DR. HINDS'S HISTORY OF THE RISE AND EAT PROGRESS OF
CHRISTIANITY.
Tars survey of the human causes which influenced the rise and progress of Christianity, and the manner in which they were made to conduce to its success, was originally published in the " Encyclopredia Metropo- litans." It was subsequently revised, and published as a separate work, a good many years ago : it has now gradually forced its way to a second edition—rather, like The Three Temples of the same author, by its intrinsic qualities, than for any extraneous popular aid that the subject, either in its general character or the peculiar manner in which it is treated by Dr. Hinds, could impart. The epochs which engage Dr. Hinds's attention are three : first, the ministry of Christ himself; secondly, that of the Apostles ; and thirdly, the condition of Christianity when first left to the direction of uninspired and fallible men. As the rise and progress of the Christian religion were, humanly speaking, greatly influenced by the state of opinion at the time a Jesus Christ's advent, the main subject is introduced by a review of the state of religion amongst the Gentiles, the Jews, and the Samaritans. Considered strictly, the work of Dr. Hinds is less a history than a theological exposition. The author does not recount actions or events in a continuous narrative; and when he alludes to them to support or illus- trate a position, it is generally, and on the supposition that they are well known to the reader; as indeed they are, except the rather apocryphal accounts of the martyrdoms of the earlier Bishops, which are told at length. In fact, it may be said that the age of the Apostolic Fathers, drawn from authors little read, is more fully displayed than that of Jesus and the Apostles, which is derived from Scripture. One main object of Dr. Hinds is to show that Christianity was pro- greasive, and what, since Mr. Newman's book, it has been the fashion to call a development." Christ himself, in this writer's view, was rather the suOect of Christianity than the author of it. During his earthly sojourn many of its leading doctrines were imperfectly apprehended even by the Apostles ; whose Jewish prejudices clung to the last to the idea of a temporal Messiah, though not of so gross a character as that of the com- mon Jews, and who could only understand the resurrection itself by the event. Christianity, strictly speaking, did not commence till the Apos- tles; and even with them, its great ohject, the salvation of all mankind, proceeded slowly, step by step, and only in obedience to the positive com- mands of the Holy Spirit,—as was shown' first in the conversion of the Centurion, which established the rule that devout Gentiles might be bap- tized; and secondly in the commission given to Paul to preach the gos- pel to actual idolators. It was only in the fulness of time that the Christian system was perfected through the Apostles by the composition of the Scriptures, and the formation of the Church to preserve the evi- dences of the Christian religion, as well as to teach and to administer it.
"The Church, then, was the second great provision made for the perpetuation of Christianity. But its importance was not confined to its character as a safe- guard, or as a channel of evidence. The Scriptures were so left as to depend on its operations for the most efficacious employment and dispensation of the holy truths which they contained. With every change of language, of climate, of prejudice, and of all circumstances whatever arising out of religion, or accident-
ally interfering with it, the Gospel would require to be taught in a somewhat different form. Truths which for any reason had become subject to controversy or misapprehension, would need a solemn specification in the formula of a creed or an article; and the young and the newly-initiated would require to receive those errors to which they were most ex Change of manners, of climate,
instruction in that particular form whilc1Ln4iiit put them on their guard against
of government, and especially of the 'ye situation between the Church and State, would present exigencies which could only be properly met by the enact- ments of an authorized body. All these are further purposes for which Christians were formed into societies, and which that portion of the Apostolical ministry ap- pears to have effected. Still, we should form a very inadequate view of the benefits of the social con- nexion between Christians, if we only regarded it as a provision facilitating and adjusting the other provisions made by the Holy Spirit for perpetuating religion. More was intended, and more has been accomplished by it. It is one of the ap- pointed means of salvation: its character is, in short, sacramental. Although it is true that the individual welfare or misery of every Christian will, according to the Gospel scheme, be separately determined, and sentence be passed not on churches but on individuals, yet it is no less certain, that the means of obtaining future reward and of avoiding future punishment are not appointed to be com- municated to men otherwise than as members of a social body. Every promise of the Gospel is limited to such as shall thus e.soeiate themselves with a Church. It is not by an exercise of faith, or by a confession of it, that we receive our first union with the Holy Spirit, but by the act of initiation into the Church : it is by baptism. We are not individually but collectively called by the Apostle the temple of the Holy Ghost'; and he who expects to share in the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection, can only do so as a member of his body—a portion of his residence, the Church.
