Star.
London, England, 1808-11-11 00:00:00

fosses christiahity is ready, in words at least, to admit
it.—My aim is to spew that he is the sole legis-
lator'in his kingdom, and that, his laws having been
promulgated by his Apostles, nothing can, with im-
punity, be added to, or taken from them.
It is testified of Mosis (Numb. xii. 7. ) that in every
thing that regarded Gov's house he was faithful—
That is, he conscientiously and implicitly -delivered
unto the ancient people of GOD those things which
he was commanded to declare unto the children of
Israel, adding nothing to them, concealing nothing.
The inference which the Apostle to the Hebrews
(c. iii.) draws from this fact is remarkably striking.
—Was MosEs faithful to him that appointed him ?
So was " the Apostle and High Priest of our profession,
CHRIST JEsus," to him that appointed him to that
high office. Was MOSES, who delivered every thing
that concerned the order and constitution of GOD'S
antient house, worthy to be honoured and obeyed
as a legislator I—CHRIST is counted worthy of more
honour than he, as he 'who builds the house [or fa-
mily] is more to be honoured than the house
or servant in it, however faithful that servant may
be ; for MOSES was in fact but a servant, to testify to
the people what he was commanded to speak, but
Cirrus? governs his own house in quality of son and
heir. Wherefore the HOLY SPIRIT saith : HEAR HIS
VOICE : harden not your hearts as the children of Israel
did in the wilderness.—Such is the sum of the Apos-
tle's reasoning, to shew the necessity of Christians sub-
mitting implicitly to him by whom GOD hash in these
last days spoken unto us; even his Jon, whom he hash ap-
Ipointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds
(Heb. i. 2). The whole scope of the first nine chapters
of the Epistle to the Hebrews is to shew the great-
ness and perfection ,of the character and work of the
" High Priest after the order of MELCHISEDEC" (vi. 20)
who is now set "over the house of GOD" (x. 21); and
in the tenth chapter (ver. 28) he draws the inference
which the whole suggests :'••••••44 He that despired MOM'
law died without mercy under two or three witrusse: ; of
how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought
worthy, who bath TRODDEN UNDER FOOT THE SON OF
GOD, AND RATH COUNTED THE BLOOD OF TIIE PURIFI-
CATION WHEREWITH HE WAS SET APART [to his office]
COMMON, AND lIATH DONE DESPITE UNTO THE SPIRIT
OF GRACE ? For we know him that hash said, Vengeance
is mine, I will recompence, saith the LORD." In short,
the Apostle's argument amounts to this. Those who
believe in CHRIST, the head of the new dispensation,
will maintain that he has beep faithful, not merely as
a servant like MOSES, but as the heir and right-
ful owner, in settling and arrangiAg every thing
that respects his own house ; that those who pre-
sume to alter his institutions, or to add to them,
charge him with having been less faithful than
MosEs, trample under foot the Son of Gon, and ex-
pose themselves to that "judgment and fiery indig-
nation which shall devour the adversaries of his reign."
—And therefore he proceeds to shew, by many
examples (c. I.i), what is the natural and proper
effect of that faith which admits any -dispensa-
tion, ordinance, or promise, old or new, to have Goy
for its author—namely, that those who have that 1
conviction will yield obedience, choosing, with MOSES,
rather to suffer affliction with the people of GOD, for
conforming with his revealed will, than to enjoy any
advantage, which the world can offer them, as a re-
ward for rebelling against their LORD and yielding
obedience to another. The contrary of this conduct
he points out (c. xii), as the sin by which the Chr s-
tian is most easily assailed, through the persecution
and ill treatment to which obedience exposes him in
this world ; and therefore he exhorts the believing
Hebrews to run with patience the race that is set before
them, looking to JEWS the author and finisher of the things
hoped for, though yet unseen, counting all the afflictions
and injuries to which they may be exposed, by sub-
mitting to his authority, as a portion of that fatherly
chastisement of which all GOD'S children are made
partakers. The Apostle admits all that can be urged
respecting the weight of affliction to which this adhe-
rence to the laws of CHRIST may expose a man—
" No chastening for the present reenuth to be joyous, but
grievous ;" but he adds, 44 Nevertheless, afterward it
yieldeth the pea:eable fruit of righteousness unto them which
are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands that hang
down, and the feeble knees ; and make straight paths for
your feet, that the lame be not turned out of the way, but ra-
ther be healed."—W hat path ? what way I—Obedience
to him, who has faithfully delivered the will of GOD
respecting the New, as MOSES did concerning the
Old dispensation.
In all these twelve chapters, the Apostle pursues
the same argument ; and as he enforces subjection to
CHRIST the Lawgiver of the New dispensation, as
obedience was before required to be yielded to Mosxs,
so he illustrates his meaning by a reference to the
words of MosEs, when he had delivered the law of
Gon to the Children of Israel Follow peace with
all men, and holiness, without which rio man shall
see the Loan, looking diligently, lest any man fail
of the grace of GOD ; lest any root of bitterness, spring-
, ing up, trouble you, [or rather 44 lest any root of bitter-
, nes: as gall spring sip*"] and thereby many be defiled.'
• All the MSS. read stox)m [trouble] but Dr. Mills and other
able critics think we should read with the transposition oft single
letter iv var. The words are a quotation from the LXX, who
render Deut. :zit. 18. thus, ass TI; lc fl 440 1,4 C• aw $4441" P
xsxn so. trams, kit there rpring up among you • root at Bitter as GALL,
[literally, in gall dad bitterest's, by the tigure Hendiadys.] There
cat hardly be a doubt, therefore, that we owe the mamma react-
ing to an error et some early transcriber.

