in the last century was a political and moral volcano. Anarc and infidelity broke out there in such frightful ravages and co vulsions, as to put an effectual check upon the risings and her ings of other nations, and to furnish a safeguard to society a the church in every subsequent age of the world. And w can say, that our world is not the vent of sin for the moral u verse, designed to exert a conservative influence over thousa of worlds and myriads of intelligent beings through endless age The lightning and the tempest often ravage the earth a destroy human life, but they also purify the atmosphere : prevent it from becoming fatal on a larger scale. So the ju ments of heaven reform individuals, purify churches, correct cial habits and improve national character. The modern Italian derives subsistence and pleasure from surface of the lava, that entombed Herculaneum and Pomp Europe owed the revival of letters not a little to the destruct of Constantinople; and the Gentile world were indebted to persecution of the church at Jerusalem for the general propa tion of the Gospel. Indeed if there is any truth in natural, litical and ecclesiastical history, convulsions have been a pri pal means of fertilizing and beautifying the surface of the ear revolutions, of reforming and advancing society; and perse tions, of purifying and enlarging the church. Who is not str with the peculiar wisdom, that originated this plan of operati and the symmetry, that extended it to every department of divine government?t Slavery, that scourge of Africa and curse and disgrace of nations that have sanctioned it, has it done no good? To nothing of the conversion and salvation of thousands, that wo otherwise have lived and died in heathenism, what else has p * That the influence of the fall together with the scheme of recor is not confined to our world, is clear from such passages as the lowing. Luke 15: 10. Col. 1: 20. 1 Cor. 4: 9. Eph. 3: 20. That should affect all moral beings accords with all our ideas of moral fluence, and to suppose that it does, gives new grandeur to the sche of moral government and to the plan of redemption. This feature of the divine government does not justify the radi reformer, any more than the cruel persecutor. The divine plan m be wise, and the divine purpose good, while yet there is neither w dom nor goodness in the human agency. duced or could have produced that unparalleled sympathy and excitement in behalf of Africa, which has led so many white missionaries to breathe her pestilential airs and lay their bones on her burning sands; and what else has sent back so many of her own sons, civilized, enlightened and redeemed to build up nations on her coasts and spread the blessings of knowledge, society and religion through the countless heathen tribes of the interior? And the evil one himself,-has he not been the means of doing good? He too has occasioned a sympathy in behalf of his wretched victims through all the heavenly hosts, and "there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons, that need no repentance." When he drove on his slaves to crucify the son of God, he helped to execute a scheme, which the angels desire to look into, and which all holy beings will study and contemplate with ineffable wonder, love and joy forever and ever. The animal kingdom, which is sometimes represented as a mere scene of carnage and cruelty, is a scheme of comprehensive wisdom and goodness; and the existence of carnivorous and venomous animals, so far from a blemish, is the wisest and best and most wonderful part of the scheme. Venomous animals rarely attack other species except for purposes of defence or subsistence. Now what more effectual means of defence against the larger animals could be devised, than their venomous bite or sting; and what other way of destroying their smaller prey would be so sudden, so easy, and attended with so little pain! The destruction of many animals is absolutely necessary to prevent such a multiplication of them, as would exhaust vegetation and subject not only the whole animal kingdom, but man himself to a lingering, torturing death by famine. Now how profound, how superhuman is the wisdom, which makes this necessary destruction, the means of subsistence and happiness to another class of animals, that execute it in a manner far less painful to the victims, than the slow tortures of famine, disease or old age! But for the comforts of society, the pleasures of intellect, and the hopes and fears of immortality, it would be better for man to die in the same way. As it is his reason which exempts him from the scheme of animal destruction, so it is his rational and immortal nature only, which renders it deVOL. XI. No. 30. 46 sirable that he should be exempted. Thus without any loss on the whole, but rather the reverse, to the herbivorous tribes, the happiness of the carnivorous species is clear gain to the sum total of animal enjoyment.