THE

CHRISTIAN REVIEW

AND

Clerical Magazine.

APRIL 1829.

KRUMMACHER'S EVANGELICAL SERMONS.

Sammlung Evangelischer Predigten von Dr. FRIED. WILH. KRUMMACHER, Pfarrer zu Gemarke. Blicke ins Reich der Gnade.

Collection of Evangelical Sermons of the Rev. Dr. F. W. KRUMMACHER, Minister of Gemarke. Views into the Kingdom of Grace. Elberfeld: 1828. 8vo. pp. vi. and 267.

THE

HE Rev. Dr. Krummacher ranks as one of the most popular among the orthodox preachers of Germany. Our attention was first called to his works by a single sermon, on the woman of Samaria, which was put into our hands by a friend; and of which we should probably have attempted an entire translation, for the benefit of our readers, if we could have agreed with the pious author in his views of the passage which forms his subject. Without professing to give a complete analysis of the work now before us, we feel desirous to offer a few extracts from it; by which it will easily be perceived, that the distinguishing features of our excellent author's style are liveliness, tenderness, and a great love to the things of which he treats. Though we have spoken of translating a whole sermon, this would be no easy matter. Not that the difficulties are of that kind, which are presented by some authors of modern Germany. The class of writers to whom we refer, have, as far as we can give an opinion, a great desire to appear original. But, having no originality in them, they attempt to effect their object by appearing strange. Hence needless and affected obscurity of language. Aristotle, R. Solomon Jarchi, and Tacitus, are ob

scure from their fulness, and from the gravity of their matter. And the couplet of the Welsh epigrammatist, upon the last of the three, will, at least in its second line, bear an application to all of them.

Veracem fecit probitas, natura sagacem,

Obscurum brevitas te, gravitasque brevem.

But it is not so with the obscurities occurring in the Neologian and Infidel writers of Germany. Many writers of this school are obscure because they are shallow; and strive to hide their poverty of thought and matter in a wordy mist: so that, in searching into their meaning, we are too often diving into emptiness. The dim something that they hang up glittering before us, is but a nebula without a star. The hard nut, when with much difficulty cracked, proves to be a nut without a kernel. Such, however, are not the difficulties which we find in translating the pious Krummacher. We believe that every language has certain ideas of its own; or, to speak in other words, that there are certain ideas that may be admirably well expressed in some one language, but cannot be transferred, without alteration, to another. Nor do we know of any language, to which this remark so forcibly applies, as to the German. It applies perhaps to the Hebrew language the least of any and the notions now so generally propagated, of the difficulty of transferring the ideas of holy Scripture contained in this language to others, are false, Popish, and pernicious. And as a general rule, we know of no better way of transferring the true sense of the Hebrew Bible to any other language, especially our own, than by rendering the Hebrew, as nearly as possible, word for word. Where our Authorized Version has departed from this plan, it has very generally adopted the wise precaution of giving the closer rendering in the margin; and a Bible with the marginal renderings of the Authorized Version, is what every student of the Scriptures, learned and unlearned, ought to have. But in translating from the German, especially from such German as that of Dr. Krummacher, we come continually to the most beautiful ideas, bold, touching, profound, as the case may be; yet ideas which we positively know not what to do with. If any one here smartly remarks, that the ideas which admit not of being transferred to another language cannot have much in them, he will only shew that, while he thinks to appear acute, he knows nothing about the matter. Under these circumstances, we might paraphrase, but it is not so easy to translate. In the passages which we offer, we feel that we by no means do justice to the original: and we now present them to our readers, pre

mising only that some other works, by the same author, are advertised at the conclusion of the present *.

The following is the conclusion of the second sermon, upon Gen. xlix. 14, 15: "Issachar is a strong ass," &c.

