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OM qui pauaant axifar una modification dam la mMioda normala da f itaMga lont i n diq ufa ci daiiBiM. 0Colourad eovan/ Couvartura da coiilaor Covart damaiad/ □ Covan rattorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raitaurte at/ou paHiaiMa □ Covar titia minini/ La titra da couvartura mampia □ Colourad mapi/ Cartas gtofraphiquai an eouiaur □ Colourad ink (i.a. othar than Mua or Waek)/ Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua Maua ou □ Coloufad plaiM and/or iiluttratiom/ Planchas at/ou illustrations an coulaur D D Bound with othar matarial/ Rali* avac d'autras doeumanti Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion along intarior margin/ La raliura sarrfo paut causar da i'ombraou da la distorsion la long da la margt inttriaura □ Blank laavat addad during rastoration may within tha taxt. Whanavar possiMa, thasa hava baan omittad from filming/ II sa paut qua cartainas pagn Manchas ajoutfas ton d'una rastauration apparaissant dans la taxta, mais, lorsqua cala *ttit possiMa. cas pagn n'ont pas M filmias. □ Cohwrad pagas/ Pagas da eouiaur □ PagM rastorad and/or lamkiatad/ Pagas ra « t au r*a s at/ou paNicuMas Pagas diseolottrad. stainad or foxad/ Pagas dieolertai r~n Pagas datachad/ 0Showthrough/ Transparanca r~~j Quality of print varias/ Qualiti in t gala da i'imprassion Continuous pagination/ Pagirstion continue n □ Includes indax(es)/ Comprend un (das) index Title on heeder taken from:/ Le titre de I'en-tlte prowient: □ Titie peg* of issue/ Page de titre de le livraison □ Caption of issue/ Titre de depart de la livraiton D Mestheed/ Ginirique (piriodiques) de le livreison Additionel comments:/ Commentaires supplimenteires: Copy has aanuicrlpt annotatlo is. This item is filmed et the reduction retio cheeked below/ Cc document est f ilmi au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X IfX 22X MX 30X V 12X 1IX aox 24X MX 32X TIm copy filmed hara has baan raproducad ttianka to tha ganaroahy of : AnglieMi Chureh of CwMRia Gwwral Synod ArahivM L'axampiaira film* f ut raproduit grica A la g4n4ro8it« da: Angiiewi Church of Canada Ganaral Synod ArehhMt Tha imaflaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality poaslbia conaidaring tha condition and laglblNty of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spadfieatlona. Original co p lae in printad papar covara ara filmad baglnning with tha front eovar and anding on tha iaat paga with a printad or illuatratad Impraa- sion, or tha back covar whan approprlata. All othar original coplaa ara filmad baglnning on tha firat paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- slon, and anding on tha Iaat paga whh a printad or illuatratad impraaaion. 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IMapa. plataa, charta, ate., may ba filmad at diffarartt reduction ratkia. Thoaa too larga to ba antiraiy Inciudad in ona ncpoaura ara filmad baglnning in tha uppar iaft hand comar, laft to right and top to bottom, aa many framaa aa raquirad. Thit following diagrama iHuatrata tha mathod: Laa eartaa. planehaa, tablaaux, ate., pauvant Atra fHmAa A daa taux da rAduction diff Aranta. Loraquo la documant aat trap graiKl pour Atra raproduit an un aaul ciichA, 11 aat fNmA A partir da I'angla aupArlaur gaucha, da gaucha A droita, at da haut an baa. an pranant la ruNnbra d'imagaa nAeaaaaira. i.as diagrammaa auivanta Uluatrantla m A thoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 MICROCOPY nsouinoN nsT chart (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART ^4o. 2) 1.0 I.I ISO *^ -Itt Itt UO 12.2 2.0 1.8 (•25 iu 1.6 ^ >^PPUED IN/HBE Inc 1 8M Com Main Stratt ^^^ ^!^f^' "M VO^ t4«09 USA -= (7t6) «ea - 0300 - Phon. (716) 288- 5009 -F« in (Jllaiuiiiia (tl^ttrrii Ifmut ^samnih JlXmtabn lvF*^~W^ ■VHBpMaHMpqnOTSP SOME ¥ ACTS ABOUT C|)e C|)un|) of <^nslan)i IN NE IV BR UNSWICK A PAPER WRITTEN AT THE REQUEST AND PUBLISHED UliDER THE AUSPICES OF THE RURI-DECANAL CHAPTER OF FREDERICTON BY THE SECRETARY : Rev. H. MONTGOMERY, M.A. RECTOR OF KINGSCLEAR. ANaiGAN CHURCH OF CANADA GENERAL SYNOD, ARCHIVES mmmm *■■ n^ I have been (uked to write a word of appraXHXtion of thU tractate^ by way of ^ imprimatur,^'* It i$ carefully written and temperately aryuedf and if the author here doe* tervice by hie pen to a» many as he has served elsewhere by his word tf motOh U will be of great value. Many may be helped^ some misunde: ianding may be removed^ and some may be strengthened in their views, I hope that a blessing may attend its pubHeation, H, T. FBEDEBICTON. May 6, 1901. Some Facts about the Church of England IN New Brunswick. What do we mean by the word CHUSOHt The Church it the Body of Christ (see L Oor. ziL : 27 ; and E^h. L : 23). The CL. ~^h is Hor because it is the Body Mid Bride of Christ and not beca- « of the holiness of any of its members. It is also called Cathouo, r<^tfih means nniTorsal to distinguish it from the »' v -jgh Chu'-eh whidi was confined to ono latbn. Christ founded a Church, or Elingdom as it is called in the Kew Testament, for the whde wwid. He opened "The Kingdom of Heaven to all beUevers." This is the reason why the Church is named in the Apostles' Creed "The Holy Catholic Chnich." The great test by whidi the Church ci Christ was to be known to all the world, was that her teaching was to be "the hath which was once fc " all deUvered