had just learned from him that he was about to leave themwhy then fhould we fuffer ourfelves to be perfuaded that the caufe of their grief was more likely to be an apprehenfion of lofing his inftructions than his company-and why should we fuffer ourselves to be perfuaded that the object of their future fad expectations was more likely to be a concern about Gentiles than their own personal sufferings? The promised Paraclete then, we find by this, was not only to guide the Apostles into all truth-to teach them all things and bring all things to their remembrance.—He was, above all things, to comfort them, and to comfort them under fome very great fufferings, and to abide with Chriftians for ever, for what purpose, we learn from St. Paul, viz. to enable them to bring forth a great variety of spiritual fruit, though according to Mr. L's. account, "the advantages, which the Apoftles, grieved extremely at the thoughts of lofing, could not be of a spiritual nature." As our Lord had apprifed his followers that they were to expect every fort of ill treatment whatever on his account, not excepting even death-of course, it was neceffary that he fhould alfo fortify their minds with the expectation of a fpiritual Comforter, who fhould adminifter confolation to them, not only under those "leffer evils known by the name of inconveniences" but under evils of the moft dreadful fort. The neceffity of fuck a Comforter appears from what Paul faid to the Corinthians, and it alfo appears from the fame paffage that God himself actually adminiftered fuch confolation by fome means or other. 2 Cor. i. c. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Bleffed be the God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the father TITI, and God wrong wapauλnoews; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the fufferings of Chrift-that is, probably, foretold by Chrift, abound in us, fo our confolation alfo, aboundeth by Chriftthat is, probably, by his having procured the other Paraclete to be fent. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your confolation and falvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the fame fufferings which we alfo fuffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your confolation and falvation. And our hope of you is ftedfaft, knowing that as ye are partakers of the fufferings, so shall ye be alfo of the confolation." A word or two now of παρα and παρακλητος. What waga means in the words paraphrafe, parable, paral παρα 3 H Vol. XIII. Churchm. Mag. for December 1807. lel lel, moft folks know pretty well. And may it not mean fomething like this in Paraclete ?-Let us take a little pains to examine.-We have already feen that the exhorter, the beseecher, the person who fets himself to comfort, waganahu. Now when a comforter fets himfelf to adminifter confolation to a person in diftrefs-that is-wagaxaλ, what does he do? Some, we know, after having fufficiently contemplated the nature of the fufferings of the afflicted perfon, begin with commiferating his or her affliction, and perhaps, acquiefcing in the apparent juftness of his or her complaint.-This we call condolence. After having fufficiently indulged the patient in his or her own way, the next step they take is, to endeavour to call the attention of the fufferer to fome object befide the cause of his or her affliction. I do not recollect any word in our language which expreffes this mode of proceeding on fuch occafions, ftrictly to divert, does not; it is true, it means to turn away the mind from one thing, but not to fix it on ano ther. To paralogife would do better, if that word might be ufed in the fame fenfe as to paraphrafe: but unfortunately, the meaning of the prepofition is a little different in these two words, and ferves to fhew that fome attention is neceffary in those who would not be paralogifts but accurate paraphrafts. The Greeks have two words which exprefs this drift of a comforter better-they are παραγόρεω and παραμυθιομαι.-The former is ufed by St. Paul, Col. iv. 11.-the latter is ufed by St. John, xi, 19. and is there, by placing the means for the effect, tranflated, to comfort. And ought not wapa nada, for pretty nearly the fame reason, to be understood as meaning the fame thing ?-Let us fee. When many of the Jews went to Martha and Mary, it is not faid that they were fent for-they appear to have gone without invitation. It is not indeed very likely that many would have been fent for. They came, as it is faid, for the purpofe of comforting, as it is alfo faid, the fifters, or as the original more properly fays, να παραμύθησώνται αυτας. And how did they fet about this? No doubt by suggesting such decent appropriate confiderations as the fifters were likely to be inclined to attend to, in order to call their attention off or afide from the cause of their grief, and to fix it on fomething elfe-Not improbably, by endeavouring to perfuade them that Lazarus was in Abraham's bofom. However, we find that our Lord fuggefted this, on this or fome other occafion-and that he affured Mary of a refurrection. This attempt of the friendly vifitors to divert by appropriate fuggeitions, alias to call afide, the attention of the afflicted person, may, at least, be be pretty nearly as properly expreffed by the word wapanake as by παραμυθεομαι οι παραγορέω, the difference between the two former being not much more than this, that waaleja points out the means used a little more particularly. If the above remarks concerning the meaning of the word wapanah, be accurate-and its true meaning be a calling of the mind of any fufferer away from the cause of grief, to the contemplation of other objects-of courfe, we have no reason to restrict the meaning of the word to "the removal of those leffer evils, known under the name of inconveniences." The things placed before the mind of the fufferer to divert his attention from the cause of his grief, muft, in order to be effectual, be in fome degree of proportion to