The strength of sin overpowers the love of health. The votaries of pleasure spend their days in luxury and riot, while they see disease and premature old age rapidly advancing to seize on their prey. The intemper ate man raises with trembling hand the bowl which he knows to contain the seeds of pain and sorrow; and for a few short hours of mad intoxication voluntarily consents to drag out a life of weakness and diseasefor a few short hours of mad intoxication, consents to exchange mental vigour for childish imbecility, and the strength of manhood for the tottering limbs of old age-for a few short hours of mad intoxication, consents to exchange the glow of health, so delightful to the eye for the hues of excess, from which the eye turns with loathing. The strength of sin overpowers the ties of natural affection. Men pursue sensual pleasures when they are absolutely certain that their conduct will disgrace not only themselves, but their connexions. How many fathers, in the indulgence of sensual appetites, break through the ties with which nature has bound them to their children! How many husbands sacrifice affection and tenderness and domestic peace, to the baleful spirit of gambling and intemperance! Even how many a youth has pained the heart of a doating mother, while with thoughtless rashness he treads the flowery paths of self-indulgence! Nor is this done from insensibility to the claims of nature.The heart of the gambler, in the hours of reflection, is stung with res morse—the heart of the drunkard, in the hours of sobriety, often is wrung with anguish for the grief of his family-and the erring youth, while reason gains her sway over his soul, would assuage parental sorrow almost at the expense of life itself. It is a degrading servitude, and they would gladly escape, but their prison is guarded by a strong man armed.' Think now of the strength of parental and filial affection; look over your own experience and observation; look at the pages of history, and see to what exertions, what privations and sufferings they have led mankind, and then learn how great must be the strength of sin which overpowers these deep-rooted principles of the human heart. The strength of sin overpowers the tenderness of compassion.-Mercy is an attribute that shines bright among the glories of the Divine character, and it is too, one of the brightest ornaments of human nature. Yet this loveliest feature of the heart is not seldom defaced by the workings of sin. The pages of history are filled with little else than cruelty and bloodshed, and in spite of the natural tenderness of the human heart, at the present how we must confess that it is no libel on man to say we live in an unfeeling world. How vast the difference between a heart that would not willingly inflict a needless pain on an insect, and a heart that can move with exultation over thousands writhing on the field of battle! How vast the difference between Howard, diving into the impurities of a dungeon, and traversing the most distant countries to relieve one pang of the solitary, friendless captive-and the ruffian who smiles over the bloody dirk of assassination! Yet all this difference is created by sin. Strong as the principle of compassion is, it is overpowered by the greater strength of sin. The strength of sin overpowers the fear of punishment.--After all the laws and penalties that human ingenuity can devise, the world is full of sin. Not only does it operate secretly in the heart, but walks abroad in society, in contempt of public feeling and public threatenings. Fear, the strongest principle of our nature, is unable to restrain it, and the records of our courts, the columns of our newspapers, the cells of our prisons, present a constant testimony of the inefficacy of every effort to overcome the strength of sin. Let us next look at the strength of sin as manifested in the conduct of men, in reference to the government of God, and to a future state. The strength of sin overpowers the convictions of conscience. And the start of terror-the bloodless cheekthe forebodings of fiery indignation, testify that the power of conscience over the soul is not feeble. Multi tudes, however, rush to the commission of deeds for which they have often been brought before the bar of conscience and have suffered the bitterness of its punishment. Multitudes have felt the power of conscience, pressing on their souls, like a body of death, while they have been hurried forward to crimes which they are fully convinced will add new tortures to those already insupportable. 'O wretched man that I am,' is the language of many a heart that yields to the cruel dominion of sin. The strength of sin overpowers the operations of the Holy Spirit on the heart. The scriptures represent the Spirit of God as striving with men, though there are degrees of opposition which the Spirit is pleased not to overcome, but to leave the sinner to his own chosen way. Hence the case is not unfrequent of those who have resisted his influences, and been torn from hope and salvation by the overpowering strength of sin. The Bible set before them the way of life, the Spirit prompted them to walk in it, angels began to rejoice as they bent their feet towards the narrow road, they thought themselves almost within the narrow gate, when their steps were suddenly averted and their souls borne far from the pathway of life, by the strength of sin. And as an oak, stretching its withered leafless branches amid a forest of verdure, testifies to the power of the lightnings of heaven, they stand, amid souls flourishing