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Les diagrammes s'Mvants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 n-^ / tT ^ <^X 8528S DOCTRINE OF THB HOLY SPIRIT; '^^ ^n ^^''I'l'ICATrON TO THE WANTS AND INTRRESTS OF CORPORATE MAN UNDER THE PROVIDENCE AND MORAL GOVERNMENT OF GOD, STATED AHm DEFENDED FROM HOLY WBIT ANC THE PHACTICE OF THK AroSTLES OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST; AND IN THESE DAYS REVIVED IN BRITAIN r BT. THE REV. EDWARD IRVING; KxniBITIMd THE SOLE MEANS OF MATIONAL REFORMATION AND rRESERVATION- BY THE REV. ADAM HOOD B URWELL, MISSIOtllRT FROM THB SOCIETY FOR PROPAOATIMO THK OOSPIt IN FORBION PARTI. Thus jialtl) the Loan, Stand ye i*i lllc ways and spc, and aak for the old paths whprr i ovtr King ; he will save iis :" — *' The Lofd shall judge his people :" — "The Lord judge l>etween me and thee:" — "It is not in man that walketh to direct his stoj>s." And I wish tho reader to under- stand that I use these words in no loose unmeaning sense, but as reduceable to actual practice, as »he terms would be understood in ■our courts of law in relation to the personal acts of the administra- tors of justice. Has our " God anvith wars and rumours of wars, commotions, in divers countries, — tho powers ordained of Heaven shaken upon their thrones, — dis. tress of ntrlions with perplexity, — men's hearts failing them for fear, aud for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth, — who knows that thus coupled it may not bo the prelude to other and yet sorer visitations ? Who knows that convulsions are not at hand, which will shake the earth as it were, to her centre, — pangs perhaps marking ihe birth of future blessings to mankind, but designed while they last, as a searching test of the constancy of our service, and as ordained to try every man's work of what sort it is ?" — For my own part, I fully believe that " the end of all things is at hand," uud that tho signs of the coming of tho Son of Man in lus everlasting kingdom, to judge tho quick aud the dead, to restore the human race from the full, and to relieve tho earth from the curse under which it groaneth and travailoth to be delivered (Rom. viii. 19-23,) are visible, not only in tho pestilence, but in the wide spread infidelity of the times, and the shaking of the nations by means of that dreadful dclusiou, IxFiDEL RADICALISM, which now rules so large a part of the world, and threatens the total desolation of Christendom. Tlie following sclieme does by no means claim to be either complete or according to schoLstic method and arrangement. It is a more skeleton, and that imperfect. I make no claim to be free iVoni error ; for I do not interpret by the inspiration of the Spirit. I exerciyo my own judgment as to the consistency of the doctrine vii M (f) ilttil ^aiid (iod'« word generally, witli liic paroulul cliaractcr ol'our heuvcnly I'ullier, and with the waiits and llio wickedness of mankind. I confoas myself indebted to Bishop Butler'i Analogy for much of the general character of the performance ; and because such hna been God's method of dealing with the faithful ami tlio unfaithful, and since ho " cliangclh not," but is " the same yestcr- day, to day, and forever," I am led to believe that if the church again turns to him in full repentance and persevering prayer, she may again enjoy " the gifts and calling of God" as she did in tho beginning. " For ■whatsoever things were written aforetiuie were Avritten for our learning, that wo through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." I feel bound to declare my respect and love for the church of England, believing, with a few exceptions, in the entire soundness of her creeds and services as far as they go. I have often con- templated with wonder that great master.piece of human wisddm, tho British Constitution of Church and State, alas, now no more ! The world has been amazingly indebted to it, and God has greatly blessed the British Empire by its means. But it was not meant for endurance. This world passeth away, and all tho works of roan must be destroyed, — all must give place and make way for the coming of tho Son of Man in his kingdom,— and for tho new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth rigiiteousness, — wherein " tho former shall not bo remembered, nor come into mind" (Isa. Ixv. 17.) Which hasten. Lord Jesus, in thine own good time, and so prepare thy people that they may abide the day of thy coming, and not be ashamed at thy appearing ! Thine is tho kingdom ; and thou has given it to " the people of tho saints of the Most High," who, with thee, " shall inherit the earth." O come quickly ! — take to thyself thy great power, and reign forever and everon that earth w]|||^ thou has won back >rom the usurpation of the Old Serpent ! THE AUTHOR. DOCTUINE or THE HOLY SPIRIT, Lc. X) Almighty and cvorlastinf; God, who didat give to lltine Apostle Bartholo. mow graco truly to buliovo and to proacli thy Word; Grant, we beaoech thee, unto t ^ Chureh, to love that word which he believed, and both to nruach aud receive the «amu ; through Joeuit Chrint our Lord. Amrn. Cut. «. Uarthtl. I. Tho Doctrine of me Holy Spirit lies at lio root of Chria- fianity, and from tlicr n is intended by its Author to rise and flow througji every part thereof, distributing light, life, and energy, where- ver present. II. Tho Holy Spirit is the Operative Agent in all tho works of God. By him th« Father and tho Son are every where present and powerful iv all tho fulness of tho Divine Nature. After matter was comniandod into being, tho Spirit of God moved upon tho unorganized mass, and produced a Casmos, or world of order, harinonyj and beauty, organized according to. the will of God in Christ. '♦ Tho Spirit of God moved upon tlie face of the waters." (Gen. 1:2.) " The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breaf;li of the Almighty hath given me life." — " By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hajid hath formcdt he crooked serpent." fjob.33: 4, and 26: 13.) "All these worketh that one and the .self-same Spirit." ^1 Cor. 12 : 11.^ The word used in the Greek Testament to denote the Spirit is Pnetma, which primarily signi- fie" the vnnd. Tho air, though invisible, is evsry where ; mingles in every thing and in every operation ; supports all life animal and vegetable ; foods flr.me ; scatters rain and dew ; distributes and softens our light ; and is constantly at Work in a thousand benefi. cient forms in the economy of visible nature. So also is the Spirit in the economy both of nature and of grace ; yet only 'spiritually tliscerned ;" viz : by His ov.-n assistance, III. ^lan was made to hold frequent intelligible communication with God by rational speech. This we find in the case of A.dam, in whom tho whole human raco stood represented, both before and after the fall ; and again in Noah, in whom the race again stood as in a second head. So also the faithful in Abraham, with whom God often held familiar converse, and called him his friend. The child inherits front the parent : hence a covenant with tho parent, in all God's dealings, includes his posterity also. So we find that God 10 did not confine himself to the patriarchal line from Noah to our Lord, or to the Jewish people, in regard to personal intercourse, as might be shewn by various examples ; for instance, the book of Job. God did not suspend his intercourse with the heathen till they had forsaken him. " Because that, when they kmw God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and fheir foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," fancying the counsel of God unnecessary. " And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind." (Rom. 1 : 21, 22, 28.^ This fully accounts for the cessation of that personal intercourse between God and the human race at large : yet still the memory of it was kept up in all their idolatries and fables. IV. Man was made to have dominion over all God's works ; but this can be only in subordination to the will of God. It docs not, however, appear possible for creatures to exercise the dominion, either with honour to God or advantage to themselves, even on the smallest scale, unless by a contiaually derived sufficiency and guid. ance, ministered direct' from God by the power of the Holy Ghost, and working in and with the creature. Light is not in the eye that sees, but enters it from without ; and when the eye is shut, the whole body is full of darkness. Jeiemiah saith : " O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (10 : 2S.) Hence man fell on the first temptation, because not upheld by the Holy Ghost, and at the outset, proved the suicidal lie of creature dependance. Whatever we rightly do must be done of God as well as of man ; " for it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleas" " (Phil. 2 : 13.) Nay, even "the Son can do nothing of himself." (John 5 : 19 ;) much less the creature. Yet man was made to hold the dominion overall things. "Thou madest L^m a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands : thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put allin subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him." (Heb. 2 : 7, 8.) The fall proves his utter incapacity of himself, and thus shews forth the divine wisdom in making it a living demonstration of creature nothingness, and of the necessity of the continued upholding of the power of the Holy Ghost. V. The doctrine that man, whose way is not in himself, but in God, and his strength in the power of the Holy Spirit, was made to have dominion over all God's works, requires that other doctrine, i. e. that man was made for constant intelligible communication with God. For if such communication were not kept up, how could man keep God in all his thoughts, as a free moral agent, and act by His special direction ia Bubordination to the Divine Will ? Noah to our 11 yi. The above appears necessary from the doetrine of Divine Providenco ; for as that is not general which does not embrace •very particular, so that is not a general providence of God over man which does not reach every individual of the race. And this is true ; for not a sparrow falls to the ground without our heavenly Father; and even the very hairs of our head are all numbered by Him. It is then as tvorthy of God to manifest himself miraculously for the sake of one human creature as for the whole race ; and to my mind this explains thnt part of the economy cf God's providence un- der which, in the Old Testament times, private personr were in the habit of going to enquire of God for direction in their p. te affairs. And what but this is the true end and object of private prayer among Christians in regard to their worldly matters ? And I would ask, Would it be less worthy of God to give distinct answers to Chris- tians concerning their private affair* than it was of him in regard to the private affairs of the Jews, and of the heathen, before they apostatised 1 God's law is for the direction of all man's conduct, and His providence for the care of all his interests. " Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart." (Job 22 : 22.) And would not this manifest him as a liv- ing God, present among his people, and actually caring for and pitying them as a father pitieth his own children ? (Psa. 103 : 13.) God is not a theological abstraction, to be entertained in the intel- lect like a scientific or logical proposition, to be known about, but not known ; but a living, life-giving, and holy Agent, dv.elhng in the soiUand body of man, and making him "partaker of the divine nature." I would extend the principle of divine superintendence and direction even to fashions in dress ; because it is certain that the purity and simplicity of faith and practice are more or less affect- ed by the inordinate desire after such things, and by the tiling* themselves in many cases. (2 Pet. 3 : 3-6.) And that which has a tendency to corrupt the heart and estrange it from God cannot bo beneath His notice and special interference. Vn. Man being proved in himself totally incompetent for hold- ing and exercising the dominion for which be was created, the way to it is opened by the incarnation of the Son of God,, and by taking Manhood into maon with Deity in the person of the God-Man,Christ Jesus. This provides for the investiture of the dominion in Man- hood, without risk of failure on the part of man, or in any sense surrendenng the Divine Prerogative, or interfering with the office of God, the Holy Ghost, as the All-in-all Operator and Universal Co. Agent m all good works. And as the Holy Spirit of God is also the Spirit of Christ our new and indefectible Head^ the Lord of all visible m Manhood as God manifest in humpji flesh. Godhead has taken up its eternal residence in Manhood for the perpetual outact. ings and manifestations of divine power, and for holding commu- nion and intelligible communication with buraaa creatures for their 11 ' ■fii m I 12 fli guidance and direction in all things. The Holy Ghost descended upon our l4ord at his baptism^ and abode upon him, bo qualify him- for his office and work. He was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power ; (Acts 10 : 38 ;) and it was exclusively by the Spirit that he knew all things as being every wliere present ; that he spoke and acted with infallible wisdom during his whole ministry. " If I, with the finger of God, cast out devils:" (Luke 11 : 20.) " If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out devils :" (Matt. 12 : 28 :) that is, by the power of the Holy Ghost, the divine Opeuator, — the finger, the hand, the arm, the power of God. And furthermore, Jesus did nothing as God, but every thing as a man of faith and prayer, anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, just as his faithful dis. ciples did. When the multitude saw his mighty works, " they mar- velled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men ;" (Mat. 9 : 8 ;) not merely to one man, but unto men in a generical sense ;— mankind. VIH. As all things are to be put under the feet of man, so the Man Christ Jesus takes possession of all things for and on behalf of man. For " being found in fashion as a man (in the form of a servant) he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death. — Wherefore God hath highly exalted liiin, and given him a name which ia above every name. (Phil. 2:8.) "All power is given unto Me both in heaven and in earth." (Mat. 28 : 18.) And God hath exalted him " far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in tljat which is to come : and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body." (Eph. 1 : 21.) And as the wife in marriage is put in possession of all her husband's property on the ground of their being "one flesh," and but one person in law as regards estate ; so when the marriage of the Lamb takes place, the Ciuirch, which is His body, bone of bis bone and flesh of his flesh, will be formally put in possession of the empire of the universe in subordination- to her Head. IX. " It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps :' none but God can do it. He needs more than a written law : he needs spiritual eyes to understand it, and strength lainistered of God to enable him to keep it. And as God deals with him as a rational crea- tare, he needs a rational communication with God by speech to en. gage the rational faculties of his mind, and give exercise to his will in contradistinction from the instinct of brutes. For this end God gave prophets of old to be the expounders of revelation to the peo- pie ; and they spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But our Lord, as the Mai.> Christ Jesus, for man, received the Holy Ghost without measure, to give in measure to all that should be baptized into the name of the Holy Trinity, and, with some ex- eeptions p«Guliar to himself, as the Saviour and Head of the body,. :-: 13 "■ ^br pnicisely ilie Bume purposes for wliich he as man received tb» Spirit. ' 1. Beuause they are iriembera of his body, of his fiesb, and of his bonea ; and the Spirit of the Head is for \\\e whole body, both for hfo and function. A palsied member does not partake of the Spirit, nor obey the will of (he body it belongs to. 2. Be- cause by baptism into Christ our bodies are constituted and set apart to be the eternal temples of the Holy Ghost. (2 Cor. 3 : 16 ; 6:19; Rom. 8 : 4-16.) 3. Because he endowed the Church witb the Spirit for the performance of the same works which he per- formed while oa earth. " He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he da also ; and greater works than these shall he do ; because I go unto my Father." (John 14 : 12.) " Having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2 : 33.) 4. Because the Church (Kph. 2: 22) is built together for an eternal habitati»e mamfestfOion of the Spirit," declared to be common to all by the very fact of the ordinance of laying on of hands, in which the sign followed the thing signified; one of the signs to "follow them that believe.'* And I think this is included in the saying of Paul, that " the mani- festation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." In Heb. 6 : 2, he mentions the laying on of hands along with the doctrine of baptisms as one of the fundamental doctrines of Chris- tianity ; and in Scripture, it is evidently connected with the bap- tjsm of the Holy Ghost. Water baptism is for the remission of sms by the blood of Christ : the baptism of the Holy Ghost for in- troducing the Spirit into his consecrated temples for the liffe of God in Hian. As the administration of the rite was committed to an or- dfer of men in the Church for common benefit, it opens the way for " the manifestation of the Spirit" in every member of Christ's i J}' ■ft I! ■! i 1 1 18 body, independently of standing gills in particular individuala.— That the rite is perpetual, is witnessed by the Conlirmation Service in the Church of England ; and the perpetuity of the rite takes for granfed the perpetuity of the order of Apostles to which its admin- istration was conamitted ; the same as the fact of Ordination to the Ministry by persons having power to ordain takes for granted the perpetuity of the Christian ministry. But by the argument advan- ced above concerning the fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel, it is clear that the original object of laying on of hands cannot be ful. filed, unless both the Holy Ghost be given, and his manifestation accompany the gift as it did in the gospel history : for no valid rea- son can be given why an ordinance of God should ever vary so as to lose sight of its original character and object, unless by the ap. pointment of God himself. If one may, all may ; and so the Church might cease to be what God made it, and fail to perform all the functions he ordained it to perform. — God's Ordinance, the state, has, in the estimation of most men, lost its original character and ob- jects by the power of human intellect and the march of improvement towards perfection, and become the ordinance and the slave of the subject ; and thus, instead of serving God, it is made to serve the devil. Look at Lower Canada ! 2. And here I deem it not improper to notice the rite of Con- firmation in the Church of England. The Church does not regard it as the means of conveying to the baptised the gift of Holy Gliost from the person of Christ, the fountain head of the Spirit" to the members of his body, as the New Testament word and practice set forth the laying on of hands ; but a ratification and confirmation of the vows of baptism previously entered into. Here the Gospel ex- hibits the object of the laying on of hands to be one thing : the Church of England declares it to be another and different thing ; yet in the rite professes to be guided by the example of the Holy Apostles. The prayers in the Confirmation Service appear to hold a middle place between the doctrine of the Gospel and the doctrine of the Church as to the object of the rite, speaking against both and for both, and decidedly for neither. They did not, however, always do so ; for Shepherd tells us in his book on the Common Prayer, that, — " Instead of strengthen them, die. the words in our first Book were, " Send down from heaven, we beseech thee, O Lord, upon them thy Holy Ghost the Comforter, with the manifold gifts of grace, the spirit of wisdom," &c. In the second Book these words were changed into their present form. The words " now and ever" at the end, were added in 1661." (See Vol. ii. page 311.) The expunged words are in strict accordance with the Gospel, and calculated to keep in sight the true object of Confirmation ; while the substituted words are calculated to keep it out of sight. They have been more consistent who have thrown away Confirmation al- together. 19 8. It appears by tho case of Cornelius, Acts 10 : 44, and by Gal, 3 : 2, 5, that ia some instances the Spirit was "ministered by the hearing of faith," in distinction from laying on of hands. But this can be no authority for man to dispense with the regular use of a divine ordinance. On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit was min- ialered by neither, but, as I think, in the answer of prayer for the fulfilment of a promise ; for the Apostles " all continued with ono accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary tho mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." And our Lord teacheth us that God will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. f3o tho Spirit may be given without the U3(3 of the ordin»"ce> especially when the majority have no faith in it as God's appointed means of giving. When tho Church forgets the meaning of the ordi- nance, God may see cause to give to them that ask without it. XIII.— 1. •' The gift of the Holy Ghost" is to be distinguished from " Spiritual gifts." The first is, the gift of the Lord Jesus to the members of his body : the others are given by the Spirit him- self, " dividing to every man severally as he will," and arej in fact, his own outactings through the medium of redeemed humanity.— a subordinate manifestion of God in Manhood: in which case "God is in you of a truth." (1 Cor. 14 : 25.) In short, religion is alto- gether a work of the Holy Ghost in man, and all its outward ap- pearances, in as far as they proceed from God working in us to will and to do, ought to be regarded as the manifestations of an indwel- ling God by the Spirit, — "Christ in you the hope of glory." And should it be deemed an incredible thing that, if the Holy Ghost makes the bodies of men his temples and dwelling-places, they should occasionally think, feel, speak, and act by a supernatural agency, — in a miraculous manner ? The M'onder should be on th© other side. 2. The Holy Spirit in Scripture stands opposed to the devil and all unclean spirits : hence he is appropriately named The Holy Spi. rit; and his inhabitation in Manhood, both in the Man Christ Je- sus and in his faithful members, is the opposite of being possessed of devils and under the power of Satan. He is the Lord and Giver of Life; the Comforter ; the Sanctifier ; the Preserver ; the Peace- maker in truth, love and unity ; the Operator in all good works ; the Helper of all human infirmities ; the Physician of the body as well as the soul. He is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding ; of Counsel and Ghostly strength ; of knowledge, godliness, and the holy fear of the Lord ; of obedience, order, govei. ...lent, pros, perity, and happiness : the Author of love, of light, of a sound mind, and of the peace of God. On the contrary, the Devil is the contriver and instigator of all evil. He is a liar and the father of lies and liars ; a slanderer, deceiver, accuser, murderer ; a pollu- ter of soul and body ; a destroyer : the author of error, contention, wrath, Btrife, debate, deceit, treachery, pride, revenge, cruelly, T t il I f 20 hiUred, coniusion, robellion, war, bloodahed, doslruction, doluHioii and madness. Ho is especially " the Spirit thut NOW worketh iii th« childrou of disobedience ;" enophiiticttlly «' the printer's devil,'* if we may judge by a large proportion of the press. Ho tcrupta men mto disgraceful and ruinous sins ; deprives them of their reu. son ; torments them with despair and " the sorrow of the World which worketh death ;" drives them to suicide. Ho bows them down with diseases, and kills them with premature death. The de. Vila possess men's bodies and deprive them of their senses ; " they enter ki and dwell there:"—'' He hath a devil and is mud"— inak- ing men the temples of devils and the worm that dieth not, in op. position to the Holy Ghost, by whom boUcvors are " builded to- g;etl»er for an habitation of God through the Spirit." As the Holy Ghost sometimes imparts supernatural power to the human body, as in case of Samson, of David, (1 Sam. 17 : 35) and others,— at the same time that he renders them gentle, social, harmless and lamb-like, like the Lamb of God, whose dove-like Spirit he is ;— so the devils impart supernatural strenglh to their unhapoy victims, rendering them unsocial, cruel, wild, and savage, "^rhere met him out of the tombs a man with on unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs, — exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass that way ;— and no man could bind him, no, not with chains : because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces : neither could any man tame him. And olways, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." And as holy men speak as they are moved by the Holy Ghost, so the possessed of devils do speak as the devils give them utterance, of which many examples are re- corded in holy writ. And what is our defence against such wily, powerful, and malignant enemies? Nothing but the power of tho Holy Spirit ; a cheap, though Almighty Defence, which men may have for the asking !— Yet, how full is ihe world of the fearful works of the devil ! ^'V* — !• Let us now endeavour to state the principle upon which the church of Christ is founded, as touching its perpetuity and integrity. — There is a certain foundation principle, which lies at the root of existence in all things, by which they continue to be, essentially and formally, what they were at their constitution. Thus God constituted plants and animals at their creation, as well as the general system of nature, to be and continue what they were when he laade them, and to live in succession of time and individuals, having seed in themselves, or the constitutional principles of exis- tence in successive generations. Were this not so, their constitu- tion would be a lie, because it would contain no provision for the perpetuation of plants and animals in their original integrity. It is a branch of the same law of constitution which lies at the root of tor so long a litno iw(\ no Innrm, '» iv •» "'»»"'« uauses, — istonco is nnf ll • 1— -i. . ^ *'""g "»^V '^^'0 «'io"l'' ^e no schiHm in the bodv • I.U, . „,e„,^ I ,, ,, ^^^ „„ef";roS' liod»» ^„,^,;„ 1 ' •', '^'"'"I'y this carc? Because "the ""na*e°'l„ . ' ""' "°/ '"'™"' "" '"' heredi(am1=„,s a d appu ° Church or qw„ !.,?■ u' f P' ''""■'"I" '" R«dicuUsm, cither in all S°prf„eipies "' '"™'™ ""^ °°""""P' "»'' ""and'onraeu. If ZX'JZ °'K„r 0""?""= ™'"'f™e woTd;""oV p.t stabili»v an,!. '^" contrivances are made with a view to stabthty and permatience; and it is oa this principle, that reforms 'h m f, 22 in pubiio institution! aro callad fur, namely, to ensure itfthllity ftnd perrnni»onco to tl>e nation, lis a body corponito. Tlio Hanio hold* good in tlio arts of lifu, and in fact, is tho foundation of the crocd of tlip " Utilitarians ;" yea, of tlioso who osteein atheism a bettor material out of which to construct tho Htato machinery anay it it, truth unless the Hoi" ! !. I »l -,r^li«* . ^. . ^. u V A / 9 w K t M Ghost has distinctly and inteUlgil 'y revcnlcd his approbation of the measure I This ia a part of 1 ,o luw of Christ to the Church ! but no clnirch or sect observes it, or pays the Jeast respect to it in any practical way : therefore, on this point, they are all in open re- bellion against their Lord and Master. The only people who claim to obey this law are those i". England called " Irvingites," for which they are reviled and persecMted ; their name cast out as evil, and they treated as under "satanical delusion." I do not lay it down as matter of certainty that they do enjoy the guidance and direction of the Spirit as the Church of the New Testament did : but cer- tain am I that they are in a far more probable way of obtaining it than those who mock and scoff at the principle, and reject it as the privilege of God's people. — \ have observed vn unmanly attempt of the Editor of the Christian Guardian (iVov. 17 & 26, and Dec. 3, 1834) to prejudice the public against this scripture principle by the cunning artiHce of ridicule and selections from the writings of the " Irvingites," which he thought would be most offensive to the prejudices of his readers ; but in which the cunning man has care- fully abstained from quoting even a solitary text of Scripture against the theoretic soundness of the principle. Thafr Editor well knows that such is the Scripture theory and practice, and that no other is revealed to us for our guidance : hence he dare not argue the point on Scripture grounds, or attempt to bring Scripture to disprove the theory, namely, to prove that such is noi God's revealed method of dealing with and guiding the Church. If the theory is false, God must have declared it to be so. Why then did not that Editor ap- peal to God's word for the disproof of the doctrine, instead of reviling persons, and thus drawing the attention of his readers entirely away from the sole point ho ougl.t to have considered ? Such conduct is exactly parallel with thai of the Scribes and Pharisees, who, in- stead of searching the Scriptures for the testimony they bore to the Lord, excited the rabble to destroy him. This conduct the Lord reproved as hypocrisy ai.d wickedness ; and I laiow not that it has lost, since then, its essential qualities. " We heard, (says Mr. Ryerson) wnat Mr. Irving immediate- ly pronounced the Holy Ghost speaking through certain gifted fe- males ; and we saw several persons ordained to the offices of elder and deacon by what was termed calling and ordaining in i\w. Spirit." Why did he not show that these are not Christian privileges — ihat the word of God restrains our sons and daughters from i)rophesy- ing, and forbids us to speak with tongues — that it prohibits calling and ordaining in th*? Spirit ? — Again : " Many of our readers are aware that a Mr. Caird (by special order of the Spirit, in Mr. Ir. ving's Church, as stated,) came to this province in May last." — Why did not the wily Kditor show that the Gospel forbids sending missionaries " by a special order of the Spirit ;" and that therefore Mr. Cairds came with a lie in his mouth ? See Acts xiii. 1-4, and pprobation of ) the Church t ■espect to it in all in open re- plc who claim 5s," for which t as evil, and )t lay it down and direction did: but cer- f obtaining it reject it as the inly attempt of , and Dec. 3, •inciple by the i^ritings of the rensive to the man has care- ripture against :or well knows lat no other is ,rgue the point disprove the lied method of is false, God hat Editor ap- tead of reviling entirely away uoh conduct ia lecs, who, in- ley bore to the duct the Lord not that it has ng immediate, •tain gifted fe- jffices of elder in tli(! Spiriu" rivileges — that rom i)rophesy- •ohibits calling jr readers are xit, in Mr. Ir. May last."— orbids sending 1 that therefore xiii. 1-4, and £5 ^rious other places where it ia Bnid that ♦».« u » y^t .he movementsLd work ofVe^M^I J: ij "ifL^ EdT^'' duty to show from Holy Writ that aixch ^rl\M the Editor's God's people, rather than to rid cuL hose '^^^ prmkges of heritage in Christ. But bv the conri h ?"? *^^"" ^« t^«»' hold I . rno.Ueryp'1:^^^^^^^^^^ operationLf tiedhurckougit Sot nowtTi'* '" "^^ '^""''^^ single text in point would be worth anThl '^^ «° <^o"ducted ? A " agitation" th'e worthy EdL ever pi 5?„7p^^^^^ ^f Pf ^^ been veiy laborious in disseminatinrrohLal aCl ^ ?' ^u^ ing men to deny God and Christ in a^l^the rooHtfcar^^^ T^ ^'^''^^ now he must come forward as a Champtn a^^ SL^^^^^^^^^^^^^ th"? men, as churchmen, should acknowledge thf guidance of thrHolv Ghost m a way d.stmguishabJe from the guidance of !„ Hp „^^ human race" for'proof of^r'chri JirctLTer aT tllit^ his special b>4„g? Wherdid Go3 aithn • •'^"'^ ^^^^« ^««eived. these ''confederacies?" (Isa 8 12 ) An ??f f T" *" ""''^' ^"*« may learn from the following'^ScriptuL » Zv fhl '''' ,^' ""^ ties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And therfarl ^Zl ""'^ ^'^^'''J- ministrationa, but the same Lord And thorl ^^"''^^ ?^ ^^• operations, but it is the same God wtt t LtralltT^R^' the manifestation of the Spirit iseiven toevprvmnn . a^' ■ ,^"' For to one is given by the SDirif th<^ .^r^ ?^",^*'P'''^ the word of know- dge by the same sZ 1 ""''^r ' *° ^"«^^^«^ «ame Spirit ; to anotLr tl glftsof !Zt ll Z s f 'T '^ *'^ another the working of mirades ; to anZr'^^^pLr.' to'''"';.''' discerning of Spirits; to anothe; divers kinds of ton JuU^ ^^^^ ther the mterpretation of tongues But all thp^i !^ f ' u"* ''"°' ^^■. »...<«», LA. r^e-Evi^ ut.nsr:: :fr ^ mimmmmmmm* 26 Pastors ana Teachers.'* (Ej)li. 4 : 8, II.) " Now ye are the body of ChriHt, and Uienibers in particuUir. And God liutli set some in the Church, Hrsl Apostles, secondarily J^ii.phets, thirdly Teachers, at\er that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, di- versities of tongues;" (1 Cor. 12: 27, 28:) the next verse adds the interpretation of tongui Hero Me see an enumeration of the members and functional i»artsof the constituted and organized body of Christ for the varied out-actings and manifestations of the living God from such his holy temple ; (1 Cor. 3 : 16 :) and should it be thought incredible that, if God dwelleth in man, he should act mi- raculously bv man ? Should he be " a dumb Spirit ?" XVI.— 1. "The body of Christ," thus organised by the Holy Ghost, for "the manifkstation of the Spirit" by the out-acting of Godhead from his temple of humanity, is by the Apostle compared with the human body organized " by the same Spirit" for its own functions. " For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, arc one body : so also is Christ. For by one spirit we are all baptised into one bgdy, whether we be Jew3 or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free : and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many .... Now ye are the bod> of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the Cluirch,"&c. (1 Cor. 12.) "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office : so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Havmg then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, who- ther prophecy," - --- -..v;^ «iu ,jui mu ^^nurcnes or liod, but Churches of Man s own contrivance, and rightfully subject to be " tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, Whereby thev lie iil wait to deceive, in a condition of undefinabic disorder and limitless change, and ever fleeting uncertainty. The Guardian professed to borrow this ecclesiastical curiosity from the Rev. John Wesley But no man pretends that God, after the close of the Canon of Scripture, pulled that Church to piece,^ as a poor contrivance, which was " built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesua Christ himself being the chief corner stone," and put it up again ou a new and better pian, which totally excluded « the manifestation of the (spirit. 