unto the Saints" (St Jude iii). That is the same faith or doctrine to be believed by all, for all time and in all j^Uuses, as expressed in the rule of St. Vincent of Lerius : " Quod ubique^ quod temper, quod ab omniiue ereditum e^" Which literally put into our own language means: That is to be bdieved, which has been held everywhere, at all times and by all people. This statraient, so far as it applies to the Christian religion, i& called tl^ rule or test of the Catholic Faith. (6) The Church of Christy or m it is oaned in the Holy Soriptnros the Kingdom of Heaven^ wm to be planted in all nations, and in whatsoever nation or important eity it was foanded it took the name of that naticm or city to distinguish it from the o^er portions of the Church found- ed elsewhere. The Church of Christ was founded in Britain in the Apoetolio age, aiki was known at first as the Church of, or in Britain. Long ycMS aftwward when the Saxon? were the dominant race in Britain, and as a preparatory step towards the uni<m of the sqpMrated King- doms in Britain into one Eongdom of England, the Church under the guidance of the Archbishqp of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, in the year 668 A. D., took Um name Church of England. And from that time down to the present has always been known by that name. The New Testament and early Church History bear witness to the fact that no portion of the Church of Christ in the Apostolic age was ever called after the name of a man, or of a ceremony or doctrine as in modem times. How is it then that in New Brunswick there came to be a body of Christians or portion of Christ's Church called the Church of SnglMid T It is a well known historical fact that New Brunswick as a province was founded by the United Empire Loyalists, who^ with very few exceptions, were members oi tiie (7) Ohnroh of En^^d. M«n like Chipmftn, HaMn, Lee^ Tilley, Bliu, Window, Dibblee, CSarman, Bobinsoii, BUm, Wetmore, Hubbard, Baymond, Clemeiitfl, Gilbert, Cooke^ Sayre, Bissett, Byles, Jarvis, Gray, Beardsley, Allen, Odell, Andrews, Clarke^ Arnold, Botdord and many others that might be named, rather than swmpv allogianoe against Um Eling left their possessions in the United States — tlwn known as the thirteen colonies which were in rebellion against England — and came here to this province when it was a vast wilderness, to settle and nu^e homes for them- sdves and their children, where they might dwell in peace and loyalty to their Church, their Sovereign and country. Politically, Uieir one great principle and aim was to maintain British connection in t^is country. And later history proves that these men were the real originators of what is now known as Imperial Federation, no longer an idle dream, but becoming year by year a great reality. These men sowed the seed and we are now semng the harvest ripen. The Loyalists brought with them their religion, it was that of their fathers and forefothers. And they established here in the very beginning of the history and formatioa oi this province, the Ohuroh of Engluid. It was the Church of England which in no small measure had trained them to be loyal to King and country, and had inspired them to nu^e heroic Munriflces ratlwr than renounce their allegiance to the throne of England. (8) With tlw sanction ci the King and his advisers, Uiej created New Brunswick into a province, they formed a Parliament for its government, and established for the religion of its people the old historic Chnreh of England, the Chareh of their fathers. The first framed building erected by them in thfiJ'City of the Loyalists," St John, was a Chareh of Engbmd building. It was situated <m the east side of Germain Street, on lot one hundred and twenty-one, between Duke and Queen Streets. And in all the settlements which the Loyalists founded in various parts of the province, such as Kingston, Fredericttm, Woodstock, St Andrews and other important communities, the y!ra< rdigiaut building eneted was that of the Churoh oi England. These Loyalists were the heart, the brain, the backbone and sinew of the infant province. Men of intelligence, culture and ability. Their character, their loyalty and stability was formed and developed by their religious faith and principles, as set forth in the Catechism of the Churoh of England, and taught them by their fathers. Nor will any pen ever be able to justly describe, nor tongue ever be able to accurately tell of the sacrifices made, or the hacdshipa and su£ferings endured by the brave and noUe founders of our province. Better men, truer men or more GkKl-fearing men this province has never known, than these sturdy, self-sacrificing loyi^ Churohmen. (9) in. It is not^ however, <m tiiis account alone, or because the founders of this province were members of the ChwrA ci England and planted the Church in this province^ that we iqypeal to yen dear reader, whoever you may be^ to read this pamphlet and gain, if possible^ a better, tmnr and fuller knowtedge of ih» Church of the Loyidnti. We i^peal to you on higher grounds. The Church of England, at to put it more plainly the Church of Christ am<»g the English speaking peqple^ was {Wanted in Britain more Uian eighteen hundred years ago^ in the Apostolic age. Indeed there is veiy good authority for bdieving that the Qospel ci tiie Kii^fdom of Christ was first preached in Britain by Bt. Paul