as the cedars of Lebanon, an awful monument of the resistless, wither ing power of sin. Are none of my readers of this description? Are there none over whom we had almost begun the song of salvation, over whom we are now compelled to lament that having put their hand to the plough and looked back, they have judged themselves unfit for the kingdom of heaven? Are there none of whom we are compelled to say, it would have been better for them. not to have known the way of righteousness, better for them never to have felt the operations of the Spirit, than after they had known thein, to have turned from the holy commandment, and sunk quietly into the iron grasp of sin ? The strength of sin overpowers our firmest resolutions to reform our lives. Men sometimes awake from the stupidity of years and look with unclouded eyes on the scenes of eternity. They know their hearts are destitute of holiness. Their first expedient then, is a resolve to reform their lives, to desert their evil habits, to attend on the means of grace diligently, and in this manner, prepare for heaven. But a little experience shows how futile are all these resolutions; for a few months, perhaps days, witness them swept away, and the soul as guilty as before under the dominion of sin. Thousands on earth, who are now regardless of religion, and ten thousands in hell, could once adopt, with feeling, the language of Paul, 'when I would do good, evil is present with me: how to perform that which is good, I find not.' The strength of sin overpowers our desire of future happiness.—— There can be no doubt that every man who believes in a future state desires that state should be happy, especially that those who have clear views of the nature of the joys of heaven and the miseries of hell are sincere in desiring that they may die the death f the righteous, and their last endike his.' And we do not believ at the most hardened profligate or the most obstinate infidel that ever expired in a Christian land, in the full exercise of reason, did not in his heart, whatever he might have uttered with his lips,-did not in his heart desire to be found on the day of judgment among the people of God. This desire, however it may be concealed, exists in the heart with an awful sincerity.--Now what prevents the attainment of their desires? The way to eternal life is open: and you may search the universe for an obstacle, and you will not find one, unless in the heart of man. If the gate of life is blocked up, it is blocked by the strength of sin; and if every moral agent who has heard of the Gospel does not find his wishes for eternal happiness accomplished, there is no truth in the bible, unless he is drawn to hell by the strength of sin-by a love to sin which is stronger than his love of endless felicity. Every soul that fails of heaven, will fail of it because his attachment to sin is stronger than his attachment to happiness --We may invent excuses and palliations for the loss of the soul, but after all, the plain truth will at last beam forth to our confusion and despair, that love of sin-voluntary, habitual, unyielding love of the dominion of sin -a willing submission to the strength of sin, is the sole cause of our des truction. This faint view of the strength of sin has not been exhibited for a mere matter of speculation;—but as a truth in which we are all deeply interested. This sin whose strength we have delineated, has dominion over every one of us who has not been sanctified by the Holy Spirit; --and God who cannot lie, has declared that unless we break from its dominion-unless we trample on its authority--unless we controul its influence in our hearts we shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven. How then, shall we free ourselves from its unrelenting grasp? Can we break away from it by our own strength? Make the experiment, for a single day-and by your success, judge of the probability of arriving at heaven by your unassisted exertions. Before you think lightly of the aid of the Holy Spirit, encounter the sin that rules in your hearts-and if you come off conquerors by the strength of your own arm, then, and then only, can you safely neglect the help of the Mighty One of Israel.--Then, and then only, can you safely despise the doctrine which teaches that men are regenerated and delivered from the power of sin by the sovereign influences of the Holy Ghost. Then too, and then only, can you safely stand aside from the Captain of Salvation-and reject the protection of that Redeemer who has triumphed over the powers of sin and darkness. For the Christian Spectator. Exegetical Remarks on 1.Cor. xv. 29. Ἐπεὶ τί ποιήσουσιν οἱ βαπτιζόμενοι ὑπὲρ τῶν νεκρῶν, εἰ ὅδως νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται ; τί καὶ βαπτίζονται ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ; Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?-Common Version. Alioquin quid facient qui baptizantur pro mortuis, si omnino mortui non resurgunt? ut quid et baptizantur pro illis ?-Vulgate. Quæ nisi ita essent, quid illi consequerentur, qui mox morituri tot ac tantis vitæ periculis se veluti immergi patiuntur, si mortui plane non in vitam revocarentur ? quo tandem modo morituri non multo post tantis periculis se exponerent?