, he has thrown much light upon many obscurities of both the Old and New Testament. volume now before us, is a sort The of running criticism on the accounts contained in all the Evangelists of the Burial and Resurrection of Christ. The difficulties which attend the narrative have never been But then they are not difficulties entirely overcome. of so formidable a nature as to make faith faulter. In the narration of complicated events, by different persons, at considerable intervals of time, each under different circumstances, and of a widely different intellectual character, not only are differences to be expected, but minor variations of detail, with general agreement as to the main facts, are more satisfactory proofs of an independent and honest testimony on the part of each, than an entire and exact agreement in all the nonessentials of the narration. it regards the general amount of Michaelis's labour upon this important subject, we cannot speak in exalted terms. In minute matters of verbal criticism, there are some admirable and valuable scraps to be gleaned from the As volume, one of which we shall presently cite, although the substance of the criticism has been long before the public. He who should expect to find in this volume the vast learning and skill of Michaelis, employed to throw the evangelic narratives into a consistent harmony, will be disappointed. The learned author himself seems to despair of ever removing the obscurities, and, without ceremony, hints at the necessity of relinquishing our faith in the inspiration of at least two out of the four evangelists. But we cannot enter into a full description of the contents. There are many valuable remarks mixed up with others of a very questionable tendency, and some directly injurious to the interests of revealed religion. We shall, however, now give the extract to which we have referred, as a favourable specimen of the useful criticisms the work contains. “ Teach all nations.'] In other words, make all nations my disciples. The name of disciple,' was at the time a common appellation in Palestine, adopted by two religions, in their ground-work essentially distinct. Christians are termed in the Acts of the Apostles, saints,' those who are of the way,' brethren,' and disciples.' Those who held John the Baptist to be the great prophet, in opposition to Jesus, were called Mendaens,' or more properly Mendai Juchanen,' the disciples of John: Christ therefore ordains that they should make disciples of all men, by baptising them, and teaching them his entire doctrine. I will first endeavour to explain this with reference to our common translation, both in German and English, a translation which has produced such practical difference of opinion in the Christian church, and thus satisfy, I hope, the minds of those who have applied to me for my opinion upon the subject. Jesus lays down two rules of action, by which men were to become his disciples; 1. By baptism. 2. By teaching them to conform to every thing which he had taught them. As the rule here certainly does not apply to little children, but to those to whom the apostles were to preach the Gospel, we may, perhaps, be sur prised at the arrangement, which places baptism before instruction. This, how ever, is in strict conformity with the actual conduct of the apostles, aud was, at the same time, very reasonable. If men were ready, in consequence of the preaching, and of the miracles, performed by the apostles, to adopt the religion of Christ, they did not undergo a long examination, or make preparations for baptism, but were baptised without delay, some on the same day, some in the night, and some at the very hour. Acts ii. 37, 38, 41; three thousand at Pentecost, day, and before Paul entered the house; chap. xvi. 14, 15; Lydia on the first and chap. xvi. 30-33, the gaoler at Philippi in the night; and the instructions in the new religion were subsequently given to the converts. He, whose mind was convinced by the miracles which accompanied the apostolic preaching, believed in Jesus by baptism, namely, that he was the Messiah-the great teacher-Judge both of the living and of the dead, and bound himself to receive the commands which might subsequently be enjoined him. Instructions, therefore, very very reasonably followed baptism. With us, indeed, this cannot be the case, for we have no workers of miracles, and in our days, we can only convince by instruction and by study; although, in my opinion, where the baptism is of an adult, this instruction is sometimes extended too long. What the apostles must have thought of infant baptism, when they received this command from Jesus, will be obvious to one who is not unacquainted with the customs of the Jews. The Jews, even during the time of Christ, baptised proselytes; namely, Pagans who attached themselves to the Jewish people and to the religion of Moses, and who considered themselves, by the rites of baptism, and not, in point of fact, by circumcision, the children of Abraham. I have explained this more fully in my other works. The Jewish baptism of proselytes extended to children, to the little children of the Pagans who embraced the religion of the Jews. When Jesus, therefore, says to those who were already accustomed to the baptism of Pagan children, make all nations my disciples, by baptism and by teaching,' placing baptism before teaching, it was impossible but that they should think that the children of the heathen who embraced Christianity were to be baptised. In fact, if Jesus had not wished to express this, he would, as expressly, have condemned the customary baptism of infants amongst the Jews, as an abuse, but by not doing so, Jews could only understand him, according to the tenor of those existing customs with which they were already connected. This is now the passage in the translation, both in the authorised English Bible and in Luther's |