himsell Gildas, the first Britidi historian whose writings are extant^ says : "That Christianity first downed on Britain as early as A. D. 61." The aiMsient Christian U^tkun and historians id the Church, St Jerome, St. Omnent the fellow labourer oi St. Paul, Ensebius, Origen, Justin Martyr, and Twtullian, who either lived in or immediately after Apostcdio times, all refer in their writings to the eurly introdnoticm and growth of the Church in Britain. ]fy whomsoever the Church was {Wanted in the mothmiaiMl we know fr<Mn the writings ci andent historiun ci Htm Church of Christ that it grew and flourished in the eariiest ages of ChristiMiity. AimI among otiier portions of the Kingdom of CSirist tiie Church in Britain furnished its (lO) qnota of the "noble army of martjTS," both in the earlier and later persecutions against <iie Church of Christ. One of the early martyrs of the Church in Britain, an account of whose martyrdom is recorded in the history of the motherland, was Alban, a soldier, who was slain by the sword in the year 304, A. D., rather than deny his Lord and Master. History also records the fact that three British Bishops; viz., Restitutus, Bishop of London; Eborius, Bishop of York ; and Adelphius, Bishop of Caerleon-on-Usk, attend- ed by Priests and Deacons, were present at a Council of the Church of Christ held in Aries, France, in the year 314, A. D. British BishcDS were also present at Church Councils held at Sardica in 347, A. D., and at Ariminum 369, A. D. A further proof of the early founding of the Church in Britain is seen in the age of some r^ the old Parish Churches. It is a fact (though not generally known) that what is considered to be, by competent authorities on the subject, the oldett Church building in the world, still in use, is the Church of St. Mary le Castro, situate within the grounds of Dover Castle; built certainly not later than the fourth century and it rests on the foundation laid about sixteen hundred years aga Another old and fam- ous Church is that of St. Martin at Canterbury, which was standing when Augustine came to England in the year 596, A.D., on his mission from Rome to the Anglo-^^ons. In this Church, Bertha, wife of jiithelbert the Saxon King, llj was baptized by Aagnstine. Other old CShnrobes or their ruins might be mentioned as bearing witness to the mi- tiquity of the Faith of the Qoepel in Brita. Another event which occurred in England a few years ago also bears witness to the antiquity of the Churdb of En^^and. A case was brought before the highest court in the realm regarding the ownership of a piece of land, which had been leased in the reign of Alfred the Great for a period of 999 years. The land had been leased by the Church and the term expired about twenty-five years ago, but inawnnch m there were several so-called Churches in England when the lease ezpirrd, it was thought well to have Uie question decided in the highest court of the realm as to the propw ownership of the leased property ; and it was dedded that as the land was the property of the Church of England in Alf rrjd's reign, when the lease was made, it must revert to the jame owner, the Church of England; in Yiotoiia'w reign. And just here it may be well to remind you thmt there has been in some minds an erroneous impression, a lingering taint of which still remains in these so-called enlightened days, that all Church property in England, previous to the time of Henry the VIU . belonged to the Chnrch of Rome, Mid that the Eang and Pvrliament un- lawiuUy and wilfully robbed that Church of its property and handed it over to ttie Church of England, which, we are told in SMne histories and by some teachers even in our pul^c schools^ was founded by Hairy the VIII. and J Parliament i^eedless to say such teaching is 11 (»o vtierly Mid entirely falser as spbeeqnent events in English history prove. In a dedaration issued in England in 1826 by Um Roman Catholio Bishops, there is an atter repudiation of the daim on any pn^rty held by the Chnreh of England, as seen in the following words reler^ ring to the legal ownership ol the Cathedrals, Fkrish Chnrdies and the property attached thereto: **We regard aU the revenuM and temporaHHea of ihe Chwrtk EttMithr merU a» the property of tho$e on iiohomtkejfar$$etUedhjftk» laum qf the land. We disclaim amy right, tiOe, or preten- eion toith regard to the tame," Taming htubx. again to the ewly history of the Church of Eng^*^ we find that owing to the persecutions against Christianity on the put of the Romans, the Saxons uid the Danes, the Church was crippled and scattered and many of the old Churoh bnildii^ destroyed. But through the protecti<Hi of ihe great Head ci tlw Church, there was a remnant left to proclaim the faith of His Kingdom, which in Uter ages became the most important factor in framing and developing the character of the nation and its people. IV. At the time of the Norman Conquest serious changes were brought about in the religious history of Enf^d. V M William (the Conqueror) set out to invade England he secured the sanction <rf tiie Pope to this enterprise and brought with him the Pftpal blessing on his Norman ban^ «. I <ll ('3) nen; ocmieqaeDtly hit yiotory at HMtlnga l»oa{^t BnglMid into new oonneotioD with, and her Church into tabn^Hioo to, the Pftpaoy. He brought with him iraeign Bidiope and Prieste who bad bera