-Jaspis. By comparing the above versions of this very difficult passage, it will be seen that the English and Vulgate are not entitled to the name of translations, because by adopting without change the principal word (Barri(w) on which the sense of the whole verse turns, they have furnished no clue to its local meaning in this particular connexion. The Latin of Jaspis gives the sense assigned to the passage by the ablest modern commentators; and in accordance with this view, the original may be thus paraphrased in English, viz. For otherwise, i. e. if there be no resurrection, of what avail is it for any to expose themselves to so many dangers and calamities for the sake of these perishable natures, or existences, which are so soon to drop into annihilation? i. e. why do they thus expose themselves in the vain hope that they shall rise again and enter into rest?—if these natures rise not again, if we are to suffer eternal death, why should any be thus willing to be oppressed and overwhelmed with sufferings? The correctness of this interpretation, it will be seen, depends principally on the fact, whether the words Bari(w, to baptize, and & vexpoi, the dead, will bear the meanings here assigned to them; and also, whether the sentiment be in accordance with the scope of the Apostle's reasoning, in the context. That such is actually the case, it will be the object of the following remarks to evince. I. The words Barrilw and vexpoi will bear the meanings above assigned to them. The primitive significa tion of βαπτίζω, in the usage both of the Alexandrine and classic Greek, seems to have been, to submerge, to cause to sink, to immerse. It is thus used in the passive for you to sink, to be overwhelmed, by the author of the anonymous Greek version, Ps. ix. 6; and by Symmachus, Ps. Ixix. 3. So Polybius (ed. Schweighauser) Barrilen rà Thoĩa vel oxán, to sink the vessels, I. 51. 6. VIII. 8. 4. Βαπτίζομενοι ἐν τοῖς τέλμασι, sinking VOL. VI No.-6. 38 in the marshes, V. 47. 2. BUTTOμ- τισαν τὴν πόλιν, they baptized the city, i. e. they filled it with distress. Heliodor. Æthiop. II. 3, xai τῇ συμφορά βεβαπτισμένον, overwhelmed with misfortune. IV. 20. V. 16. Dod. Sic. I. 73, idúras Barrie ταῖς εἰσφοραῖς, Tais siopopais, to oppress the people with taxes. Anthol. Gr. II. 47. These examples are sufficient,it is hoped,to show that the signification above assigned to Sarri is so far from being forced that it is not even an unusual one. That Paul and his coadjutors were actually exposed to the greatest sufferings and dangers, so that he might appropriately employ the word in this meaning, is expressly affirmed by himself in the very next verses. That the word vexpoί may be used in reference to those who are in a state of eternal death, i. e. a state from which there is no resurrection, would seem hardly to need confirmation by arguments. An example in point, however, is not wanting; for in Matt. xxii. 32, and Luke xx. 38, Christ says, eòs de oux sorì vexpŵv, áλλà Zúvswv, he is not the God of the dead, but of the living. It is also employed to denote that which is exposed to death, or which is mortal; Rom. viii. 10, rò μèv oŵpa vexpòv di &papriav,the body is liable to death,mortal; so verse 11, and compare ȧros výoxw, Luke viii. 42. 1 Cor. xv. 31. The sense, therefore, which is given above to vɛxpoí is an obvious one, and is supported by Scripture usage. may here be remarked, that some commentators, among whom Ziegler and Rosenmueller, have given a different version to the phrase ὑπερ τῶν νεκρῶν, on account of the dead, making it equivalent to reg τοῦ γίνεσθαι νεκρούς, and translating thus, viz. Why do they thus expose themselves to suffering merely that they may die? It is sufficient to observe that such a construction of the phrase is unsupported by analogy, the passage in Heb. ix. 17, to which they appeal being not in point,—and that the meaning thus obtained is less direct, less simple, and less striking, than that given above. It are 66 II. The interpretation above given is in accordance with the scope of the Apostle's reasoning in the context. The Apostle is arguing against those who affirmed that there was no resurrection; see v. 12-16. He states the consequences of such a belief: "If the dead rise not, then Christ is not raised ; and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins; and they who have died confiding in Christ, have perished. (19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." Then, after affirming in the strongest terms the doctrine of a resurrection (v. 20-22) he digresses into one of those long parentheses for which he is so noted. In verse 29, which stands in immediate connexion with verse 22, he returns again to the subject, and asks: If the dead rise not, why should any, why do we undergo such sufferings for the sake of those who are so soon to be subjected to perpetual death? (30) Why stand we thus in jeopardy every hour? (31) I protest, by the joy which I have in Christ Jesus on your account, thatlam every day exposed to death (32) If, for example, I have been compelled to fight with wild beasts at Ephesus, (Coll. 2 Cor. i. 8) of what avail is all this suffering to me? If the dead rise not, well may we adopt the prin ciple, Let us eat and arink, for tomorrow we die." Could any thing accord more perfectly with the writer's train of thought, or fall in more appositely with the course of his expressions? The verses (29-32) become thus in a manner parallel; Barriloμas (29) being exchanged for κινδυνεύω (30) and for ἀποθνήσκω. (31). III. No other interpretation which has yet been given is either so simple, or harmonizes so well with the context. It would be a tedious and most unprofitable task to go through with all the attempts at explanation, which have been made upon this locus vexatissimus et magnum criticorum offendiculum. Suffice it to say, that all have taken βαπτίζω in its |