less accompanied by inward devotion; that to be members of the visible Church will not secure our salvation, unless we are living members of the body of Christ; and that outward ordinances are then only valuable when they promote our advancement in genuine faith and holiness." Three plain Reasons against separating from the Established Church. By EDWARD PEARSON, B. D. Rector of Rempstone, Nottinghamshire. 12mo. pp. 36. EVERY thing which comes from the pen of Mr. Pearson is sure to command attention and respect from every admirer of sound reasoning and orthodox principles. His sermon on the sin of schism is one of the closest, most convincing and perspicuous theological tracts in the English language; and the present pamphlet, though small in compass, is not at all inferior to it. The three reasons here stated, and most ably and clearly argued, are 1. "Because unity among Christians is injoined in Scripture: 2. Because uniformity of public worr ship among Christians, who are in habits of intercourse with each other, is a necessary means of preserving unity: 3. Because to join in the established form of public wor ship, is part of that obedience which we owe to our civil rulers." The liberal exsion of toleration in this kingdom, and which we would wish to see better regulated, but not abridged, makes too many persons insensible to the evil of schism. On this subject Mr. Pearson has these judigious remarks: "Toleration is intended as an indulgence to the conscience, not as an indulgence to the fancy! You may sometimes heara person arguing thus: "The laws permit me to worship in a church or in u meeting-house; I'have, therefore, a full right to worship in either, as I please." That any one has a legal right to do so; that is, that he is not liable to any human punishment for going to a meeting-house, must be allowed; but this is by no means the whole of the matter. Notwithstanding this exemp tion from human punishment, the thing itself may be exceedingly wrong. Human laws permit, that is, they do not punish, many things, which no one can be justified in doing. Some of the greatest greatest offences, and particularly offences against God, do not come, nor can they properly come, under the cognizance of human laws. Let us suppose the case, that the laws against swearing and sabbath-breaking were repealed (as indeed, considered how ill they are put in execution, they almost as well might be) would those practices therefore cease to be crimes? A man might then say, "The laws permit me to swear, and to prophane the sabbath; I have, therefore, a full right to do so." Every one sees the absurdity, as well as the wickedness of this. This case, however, is exactly the same as the former, if it be true, as I have endeavoured to show, that unity is injoined Christians on divine authority, that uniformity of public worship is a necessary means of preserving unity, and that, as such, this uniformity is required of us by our civil rulers, though not enforced by penal laws, On the various pleas set up by the Sectarists for their separation from the established Church, Mr. Pearson makes the following excellent observations: Dissenters from the Church of England have been industrious in multiplying their reasons of dissent, because, as it should seem, they have no good reason to give. It ought however to be remembered, that many bad reasons will not make a good one. Were such reasons, as are commonly alleged, ten times as numerous as they are, they would be but of little avail. The only good reason is, the being required to join in a sinful mode of worship; and very few dissenters will venture to affirm, that the Church of England requires this. This is the reason, which, in kingdoms or nutions where the Romish religion was the established one, justihed the early reformers in separating from it; and this is the only reason, by which separation from an established religion can be Justified. The reason for separation, on which dissenters seem most to rely, is this, that an opening may be left for improvements, that Christians may not be tied down to an unalterable, standard of doctrine, or form of worship, but may be at liberty. to make such changes in either, as the clearer discovery of truth may show to be necessary. To the principle itself, which is here pleaded for, I have no objection; but I object strongly to its being applied, as dissenters apply it, in opposition to every religious establishment whatever. I have already observed, that the Church of England does not shut the door to improvements; and there seems no reason to doubt, that such alterations will from time to time be adopted, as shall be likely to answer any useful purpose. But what, we may ask, is the effect of the liberty pleaded for, as it is exercised by dissenters? No other than this, that the faith and worship of each particular congregation is: liable to perpetual fluctuation, and left to be moulded by the caprice of any individual among them, who may happen, by his ability or learning, or the opinion entertained of these, to have obtained obtained an ascendency over the rest. Accordingly, while some of the successors of the old dissenters have advanced still further in enthusiasm, others have gone over to Anti-trinitarianism