oonaecnted and ordained onotor Pi^ jarkdietion. And theee^ after taming ont the Bngliah Ksbop* tro«ia their Sees (with one eacoep^n ; vis. that of Wnlfstan, Bishop of Worcester) he plaoed in diarge in order to bring the English Church nnder the ininoieG of and in subjection to tlM Bishop of R<mie. By she intoo- dacti<m of these foreign Clergy, Rmnaa emws in matters of faith and discipline were forced upon the CSinreh pec^ of England until in Qod's own good time relief came !uider what is known as the Reformation Period, whidi i«aUy began in the reign of King John, when he was oompdlkl by the Barons of £bg7and, who formed theoisdyes into what they called the '* Army of God and Holy Chuicli,'' to sign that famous c^. ament of English hiatcKry known as the Magna Charta, the foundation, as it is called, of Britiirti liberty and the British Constitution. The first article of this great Charter reads thus : " I%« Ckur<^ of England thaU be fn» and have her rigkU and Hberties wwiotate.** This Charter was signed in the year 1216, and was the actual banning of the Reformation, which reached its dinuu^ tiiree hundred years afterwwds, in tiie reign of Henry the YIII. It was in the reign of thn latter King tiiat tiie Church of England in solemn convocation declwwd, before eve? any Act was passed by Fkrliament on the matter, "that («4) the Bishop of Rome hath no greater jurisdiction, in this realm, conferred on him hy God, than any other foreign Bishop." This declaration was made by the Church of England in the year 1684, and was agreed to ^7 tne Bishops and Cleify ol the niUion. Afterwards, in the year 15S7, the Pfcrliament of England passed an Act con- firming the declaraticn of the Bishops and Clergy of the Church. It was, then, the old national Church of England, which, in the year 1634, repudiated the ^laim of the Bishop of Rome to have jurisdiction over her, and cleansing herself from all foreign and superstitious corruptions she continued to hold all those doctrines founded on "the faith once for all delivered to the saints," as found in the Word of God, and as she had held them in the days before the intrusion of error by the Normani. The Church of England rejected at the Reformation only what had been added to the primitive faith and dis- cipline by man's authority, and that too of iureign origin. She did not cease on this account to be the historical Church of the nation j her insisting upon the service and the Scriptures being read in the English tongue -ather than the Latin made her, if possible, still more the Church of the English people, and such she has continued to be through all the vicissitudes and political changes of English history down to the present time. True, in the Cromwellian period her visible life wa% nearly extinct, but God, who overrules all things tor the (>5) good of His people, brovgfat ber uMy through the dangen and trials of this period, and so ordained it that she should live and be a power for good in the nation and onpire. And the nation itself has decreed that the Sovereign who roles over the British Empire must be a member of the Church of England, and must sware, before receiving the crown to maintain the rights and liberties of the Church as laid down in the Magna Charta of John's reign. This is the old Church of England, dear reader, which has come down tiirongh the centuries past, surviving the critical struggles of the Reformation, tiM Puritan and the Cromwellian periods, bravely facing and overcoming every danger, whether frtmi within or without Surely in her history of eighteen centuries th ^ romise of the great Head of the Church has not failed : " The gates of hell shall not prevail agunst it." V. Continuing "steadfastly in the Apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and the prayers" (Acts ii : 42, rev. version). This portion of the Church of Christ came down to us in New Brunswick throuoch the faith and self-sacrifice of the Loyalists. To-day she reads the same Bible, uses the same prayers, teaches the same faith and administers the same sacraments as in their day. They were indeed glad to honour her as the spiritual mother who had moulded and developed their (16) coble ohftTMter and loyal prindplei. We ^017 in the ooonge^ the heroism and •eU'iacrifloe ol thew Iware men. And may we not reaeonaMy aak, why ihoold not their •ona, oTeiy one of them in this hmd, be as f^ to hononr and love ihe same spiritoal mother as did their faihers and forefathers. Alas, we fear throogfa mironderstandingw, throagh mil- representation, or it may be throagh forgetfolness of the ftdth of their hJ^n some have vuidMed w been led away from the fold of the old mother Chnroh. Bat we humbly hope and pray that in God's own good time the descendants of the Loyalists will "serioosly lay to heart the great dangers we are in by oar unhappy divisions." And will eamestiy pray God to "take away all hatred and prejudice and whatsoever else may hinder us from Godly union and concord." Time alone, under God's guiding hand, can remove the prejudice, the bitterness and the mis* teken ideas that prevail in some parts of our province concerning the Church of Eugland in Canada. This done may we not hope to see all the children of the loyalists walking in the "old paths" and learning more and mora to love, and pray, and work for the old Churoh of their fethers. i ■■ (■7) f I 1 i VI. Let us now ooadder wHiie of ihe olqeotion* toe .