ations as the terms gibbet or gallows do to our's. Christians who from long habit have learned to think honorably of the cross, forget often how much of dishonour the name brought with it to heathen hearers. 66 66 The Gospel gives a detailed account of the trial (if it deserve the name,) and crucifixion of our Lord. Judas is represented as giving four evidences of sincerity, though he did not, scripturally speaking, repent. He made confession of his guilt; cleared Christ's character; restored the money; and destroyed himself. All this however was but from remorse,* not penitence. The enraged priests gave no comfort to the miserable man, "what is that to us?" And yet they did not really think so, for in Acts they say, 'ye intend to bring this man's blood on us." Testimony to our Lord's innocence came from many quarters, Pilate's wife, the thief upon the cross. Insult from every quarter also, as it is described in the Twenty-second Psalm, “ Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round," that is the rulers; and again, ،، dogs have encompassed me," that is, the common people. Our Lord taught even on the cross; he seems to have spoken seven times. "Rocks rent:" there is still shewn at Calvary a rock rent to an unknown depth across the strata. The darkness must have been miraculous, as there could have been no eclipse of the sun, it being the Passover, which was always at full moon. The "bodies of the saints" which arose, were probably those of Simeon and Anna, and other persons known in the "holy city." It is remarkable that the third hour (nine o'clock,) when our Lord was crucified, was the time of the Jewish morning sacrifice, and the ninth hour (three o'clock,) when he gave up the ghost, was that of the evening sacrifice. GOOD FRIDAY. The Epistle, Heb. x. 1. The Gospel, St. John, xix. 1. This day has been observed as an holy day from a very early period of the Christian Church. Eusebius (who lived in the latter end of the third and beginning of the fourth century,) says it was so in his time, and long before. There is a beautiful progression in the Collects for this day; the first for ourselves; the second for the Christian Church; the third for unconverted nations. The Epistle points out, that from the very construction of the old Jewish ritual it was but temporary and preparative. And the arguments brought forward by St. Paul go completely to subvert the Romish doctrine of the sacrifice of the Mass as a true propitiatory sacrifice. The repetition of them as he shews, evidences their insufficiency,-happy would it be for this country if the inhabitants instead of putting their trust in a priest, who "standeth daily ministering, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifice," would turn to him who " by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Pilate's conduct as depicted in the Gospel, furnishes a striking illustration of the difference between superstitious and con'scientious fear. When he heard that Christ called himself "the Son of God," he was "the more afraid." He thought some harm might happen him. Yet he delivered him up, believing him innocent; he did not fear doing an unjust thing. This very man however, who shewed a criminal flexibility in permitting the urgency of others to persuade him to deliver into their hands one, of whom he said himself, "I find no fault in him," became afterwards inflexible in a trifle: he would not alter the title on the cross to please the chief priests :-" what I have written, I have written." This is not to be accounted for on natural principles. EASTER DAY. The Epistle, Coloss. iii. 1. The Gospel, St. John xx. 1. This is the highest of all our feasts, and was observed as such, indeed commanded to be such, according to St. Augustine, either by the Apostles or the first General Councils. The word Easter or Oster signifies" to rise," in the Saxon language. The practice which is still in use in the Greek Church, of persons saluting each other on this day with the words "Christ is risen," to which is replied," he is risen indeed," was of early adoption in the Primitive Church. It is in reference perhaps to this custom, that instead of the psalm "O come, let us sing," &c. there is introduced, with us, a series of sentences, allusive to the glorious event of Christ's resurrection from the grave. The exhortation from the Epistle, "If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above," seems to be founded upon baptismal engagements. We may observe too, that if for the sake of the evil practices here mentioned "the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience," how much more heavily may it be expected to fall upon professing Christians doing such things. Mary seems never to have lost sight of the body of Jesus, till she saw it placed in the sepulchre. She is also the first to visit the place, and the first to whom our Lord appeared. The terrified soldiers announced the resurrection to the priests; angels to the women; women to the disciples. Peter "saw the linen clothes lie," &c. there was no appearance of hurry or disorder. He went away wondering. St. John saw and believed. He was of a more calm and reflecting character. MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS. A VINDICATION OF THE FAITH AND ANTIQUITY OF THE VALLENSIC AND ALBIGENSIC CHURCHES; IN REPLY TO The Bishop of Meaux's Argument against Protestantism, on the score of its alleged defectiveness in Visible Perpetuity. BY G. S. FABER, B. D. SECTION I. The Argument of the Bishop of Meaux against Protestantism from its alleged defectiveness of Ecclesiastical Perpetuity. WHEN the Romanist asks the Protestant where his Church was before Luther? it has often been deemed sufficient to reply, that it was in the Bible. Yet we may be allowed to doubt, whether the person, who gives such an answer to such a question, is fully aware of the true tendency and bearing of the question itself. No Church indeed can be a sincere Church, unless its doctrines correspond with Holy Scripture: but, notwithstanding the general truth of this position, the simple reply, that the Church of the Protestant is in the Bible, is certainly an insufficient answer to the question of the Romanist. The reason of its insufficiency is this: when the tendency and bearing of the question are considered, such an answer is wide of the mark; and, therefore, it is altogether irrelevant to the real matter in debate. Of the Bishop of Meaux's very acute work, on the Variations of the Protestant Churches, perhaps the most acute part, or at least the most plausible part, is that which specially treats of our common professed belief in the Holy Catholic Church, as set forth in one of the articles in the Creed.