1 say no man pretends to exhibit the records of so momentous a transaction. All confess that she began in the Spirit under an organization for the out-ac-'igs of miraculous power : vet nearly all pretend, that having begun in the Spirit, she was somehow to be made perfect by the flesh, (Gal. iii. 3) according to the ma- napment of human wisdom, unaided by any recognized or co^niz- able communication with the Spirit. Such reasoning is destitute of every particle of rationality, and exhibits merely the power of so. phistry in sealing up the eyes of the understanding to the apprehen- sionof the comely proportions of divine truth, and in cutting off the means of forming a true judgment through the medium of evidence. I. But these two pomta, namely, the work to be done, and the time during which ,t was to be done, under the Church's primitive constitution and organization, are clearly and distinctly stated by St. 1 au . For God the Son •' gave some, Apostles ; and some, Pro- phets; and sonie. Evangelists; and some, Pastors and Teachers"— that IS : God hath set some in the Church : first. Apostles ; second- any, Prophets; thirdly, Teachers ; afler that, miracles ; then gifts of healings, helps, governmciits, diversifies of tongues, interpreta- .on of tongues. An, for M-hat purpo.sc ? " For the perfecting of tit TA iM I I H iiiir--"-— -rT-* I I -1 N ^the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of Gud, unto a porfed ^an,until the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" till tho ^►people taken out of the Gentiles for the name of the Lord (Acts iv. l4) be completed : till the elect number spoken of in our Buriiil Service be accomplished : till the Bride hath made herself ready, and the Lord comes in Kis kingdom.. And for what other purpose 1 *' That we henceforth bo no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in him which is the head» even Christ : from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working ( of the Holy Spirit) in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Epb. 4.) And this organization ard out-acting of the Spi- rit had also a special aspect to the perpetual infdlUhility of tha Church, (as will appear hereafter) by means of continual commu- nication with " the head of the body." / 3. Note 1. That unless it can be shewn that the saints are all / perfected ; that the work of the ministry is finished ; that the edi. fying of the body is comple*ed, for which purposes God gave those *' spiritual gifts," no reasonable claim can be set up for the necessi. ty of their being taken away. 2. That unless we are all actually come in the unity of the faith, &c. the claim is equally unreason, able. 3. That unless it can be made appear that they were not ordained for a constant security against being tossed to and fro, &c. and that the compass of human wit is a safer guide through the hideous anarchy of heresy and schism, than those despised "gifts,'* the claim set up against them must be positive rejection of the in. fallible aid of ihe Holy Ghost. 4. The objectors are bound to show tKat the present use of the miraculous gifts would be an actual curse to the Church ; which indeed the present Bishop CHopkins) of "Vermont has attempted in his " Christianity Vindicated;" but un- fortunately he has not seen cause to rest his vindictive accusation of miracles on any authority higher than his own : he has not appeal, ed ro the Word of God at all in it. XVn.- — 1. I shall here introduce an objection furnished me by a clerical brother, — one for whom I entertain no small personal re- card, — viz : That " God withdrew the miraculous power from the Church when she had gained strength sufficient to progress without it." Here the questions present themselves — On whose authority is this assertion made ? To whom did God communicate his intention of withdrawing the miraculous power, and the reason why its Ion. ger continuance was about to become unnecessary ? When he did withdraw it, what power did he leave behind, " the power of the Holy Ghost," or "an arm of flesh?" And on what principle? — that the Spirit, ^vhich " lustuth againi»t the flosh," and seeks to enicify it. Whs tin impediment to the " strenfflH sufficient" of h«^ TLTl \T'~-?^' '''^'^"^'' ''""^^ shouI(fbe esteemed soun^ divinity ! Miraculous nnw^ra xn,r.^r. «i — *_ i , , ""«"» _.,. .v^ui.u i„c uuuy oi v^nrisi It had " gained strength sufficient" to stanii, and'w'aikrand 'w6rk! were not scaffolding and swathing bands, soon to become a nuis- ance, butthehmbs and " very members incorporate," aTj the or. that thrhnr,/ TV'/^""' "' ™^'°"^' ^« i^ ^°"'d be to pretend t at the horses which draw a coach, and the wheels on which it r2rK'^, ^^'•'^•b^nch on which it was made, and the efore ought to betaken away as impediments to the speed of the vehide But the Holy Spiri^t foresaw these objections and excuses for unflith iulness, and provided the proper reproofs for them. Theve^lTl^'. doubt remembers the fub-e of the different member of the body JaH >ng into schisms and factions, and refusing to perform their annoin?..; functions til they all starved out of envy to'^^he beTireLhC mf to that feeder of all, " I have no need of thee." Wth .S this seems to have been in the mind of the Spirit wh- The d fJ.^^ hj. servant Paul, after he had given a cat.Zgue of the m m£ and functional organs of " the body of Chrilt" as above SS m the preceding section, to caution " the members" against l^f ' For h T'T''""' ^"^ ^^''■''^'"' ''""*^"^^' i" the folio win| manner^ 1-orthe body is not one member, but many. If the foot sh-ill «?..* oTTeTodlr IV'?; !r"^' ' TT ""'t'^^^'y •• i'it ttrefoie" ; oi tne body / And if the ear shall say. Because I am not the pv^ I am not of the body : is it therefore not of the bodvT If the who^e body were an eye, where were the hearing ? If the whole 7pr^ hearing, where were the smelling ? But^ now hath God serZ members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased hL" ACclDFNTi;^ God of order," he ca'^not admit of ""It^;, ALCIDhNfAL variations'' as the " i^ecessarvvariety " wTfh J'wTr'^^r "^""'" f'^'- their organizationriraiy "'bor- of which he IS the artificer, and because he is the sole iud^e of how many members ought to be in the body, of the work to b^donf by them, and of the capacity and place of each. "7ndrf they .tro w thnutTnt'''''**'? ^'"^'^ *^^ hody?"_where that beaui d^^^^^^^ w thout confusion-that organization into a working body Ibr the "dS^^ wh ch" k .:'t""'"T!f ".^"^ " ^•^^••^•t'^^ «^ operations" by and t Which It IS the same God that worketh all in all ?" «And the eve cai not say unto the hand, I have no need of thee ; nor again he Cdt' the feet, I have no need of you :" I have "gained strength sufficTen; t^ g«Us, t. e. the word of wisdom and of knowledge by tlfe- &^ U O «' Si ^]i N 30 working of niiraclca; prophecy i discerning of spirits; divers kinds of tongues ; interpretation of tongues. These were »li well euoufrh when I was a child,' and spake us a child, and understood as a child, and thought as a child, and acted as a child : but now, having become a rtian, and " gained strength sufticient to progress without them," I shall put away all these childish baubles ; and in- stead of the Word of wisdom and of knowledge, and prophecy, and miracles, and healing by the Spirit, I will spin contradictory commentaries on the Word out of my own brain, and pen cart-loads of " Evidences of Christianity," which the mob of unbelievers will never take time to read. I'ut stop, saith the Spirit : " Nay, much MoKK those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, ARK NECESSARY, because the cliosen instruments by which the pro- senoe and power of an in-dwelling God are outwardly manifested : '> and those members of the body v/hich we think to be less honor- able, upon them wo bestow the more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need : but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked : that there should be 'no schism in the body ; but that the membi.Ts should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily nrophcts, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of heaiinTs, helps, governments, di- versilies of tongues. Are all Apostles ? Arc all Prophets ? Are all Teachers? Areall workers of miracles'? Have all the gifts of healing ? Do all speak with tongues ? Do all interpret." All these were of the body when the lloly Ghost constituted it the bo- dy of Christ, and commanded that there nevcrshould be any schism among them, and that they should all, from a common principle of self-preservation, as standing in perpetual need of each other's assistance and support, have the same care one for another ; no one presuming to say to his brother member, whom God had set in the body ii» his place and honoured, " I have no need of thee." But what is now the ' rnnmon cry ? The same that the Spirit pre- dieted in these very exhortations ; and indeed far worse ; for those who have contended for these Gospel truths and Christian privile- ges have been reviled and persecuted as madmen, fanatics, here- tics, and under " Satanical dc'usion." And all this outcry is rai- sed against them from a supposed zeal for the good ways of the Lord. As saith the prophet, ( Isa. 6G : 5.) "Hoar the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word ; your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's «ako, m'nh Let tin) liord be glorified : blit he shall appear to youi joy, and they shall be ashamed." . , 31 ■ ■ 2. From the foregoing premises, llie following propositions as ovulciitly true as any one whatever : " The body of Christ" was constitntod tor perpetuity : a sclicme of miraculous out-actings and mam testations was wrought mto its "constitution ; or rather it was organized for such maniiestutions : miracle was not by its conHlitu- tjon limited to a duration short of the duration of "the body" or gamzed to work miraculously: God has not since that time taken the body down, and reconstructed it under an economy from which miracle i,s excluded : therefore, miracles were intended to bo as perpetual as " the body," or its constitution and organization were a he. b «* 3. The evidence from the premises as above gathered is infi. m/e/y stronger than all pcmble objections; and until I can find contrary and invalidating evidence drawn out of the same elements ot proof, and the positive conslitution and organization of «' tlio body requiring me to reject this doctrine of miracles, I shall hold fast and "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. The things set forth are not mere probabilities, but positive truths exhibited in a charter form in the Lord's Will and lestament to the Church : and as a legal title deed to real es- ta e IS the iighest possible proof of the right of the heirs at law to all ics privileges for ever : so is the charter of the New Testament the highest evidence of the Church's right and interest in all the gifts of .the Holy Ghost to be lound in the charter, especially as no subsequent revelation or act of God curtails its terms. St. John saith, ' VVe have an unction from the Holy One, and we know all things or have the means thereof in his teaching : so that if hese things were no more than probabilities, their certainty should be admitted as matter of course. Revelation in the mean time indi- eating no comrarj^ probabilities. Or I may put it in this form : When all the testimony of Divine Revelation, so far as the Spi- rit ot Iruth condescends to reveal, is sufficient only to establish a preponderance of evidence on one side of a question, without de- monstratmg either side thereof ; then faith is exercised to the per. Ti'u^w r Vf"\ *''"■ ' '"^^'»*"»"' "»^t when all the testimony ot the Word ot God, upon any given point, establishes such or such a probability, and invalidate, the contrary," (as it must do in such case) then, inasmuch as wo possess the knowledge of all thiucrs, ^^nd possess no mere than that probability, that probability is'' a iiulh; and Its evidence, bei-ig in i^o place interfered with in all fecripturo, amounts in the l.oi.evcr's estimation to demonstration"— {Mornmff Watch.) But how many times more palpable and for- cible IS the demonstration when made with such an overwhclminff tnLfiF^'T'''- "7^''^-'^^ ,^^ "^ l^'^^'e adduced, unshackled by thi t^at tlie olyoctions raised against the miraculous gifts to the Church >n perpetuity, are no« probabiiiuo,-, but merely the forms of prcju- \ ',M ■*;'■ PI ( i iicp »q4 Mobelief ; ihey not being derived from God'a word, tha mAfs and only source of evidence on either side, but from the evil fUggestions of the human heart, or the temptntions of the devil. 4. " Concerning (the) spiritual gifts" as above shewn, St. Paul aftith : " If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual," (and many deem themselves spiritual who contradict Him and re. jpct the commandments He gives) " let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you, are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him bo ignorant. Wherefore bre. thren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues." fl Cor. 14: 37.; This is said of the one miracle working body of Christ, into which he tells us, we are all baptised by ono Spirit. Put if these " commandments of the Lord," to t'le one Catholic and Apostolio, Church, concern not us, then it logically follows th] that p^rt which manifested a living God abiding in his holy tern. ph. " I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called y«u into tjtte .jrqc Qf Christ unto another gospel : which is nit of the Lord is there is liberty." (2 (Jor. 3 : 6, 6, 17.) So far are we living below our privileges ! yet in true Laodicean self-sufficiency we say, that wo are rich and increased in goods,— in systems of divinity, books, societies, and other human inventions ; and know not that we are wretched, and poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked. (Rev. 3 : 17.) N. B. Laodicea means the judgment, or the righteousness of the |)eople ; and according to public opinion, the world was never so wise as now. 9. The following is extracted from a letter from a friend : " I lament that your abilities are applied in the maintenance ofpreten- Bions made for the Church, which I find it impossible to regard other- wise than unfounded in themselves, and hurtful to her cause." Yet God gave them for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of tho ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Again: " The fact also, (I should rather say the immense series and contin- ually growing aggregation of facts) that the most valuable influ- ences of the Spirit, those which are incomparably more to be prized and sought after than miraculous gifts, have been and are given from above, when the latter are not displayed, constitutes, in my mind, an irrefragable proof that the source of power, and light, and life, is not dried up from want of faith in the Church." That source is the Spirit, and of course cannot be exhausted ; but the warning of — "Quench not the Spirit — Despise not prophesyings," — and the command to " covet to prophesy, and forbid not to sr ''k with tongues," show that we may stop the fnll flow of the fou .in into ourselves. The phrase, " Influences of the Spirit," as a substitute for " spiritual gifts" and " the power of the Holy Ghost," I am constrained to regard and protest against as unscriptural. It c^-[. Veys no definite meaning, and rather serves to mystify and bewii dcr the mind as to what the gifts of God really are. But to say that those " influences, — (does the word mean " flowings of tho Spirit into a man ?" — if it does, it means tho baptism of the Holy Ghost, as 1 conceive) — whatever they may be, are " most valua. BLE," and " incomparably more to be prized and sought after than miraculous gifts," appears to mo like contemning the " spiritual gifts" as actually pernicious in themselves, and hurtful to the church, even those very gifts and " members of the body" which God has declared to be " more necessary," and worthy of " more abundant honoiir," and not to be said to, " I have no need of you," Strange that those things which God set in the Church, with such marks of honour, should have now become, by some unaccountable pro- r,— " Not that of ourselves ; us able minis. 3f the Spirit : [)w the Lord is re is liberty." ur privileges ! are rich and societies, and wretched, and 17.) [hteousnoss of rid was never 1 a friend : " I nee ofpreten. » regard other. her cause." for the work irist. Again : 3s and contin. LUABLE influ- re to be prized ire given from 1 my miud, an t, and life, is 'hat source is e warning of ',s," — and the sr ''k with fou .in into is a substitute Ghost," I am iral. It c^-\. fy and bewii But to say iwings of the of the Holy MOST VALUA. ^ht after than le " spiritual to the church, hich God has lore abundant u." Strange li such marks ountable pro- 35 cess, «' incomparably" inferior to some other blessings in which tUoroiam outward mamfeslation of an in-dwclling God • Xyin. ()ur Lord added the promise of all these things to tho genera commission for preaching the Gosp"!. " These signs shall oUow them that believe: In my name th- , shall cast out dovils : they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents: It they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover." And this is in strict accordance with the subsequent organization of "the body" for * the ministration of the Spirit." Against this, tho Ilev. H. Blunt m his " Trial of the Spirits," objecN, page 14, that - then mus this be equally true with regard to persons, and we must un. derstand that tho promise means that these signs shall at all times oliow all persons who believe; yes, every individual who believes to the saving of his soul." Now, had .ho text read, that " every one who believes to the saving of his soul shall always be able to exhibit every one of these signs," then would there have been ground for this cavil. As it is there is none. A man may have faith to be saved without having faith " to remove mountains," or to work any mirac.e. These signs also might all follow "the body" organized to work them, on the simple principle of distribution among the members. " For as wo have many members in one bo. uy, and alf members have not the same office ; so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then giRs difering" &c. (Rom. 12 : 4.) All these work- eth that one and the self same Spirit, dividing to every man seve- \ 7 t"^?/'": .. '* •' ^y "° "»ean8 wonderful that a Master of Arts should exhibit great ignorance of the Bible. Itv/as so among the Kabbis and Doctors in our Lord's day. II ,.^^^- The five signs promised. to follow them that beheve are all directed against the different manifestations of permanent evil in the world, and which will be in it until the Lord's kingdom is estab ished and Satan cast out. These forms of evil and works of the devil are all of them destructive of the souls and bodies of men. At the head o*" them stands the devil and his hosts of evil spirits, and they are first mentioned in the promise, to wit : nf fV, ' V ' A y n^*"?. ^^^y ^^"^^^ ^^'^t o"' devils." The devil stands at the head of all evil, natural and moral ; for there was no curse on the materia creation till man had sinned at the instigation of aatan. Over him and his works our risen Head gave the Church the mastery by opposing to them the power of « the Holy Ghost, Which God hatli given to them that obey him," in the variety of his glorious manifestations. To be possessed of a devil is a mo^t appalling misfortune, and to be delivered from him is an equally great deliverance. But man is in himself perfectly powerless in the dev, s hands, and none but God the Holy Ghost can cast him «ui. When the Churcii became weary of the miraculous aid oi f i I I I II '' 3a iho S|»ifU, (becuiiae liie could only ohdiiti it by a cotiirtanl rnicifiit. ion of the lloah, and reiioiinceincnt of liiimnn wisdom utid power,) nhc begun to persecute!, hang, drown, and burn those whom the (Icvi! had (hicoived and overoomc, iiistt-ad of following tho oxani- plo of tho Lord and his Apostles, who cast out tho dovila and res- tored tho poor HuHercrs safe and sound to tluMr friends. So Paul cast out of tho damsel tit Philippi tho fotd spirit of divination which possessed her. Hut when " the march of intellect" had taught u.t to deny tho doctrine of spiritiwl possessions, both good and bad, and tlio •' spirit of tho times" had broken down so many of the distinctions between God's truth and tho devil's lies, wo very clui- ritably built mad houses for " all those oppressed of the devil " in this department of his warfare against us : in both Cases rather as- sisting than overcoming the destroyer. 2. " They shall speak with now tongues." This is the asuef^ tion of the Spirit's supremacy over tho spirit and tho tongue of man, who uses his tongue so much to the dishonour of God and his own hurt. As the devils speak by man's month in lying prophe- cies, blasphemies, and false doctrine : so by man's mouth the Holy Ghost has been often pleased to speak in the pure words of truth, and hold spiritual communion between the Father and his adopted sons and daughters. He that spenketh in an unknown tongue, in tho Spirit spooketh mysteries unto God, (1 Cor. 14: 2). The tongue m Itself is a deadly evil, which no man can tame, a world of ini- quity, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and is itself set on fire of hell. But the Holy Spirit can tame it and quench its fire of hell, and purge away its deadly poison, and sweeten the bitterness of its gall, andtuneit to the high praises of God, in all wisdom and in all utterance, by taming and converting man and making him the temple of the Holy Ghest, and subduing him to the ol)edi. ence of Christ. And among the spiritual gills there is one for tho tongue of wisdom, and another for the tongue of knowledge, and another for the tongue of prophecy, and another for the preaching of Christ, besides the unknown tongue. 3. "They shall take up serpents." The serpent with his ve- nom is, among brute creatures, a special type of the devil, as ho was } is instrument in deceiving Uio woman ; and his bite may be ranked for malignity at the head of evils in the natural world which torment man, and is a fit emblem of the bite of the old Serpent. In this sign is Christ's power again manilested over all evil "by tho Church," and redemption of brnte creatures from under tho curse asserted, and their final reconciliation with man and with each other foreshown. 4. " If they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them." Tho whole creation is not only at variance with man, but for his sin groaneth and travailcth in pain to bo delivered from under the curse, at tho manifestation of the sons of God. (Rom. « : 19—23.) 37 ni'Hifly poison holds a corroHporuliiig place in tl-e luunimatu world wiih the venoniouN «crp«!iit among biiuo unimuls. 6. " Thoy almll luy hands on tlio Hick, und they nhull r«cover." Bicjujess IS hut the inunifcslatior. of Hin in hunianllesh, a declara- Hon of tho dovd'H usurped power over th« human body ; for wo know that sickness and death nro by »in, and that tho devil causes both sicknesp and death, directly and indi-octly. Was not Christ manifested to destroy tho works of the devil f And if sickness were n work of God, why did God's servant put it away « Ar. i and greater w„,fa , ban these .h„ll 1,„ So Vocat 'go umo*,„°J «p.!.ive ispeo" S:; the k e S Ht/BtT'r' 'l*"1i"«' vounng to Sx „pon the character of " oL S',,™ "I , "' make u. love him and " come bold y to the thZe of IK^I^tV. them^„ „* a„rGod* ve hT ":,• ,v 1 Th' ""'" '"'"T^^ their severest DunLhrnrnt"''?;..? ^ ''.""^ r">^""">«'» forms would be if Ge'^l shouTd • .k/b'' ' "''"' \'';j.'«'f"' P"n«l""onl it long lost '"nWtll S. '^^ fierceness of h,s wrath, restore the o '"^' spiniuai gitts to the earnest crv nf fiWV. i a t he present instance, men have askodTh?t vvhirh 7h '''^';" least by apostolic example) Jnco ,n n, lo Tsk » nS^'J' ""\ '' r-tample^ Wlnf rtlH ii.^ „^ \\ "'n^i' h> dsit. in ot by apostolic Pentecost ^ VV J.t did fL "^T '' £'""■''.'."'■ ^"^ "'^^''^'" °" ^^^ D^X «*" answerto thermnrs" it th^." '"'^^'""^^ '''"'^^'^ «^^-" - icu pia>ers > And they arc no EXAJirLE xo us in the m. t j 1 1 '•''t..^..^ nkMilMnMH 1;?!' 40 Matter und manner of prayer ? Alas! alas! "The prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err ; and they that are led of them are destroyed." (Isa. 9 : 16.) "For it is well worthy of our notice, that although there are scattered through the Epistles many beautiful examples of prayers by the Apostles, for all the graces of the Holy Spirit to be poured upon their converts," — (What is the meaning of the graces pour- ed, &c.?) " I be'ieve it would be difficult to find a single instance in which they ever asked for these miraculous powers or extraordi- nary gifts." So, then, they obtained them without prayer for them : they got them without asking. Yet Daniel, when he "knew by books," that the terHi of the captivity was actually expired, set his face to seek God by confession, fasting, and supplication, that God would please to fulfil his promise and restore Israel. (Dan. 9 : 2.) "Think not, then, that when you are tempted to seek such things you are asking Aread." (pp. 60 — 62). No, no ! What was once ♦' bread" has now become stones, and scorpions, and death ; and let not him that is tempteo to ask it think he is drawn of God, and en- ticed by the glory of the good gifts of the Spirit, but tempted of the devil to ask death and destruction ! But observe, 2. Christ's body, the Church, having been constituted and or- ganized expressly, a« i bod^ corporate, Avhosc Head is Christ, and whose proper spirit and will ia the Holy Ghost, for the out-actings and manifestations of supernatural power, it were rather gratuitous to suppose that "these .araculcisor extraordinary gifts" were an object of prayer other than as to their preservation in the body, against the pride and presumption of "I have no need of you." 3. That they might be so preserved in "the body," as long as ifs warfare against " the world, the flesh, and the devil" should continue, St. Paul gives such exhortations as these : " Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but raiher that ye may prophecy. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophe- sied. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophecy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. For ye may all prophecy one by one, that all may learn, and that all may be comforted." (1 Cor. 14 : 1,5, 31, 39.) " Be ye filled with the Spirit; speaking," &c. (Eph. 5 : 18,) namely, as the Spirit giveth utterance. " Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings," (1 Thes. 5-19) one of his perma. nent gifts, saying, " I have no need of thee»" If it be objected, as I have often heard it, that these were merely for a temporary purpose, till the Church had gained strength sufficient to progress witiiout them ;" by the same rule, I say, so was every thing else for that time only, and we of this day have neither part nor lot in the Gospel. The rule is as fair for me as for you, seeing God gave it to neither of us. If ho has given your rule against what I maintain, prove it. Give me chapter and verse for it and I will be satisfied. I ask you to believe nothing which God's most faith- 41 fullK^ople have nc4 bdievcd and rejoiced in "will, joy unspeub abo a.d lull ot gory;" while you present rnc with a creed of nc gativcs and denmh, of " the gifla and calling of Cod," and rei uiro me to accept and live on it in direct contradiction to the whole te. norot the Gospel Charter and " UiU of Rights" to the Church of God. Disprove the Charter on that authoriiy which save it, or cease your vam jangling, " speaking evil of the things you under, sund not. laul addresses those "commaiidmeuts of the Lord" I ;.i " ^^ i.« " aiJ Jts." 13ut observe, 1. Coming behind in no girt IS the possession and use S" all the spiritual gifts. 2. Waiting in tha condition in " the manifestation of the Spirit" for the comin'V^'"?^^«'iiP consisted in part in the use of these mi. laculous gills, in which the Lord himself so abounded ; as he said ; He tha behevcth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; rlfr''" 7rT",i''^" \^'««« shall he do; because I go unto my F^C ■ ./ '" ^^ \ ^^-^ "'^ ^^'^^'^'^ ^••o"^ the Church with tho J:T: '" "'«, '•'^a^on he assigns why the Church should possess and exercise such power; and hence it is the reason why we should a I unie m confession of sin and apostacy, and in earneiU prayer Lnvol/Tf '''^''''"l'^''""- ^S'un: "The glory which thou gave tmc I have given them As thou has sent me into the r?. ' 7-,V, I'''''''. ' ^'^° ^^'"' them into the world." And that uod IS faithlul herein is but another version of the saying, that th« gdts and calling of God are without repentance. 5. The term* lit «i^ 42 used in tliese quotations forbid us to understand the time of their action as confined to tliat age, or the sphere of it to a particular spot. They are Uving universal truths, as long and as broad as the holy Catholic Church, to which they apply. 5. Again : " I cease not to give thanks for you, making men- tion of you in my prayers ; that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him : the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know," &;c. ('Eph. 1 : 16.) " And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in all knowledge and in all judgment ; that ye may ap. prove things that are excellent ; that ye may be sincere and with- out offence till the day of Christ." (Phil. 1 : 9.) " For this cause we also, since the day wc heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of hia will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding ; . . . . strengthened with all might according to his glorious power." (Col. 1 : 9.) How the Apostle contradicts the Master of Arts! And how the fulness of these prayers can be accomplished without a continuance of the miraculous gifts, I certainly know not. Sure am I, that " the Spi- rit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" is neither the spirit of man nor of devil, and points neither to Popish Infalli- bility nor to Protestant Private Judgment as the means of under- standing the written Word, which contains the elements of the knowledge of him. Paul saith to Timothy : " That good thing wliich was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. . . .That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Tim. 1 : 14. & 1 Tim. 6 : 14.) How was Timothy in person to do that ? But the Catholic Church was charged in the person of Timothy ; as she is charged in every word I have quoted. IFere let me repeat the warning and earnest caution of the Rev. H. Blunt : " Think not, then, that when you are tempted to seek such things, you are asking for bread." Aye ; but " Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil ; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness ; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter ! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight !" (Isa. 5 : 20, 21.) What evil, and darkness, and bitterness, they would persuade us the gif^s of God are ! XXn. The author of the " Trial of the Spirits" takes some pains in the course of his work to make it appear that the subjects of his judicial investigation are under the poAver of satanical dclu- sion rather than that of the Holy Spirit. At pages 43 and 51 he says : " For every age of the Church, as well as for every age and condition of man, Satan has his appropriate temptation ;" (which indeed is true)—" and he who, when the influences of the Holy Spirit of God were beginning to be neglected and despised in the n\ 43 Church, introduced Pdagianism, (ubout the year 404) which would have excluded the operations of divine grace altogether, prepared such delusions as those of which we are speaking, for the brighter and better ages of the Church, when the offices and gifts of the Spirit were made the prominent features in the discourses of her nunisters, and the continually sought for blessings in the prayers of her people."— « Whenever there has been a revival of true re- ligion, whenever the offices and gifts of the Holy Ghost have been brought prominently before the minds of Christians, as the objects of their desire, and the subjects of their prayers, those also are the periods when Satan has presented delusions similar to the pre. sent to mislead the unstable, and to perplex and harrass the minds of the real children of God." And in summing up at page 66, he says : " The result of the trial of the Spirits, therefore, is, that we believe that they are " not of God," but whether the ofFspring of satdnical delusion, or of the natural infirmity of highly wrought and over excited minds, we pretend not to determine." — '«The re- sult of the trial is, that we believe," &c. not that we have tried and convicted them. " We believed" the same before hand, and we appear to have been endeavoring to confirm others in our belief, ra- ther than ascertaining the truth. What should be understood by " the influences of the Spirit," I do not know, as the term is unscriptural, and, as I think, has no foundation in Scripture meaning : but in intimating that the Spirit began to be neglected and despised, so late as A. D. 404, our au- thor manifests at least inattention to Scripture facts ; for both St. Paul and St. John assure us that the mystery of iniquity had begun to work in their day, and that " many false prophets" and anti- christs had arisen in the Church. These of course could see no " bread" in the gifts of the Spirit, and probably they cautioned their followers, as Mr. Blunt has cautioned us. But the thing I cliiefly wish to remark is, the enormous falsehood contained in the assertion concerning the preaching up, and the praying for, "the of- fices and gifts of the Holy Ghost." What these are we can learn only from God's word ; and many of them I have sufficiently point- ed out already. But so far are the greater part of them from being " made the prominent features in the discourses of her minis- ters, and the continually sought for blessings in the prayers of her people," that they are not only 7iot preached and prayed for, and never have been by the Protestant world, but are now violently opposed as the delusions of the devil, and the people taught not to pray for them lest God should curse them for their presumption. Witness this very preacher. And the very men who have endea- voured to " bring them prominently before the minds of Christians, are treated as impostors, madmen, under " satanical dulusion," disturbers of the Church, and corrupter's of God's people. " Woe unto J ou. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye shut up the d 44 Itiiif^dom of licavcn against iDCii : for yo neither go in Vftiirsclvcs, neitiier sulibr yo tliein tlitit ure entering to go in. (Mat. 23: 13.) Tiic " offices" of the Spirit have shared a common fate with his gifts, bocauyc tlio nsc of the gitls stood in tlic oxcrciso of tho oflices. 'Jluis the oHices of witness-heaving to Clirist and his word written ; of interpreter of tlie word to the Churcii ; of physician to the body, by casting ont devils and liciiling the sick; of guard- ing the Ciiurch against the delusions of Satan ; h. f, "^ rius ,s the ,j,ode of trial " by the written VVord of God " Aud .J this case " the expr-rirnf p r>f' fKo ru i » • > "" ^" try, h; slTri?,;it'r\tiL'"rtrrhi;:';s? h" '™ "t^- . «y are physically able to mSte tl'' ™ ' Si™ '"' Ceta™ slanee, cottpled ,vith the .natter of the text, fZst Jo n, and S' Paul coayiuoes me, that this confessioa that Jesus CIn is oomo Cor n .r>" '1""=^ " "■'■"■»I'"""=<1 inlo aa angel of light • " f 3 S ; Boho d°„"',"'^J',' r Pr"''"' ''= 'veuldSeceive ,¥e 've V l„V •, V fi u "" ^""^ '"'"' 'ol"! "S before. (Malt. 24 ■ 14 1 And t ,t further be noted, that the mode of tria , S von bv St John as comimtte. to canonical scripture in the y^af , ,™ t7 „„i .t "' ii' . M .I#T* I I 49 fuiely prospective of future lime and circumsiant'.s, if God had prc- tUjteiioiued it so soon to become uscleas in the couuter view of tlio Church'a self-sufficiency to discern the dcvicea of Satan, is a thinj; I can reconcile neither to consistency nor probability. 3. But did Mr. Blunt follow the enjoined formula of tr\'ing the Spirits ] No such thing. He went into his own pulpit, and there, in the absence of the party, ho accuses, but tries not, — without a particle of evidence, (for his mode of trial in such case admits of none) and directly contrary to the law, in such case made and provided,— aud instead of trying the spirits, (which in this way he could not try,) attempted to invalidate some of the most precious bequests of the Lprd to the Church, and harden the hearts of his hearers against truths, which neither he nor they understood. 4. In concluding his " Trial," the preacher says : " My desire has been to lay before you, in this investigation, " the mind of the Spirit," unfettered by any preconceived opinions, and unbiassed by any human system, or human partialities ; and the result at which I have arrived has not been reached hastily or carelessly, but after much consideration, and deep and anxious inquiry, and, I trust, not without sincere, though imperfect prayer. Had I been led by the Spirit of God to a difterent conclusion," &c. " Every thing 1 have read, whether by the opponents of these extraordinary claims, or by the claimants themselves, has led me onward, without the pas- sage of one warning thought, or one uncertain feeling across my itimd," (so said Saul the Pharisee up to a certain time) " to this complete and entire conviction, that ' the spirits,' wlicn weighed in the balance of the Sanctuary, when exposed to the test of the ex- perience of the Church, when tried by their own confessions, have *' been found utterly wanting'' — wanting in their /ounrfaf ion in Scrip- ture promises on which to build — wanting in their superstructure, in every resemblance to those ' holy men of old, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,'— wanting in their object and end, in all that can promote the glory of God, and the welfare of the people." On this I observe, 5. What is here meant by "the mind of the Spirit?" Is it the judgment and decision of the Holy Ghost given upon the point un- der discussion? This appears to be the preacher's meaning. But what does he mean by saying, that he gives the judgment ot the Spirit unbiassed by human systems and prejudices, and unfettered by human opinions ? Docs he mean to say, tliat the Holy Ghost is liable to be swayed in making up his judgment, by human prejudi- ces and partialities, and that he, the preacher, has from these expur- gated " the mind of the Spirit ?" Or that he, the preacher, had been employed in removing from the decision of the Spirit the ob- scurations of hurian glosses, and had presented to his readers the pure truth, in thu aspect in which it stands in " the muid of the Spirit?" Be his meaning what it may, this is very loose and ran- r God had pre- if view of tlio tan, is a thing r. la of tn'iugthe pit, and there, ot, — without a case admits of use made and in this way he most precious :; hearts of his [iderstood. s : " My desire ',he mind of the id unbiassed by result at which cssly, but after md, I trust, not lecn led by the ry thing 1 have lary claims, or without the pas- ling across my time) '* to this ocn weighed in test of the ex- infessions, have dation in Scrip- ipcrstruclure, in I spake as they object and end, wclfure of the pirit V Is it the )n the point un- meaning. But Lidgment ot the , and unfettered e Holy Ghost is human prejudi- om these ex pur- 1 preacher, had le Spirit the ob- his readers the the nniid of the y loose and ran- 47 don. language for r learned theologian, unless ho is sure thai ho g.ves an zmjnrcdjuievpv.tation of disputed scripture. In this Iso may say confidently, that he gives "the mind of the Spirit " but he need not to say it is "unfettered," &c., aethe orncles^f God are never given i. this manner. They cime recommended jvuh a "Thus saith the Lord," and stand on that amhoThy abn" - It appears to me that we need a better guide in the truth; than hn man mterpretations of human inte,-pre1ation, of the di^ne word" and commentanes upon commentaries. If my candb can not throw hght upon the sun, the addition of my neighbour's oanX cannot help .t much. Mr. Blunt has in his " Trial" heaped together r fn ?f, h"'"'y» f P«f '«l«tio»8, out of which he fancies he hfs ex oZlff '^u """^"^ ""^'^^ ^P'"''" ^" ^" »ho naked simplicity of serf evident truth. For mstead of laying before his aJdienco " 'ho mmd of the Sp.r.t, unfettered by any preconceived ophdons I ml m^.assed by any human system ; or human partialitie "Ctho « making one sohtary reference to the seriptuJo mode of trT' ho foZhe' Z"Z"Tu "'^"*="!»"g * ^^'ipt^re doctrine ; then scraped togethe. a batch of human opm.ons, from other authors as biassed ns himself against the cause he stood to judge, which opinions ho calls, ''the experience of the Church;" Ind then pronounced hat ly wanting'!^' ^"'"'' °^ "'' '^''"">^' '"^ ^^Jdm^' 6. That had he proceeded to the trial "as the law directs" and thus obtamed 'Mhe mind of the Spirit," it would have been a simple confession from the persons having " the Spirits" that Jesus Christ IS come .n the flesh, or a refusal so to confess. Yet ho boas s of convictmg them of imposture, or the delusions o^ Satan ' by their own confessions," when all he did in this way was to contradict their views of the Church's privileges, and cite the re? tractions of some two or throe persons who had "fallen awav" from the party he is combating; not considering that desertion f.om any cause can go to establish neither its truth nor its false- hood. Certainly truth must stand on a surer foundation than a no- puiar vote. • fli.n. !: ?}^l ^""^ *^^ " "''".'^ ""^ *^^ ^P'''^^" b««« obtained as to the disputed doctrine, ,t must have been his own interpretations of the n an s. Mr. Blunt did not obtain this : he did not «eek it : he ex. plicitly rejects the only means of obtaining it ! although he savs .t iirni^/^^'' VV*^""™^j'*^r ^""^ "^"''"^^ he could think of seeking 1. he rational hope ot obtaining, he must be converted to thf (locti uie ho IS fighting against as the delusions of the devil ' S. Ihat he, notwithstanding, insinuates that the Holy Ghoyt MAv^«« the ronl author of his " Trial of the Spirits ;" which is nHlnT^r"?!'"^,'-'"'^^" '"'""''''' *''''^*^^'"^h he so seven Iv rebukes others for thinking possible to believers on Scripture promises j by If; .■I 1 '1 48 whicli ho indkos liiiiis'.lf justly charjijciiblo witli even grofitor iiii(iui. ty unci (Ji;ibo!ical iiilutuiitioii tlmii ho cuii Huccccti to liistou on tins others; Ibr what they claim for themselves they cluira for all hup- tisod mcH. " JInd I hccii brought by the Spirit of Clod to a dij'c- rent conclusion," ice. How could ho be so brought excc|)t by u Kiipcrnaturul, that is, a miniculous guidance ? Mow could he him- hgU" believe it to be such without doubt, unless he had a sensible and unmistaken revelation from the Holy Ghost certifying him thereof? How dare ho say his decision is that of the Holy Spirit if he is not sure of it? How could others bo assured of it without a sensi- bio miraculous attestation to him as one inspired of (iod? And how could it be ascertained that lie was " moved of the Holy Gliost" rather than of a devil transformed as an nngel of light, unless ho first submitted " to the law and to the testimony," as laid down in the canonical formu' ' for trying the spirits? It is curious to seo men claim for themselves under a mask what they deny to be at- tainable at all; to see them so stoutly deny the doctrine of cogniza. hie miracles, and in the very denial a&jort the real occurrence of wholly uncognizablo miracles, wrought too for the overthrow of the doctrine that there may be apparent miracles as well as those ioscru- tably secret. A miracle wrought to disprove miracles! The Ho- ly Ghost asserted as a witness against his own ordinances and gifts to the Church, but not permitted to boar public testimony ! This is fully equal in absurdity to the doctrine of popish infallibility — an infallibility which consists in the infallible delusion of all who be- lieve in it, but which has also infallibly eluded the grasp of all who have attempted to get hold of it: — a light which consists in total darkness ! a certainty which consists in innnitc uncertainty I 9. As to " the opirits" having been " found utterly wanting in their foundation in Scripture promises on which to build," the reader of these pages may by this time be enabled to judge. As to the second head, that they are " wanting in their superstructure in every resemblance to those holy men of old who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," the Judge has evinced his utter incompetence to conduct a fair comparison. As to the other, that they are found utterly " wanting in their object and end, in all that can promote the glory of God and the welfare of his people," what shall I say ? Why, truly, that it would disho;iour God and tend to the destruction of the Church, if the Holy Ghost should revive his gifts and manifestations in her, and take her under his infallible guidance and direction in word, work, doctrine, and discipline, as ho did during the New Testament history, — "in all utterance and in all knowledge," — " in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds," — " in the demonstration of the Spirit and of poAver :" Such is the impious conclusion to which this " accuser of the brethren" inti mates the probability that the Holy Ghost has led him. 49 10. But lliis is mi ull. Tlic bare attempt to " try tl.e Spirits" U 1.3 lf(,ly Gho8t ; for tlio 8olo object oftho trial, u« contemplated by the canomcal formula furnished to the Church by St. John is to ascertain whether or not persons confessedly speaking by a ep rit or -spirits, speak by the Holy Ghost or by dcvili. But what rth^a case has this man done ? With all these facts within his reach,- without evidence, trial, or oven sight of the accu8cd,-he has pro. nounced, that if;a spirit other than human bo in thom, it is the devil • A more appalling instance of ignorant presumption is hardly on record ; for without being identical with it, it is the nearest po/siblo to the conduct of the Jews, in saying of our Lord, « Ho hath a devil and IS mad : why hear ye him ?" 11. The conductor of this singular trial concludes with- the prayer, that in these days of delusion, God would lead us into all IfMth, bless us with " sound mind, keep us from all error, and « grant us by the same spirit to have a right judgment in all things.' » But .since all our schi«m, and delusions, and infidel politics, are the pro- per Iruitsof the misinterpretation, perversion, misapplication, and contempt of the word and principles of Divine Revelition, I call see no way of obtaining the answer to this prayer but by the very means this man rejects and spurns as the delusions of the devil. If God docs not interfere and rJraculously help us, according to hie own ordinance, I see not how we are to recover out of our difficulties. It is impossible for human authority to settle disputes in which every man is taught the private right to judge for himself independently ot any known and acknowledged interpretation of Scripture by its author. In this case no public authority is submitted to, or even recognized to be in existence ; and no authority is thought of but tiiat which every man fancies to be in himself— namely— he will act on Scripture principles just as suits his own notions of them and as he chooses to understand them. Mr. Blunt, together with almost the whole Christian worid, (the exceptions are among the subjects of "satanical delusion,'') rejects the Scripture doctrire of an interpretation of Scripture publicly recognized and acknowledged as coming direct from God, and addressed to men's outward ears, on the principle of" He that hath an ear, let kirn hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches." Yet he prays to be guided into all (ruth, and kept from all error. On what principle and by what means ^ 1 lie only alternative is, that God should reveal secretly— no not reveal—but impress upon each man's mind a true interpretation of fecripture, together with an assurance of its truth ; but yet so as that no individual could know it as a revelation, ^for that would be coe. mzablemrade, [at least to the individual] which is under proserin, tion and ban,) or know that his neighbour also had this kind of in- tall.bihty imparted to him. Does Mr. Blunt expect that men will ever be magnetized with this sort of ' ■ " - ' lit r i^ G Parity of divine truth, and p ' no obey It'ai tho nocdio obcyg the magnetic power ? IIus tliia lort of thing cvor hupponed? Ilua God over proinisod ao to dcul with Wia people, to tlie totiU overthrow of thut principle of order and Buburdi- iiation in "tho body" by which " the nieniberH " should bu held together by ordinances, and taught in the truth by instruction con- veyed to the inner man by tho organ of hearing, which God niado to bo the channel of instruction to the man ? No, never. IIoushcuu ('than whom Satan never employed a more faithful and eflicicnt apostle) has put forth somethmg like this of each man's private con- sciousness discharging the functions of infallible interprel-ir of revc. lation, namely, in his famous atheistic problem of a perfect consti- tution of government; that is : " To tind a form of society according to which oacb one uniting with the whole, shall yet obey hnisolf only, and remain as free as before." This was to be in the otal absence of revelation from God. Our Protestant lie is : the total absence, not of the written Word of God, but of God's own revealed interpretations o.' it. Tho Popish Ho is tiio infallibijity of total darkness and ignorance in tho great multitude. Our lie has led us to symbolize with atheism in the expulsion of God and his Word from our poUtical economy ; and in this it shows its afilnity with tiio atheistic lie of Rousseau. In fact, they both spring from tho same bitter root of human pride and self.providence, and govern, mont. Our resort to infidel legislation and goveriunent cannot possibly fail to increase our delusions, and involve us in blacker crimes and deeper difficulties than wo have yet Allien into. Wo adopted it as the evasion of the obligation of the State to " do all in tho name of the Lord Jesus," who is « the Prince of the kings of the earth ;" and the atheistic expedient is like to render back to us a most terrible retribution. Having no standard avtuokity in matters of religious obligation and truth, (and such are all possi- ble matters that concern man) and our system admitting of none which rests on a superhuman basis, which proves to be none at all,^ and lighter than vanity and weaker than cob-webs in the hand oi Infidel Radicalism and Beliarsm, wo have deprived the State of all claim to moral jurisdiction over its subjects, and opened the seats of legislation and government indiscriminately to him who acknow- ledges God, and him who acknowledges him not. Our political unity is that of atheism, or the absence of all positive and practical religious truth ; and its working is anarchy, or that state of action resulting from each one asserting the dominion over himself, and endeavouring to extend it to the general mass. All these lying unities are forgeries of Satan upon that "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace ; [where] there is one body, and one spirit, [to guide it] even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one faith, ono baptism, one God and Fatht,' of all, w*;o is above all, and through all, and in you all; [while] u!ito every one of us ia given graco according to the measure of the LS tliifei aort of Jcul with hitf and Hubonli- oulil bu lioUl itnictioii con- 3h God inado )r. Ilouywciiu and cfliciont i private con- ircl'jr of rcvc- erfe.-t conHti- ety according obey hnisolf B in the 'otal is : tho total own revealed ility of total lie has led us nd bis Word I affinity with ring from tho and govern, ninent cannot us in blacker an into. Wo ite to " do all of tho kings ender back to D AUTUOUITY are all possi- tting of none be none at ail, n the hand of I the State of encd the seats wiio acknow- Our political and practical state of action r himself, and II these lying ' the Si-irit in one spirit, fto r calling ; one ,' of all, wi;o [while] u!ito leasure of tho 51 all unite i„ ,,ray„ .o Go],- ';''|-, oVc,, S TtU^^^I^^SZIt' 1, r»L . ^ T^' *^P^'" «y«s therein, is not a whit be . 12. I have in part reviewed Mr. Blunt's "Trial of tho t^nJrito" roscuo some part of ^ fro^^r^^^ ^ "*" «»'y endeavouring to tho hand of fC ■ '^^ barbarous treatment it receives at t on ;2d L tr.'T.''-^''"' ^^° ^"^«'^« 't "' P^IP'^ble contradic "Trial nf tl.n «.?••* M^; . ' "^^^ ""'^ '"ore short not co of the and 1 ^t ctr/n."? ' '"^ '^^? ' ^'^^^ ''""^ " '^^ it. At pages 10 tie trrS^W^^^^^ "'^f^ '^^''^ ^'^ «« ^Pi'^^' '«> how •" vnt K« f laci, to all intents and purposes, a new revela. orrn'onf i.^ , ^«'"^^"b«^cd, that in the' conclusion of his tw o i^y saying, in a sort of matter of course way, as if refcrrinff to ~" fit'^^l^'T ■' ''f I' l^--lf pr^acheslV dlv nc"n rafion' trust I stSid hivo ^ U.' ®P'"'°^ ^°^ ■ ^ '"«^r«'''^ ^°"^'"^-"' I lesl to have shTJ ?. ''' ^?'' ^' P^^'"'^' ^« ^^^^^^r'^' ^^'^ «« «-^^r. I S'a k onfn ; ' •■''"" ^° y'^" ^« I ^« the present." But what in exDlaia ion 'n^'jcious and abominable falsehood. Tako iuttTcrnizes' ^'a?'' ""' ?-^ '''' ^^T^^ ^^^^^'»' ^^'^^ tho whiciiPvS r, ." appendix as " their accredited organ," charr^i?;; 1V\'^'° 'advocates,^ &c., we can only meet th« nargo, as it has been met by others, with positive contradiction. IH r,0 m and by direct reference to the writings liit at, but not quoted from, by Mr. McNeile. * Docs this living voice supersede the Scriptures? No ; by no means. Can it contradict tho Scriptures? Never. If it should, then say> It is not the Spirit of God, but an unclean Spi- rit which hath spoken.' " (Day of Pentecost, p. 65. j — Note. "The Trial of the Spirits" was preached about a year after the last num- ber of " their accredited organ," the Morning Watch, was published. I have in my possession six volumes out of seven, or 3586 pages, the whole of which I have read with the exception of some pages of extracts in French, and some chronological papers, without dis- covering the least sign of this imputed blasphemy ; and I have found *' their accredited organ" to advance no opinion whatever as to mat. ters of faith and practice which it aims not to support from Scrip, lure. There is therefore not the shadow of an excuse for writing, preaching, and publishing so foul a calumny against the objects of his persecution. Could the author of the trial have been led by tho Spirit of God to " begin by examining, in the present casGj wliat appearance has been assumed by these Spirits which we are called upon to try," and to make his beginning in the utterance of so gross a falsehood and calumny ? What a comment on such a beginning is the closing prayer, to be led by the Holy Spirit into all truth ! — From this treatment of the " Irvingites" by a popular clergyman, the reader may form some idea of the general treatment they have met with from the public press, w hich acknowledges but few of the restraints of gravity and decorum. XXIV. There is a law of evidence laid down »n Holy Writ, namely, the law of testimony by word of mouth, in this form : " In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established." This principle of evidence is rarely departed from in a British court of justice. Now the Lord Jesus appointed two word of mouth witnesses to bear oral testimony to himself continually in the Church : namely, the preaching ministry, to whom he committed the preai:iiing of *he word in public, and the Holy Ghost, speaking by man's mouth, andtestifyiiig to the word preached as the word of the Lord, and to the person of the Lord himself; which would serve the double purpose of testifying to the Lord Jesus, and of checking the preacher should he need it. And this I gather from the following Scriptures : " But when the Comforter is coir , whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truin, which proccedelh from the Father, he shall testify of me : and yo also shall bear witness." (John 15 : 26.) If this be objected to on account of the words immediately following, i. e. " because yo have been with me from the beginning," as indicating Aat this cvi- dence covdd not be mtended to be perpetual, because' all ihe chris- tian ministry could not be personally with him from the beginning of his ministry ; I answer, 1. Tho whole mini'^try stood in head- ship in the Apostles in corporate succession oi persons from thosQ t quoted froin, le Scriptures ? ' Never. If 11 unclean Spi- -Note. "The the last num- vas published. r 3586 pages, f some pages I, without dis- d I have found !ver as to mat. rt from Scrip. 36 for writing, the objects of leen led by the nt casGj wliat we are called ice of so gross a beginning is i all truth !— ir clergyman, lent they have but few of the »n Holy Writ, liis form : " In 3 established." ii in a British word of mouth inualiy in the he committed host, speaking as the word of which would Jesus, and of I gather from is coir , whom Ipirit of truiH, if me : and yo objected to on " because yo a; Aat this cvi- i all ihe chris- the beginning stood in head- jns from thosQ 53 uiio had " companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John! un^o that same day that he was taken up from us ;" (Acts 1 -21 X\ Titi:^.^^^J- «- "--t'bi ordaLed'\'o1i resurrection," goes to confirm it a witness with us of his This rule of bearing ^^^^^rZ^n.^ Z:::^Z&~, ra'^m'Ste°r''f' -»?« ^-^is risen Lord, an" waTmade by mm a mmister and a wdmss both of the things which thou bait (1"; o"o' le^ Td'p"T r '^Y''t ^ "^'^ 4ear unto the " hSl r ^ «ndPaul pleaded to the Corinthians, (9: l) that he if thl r "n''"'.^\"'' ?•■ ^'^^^•" P«"Ws the specia Wtie of tl e Gentiles, stood at the head of the Gentile ministry Th s S'an'dTer^ '/.f""^ '^'^'^^T ^"""'"^ paraUd w[fh J« ^ / ^ o/y, and being, at the outset, its foundation : for the subject of iHstor, ..U3t be transacted before it can be recorded. Bo h, name, y, the written word and the ministry, were intended to be under the constant supervision of the Spirit of Truth, as they bo'h Si- natedin his acts 2. The ministry waa to be perpetu^ly this w! "w ' hiL T'^n"' t"' '^"^ f" resurrectio,^'^ tlLgh t'hey neTe oJIho wo'rld " 4 tLT ^;''\^'"" "'^'^y^' ^^^" ""^° ^he end oiinc world. 4. The Comforter was sent to abide for ever • itlnrafllTr''''''''^^ - their Witness! ^^^^''"S, as they began, namely, by word of mouth, their appoint- ment and work is out of joint, dc fective, and cripp ed. WhT the Apostles were brought before the High Priest, (Acts 5: 31) Pe er and'a Sav" ^t ^"^ '"^"^'^ ""'' ^'^ "g^t hind to be aVrit^ and a Saviour, for to give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness HnTri. t"d «^^ are A^*«,^^«e.*e. of these things; and so is the Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him." Now as It IS evident that the witness-bearing « of these things" should wori f'' P',?''""^ f the preaching of" the Gospel, which t by word of moufh ; so should the verbal testimony of b^th the witness^ cs be perpetual also. - This Gospel must be preached for Twit ness unto all nations." (Mat. 24 / 14.) And tb.re can be no bet SnlrTfr TT'^ ^^\^^'^ ^""'^^•«" «f the " utterance" of the WnA" '!j''f^'^"^'"''*'"y ^" preaching. " He shall not ^T^ea. of himself ; but whatsoever he shall heir, that shall he ^peak tomenWs. (JohnlG: 13.) -The Holy Ghost is also a «.^„... to us. (Heb. 10: 15.) " Save that the Holy Ghost J? Z'' (KL^9n'^o^'^7' r^u^' ^^'''\^''''^' and afflictions abide me. (Acts 20 : 23.) Agabus «' took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said. Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle." (Acts 21 : 11 ) "In every thing ye are enriched by Hini in all utterance, and m all kmwlmge ; even as the testimony of Christ 3 j;f '■'"?'' 'u^'°"' i^ ^'^'"'' 2 = ^') "!«"' thy feliow-sorvant, and of thy brethren that have iSTKATioN of the Spirit and op powEK : that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (I Cor. 2 : 4, 5.^ What is a demon- stration of the Spirit? XXV. Let us now attend to those Gospel facts which exhibit and enforce by practice, the law of qualification for the diffe- rent functions to be performed by the various members of the one body. The prominent point I shall notice under this head is, " the gift of the Holy Ghost."' Jesus, as Head of the body and all its ministries, was qualified for his work by the Spirit, and by the Spirit he thouglit, spoke, and performed every thing. The Spirit descended and abode upon him at his baptism ; " and being full of the Holy Ghost he returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the Wilderness, being forty days tempted (tf the devil." (Luke 4:1.) He told the Jews that he cast out devils, " by the Spirit of God ;" and by the same Spirit he knew all things, and taught his Disciples, " until the day in which he was taken up, afterthat he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the Apos- tles whom he had chosen." (Acts 1 : 2.^ Now he himself taught that the Disciples should be as his master ; as God saith : " IJe yo holy, for I am holy :" as the Lord saith : " Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect." And if the Son of God, our Lord and Master, did not undertake to discharge the duties of a minister .19: 10.;— mith unto thu ' And it is the . For there e Word, and re are three iter, and the baptism, and s in the hands , the witness lich he hath let it be re- id and organ. r the Spirit ; f knowledge, , and the in- on and "mi- mpanying the A'liich I say, of his Son." glory of God estitute of all )f the Spirit ! ng words of IRIT AND OP jdom of men, It is a demon- kvhich exhibit for the diffe- 3rs of the one liead is, " the Jy and all its t, and by the . The Spirit 1 being full of by the Spirit ievil." (Luke by ihc Spirit s, and taught p, afterthat he ito the Apos- imsclf taught lith : " Be yo rfect, as your od, our Lord of a minister S5 sinful some, in the :ially directs, all the flock, [Acts 20: ited that they ve them qua- ere or might 9onably sup. -ded practice is true to his id as to his lomething in le Spirit said " [Acts 8 : pirit sutl'ered uito Paul by »t thy peace : I $7 for r am with thee, and no ma iiiall set on to hurt thee : for I have Tu o^r^r r? "r "y t-^^^ ^^ '• ^' !«•] " It «««'«ed good LActs lo 28.] While Peter thought on the vision, tho Spirit said unto h.m, Behold, three men seek thee." [Acts 10: 19 1 So careful was he to "guide" the Church in all things. [John 16 ! 13.1 ,n p«t hV i"!r ""^ """I^'P'^ quotations, as these are sufficient lad n Lt H the pr.ncipl3, and to show, by contrast, what a sad phght the Church must now be in, when all these things ,^L.Jr ? ^ "^""f .^y ^"'"^" judgment, discernment, afd discretion alone ; and if the guidance of the Spirit be at dl ac. knowledged in any thing, particular exception is carefully takea against the possibility of knomng it by any external proof or " m1? NiFKSTATioN of the Spirit." Men cannot bear to be led by the Spi. IL f" ""'^'^*^« |« «« inscrutably secret in his operations that they cannot distinguish between him and themselves. Hence the horror that IS excited in them at the thought of the abomination of speak- ing with ongues, as they regard it. A God in any way manifest Lh aZ ^ »"" titude, especially if they be full of worldly wisdom and ho grass idolatry of human intellect and fashion. So some desired our Lord to depart out of their coasts, when they jiuat. 8 33, 34.) Ihey could not bear among them the mariifesta- tions of divme power, when tli^y even knew that it was exer- ted lor tlieir deliverance from the terrible power of the devil.— ihesameGod.hating disposition is stamped in legible characters on tins very wicked and adulterous generation, and especially ia a I he attempts to reduce the civil power and the principles of the State to the level of Atheism. How many mistakes are made, for maurf; '.?^f^^;'"g">«^l«rthe ministry? The secret of the matter is- The Lord scefh not as man seeth ; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart ;" (1 Sam. i^L'^u" /'V'^'"'"'^ Spirit divideth to every man severally tokiiowuV^ Cor. 12: 11.; Hence it is impossible for one man Z.r A f ^tainty what work of God another is fitted for, un. ess God reveals It to him. "Everyman hath h.s proper gift of i^oci,^one after tins manner and another after that;" (1 Corf?: 7) and noAV hath God set the members every one of them in the bo- trZiuf^rf"^ ^T" (^ <^«^- 12: 18.; And as "it is not Mn.a that walketh to direct his steps;" CJer. 10: 23) so I deem utteily impossible that the work of God. "by the Church," can s Kceed with the required success without the actual exercise of tl .m^,l'r"'''S " ^'!''\ ""^ tlie special direction of the Spirit in Z,Z \ If '? *'''. '.^"^ ''^'^ ^"^» »" the statute book of God, i p1 ff J-u" ^^J«^ctor to disprove by Divine authority what 1 contend for. All offices aro of God. He alone has the right to Wl them as he pleases. He alone possesses the power of qualifi- if'li t'f it I 58 eation. He alons gives every one liis proper gift ; and if any one has an improper gift, it is of the devil. He alone knows the fitness of this or that man for this or that work. He alone can place each in his proper station, and work in him to will and to do in it : and ho will acknowledge no work in which he is not a co-operator. — '* For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than ho ought to think ; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office : so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. — Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith ; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering ; or he that teach- eth, on teaching ; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation : he that giveth, let him dc it with simplicity ; he that ruleth, with diligence ; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness." (Rom. 12 : 3 — 8.) And all this is so reasonable, and so worthy both of God and man, each in his place, that I may safely defy mortal man to gainsay it with- out, as it wei*;, declaring himself an infidel. But man does not ** like to retain God in his knowledge," and so ho has taken upon himself to do all these things by his own wisdom, to the utter ex- clusion of Divme guidance as an admitted practical principle. It is held merely in an indefinite, intangible, graspless, theoretical speculation, which cuts off all cognizable intercourse with a practi- cal God — a God nigh at hand in all things. Hence we are all has- tening to one common ruin as fast as the long-suffering mercy and preventing grace of God will permit. The leaven of ruin has been at work ever since the Reformation ; and now. since the lunacy of Liberalism" and Infidel Radicalism have gained the ascendency in the Counsels of the British Empire, and have actually unchris- tianized the State, the dreadful consummation is hastening on with accelerated progress. XXVII. I shall now proceed to set forth the Infallibility of the Church, by showing the impossibility of agreement in the truth without it, and the Gospel promises and provisions for its perpetual exercise among men. 1. " Can two walk together except they be agreed ?" (Amos 3 : 3./* Certainly not. But what is the ground of agreement ? — The truth of God, and that alone. Theie is no agreement in error except against the truth ; and when that is out of the way, rival lies will turn like tygers upon each other. So when that great truth, the principle of Church and State, is effectually trampled down, those who clubbed together in one common rebellion against God to expel him from the political concerns of man, can no more agree together than they could with their jommon enemy. Popery is an •xclusivo system ; so is Infidelity ; so is each sect and schism.—' d9 nd if any one 3WS the fitness an place each do in it : and lo-operato^. — ry man that ia he onght to dealt to every smbers in one }, being many, of another. — is given to us, proportion of he that teach- ition : he that ifith diligence ; : 3—8.) And and man, each linsay it with- man does not as taken upon ) the utter ex- principle. It ss, theoretical ) with a practi- we are all has- ng mercy and ruin has been 3 the lunacy of le aacendency tually unchris- tening on with allibility of the It in the truth ►r its perpetual jed?" (Amos' agreement ? — ement in error the way, rival hat great truth, 'ampled down, )n against God no more agree Popery is an and schism.