<miinoa- ly made agMiist the Chnnh of Engfauid : L — Baftum ov Injum There «re some good, irdl4neening people no doubt, who object Teiy strongly to the Baptism of Infants. Well, oar answer is that we beiieTe that Christ intends onr children should receive His blessing now, just as much' as those little children whom He took up in His arms and blessed Then He lired on this earth, nineteen hundred years ago. Those little children knew nothing of Him, nor could they understand what *HiB blessing meant for them any more than do our children now, but this was no hindrance to His blessing them, and commanding them to be brought to Him. God Himself commanded infants to be brought into covenant relationship with Himself in His ancient Church. (Qenesis xvii : 10). No order certainly of > ar Son can be found fbi^ bidding this command t<. j observed, in His day. He changed the outward sign <^ the covenant and oraunanded oK to be admitted into it by Baptism into th^ "Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Qhost" (St Matthew xxviii. : 19). For in the world-wide Church, which He evolved out of tiie national Jewish Church, Uiere was to be no distinction between male and fnnale in (18) admitting them to oovnuuit reUtionship nnder the wm dispensation. All were to be made one in Him. St Fkul says in his Epistle to the Qalations (iiL: 29) : "If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according 'o the prmnise." That is the pr(»nise referred to in the seTcnteenth chapter of CJeneais. I^ as some teachers main- tain, it is nnscriptural to Baptise Infimts, may we not reasonably ask in what way are our childrm to be bronght into that covenant rekttionship which God established with Abraham and his seed after him as an " everlasting coven- ant," nniess it be by Baptism f And have those who object to Infimt Baptism provided Miy other means for receiving children into covenant with Qod t Out of a total number of about 500,000,000 of so-called Christians, 475,000,000 believe in bringing little children to Christ that he may bless them in Baptism and receive them into covenant relationship, while less than 20,000,000, including the Mormons, condemn the practice of Infant Baptism. Numbers may not always be safely quoted in support of a religions doc^ *ine or practice, but in this case the majors ity is so overwhelmingly great that it seems utterly un- reasonable to believe that the Holy Spirit, the guide " into all truth," should allow almost the whole of the Chureh of Christ to have fallen into such an error — as the objeoters to Infant Baptism claim it to be — and to retain such an erroneous practice for eighteen centuries. It is simply preposterous, with such evidence before us, for anyone to \ i' ■■■ik (19) objeefc to lofMit Biq|>tism, mod my that it !• not in aeoord- •noe with the oommuida of Almighty God. n we call vp the witneMes to the teMshing and practice of the Ohuroh of Ohmt, in -t« earlieet and pureet yean, we find Um following teatimony : I.— Iir THi Dat» 01' TH» Apoctlib. It is recoided in the account giver in the New Teeta- ment of their ministrations that ftve households were Baptized. Is it unreasonable to believe that there were children in «me one of these households t Pick out at random the first five households you can think of, dear reader, and answer the question yourself. n. In the Days Iuikdiatklt Suookioiho tbosb or THK Apostlks. JvmH Mabttb, one of the earliest writers of Christian history, who was bom near the close of the first century, in speaking of Christians contemporary with himself, about the year 148, A. D., says that "there were among Chris- tians in his time many persons of both sexes, some sixty, some seventy years old, who had been made disciples to Christ yrom their in/aney." In what way could infante be made disciples of Christ, except by Baptism t Ibknakus, another early writer and Bishop of the Church, the pupil of Polycarp who had been tau^t by St John, writing about the year 176, A- D., saye : "That children ! i (.o) M well as others were then actoally bi^daed to dbtain remiflsion of nna." No art can explain away mr elude thk paeeage, which folly confirms the fact that Infant Bi^itism was the practice of the Church in the second century. Tkbtulliak, another writer in the latter end of the second century and the beginning of the third, who^ though he had peculiar ideas about Infant Baptism, yet beiurs witness to the fact that the Church in his day baptized infants. This writer is sometimes quoted by those who object to Infant Baptism as supporting their belief. Let us see, however, how he witnesses to the custom of his day. Tertullian believed, as his writings show, that sin after baptism ^^as unpardonable. Ccmsequently he endeavored to have the practice of the Church about Infant Baptism changed and the sacrament delayed until death was at hand or upon some assurance that the candidate would not commit any wilful sin after baptism. To show conclusively that he was trying to get the custom of the Church changed, he says: "What need is there that the God- fathers should be brought into danger t Because they may either fail of their promises by death, or they may be deceived by a child's proving of wicked disposition." It was evidenUy the custom then in his day to have Godparents, anf* -> baptize