* I. Christ has promised, that he will build his Church upon a rock, and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. He has further promised to be with his disciples alway even to the end of the world, while they shall be engaged in their ministerial office of teaching and baptizing all nations. And, speaking through the mouth of his inspired Apostle St. Paul, he has yet additionally described his Church as a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but on the contrary holy and without blemish.§ II. Now, from such premises, the Bishop of Meaux lays down the four following positions. * Hist. des Variat. livr. xv. Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. Matt. xvi. 10. § Ephes. v. 27. 1. The Church, respecting which Christ speaks, must inevitably be a visible Church. 2. This visible Church always exists. 3. The truth of the Gospel is constantly professed by the whole society. 4. The society itself is not permitted to fall away from sound doctrine.* III. These positions having been professedly laid down on the authority of Scriptural premises, the Bishop, by their aid, undertakes to shew, that no modern Protestant Church can be a part or member of the Church Catholic as defined agreeably to the descriptive promises of Christ. What is it, he asks the Protestants, that you wish to reform ? Their answer is: the Church of Rome. But can you produce, he goes on to interrogate them, any other visible Church, in which, at the time of the pretended Reformation, the precise doctrine, which you wish to establish as an improvement upon the doctrine of the Roman Church, was actually and avowedly professed? This trying question, his Lordship, on behalf of the Protestants, answers in the negative.+ Hence the general conclusion, which results from such an acknowledgment, is abundantly evident. Christ has promised, that a faithful and sincere Church shall always be visible upon earth. But Protestants are unable to produce any one visible Church, which, at the time of the pretended Reformation, agreed with them on every doctrinal point. Therefore, if Protestantism do indeed set forth the true Gospel, the promise of Christ has manifestly failed. But, as all are agreed, the promise of Christ cannot fail of accomplishment, therefore, finally, the Churches of the Protestants cannot be faithful and sincere Churches. IV. Having thus annihilated the claims of Protestantism, the Bishop proceeds, on the same principle, to shew, that the true Catholic Church must of necessity be confined to the Church of Rome, and the several Churches in communion with her. If the Church always visibly exists, there must be an unbroken succession.+ But, in the whole universe, this unbroken succession can only be found in the Church of Rome: or, at least, to give the Protestants every advantage in argument, it can only be found in Churches, whose system of doctrine is as little favourable to Protestantism as the system of the Roman Church herself. Therefore, whatever becomes of the rest of the world, the Church of Rome must at all events be a most eminent branch of the faithful and sincere Church Catholic. For, unless this be granted, the promises of Christ, relative to the perpetuity of his Church without spot or wrinkle, will be null and void; inasmuch as Pro Hist. des Variat, livr. xv. § 3. testants, so far from being able to establish an unbroken succession, cannot even so much as point out a single visible Church, which, at the time of the pretended Reformation, agreed with them on all points of doctrine.* V. Such being the case, the grand difficulty, says the Bishop, will always be, to shew us a visible Church or Society, composed of pastors and of pcople, where, on the principles of Protestantism, we can find sound doctrine ALWAYS preserved down to the time of Luther.+ If such a visible Church can be produced, then let its claims and its perfect accordance with modern Protestantism be established on sufficient testimony. But, if such a visible Church cannot be produced, then, without impeaching the veracity of Christ's promises, it will be impossible to maintain the doctrinal soundness of modern Protestantism. Thus evident is it, that the production of a visible Church of this description is absolutely essential to the very vitality of the Protestant cause; and thus certain is it, that the reply, frequently given to the question as to where the Church of the Protestant was before the time of Luther, is wholly irrelevant to the true drift and purport of that question. SECTION II. Remarks on the Bishop of Meaux's Argument. Before I attempt to solve the difficulty so ably and so acutely stated by the Bishop of Meaux, it will be necessary, both to examine the four positions which he has deduced from the promises of Christ, and to point out certain fallacies which to a careless reader may not be immediately obvious. 1. I shall begin with examining the four positions, which the Bishop has deduced from the promises of Christ.‡ 1. That Christ spake of a visible Church, actually subsisting in the form of a tangible society and officially taught by a succession of literal pastors, is, I readily allow, a matter so clear, that it cannot be reasonably disputed. We may, if it so please us, speak mystically of an invisible Church, meaning by the term the whole collective body of the truly pious who alone at the day of judgment will be finally saved; nor am I aware, that there is any particular impropriety in using such a phrase in such a sense: but, from the very necessity of their purport and phraseology, I think it indisputable, that the promises of our Lord were made to a visible Church or society, administered by visible pastors, who should literally and succes Hist, des Variat. livr. xv. § 39. + Hist. des Variat. livr. xv. § 11. |