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administer baptism to infants, admit no sponsors, they cannot use a creed on such occasions, and having no authorized liturgy, they have no opportunity of introducing one into the public service of their congregations.

"A church, which neither demands of its ministers a confession of their faith, nor admits a creed for declaring the belief of its congregations, might be supposed to be destitute of every restraint, which could secure the stability of its tenets. External events have, however, very curiously provided a principle of restraint, which in some imperfect degree supplies the deficiency of internal regulation.

The early avowal of Arianism in the university of Glasgow, to which the candidates for the Presbyterian ministry of Ireland resorted for education, was soon extended to this country; and the Presbytery of Antrim was on that account, in the year 1726, separated from the general synod as heretical, though still permitted to retain its concern in the distribution of the regium donum, and for that purpose only to send its deputies to the meetings of the synod. A reaction on the other hand having occurred in the Church of Scotland, a body of seceders was in the year 1786 formed in that country, professing to recur to the original principles of the church, which they considered as then generally abandoned. This separation also was speedily propagated into the northern province of Ireland, where accordingly a body of Presbyterian Seceders was formed in the year 1740. The synod of Ulster was in this manner flanked by two extreme parties of Presbyterians, of which the Presbytery of Antrim was avowedly Arian, and the Seceders were rigorously Calvinistic: and probably was, by the natural action of these extreme parties, retained in an intermediate position, which a church so imperfectly constituted, could otherwise have scarcely maintained." *

"Even, however, with the aid of these exterior agencies, a conscientious Presbyterian, who reflects on the religious circumstances of his church, may reasonably doubt whether he can securely depend on it for the religious instruction of himself and his family. Within the limits by which it is thus contained, a great variety of religious principles may still be found, and where no confession is prescribed to the ministers, no creed recited by the laity, the doctrine of the church must fluctuate with the changing current of prevailing opinion. In a church so constituted indeed, every incidental tendency to deterioration must be continually strengthened. If a minister be chosen for his popular talents, whose concealed opinions are heterodox, he will in his ministry so corrupt his congregation, that they will afterwards prefer a man, whose opinions are known to be of the same description, having no fixed standard either for his principles, or for their own.

"If, to remove this uncertainty, the synod should be induced to recur to their ancient Confession of Faith, they would return to that which, as has already been exemplified in every instance, has naturally tended to pass into that very Arianism or Socinianism, from which, in returning to it, they would endeavour to escape. What then would be gained by the change? They would have abandoned a system, in which very various opinions are held at the same time, for another, the natural tendency of which has actually shewn itself to be, to an alter

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nate movement between the extremes of Calvinistic Trinitarianism, and of Arianism or Socinianism.

"An established liturgy presents a difficulty in the way of union, though one, the importance of which, it is believed, is now much less highly estimated than in preceding times. It is doubtless impressive, to hear an able minister praying, as if under the influence of a present inspiration from heaven; and, if he were really so inspired, all must listen to him with awe and interest. But if the ministers of the Presbyterian Church do not receive the assistance of inspiration, many must furnish the public prayers in an inadequate, some in an extremely defective manner; and as even the ablest must find it expedient to premeditate their prayers, no sufficient reason seems to exist, why they should not also be prepared for the use of the congregation in a printed form. It is certainly possible that a printed form should be read with as much devotion, as a premeditated prayer could be delivered without book, and the form possesses the inestimable advantage, that the congregation is enabled to join with the minister in supplication, instead of merely listening to the words which he may utter, and which he renders as various, and consequently as unexpected, as his talents may enable him to do. It probably happens indeed, that a congregation becomes so familiar with the manner of its minister, that it is enabled often to anticipate the expressions which he shall use in prayer. This advantage, however, only substitutes the customary supplications of an individual for the authorized forms of a liturgy, without any advantage in exciting interest by varied combinations of language. Independently of such an advantage, which is in truth but an approach to a settled liturgy, the only part of the public service, in which a Presbyterian congregation can be said to join the minister, is the psalmody, and in this, because it is a printed form."