children, otherwise why should he refer to these facts. His manner of arguing plainly shews that he was seeking to introduce a new practice into the Church of his time. We dwell more particularly on this writer be- cause he has been so frequently put forth as a sub-Apostolto mmm champion agaiiut the practice of Infant Baptism. Bat certainly not a diampion for the same reasons as put forth by those of this century. TertuUiaEi did imiai vpon if^ania being haptiaed if they were in danger fff death and not likeiy to recover. OuoiN, who lived in the beginning of the third oentary, also bears testimony, without a shadow of a doubt^ as to the practice of the Church in his day about Infant Baptism. He says in his writings that "none is free from pollution though his life be but the length of one day upon the earth. And for that reason ii^famU aire haptimdt because by the sacrament of baptism the pollution of our birth is taken away; and 'except one be bwn of water and the spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.' " Origen not only refers to Infant Baptism as the practice of the Church, but also refers to it as of Divine institution. At a council of the Church held at Carthage, A. D., 253, where sixty-six Bishops were assembled, an account of whose proceedings is given by St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, no one had the audacity to ask whether it was right to baptize infants or not. There was, however, at this council a discussion about Infant Baptism, but it was on a question submitted by Fidus, an African Bishop, who asked " whether infants ought to be baptised before they were eight days old t " Since this was the age for ciroum- dsion in the Jewish Church. But the council decided imanimomly tiiat there was no occasion for delay, even for eight days, but that it^onte might be baptised at any time. There are many other early writers and historians who might be quoted to show that Infant Baptism was uni- versally practiced in the Apostolic and Primitive Ohuroh of Christ There is but one result in the appeal to history on this question, and it is this : I%at during the jvnt 1100 yean of the exittenoe of the Chrietian Chureh there w no record of amy aociety or body of men toho denied the latq/tUneee tflr^ant Baptiem. II. — As TO THK MODK OF BAPTISM. The Chureh of England, following Scriptural and ancient custom, directs her ministers to either dip (not immerse) the candidate in water, or to pour (not sprinkle) water on the head of the candidate. About twenty years ago a remarkable manuscript was discovered. It caused great interest and deep reeearoh as to its authenticity and genu- ineness among the learned theologians of the day. It was first published by the learned Greek Arohbishop Bryennius in 1883, under its title, "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," and was claimed by its critical and learned examiners to be not only genuine but the earliest Christian treatise known next to the (Gospels and other portions of the New Testament. The date assigned to it by competent judges was sometime between A. D. 80 and 110. Proba- bly about the year 100 A. D. would be a fair assumption as to its date. This would mean that it was written a (*3) f ▼ery short time after St John wrote his book on the revelation made to him on the Isle of Patmos. One of the giants in theology of the nineteenth century, the late Bishop lightfoot, of Durham, whom the Christian world acknowledges to be one of the greatest Biblical scholars and critics of his day, gave it as his opinion, after carefully examining "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles " that ** of the genuineness of this document there can be no shadow of doubt." In this treatise on the teaching of (he Apostles we find the following directions given concerning the mode of baptism : " Baptize into the nwne of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost in flowing >.ater. But if you have not got flowing water baptize in other water, and if you cannot in cold then in wwrm. But if you have not (enough of) either, potw water three timee upon the Keadt into the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." This reference is made solely as to the quantity of water that suffices for baptism, and not to the state or condition of the candidate. And when we con- sider that this document was written and these directions given, shortly after the last book of the New Testament was completed, by those who were no doubt instructed by some of the Apostles themsdves, it ought to have the greatest possible weight and influence on the minds of those who really desire to learn what the custom and practice of the Apostolic Church was as regards the mode of administering the sacrament oi baptism. Surdy the aathw of this important traatiae and his fellow laborers would be familiar with the practice <rf the Apostles in this matter, much mon o than persons living centuries afterward. The Church at England also teaches that it is Qod^ through the agency ci His Holy Spirit who gives us grace in baptism, and not the toalor. It is used as a nuoHSj and it seems, to say the least, irreveront to imply that God must have a certain quanti^ of water to make baptism valid. Ood is Almighty and can do His work as well with a drop as with an ocean in His <mlinanoe of baptism. m. — CORVKBSIOir. Another objeotaon