that is, to the denying of the divinity of our Saviour, the doctrine of original sin, or the depravity of human nature, and the doctrine of atonement; thus, in the estimation of those, who remain firm in the faith once delivered to the saints, ing of the fruit of their own ways, and being filled with their own devices." Prov. i. 31. eat, "With respect to the plea of better edification, which is urged by the Methodists in particular, it is of no, validity at all, even allowing the truth of the supposition, on which the plea is founded. It would be a matter much to be lamented, if the Church of England did not make a proper provision for teaching. It would, however, be no good reason for separation. Teaching, or what is commonly, though not properly, called preaching, is a very useful branch of the Christian ministry; but still it is only an inferior branch. To make our attachment to the Church, therefore, to be dependent upon this, is to act inconsistently with the comparative value of things; and no excuses for deserting the Church, which are founded upon this, are sufficient ones, What indeed can be a sufficient excuse for the breach of a plain and positive obligation? Were I a layman, I might sometimes have occasion to say, "I should gratify my curiosity more today, and might be more instructed, by going to the meeting. house, than by going to my parish-church, for the preacher at the meeting-house is more eloquent and more learned than the preacher at my parish-church. I will not, however, do do this; because I will not enjoy a pleasure, or obtain an advantage, at the expence of a, known duty; much less will I, under the specious pretence of performing my duty, act in opposition to it." Or, a person might say to me, "Go with me to our meeting-house to day; we are to have a gifted preacher there, who has lately been called to the ministry." "What," I should ask, "do you mean by a gifted preacher? Would you insinuate that, that the ability of a ready utterance, which may so easily. be attained by natural means, and which is indeed so common, is to be compared with the miraculous gift of utterance spoken of by the apostle? If so, you speak either ignorantly or prophanely; for we have just reason to suppose, that the miraculous gifts which were conferred on the apostles for the confirmation and first propagation of the Gospel, were intended to be withdrawn when, by the establishment of a regularly appointed ministry, there should be no farther need of them; and we know, that such a ministry has long been established in this nation. If, therefore, your preacher, under the notion of being endowed. with the gift of utterance, persuade himself, that he is called to the ministry in any sense like that, in which they were called to it, who are said to be so in the New Testament, he sadly deceives himsell, himself. But, be this as it may, since you tempt me to desert a known duty, it is my part to resist the temptation. If your preacher teach the doctrines, which are taught in the Church, he ought, in order to sanctify them to my use and benefit, to teach them in the Church, and according to the ordinances of the Church. If he teach any other doctrines, I have been warned, "not to give heed to seducing spirits," and have been told, that, "in the latter times some shall depart from the faith. 1 Tim. iv. 1." When we go to hear a minister of the established Church, we know what doctrines he must teach, if he keep faithful to his solemn engagements. He may, indeed, not keep to those engagements; but we have the security of his fidelity, that he will do so; whereas, in attending any other minister, we have no security at all, that he will teach those doctrines, which have been approved of by the Church, as the result of the serious and welldigested counsels of the generality of the Christian world. He is entirely at liberty, or fancies himself so, to give any new-fangled representation of the Christian scheme, which may happen to occur to him. This at least is the case of those self-appointed ministers, who abound among the Methodists. It is to be lamented that some means are not adopted to distribute such convincing and seasonable tracts as the present, among the persons for whom they are principally intended. They may be serviceable, no doubt, to those who are "rooted and stablished in the truth;" but we should rather wish to have them read by those who are inclining to separate, or have actually departed from the established Church. There is too much reason to apprehend, that the members of our communion are not sufficiently zealous in this respect, otherwise they would be as ready in distributing pamphlets of this description, as the sectaries themselves are in circulating others of a contrary tendency. POETRY. The GENEALOGY of CHRIST, as it is represented on the East Window of Winchester College Chapel. Written at Winton School, by BISHOP LOWтH. A To T once to raise our rev'rence and delight, To elevate the mind and please the sight, pour in virtue at th' attentive eye, And waft the soul on wings of extasy; f 446 Who views the sacred form, in thoughts aspires, While softest slumbers seem to seal his eyes; Hark! (or our ears delude us,)..from his tongue * Jesse. Here |