Oh then let each of us, who thinks himself safe within the walls of Jerusalem, come before God, and breathe a prayer, with David; "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Know that at the last day nought will avail save what the Holy Spirit hath begotten, created, and completed in us. All that is our own, all that is of man, will be burnt up, like stubble. All spirituality and devotion that is merely put on, all selfimposed piety, righteousness, and sanctity, will count for nothing, and will ascend in the flames. The question will not then be concerning the knowledge which we have derived from catechisms or from sermons; but what we have learned in the school of the Holy Ghost. It will not then be asked, how much you have prayed and sung; but whether you have sung and prayed in the Spirit and in truth, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will not then be examined, whether ye stood in connection with believers upon earth; but whether you stood in connection with Him, who is Eternal Life; whether you were truly united with the Head; that will be the question. Ah! there may be many of these unhappy Issachars in the world, who encamp between the borders, and from various motives have made themselves religious, or have suffered themselves to be made religious merely through the influence of men, without the least particle of religion in which the Spirit of God has had a hand. -God be merciful to all such, and open their eyes! Many may walk, selfdeceived, and dazzled as to their own state, through the goodly semblance of evangelical religion, which they themselves have assumed. The covering they have. But, under the covering, where is the contrite spirit? where the broken heart? where the seed of the new birth? where the new creature? where the unfeigned thirst for the blood of Jesus? Where is all this, which, wrought by the Spirit, alone constitutes the Christian? It is wanting, and the poor soul knows not its want! Ah, may the God of mercy guard us from such dreadful deceit, which includes eternal perdition in itself! May he with his thunder and with his trumpet drive us, from the post of danger between the borders of Egypt and of Canaan; and so help us, that we all may say with truth, in the words of the Book of Job, "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Amen. pp. 43-45.

We were struck with the brief opening of the next sermon, on Isai. xlix. 14-16: " But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

O word, O promise beyond compare! See; a fruit-tree by the well! Thou. sands of pilgrims, from ancient to recent days, have shaken from it golden fruit; and yet to this day it is green, and blooms, and bears, and its leaves do not wither! Give, troubled soul, but one shake. Here it rains manna. p. 49.

* Elias der Thisbiter, nach sienen Thaten, Erfahrungen und Schicksalen, dargestellt. Elberfeld.

Vier Predigten aus dem Lied der Lieder. Third edition. Elberfeld.

Surely this is the language of one, who has tasted, for himself, the good word of God.-The second verse of the text is thus handled :

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" So asks the Lord. Observe the ascent in these words. It has been already pointed out by many old interpreters, who say, "Therein lieth power."-" Can a woman FORGET," says the Lord at first. Can womankind, especially endued by God with rich plenitude of tenderness, forget, or cease, to love? Yes. Perhaps a woman may forget father and mother, and be joined to her husband. But can she forget her child also? May be, it is an unruly child. She chides it; but can she therefore FORGET it? Can she entirely shut it out from her love? Can she entirely banish it from her heart! Never. Speak I not truth, ye mothers? Yet let us make the supposition. She may forget her grown-up son, her daughter settled in life. But can she forget her babe? Can she exclude from her love and care the tender, helpless suckling? No, no. How were that possible? A tiger might; but not a tender mother. But let us suppose that possible, which is an impossibility: let us imagine that even a woman might for a while forget her babe: yet would it be possible for a mother to go so far, as not to have "compassion" on the son of her womb? as without pity to see her suckling droop and languish, in misery, want, distress, and pain? No, no. That woman's eye, who never shed tears before, could now become a fountain. And where is the mother who would not under such circumstances exclaim from the heart, "Ah, my poor, poor child! Would that I might suffer in thy stead!" Therefore, when the Lord asks, “Can a woman forget her sucking child?" are ye not ready, mothers, with the reply; and do ye not exclaim with one voice, "No, no; that is impossible? Then observe: the Lord in like manner will not forget his children. He loves you, therefore, with the tenderness of the most tender mother. But no. Here is more than mother's tenderness. Here is love beyond mother's love. For the Lord says not, "In like manner will I also not forget you." He says, "Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." Though an impossibility become possible, so that a good mother shall forget the son of her womb, yet I, the Unchangeable, I, the Selfexistent, will not forget thee. That is strong. Here opens before us an abyss of love, which no human eye can penetrate. For maternal tenderness like this, have we no conception, no sounding-line, no words! Daughter of Zion! and canst thou yet complain, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me?" Ah, the complaint is wrong, is sin, is blasphemy. Away with it, down in the dust, and worship! pp. 63–65.