"Besides the general disadvantage of not being prepared to unite in supplications not previously known, others of great importance have also arisen from the want of a settled liturgy. One of these is, that the prayers form a much smaller part of the public observance of the Sabbath, for the talents of the ministers cannot with the expected variety supply prayers sufficiently detailed. The sermon or the lecture, delivered by the minister, thus becomes the great business of the congregation, which is accordingly assembled rather to hear the instruction of the preacher, perhaps to be gratified by the display of his ability, possibly to gratify themselves by pronouncing a judgment on the performance, than to have an opportunity of uniting their supplications, and of availing themselves of the benefit of that special presence, which Christ has in such a case promised to his followers. This is more especially observable in the Dutch Church, in which the time of the prayers has been reduced to about one-fifth of that of the whole attendance. Another disadvantage is the discontinuance of the practice of reading the Scriptures to the congregation. This practice had been only recommended to the Church of Scotland in the directory for public worship, not ordained as in that of England, and the consequence has been, that it is wholly abandoned."

"Our Saviour has dictated a form of prayer, which, according to one Evangelist, was to be actually used by Christians, and according to

another, was to be the model of their imitation. We have observed the directions of both. We recite the prayer itself in every service, and we use other stated prayers, which pious men have composed in humble imitation of that unexceptionable form. That these are not unacceptable to Presbyterians, appears from this, that they have for domestic devotion, a selection of the prayers of our liturgy: and Bishop Hacket and Bishop Bull are known to have attracted the admiration of dissenters to our offices, when they recited them from memory. "The Athanasian Creed has indeed been commonly mentioned, as an insuperable impediment to forming a union with the Established Church, this form of faith being generally regarded, as an attempt to dictate imperiously to the consciences of men, prompted by a spirit of over weening and excessive refinement on the communications of God.

"If, however, the author has been successful in endeavouring to prove, that this creed is not a collection of metaphysical refinements, but a simple statement of doctrines, as held to have been communicated in the sacred writings, and that to this simple statement no damnatory clause has really been annexed, the solemn denunciations of the creed referring only to the indispensable importance of a true faith in Christ; it may be hoped, that this great impediment has at length been wholly removed, especially as the doctrines of the creed have been specifically adopted in that Confession which was the original standard of the Presbyterian Church.

"There was a time when the dress of the Clergy and some few ceremonies presented the great difficulties in the way of a union of Protestants. Nor was it at that time unreasonable, that these things should be regarded with a jealous alienation of mind; for the Established Church was, in that early period of the reformed religion, regarded by those who affected a more perfect regeneration of religion, as influenced by a tendency to return to the doctrines and practices of Rome, of which these things were considered as unequivocal indications. As, however, no one can now suspect the Established Church of any disposition to relinquish the religion of the Bible for one corrupted by the inventions of men, these differences cannot any longer be considered as impediments. No Presbyterian can now think, that the surplice of the Established Church is more favourable to the religion of Rome, than the cloak of Geneva, or that to kneel at the administration of the Lord's Supper betrays any inclination to admit the doctrine of transub

stantiation.

"If the most efficient principle in maintaining the distinctness of the two churches, be the gratification of choosing, by a popular election, the ministers employed in conducting the public worship of a congregation, and in superintending the spiritual concerns of the individuals who compose it, this gratification might remain undisturbed, for it is actually experienced in the chapels which are licensed under the Establishment."

"If the impediment which obstructs a union of the two churches be a preference of a parity of ranks among the clergy, let it be considered, whether this preference was not accidental in its origin, and is not therefore now maintained only through the influence of habit:"

"When circumstances are thus favourable to religious union, the mind is naturally prompted to enquire, why the two churches remain distinct, particularly at a time when extraordinary efforts are exerted to reanimate the religion of Rome, which, however we may be disposed to cherish social harmony, must ever, in a religious view, be considered as the common adversary of both. Perhaps no more satisfactory reason can be assigned, than that they continue distinct, because they have long been separate, and no one has yet thought of enquiring, whether the causes of separation had ceased to operate.