often heard against the Churoh of England is that she does not teach the neoessi^ of Con- versi<m. This objection can best be answered by looking, not at the practice or opinions of some who claim to be her diil- dren, but at what the Church herself teaches in her authorized formulas oi faith and doctrine. An examina- ti<m of her Book of Comm<m Prayer will clearly show us what her teaching is on this subject. At the banning of every service of daily, morning and evening prayer she orders, among the passages of Scriptures to be read, the following : *< When the wicked man tum- eth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul («5) aliTe" (Enldel zyiii : 21). "Tbend jtmr hmtt and not your gannents, and tarn onto the Lord yoar God" (Joel ii : IS). "I will ariae and go to my father, and will say unto him. Father, I have sinned against heaven Mid before thee, and am no more worthy to be called th/ son" (St. Lake zv. : 18-19). She orders these passages <^ Scrip- tare to be read for the very parpuse ci warning Ui'. peq>le assembled for worship of the necessity of being eonvt/rted or " turned " as the revised version renders the Greek word, which in the aathorized version is trandated "converted." The prayers also of the Charch abound in appeals to God that we may be ** turned " from the way of ungodli- ness, and that He may be pleased " to create and make in us new and contrite hcMrts." She lays the greatest stress on the absolute necessity of r^aetUanee for our sins past, as did our bleued Lord in order to obtain saving grace. True, the word conversion itself is seldom ever heard in her services. She prefers rather to use the BiHe word repentance; reiterating over and over again the cry of John the Baptist, and of our Saviour Himself, "r^Mnt for the EliDgdom of Heaven is at hand." The word version so .^omoMMily used in these days is not what may be truly called a Bible word. It is not found in any of the Epistles of St. Paul or the other Apostles. Neither do any of the Apostles in their writings ever exhort people to be converted, but they do urge them to "repent,'' which is a much deeper and more suggestive word dian con- version. mam (.6) Hm Chnrdi bdiovM it to be her duty to t^ men to do what Ghrist and His Apoetles told them to do^ and in urging men to repent she inolndes all that tiie word oon- yerrion can possibly mean. She welcomes to her Holy Table, only those who do tmly and earnestly r^wnt th«n of their sins and intend to lead a new (converted or tamed) life, following the command- ments of God: "And widking from henceforth in His holy ways." She distinctly tells her pec^Ie that without repentance and without being turned to Qod, they cannot receive grace in the sacrament of the Holy Communion. VII. There are other objections sometimes raised, such as the Form ol Gk>yemment in the Church of England; vis.. Episcopal, prescribed Form of Prayer, and other minor objections which can easily be answered by the authorized teachers of the Church, and to them we earnestly commend all those who really and sincerely desire a better under- standing and knowledge of the Church and her ways. The one great need of this day and age is a fuller and clearer knowledge of the " truth as it is in Jesus," and to search diligently until we find it. To this end we must read, and read, and read again, in the spirit of that prayer of the saintly Chrysostom : " Granting us in this world knowledge of Thy truth." Above all we must ever be willing to learn, and that too in a meek and patient spirit («7) It if nofc the opiuioiis or sentimeati of mmi, no matter how cleyer or leemed, it is rather the truth conoeming "the luth whioh wa$ onee for aU delirered onto the Mint*" (Jade 3, rev. vernonX that we all need to know tor oar souls eternal welfare. UnlcHrtanatelj we live in an age of **anha]^7 divisions" among Christians, and so many diflfereo*" opinions an set fortii as "the troth" that it b very difficalt oftentimes for tiie poor wayfuing man or the busy man to know as tiwy ■ay "just what to bdieve;" and too often sach men oon- dade that it makes no diffisrenoe what a man believes so k>ng as his life is all right If sach a oonclosion were trae, or even reasonable, then Ingersoll, the far-famed atiieist, might have passed for a ChristiMu Bat^ dear reader, U doe§ mah$ a d^^erence in OoePt tightf if not in man's, what men believe, as well as what th^ da The trath oi God is eternal and onchangeaUe^ not to be added to or taken away from, nor is there any new troth to be discovered. He has revealed it ail for all time. As a iMmed man of old writes : "What is true is not new, and what is new is not troa" An axiom which certainly will always hold good as regards the religion of Christ and His Choroh. Perverted troths, half troths, are, in a great measore, the oaose of misonderstanding, as well as the result of it, concerning the teaching of the Chorch of England. Too often have they been set fmrth by teachers and preaoht rs of different denominations with great fervoor and intenuty ( «8 ) of feeling and pnrpoae undw the undue prendre of relig- ions exdtanent, when that portion of man caUed tine ** feelings," so diangeable and often unreliable, Mre alone appealed to and worked upon until they reach the state of frenzy and sometimes temporary delirium. Misrepresentation ci the truth, jealousy, selfishness and