"The Church, then, considered as a provision for perpetuating Christianity, has four distinct offices: first, that of preserving the Scriptures; next, (which is closely connected with the former,) that of bearing witness to them; thirdly, that of judiciously dispensing the truths conveyed in them; and lastly, it has the holy office of conveying grace."
Unless explained, the principles advocated in this passage might be supposed to maintain one of the most mischievous dogmas of Romanism or Tractarianism, in the power and character assigned to the Church. We will therefore allow Dr. Hinds to state his views upon the point, not only to guard against misconception, but because they appear to us to embrace very sound and rational opinions of the Church, equally opposed to the assumed infallibility of Rome and the wild views of fanaticism.
"We are wont to speak of the foundation of the Church—the authority of the Church—the various characteristics of the Church—and the like, as if the ChurcCh were, originally at least, one society in all respects. From the period in which the Gospel was planted beyond the precincts of Jadma, this manifestly ceased to be the case- and as Christian societies were formed among people more arid more unconnected and dissimilar in character and circumstances, the difficulty of con- sidering the Church as one society increases. Still, from the habitnal and un- reflecting use of this phrase, the Church,' it is no uncommon case to confound the two notions, and occasionally to speak of the various Societies of Christians as one occasionally as distinct bodies. The mischief which has been grafted on this inadvertency in the use of the term has already been retieed; and it is no singular instance of the enormous practical results which may be traced to mere ambiguity of expression. The Church is undoubtedly one, and so is the human race one; but not as a society. It was from the first composed of distinct societies; which were called one because formed on common principles. It is only ,..one so- diety considered as to its future existence: The circumstance of its having one common head, Christ, one Spirit, one Father, are points ef unity, which no more make the Church one society on earth, than the circumstance of all men having the same Crafter, and being derived from the same Adam, renders the human
race one political community. * •
"The three great principles, then, on which every Church or Christian society, was formed by the Apostles, were Spirituality, Universality, and Unity. Out of these arose one important limit to the discretionary powers of the uninspired Church when deprived of extraordinary authority. It is of the last importance that this fact should be borne in mind in every appeal to the practice and author- ity of the primitive Church. There is often (even among Protestant divines) a vague method of citing the authority of the early Churches in matters of discipline and practice without any distinct view of the exact weight of that authority. In quoting doctrinal statements we are generally, more accurate in our estimate; but it is undeniable, that the practices and discipline of the primitive Churches are subject to the same kind of check from Scripture as are their opinions and faith, and are in no instance to be received as if they were matters left altogether to their discretion. The principles, although not the specific rules, are given in the New Testament: and this is, perhaps, nearly all that is done in the case of the doctrines themselves.Only the elements out of which these are to be com- posed are furnished by Scripture. So far from being stated in a formal way, some of the abstract terms for these doctrines are not found in the Scriptures; such a statement and enunciation of them being left to the discretion of the Church. So, too, the principles of the Church establishment were given, and were put in practice for illustration; and the application of these principles was all that was left to the discretion of its uninspired riders. In short, every Church in all ages, holds Scripture in its hand as its warrant for its usages as well as for its doctrines; and had the immediate successors and companions of the Apostles, from the very first, corrupted the government and constitution of the Church, We should be enabled to condemn them from the New Testament; and to this test it is the duty of all ages to bring them. Their management of those matters which are said to be left indeterminate has only the authority of an experiment; it is a practical illustration of Scriptural principles. Whenever they have been success- ful in this experiment, it would indeed generally be unwise and presumptuous in us to hazard a different mode of attaining the same result; though even here, any deviation is authorized by. difference of circumstances; the same principle which guided them being kept in view by us. But, in whatever stage of ecclesiastical history the principle itself shall appear to have been forgotten, it matters not how far back the practice may be traced, it has no authority as a precedent.' The Bible is our only attested rule; and we must appeal to it with the boldness re- commended by the Apostle to his converts; and though an angel from heaven preach unto us any other rule than that we have received, let him be accursed."
In filling up this outline, Dr. Hinds travels over a very wide field—no less, indeed, than the Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistles, with the tradi- tions and writings of the early Church. But into these details we have not space to follow him. Neither are the topics exactly fitted for a lay journal, as they involve doctrines and interpretations rather than eccle- siastical history. To such of our readers, however, as feel an interest in the subject, we can safely recommend the Volume. It exhibits an exten- sive knowledge of ancient manners and opinions, both Christian and Pagan it shows a profound acquaintance with Scripture and the eccle- siastical writers, as well as deep meditation upon them ; the arrange- ment of the work is clear, the matter weighty, and the style always close, often forcible.
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