* Now it is a doctrine of christian theology, that the sum total of moral as of natural good is enhanced by the existence of evil. We cannot see so clearly how this result is effected in the moral as in the natural world, hence there is some dispute as to the manner. But as to the fact, there can be no doubt. The Bible implies it, and we see enough of the process to satisfy a reasonable mind. The sins and temptations of a wicked world give occasion for the exercise of some virtues, which could not otherwise exist, and discipline other virtues to a degree of strength and perfection, which they could not otherwise attain. Earth with all its barrenness and thorns and briars, is the very soil for faith and patience and charity to bloom in and bear their precious harvest of golden fruit. Without the existence of evil, there could not be the luxury, to us unequalled, of contemplating our deliverance and praising our Deliverer. The beauties of the Redeemer's character and the glories of redemption could have been exhibited only in a theatre of sin and misery. Other worlds may owe their continued allegiance to our apostacy, their further progress in know. ledge and holiness to our folly and guilt; and the holy universe will understand the nature, perceive the beauty, and enjoy the pleasures of holiness far more than if sin and misery had never existed. As in the natural world, destruction and pain afford the means of subsistence and pleasure, so in the spiritual world, sin and misery furnish nutriment to holiness and happiness; and as the happiness of carnivorous animals is clear gain without any loss to the herbivorous, so without doing the wicked any wrong, the Head of the church will by their means greatly enhance the boliness and happiness of his people, while he makes a matchless display of his own wisdom and goodness. Thus he causes all *For authority and more extended discussion on this subject, the reader may refer to Paley's Nat. Theol. chap. 26. and Buckland's Bridg. Treat. chap. 13. Theologians of all parties agree, that evil is in some way, or for some reason, incidental to the best system. Rom. 3: 5-7. 5:20. 11: 11, 12, 32, 33, etc. the wrath of the elements and animals and men and devils to praise him and to work together for the good of the universe; and we only need clearer eyes, larger minds and better hearts to see every apparent evil in every department of the divine government producing real good. "All nature is but art unknown to thee, All chance, direction which thou canst not see, All partial evil, universal good." [To be concluded.] ARTICLE III. FRATERNAL APPEAL TO THE AMERICAN CHURCHES, TOGETHER WITH A PLAN FOR CATHOLIC UNION ON APOSTOLIC PRINCIPLES.* By S. S. Schmucker, D. D., Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theology in the Theol. Sem. of General Synod of the Lutheran Church, Gettysburg, Penn. [Concluded from p. 131.] WHILST Contemplating the church of the Redeemer from the time when the Master tabernacled in the flesh, to the present day, we are, as was formerly remarked, forcibly struck by the contrast between her visible unity in the earlier centuries, and the multitude of her divisions since the Reformation. During the former period, the great mass of the orthodox christian community on earth, constituted one universal or catholic church; excepting only several comparatively small clusters of Christians, such as the Donatists and Novatians. Now, the purest portion of God's heritage, the Protestant world, is cleft into a multitude of parties, each claiming superior purity, each maintaining a separate ecclesiastical organization. The separation of the Protestants from the Papal hierarchy, was an insuperable duty; for Rome had poisoned the fountains of truth by her corruptions, and death or a refusal to drink from her cup was the only alternative. Babylon, the great, was fallen" To the substance of this article, which, (as stated in the last No. of the Repository, p. 86, was prepared a year ago,) a few paragraphs only have been added in view of more recent events. under the divine displeasure, and "the voice from heaven" must be obeyed, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not her plagues.”* But that the Protestants themselves should afterwards separate from each other; should break communion with those whom they professed to regard as brethren, was inconsistent with the practice of the apostolic church, and, at least in the extent to which it was carried, and the principle on which it was based, detrimental to the interests of the christian cause. But it must not be forgotten, that the position thus assumed, was, so far as its ulte rior results are concerned, rather adventitious than designed. The Protestant churches struggled into existence amid circumstances of excitement, oppression and agitation both civil and ecclesiastical. This state of things was highly unpropitious alike to the forma tion of perfect views of church polity in theory, and their introduction in practice. The Reformation itself, could not have been effected, unless aided by the civil arm, which protected its agents from papal vengeance. A total exclusion of the civil authorities from ecclesiastical action, would probably have blasted the Reformation in the bud; even if the views of the earlier Reformers had led them to desire such exclusion. Owing partly to these circumstances, and partly to the remains of papal bigotry still adhering to them, the Protestants in different countries successively assumed organizations not only entirely separate, as in some respects they properly might be; but hav ing little reference to the church as a whole, and calculated to cast into the back ground the fundamental unity which actually exists between them. Without entering into a detail of their origin, it may not be amiss, in view of the popular reader, to advert to the successive dates of their formation. The Lutheran church grew up with the Reformation itself, which commenced in 1517. The early history of the one, in Germany, Denmark, Prussia, Sweden, and Norway is also the history of the other. The commencement of the church may be dated, either from 1520, when Luther renounced his allegiance to popery, by committing the emblems of papal power, the bulls and canons, to the flames; or, more properly it may be fixed at 1530, when the reformers presented their confession of faith, to the emperor and diet at Augsburg. It is to be regretted, that this eldest branch of the Protestant church adopt * Rev. 18: 3, 4. |