blind lri£x>try have been the cause of divisions in the Christian Church, but we believe that iE God's own good time, the prayer of His dear Son "that they all may be one " will be answered, and Christians (moe more united in one Fold under one Shepherd. There mo signs, which observing and thoughtful men have not failed to note in the closing years of the century just passed, which encourage all who desire the re-union of Christians in the Church of Christ to be hq)eful as wdl as prayerful. Who can tell what the new century just hegan may bring forth in this direction t For that re-union the Church of England unceasingly intercedes in her daily service of prayer and praise. Oc<>upying as she does a peculiar position, between the Boman Catholic Church on the one side and the various Protestant denominations on the other, she affords good ground and ample opportunity for the re-union of the Church of Christ. Able and learned men on both sides, by their writings on the subject, confirm this claim and inspire brighter hopes for unity. Among them we quote the following : («9) The late Dr. J. P. Newman, a Melhodist-Epiaoopa "Bishop," in an addrees given abont two yean ago "On the Outlook lor Christianity in the United States," said ** that it irmi his firm oonviotion that not many yean henoe the Christian den<Hninations of the world would nombmr no more than "i^ree^ the Roman CaUiolio Chnrdi, the Chnroh of England (or the Episoopal Church as he terms it), and the Baptist That the Methodists, the Presbyter^ itkds, and the Congr^gationalists wiU be drawn into tk» Chunk of England. The Baptists being kept oat only by their distinctive doctrine respecting imm«rsi<Hi." This is Methodist testimony gi~9n by (me who recently ooonpied the very highest position in the gift of that body in tiie United States. Only let ns hope that the work of re-nnion will go on still farther than Dr. Newman's convictions led him to believe. Here is also the testimony of a famous and learmd Roman Catholic. The Ultramontane Joseph de Maistre^ in a celelnrated work of his (cons, sur la France, c. ii), q)ei^ing of the Church of England, 1m says: "If eret Christians re-unite, as all things make it their interest to do, it would seem that the movement must take rise in the Church of England. She is most precious and may be r^^rded as one of those chemical %ntermede$ which «re capable of producing a union between elements in them- selves dissociable." This is indeed p^-r'^ng testimony by one who wrote so favorably in defence of the doctrine of Papal InfalUbUity. (30) Bat not stronger or more forcible tluui that of the late Dr. BhielcU, a talented prolesaor in one of the Preefajterian Colleges in the United States^ writing in the Oentnrj Magarine some years ago <m tiie subject of Unity amongst Christiansi he intimated that if ever the dirided Ohnreh of Christ is united again, as in Qod's own good dme it most be^ die Book of Common Prayer of the Church of Bngland will form the basis, aiul the Anglican Communioa the centre around which the forces for re-union will rally. Quotations mi^^t be given witiiont numbw from other writers of diflforent rriligious bodies, but these will surely suffice to show the unique position of the Churdi of Eng- land as the faithful teachw and exponent oi the " truth as it is in Jesus." She numbers amongst her Clergy vataij of the most brilliant and talented scholars of the age. Among her mMubers are found the most eminent Mid ablest sta^^"*- men in the empire. And last^ but by no means leasts the beet beloved among her members was the great and good Victoria, our late lamented and never to be fcnrgotten Queen. The King and Emperw, who rules over the empire, acknowledges the Church of England as his spirit- ual mother, and by his counsel and advice in the tempor- alities of the Church, as becomes his high office as the reigning Sovereign, seeks to promote the advancement and glory of the ancient and historic Church of England. There ia also the witness of her missionary leaL She is the source of the oldest Missionary Society for English (31) qpeaking people in all parts ci the British Empire^ the ▼eoerable "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel,'' ocganiMd two hnndred years ago ; and in latmr years the sooroe ci one of the most active and enefgetio minionaiy agencies in ihb world, the great Church Miisi<Miary Society. There is also the witness bome^ in modem as well as aLSoient days, l^ her "noUe army of martyrs" lor the faith of theGoqieL The English speaking wcMid also bears witness to the fMst — alas too often forgotten — that she has given to it the Holy BiUe in the English tot^gne. By her interest in tiie affiurs al state mm! her inflnence in the L^iislative Halls of Westoninister, she is today, as in the past, the great bulwark of the British Empire. In all the trials and dangers^ that have beset her, whether from within or from witiiout, she has continued " steadfast in the Apostles teaching aiul fellowship, in tke breaking of bread and in the pra .*8," and by Qod's bless- ing will so continue to the end. Blessed Jesus grant, we beseech Thee, that what has }wr^ been written may aid in removing some of the barriers ^liich divide Christians in our land, to the advancement of Thy Kingdom, the glory of Thy name and the eternal welfiue ci immortal souls, for Thy mercies sake. Amen.