—* They are in themselves as mutually hostile to each olhor as to the Established Church : yet they found a point of union, and com- bmed on the common principle of Infidel Political Economy in or- der to put it down. If this policy was meant to perpetuate peace, or to produce peace, its advocates were infatuated indeed : for how vvill they preserve the peace among themselves? What is to guide their feet in the ways of peace ? The way of peace is the truth ; and the means of peace is truth in the hand of power. Both truth and power are of God : hence, by the truth, did God ordain the powers that be to rule over men ; and peace, by the truth, is proper- ly the peace of God. Peace cannot originate in falsehood, nor bo preserved by its means. The Infidel Political Economy, which shuts God out of the State, and prohibits the powers that be from acting upon the truth of God, as it is in his Son our Lord, is alto- gether of the devil, that old liar and murderer, and is exactly cal- culated to take peace from the earth ; for it unchains every princi- pie of evil in man, and lets loose Belialism, and gives the rein to Infidel Radicalism. I appeal to the example of the United States. These people have boasted and boasted that their infidel govern- ment, which disclaims acting upon the truth of God, is the most perfect that ever existed. And how does it work ? It has nour- ished and brought up a strong political faction, composed of the de. dared enemies of Christianity. It has invited and tempted the ever watchful ambition of the Pope of Rome, whose subjects now threaten to seize upon and entrench themselves in the State of New York, and whose open operations cause the most serious alarms among all other Christian sects. Last year, 1834, there was a cot vocation of clergymen in the State of Vermont, which agitated the question of devising means to secure a Protestant ascendancy in that State, notwithstanding their boastings of the Infallibility of Political Atheism, and their hatred of Church and State. But they have incapacitated themselves from acting upon the truth of God, as a political means of preserving the public peace ; and the instant it should be attempted there would be civil war of the most horrible description. They have sold themselves to the devil ; and so they must continue under the hard bondage of their political God, "the God of this world— the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." They have acted upon the principle asserted by John Neilson in the Assembly of Lower Canada, namely, that ' ' religion gave laws to our consciences and moral conduct ; civil governments to our behaviour as citizens and in society. One was independent of the other." That is, that " conscience and moral conduct," and, by consequence, religion, their lawgiver, are unne- cessary to men in regard to their political relations and their " be- haviour as citizens and in society." This sentiment embodies all the beastliness and all the malignity of athsism, and puts forth in its most laiJgible form the denial that " oower bBlonrrfith nnt". anA.*' its most laugible form Jthe dej^ial |h^t " power belongeth unfc God,' i ' i ' I' ! i 1 11 60 and ought to be exercised in sole subservienco to his revealed wilf. The people of the United States have acted upon this God.denyinff principle ; and now they begin to find to their cost, that where (.iod is denied and rejected, Satan is acknowledged and submitted to. — The old liar and murderer proves a bad keeper of the public pertce ; and the devil's commons, namely, the absence of God's truth, proves to be a field where m«n cannot meet in agreemt , friendship, and ?eace, as the political economists prophesied they would do. — 'here is no nv^utral ground between God niid Satan : for " ho that gathereth aot svith me scattereth ;" and " whatsoever is not of faith is sin." England has adventured upon the same awful experiment of finding political hifallibility, safety, and peace, in the expulsion of God and his truth from her political economy. The repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts led the way : then followed, the same year, that other act of apostacy from God and national suicide, the " CathoUc Emancipation." These were the work of speculative infidelism, popery, indifference to Christianity, together with schism, and that form of infidelity called Socinianism or Unitarianism : and many renagade Churchmen joined this alliance of Beliaiism, for the destruction of the old Protestant Constitution. And how will they all stand afiected to each other when they shall have succeed, ed entirely to destroy its remaining fragments ? Look at France — look at the United ates — look at Ireland. The popish members took their seats in Parliament under oaths contradictoiy of their re- ligious principles, namely, "never to exercise any privilege to which they were or might become entitled, to disturb or weaken the Protestant religion or Protestant government in the United Kingdom." As they took their oaths for the purpose of carrying their principles into effect ; so the moment they got the opportunity they trampled upon their oaths, acted on their principles, and at- tacked the Protestant Church Establishment, as " the greatest mo- ral monster that was ever yet set u) in the name of the Christian religion," as Mr. Shiel declared it to be in the House of Commons in July 1832. This the whole world knew beforehand they would do, and intended to do ; and so the blame rests with those who were fools enough to put the power into their hands. The perjury sur- prised nobody. When men take oaths for the sake of power, in contradiction to their principles, they do it that, through perjury, they may use the power in support of their principles. Their prin- ciples govern them, not their oaths : and we all know that popery encourages all manner of perfidy towards " heretics," provided " holy mother church" can be served by it. Those in power sur- rendered the means of peace (which is truth in the hand of power) to an enemy whose hatred is unappeasable, and whose hostility is irreconcilable, as the price of that peace which was sought to bo preserved. It never entered their calculations that as "power be- ■I' ■■' 6] revealed wilf, 3 God.denyinff liat where (.Jou jbmittcd to. — public pe.tce ; s truth, proves Headship, and would do. — for " he that Ib not of faith experiment of je expulsion of e repeal of the ived, the same )al suicide, the )f speculative) 3r with schism, ;arianism : and Beliaiism, for And how will have succeed. >k at France — ^pish membors jiy of their re- y privilege to urb or weaken in the United •se of carrj'ing he opportunity ciplos, and at- le greatest mo- f the Christian le of Commons md they would lioso who were lie perjury sur- e of power, in irough perjury, 3. Their pfin- 3W that popery ics," provided I in power sur- land of power) ose hostility is IS sought to bo as "power be- foage.h unto God. ' and as truth is its moan* of securiH^y peaco, God standa pledged to uphold his own ordinance against ai. ,Lre^ Bion when It 18 used ,n submission to his will for " the mHimSnco of true re hgion and virtue." The Protestant power gave 2Z Protestant truh, to appease its declared enemies and quiet itMrea! cherous friends, and thus incapacitated itself from wielding iu, own defensive armour. It deserted God. and committed its liTe to tie safe keeping ot its bitterest enemies. Before the perpetration of the«e suicida acts, the Protestant power of Great Lt'ain had the means ot national safety in its own hands ; and thus stood in a reak hbnitJ "^TJT """"P^'-''^";' "approximation towards national mfal- lib.hty ; for I am convinced that for the sake of the truth wh cL was embodied in the system, short as it was in some points otW importance of " the faith which was once delivered unto the Samts " and on vvluch the primitive Church acted, God would have upSd as God approves, without agreement in the truth. " Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free ;" free from t H he e„ mities of sin Persons of contradictory principles can as soon be fnends as Christ and Belial. This remark will equally apZ ,o Tjftr^ rT ^fr^" S"'^''""^^ ^"d thei.- subjects,'^and to cessary for them all Truo fViendship aiidi^sli^g-a;;;;;;;;;;;"^ by the Spirit of Truth, whom God gave to the be in the truth, and /-,, 1 ^ , ', vl v. ^f'.v ui iiuin, wiiom uou ffave to the Church to be the Spirit of unity among men, and bftween God tiT:^'?f- ? ''"' Cf^'^ V-Pl« i»to all truth.' This s^rU s the ftT mm^ oTr?''r r'°"!!'''" ^" ^"^y "^ ^^*'"^*' and impart tp the m.nd of Christ, his will, wisdom, understanding, affections. 1 here is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one LOrd. one faith, 'one baptism, one God and Father of a 1. who is above all, and through a 1, and ^n you aJi. Hence it appears that all who name the name of Christ should agree together in the truth as one man-as one body and soul ; or " ye are the body of Christ, and members in partSar "^ and -know ye not that ye are the temples of' the Holv Whv Vk . ^^ ""'Y •' '^' '""^^"^ P^P"''^'- '^^^^^^' on this po n ? Why, that all sects may "agree to differ in things indifferent "-- namely, mall disputed truths, and deny God in e^very one of his doctrines and ordinances as much as they like without any breach of civil or political unity and charity. Our civil rights and dulses else, and ourrelatioijs originate not in true religion but in the mt'; oun^T''^ "^'^^ °' T"' '" ^"^'^ case tKsuldUt mon ground of agreement, where man may meet man on terms pf 1 fi c-Ji 62 sitility, if not of triendBlKO, i« Atheiem ; aud this ground is actu. ally taken by all the foes of Church unci Stale. Au uaaeinbly of mon agreeing in no positive truths, and acting upon none, as given of God for the direction of their conduct, is an atheistic body. — Such bodies are now become our popular legislatures ; and so the whole of Christendom in in transit out of Chriatiaiiity into Atheism. Every political movement, every new measure of societyships and combinations, not acting upon the truth of God and under the head, ship of Christ, turns the wheel of moral revolution one step nearer to that awful consummation of apostacy, and the revelation of that fearful mystery of iniquity. The starting points of this process are heresy and schism, which embrace the essence of sedition and rebellion ; and the name by which men call the operative lie is MBERALiTV. But it is a God-denying process throui^'hout. It be- gins by rejecting God as the God of unity in the body, and it ends by casting the Spirit of truth and unity out of the body. When the Spirit of truth, love, and unity is cast out, then rush legions of de- vils into the " swept and garnished body," which presently fulls in. to violent convulsions, like a man possessed of devils, and so furi. ous that none can tamo him. These demoniac convulsions are seen in political unions, trades unions, infidel reform agitations, popular elections, radical meetings, mobs, &c. 2. But what is th'> commandment concerning the weeping of «« the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace ? "—concerning the obligation of all men to understand the word of God, as far as they claim to understand it, exactly alike in all things 1 It is this :— " Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.' that ye all speak the same things, and that there be no di- visions among you ; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1 Cor. 1 : 10.) This states the principle and the obligation : let us now hear the condemnation of their breach : " Now, I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to tlic doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. For they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." ('Rom. 16 : 11.) These things are enforced in scriptures too numerous to transcribo. 3. But is it possible for Christians to agree together as com- manded, and avoid the guilt and danger of heresy, schism, and final apostacy, with such means of unity and edification as Christendom has been experimenting upon until brought to the brink of a wide wasting apostacy? No; and the reason is, that human ingenuity is wholly incompetent to understand and interpret the Word of God, setting aside man's natural dislike to it, and his liability to be led astray from it by the temptations of the devil. Now, the Bible is no revelation to him who docs not understand its meaning, and, con. -saquentlv, no guide to him in the w^ys pf God any farther than ha ;rouii(] is actu* i uaaeinbly of noiio, aa given )oi.vords and fair Uom. 16 : 17.j 13 to transcribo. gether as com- :hism, and final as Christendom arink of a wide uman ingenuity 3 Word of God, ibility to bo led )W, the Bible is aning, and, con- farther than ha iS does understand it, •' The flesh lusleth against the Spirit: ...^^ these are contrary the one to the other." {(iaj. fl: {7 ) HoW then, can •• the carnal mind" understand the words of the Spirit! 'The na ural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for hey are foolishness unto him: neither can ho know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2: 14.) How hen "^ ho know them ? Sp,ntually_by the Spirit of God, and him ooirT for the Apostle adds : " But he that is spiritual judgeth all thincs •" thatis, he to whom the Spirit unseals the Word. Let us take m example for illustration. Suppose I write a letter of instruction t<» some one m terms « hard to be understood." and he does not under- stand It, yet wishes to bo guided by it : to whom shall he co for explanation--to all the world, or to its author ? To its author of course. And who is able to unseal and read the Book of God in Its true sense ? None but its author. (Rev. 6 : 1—5.) «' For what man knoweth the things of a man save the Spirit of man which ia "rr."",',,^''?? ^° the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." ( Cor 2: 11.) And the context shows how maS ij understand the Scriptures : "God hath revealed them unto us bv lus Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things - God. . . . Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, wui the bp.nt which IS of God ; that we might know [understandl the things that are freely given us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the lloly Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." btudymgthe Scriptures by mere human intellect is not the way to understand thorn As proof of this, Christendom is at this moment a mere chaos of heresy, schism, and infidelity, and the Bible is fast becoming the most obscure and soul-killing book in the world — wrested and perverted, a savour of death unto death in them that pensh. (3 Cor. 2: 15,16.) " They cannot know them, because f hey are spiritually discerned." Without this, all our Lord's verbal instructions to his Disciples were in a manner useless ; and when he was about to leave them,-" then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24 : 45 ) And ofthe same thing St. John saith : " We have mi unction from the Holy One, and we know all things." 4. It is from the misinterpretation, misunderstanding, and perversion of the Scriptures ; and from ignorance, contempt and hatredof Its holy and conservative principles, that all our disorders and calamities flow. Thus arose the great Papal apnstacy ; and after the great but imperfect Reformation, thus is now arising the still greater Infidel apostacy on the ruins of both Popery and I rotcstantism, making its fearful way over the wreck and ruin of all ancient principles and institutions. As all lies are based upon .some truth, so the lie of Papal infallibility is based upon the precious tiuth, that the Church ought to be infallible in all (hinffs asthe bodv 64 oTa hoad whoso Spirit is iho Holy Ghost. Bui the Papal lie hid the Word of God (Itider itH own forgeries, and furnicd a imlauical unity of darkness and ignorance, under the blindness of implicit faith in the word of man. The IVofcstunt he i» baited upwiA tho truth that all mei:, having free occess to the written Word, ought to understand it by the interpretation of tho Spirit. It couHiats, not in giving every man a lUble, but in depending upon human jndgrnnnt and fearning lor its int«rprctation : for be it rcuiombored, that Pro- testants nmv treat the doctrino I am contending for as the delusions of the devil. The march of intellect, and tho rights of man in politi- cal indopendonce of God, have taught us that all men are equal, and that no human authority can exceed tho flat equality of all human ereatures. Thus ProteHtanism has opened tho door to limitless heresy and schism, through the medium of human judgment, as tho interpretor of tho Bible ; yet vainly attempting to keep men to- gcther by creeds, formularies, and establishments ; and now that these, in the absence of " the manifestations of the Spirit," do fail «*to keep tho unity of the Spirit in tho bond of peace," they are deserted and assawHed as the worst enemies of man. They cannot do the Spirit's work ; and without the Spirit manifested in their use . — without " the demonstration of the Spirit and of power" — they are incapable o'f Self-defence. It is " tho unity of the Spirit" wo arc required to keep, and that would keep us in the unity of the letter. I am fully convinced of tho soundness of that most holy 'symbol of our faith, the Alhanasian Creed ; but my conviction I cannot propagate in tho heart of my contradicting neighbour. And So of religious establishments. Yet I think that God has greatly blessed these things, even beyond their deserts, as they have been constituted ; and had they indeed been subject to " the ministra- tion of the Spirit," (2 Cor. 3 : 8.) he never had suffered their ene- mios to triumph over them. 6. We are now arrived at this awful predicament, namely. That God hath committed his word and ordinances to us with a po- fiitive command to " be per/cc% joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" concerning them; and the^, by the means Christians adopt as the only means provided for this end, it is utterly impossible to keep that fearful commandment : for bo it again remembered, that the point I am now contending for is al- most universally treated as a delusion of the devil. But this in. Volves the horrible blasphemy of charging God with laying a bur- then upon us infinitely beyond our strength ! This is a dilemma from which I see no escape. We must either charge God with conduct worthy only of Satan, or confess that he did provide for us that infallible ititerpreter of his Word, whom, in one or more of his of- fices, we have denied and rejected. And who shall dare the tremen- dous alternative of charging the fault upon God ? Let him be true, though every m»n a liar. M Papal lie hid (1 a Natauical la of implicit ftcd up«>t^ tho Word, ought t cotiHiHta, not mail jiidgruont red, ihivt Pro- the delusions fmun in puliti* are equal, and of all human >r to limitless Igment, as tho keep men to- und now that pirit," do fail :e," they are 'I'hey cannot id in their use )owor" — they the Spirit" wo 3 unity of the hat most holy r conviction I ghbour. And )d has greatly oy have been ' the ministra- sred their ene- nent, namely, ( us with a po- :ho same mind the 4, by the for this end, intent: for bo iding for is al- But this in. 1 laying a bur- is a dilemma rgo God with •vide for us that nore of his of- irc the tremen- Bt him be true, «. Let ua now turn to tl.ot. flcriptures which amrt tiio doe. trine, remc-mberiug imt .1 exiaU wherever tho SpihJ is said to Jeat io„ wr'ho ^^rr'' "r* "' "-«^"-''— th incommS: lo . with t 10 Church. IIo was so.U to abide for over—" Whom the father shall send m my name, he shall teach you all thinRs a^^ bring all things to your romen.biance." , J-hn 14126) " T' w II reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment.. Ho will guide you info all truth : for he shall not spealf of himeeif but ^^^mtsoever hehcuroth, that shall ho speak : and he w show you things to come, ile shall glorify ,„o': for he shal7 take of mine and show it un.o yuu." (John 18.) Not only ex^^Ln Scrip tare, and unfold prophecy, as the C'hurch can bear it ; 'for" I have many things to say unto you. but ye cannot bear them now : "but even show them things to come not written, as thus : « There stood up one of hem named Agabus. and signified by tho sS that Uioro should bo a greatdear(h throughout all the world." Acts 11 28.) " 1 hus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall tho Jews a JeruVa: em bind the man that ovvneth this girdle." (Acts 21 : II.) But things of this kind, which concern local or temporary matters and r ividuaKcan be no imaginable trespass upon written Scripture but they ilhu -ate tho miuutia, of Divine Providence, and shew how God manifests a particular interest in whatever concerns his faith ul peop e. It was a common thing among the Jews to "inquire ol God in common d.fl.cult.os. So Saul inquired of Samuel con! cerning tho strayed asses of his father. " (Beforetime, in Israe when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, cJme, and S us go to the seer.) Then said Saul to his servant, Well sa d come, let^usgo," [1 Sam. 0: 6-10.] But " Whatsoever thTnga were written aforetime were written for our learning, that wo. through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope" • (Itom. l.-^ : 4) therefore Christians are entitled to tho same nri. vilegos, or from these instances of God's care of others we can learn nothing for our comfort. Many persons believe in providential warnings to individuals concerning no higher matters than strayed asses; yet the same persons, there is reason to fear, would cry out ' Sa.anical delusion" the moment the doctrine were pressed uoon them inif8pioperScr;)t.ire connection with miraculous gifts. J have no doubt that the :de. . " Prophets, upon whom, along with the Apostles, God foundo'i r>' Church, (Eph. 2: 20) were intend od for the same things among us, as appears by Agabus forctellinrr the dearth, besides discharging other important functions like tho Jewish prophets ; and I am confirmed in this by a word in Amos 3 : 7,that is, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he rcvealeth bis secret unto his servants the Prophets." And, "God hath set some lu tUo Church, hist Apostles, secondarily Prophets." ^1 Cor l-^ • 28.; " Which in other ages was not made known unto the eons of men, "U is now revealed unto the holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit." (EpW. 3: 5.) I •'i I: ^|[| 66 But how is the Spirit to teach us all things, and to Itiid us in- to all truth, and to testify of Christ, and to shew us things to come, and to reprove the world, and to speak what he shall hear, and to chew us the things of Christ, and be actually known as the real doer of all these things without positive outward manifestation shewing him in distinction from men and devils? For these jut- ward manifestations of the Spirit " the body of Christ" was orga- nized, and compared to the human body : and as the living human body is organized for il;i manifestation of the human spirit, which resides in, governs, and acti by it : so " the body of Christ," the Church, was organized in its original structure for the manifestation of the Spirit of Christ. Every motion of the human body is a demonstration of the living invisible spirit witlur. it : so also it was intended tha the Church, as Christ's body, should be a perpetual manifester of the Holy Ghost, acting in and by the " many mem- bers in one body." Without those manifestations, I cannot con. ceive how 'he promises of the Lord could ever receive fulfilment. To this principle of manifesting and demonstrating the Spirit by miraculous operations, the following texts are to be referred : " My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of maf;'s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power : that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." (1 Cor. 2: 4, 5.) " Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God that worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." (1 Cor. 12 : 4 — 7.) " How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious ? (2 Cor. 3: 8.) "He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith ? " (Gal. 3: 5.) All these take for granted the outAvard manifestations of supernatural power by the members of Christ's body ; and they are all connected with the Church's infallibility in the Spirit. Again, " Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. . . .Let that, therefore, abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the begin, ning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father .... TimaE things have I written unto you concern- ING THEM THAT SEDUCE YOU. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you ; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truih, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John, 2: 20, 24, 26, 27.) Reader! what think you of this ? Read it over again, and compare it witl: the words of Jesus, given above. Again : " I-thank my God always on your belialf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ ; that in every thiiig ya tu ktid us ill- ings to come, hear, aud to as tho real manifestation )r these jut- t" was orga- iviiig human spirit, which Christ," the manifestation lan body is a so also it was le a perpetual " many mem- [ cannot con. ve fulfilment, the Spirit by •ferrcd : " My ards of maii's er: that your 3wer of God." gifts, but the itions, but the but it is the on of the Spirit 1—7.) "How ous? (2 Cor. le Spirit, and ks of the law, lese take for power by the ected with the , and ye know ye have heard om the begin. ^on and in the VOU CONCERN- 'hich ye have hat any man all things, and you, ye shall leader ! what re it witi: the tho grace of ery thiiig ya 67 «re enriched by hinr in «W««eranc<;, and in all knowledge; ercn as the testimony ot Chnst was confirmed in you : so that yc come wlVn l"li"''i ^ ' 'r"'"° ''•''' ^^^ *=°"^'"S or jur Lord Jesus Christ : uio shall also confirm you unto the end, that yc may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 1 : 4-8 ) Ob servo, 1 The 'vail utterance" is evidently speech by tho Sp rit in all Ins forms of utterance. 2. The " all knowledge" refers to eadmg the Church into tho true knowledge and understanding of 3 .SwT^*^"'"%'t.V'^.^%^'= 7_15.Seor. 2. throughout!) t-l .''''""" r\°^ ^^'''' '''^'^'' '^ the witness-bearing of the f^pirit ^to the l.ord Jesus by the mouths of his .ervants " in all utter, auce and by other miracles. 4. "Waiting for the coming of s^nsJ'of " rrr''' ''•r'^"^^^■"'^ ^'^^ CathoUc Chm-ch in^the unTp' Lo, I am M-ith you always, even uato the end of the wor d, and refers to the Church's expectation of and readiness for the second coming of the Lord in 'is kingdom. 5. The uTer! Zt^r 1 '^^r''''^,^", ^'' «°^^"^^t*^d with tho word of wisdom, and n 1 r. r ^,V'"r'i' =' T.^ prophecy, and speaking with tongues in 1 Cor. 12 : 4—11. (Knowledge is the instrument of operative wisdom.) '..As .'ho means of preservation in the unity of tha Spirit and of the one body, these all refer immediately to the com- nrnnd following m the tenth verse, i. e. "Now I b. seech you, bre- thren, by the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak i;-. same thing, and that there be no divisions among you ; but that ye be perfectly joined together m the same mind and in tho same judgment,"— Likewise Paul prays, forthe Ephesians, (1 ; 17, 18) that God may give unto them " the Spirii of wisdom and revelation in the know, ledge of h.m " &c So also in Phil. 1 : 4-11, and Col. 1 : f "T- r . ^^t^^' ^'^^ provided all these things " for the per. tectingot the saints, tor the work of the ministry, Tor tho edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, un- to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that wo hencetortli be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; but speaking tJ^ trutnm love may grow up in him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ : from whom the whole body fitly joined toge. ther and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to tlie efiectual working in the measure of every part, maketh in. crease of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (Eph. 4 : 12—16.) The reader may easily make the application of these passages to the infallibility of the Church: for he cannot but see that It she lived these truths, and avoided these errors, she would "continue in tho faith grounded and settled," CCol. 1 : 23j in op. position to being tossed to and fro, and carried about by every idla M ind ot doctrine, and thus be infallible by the infallible guidance ij 68 ef the Holy Ghost in all things. God lias coVnmanJetl u« eo fo b« guided : hence to qunstion his willingness to guide us, or our neccB- •ity to be so guided, is to lie against God and deny the Gospel. He commands us to agree together in " the unity of the Spirit," and " in the knowledge of the son of God,"as if we were all aiii- mated by one souh But how stands the world ? Can we find two individuals who acree together at all, much less in the truth of the Gospel ? Every man has a way of hia own, and so God a ■ways are despised. It is regarded as the perfection of liberty that every man may serve God " according to the rights and dictates of his own conscience ; " that is, iiis own will and pleasure, taking it for granted that God is as pleased with it as he is. A soul-killing lie this, and twin sister of that other lie of Satan, that the people fvvhom some who preach the lie de- Clare to bo under the power, in the great mass of " total depranUy") are the only true source of legislation and govern'neiit. This last infidel dogma is thus stated in the Christian Guardian of the 11th December, 1830 : — " in direct opposition to the "bove incontrover- tible doctrine of Archdeacon Paley, and in absolute defiance of the universally received political maxim, that " civil government is founded upon the will of the people." But this gives the lie direct to the political doctrines of the Bible, which makes God the foun- dation of government, and declares rulers to be his ministering servants set by his ordinance over the people. The Guardian's doctrine is point blank Atheism ; and men on acting on it do pre. sumptuously thrust themselves into the place of the Most High, and assume h'S prerogatives to themselves. But it will appear in the sequel of this work, that not only " power belongeth unto God," but that no man can rightly use it unless the Holy Ghost do guide him. XXVni. I would earnestly request the reader to consult the Scriptures here named in connexion with the works and operations of the Spirit. 1. lieing filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking, singing and admonishing as he gives utterance : Luke 1 : 41 to 55 ; 07,to 79 ; 2 : 25 to 38. Acts 4 : 3:1—33. Eph. 5 : 14—21 ; Col. 3 :"l6 ; iCor. 14 : 15. 2. " Praying m the Ho'.y Ghost ; " Jude 20'; Eph. 6: 18, 19; 1 Cor. 14: 14, 15. 3. Keeping the Min- jstfy and the faith by the Spirit ; 2 Tim. 1:14; 1 John 2 : 20 — 36. 4. "Filled with all the fullness of God :" Eph. 3 : 19. 5. Bap- tised with or by the Holy Ghost; Mat. 3:11; Acts 1 : 5; 11 : 16 ; 1 Cor. 12 : 13. 6. The Holy Ghost ministered by preaching and the hearing of faith ; Acts 10 : 44 ; Gal. 3 : 2, 5. 7. By lay. ing on of hands ; Acts 8 : 15—19: 9 : 17 ; 19 : 6. 8. Men bap- fised to become his temples ; Acts 2 : 38, 39 : Rom. 6 : 3 ; 8 : 7 —16; 1 Cor. 3:10; 6: 19; Eph. 2:20—22. 9. Men made strong and bold by him ; Mat. 10 : 19, 20 ; Eph. (5 : 10 ; Acts 4 : 8, 31, &c. led ua so to b* B, or our recea- ly the Gospel. iC the Spirit," e were all aiii- an we find two the truth of the md so God's ;tion of liberty he rights and own will and pleased with • of that other ch the lie de- ?tal depraviiy") 3iit. This last an of the 11th vc incontrover- ite defiance of government is ;s the lie direct God the foun- is ministering he Guardian's ; on it do pre. le Most High, will appear in eth unto God," dost do guide to consult the and operations lost, speaking, el: 41 to 55 ; 14—21 ; Col. Ghost ; " Jude eping the Min- John 2 : 20 — 1 : 19. 5. Bap. cts 1 : 5; 11 : d by preaching 5. 7. By lay- 8. Men bap. n. 6 : n ; 8 : 7 9, Men made 10 ; Acts 4 : 69 ^ I cannot refrain noiirirg a pnsenpo in Ilab. 2:19, 20, vix. " Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake ; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach ! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at ali in tlie midst of it. But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all tlio earth keep silence before Him." Ob- serve, 1. The idol was in figure of a man, yet a breathless block, a;id stands here in contrast with a man made in the image of God, and from him h-iving tlic breath of life. 2. " Arise, it shall teach!" The idol has no breatii to speak with, but man has, by which in. struction from God is conveyed to his follows. 3. The heathen fan. cicd that spirits dwelt in their idols, as the Holy Ghost dwells in man ; first in the Lord Jesus, secondly in his living members. " For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." (1 Cor. 3 : 17.^ " But the Lord is in his holy temple," in opposition to the dumb idol ; wliich temple ye are, " buikled together for an habitation of God through the Spirit : " Therefore, 4. "Let all the earth keep silence botbre him." Let men raspect his ambassadors and ser- vants, who speak his word and execute his judgments ; yea, and one another, who are made in the image of God, and whose bodies are consecrated in baptism to be his holy temples. " He that hear- eth you hoareth me— It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of my Father which speaketh in you." But alas ! what a heap of dry bones are we become. "Can tliese dry bo^es live? O Lord God, thou knowest ! " XXIX. I deem it ex.iedient here to give the sentiments of the Church of England as expressed in the Homilies, to which our clcr- // subscribe, upon some points insisted on in these pages, namely, that the offices and gifts of the Holy Ghost wero intended to be perpetual in the Church, and that the Spirit is the only interpreter of the written word and the ordinances of God : — " The Holy Ghost doth always declare himself by his fruitful and gracious gifts, namely, by the word of wisdom, by the word of knowledge, which is the understanding of the Scriptures by faith, in doing of miracles, by healing them that are diseased, by prophe. cy, which in the declaration of God's mysteries, by discerning of spirits, diversities of tongues, interpretation of tongues, and so forth. 1 Cor. xii. All which gifts, as they proceed from one Spi. rit, and are severally given to man according to the measureable distribution of the Holy Ghost ; even so do they bring men, and not without good causp, into a wonderful admiration of God's di. vine power.". ..." Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastial History, telleth a strange story of a certain learned and subtle philosopher, who be. Jng an extreme adversary to Christ and his doctrine, could by no kind of learning be converted to the faith, but was able to withstand all the arguments that could bo brought against him, with little or no labour. At length there started up a poor simple man, of small ■Wit and less kno-wlcdge, one that was reputed among the learned 70 «is afi 1dif)t ; and hb on (iod'a nnme would needs take i;i Imnd to dispute with liiis proud pliilosoplior. The bishops aud other learned inen standing by wore nuirvcllously abaslicd at the matter, lhii)king that by his doings they should al! bo co.ifotindcd and put to opea shame. He notwithstanding goctli on, and boginning in the name of the Lord Jcsu.