"A scheme of union has, indeed, been at three different times attempted in England without success; in the conference of HamptonCourt after the accession of James I., in the conference at the Savoy immediately after the Restoration, and in the plan of comprehension discussed after the Revolution. These efforts failed; but the circumstances in each case were such, that success was unattainable." * *

"The causes of mutual alienation have long lost their influence, especially in Ireland, where every trace of political distinction has been effaced during almost the half of a century. At this time, on the contrary, there are even in operation, causes which should dispose the minds of both parties, especially those of the Presbyterians, to union. Both should be alike influenced by that prevailing principle, the apprehension of the efforts of their common adversaries. The Presbyterians should now be sensible of the disadvantages of their existing system, under which they are actually divided in regard to the most important doctrinés, and must in each congregation be ever exposed to the evil of uncertainty in regard to the religious principles of their ministers. The Clergy of the Established Church can, on the other hand, be influenced by no motive, except a consideration of the interest of religion; for the accession merely of the laity of the Presbyterians would but increase the labour of their duties, and that of the ministers would open to others the participation of their advantages. That church too is now much more worthy of the union that in any former period, for a spirit of religion has gone forth among its ministers, which has rendered them much more generally zealous in the discharge of their sacred duties; and it should be remembered that this revival of religious zeal began, as Dr. Buchanan has remarked in the passage already cited, not among those who had abandoned forms, but in halls and colleges, amidst rational forms and evangelical articles."

ON THE REPUTED SOCINIANISM OF LOCKE.

To the Editor of the Christian Remembrancer.

SIR,-If you think the following letter worthy of insertion, as a short and popular refutation of the notion that Mr. Locke was a Socinian, it is quite at your service.

In the catalogue of books in divinity recommended by Bishop Watson in the 6th volume of his Theological Tracts, his Lordship

has mentioned "a letter writ in the year 1730, by Dr. Lardner," and takes this opportunity of observing, that Locke was esteemed a Socinian.

It is not my intention, on the present occasion, to inquire how far it was judicious in the learned Prelate to point out with approbation to young persons of every denomination, and especially to students of the Universities, and the younger Clergy, works professedly written in defence of Socinian or Arian tenets: my present object is solely to consider, how far Bishop Watson was justified in saying, that Mr. Locke was esteemed a Socinian; and as his Lordship has given no authority for the assertion, I mean to appeal to Mr. Locke himself,-an appeal that I am well persuaded would have been treated with respect by the Bishop himself, were he now living, as no man thought more highly of Mr. Locke than he did; no man gave him more credit for sincerity in the declaration of his opinions. See Bishop Watson's Miscellaneous Tracts, Vol. II. pp. 350, 355.

If, then, from the words of Mr. Locke, I can make it appear, by fair inference, and by direct confession, that he was a member of the Church of England, the consequence will be obvious, that he could not have been a Socinian *.

In his second Letter concerning Toleration, he says, fol. edit. London, 1722, p. 275:

"I hope I have done you no injury, that I here suppose you of the Church of England. If I have, I beg your pardon. It is no offence of malice, I assure you. For I suppose no worse of you than I confess of myself,"

Again, p. 545, Vindic. of the Reasonableness of Christianity:

"I shall not much complain of him, since he joins me with no worse company than two eminently pious and learned Prelates of our Church."

These were Bishop Taylor, and the Author of the Naked Truth. In the third Letter for Toleration, pp. 372, 375, he says,

"I grant that the true religion necessary to salvation is taught and professed in the Church of England. I agree with you, that there is but one only and true religion; I agree too, that that one only true religion is professed and held in the Church of England."

In the same Letter, after saying that (pp. 308, 309,).

"The present Church of England had a greater number, in proportion, than possibly any other age of the Church ever had, of those who, by their pious lives and labours in the ministry, adorn the profession;"

* We cannot quite agree with our Correspondent as to the validity of his conclusion to that extent to which he would carry it: for the question is, not to what communion Locke belonged, but what his opinions were on peculiar points of theology. Certainly it will follow, that if Locke was a true and genuine son of the Church of England, he could not have been a Socinian; but a man (a layman of course we mean) may be Socinian in heart, and yet prefer the communion of the Church of England to any other. Perhaps our Correspondent thinks it sufficiently apparent, from the extracts which he has given, that Locke was a Churchof-England man in heart, as well as in profession. We must say, it does not so appear to us. His argument, however, may avail collaterally.

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