ART. XXII.

Restoration.

"And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." Mark, iv. 26-29.

It seems plain that our Saviour intended, in these words, to illustrate the gradual and imperceptible growth of his religion in the heart of man. Seed cast into the earth does not vegetate and come to maturity in a moment. It requires time, favorable influences and suitable culture, to bring it to perfection. The husbandman, whether he rise by night or by day, witnesses the growth of his grain, but knows nothing of the process. Still he perceives that the plant is gradual in its growth. The tender blade is first seen shooting up from the earth. At length the ear is formed upon the stalk. And, last of all, the full swelling grain is ripened in the ear, and the time of harvest comes.

Thus it is with the progress of divine truth in the human soul. A man is not made perfect in Christian knowledge and righteousness in a moment. The apostles of Jesus, though true believers as far as they had been taught, prayed, "Lord, increase our faith." 1 And St. Peter exhorted his brethren to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ." 2 These passages, and a great many more of like meaning that occur in the Scriptures, manifestly show that the Christian's course is progressive; and they also teach us the importance of nourishing and cultivating all the graces and virtues that belong to the Christian character.

Nothing could be more absurd than the notion that a man is, all at once, by a sudden and mysterious influence,

1 Luke xvii. 5. VOL. IV.

28 ..

22 Peter iii. 18.

made perfect in Christian knowledge and righteousness. As well might we expect to see the whole process of vegetation, from the first sprouting of the seed in the earth to the full corn ripened in the ear, accomplished in a moment. We do not doubt that Saul of Tarsus was instantly and miraculously converted. But the age of miracles is past; and in these days we need look for no other genuine conversions, than such as result from the gradual acquisition of Christian knowledge, and the growth of Christian righteousness in the heart and life. Some good resolution, it is true, may be formed in a moment, and a man may instantly abandon all his more vicious habits of life. But to know anything of the gospel, requires some continued mental exertion; and to bring forth any of its excellet fruits, patient labor and diligent culture are indispensable. And hence the declaration of our Saviour, with reference to the ministry of his truth in the heart of man," First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."

These considerations exhibit a principle that may be of service in correcting certain mistakes touching the doctrine of Restoration. When we look abroad upon the works of creation, we perceive that so far as we are capable of understanding them, they all bear the marks of progression. And instead of rising at once to the perfection of their nature, and then falling away into a low and miserable condition, from which they need to be recovered or restored, they start from apparently small beginnings, and steadily advance towards the accomplishment of that Divine pleasure for which all things were created! The work of creation itself was not completed in an instant. The great mass of matter was at first a confused and shapeless void, and darkness covered the face of the deep. Next we find that the spirit of God brooded over the chaotic heap, and in process of time shed upon the profound gloom the cheerful light of day. The first productions of the earth were herbs and grass. Afterwards the waters moved

with living creatures. Then beasts and creeping things appeared upon the earth. And last of all, in the order of progression, man, the great and finishing work of the whole, was moulded into form and inspired with life.

The same common law is still at work, pervading every

department of creation of which we have any knowledge. Not only does seed cast into the earth first exhibit the tender blade, and afterward the ear, and last of all the full corn in the ear; but the same is true of the beginning and growth and maturity of animal life. Every living creature has its infancy, and unless cut off by untimely death, passes through various stages of progression until the maturity of life is attained; when, agreeably to a law that governs all earthly things, it begins to decay, and at last dies. And the natural growth of everything gives an increase of power, beauty and excellence; thus showing that onward is the order of nature, and that progression is written upon everything.

Many creatures, known to us all, pass through various stages of existence. One of the most familiar, and at the same time one of the most appropriate illustrations of this fact, is exhibited in the butterfly. The eggs of this insect at first produce mere grubs or caterpillars, such as we frequently see in great numbers devastating the foliage of shrubs and trees. The grubs next pass into an insensible state, called the chrysalis, in which they continue for a time, having neither legs, wings nor motion. At length the case is burst open, and the disgusting caterpillar is changed into the gorgeous butterfly, that gaily sports in the sunbeams and sips the nectar of flowers. The law of progression is here strikingly exhibited. And we cannot wonder that poets have made the change from the chrysalis into butterfly typical of man's last great change from death and corruption into life and immortality.