^, brought the philosopher to such point in the end, contrary to all men's expectation, that he could not choose but ac- knowledge the povv'cr of God in his words, and to give place to tho truth." JAb. xi. cap, 3. Was not this a miraculous work, that of one silly ooul, of no learning, should do that which many bishop3 great knowledge and nnderstandiiig were never able to bring to pass ? Ho true is the saying ot'l>edc : "Where the Holy Ghost doth instruct «nd teach, there is no delay at all of learning." .... "Our Saviour Christ departing out of the world unto his Father, promised his Disciples to send down another Comforter, that should continue \vilh them forever, and direct them into all truth. John xiv. xv. — Which thing to be faithfully and truly performed, the Scriptures {\o «ufliciently bear witness. Neilhcr must we thi'ik that this Com. tbrter was cither promised, or else given, only to the Apostles, but tilao to the universal Church of Christ, dispersed through the whole world." . . . . " The proper office of the Holy Ghost, is not to insti- tute and bring in new ordinances, contrary to his doctrine before taught; but to expound and declare those thing?j which he had be- fore tauglit, so that they mi^ht bo well and truly understood. — When the Holy Ghost, saith ho, shall come, he shall lead you into mil truth. John xvi. What truth doth he ineaa? Any other than he himself had before expressed in his word? No. For he saith, •Re shall take of mine, and shew it unto you. John xvi. Again, He shall bring you in remembrance of all things that I have told you." — Ilomdif for Whitsunday. I would respectfully ask my clerical brethren what they mean by professing to disbelieve in what they have subscribed to. This t Isay advisedly ; for more than one have denied to me that the quo- tatio-is given above will hear a constiuction favorable to the views held forth in these pages. True, they may say that I find in them tnorc tiian they contain : but yet I cannot conceive why the exam- ple of ihe proud philosopher, the learned bishops, and the rt^puted ijdiot should bo sot forth in tho Homily for instruction to the Church concerning " the miraculous •'■ -rk" of the Holy Ghost, if the compilers of the Homilies, and the then existing authorities, had intended to teach in contradiction to the views I maintain. They certainly intended something by it : but if they intended to teach tho Church that God never meant miracles to continue longer than till there s!\onld ariso " a learned clergy," they took a strange me- thod of doing it. The Homily says that tho Spirit was sent "to expoTuid nnd declare those thiiigH which he had before taught, so that they might be well and truly understood," namely, by " the 71 take i.'i ii&tid to ,i»i other leurneti maltur, lliii)king and put to opea ling in the nu.me point in the end, tt choose but ac- ;o give place to ;ulous work, that ch many bishops to bring to pass ? lost doth instruct . . "Our Saviour cr, promised his should continue John xiv. XV. — the Scriptures i\o that this Com. the Apostles, but irough the whole st, is not to insti- 3 doctrine before .hich he had be- y understood. — all lead you into Any other than 0. For he saith, hn xvi. Again, that 1 have told what they mean cribcd to. This me that the quo- ible to the views hat I find in them e why the exam- , and the reputed on to the Church oly Ghost, if the ; authorities, had maintain. They ntended to teach itinuc longer than )ok a strange mc irit was sent "to before taught, so namely, by " the ■nirersal Church," and not the Apostles only. But who so r«cog. nizea the Spirit as the expounder of Scripture ? Who hears him expounding and declaring things before committed to writing, " so that they may be well and truly understood" by " worda which tho. Holy Ghost tcachoth" in acknowledged distinction from tho "words which man's wisdom tearheth?" The " Irvingifes," aa they are called in cor.tumely, are tho only people who befieve hera with the Homily ; and they are said to bo under "satanical dolu. sion" in their belief, and their names are cast out as evil. Of what public utility could the expounding of Scripture by the Holy Ghost bo, unless it were publickly given and acknowledged as coming from the Holy Ghost, the some as the canon of Scripture ? And if %ve all took the expounding and declaring of Scripture from the Spirit, how is it possible that we should have so many contradictory sys- tems of Christian economy, and so many militant sects all carrying a system of plunder and piracy upon each other? Is there ia. these things one solitary sign of " the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace ?" No, not one. Are these the works of the Spi- rit ? No : they are the works of the flesh and the devil. If the churches and sects "walked in the Spirit," they could not thus set truth and unity at defiance and follow their own inventions. Jenkins, in his Reasonableness of Christianity, chap. 31, gives the following reason for the cessation of miracles : " Because the Christians at first were ignorant men, and the Gentiles learn- ed ; but now on the contrary all the learning in the world is em- ployed for the defence of the Gospel, and there is nothing but ig. norance to oppose it ; and there can be no need of farther miracles in behalf of so good a cause, when it is in the hands of such ablo advocates against such weak adversaries. The Homily seems of a different judgment, when it brings a reputed idiot to do what all tho learned bishops and theologians could not do, "that the excellency of the power might be of God, and not of us." (2 Cor. 4 : 7.) — But " the march of intellect," by means of penny magazines, and so forth, which distil science and knowledge, and send forth their essence within so small a compass, that any man, for a few pence, may become intoxicated with human wisdom and learning upon these high wines of " useful knowledge," has produced so learned, heady, high-minded a race of infidels and serai-infidels, that wo again need miracles in order to silence their presumption. Here, however, is another difficulty. Men have become so drunk and besotted with human wisdom, and do so idolize the powers of hu- man intellect, and arc so determined to solve every difficulty by scientific and learned research, that the belief in supernatural agency has nearly become extinct. As the London Christian Observer decided in the case of Miss Fancourt's cure, " any solution must be admitted rather than a miracle" for any the mni.it extraordinary appearances and facta." For instance, the case of Mrs. Cass, at m i \' 72 8tanstead, iu Lowar Canada, iu 1834, who, during fit« of profound insensibility and utter unconsciousness to all things, uw far us thtt herself was concerned, performed things vastly beyond any iium;ui powers in a state of perfect self-possession. Her medical attendant relates, that while "in her reveries and paroxisms she conversed freely, exhibiting in a high degree ideality, wit, tune, time, and language— ridicule, raillery, sarcasm," &c. in her conversation : that " though she had never learned to sing, and had seldom been known even to hum a tunc when well, yet in her paroxisms sho was very fond of singing, which she did with great sweetness and correctness:" that "many of her mental faculti' : seemed excited in the highest degree, and to manifest powers that they .vcre inca- pable of in a normal (healthy) state :" that she often " verified " what sho uttered without the slightest apparent etfort : thu sho made an appointment during one fit to lecture on quackery, which ehe kept in another : that she could tell 'he time by a watch without looking at it, and tell, too, how much it differed from the true time : that with her face to the wall and her eves shut she knew all that was transacted in the room where she la> : that with her eyes shut she would read, even in the dark, any book or print that was given her, and that "the interposing solid or opiuiUQ substances between her eyes and the book, so as to render the pas- fling of rays of light from one to the other impossible, seemed to have no eflect in obstructing her vision;" that " attenpts to de- eeive her" while in this state were utterly unavailing ; " that it was often remarked by visitors that she appeared to possess, two distinct spirits, eachin its turn presiding, separate and uncontrolled by the otlier," because that when she awoke and came to herself it was " always suddoidy and with an instantaneous and peculiar change in the expression of her countenance, and in her manner and appear, ance ; " she being, when at herself, totally unconscious of any thing that had happened during her "reveries or paroxisms."— See Boston Medical Journal, Noe. 5, 1834. A previous number of the same Journal gives an account of a Mrs. Hanington who, m a sound state of health and natural self-possession, was about the same time exhibiting in public,feat3 as superhuman as those of Mrs. Cass. Other cases have occurred similar to that of Mrs. Cass, in which also the patients were more or less in a bad state of health. All the attempts at accounting for the cause of these superhumaa effects which I have seen, place the cause in the disease and de- rangement of the animal economy. Now I regard it as the most absurd and senseless proposition possible, that disease and sickness can enable a human creature to achieve impossibilities ; namely, to see with his eyes shut through an inch board, or a stone wall, as well as in the ordinary process of seeing, or know intuitively the true time, &c. while yet the operator iu such a wonderful pro- cess is, as to mamory afterwards, as senseless as a stono. It ap- i ss, two distinct 73 peari 10 mo tli nothing but the most besotted and ttupid credulitt and blind confidence in the omnipotence of humaa wisdom, could ever think of solvmg difficuhies in this way; or fail of recognizinit a spirUual possession in such a case. Mra. Cass' physician said to her, feignmg a doubt of her sincerity : " you surely cannot see, for your eyes are shut*'— " Indeed, (she replied) that's very droll «re you sure that your own eyes are ope^n 1 " A man who had stii! died his subject by the light of Revelation, and by similar facts m tne l^ospel history, in connexion with what those facts unfold of tne spiritual world and its power over man, could hardly have had ms eyes shut in so plain a case, and been liable to the rebuke con- tamed in the arch and insinuating question. But so it is. Human wisdom and science are set up in opposition to faith in God's word • and as the political world is to be managed just as if there were no Deity higher than our Infidel political economy, the spirit, ual world IS thrust aside for a refined system of materialism, it» which the laws and powers of matter are recognized as achieving natural impossiljilities, and performing operations peculiar to spirit, intellect, and will. On this hand " darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people ;" and underihis general disbelief in spi. ritual and miraculous powers and operations, Satan is preparing the world for the deifycation of man and matter, and for attributinff Iv'.r H™,"'^' ?' ^'^ tii« P'^wers of nature, as well as those wrought by he Holy Ghost. For He is still future, « whose coming is af. terthe working of Satan with all power and signs, and lyinS won- ders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that thev might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them stronrr delusion, that they should believe a lie : that they all mirrht be damned that believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteous- «ess. (2Thes.2: 9-12.) The prevailing unbelief in the true doctrine of the Holy Spirit prepares men for this delusion of the aovil. frojeMg Christians are sure that God will not work mira. cles because tlwy are sure they would injure the cause of truth and godliness; and so they fancy he wiU not permU evil spirits to work miracles or possess human creatures. Hence these wonderful phe- noniena, the devil's miracles, and all visions whether from God or Satan, pass for the operations of a diseased body and mind, and of we laws of nature variously acting on matter, and through matter, on the human spirit, mind, and imagination. Thus the cases of cure by faith m Christ, as in the case of Miss Fancourt, are attri- Duted to the power of imagination over the animal economy ; and atl visions are resolved into " spectral illusions," which have no otlu er origm or reality than such as exist in "a diseased imagination," Zll .''yP°<^0"<^'"ia." The subjection of these wonder-working lows ot nature, as they are imagined to be, to human control, if I «m not mistaken, is beginning to bo believed in ; which must tend IT I 74 to the denial of all miracles whaterer, whether past, present, of to come : so that when " he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles," (Rev. 13 : 13, 14^ they will give glory to <* the march of intellect," " which hath given such power unto men" over the elements of nature. The great discoveries of late made in che. mistry and mechanics, and other arts and sciences, tend to confirm men in theso delusions, and establish their faith in the supremacy of human wisdom to the exclusion of all belief in the interference of spiritual agencies both ^ood and bad. I see evidently "the school-master abroad" in such public exhibitors as Mrs. Hauning. ton ; and men begin already " to wonder after the beast," without ever sQspecting the Old Strpeit to be at the bottom of it. She is *' familiarly called The Myderious Lady ;" — and after being " allow, ed every opportunity that could be desired for experimenting, and detecting the cheat if any was practiced," the Editor of the Bos- ton Medical Journal says : " In the sequel, we left the apartment, fully satisfied of our own inability to solve any part of the series of mysteries which constitute the enigma of her public entertainments." But it seems never to have occurred to Jenkins, that " such weak adversaries" as the vulgar ignorant, by their very ignorance, are totally incapable of entering into «' all the learning in the world," or knowing what it means : nor am I sure that the quintessence of all learning condensed into penny and sixpenny publications will ever open the eyes of the reading mob, whose chief learning is i» fact derived fi-om the periodical press : whereas, if "the march of intellect" had not destroyed all faith in miracles, a miracle could hardly be mistaken, and would have the advantage of being per- fectly understood in an instant (as far as the human mind can grasp it) by the most unlearned, by being simply a manifestation of su- pernatural power. And thus God's method speaks the same Ian. guage to both learned and unlearned, and treats them all as alike ignorant, maugre the school-master and the march of intellect, that he may have the glory, and not man. Wliat are all our learned cart-loads of " Evidences of Christianity" but so many fortifica- tions against the intrusion of the Holy Ghost, one of whose offices is, to testify of the Lord Jesus, and to bear witness to him in the Church ? They are like making chronological calculations to find the time of day, instead of honestly looking up to the sun in heaven. •' With the heart man believeth unto righteousness," not with the head, so that any man's head is good enough for faith. Miracles strike the heart directly through the organs of sense, because they manifest a supernatural agency : whereas human argumentation " Plays round the kead, but comes not to the heart" u\ the strokes of conviction. It excites the very spirit of coatra- , present, of (o hat he maketh It of mea, and leans of those to •* the march men" over the i made in che. end to connrm le supremacy le interference evidently <' the Mrs. Hauning* least," without of it. She is ■ being " allow, rimenting, and or of the Bos- the apartment, )f the series of itertainments." 3, that "such ery ignorance, r in the world," :[uintessence of iblications will r learning is ia " the march of miracle could of being per- mind can grasp festation of su- I the same Ian. m all as alike f intellect, that all our learned many fortifica. f whose offices I to him in the ulations to find suD m heaven. ' not with the lith. Miracle* !, because they [umentatioa 3art" tirit of contra. 75 diction it aims to beat dotri,, and which miracles, like the preaenw of a superior bemg are calculated to awo into silence and rever! S f « ^'"^ ^^^ T^^' ^° ''^'^^^ '*'»« advantage against th« sp.nt of utter contempt for every thi^g standing in any 2y on hu! manauthonty. which „ow so universally manifests itself.^ Yet it seems as if .he more contemptuously human authority is treated, the fiercer all part.es become to decide all controveraies by it, and God Til T'"f ^"^ T^T "^''^'"S *" '^^ 'J«'^'»i«" of Aim ghty God. f he natural result of such a state of the public mind must tl cTanlr' '"^^ '""'^'^ point and club law; aVi^ximattrt* m,fhnr;?i^ r *""' ^''^'''^^T^ ^OT political purposes without the author ty of government. I was never more forcibly struck with S te^tLT."'' '*^^ ^"'"' characteristic of the Les as dis. ohTf nJ 21 u^'^*''' Conservative Dinner" some months since, the temnr, nf I "^ fiTI' '° "'^^'^'^ '^^ Established Church against th^ at. S'^^tt f f '''',P'PJ''' ""'^ ''''^'''''- ^' ^^^'"^d to me as if they I ad met to feast and inflame themselves with wine, and in the spi. nt of self.righteousness self-dependence, and riotous defiance, say LdtsTTfl'T'^T ^'"* *l!" '"'' ^^'Ebedsaid to Abimelech, (J uoges 9 29 :) « Increase thine army and come Out." Not one word was there of confession and humiliation fo. the sins of the Tl'^A "?/'g»o<^<;alI'ugupon God for deliverance ?-« And in Trty A ''r ^^'^ ^"^ "^ ^''''" ('^' ^'^ «/ frosts, to whom" TSA ^T """"^ '''''"''*' «" '"^•^ ^h°"ld look in time of national danger) "call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: and behold joy\nd gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking%vine : letuJea? and drink • tor o-morrow we die. And it was revealed in mine fZ J *^;„^^^ «f hosts «« Surely this iniquity shall not be puTged: from you till ye die, saith the Lord of hosts." (Isa. 22 : 12-14 ) Ail trust IS placed in human wisdom to devise expedients, and hii. man power to make them effective, and the Lord of hosts is either Z^a^l '^''''^f "^ ?r"S "^y ^""^^•''^ ^^»'h governments and politics, or forgotten and forsaken in time of national calamities.- tmli?h' •'' T'^'^M'i "^ h««^«= " ^"'•^^d be the man that trusteth m man, and maketh flesh his arm, and his heart departeth ' fbty were no human tongues : " For he tbat spcaketh 1 1 an U';iiuu;vr\ tonguo speaketh not unto s oould bo intended as a medium of preaching the (.lospol. Vv uui then i» their use ? " He speaketh unto God — in the ^pi'-* ipeaketh niystirieu. — He that speaketh in an unknown ton^ ..leth him. self. — Tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not." (Verses 4, 22.) They are for communion with God in the Holy Ghost — for self-edification — for a sign to unbelio. vers — yea, even for prayer. And as to their continuance in the Church, — why, in all conscience, as long as communion with God in the Spirit will edify man, or there are unbelievers to be con. vinced, of whom there are now a ten thousand fold majority among Christians, who deny and reject their privileges in the spiritual gifts. But how can one be benefited by what he understands not ? Brother,! know not; but God tells mo ho may,and I believe it. I under- stand not the process by which food nourishes my body or my will com. mands it : yet will I both take my daily bread with thankfulness, and try to " keep my body under" for the good of both soul and body. "If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayoth," — I know not how, for " my understanding is unfruitful. VVhat is it then ? I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also : I will sing with the Spirit, Knd I will sing with the understanding also," (1 Cor. 14: 14, 15;) fully believing that if God worketh in me to will and to do so mysterious a thing, I shall be edified thereby. Who pretends to understand how the faithful are fed and i/ourished by the Lord's body and blood in the holy eucharist ? Yet what faithful man refuses it on that account ? 3. But the absurdity and indecency of the thing, and the in- terruption and confusion it would cause in public worship : — these are urged by the friends of decorum and civilization, as insuperable objections to the monstrous barbarism and indecency of the tongues. To this the answer is short but weighty. Human fashions are not the rules God works by ; neither are his ways our ways. The carnal mind is enmity against him ; and the flesh lusteth against the Spirit. Man is forever saying that the ways of God are not equal. (Ezek. 18 : 26.) " An evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God" (Heb. 3 : 12.^ lies at the root of the objection. The thing was just as indecent, just as contrary to good order and civi. lization and so forth, when Paul wrote, God himself being Judge, as it is now in this stagu of the march of intellect and infidelity. How can such fastidious objectors bear to read the twelfth and four- teenth chapters of first Coriiiihii-iis, in which St. Paul treats "con- cerning Spiritual Gifts," am- ( ?ili them he would not have them ignorant therein ? Or must we take it for granted that the Churches iTiCo riitjr I an u*uiuu;vn 710 ffiMi undor. Ifji. "'.'?*»." — Uw.i'n'8 could Vv uui then is '* ipeaketh ..leth liim. r'e, but to thorn minunion with ign to unbeHo' uuaiico in the uion with God 3r8 to be coa- fiiijority among n the spiritual jerstanda not ? i3ve it. I under- ormy willcom- inkfulness, and 1 and body. "If know not how, n? I will pray ig also : I will itanding also," ivorkctit in me lified thereby, and nourished t? Yet what Ig, and the in. )rship : — these as insuperable of the tongues, sishioni) are not r ways. The eth against the 1 arc not equal, irting from the )jection. The >rder and civi. f being Judge, and infidelity, elfth and four* 111 treats " con- lot have them . the Churches 79 in which those gifti were cierciwd, wore nothing bat mad ^ouwiT in owever. God should again reveal himr^f bj tho Sp^it Z^l u«, wo n,ust expect h.m to contradict us i« every thing that we h^f not received from hin^. We have not learned of him our ^hia^ are ot the devil, that old bar, deceiver, and murderer, who. it is lifflLT ' I^'-^*"^^^ «»«"«• popular olootione, and incites alike tho ^ofTf rJ^r^T '"1 '^'. ""'""^ '"^'^''^ **>« «^"»k down the pot ■on of rebellion from his demoniac utterance. But if our disorden. are ever healed, wo must submit our stubborn necks to the d^r .t ?r."nn?K ' ^''^ ''"^. "^ '^''""« ''^ '^^ Suided by his SpiritVTor of Hl.s'tefV«'^t"^'''' ^1'y^y^Pir^^ saitl/theLorf InZ A ^? • ^ '■ V ^"^ '""^ *'«'ft'^ «"•■ disputes to a highri par of Justice to surrender her seat to furious litigants: and henceXe "all on the' ;^,'r*^-'^« ^^ '^'f P-P»«" restmin'ed, w; mSst e'^^stT; call on the Lorn to cast out the legion of dovils that possess thern^ -The Lord is our Judge, tho Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord s ou^ King; he will save us," (Is„. 33: 22.) if we will only tnist oul cause m his hand It is he that maketh men to be of one mind in sa"ve"L histaf h*'' ^^f^ '""' '^ -^ «».ortened, that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear: but your iniauitiea have separated between you and your (iod ; and your sbVh^ve S his face from you." (Isa. 59 : 12.) " Even from U.e days of your ihem" ^nr ^T'"'^^^ ^'?T '"•"« ordinances, and havl not kept of Ho« ^'^•U" ""'° "?«' "!ii I ^iU return unto you, saith the LoS A %u ^"*>'«/«'d' Wherein shall we retu/n?" (Mai. 3:7) i^nAJ:-,. "^?°^ prophecy may also determine the time God in. Idificat'ioi' TT\ r ^' ^''f Prophesieth speaketh unto men ti seriously think that soJt' or^^^L IZ'i "^^ ^^h t^oT he's dr'yr* r !"^"" "'^^""^ •*^" If the autho t^athi.Lnrn *'^E"g'«»d ,s of any value, it will teach you I «lln lit °««^^e«s '• "'0% teach you to pray for its restoration. work I V fh« Q Duty of Man, which is published as a standard Zl/h^ih^T >/''':>^'^'^'''^ ^''''"«*'^" Knowledge, and cir. culated by the Society tor Propagating the Gospel in Fore gn Parts. 1 he sa d prayer uses the following language : " O Lord jIsuh l^i i on^'lndf '' '"^ 'f'V'P^" tise waters of evirravertng 'o^ mons. And because thy Spirit, which according to the Prophet's onevK nnTnr'°"''''P'''""^P'"^' «^ they may also hive When houd.L ' T '''^P' Prof«««ing ^,8 Catholic truth— When (bou didst mount up to heaven triumphantly, thou threwcst II 80 '«Ht from above ihy precious things, thou garest gifts among men, thou daaltedt sundry rewards of tiiy Spirit. Reneut again Jrom above thy old bountifulness, give that thing to th>i Church nmo faint- ing and growing downwards^ ihat thou gavest unto her shooting up at her first beginning. . . .Give to ihe Bishops the gift of propheCv, that they may declare and interpret Holy f. cripture, not of their own brain, but of thine inspiring." This prayer contains all Ihat I am contending for, and its use by tvery member of the Church is sanctioned by the whole body of the clergy. But if I am justly chargeable with delusion and madness for contending for this faith which was once delivered to the saints, (and some of my brethren have told me that I am labouring under mental derangement beceuse I do so contend) what shall be said of those who circulate the same doctrine in a book of instruction and devotion, and yet oppose it by other means as if it were a most damnable heresy ? If I am guilty of heresy and lunacy in setting forth the doctrine in hand, whataro they guilty of in circulating a book of religious instruction which teaches us that the Reformation was greatly incomplete in matters of the very first importance to the good of the Church, and calls upon us to pray earnestly to God to restore again to the Church, now fainting and growing downward, the hountifilness of the gifts which he gave her at the beginning ? For the \erms of the prayer are a confession to God that the Reformation was vastly im- perfect : and I pray those who have dealt thus hardly with me to consider well what thoy do lest haply they be found fighting against God, and resisting the Holy Gliost. Did I agitate doctrines which never came from God, and which the Church never acknowledg- ed and practised under, then indeed ought I to be shunned as a pes- tilent heretic and a deceiver : but so far is it otherwise, that every man livinfj knows that tiie Church at first did receive this faith fsom above, and did gloriously prosper and rejoice in works growing out of it. And if, for instance, any New Testament believer had given us a detailed account of his faith in the Holy Ghost, would he not have drawn it up in strict accordance with the daily experi- ence of the Chiifch " in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power ? " And according to the unchangeable character of the Catholic faith, that word which " liveth and akideth," should not such account be the true one for all times and persons? When Pp.ul came to the Corinthians, (2 : 4, 5) his speech and his preach- ing were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the do. monstration of tl.n Spirit and of power : that their faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. And should not preaching now be attended w>th the same demonstration, that the faith of the hearers might stand in the power of God rather than in the exhibition of a pleasing and popular orator ? But wo see no demonstration of the spirit at all — no manifestation of that Spirit which was given to the Church to profit every man. Doe« nant. among men, again Jrom ch now faint- hooting up at IF propheCv, { of their own tins all Ihat I »e Church is I am justly for this faith my brethren mcnt beceuse ilate the same oppose it by f I am guilty ind, what are uction which )te in matters ch, and calls > the Church, LNESS of tho lerms of tho ^as vastly im- y with me to lund fighting iate doctrines >" acknowledge ined as a pes- e, that every •e this faith orlcs growing believer had 'host, would daily experi- pirit and of acter of the :th," should ons ? When i hig preach, it in the do. th should not And should itration, that ' God rather r? But wo 'ation of that maQ. Doet not our faith in the terms of the Communion and Fellowshin of fK. t^r Jf ^rrSf ^'.'\^^?^^-- -^'^ ^'- uncllangj e'eh rac ter of the Catholic Faith, that such as he was to the Church afM?; ml',; ''' 7^ l'™<''»'""'i"" "f ig^ranco »"s >„ how groS The c„7 , nn :^^ 1. ^P""™" f™"' I'" primUivo standing M been h IS on all hands conCesscd tlrat ihe Roformcd Churchis nol T„' ih„ . mo c„„d,l.„n Che Chnrch ^y,s al ,ho death oHho fi st A ,osti* b It at the same l.me it is elaimcd that ,ho onght not to be Thk elann ,s not supported by the Word of God ; for at the elose onhe eve°„°"th°e„ tr' "■'■'' *"°r ^""'='' ^'^'' »" constituted (ttgbt CLUM ,,,,,? ""^'""""^ »' "".v f«^'"<: period : TIIEKEFOKE T..K MUM ,s A LIE. Now man can deface and despoil God's wort, c c«e';r?"°' '"P""""" ^■'*""h=m. else Chri had „e. been "the l,o2 rV-t """""• ■'''"' ""'y «l>°" did at first organize ' *"es" forthe "habita" these worloA ,'?''*=''' *S ?'""';" "' »"'"• I"""' l'™of: "AU in^r,r, „ 1 °°° ""'' ""> ">lf-s»me Spirit, dividing to every man sevcrallv as ho will " «t tk k j » "muig m every self {orhimiu"1 . : Tie body" was organized by him. seit loi hunselt to work by - m the demonstration of: the Spirit and 82 of powe:-," for " the manifestatim of the Spirit'*— so that all men should hfivo the means of actually knowing " that God is in you of a truth." (1 Cor. 14 : 25.) And hence, as I conceive, he only, when " the hody" became out of repair by human unfaithfulaess, is the Being capable of restoring it to its original condition. No man claims that the Holy Ghost did manifestly reform the doleful- ly corrupted, mutilated, and disfigured body. It is confessed that it was done by human judgment, without one instance of knowu intercourse with the Original Master Builder, or one single direc- tion from Him how to proceed or what to do. The Refohmation WAS TIIGBEFOKE NECESSAKILY IMPEBl'ECT, FROM THE IKCOMPETEN-^ CY OF THE REFORMING I'OWEK. And bccuuse it was on account of human worhmanship and trust in human means that the Spirit de- parted from the Church, as to his maisifestations ; so it could not be reasonably expected that he would return into the body with his manifold gifts and operations, unless he himself had first prepared the body for hU own reception and out-actings. And seeing it was a case of recovery from aposlacy, the Church stood on different ground to what men could stand on before she was constituted ; and so she should have humbled herself in great contrition for the loss of the gifts, and prayed the more importunately for the Spirit to reveal himself and reform the Church under his own special dircctio-.i, and completely re-edify " the body," and fit her again for all her original functions, and himself again work all in all. — We may therefore take it for granted, that we never can be cured of our delusions, and restored to the primitive standing in the bo- dy, without as clear a miraculous interference and work of the Spirit as there was when "the body" was first organized. It is madness to talk of any other means of reformation. There is no- thin" constructive and conservative in human wisdom, which is " earthly, sensual, devilish." It is all a lie from beginning to end ; and if it were not, the perversity of the heart and the temptations of Satan would make it peiform the work of a lie. Sicki.ess and delirium in the hand of the grand Adversary are terrible medicii es for mankind : and much am I mistaken if, unless ^ e call raigluily upon God to save us, and submit to be savrd by him in his own way, with the devil's assistance, we do not soon destroy ourselves. 6. I have been told that the cessatio ; i.-T miracles m the Church is itself the proper proof that God I'ua sj ord;uned it.— This was in reply to a request for so ^c Scripture proof that iheir cessation was of divine appcintm'^nt, nnd not in consequence of human unfaithfulness. So I might cbJm that the title deeds to an^ estate had ceased to secure the ri'J;i. o cu if ivate certain parts of it, because it had been permitted lor a time io lie waste. But if the bare cessation of the miraculous giff^ be thn proper proof that God had so decreed, then any extent of anostacy and wickedness may bo vindicated by the samo rule, and the Reformation from uie ns that ail moti 1 is in you of ve, he only, ifaithfulaess, edition. No I the doleful- anfessed that ;e of knowu single direc- [efohmation [xcompeten- m account of 'lie Spirit de. 10 it could not body with his first prepared soeing it was 1 on diiferent constituted ; trition for the for the Spirit i own special fit her again k all in all. — can be cured ing in the bo- work of the anized. It is There is no- orn, vhich is ;iniung to end ; le temptations Sicki.ess and ible mediciies i call niighiily im in his own troy ourselves, liracles m the ordained it. — roof that iheir lonsequence of itle deeds to an certain parts of \yaste. But if oper proof that nd wickedness nation from uie abominations of Popery is wholly indefensible. Cxod never toM the Church that he had limited miracles to any period whalteve^ TvIo't J'?<^^''^*!f>''\"°^'^*"P- T^e Prophet saith: "Sure y the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeh his secret unto us servants the Prophets." (Amos 3 : 7.) But this stran'em e takes for granted that the mind of God can be known without Jny revelation of it ! The Church was organized by God the Holy ^;in,f/"'Y f V^'u ''^'"'' °'^ '''''°'" operations were to be mira- o e .L^? ,7 '''' «f !-'^''«"« 't is «aid, " all these worketh that hewm" «f '"^'^f"'V..^'^'^'^"'Stoevery man severally as thZ ,,^«^»'-«'"».'-f<=lesdid cease, even by this strange rule, theie could bo no evidence out of God that he hat' ,rdaintd their cessation irrespective of man's ftiithfulness : and hence, adding fhia ClL:J'" declaration of God by Amos, anu the facts of the i^liurch 8 organization for miraculous out-workings, and we safely anive at the demonstration of the impossibility of finding anv ex. in" the Churcr''''^^"'" "^ ^^^ '"'''''""'''"' ^'^^' othc; than apostacy and LfVT ^^^" ''^^''''^^^ *° ™^ '-^^ >'°" ''^-"''^^•^ these things, and that "these signs were to follow them that believe, why do you not work miracles? Are you sure you believe ? If you are try and cast out devils, and speak the Algonquin and Huron tongues' vnnr l?r ^"^/^ ^7" '"^ "'^* ^ '^""^^ "^^^^ "«»«" '^'^^ Patience to your positions » (Admonitory Letter from a Friend.) But would you have me do more tlian my Divine Master ? With the Bible in your hand, you must have miracles wrought in your presence be- fore you will believe m miracles: he could not in some instances work miracles because of their unbelief. ('Mat. 13: .08.) And what shall I say ? What can I so properly as that " a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after «, sign ; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of the Prophet Jonas ? " You surely can- not oe Ignorant that the faithful minority are involved in the present eviI consequences of the sins of the unfaithful majority. Why did the Lord re use to reveal himself to Saul, and give instructions for the safety o^ the nation? (1 S ... 