the cause of his fuffering and consequently may be even the joys of heaven, which indeed we find were actually placed before our Lord to encourage him "to endure the cross," &c. This, by the bye, ferves to fhew that though, as Mr. L. fays, "no one calls the blifs of heaven by the name of comfort," yet it may in the opinion of an Apoftle be productive of comfort-and to all forts of fufferers, as they are exhorted by him, to run the race set before them, looking unto Jefus, who is fet down at the right hand of the throne of God. In fhort-Had your correfpondent, inftead of reafoning from the ignorance of the Apoftles rather than the omnifcience of Christ, confidered in what sense the Meffiah himself had been a Paracletus, and how much more likely he was to have known what was to be the office of the Holy Spirit than the twelve were capable of apprehending-Had he, inftead of having recourse to paft and future events for information on this point, confined his attention to St. John's detail of the converfation-Had he, inftead of having fuggefted the general obfcurity of preceding prophecies, confidered how few of thofe prophecies remained to be fulfilled, by the other Paracletus, or, to be cleared up by him, and how neceffary, after all, the affiftance of the Holy Spirit seems to have been to enable Chriftians to walk worthy of their vocation-Had he, instead of confining his fpeculations to the apprehenfion of the Apoftles concerning prophecies to be fulfilled, had recourfe to the evidence of the epiftles concerning the difficulty with which they were fulfilled-Had he, instead of taking it for granted that the office of a Paracletus was nothing more than to ftand by to affift a neighbour when fent for, because the word is of paffive fignification and xake means to call, only confidered that the perfon calling him in may have had various reafons for fo doing, and 3 H 2 none none more cogent than grief, and that, in fuch a cafe, he would not have thought of doing it if he had not been perfuaded that the Пapanλntos was qualified apana, he would perhaps have stood a chance of saving himself a little unnecessary trouble, I remain, Sir, Yours, &c. Nullius in verba addictus jurare Magistri W. in the M. May 28, 1807. J. R. P. S. After all, as the word Paracletus has a paffive fignication, and it seems therefore rather unlikely that the name fhould have been adopted on account of the active operations of the Holy Spirit, why fhould we not incline to think that it is of unufual import, and that the second and third perfons in the Holy Trinity are each named a Paracletus, because they were prevailed on by the other two to undertake their refpective offices-especially as we are affured that our Lord faid "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Paracletus?" Does not the total ignorance of mankind concerning the existence of thofe two perfons, prior to their being revealed, seem rather to fuggeft the neceffity of having recourse to this interpretation? * Of the Word it is said "the world knew him not."-Of the Spirit of truth, it is said "Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him.” ON THE INCREASE OF METHODISM. TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S SIR, MAGAZINE. YOUR obliging attention to my former letter encourages me to offer you fome further remarks on the fame fubject. In addition to thofe motives of preference which I have already mentioned as likely to influence the lower claffes, I would beg leave to point out to the attention of your readers, fome other means practiced by Sectarifts of gaining profelytes to their own perfuafion. They not only compofe, compile, abridge, and publish, but are ever intent on the diftribution of religious tracts. I have by me copies of fome of them, which denote by figures fubjoined, that they have undergone a very numerous impreffion, and one of them in particular, indicates by example the various modes adopted of diffufing them among the people. Another means of gaining many profelytes, and much credit, is that of vifiting and relieving the deftitute fick. In time of fickness and diftrefs we know that patients and thofe about them are beft difpofed to attend to religious difcourfe, and are apt to think favourably of a doctrine inculcated by their benefactors. When I read in the report of a Society, which is faid to confift, in a great measure, of Sectarifts, that in the courfe of the year 1806, relief was adminiftered to 3030 fick poor, fome of them labouring under loathfome and infectious diftempers, many of them finking under extreme wretchednefs, I cannot but admire the zeal of thofe Samaritans, and am inclined, after the dictate of our divine Teacher, to fay to every member of our Church, Go and do thou likewife. Far be it from me to call in question the purity of their motives; but I hope I may without a breach of Chriftian charity exprefs an earnest with that our individual and collective labours might fuperfede the interference of Diffenters, by being thus indefatigably exerted in the care of fouls, while the body languishes under disease. The unction of our divines, if lefs lenient, may prove equally fanative; and the fpiritual food of their miniftration if lefs relifhed, is equally wholesome, and reftorative. Our clergy are ready to attend when called for; and that they do not go unbid, may, in many inftances, be fairly afcribed to a visible difinclination on the part of ailing perfons to ferious difcourfe. Indeed in cafes of dangerous illness, the fick of our communion are lamentably averfe and dilatory. The attendants alfo, unwilling to create an alarm, carry their complaifance to the very brink of the grave, and lill their friend into a fenfelefs, perhaps fatal, fecurity. This abfurd reluctance to prepare for death is moft obfervable, I believe, in high and fashionable life. The moft illiterate and irreligious feem not to think at all about the matter. Yet at fo important a crifis we ought not to be difcouraged |