The succeeding stage of existence, it may be well to remark, is never inferior, but always superior to the first. The blade rising from the seed shows a state of advancement; the ear formed upon the stalk developes something still more excellent, and exhibits a higher stage of progression; and the full corn in the ear presents to our view the perfection of the plant. The caterpillar marks a great advancement from the egg out of which it springs; and the chrysalis is a mere state of preparation, from which the same creature at length rises to the perfection of life, and exhibits all its glories and beauties. Nothing goes backward in passing from one state of existence into another. Progress is the order which God has established. And

we shall yet attempt to show that the gospel teaches, in regard to man, just what nature teaches concerning all things else; thus exhibiting the perfect consistency between the teachings of nature and the instructions of revelation.

It would be useless to mark the progress of man in his earthly existence, from infancy to youth, and from youth to the maturity of life. We are subject in this respect to the same common law that governs the growth of vegetation, and marks the gradual progress of all animal existence. But in view of the universal law of which we speak, let us endeavor to contemplate man in the two estates for which his Creator at first intended him; namely, the earthly, in which we now exist, and the heavenly, in which we hope hereafter to live. The apostle Paul, in speaking on this subject, says, "The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit, that was not first, which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual." 3 And this order is not only in harmony with the declarations of our Saviour, at the head of this article, but it is also perfectly analogous to all that we see and know of the doings of the Almighty.

The first man, or man in his first estate, was made subject to vanity; and was intended in this world to be the creature of hope, and to live in the expectation of enjoying another and a better life beyond death. True, it has been supposed that the first man of our race was created immortal, and perfect in holiness and happiness; but that he became mortal, corrupt and miserable, by reason of sin. And as a consequence resulting from this strange supposition, it has been thought that the salvation promised in the gospel will be a restoration, or a replacing of man in his original state, though in another world. This view of the subject, the reader must perceive, entirely reverses the order of things, and represents, if we may refer again to the figure used by our Lord, that "the full corn in the ear" is first produced; and afterward the ear appears, and then the blade comes,-and then by a backward movement the process is carried up from the simple blade until the full corn is produced again as in the beginning! So

31 Cor. xv. 45, 46.

that the whole round of operations results just where it began! And this supposition also takes the ground that "the first Adam" was fully equal in his original estate to the last Adam, even the quickening spirit; and it leads to the conclusion that to be made alive in Christ, is to go back and be made alive in Adam, as Adam lived when he was first created!

Tacitus, the Roman historian, says, "In the early ages. of the world, men led a life of innocence and simplicity. Free from irregular passions, they knew no corruption of manners; and void of guilt, they had no need of laws. In the natural emotions of the heart they found incitements to virtue, and rewards were unnecessary. Having no inordinate desires, they coveted nothing, and pains and penalties were unknown."4 This is indeed a beautiful picture. But fancy and fact are not always found in the most perfect harmony. And on this pleasant passage the translator of Tacitus has been captious enough to say, "It may be made a question, whether a period of pure simplicity and innocence ever existed. Seneca expatiates in praise of those times, Epist. xc., and the poets have been lavish in their description of the golden age; but the history of mankind has no proofs of the fact. An ingenious writer says, "Who were those men who lived in so much innocence? The first man who was born into the world, killed the second. When did the times of simplicity begin?" All this is but a form of the doctrine which teaches that man was at first created in the full perfection and glory of his spiritual nature, and that he now needs to be restored to his primeval estate.

But all such confusion disappears in a moment when we turn away from the mere vagaries of worldly wisdom, and consider the subject in the light of reason and of revelation. It certainly seems unreasonable, as well as opposed to all analogy, to suppose that a creature destined to exist in two distinct states of being, should be made perfect at first, with every power and capacity fully developed; and afterward brought back and restored to the original state, by being introduced into a second state of being! And surely the Scriptures teach nothing of the 4 Annals, Book iii. § xxvi,