2P : 6.) And why, then, should he work a miracle to cur-, your unbelief, when you have in your hand the Church's very chart, of privileges and tH ',ond of her obhgation to br faiilful „ .ery talent !em her of her Lord and neither to add to nor d.mmish aught from it? Your demand IS unreasonable and .vicked. iUr. r^' /"^\her correspondent puts the matter of the promise of the Lord to the Church in th,: f.wn of a syllogism, thus : ^.gj.^, ""'' '-^^^says, that these signs shall follow them that be. " If then this declaration is to be taken in an unqualified sense and made to extc,;J to all age,, they that believe must, in all ^ges, exhibit these sgn.; . »Li'-^ 84 " But tliey that believe with the most glorious and oniiuciit faith, through iho whole series of ages, from the early cessation of miracles, and have sealed their belief with their blood, have not only not exhibited these signs, but have distinctly disclaimed the power to exhibit them : "Therefore this declaration is not, and cannot possibly be, in- tended to be taken in an unijualified sense, and made to extend to all ages. Q. E. />." Observe, 1. As the Gospel embraces many particulars, on each of which separately belief or unbelief may be exercised :— ^as our Lordinfonnsusmenmaybe "of little faith" and of "great faith," and as his Apostle Paul speaks of those " weak in faitii" and " strong in faith ; " and the disciples prayed — " Lord, increase our faith" — and he was wont to say "Be it unto you according to your faith : " so it cannot follow that they who have some faith have " all faith, so that they could remove mountains ; (\ Cor. 3 : 2.) nor that they who have not all faith have no faith. The cripple at Lystra " had faith to be healed ; " (Acts 14 : 9.) but that is no proof that he had faith to heal others. 2. There is therefore an evident propriety in stating the mat- ter as our Lord die' so as to comprehend all faith that men may ex- ercise under the Gospel Charter. 3. There is the same propriety in stating it in positive and un- qualified terms, because it is the legal form as it were of making over to the Church the full magnitude of her privileges as to the point in hand : for the language of grants is not the language of reservation and denial. 4. My learned friend's syllogism can therefore demonstrate no more than that the faithful men he names were not as " strong in faith" £s the Lord permits his Church to bo ; and with the Lord I say : Be it unto them according to their faith, since not even a cup of cold water given in his name is forgotten by him : but let not their " coming behind'" (1 Cor. 1 : 7) in faith and gifts be our apol- ogy for the same thing. For they that compare themselves among themselves, and measure themselves by themselves, instead of tak- ing the word of the Lord for their standard, " according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us," " are not WISE." (2 Cot. 10: 12, 13.)— " Q. J5. Z?." 9. The last mentioned correspondent remarks: "That you have prayed to be rightly guided in your invest'g.ition of this sub- ject, I do not for an instant doubt — but wr aiov- that an infallible judgment is not promised, and that persons pr;)> ,ng with equa- sin- cerity and devotion come to different conclusions on disputed points." But 1. Though " an infallible judgtnent is not promised" to reside in each or any one as part of his mental furniture inde- pendent of external teaching ; yet an infallible teacher and inter- preter is promised and given to the Church, as a speaking teacher 85 inu crmiieiit cessation ot* d, have not sclaimed the ssibly be, in- to extend to on each of sed :— ^as our lat faith," and and " strong our faith" — your faith : " e " all faith, nor that they Lystra " had jroof that he ting the mat- nen may ex- itive and un- e of making ges as to the language of monstrate no ) " strong in [i the Lord I >t even a cup but let not be our apol- selves among stead of tak- "ding to the " " ARE NOT " That you of this Bub- an infallible th equa- sin- on disputed ot promised" niture indo- r and inter- iing teacher L ;h T '^'f' ^"^' ""' "'"^^'>' --' ^" '"^a'-J "lover of the thoughts who cannot be distinguished from the man himself God ordamed rulmg and teaching in the Church by the «"r 'but yet al o by man under , v.e power of the Spirit. " Ho shad teach vou hi N^?7 f,u"" ^'r'"7^" '"^'^^" truth-whatsoever he sha hear that shall he speak-he will show you things to come-a hcse worke h that one and the self-same spirit, divuling to every man severally as he will." 2. These promine shoul/lead Js to pray for the restoratjon of the gifts, by which the Spirit at first led the Church into the knowledge of the truth "in the domonstrat on of the Spirit and of power," rather than to prav for the truti To bn impressed secretly upon - .d v^Uhout " L ^Am^rJr^J^ of he Spin ; "as tins la. , „, infringe upon ,ne ordinances oTru hng and teaching. 3. .i commands us all to "be perfect v joined together in the san .ind and in the same judgment "-! which IS but a command to .eek the infallible guidance ol" the SpT rit in his own way. 4. There is no guidance by the word of m" struction promised to the Church as a body but hi the ludMo ut" Z:tt:'n\^V] ^'r ^jif^^'^^^-- -^"'^-^ the .'rittt woiu, O.C. (I i.oi. 12.) 5. The opinion expressed appears as if founded upon a presumption of the innocence of error, EL d s agreement upon "disputed points" which happen to ;mbracc the whole Gospel: which amounts, in fact, to a Ual indilrence to truth-he equalization of all opinions-the making WrL a substitute for truth. If I may innocently remain ignor'ant of wK I am commanded to know in distinction from error in any thinr if establishes the rul« by which I may safely remain in totafg orate If coming to different individual conclusions on the sub ects of prayer be the general answer to prayer, God is a liarand a deceiv er, and we have no encouragement to pray at all. Hence that praying men do come to contradictory conclusions concernL the word and ordinances of God, is another weighty motive to p ay for the speedy restoration of the long lost spiritual gifjs ; for the co7 ing to contradictory conclusions on subject, of prayer is the nro per proof that our prayers are not answered. Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss. (^James 4:3.) We ask, but not in arrnr7 ^cewitlUhe ordinance, as laid down h/first CoriuthranMle twefa; chapter; and so God will rather let us suffer than give t^ theTra s gi-esBion of his own ordinance. My conviction that I am internaU iv guided aright is not my neighbour's conviction that I am so sui ded and cannot be ; and so a secret inspiration to mo can be of no' use to him as a guide in the faith, for he does not believe that it nreTchin''''"^*^"^- ".^"'^ ■^'^^ ''''''''^'y unprofitableness of or by a rfl7 rh '"'''^ ^'"^ru '' " ""'^' ''""^ " -'"^^"^ «^ 'he preach- laie/nnL fT"- • ?e preacher is a special pleader before learned and disputatious judges; not the ambassador of God to sinners. 86 On the subject of being guided by the Spirit, the Church of England thus speaks in iNelsoa's Fasts and Festivals, in one of the Prayers under the article Whitsunday, from Dr. Hicks, " for the gifts of God's Holy Spirit :" — 'And because I live in (3vil times, and am in danger of being deceived by the M'iles and faise preter- sions of men, let him also be unto me a Spirit of wisdom, and con- duct, and discretion, that in all my conversations I may be able to discern truth from hypocrisy, and sincere undesigning and faithful, from false, designing, and flattering friends." But could any man sincerely offer tliis prayer upon the supposition that, if it were an. Bwered, he should not know the guidance prayed for to be of the Holy Ghost in clear distinction from the naked exercise of his own judgment ? Such a guidance could be nothing less than by Divine Revelation ; and in order to glorify God in its use rather than be puffed up with pride in self-opinion, the favored person should know that it is not his own wisdom and sagacity alone ; though I am free to confess they may have a subordinate share in it in subjection to the will of God. 10. A word more to the objection that miracles are unnecessa- ry. — On wlmt authority is this assertion made? If I am to believe it as an article of Christian faith, (negative though it may be called) I ought to receive it from " the Author and Finisher of our faith," or I am not bound to accept it. Miracles certainly have been ne. cessary in the Church : but has God ever told us that they were to become unnecessary ? Never : no one pretends he has. Then how is it known that they are unnecessary ? Is man the proper judge of all the circumstances of the Church, so that he can say when and when not the miraculous providence of God, and "the manifestations of the Spirit" are needed in her? Seeing that God did organize the Church with the express view of miruculous out- actings, and that he never has forbidden the Church to pray for the power and gifts of the Spirit, nor blotted these things out of the charter of her privileges, men ought to be very circumspect in claiming that the " Spiritual Gifts" are unnecessary. A third par. ty could not but recognize in these bold and unfounded assertions nothing better than lying excuses for the uin of unt'aithfulness. — Having lost the talent by "departing from the living God," and by quenching the Spirit, the Church now denies having received it, and being accountable for it. — " I have written to him the great thing?; of my law, but they were counted as a stratige thing." — (Hos. 8: 12.) O, how strange to us are they ! 11. The improbability that the Church should so soon aposta- tize on the point in hand has been objected against the views set forth in these pages. But if we consider human nature by the light of history we need not wonder that it should be so. What of instruc lion is there in the Fall, — the history of Israel between Figypt and Canaan ? How long did Israel serve the Lord after getting possea- 3 Church of n one of tho :s, "for tho 1 '3vil times, faise preter- m, and con- y he able to and faithful, uld any man it were an- to be of the '■ of his own in by Divine her than be 5hou]d know '^h I am free subjection to i unnecessa- m to believe ly be called) [■ our faith," vo been ne- hey were to has. Then the proper ; he can say , and " the ng that God aculous out- pray for the ! out of the nimspcct in A third par. d assertions thfulness. — od," and by received it, n the great e thing." — soon aposta- 3WS set forth the light of . of instruc. Egypt and ting posses- 87 ■ion of the promised land? " All the days of Joshua, and all th« days of the elders which outlived Joshua," (Judges 2- 7-) add the very next generation fell into idolatry. Paul said of his day - "Ihe mystery of iniquity doth already work," (2 Thes 2- 7-) and Joiin said : " As ye have heard that antichrist shall come, 'even now are there many antichrists." (1 John 2 : 18.) The famous dispute about the keeping of Easter, which occurred about tho close ot the second century, is ample proof that tlie Church had even then forgotten hor pri\ilege of settling disputes by the decision ot the Spirit, asm Acts 15: 28; namely: "It seemed good to tho Holy Ghost and to us, to lay upon you," &c. Paul's address to tho bphesian elders at Miletus indicates a speedy apostacy from the' truth ; and our Lord's epistles to the seven churches in Asia de clare it begun in most of them.— The objection that these views are an imputation upon the faithful of all ages, particularly since the Keformation, is hardly worth answering ; and of it [ shall merely observe, that it shifts the question from tho ground of truth and tact to that of feeling and prejudice. Truth is no respecter of persons, however ; and when we judge it should be by law and evidence ; not by the sighs and tears of the accused and their friends. XXXI. Si-icc the powers that be are ordained of God for his own glory and the good of man in Christ ;— -since our Lord is " the Prince of the kings of the earth," (Rev. 1 : 5 ;)_since kings and ail in autliority arc declared to be his ministering servants by con stitution of the ordinance of the civil power ;— and since the Biblo sets forth the conduct of governments and the movements of the political world as having a direct bearing upon the interests of the Ciuircli ; It follows that every clergyman ought to have his eves open to all these things, and make them as thev apoear the special subjects of observation. They all possess a riioral character, fair or foul, and all exercise a moral power upon tho Church for good or evil. They aflect men ; and therefbre they affect them as Christians. They either serve Ciirist or fight against him • thev gather with him and edify ; or they scatter and destroy. It is a war m which there can be neither neutral ground nor neutral persons - and of this important fact the Lord hath clearly warned us This sketch of Jie doctrine of the Holy Spirit in its application to tho concerns of man would therefbre be greatly defective were I to omit taking a short view of our political condition and doctrines as they stand related to God and the Church. 1. The following Scriptures point to the interests Christians liave in the political doctrines of the Old Testament :— " Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comf.^rt of the Scriptures might have hope. (Kom. 15: 4.) '' Now all these things hi^ppened utto them and they are written for our admonition, upon whom i h, . for ensamples M 88 the ends of the world are come." (1 Cor, 10: 11.) «« \i| Serin turo IS given by h.sp.ratiou of God, and la prolituble for doctrine," lor reprool, for correction, for instruction in righteousncsa : that vorkf" "/o^' T^''f ^'''^?''^' throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 1im. 3: 16,17.) These texts assort in vorv Lin terms, that the great political doctrines of the Bible are tho true and only yahd political doctrines for mankind. Civil rulers are do- dared to be "the ministers of God io thee for good," (Rom. 13- 4:) they are therelorc "men of (Jod ; their appointed works are "gooa works;" and "all Scripture is given" them, that they, as men ol God, "maybe perfect, throughly furnished unto all goorl works pertaming to " ruling over men in the fear of God. " (2 Sam. ^J : d.) Let this be disproven if it ca/j.— We acknowledge God to be our Lawgiver and Judge : but it is in so loose and indefinite a sense, and so utterly unreduceable to practice, that little or no good results from it : in fact none at all since "the people" have come into the place of God as the source of power and authority, and since religious government has come to be regarded as the abomin. ation ot abominations and the heading up of all iniquity. Yet "the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord'is king ; he will save us ;" (ha. 33 : 22,; if we will but trust in him as t peo. pie ; tor, should not a people seek unto their God .'" (ha. 8 ■ 19 •) and " there is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy."— (Janies 4 : 12.) « A people" is not a multitude of unconnected in. clividuals ; but a corporate body of men held together by ordinances under one common head. This is the sense in which ' God always speaks of men as nations and peoples: but now the fashion is, to speak ot "the people" as a mere multitude, and in contradistinc tion to the ordinance of govermncnt, and in independency of their rulers ; often in opposition to them as faction against faction ; hav- ing no head but " the many headed monster," a mob. This atheis. tic use ot the term has an unavoidable tendency to make men "des. pise dominion, and speak evil of dignities,''-to make them heady, liigli-minded, rebels, and traitors. ('Jude 8 ;— 2 Tim. 3:4.) 2. Our Lord is the sole proprietor of all things : •' For by him were all things created, that are m heaven, and " us creed, if may enable )e consistent namely, that rninent con- I the ascen- irly demons- 9t trablo that prnyors for rulers by tl,e friend., of infid.! govetimont holiness cannot accept, but must reject and c.^rse. <• Ye are of your tather the dov. and the works of your father ye will do.''-l " When ye spread forth your hands, f will hide mL eyes H-om vou : yea, when yc make many prayers I will not hear vnT .ands are full of blood," ri.a. I W;) even th blS "h^dTa inanncr under authority at our mob elections, xvhen the Sild "n ; r; L'n "vi S"^ '' Proclamation to create a legis'lativTl:' sembly,— HKAT kach oTiinn's hbains out, and uestrov fach oTHEu's vmvKUTY !-•< BecausG I have called, and ye lefused^ have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded b'ut yo 1 ave set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my rep^rf. I also v.ll laugh at your calan.ity ; I will mock when your K comcfh as aXrl J- '<; '°T"^ ^^ ^^•^^'"^''""' "»^' y-r destruction cit,; 5'h^n s ; nl ' "^" '^''''''' ""'^ ""g"'«h ^"'"^'h upon you— J hen shall they cal unto me, but I will not answer ; they shall seek mo early, but they shall not find me : for that they hkted UoZTe else " t ev'r n-^' ^ '7 '' ^'" ^^^^ '- ^h^y --'d none of r; the fm ; . rl • '^ '^ "" ""y ^''"•°^^- Therefore they shall eat of P ov oTVr T"^' "'!-^ ^' ""^^ ^'*'' 'hc^"- own devices."- irj.-nV ^'^~'^\) ' «"°« 'y struck with this passage not Iv ^ Z "",^^?^'"S ^» «««°"nt of an election riot from the A.ba cixYnT' ' "'•' "'''': " ^"•" *'^« ^"'' ''""^ i» our history-and God in his mercy grant ,t may bo the last-the military wer J called out to prevent the free citizens of this hitherto happyTand from /^ brumg their hands »n each other's blood upon gro.n.d sacred toTet dom upon the election field._We pray God," &c. What have they to do with ,,rayer in this case ? They have rejected God and made he mob and their demagogues the source of" power and a" thonty ; and well might he say ro them as he said to Israel • « Go and cry unto the gods whom yo have chosen; let them dehver y^u m the time of your tribulation." (Judges 10 : 14.) The Jews re jected their kmg, and desired a mirderer in his steid. c£ Lns have done the same thing in rejecting him, "the Prince of the the"?l n?' TK "' '^"^ ^'""^ "^ ^''' Stat'e, and his reSg^in a« hisstetllrJ. T'''""ry.""'^ government, and have taken h! his stead the murderous election mobs as the source of legislation Henc^eTh^';' , I'^'f"*"'^^^''^'^^"^'^'' ^ " ^^^ supreme la "" Hence that epithet of outrageous blasphemy aeainst God — « the Majesty of the People." Oife of tho lite W^igE try lipon im wards them the terms-" the oflended Majesty of the People " in reference to their displeasure towards the measures of governmcn m king Herod "the voice of a God, and not of a man." Th« Idolatry and sm is precisely the same in both ca-ss^Jo; in Jl ^jt a>; --^ '%;_^. S^^.%^^^.% IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) Jo {' \^ A W.r & ^ /a 1.0 I.I li^lilM 125 US ..n Hill 2.0 1.8 1.25 u 16 — ^ — — = ^ 6" ► V] . 7 Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WE3STER,N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^% V \\ ^9) \ Is o^ >.^ ^ *0 ^ '•L'"" :«^ % V w.. f 1 iV mmm I 92 the mob deified a king : in the other, a king's minister deified the mob. The same ministry carried the principle into practice ; for it grovelled down even to the contemptible meanness of courting the political unions, (which are formed upon the rebellious principle of tranipling down all lawful authority,) as a lawful means of uphold- ing iis own. The act was wilful suicide, besides being a direct act of treachery towards him •' by whom kings reign, and princes decree justice." The elections have statute law in 'heir favor, and that has at least a legal aspect : but Earl Grey's allies were con- fessedly treasonable associations against the existing government. These be the gods we Worship. What wonder then that God should give us up to be "filled with our own devices?"' — I have heard educated Americans boast, that, as a nation, they acknowledge NO god ! What wonder then that he should " laugh at their cala- mity, and mock when their fear cometh ?" The manifest and ac- knowledged designs of the Pope of Rome upon the United States, together with other serious causes of alarm, begin to fill numbers of the more reflecting with direful apprehensions fjr the future. But will they open their eyes to the true causes of all these pending ca- lamities ? Will they indeed turn and seek after God in their dis- tress, and acknowledge him as the King of Kings and Lord of Hosts ? 7. But " power belongeth unto God." (Psalm 62 : II.) By consequence it should be at his special disposal in all the affairs of state. Will any one attempt to prove the contrary l So we find it in the Old Testament history, which the Gospel tells us was written ex. pressly for our learning and instruction, upon whom the ends of the world are come, that we, through comfort of the Scriptures might have hope, and be trained unto all good works. (Rom. 15:4; — 1 Cor. 10:11 ;— 2 Tim. 3 : 16, 17.) The ruler is God's minister and servant ; and He alone can enjoy the right to select him. Of Jesse, he said to Samuel : " I have provided me a king among his eons ; " (1 Sam. 16 : 1.) and in how many instances did he act up- on this principle in raising up rulers and deliverers to his people? This is his recorded practice in the moral government of men : and as with him " there is neither variableness nor shadow of turn- ing :" (James 1 : 17.) he can have but one system of law for the government of men, and but one course of practice under it. As we find that he endued the members of government with the Holy Ghost as their qualification for office, there is every reason for be- lieving that those upon whom it fell to select public servants were enabled to do so by the Spirit. He alone is capable of know, ing whit persons are fitted for such or such an office ; for he alone has the power of qualification for any duty. " Every man hath his own proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another af. ter that ; " (1 Cor. 7 : 7.) because the wants and functions of cor. porate man are various. It is Hot education, but God that make* ter deified the iractice ; for it if courting the us principle of ins of uphold- bcing a direct I, and princes leir favor, and lies were con- J government, at God should -I have heard ACKNOWLEDGE I at their cala- nifest and ac- Jnited States, ill numbers of ! future. But ie pending ca- i ill their dis- and Lord of i2: 11.) By the affairs of lo we find it ia as written ex- le ends of the iptures might >m. 15 : 4 ; — rod's minister 3Ct him. Of ig among his id he act up- his people ? of men : and ow of turn, law for the mder it. As i^iththe Holy eason for be- ervants were tie of know, for he alone ;ry man hath i another af. itions of cor. d that makes 98 the gift ; and if flod ha. not giren it, all U.e art of man cannot confer it. So neither can man of himself discern with any decree I of certamty where it lies, or distinguish beforehand what this or that man is fit for. Hence the grievous disappointments men ex- perience Irom human selection to pluces of trust and importance and the pam and loss, both ofmoney, care, and future usefulness, from' he education of children at random, or from ambition for this or that profession or calling, to which God never adapted their pro- per gift: and this must be so with a people who live below (heir covenant privileges, and trust in their own wisdom and knowledge instead of the parental providence of iheir Heavenly Father. Lis. ten here to his word, ye that think God hath forsaken the earth, and surrendered his rights over it to the hand of man : And "gam uel said, surely the Lord's Anointed is before him. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or the heieht of his stature ; because I have refused him : for the Lord seetli not aa man seeth ; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lordlookethon the heart." (1 Sam. 16: 0, 7.) God had put the gift into David, and he alone knew where to find it. And as the gitt without the grace of God to use it aright is useless, he will clo- rify himself m fitting his creature for the use of his gift, " that no flesh should glory m his presence." (1 Cor. 1 : 29.) So he fitted Moses to rule and lead his people, not by " all the learning of the Egyptians, or by any part of it, but by his own Spirit ; and when Moses desired assistance in the government, he directed him to se lect seventy men of the elders of Israel, and said : " Brin- them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down, and talk with thee there : and ^^'' take of the Spirit that is upon thee, and will put it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with the!)....And m.^mi 1 f ''' 1 7 'of ^'^ "*?*';'? '^fy P''«P'^«^i«d, and did not cease ; rNumb. 11 : 17, 25.) which I take to be the same utterences b^ the Spirit that we find m the New Testament. And so when Joshua was appointed < succeed Mosls, the Lord said : "/fake Joshua the son of Nun, „ man in wlwm is the Spiri and lay thino hand upon him, and set him before Eleazer the pnest, and'before all the congregation ; and give him a charge in their sight. And thou Shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congre- gation of the children of Israel may be obedient." (Numb 27 • 18 ^ Contrast this mode of filling office, with popular election wnd pray do not orget the very important circumstance, that all the fa vourites of the multitude are invariably the objects of the utmost contempt the moment they displease " the sovereign majesty of the people. Remember too, that there is now remaining among the advocates ot democracy and infidel government no respect wiiat KVEii to person or place in government. Indeed it is impossible that men can respect that which they can pull down and set up at w pleasurA, or get rid of by law in ihroo or four years, to make way ifcr a new idol of their own choice. That which can command res. feet must possess the means of being terrible. It should furthermore be something the fartherest possible removed from liability to change. In short, it should resemble God Almif'hty. But consider, for in. stance, the fens of thousands of reams ot' paper that have been used, m Great Britain and America within ten years past, in publishing slander and defamation against men in power, and in dictating to government, and the vast numbers of men who earn their daily bread by this profane, filthy, corrupting, and destructive trade. So again, when Saul and David were respectively anointed to the kingdom, God endowed them with the lioly Ghost for the work of Govern- ment. CI Sam. 10 : 3-11 ; and 16: 13.; When Saul had forfeited Ihe kingdom ^rtot to the people, but to God who gave it) and David Wa3 anointed to succeed him, "the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward," and " departed from Saul :" and to this circumstance David alludes in the fifty-first Tsalm, when he prays ; " take not thy Holy Spirit from me." So we see also that the Holy Ghost is necessary to sustain men in the discharge of their «luty; as he saith : "Without me ye can do nothing". ...'< It ir God that worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure." And I ask the advocates of infidel government, and of the people manufacturing their own rulers, as the heathen did their gods, if they seriously think atheists and so furth better qualified to govern baptised men under God, than m-^n filled with the Holy Ghost ? — If they think at all on the subject they must think so, or they could Dot desire infidel government. Or by what rule will they determine that men do not now need divine assistance in the most arduous du- ties of life 1 And the> must think that kings and those in authority are wise enough, especially when dictated to by such men as O'Con- nel and Papinean with their rebellious mobs at their heels, to man- age the state without any of God's assistance, or they could not think that men ought to held power without recognizing the Lord Jesus Christ in it. If this infidel doctrine be true, what need have we of a God at all ? And if men be indeed Christians, how is it possible that they can believe in and act upon such hell-begotten principles? And if God is just, how, Oh, how can we escape the most dreadful judgments here, and the damnation of hell hereaftei', unlee* we repent more deeply than Sodom needed to repent, and return from our dreadful delusions to the Lord our God ? The infidel political creed requires no moral qualification for office whatever, arising out of the truth of God and allegiance to his name,— -and indeed no qualification but subserviency to " the wdl of the people" in political independence of all considerations of a higher power. And so we find that in proportion as the people arc infected with this •pirit of infidel lawlessness, men are selected by them expressly on account of the wickedness of their principles. — IS, , to make way command res- lid furthermore ility to change, nsider, for in. ave been used, in pubhshing n dictating to eir daily bread ie. So again, the kingdom, rk of Govern- liad forfeited it) and David rd came upon Saul :" and to aim, when he 1 see also that :harge of their [ig"...."Itir lod pleasure." of the people their gods, if tied to govern oly Ghost ? — or they could ley determine 3t arduous du- authority are en as O'Con- eels, to man- ley could not ;ing the Lord lat need have ns, how is it hell-begotten i^e escape the lojl hereaftei', repent, and d? ilification for allegiance to !ncy to " the siderations of he people are 3 selectri] by principles.-— S5 Hence may be found in modern legislative bodies a .election of th« most wicked and profl-.gate men on the face of the earth; and thera IS no legal barrier to assemblies being comnosed entirely of such It is true a christian may get a sent in any of them ,• Mu not in con. sequence of hts bezng a christian, the law of qualification being judge ; and should he presume to act as a consistent servant of God kn any ot them, he would risk expuision ! Yet God saith •— /o « ''*oo"'''.? ?''^'" .""^^ """^^ ^^ J"«t' '■"''"g »n the fear of God," (j bam. 23 : 3 :; and the Bible teaches us to pray : « Give the. King thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness into the King'. ^r^u C • ^^ '' ^-^ '^"^'^ '« ''^^^^'^^ o""- NATIONAL Standing >L and'/Lt'tt "'^' '(£.'8 ri:^' '"^ ' ''''' '^^^ "^^« p--' 8. The popular contempt into which all public office is now follen, IS a necess..y consequence of our national apostacy from God. ;.\ hen rulers respect God, th^^ will respect their office^ from him to housed to his glory, and will maintam their dignhy b A f .^T ^^ '^''J "*'^'''>'- ^^^^ ordinance is his, and he s and" pledged to honour them before men who honour him in the ordin ance, and stand firm against popular clamour. It is written of In shua, that the Lord commanded Moses, saying, "Thou shalt Z some of thine honour upon him, that all the' congregation of Israel may be obedient,' (Numb. 27: 20;) and of Sau^that whenTe heard of the mvas.on of Jabesh by the Ammonites - the Cit of God came upon him and he took a yoke of oxen and hewed them in pieces and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after SamiH3l, so shall it be done unto his oxen. AndtZ SC7U. ^i team, il . 7.) fhis was written for ourlearninir and in ruction ; and what do we learn by it ? The converse tf eve"' truth n ay be seen by the truth itself. The converse of this tS IS hat when rulers "obey the people," God will causeXm ^ fill! into contempt. There is a case in point in the example of this same Saul, whom God afterwards sent to destroy the Amale ites --but he kept not his word. " And Saul said unJo SamuTi . Iv5 sinned : fori have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and thy Mords: because I feared the people and obeyed their vSce'Ul Sam. 15 .• 24 ;) for which he lost the kingdon.. and was Sah ^ the rest of h.s life. It was on the same i.^dei principre 0^^^ " and p easing the people that the corporation and test acts were re pealed and " Catholic Emancipation" carried, those Sal ac^ which destroyed the Christian character of the British ConstUutron from that moment respect for the government rapidly dechned url o ' r.t •? "^ '^"n''^"'™ "?""^^''"^ 5 ^"d ^he traitorous conduc fLt„'^n"f1i;^U ''"'"fr""i^' "^'^ ^° ^^«'«^'" mastering "?te faetton of the House of Lords, and completely revolutionizing and nil ul lIB Mtl .W ■ 1 r ^ 1 ] i i 06 subverting the old Protestant fabric, comploted tho degradation of the powers that bo lu the eyes of tho multitude ; and uo ministrv in England ever bore the twentieth part of tho contempt and abuse hat poured out from the press upon the very ministry which truck, ed to the rabble m order to carry their wicked ends. " Them that honour me (saith God) I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." (1 Sam. 2 : 30.) They that rliaintain he ordmance for God, shall by him be maintained iu it ; but they hat betray it shall be given up to contempt. And this is a general aw of all government, from that of a family up to the King on his throne. It is tins hne of cowardly man-fearing policy which has brought Lower Canada into its present deplorable condition. The hrst mistake was, in giving it an assembly at all, which was done in tear of the revolutionary example of the revolted provinces and !< ranee. J he second was worse than the first, namely, in basing it on an infidel plattorm. Tho third, in admitting paupers and per- sons Ignorant cf the alphabet to the function of God Almighty in making laws to govern christians. The fourth, in that constant course of concession to the clamour and insolence of designing re- vclutionists, and the sacrifii^e of the firm supporters of the crown to their malice. And last though not least, the sacrifice of the na. tional Church, in the destruction of the lands set apart for its sup. port at the cry of demagogues, and the total indifference towards Its existence in the colony manifested by the colonial ministry.