Again, on the concluding verse of the text: "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

And as Zion generally, so has he graven each of his sheep in his hands. And O that thou couldest but once behold thine image there, beloved soul; thou wouldest be astounded, so gloriously art thou depicted in those hands. Not in the form which thou now bearest; not in the body of death, not in the infirmities and sins, which yet cleave to thee. Lo! as thou shalt one day be, the Lord hath graven thee in his hands! Already does he behold thee in the splendour of perfected glorification; while thou wanderest here below, in sheer conflict and misery: and such as thou standest graven in his hand, such shalt thou hereafter be. For this, his hands will provide. And thinkest thou there can be an instant, thinkest thou there can be a spot in the universe, where the Lord's eye shall not be on thee? Know, thou art continually before him. Sit

down in a corner, and cry. Water thy bed, at night, with thy tears. Lay thee down, with Elijah, beneath the lonely juniper. Creep, if thou wilt, into the lofty forest, and find its thickest shades. Even there God's maternal heart is with thee. Even there his maternal eye is over thee. Even there his hand holds thine, although thou feel it not. Wherever and whenever, and under whatsoever circumstances thou utterest the complaint, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me," thou speakest in error, thou wrongest thyself greatly, God is witness. Ah, were thine eyes, like the Prophet's servant's, but once opened to discern things invisible,-brother, thou wouldest stand amazed. pp. 66, 67.

In a sermon on the much-agitated text, Heb. vi. 4-6, we have the following remarks.

Now then, ye fallen, hear, O hear! From the Apostle's mouth issues a clap of thunder! "It is impossible," says he, "for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Ah, how fearful, how horrible the sound! Almost like that, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Yet thus much is evident, from the nature of the case : how hard must be the recovery of those, who, being already grounded in the spiritual life, and quickened by the sweetest experience of the love of God, have nevertheless apostatized. Therefore, if there be any one conscious of this apostasy, let that man tremble and quake. He has good cause. Let the word "impossible," in our text, fill him with alarm and horror. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall! Watch and pray. Take, beneath the cross, your fixed abode. There lie down to sleep; there rise up in the morning; there follow your vocation; there urge your eternal interests; there abide and live; there await the Bridegroom; there die: so are ye safe.

Great, my brethren, is your anxiety. In many a heart is there secret dread, weeping, and sobbing. I believe I am not wrong.-How is it then? Ah, Í see. There are some of us, who think themselves guilty of having thus apostatized, and to whom that "impossible" lies like a mountain upon the soul. Ah, my brethren, we bewail your case! But have ye then really apostatized? Yes, think you, yes; we really have. And are you alarmed at this? Ah, you sighing answer, so alarmed, so alarmed! And should you be glad to return? Oh yes, you reply, how glad, how glad! But it is all over with us ! We are lost! Traitors, vile sinners as we are, we who have crucified the Lord of glory! how should he ever receive us again? No, it is "IMPOSSIBLE;" alas, " IMPOSSIBLE!" So sighs your soul.-Well then, we now know enough; and cry to you, Rejoice and take courage! Ye despond without cause. For you there is nought but comfort in our text.-Comfort ?-Yes, comfort. For hear only what the Apostle says. He says it is impossible that those who fall away, should be renewed to repentance. But you, I think, are renewed to repentance: for this your concern and terror, this your sighing and heart-sinking, this your weeping and condemning of yourselves before the Lord, what is it, but repentance and contrition? Consequently you have no need to number yourselves with those who have apostatized. See ye this conclusion, and its truth? Courage! In the name of God and his word, "Ye are in grace."

Ye beloved, yet troubled souls, is not this comfort? There are amongst us, however, some hearts, that are not comforted yet. Is it not true? To many that word "impossible" yet lies like an hundred weight upon their soul, less