The Apostle quotes here, almost literally from the'
Septuagint, the words of MOSES (Deut. axis. 18.)
which in our version are rendered " Lest there should
be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood."—
To comprehend his meaning we have only to see
what MOSES intended by these words when be em-
ployed them; nor is this difficult :—Moss had been
enumerating to the Israelites.all the blessings which
would be show_red down upon them, if they w.,uld
hearken dilig ,ntly unto the voice of GOD, and•observe
the commaniments that had been enjoined them : he
shad declared also all the curses with which they
would undoubtedly be visited should they not hearken
unto the voice of GOD, as delivered by their Law-
giver. All this was stated •to them, lest they should
turn away from JEHOYAN their GOD, to serve the gods of
the Nations ; lest there should .be among them 44 di •ROOT
BEARING GALL AND WORMWOOD"—a man who, not-
withstanding what had been enjoined by MOSES, to
whom GOD bare witness that he was faithful in
declaring every thing that respected his service,
should "bias himself in hit heart, saying, I shall have
peace though I walk in the imagination of mine own heart.
Now from the whole tenor of the address of Mo.
SEE, it appears plainly, that whoever should, before
the coming of that prophet whom GOD promised to
send like unto Moat, presume to propose any ot'eler
law than that which he had delivered from Gon, or

dare to alter, under any pretext whatever, any part
of the service he had enjoined, would be chargeable
with -rebellion against JI.HOP.III. Every deviation of
thiskind was considered as idolatry—because, instead
of following the divine precepts, those who were
guilty of these alterations were following the imagine-
tion of their own heart, and setting up another God
.as.effectually as if they worshipped the abominations
'd the nations, idols of wood and stone, silver and
gold :—and all such, in place of being " tree: of
righteousness, the planting of JENOvirx"—ln inging forth
fruit whereby GOD may be glorified, were roots sear-
ing gall and wormwood, ready to defile all who had any
connection with them.—And from the parallel drawn
by the Apostle between the Lawgiver of the old and
the Lawgiver of the new dispensation, and his ad-
dressing to Christians the same admonition which
Moses had addressed to those to whom the old law
was given, it is evident that it is no more left to the
former, than it was to the Israelites in regard to the
law of MOSES, to violate or neglect the laws of
CHRIST'S house, or to frame and contrive any thing
whatever respecting order and worship from any mo-
tive, however devout ; aad the Apostle's whole rea-
lloning sheers, that any argument ,Which men may
produce, for appointing :it order and discipline of
their own, h wever plausible and pious they may
make it appear, is founded in falsehood, unless they
can first she w that CHRIST was not the promised pro-
phet like unto Illosss (that is a lawgiver), or that he
was not, as MOSI:3 was, faithful to him that appointed
him—But those who, professing Christianity, attempt
directly or indirectly to establish either of she:.e posi-
tions arc roots that sear gall anti wormwood, and are
therefore to be avoided:
Christian congregations were warnei, as the Israel-
ites were, to look diligently that no root of this kind
should spring up aniongthem, but, in spite .of the
warning, this wormwood poisoned them. In ,proof
of this, I might simply ask--L-Where are the churches
that own no other master but CHRIST ? There are
many professors who say " LORD, LORD r'-But do!
they do the thingshc enjoins ? Are their ears open
to him, and shut to the voice of every straager ? Do
they submit to his authority in all things—attending
to the order and discipline of his house—avoiding
every brother that walketh disorderly, and not accor-
ding to the precepts that he hath delivered ?
Having in this and the preceding sections endeavou-
red to ascertain, from the Scriptures (the only autho-
rity admissible in, questions of the kind we have been
considering) what were the constitution' and disci-
pline of the Apostolic congregations, and .conse-
quently what ought to be followed in all ages by the
disciples of CHRIST, I shall next inquire by what
means the independent churches, brought to vie N in
the third trumpet 'as "", rivers and fountains of water,"
became so defiled and corrupted as to be compared
to " "wormwood.' ' mucus.

ECCLESIASTICAL PROMOTIONS. 1
Friday last, the Rev. Edward Pearson, D. D. Master of Sidney
Sussex College, was elected Vice-Chancellor of the University of
Cambridge, for the year ensuing.
. The Rev. J. Dean is presented to the rectory of Carwen, Me-
rionethshire, and to the prccentorship in the Cathedral of St Asaph.
The Rev. Joseph Higgins, Rector of Fast nor, has been instituted
to the rectory of Fluky, in Herefordshire, in the presentation of
' Lord Somers.
The Bishop of St. Asaph has institute& the Rev. H. J. Williams,
Rural Dean of the deaneries of Pool and Caermion;Montgomery-
shire, to the vicarage of Pool, in the same county.