— 1 he same iniquitous policy has been pursued in degree towards Upper Canada, and the same spoliation of the church property, loUowed by similar results, though not as yet equal in the total amount. Ihe first duty of government being, under God, the care ot the Church, the Church in the Colonies ought to have been nur. sed with all care from the beginning, instead of being sacrificed to the indifference of the home government and the hostility of the republican spirit of the sects in the Colonies, and the ever watchful jealousy of the followers of the Pope of Rome. 9. One of the laws by which God deals with mankind, is that expressed in the second commandment of visiting the sins of tho fathers upon the children. He himself applies this law to the rela. tions between ruler and subject in the case of the heathen king, Abimelech, (Gen. ch. 20,) who had taken Abraham's wife. God threatened to destroy the whole nation for this act of the king : and the king said to Abraham : Thou hast brought on me, and on my kingdom, a great sin. The reason of this law is, that God has con- stitM.ed all things under headships. The race fell in Adam, and is recovered in Christ. Kings are held responsible for their people, while the people are unavoidably involved in their misconduct, as thev are blessed by their good management. The same is true in all families. A man who truly serves God has an orderly house, not only in a common but a christian sense ; while he that doM degradation o{ uo ministry in mpt and abuse y which truck- " Them that at despise me r that maintain in it ; but they is is a general he King on his licy which has ndition. The hich was done provinces and ly, in basing it ipers and per- i Almighty in that constant ' designing re- of the crown fice of the na- rt for its sup. I'ence towards il ministry. — fgree towards irch property, il in the total God, the care lave been nur- iog sacrificed he hostility of and the ever ime. nkind, is that le sins of the V to the rela- heathen king, 's wife. God he king : and le, and on my God has con- Adam, and is their people, lisconduct, as me is true in »rderly house, he that doe* 97 not serve God cannot rear up a family for his blMsing. Hence w« »ee such ovcr-spreading abominations, because of the apostacy of governments horn the service and even the acknowledgment of uo( , and the infidel reliance upon human wisdom and expediency in aJI mtaters of state concernment great and small. God had pla- ced England at the head of Protestantism, and constituted her, as I think, the chief national witness for the truth and the headship over man of the Lord Jesus Christ. Contrary to the most solemn warn- ings of many of the best of her subjects, she has, in her national capacity, apostatized from every principle of the Reformation, and m addition to this wickedness, destroyed even the Christian char- ncter of the fundamental principles of the Constitution. This fair- y accounts for all the disorders that of late have broken forth Uiroughout the empire, and is both the cause and the presage of England s approaching downfall. The burning of the Housts of Parliament and the public records at this juncture is a mournful and gloomy omen ; those Houses, the sanctuaries of the nation, in which was consummated the awful drama of the national apostacy ni?™ 5U""*^ u ""^^^ '^''" ^^ '^'*^ ^" ^^' »» the language of pro- phecy: " Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of them that behold thee." ZJ^r i' '"I' ^'^^^^ "P ''i'^^^"'" °^ thy beauty, thou hast cor- tTtr 'VV T, ^y r^l""/^ '^y brightness : I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee." Ky the multitude of thy merchandize they have filled the midst of tliee w-ith violence, and thou hast sinned : therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God : and I will destroy thee, O covering cherul), f.om the midst of the stones of fire." (Ezek, 28: into th; Itl • ' 'I IT '^^'''^\ ^» i»fi^el power : she has fallen into the snare of inhdel propagandism in the wake of France : and as such she must be treated in the providence of God. Hn tW Z^'"''' '" °"^ circumstance in the history of Lower Cana. da, that I may not overlook under this head. I lllude to the trans actions recorded in the following public document : " Aylmkh, Governor-in-Chief. '• The Governor.in-Chief informs the House of Assembly that Tt Jih'T'* •'* the earliest opportunity of the provisTn/of' a, Ac of this Province, 1st Will. IV. cap. 57, intitled, "An Ac to declare persons professing the Jawish religion inti led to all tha rights and privilege, of the other subjects of His Majesry !n th.t Province," caused to be intimated to L gentlemen oHhS profe sion residing at Montreal, his intention of introducing their name; into the Commission of the Peace, then about to be Issued Th" Governor-m-Chief having received for answer, that they would wu! 91 II (I I Hngly aTiil thetnielrM •f tha proposal, but that an obatncU pr«- *ented itBeit'to tlieir assuming the office in consequence of the oath required to b'j taken by Justices of the Peace, concluding with the verification « upon the true faith of a Christian." The Governor- in-Chief, therefore, culls the attention of the House to the subject, ■with the view to make the necessary amendment in the oath required to be taken ; that he may be enabled to confirm to a deserving class of His Majesty's subjects in this Province the full enjoyment of th« rights extended to them by the Provincial Statute in question." ♦• Castle of St. Lewis, 8th February, 1834," The desire of putting Jews into oflice could have originated in the first place in nothing but an i;ifidel indiflerence to Christianit) and contempt for the principle of "ruling over men in the fear of God." It is impossible that so profane a measure could have ori- ginaled in Ciiristiau sentiment and feeling. It was the Governor. in-Chief's bounden duty as a Christian believer, and as the repre. sentativo of a Christian King, to have prevented the passing of such a Bill in the first place : and it could not have been his duty to seek further occasion for pouring contempt upon the religion of Jesus Christ, by soliciting the two or three Jews in the Province to take oflice under it. But when they refused to take office burthened with the acknowledgment of the headship of *' the Lord Jesus Christ" and of their obligation to discharge its duties as arising out of Christian Faith, what course does the Governor-in-Chjef adopt ? With the utmost urbanity and alacrity he hastens to call upon the Assembly to assist him to prostrate trie Cross of his Divine Master for those who execrate that Master's name, to trample under foot on their way inco an office which exists by His own .appointment and for His own glory ; thus publicly denying and rejecting the Lord- ship of the Son of God, and putting Him to an open shame before men ! The whole transaction manifests a recklessness of Chris- tian feeling, and a wantonness in tramphng upon Christian princi- pie truly alarming. But such is the infidel character of the times, that the transaction caused no sensation whatever, except in a few individuals whose voice was not heard. The great public were aa indifferent to it as if it had been a matter of no moment whatever : and mdeed the sacrifice of the late Attorney General as a peace of- fering to the demon of Deniagoguism, insignificant as it was in comparison of the other ('•'.lougii essentially of the same class^ has excited a ten thousand times greater public sensation ! — If the sins of rulers are indeed visited on their subjects, according to the law of God, should we be surprised at the increasing power of anarchy in that province? And if the fear of God is so nearly extinct in a country as that such a transaction excites no apprehension, nor seems to call for humiliation and confession of sin, is it not a si" n that men are almost ripe for judgment ? — But these things are all t obalncl« p ra- ce of the oath iding with the 'ho Governor- lo the subject, oath required leserving class oyment of th« uestion." 5 originated in Christiiinit) in the fear of juld have ori- the Governor. 1 as tile repre- he passing of been his duty ho rehgion of bo Province to Kce burthened e Lord Jesus as arising out i-Chjef adopt? call upon tiie Divine Master 3 under foot on poiiitment and ting the Lord- siiame before less of Chris- ristian princi- ' of the times, scept in a few lublic were as ent whatever : as a peace of- : as it was in ime class^ has ! — If the sins ing to the law .er of anarchy y extinct in a •ehension, nor I it not a sign things are all Ibrrtold in God'. Word. We are fairly warned of that teaching i« the pohtical economy of the day which instructs men to deny the n^^fU ■ ^?' '■' "*" g°v""mcntai principles and considerations J lltn^T 2 authontv are loudly admonished of their duty and alle fTSu ^" ®?" "^ ^""- ^"'' "'•'^'^ "'««•« ^^'^^ prophets also wTo nr-i ^T' n' r^" "' "'"""^ ''"^" be false teachers among you, who pnvi iy shall bring m damnable heresies, even denying%he tion"^^p";^i''i'!\'"'^ '^""S "P'^" themselves swift de.truc. r^XfX'r'' l^'.V "^«a"« of I»fidcl Radicalism, which sue everv n„r 'J '''''*"'' ^"^ "'•" " ^""^ ««'ift destruction" upon pIL r.T "J'-'''" ''^'T" ''^'^*' rejects the Headship of "the Te r«5 r ^T ""^J^' earth."-" ^e wise, now, tuLforc, O yj Jings : be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord ^ith Jear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he bi ANORV AND YE PERISH FB03I THE WAY ! !» CPsa. 2 : 1(I...12.)— tanN?fl f, ^/""^V^r^th out of his place to punish the inhabi- tants of the earth for the.r m.quity," (Isa. 26: 21 :) "Behold the Lord Cometh with ten thousand of his Saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of alf their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of al he J audeTfl;? T.'^w'; ""f^l^ T'''' h^-« spoken against him;' v.nUtt . ^^)-7"J^hen the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heL thl . .^'""'^^VT''' '" ^^'"'"g fi'-^ '«J^''"g vengeance on larcS'Ti^Thes^^l':' l!'^)'' "" ''' ""''''' °^ ^"^ ^^^^ ■^- riaV,ffin^°'?'''^""'''^'"'.'^'!^'"^''"^J"^ge' is the sole and only rightful lawgiver to mankind. Will any one deny this ? But if you admit It, ook where it leads, and s'ee to what^pinciples vou power of legislation to man, to bo exercised according toShe die tales of human wisdom and " the will of the people ? » It cannot be proven that he has: and if any one is disposed to exambe Z ZTLll r"" ""'■^^' ?^ Scriptures" for'information, and no! he wr tings of ignorant and presumptuous men. Does it seem ra- tional to suppose he would do so when we find him so carefulTf hi^ creatures so desirous of upholding his fear and honou among them, and such "a jealous God" i„ every iota respecting his own Hupremacy over the world? I think notf Can it bo proven Z man ever attempted to legislate for man until " they did not like to retain God m their knowledge; but became vain in their imag.oa! Yet now he business of legislation is transacted, among ChrTsS 00 exactly as if there were no God in existenc; ! Is h pos i We tha any man believing in a revelation from God for the regula ion o human conduct can believe in such infidel doctrine / I ook a" God^'^-Tht'''.'""'' r^r ""''' y' "'-^» from the book ^ God. The Lord IS our Judge, the Lord i. our Lawgiver, the 106 tord ii oar King ; he will tave us." (Ist. 32 : 22.) « There it one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy." (James 4 : 12.) And he saith—" Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom : I am under- •tanding ; I have strength. By mo kmgs reign, and princes decree ^"^K M /^^ ""^ P^'"<=^« """'O' and nobles, even all the judges of the «arth. (Prov. 8: 14.) These premises take for granted that all laws ought to emanate from the •• One Lawgiver." either directly or by explicit sanction. Couple these things with the facta that he first enacted a complete code of laws for his people by Moses, and then for their proper administration endowed the rulers with the Holy Ghost, and what does it all amount to ? A warrant for our Cod'- denying institutions and political atheism ? What, when the Old Testament was written for our learning and instruction ? There is not one word of authority for human legitlation to be found in the Bible, even though Christians arc commanded to submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, and even to suffer death «oon. er than •• resist the power," because it is "the ordina.nceof God," tho igh m wicked. God-denying hands. " Power belongeth untff God, who IS a Father, as well as a Lawgiver, Judge and King ; and therefore it ought to be used under his especial direction and control. The opposite ar d contrary doctrine is however taught the people by many who pretend to be their religious guides. Take for instance a sample from the Christian Guardian (of September 3, 1831) ; a paper which claims high, and which has laboured "more than they all" in Upper Canada, and in professed concert ^ththe mfidel Joseph Hume; (See Christian Guardian, July 16th, 1831, in which is a part of Hume's advice as to the best mode o^ demolishing all our institutions down to the standard of " the Now England States of the U. N. A. States in particular.) " Experience has, m a thousand instances, demonstrated that institutions, whose success and usefulness depend (not upon God, but) upon the general countenance and patronage of the people, must originate in the cir. cumstances, judgment, feelings and exertions of the people. This is the case with all free governments— it is the case with the laws of every free country— it is and must be the case with every success- ful system of general education." From this popular scheme God *if- ^"*lfj '^ excluded : nor has the author of the quotation recanted his infidel political principles, although he has declared against the personoi Joseph Hume, and some features of his system for man- aging Carada. He is st^'l engaged in maintaining the atheistic dogma of a civil state, " without any Christ in it." But with all auch teachers God thus expostulates : " A son honourcth his father, and a servant his master ; if then I be a father, where is mine honour? if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of Hosts unto you, O ye priests that despise my name. And yc sav, Wherein have we despised thy name ? "— " For the priests' lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek tho law at hia mouth: 101 ) " There it anics 4 : 12.) : I am under- )rtnces decroe ! judges of the ranted that all her directly of t9 that he iirst OSes, and thoa vith the Holy for our Clod- vhcn the Old n ? There is found in the )mit to every ier death "oon^ ttnce of God," elongeth unttf e and King ; direction and iver taught the guides. Take [of September haa laboured fessed concert in, July 16th, 5 best mode oi of *' the Now " Experience titions, whose ion the general ate in the cir- r>ple. This is th the laws of jvery succoss- ir scheme God ation recanted red against the stem for man- the atheistic But with all •cth his father, liere is mine 1 the Lord of And yc say, 3 priests' lips at hia mouth: fcr he 19 the mewenger of the Lord of hosta. But re sre depart •d out of the way ; yo have caused many to itumble at the law ; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosta. Therefore have I also made yoia contemptible and base before nil Ihe people, according as yo have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. Have wo not all One Father ? hath not One God created us? m hy do wo deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? " (Mai. 1 : 6 ; 2 : 7—10.) Human legislation, properly speaking, must there- fore be direct rebellion againnt the " One Lawgiver," and contempt of his sovereign authority. The oilencc, however, as I think, ia greatly mitigated, especially with tliose not guilty of the original offence, when the Bible is made the basis of legislation, when the king holds his crown as from (iod, and is regarded by the people as " the Lord's anointed," and when all public acts are done in the name of "the Lord Christ," as it was in the late British Constitu- tion. Under it God signally blest England ; but since its wantou destruction his curse has evidently begun to fall upon her. The business of man, under God, in the government of the world is, bv his grace, to execute justice, and maintain truth; not to legia. late and define truth and justice. If God indeed bo our Lawgiver, every special statute ought to emanate from him, or receive hia special sanction. This is of tlio essence of sovereign authority, and every king on earth acts upon the principle in regard to the laws of his dominions, for the simple reason that if he has not that right he has no authority over them, or any right to govern th-rm. Why then deny that to God our Saviour, "the Prince of the Kings of the earth," which they all arrogate to themselves, and without the exercise of which they could not have a shadow of authority T Answer me, " ye baptized infidels," who have expelled God out 'of his own ordinances. "- Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing ? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in (he heavens shall laugh : the Loi J shall have them in derision. Then shall h^- speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."— CPsalm2: 1—5.; It is in the nature of things impossible for man of himself to know, what laws are best adapted to glorify God and makemen hap- py. Hence all human legislation has ever" been, in the great majori- ty, of necessity mere bungling and quackery, and has in proportion been unproductive of the good it ought to have produced. I would ask our Houses of Assembly, who transact their business as regard, less of God as if he had lio existence, if they really fancy them, selves wise enough to provide for the good of the people and the perpetuity of the state. " It is not in man that walkcth to direct ■ 102 kii ttsps : — Unlew the Lord build the houio and keep the citjr, th# workmen and tho watchmen lubour in vuin. " Will you presume to deny (iod'i right to puide and direct us in all our ways, as he yuided Israel in their best times ? Will you deny his ability to guide u» better than wo "an ourselves? You in fact do deny it when y«iu attempt to expel him from tho political world, and trust nltogotlier to humna wisdom, ia taking euro of human interests. But " thus limith the Lord, Cursed be he that trusteth ia man, and mnkcth flesh his arm, and whoso heart departeth from tho Lord." (Jor. 17: 5.) Will rou presume to deny (Jod's disposition and readiness to take all our alfairs under his own special guidance and cognizable direction T From what we know of hin character, as developed in the Old Testa* meiit, in his unremitting caio of those in covenr.nt with liim, can you fairly infer that he would not have conducted Great Britain for ."»- stance, smoothly and safoly through tho stormy perio ves, and tho if nursing up IS (he dema- noiso of the ho people ?" ir instruction at ho will not 10 the God of of the (jen. hen to these vered him up 3 all things]'" )d, and your nade the ex. you risk poli. lan make it t ction the po- is indifferent world in or. to of foul and IS our guide How could formation by a great poli- hristian, and les, and kept ked better in lut as soon as the Corpora, that is, when 103 Ae eafmic* of tho Con84itulio*were auihoriiod by law H hold th« power they desi.cu to use to its destruction, there w-.., a »;oncral rush made by tho inciKd multitude to biezo upon tho power of Le. ,;iHhit.on The revolu.ionury Reform Dili wa.. iho consequence, which has reduced iho scale, in Great Britain, many irades lower »han It wuH beloro, and thus diminished the siUl remaining element, ot national o.x,stc;ice, in exact proportion to tho ocquired power of tho multitude. IJut us all self dependence in the creaiuro is of th« nature ol suicide, so government by popular assemblinB, is rapidly hastening to iis own destruction. 'I'ho denrium of in/idel politick undefinaL . liberty in prospect, tho wild dreams of an infidel mil- Icnnium under the providence of human wisdom and scientifm knowJe( ge, aud excited lawless passions, is tproading and deepen, ing m all directions. Popular legislation has already becomp im. piuclicable m Lowe. Canada, and tho Assembly there, it shorld i»ooni. must bo dc^royed before legislation can be lesumed. Of thi» the british party have become so sensible that (hey are preparing to assume tho powers of government by self.conelituted clubs in or. dcrto save their lives; justly deeming such an unlawful measure a le^^s present evii than tho crime-stained and murderous proces. ot convcjuDg a legislative assembly of avowed rebels and dcbper- ate revoluconists and giving up the country to their management. With this stale of things the mother country is directly charcable. because she herself has nursed that spirit of rebellion into its nre« sent insolence and ferocity. Indeed the government of Lower Cu. nada appears to be breathing its last, while the physical force of th« country is being partitioned between two rival and irreconcilable parties (at least by any apparent means) one of which can have no confidence in the justice and Oi.ergy of the parent state (unless the return of the tones to power should revive if) ard the otiier shelia. carofully taught to despiso and defy both. These things, and many more which I could enumerate, seem to indicate that popular gov. ernment must soon give place to despotism ; and perhaps to reach this a sea of an^.rchy has to he passed mingled with fire and blood It IS alreaay so in France. But despotii^m cannot cure nnd tame the rabid animal : it can only chain him for a time ; and the demo, mac will bo continually struggling to burst his chains and destroy his keepers. It is Inficbl Iladicalism kept down by Infidel Despo. tism ; and both are " the habitation of devils ?" 12, But let us look at the popular process of creating a legis- lative assembly. In many instances, from the commencement of the canvass to tho winding up of contested elections, it is one con- tinued process of iniquity ; and in all I believe the evil predomi. nates. Every wicked passion of thf^ human heart open to fempta- tion IS called into activity. Thus charged and primed as if for deeds of darkness, the populace proceed to selsct men competent te provide for tho good government and atability of a country in peace ■ 164 and h&ppinesM, a word tu which Gou alone ia competent. The lav under which this ia done i. a hypocritical he ; for it assures tho mob that they are "wise enough and good enough to choose the wi- sest, best, and most godlike men in the country to make laws for it ; and it takes for granted that they will do so. And what are tt^e means? Lying, slandering, railing, defamaiion, contention, deceit, fraud, bribery, subornation, treachery, perjury, violence, bloodshed, and murder. This is now becoming the ordinary process of giv- ing birth to a popular assembly ; and by theso means the dec isioa is made, and the body is formed which is to act the part of God the Lawgiver! And what is it when constituted ? A house of God ? No ! it is a synagogue of Satan. It was originated under the agency of the devil ; it stands on the principle of rejecting God as its master and guide ; and so of necessity it takes its moral cha- racter from the Father of Lies. And what is its work ? the work of God ? No ! it expressly disclaims all concern with God, his word and ordinances. " Ye are of your father the devil, and the works of your father ye will do : for be it remembered that he that is not on the Lord's side is engaged in building up the devil's kingdom. Is it possible that God can bless and preserve a country under the power and operation of such a system ? 13. This state of society is foreshewn by the Spirit of Pro- phecy. " This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." [Last days? Does this mean the time immediately prece- ding the coming of the Lord ?) " For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetuous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, (to all authority) unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false-accusers, incontinent, fierce, des- pisers of those that are good, traitors, he 'y, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God ; having a form of godliness but denying tho power thereof : from such turn away." (2 Tim. 3: 1 — D.) The time would fail to illustrate each item in the enume- ration, and so I will content myself with a remark on tlic last. Tiiia state of things has been amazingly accelerated by religious perio- dicals, religious liberty societies, dsc. &,c., which have industriously inculcated infidel politics to the destruction of respect for civil au- thorities and the powers ordained of God, and extensively rooted out the principle of subordination, from the head and heart of the multitude ; filling its place with what St. Paul enumerates above, — *' Not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered and knit together increaseth with the increase of God" (Col. 3 : 19.) and not man. " Havi ga form of godliness, but denying '.he power thereof" over the whole body, duties, and interests of corporate man. To all these evils and mul- tiplied abominations the language of the prophet is mournfully ap- propriate : " For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers •vtith iniquity ; youi lips have spoken lies, yaur tongue hath muttered snl. The law : assures tho hoose the wi- ke laws for it ; what are tl^e ^ntion, deceit, ;e, bloodshed, jcess of giv- the dec isioa part of God 3use of God ? led under the octing God as moral cha- k? the work ith God, his levil, and the d that he that p the devil's irve a country Spirit of Pro- iis times shall iiately prece- overs of their , disobedient thout natural , fierce, des- inded, lovers of godliness " (2 Tim. 3 : n the enume- last. TJiis ligious perio- industriously t for civil au- isively rooted 1 heart of the ates above, — nts and bands iseth with the iijga form of ; whole body, jvils and mul- lournfully ap- d your fingers liath muttered 105 perverscness. None calleth IbPjustico" (in God's appointad way«) '* nor any pleadeth for truth : ihey trust in vanitv, and speak lies they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. "They hatch cock! atrice' eggs, and weave the spider's >veb : he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.— Iheir webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works : their works are works of iniquity and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood : their thougi^ts are thoughts of iniquity ; wasting and destruction are in their p, •. The wav of peace they kne« not; and there is no judgment in their goinrrg: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall rot know peace. Tberefore'is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us : we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and wo grope as if we had no eyes : we stumble at noon- day as in the night ; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves : we look for iudg ment, but there is none ; for salvation, but it is far off from us.— ^or our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testi-' ty against us : for our transgressions are with us ; and as for our ini- quities, we know them ; in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment 13 turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off; lor truth is falJen m the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth laiieth ; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey : and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment." 14. As God is the sole fountain of power, so it emanates from mm Dlone. Emanating from him, it takes with it more or less of his own chararter, which it attaches to him to whom it is entrusted. (»od 18 out 1-ather ; but only so in his Son our Lord. Power, there- lore, as his loan to man, is necessarily invested M'ith his own pa- ternel character; and every man in power, even if over only one person or a dumb animal, is constituted a father in God through Je- sus Cnrist, and bound to use it to his glory as under the headship ot our Lord. Power should, then, be regarded as a continual ma- ni ester of God s character and relation to man, and a constant mo- nitortoall of their dependence upon God in his Son, and of their responsibility to him for its use. But how is it in our new politi- cal economy? Exactly tho reverse. Originating in the mob, as itiey think, it can have no character of divine paternity in Christ or ot any other : for the subjects of a power cannot invest it with any character at all, strictly speaking. It cannot be the means of ex. citing a smgle Christian sentiment or pious feeling in any one ; but the reverse. It leads away from God direct to tho devil :.forhe who O i'.t M 11 Jiela hiwelf lujcouhtable to the nuUlltude for his use of power can. nol at thp wme time feel himself accountable to God. " No man cao verve Uro masters." Mob service is therefore atheism. When S,l£?7" »%'" '^® i'''"''' ""^ ^^® multitude, it makes them proud, « ^n *r"i' ?f ""^J '^'^^P^^ers of those that so far respect themselves M not to flatter them : and this makes the candidates for popular r«r;Ln^"M PH^'"^'. base, fawning, treaclicrous, cruel, and contemptible, i^od ordained the powers to be a constant means of Eo -"^^u*"*? *° ^'J^^^^^ *" '^® obedience of a Son, and to his ;?ir?'"J ® l°''t ""^ * "'^o^b^'^- He therefore ordained no " Ci. uzeniiui^ lobe first the idol and then the iron-hearted tyrant of wi^°P 7. ^^'"^"^cy has the direct tendency to widen the breach nl-Jlf.!" • u^"^ '"^"' ^"'^ *° «^* «^«""y '"an's hand against his S!?E r 'I! *^® <^o"t|°"al scramble for power; rooti.-g out Chris. lvn!L ft u '^' r"*^.^""S ""'" ^'^'""^ ««^' «a^age, and taking peace ^r *• 1 ^f '''t ^''°'' ^°'" '"«*«"<^« «t ihe entire process of a Pre- adential Election in the United States, or one in Montreal or Que- D<'c. A liemocracy thus proves to be a danmablo forgery upon a tl!IT ?'^'TT: i" its operation it partakes ol the rharacter of .m1.,r A ° . *^«f 8 o^ prey. It is depraving to the people, and ^Dj^st and cruel to them in tlieir depravity. It takes no more care Of their souls than as if they had none, but freely permits them to DC as wicked in principle as they please ; yet forcertam overt acts against pockets and persons, vhich it takes no care to prevent bv »:;• K» u"^'"^"'"*'*''*"' ^* punishes them with the same severity it mjgnt had It previously discharged its duty to them under God.— i.T.'u ^ ', ^®^*'' it acts the liar, the deceiver, the corrupter, and the murderer. Cecil says of Democracy : «I have fallen iu witn son^e democrats who knew nothing of me. They have been great subjects of curiosity, when I could forget the ho'rrid display i„;.^'°I *r^"*^ ^^^^^^ '"*'• ^ ^^^^ ^ nialignant eye— a ferocity— and intensity of mind on their point. Viewed in its temper andtenden. cies, Jacobinism is Devilism— Belialism. It takes the yoke )f God ana man—puts it on the ground— and stamps on it. Every man is cmied out into exertion against it. It is an inveterate, malignant,. D^aspiieming, atheistic, fierce spirit. It seems a toss-up with these men whether Satan himself shall govern the world." (Cecil's Re^ mmns.) And this is the character of the Democratic Press. A late number of BJackwood's Magazine contains a plan for preventing it irom destroying the whole world ; namely, for government to take Jfie press into pay, like the army and navv, and keep up an estab- tsmiient for it. But as this is one of the plants which our heaven, ly leather hath not planted, (Matt. 15 : 13.) I can have no more conhdence in it than in the other branches of Infidel Political Eco- nomy, A state without God at its head must bo rooted out, despite' mi: tuman contrivances to keep it up. "Their webs shall not Decpine garments, neither shall they cover themselves with im )t' power can-r . " No man heism. When ! them proud, !Ct theinselvcfe !S for popular IS, cruel, and itant means of )n, and to his ined no " Ci. rted tyrant of en the breach d against his ng out Chris- 1 ta!;.ing peace OSS of a Pre- ttreal or Que. »rgery upon a <'haracter of e people, and no more care rmits them to am overt acts to prevent by ne severity it jnder God. — ihe corrupter, lave fallen iii ey have been lorrid display ferocity — and '■T and tcnden* yoke )f God Every man is e, malignant^ up with thes& (CeeiVs Re^ Press. A lato preventing it mcnt to take up an estab. our heaven- ;ve no more 'olitical Eco- I out, despite ;bs shall not iselves with their works."—" Woe to the rebellious children, saith ihe Lorrf,* that take counsel, but not of me ; and that cover with a cover, ing, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin : that walk' to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the ^ladow of Egypt. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your eliamo, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.'^— (Isa. 30: 1, 2, 3.) 15. "A king (saith Lord Bacon) is a mortal God upon earA». unto whom the living God hath lent his own name as a great ho.' nour. So ho calls kings and rulers in his word. " He imte^th among the Gods.." (Ps. 82 : 1.) "He called them Gods to whoni the word of God came." ^John 10 : 35.; Nay, rulers were made by him ma manner " partakers of the Divine nature ; '^ (2 Pet.l i n-^^I t^ '*"^ ^^^ ®P'"* within them to enable them to sustain tin. sullied the dignity he put upon them. Hence he has made it aw- fully penal for a subject to resist ••the power," and "lift his hand agamst the Lord's anointed." And he makes no exception whe. thar " the power" is in holy or wicked hands. " Whosoever there, fore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God ; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." (Rom. 13 : 2.) Ihe rule admits of no exception whatever ; and, following the ex. ample of their Lord, who, Avhen he was reviled, reviled not again ; when he suffered he threatened not ; but submitted himself to him that judgeth righteously— the early Christians bore all their perse, cutions Without a single attempt at rebellion, until « the power" waa converted to the Gospel. Resistance is the devil's doctrine, and the practice of his children ; and all our political agitators incul- cate It in some form or other. Rightly enough, if democracy ia truth ; for they that can make can break. If the civil power is the loan on trust of the subjects of it, they have an undoubted right to "put down one and set up another" whenever they please, it ia the subjects' duty to suffer under oppression, but not to resist ; to entreat, but not to revile ; to remonstrate if need be, but not to threaten and " agitate ; " to pray to God for deliverance his own way ; but not to take his cause into his own hands. Especially he should pray that God would convert wicked rulers and put his Spi. rit upon them. St. Paul fled and hid himself; but never resisted or called the mob to his aid. This doctrine is sot forth in so su- penora manner in the tenth Homily of our Church, intitled, "Con. ceming Got: Order, and Obedience to Rulers and Magistrates,"— that I should have made it a part of this tract, had I not extended It farther than at first I contemplated. The T^aited States are now beginning to reap the fruits of their rebellion li-ainst their lawful sovereign. Out of it flowed their" mfidol government andpoHtical economy, and that lawless spirit' now arising, which begins to fill their beat men with alarm. Eb-' 1 I' ■ 108 peclully their God-forgetling-and-denying institutions liartflaid iheni open to the invasions of the Pope of Rome, against vvliose sleep, less ambition and profound intrigue their boasted Constitution pre- sents not the sHghtest barrier. And, alas ! imperial England has at length fallen into the same snare. ;v« I cannot here refrain from quoting a passage from a religious newspaper called the Christian Guardian, as a sample of the an(i. christian and fiery spirit of resistance to lawful authority which hns been instilled into the peo.ilo of Canada, under the mask of xeligious instruction. It is from one of the editor's tirades against religious government and the Clergy Reserves :— '« Will Canada be a free country in such a state of things ? Will it not be the very Pandemonium of religious bribery, priestly degeneracy and domi- nation ? And what a large portion of the country will be pervert- ed from good, and applied to evil purposes? Will this serve the interests of the Province ? Will this serve the interests of Great Britain on the borders of a free country ? Friends of Great Bri. tain ! look at this. Christians ! ponder upon it and do your duty. People of Upper Canada ! see ye to it. You cannot bo despoiled of yoir liberties, and robbed of your rights, without your own con- sent. Political, as well as physical, power resides in i/mt. Teach the principles of religious, and by consequence, civil liberty, to your children— imprew them upon the minds of your neighbours cn/orce them upon your representatives." (What a climax!) "Bring them with you to the hustings, the great pivot of politi- cal, civil, and religious rights, and vote for no man whose charac- tor and word are not given, and may be depended upon, to support and promote, to the utmost of his power, with all possible diligence, principles of equal religious privilege. Church and state union in Great Britain has endangered the throne, and the prosperity and peace of the nation, and nothing but the renovation of both can preserve them. Shall, then, this "nightmare upon our Constitu- tion," this proscription of the general education of the country, this unchangeable and relentless enemy to our liberties, this politi- cal and religious evil, this worthless and sinful prostitution of na- tional property, be tolerated and sanctioned in Upper Canada? The king expects every man to do his duty ; and the King of kings says, be vigilant, bo not weary in well doing?" {Christian Guar- dian, May 7, 1831.) XXXII. We have had public thanksgivings for deliverance from Cholera. There was a shew of confession of our sins, but no adequate confession — not an allusion to our multiplied infidel abominations in political doctrines and practices, and the awful sit- uation of our public aflairs. The country at large has not mani- fested, that I can perceive, the slightest sign of repentance. The graves wore hardly wet with the ram of heaven over the victims of the awful pestilence when the eiectiong began, and in some places liare laid theiil wliose sleep* institution pre- England has at om a religious Je of the anlii thority which • the mask of :irades against Vill Canada be t he the very icy and doini- i'ill be pervert-' this serve the •ests of Great of Great Bri- lo your duty< bo despoiled your own con- 1 i/oit. Teach ivil liberty, to neighbours — a climax !) — vot of politi- ft'hose charac- )n, to support ible diligence, state union in rosperity and of both can our Constitu- r the country, 3s, this politi- itution of na- ir Canada? — King of kings rislian Guar- r deliverance our sins, but liplied infidel the awful sit- las not niani- itance. The the victims of 1 some places exhibited acenos of Bdialisrn truly appailing. Montreal, to M^ the theatre ol death and mourning, was for two weeks kept hi constant tear ot mobs, riots, violence and outrage, blood and mas- sacre: as if this were an appropriate after-piece to the tragedy en' ifcted by the visitation of God in the destroying pestilence! « Ah eiutul nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doern. children that are coriMpiers : they have forsaken the Lotd thev have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are goro away backward. Wliy should ve be stricken any more ? YcM^tW revolt more and more : the whole head is sick, and the whols heart famt. From the sole of the foot even unto the head, there IS nosoimdiiess i-i it ; but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores •- Ihcy have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified witli ointment." /Isa. 1 : 4-6.) To me, therefore, our confession* and thanksgivings, like our state prayers, appear like drawin^r nigh iinto Gocl, while our heart goeth after its covetuousness. (^Ezekief 33 : 31.; » Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward mo is taught by the precept of men : therefore behold I will proceed to do R marvellous work among the people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the iin- derstanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto tliem that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and theif works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us ? and who knoweth us ?" (Isa. 29 : 13—15.) We have made no confession for those cryinjr political and national sins for which God sent us pestilence and death, and so we have taken no security against their return. In fltead of humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God with fasting and prayer, and confession of the sins of our fathers and ^ir own, we go about seeking new schemes of security against Radicalism in clubs and associations, and in taking hold of the arm of flesh, which God hath cursed. There is no sign of turning un- to God from our delusions, and seeking him while ho may be found, before he choose our delusions foi us, and make our breaking come suddenly at an instant. /'Isa. 66 : 4 : 30 : 18 •— 2 The? 2:12,; ' XXXIII. And what shall I sav more ? I can only call upon my countrymen, high and low, rich and poor, priest and people, governor and subject, to imitate the example of the heathen city Nineveh, when Jonas preached against it, and which example our Lord commends to the Jews. (Mat. 12 : 41.) " So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For uon'l came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed aiid published n no through Kin«v«h by the decree of the king and his noblea, sayiogt t««t neither man nor boast, herd nor flock, tuste any thing: let tkttm not feed, nor drink water: but let man and boaat bo covered with aackcioth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn ©very one from his evil way, and from the vidence that is in thcir hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away Tcom his fierce anger, that we perish not 1 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way ; and God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them ; and he did it not." O my countrymen ! have I made out a less strong case, and one of less pressing necessity than Joaah did to those heathens ? I say not that you have only forty days of gra* <; ; but this I say, that " he that being often reproved hardaneth his neck, shall sud. denly ba dastroyed, and that without remedy." (Prov. 29 : 1.) Twice already has God reproved us with a direful pestilence, and we give no signs of repentance. We have turned again to our own ways like the dog to his vomit, some to contriving plans of rebellion, mobocracy, ?nd the destruction of all government ba: that of demoniac deipagogues, artd some to plans of resisting them by mere human means and by "the arm of flesh." But none uaderstandeth and seeketh after God : none consideretii that unless the Lord keep the city the watchmen waketh but la vain. The Kgypt of human wisdom is a poor defence in the day of trouble, for the princes of Zoan are become fools, and the princes of Noph are deceive! ; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof. The Lord hath mingled a perverse Spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit." (Isa.^ 19: 13, 14.) Alas! how true to this have been thecounsalldrs and the counsels that have guided the British Em- pire for the last ten years ! And shall these reproofs be lost upon us also 7 And if so, aad we yet turn not to God, shall not the men of Nineveh rise up in judgment and condemn us ? Where is our faith in the promises and the threatenings of our long-suffering God ? Do we suppose, that we, being his covenant people, the childre.) of Abraham by faith and heirs of the promises, and, as we profess ourselves to be, " the people of his pasture and the sheep of Ijis hand," (Morning Service) do we suppose he would be less ready to hear us, as a whole people, fiom the highest to the lowest, than he was to hear the heathen people of Nmeveh ? — What, are not these things recorded for our learning and admoni. tion upon whom the ends of the world are come ? Let, then, our aatboritiee in both Church and State imitate the example of the king of Nineveh and his nobles, and command their poople Jn Iho DAmeof the Lord God of hosts to humble themselves before bin?, ^ /atlliog and weeping, and confession of sin and devout supplica- ti«n«, JlJet ihtm honour God in his ordinance which they All, and act tobies, saying, iny thiag: let i9t bo covered let them turn hat is in their iod turn a^ray jrod saw their od repented of and he did it :ong case, and }se heathens ? It this I say, ck, shall sud. 'rov. 29 : I.) stilence, and again to our ing plans of (vernnient bu: i of resisting flesh." But 3 consideretii aketh but in CO in the day id the princes •t, even they .th mingled a aused Egypt ;gereth in his s have been British Ern- ie lost upon ^all not the ? Where is ong.suffering people, the ses, and, as ture and the ise he would lighest to the Nineveh ? — and admoni. iOt, then, our imple of the jople JB tbo before bin?, out supplica- f fill V and act nt b/JIdly in his name, and he will put his fear upon (be people, and tMsi^ tram tho sons of Belial, and cause them to be obeyed and honoured.: Our Governors enjoy the right, under God.of commanding us in these- tlimgs : and can they then be so faithless and fearful of the people us to think God would honour them less than he did a heathen kmg and his nobles in a similar case ? And let not those who re* ject Church and State mui:piur and gainsay the right of our rulers so to do on the behalf of the Lord Jesus, whose ministers they .mj but remember that God acknowledged and blessed the same thine m a heathen king. * As to our confessions— let them be as broad and deep as our sins : let them embrace all our departures from God both in Church^ and State : let them comprehend (he sins of our fathers for many generations m addition to our own. They are all accumulated upon our own shoulders, and (hey are a burthen too grievous to be borne. We have all si ned and come short of the glory of God: church- men against d.'senters and dissenters against churchmen, and all egainst the Lord Jcsus Christ. We are all alike guitty before him, civilly, politically, and ecclesiastically ; biting and devouring one another; tearing to pieces (he body of Christ ; grieving and quench, ing the Spirit ; forsaking him as (he bond of union, and going about to form unions and churches by human contrivances and human reason. Let us not recriminate upon otherij and excuse ourselves, but confess our fauKs one to another, and pray for one another, (hat God may again reveal himself by the Spirit, and by the samo fcpirit root out our enmities, and bring us in peace and love in,tt> on© fold under ihc One Shepherd. Let us also pray for our ru.. fors, that God may reveal himself unto (hem also (for they are hiil ministering servants) and put his Holy Spirit within them, as he did into the rulers of his people Israel, (hat (hey may be guided by his counsel in (hese perilous times, and perform their aidil- vus duties, " as unto the Lord and not unto men," by that wisdom, which Cometh down from above. "It is not in man that walketll- to direct his steps." It is « not by might, nor by power, but bv- Mi- fepiniT, saith the Lord of hosts." 'S Let it be born.j in mind (hat we are all in great ignorance of the ways of God as to any practice under '* the manifestation of the Spirit." Should he manifest himself among his own, h*> would be a perfect stranger ; and his own might not recognize and receive him: " for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit," and., stands ready at all times to resist and deny him. We now staml' in this very danger. We are saying that he ought to do So and : so. But be assured, that if he shduld reveal himself, he woold^' do :2 in a way to humble the pride of man, and put human wisdom: to shame : for " God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and God hath choseii the weak thingstff the world to confound the things that are mighty ; and base things. \ U2 of the world, and things that are despised, haih God chosen, yeR« and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are : that no flesh should glory in his presence." (1 Cor. 1 : 27 — 29.) Let us not then be surprised should God open the mouth of aomo ub- Bcure or despised person, some ignorant old woman ; lor by his Prophet Joel ('i : 29) he hath said ; " And also upon fhe servants and upon tJie handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit." Let none talo ofTence at this, tor it is the word of the L(>i'd. Hia ways are not as our ways. *' The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be cxolted in that day." (Isa. 2 : 11.) Tho mock he will guide in judgment and shew them his ways, and bring them forth into 'run old fatus : but the captious, who seek n reason and a fitness after the commandments and ordinr.nccs of raon, shall continue in ignorance and unbelief, and shall not be established." (Isa. 7—9.) As to the subject of our prayers — let it be as ample as the promises of Gt>d — as large as ever has been manifested his dis> position to give to his, people. And should he deal less liberally with his chosen in Christ than he did with the Jews ? Hear him and then judge : '* Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ho that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than these shall ne do : because I go unto my father. Ai)d wiiATSOEVKR yc shall ask in my name, that will 1 do, that the Fa- ther may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any tuino in my name, 1 will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14 : 12 — 15.) And wjiat does he command on this point ? ♦' Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." (16 : 24.) And again : " If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; so shall ye bo my disciples." (15 : 7, 8.) And can we then doubt of his disposition to restore to the Church the entire fullness of the spiritual gifts, and to " renew again his old bountifulness to the Church now fainting and growing downward, that he gave unto her shooting up at her first beginning ? " * To ask less is to dishonour him, and to. suppose that the Church needs less now than she then need- ed, which is to reject the Holy Ghost in favor of human wisdom and human strength. It is actual unbelief in his faithfulness; for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance on his part. He has revoked no portion of tlxe Gospel covenant ; and the manifestation of the Spirit was given for every man to profit withal. And we have every encouragement to pray that God will reveal himself by the Spirit to our rulers, and inform, guide, and * The copy of The Whole duly of Man, from which this extract, and a I*cbeding one, src made, is of the edition of 1756, p. 443. chosen, ytn, lut are : that 7— a9.) Let ii( aomo ob- for by his I ihe servants my Spirit." L(>i'd. His an shall be I down, and : 11.) The ways, a nd us, who seek irdinr.nces of shall not be mple as the ^sted his dis< 3S8 liberally Hear him hat believeth eater works iiher. Aijd that the Fifi- Y THING in nandments." ) this point ? ,"(16: 24.) le in you, yo . Herein is il ye be my s disposition pirituul gifts. Church now ler shooting lionour him, e then need- man wisdom I'aith fulness; lance on his venant ; and an to profit hat God will , guide, and extract, and a 113 direct them in all matters pertniniiig lo their office undor "ilio PHnce or,h. kingsof ,ho ^^^^F:^, :;t an nJ^ .^ll^^J^ Strnt-r""^' mob government, and newspaper cSets sins o1^Vu7fa[h?rf''''"^"'~'''''^'"V''"^''''^'^'' '^'l «"' «'"« a"d the sms ol our fathers, our kmgs, our princes, our nobles, our rulers our pnests and our people-private, social, ecclosiast cal and , o n"ou; cZT.r'V' '"'"' ^"' •'"^^"''^ abommation'of destriy.' ing our Christian Constitution, and adopting a system of political doctrines founded on atheism, which has^caus.' such dreadfu confusion and absolute delusion and bewilderment in the councils constrnatrofatr;''''"^ ''«^y--«' 'o^^olulr consternation ot all sober- nnmicd men, and to the crcat and onnti nual alarm of the Colonics, the "subu;bs" of'the Empi e so thlt ie^eTn <^Th°P"^'"',"^"? '' ^"^^ ^ remarklle fulfi m n eas w^nd hJh f T"'l*'""" ^r^^'' ^'^«^ '"''^ S^^^' "'^ters : the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. Thv riches and thy fairs thy merchandise, thy mariners, and t? y pilots thy calkers. and the occupiers of thy merchand se, and all "hv mert of war that are m thee, and in all thy company which is in ^ho mi^tof thee, shall fall into the midst 'of the'^sea'sfn the j^y'of 1 1" suffprinL PnJ' ' c V, ^""^ '"*y ^""^ offended and long. unShil^ir ?■ ^^-i^^^d^I'verance, turn our hearts back agafn rit intie n fh^; ' r "'/"''^ ^\'^' guidance of His Holy Spi whrntho^ ^T "''^^l^"'*' «"d individual righteousness; so that when the Lord Jesus Christ shall come in 1 is kingdom, we may b fSetrarhT'?''''-'°P'°'"^'^^'sht. andno't bo'ashameT ueiore mm at his appearing. O my God and Saviour ! speed, I pray thee, thy word and vork : raise up faithful witnesses to thy' truth : bbss the abours of toTe aX r"brL'- ''.' ^"^"' ""' '"^ "nskilfulness thereirf nto^Hfv nf f ''''' '" ^° "'^y "^ ^">'- Thou knowest the ntegrity of my heart ; and to thee I look for my reward • thou enTrr:'rdrr''r^':7t^'''^''' «^-»sthen'm"rt 1 1: Amen ! ' '^^ '"""''' "^'"" ^^' '^^"h- ^'"^n- ^"^ ■ APPENDIX. I UKEM It expedient to notice part of a reply of the Christian Guardian to some queries proposed for his consideration ; as the reply contains much misrepresentation and falsehood, and is cal- culated to deceive the unwary reader upon points of importance. I. " Answer to the fourth query.— We have no objections ei- ther to prophesying or speaking in tongues, provided the professing gifted persons exhibit the scriptural ev-denccs of their gifts. Mi- raculous powers were the credentials of scripture prophets. Let the Irvingite prophets heal the sick, open the eyes of tho blind, dec, and we shall rejoice to acknowledge their Divine commis. sion. We are to judge them according to their works, not accord, ing to their pretensions. Again, the Apostles and many others spake in tongues, that is, languages ; so that all heard in their own tongues, or languages, the wonderful works of God. Acts ii. Now let our gifted " author" prove that tho Irvingites when they speak in tongues, (as they profess) do speak any tongue or language at all. If It be no language, then it proves tho existence of delusion instead of spiritual gifts ; if it be a language, lot our author pro. duce the same proof of it that the Apostles furnished on the day ot Pentecost."— The query was. First: Whether the Bible for. bids our sons and daughters to prophesy and speak with tongues, as the Spirit gives them utterance. Secondly: Whether it for- bids calling and ordaining in tho Spirit. To this the Editor eva- ded giving any reply, as may be seen above, but amused his rea- ders with something else. His saying " we have no objections^" ifcc, is no answer to the question ; for it is shackled with a " pro- vided" which destroys the seeming concession. It requires a proof " to prophesying or speaking in tongues" wholly unwarran- ted by sacred writ ; for that allows " the scriptural evidence of their gifts" to be the gifts themselves; while this caviller calls for a second or third miracle to prove the first : for the tongue and the gift of prophecy is as miraculous as raising the dead. " Miracu- lous powers were the credentials of the scripture prophets." So they were, in as far as the gift of prophecy was miracle : and no one will claim that it was natural, or the mere exercise of human will and human reason. It did not of course follow that a man with one gift must have more than one : " For as we have many -lem- bers in one body, and all members have not the same office : so we, being nmiiy, are one body in Christ." (Rom. 12: 4, 5.) "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom ; to another tho word of knowledge," &c,, enumerating in this distribution of one 116 gift to oncMncjrbor, (uiili, healing. p»o|,!k,c>, iiurncirn, .iiBceniin-r ol hpirijH, tongues, mtcrprfUilion )f tongues ; (1 Cor. 1 j : 4—10.) and 'lion dccluring lliiU all llicso woikeih llmt cue ami the sell, sp.aitt Spirit, divUin/rto every man severally m iui will. {)[ i.tres. Fity, when one meiiib(!r had hut one ollico, Iho girt wns iiu own •JVidcncc : hut hy the Christian Guardian's rule, it wuh, in such caao, impossible for the gifted person lu be credited for the want ol " crodontialn." God protect hia word from suvh < Juiirdiuna ' As to iho tongues, thiu most wntchfiil " Christian Guardian" ronlounds Iho «hA (wniongueu of the New Tostamont with tliu known tongues, " tlmt i«, languages," spoken to the multitude on the day ol Pentecost ; Keeping out of sight the fact of the un- ftwoif/i toiigii , as it would appear, for Iho sake of throwing ridi culo on " tho Irvingitc prophets." Is this fair ? is it Imncsl ? Ih h not rather •' handling the word of God deceitfully," for theei d of upholding human inventions? «' Foi lie that npeakcth in an un- ku.iwn tongue, sponketh not unto mrn, but unto God : for NO MAN understandcth him ;^ howbeit, in the Spirit ho speaketh mysteries." ( I Lor. 11 : 2.) Tho quick-sighted Guardian (his coat of arms is tliehyoof ProvidcncQ superintending an open Bible f ) appears to nssumo that because men do not understand a tongue, it is not u tongue, but an unmeaning gabble. But did ho that spake " in an unknown tongue,'' " speak any tongue or language at all? " Und it any meanmg, the Spirit who dictated it being judge, and God to whonri It was spoken being judge ? Was it " delusion instead ol' spiiilual gifts'? " Finally, the Guardian proves himself to be to- TALLV INCOMPETENT to judge " the Irvingitc Prophets," cither "ac corduig to their works," or " according to their pretensions ; " in- asmuch as he shews both an inexcusable ignorance of Scripluic lucts, and a more inexcusable propensity to " turn tho word oftiod into a he." The query proposed had nothing to do with iho pre. tensions of «' the Irvingilo Prophets." II. " Ansicer to the fifth query.— Tim query is founded on quibbling. It IS one thing to be " inwardly moved by tho Holy (.host and;jroD«(Zcnn 1 Tliis the " the guidance fGs" he says : md be assured is phantasm," ion, there can tit ; and hence ing! and this nple ground to any revelation is is a new and I plan.—" The . It is grate- ground for re- know the gui- temptations of words without Dial ignorance lible authority Ve have now ugh probably fair specimen " discouraged light ask our disproofs" of 'ables, certain humanity and ask questions igitc intcrprc- i kingdom, as utions of pro- and delivered 119 from the curse, id (o be the place of retribution for the godly and tli« wicked in the two future states of happiness and misery—*" tlie world to come" to both classes in opposition to " the world tl»at now is-" " Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit tlm earih." (Mat. 5: 5.) But both Scripture and popular theology teach us that 111 this present state we are strangers and pilgrims having no inheritance. Besides, it would seem a mockery to pronounce those words in the form of a living abiding truth, and then leave their fultilment to be sought in the midst of sin and misery, and within the compass of threescore and ten years, in a world actually under the dominion of tiMJ devil. The words are evidently pronounced as a definitive sentence of final blessing upon the 'people of God. *' Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth • mucli Jiiore the wicked and the sinners." (Prov. 11 : ai.) " And thou shalt be blessed ;. . .for thou shalt be recomj)ensed at the resurrec tion of tlie just." (Luke 14 : 14.) " Thou hast made us unto our Ood kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Rev 5 • 10.) " The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and he shall reign forever and ever " (Rev. 11 : 15.) " And they lived and reigned with Christ a thou- sand years' — " and they shall reign forever and ever." (Rev. 20 : 4 • 22 : o.) " The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his fa-' ther David : and he shall roign over the house of Jacob forever • and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1 : 32, 33.) " And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all l)eople, nations, and languages should serve him : his dominion is iin everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kintr domthat which shall not be destroyed But the Saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom" (from the great beasts which .shall arise out of the earth) " and possess the kingdo-n forever even forever and ever and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the Saints of the Most High." (Dan. 7 : 14, 18, 27.) " Blessed are the meek • FOR TiiEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH." In all thcsc texts the lo- cality is confined to this globe or planet. Again : " Thy kingdom come." To what place ? The earth. " Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." For how bnw a time ? The ans'-'er may be found in the above numerous quola- tions, especiall) .nose from Luke and Daniel. But before it can l)e so done, tJie race remaining in the fesh must be purged from ori- ginal sin, by a mighty act of the Lord Jef'-s, and not by infidel go- vernment, Temperance Societies, &c. ; for surely no man will pre- tend that the will of God can be so done by men, in v ' m the law of sin and the lusts of the flesh constantly incite them rebellion, and second the temptations of the devil. Did our Jesus so do the' will of God while in our mortal flesh ? No : for he did it bearing his cross, and fighting against the world, the flesh, and the devil. '!< I 120 'I'here is to bo on the cartli " no more curse," (Rev. 22 : 3J " as it is in heaven," which is jshewn in Rom. 8 : 18-23. Tlic IVew Jerusalem is to como down from (iod out of heaven to this planet ; but we arc told no where (hat it is to be peopled r,nd go up again : " and the nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it : and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour inio it: (Rev. 21 : 24.) "and the loaves of the tree" (of life growing in the city) " were for tlie healing of the nations:" ('23: 2.) for then and forever after there are to be men in the flesh, in " the natural body" as well as in " the spiritual body ;" for therk ark both, and always will be for any thing revealed to the contrary. And these things are after the resurrection and judgment. The earth was not made to be either annihilated, or rendered a perpetual desolation. This would be the devils' triumph, not God's, who brings life out of death, and glory out of fall and de- gradation. " For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; (Jod himself that formed the earth and made it ; he iiatii ksta- B^ISHGU IT, HE CREATED IT NOT IN VAIN, HE FORMED IT TO BE INHABITED." (Isa. 45 : 18.) He will renew the earth. "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth : and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. (Tsa. 65 : n.) Nevertlielcsy we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and anew earth, wherein dwoUeth righteousness." (2 Pet. 4 : 13.) " Then shall the earth yield her increase," (lo support i*^ inhabitants) " and (Jod, even our own God, shall bless us ;. . . .and ail the ends of the earth shall fear him." (Psa. 07 : 6, 7.) And the Jews are to be restored, and live as long as the trees live, in generations, in their own land, which was given to their nation ''for an everlasti,n"« ^or Jerusalem sl.nirJ'i V ^^^ "' *''^ ^^th verse he declares that Jerusalem shall be rebu.lt, and thrown down again no more for ever. thomancooln?. 1 '^'^"''^.'^^^^^^^ take out of iShets -fi ;/ •!."^'"f :• ^"^ '*^ this agree the words of the Iliis elecl niiml.o.. ^.. u . a naiion, ^. 1 Uai die comp etion of " ftho p,'o°0M d7,„nn2'°''''' '7 "' ""■""•"'viil ^ tl,„ completion .-.s a m™ i h?.V '^ ' ?'. ""'' ""= Mmmcncemcit of a now one • of tleNe"w ",ilV' '' ^^^if'- tJf Judgment, and the coming down their, orcUoTf.^^^ /°'' ^'f J^'^gn^ent of the great dSy, and ■^ntendtoml^^nl^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ subjected, will no! put andTf there SI wavofM-' '•' '^''^ \''''''^' nation'could not escape ; to tl/e n t?oi s tl.atfnv "'''"P"' *'•'•■" ^^ ^he same way of escape i-i e S wi ~ ""'''V^'^r''^ the Gospel : and that the Jews Ju^., under be nrln-o'n'"' ^'"^"^ ^^'" ^'^"'^ °*' ^''^i'' restoration to gone albns \ v^rld w Z ? ^^^s ""''^" ^'^''^ ^^^' '" successivo ti Ne "w jl e"S o<^ tl er^\, ^^'''' ^''^] '^' Old Jerusalem und Capital cSformenTt Ifl ( n 'T""'-"^ '""''^''^ ^'^e Old for the verie under the Lord ni r > '' ^''^ '^'^'^ ^'^^^ *'^« ^^P'^'^^ «f the uni- herit thelTng tr^^T^God . a Cor I'rV.Y'T' '^^ ^^"""^ '"^ crn — :^.- ., , °".' (iCor. 15:. 50.; will not be of that cho. "niverso in right 122 n of her Husband, and the New Jerusalem will be its capital ; for it is to be their Head Quarters, and suitable in splendour for the re- surrcction glory of the Lord Jesus, and those who are to be glori. fied together with him as joint heirs of God, being sons of God by the Holy Ghost." (Rom. 8: 16, 17.) Parallel with the two Jeru- ealems will be the lake of fire and brimstone for the damned in open view, as is declared in the last verses in Isaiah. " For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me continually, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me : for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quench, ed : and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh ; " that is, men in the flesh, in distinction from the resurrection body. For '« there are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial : but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. . . .There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." But this in the three last verses of Isaiah, is necessarily after the judgment, and casting of the wicked i.ito hell— after "the restitution of all things"— after the reconciliation of man with God, and of the in- ferior animals with man and with one another. This is a partial •ketch of the '« Irvingite interpretations" concerning the future condition of man and of this earth. I claim not to give it by in- spiration ; but as my judgment points it out to me on comparing Scripture with Scripture : but I utterly disclaim, both for myself and for all men, the possibility of having " a right judgment in all things'' independently of the interpretations of the word by its au- thor himself, and known to be such. 2. The unbiassed reader (if such there is) may now judge whether this scheme of interpreting those Scriptures 'which relate to " the world to come, whereof we speak," (Heb. 2 : 5,) can be overturned in favor of that scheme which carries the future state away from this globe, nobody pretends to know where, and either an- iiihilates it, or makes it the subject of eternal cursing and desolation. As to the Guardian's " disproofs of Irvingite interpretations," I need not further consider them, as I conceive what is above said quite sufficient to establish the fact, that they are quite as well intilled to credit and respect as his own system of interpretation. Every state must have place and locality, especially as man, whether in the na- tural or spiritual body cannot exist independently of space and place. But some people con never reconcile themselves to the idea of any permanent realities on this side of the most distant stars. To be desirable, it must be infinitely distant and improbable. — I shall now go back to the Guardian's " answer to the third query," which con- tains his rule for interpreting Scripturo. (hat is : " We have no an- >ital ; for it r for the re- to be glori. 3 of God by le two Jeru. damned in " For as the hall remain 3d and your e new moon lesh come to ;o forth and ssed against I be quench - It is, men in For " there glory of the r. . . .There this in the gment, and ition of all id of the in- is a partial the future ive it by in- comparing 1 for myself Igment in all •d by its au- now judge >vhich relate 5,) can be future state nd either an- I desolation, ons," I need e said quite 3ll intilled to Every state er in the na- :e and place. idea of any irs. To be -I shall now which con- have no an. 123 except the harmony, and reason, and truth, apnarmt in the inter pretations themsolvcs." And is this the InfUll b'ili y of lavrni 'a UIGHT JITDGMKNT IN AM. Tl.IX.s ? (hi, which at ijt iL but JLan Judgment and opmion ? Is this what the Lord Jesus meant Irhe sent the Holy Comforter to load the Church into nil S Tteach her al thmgs, to shew her things to come, to speak in the Churc tits of cr^':; ""I''"' l-^atherandtheSon, to take of he CHmsTiIvC '!'''.''' show them to her ?-Remember that the ,;j;r » ^ «UARDiA?.-'s coat of arms is the Eve of Providence su penntendmg an open Blhh /-It had hotter be -some dovi Je sfsn^fi" cant of " the March of Intellect," or " the Age o(- Reason -"fhc: observ^ations. "Behold I and the children^vhich God Lth Jiven ne Jorasmuch then as the children are partakers of Hesh and blood, he also himself Uhemse took pan of IhLame; mLruLvl nKATH he might destroy Imn that had the pow.r o? dealh, Xu their lis •' ^"^d^^'^^r th^'" who through fear of death \ve e a 1 he.r lifetime subject to bondage. For verily betook not on him the nature of Angels, but the seed of Abraham. W u kohe A ALL Tirir^Gs U behooved him to be made like unto his br^tTn rVZ ing unto God to make reconc.hafion for the sins of (i.c neonle -- For in that he h.mself heth suffered being tempted, he isTwoT. succour them that are tempted." ^leb. 2 : 13- V '^W have not an Il.gh Priest which cannot be touched with the feehnVof our .nfirmmes ; but was in all points tempted like as weT^\ol without sin," namely, transgression or short-coming. ^'let Is THEnEPORE, comn boldly unto the throne of Grace, thatweZvob tarn mercy, and Juid graee to help in time of n,ed. (licb.l? t y . ^"TJ °l '"^^^ ^"'*' of flesh and blood are -the childm which God hath given" Christ partakes ? Reader, do vou know cr tTolfr ''T "'' '^ "^ ^^ ^''^' ^"^' '''°«'^ .^•-»- blessed Redel: cr took upon h.m. Do yon know what he took it for? It „-as t. destroy the dev.l and sin ibr you, and to .loliver you from etmia perdition. Why did it behoove him to take vo, r own flesh and blood upon lam, and in all things be nmde like unto vou" 1? at he might be to you a merciful and faithful High Priest unto God for you, and make reconciliation for your sins. At how man v points are you tempted ? At so many was he. For what purpose'^ riiat he might succour you .n your temptations, being touched «ith pity for you in remembrance of his own temptations. What is the medaim through vvhich you are tempted? That (le^h and blood and fra.K lall-,n humanity, which your Saviour ..K>k in order n In > -^^e^ V^ rH^?^-'^ '4 J^