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CORRESPONDENCE-REVISION OF THE CHURCH SERVICES. 87

his own soul. That this same principle applies to both sacraments alike, is evident from the concluding words of Article XXV.,-"And in such only as worthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect or operation: but they that receive them unworthily purchase to themselves damnation, as St. Paul saith." The words they and them refer, it is clear, to both the sacraments, to Baptism just as much as to the Lord's Supper. Yet many who tremble at the thought of receiving the latter, make very light indeed of the former! They seem, indeed, to think Baptism a mere matter of course. Are we faithful, in endeavouring to give them better instruction in regard to an ordinance of such unspeakable moment? Do we preach as if the solemnity and responsibility of Baptism were just as great as those of the Lord's Supper? Or do we, in our own families, and in catechetical instruction, carry out into practice the Exhortation with which the Baptismal

Service concludes?

These are some brief and imperfect hints as to the improvement of our position and advantages, when we rightly understand them. Much more might be added; the subject, indeed, grows upon me as I proceed. But I have already trespassed too long upon your patience, and that of your readers. May the Lord pour out upon all His faithful ministers in our Church the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind!

I remain,
Yours, faithfully in the Lord,
A. S. THELWALL.

To the Editor.

Sir,-With all respect for Mr. Thelwall, I must say, that I never read letters that appeared to be more beside the question that he undertakes to discuss, than those which bear his signature in your last two numbers.

Shall some few passages in the Prayer-Book be amended? This question has been answered in the affirmative by numbers whose consciences are wounded by the use of those passages,-who consider that they afford

a shelter for Tractarian heresy, and are calculated to mislead the multitude. Mr. Thelwall says, that the mooting of such a question is "unprofitable," that "christian Reformers had deeper, clearer, and more scriptural views of the nature of baptism, and of the principles on which alone liturgical services are constructed, than those who are now proposing to alter them;". that he thinks these services "fairly defensisible," and, he has "no confidence whatever in any existing party or body of men to whom he could "conceive it possible that the work of revision could or would be entrusted;" that our Articles and Homilies speak an unmistakeable language, that they are all on the Evangelical side; that those who are not prepared deliberately and resolutely to maintain Evangelical and Protestant truth, as it is stated in these documents, should quit our Church;-that those who do maintain this truth as expounded in them, will be able “rightly to understand, and duly to use our excellent and scriptural Liturgy in all its extent," and without scruple, that if a person be a fit subject for baptism, or if he ought to have christian burial, our Services for such occasions are most suitable and beautiful; that the real grievance is not that such persons should be baptized "with a particular service, but that they should have been baptized at all." That every individual, whether infant or adult, who is baptized, is received and embraced by the Church, being in promise and profession regenerate," and that "No changes in our Liturgy,- -no possible exercise of discipline," could relieve us from the difficulties and grievances of which we complain.

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This, I believe, is the substance of Mr. Thelwall's argument. Does Mr. T. really think that because he can make use of all the expressions in these Occasional Services without hesitation, that to endeavour to relieve those whose consciences are outraged whenever they use those expressions, is an unprofitable labour? Does he think it an unprofitable labour that we should endeavour to deprive Dr.

Pusey, and those who think with him, of the appeal which he now makes-and makes triumphantly-to the Prayerbook, in justification of the unscriptural errors which they hold and strenuously propagate? Will our Articles and Homilies be less a support to "Protestant and Evangelical truth" if the language of our Liturgy is in all respects made to harmonize with them? Is it an unprofitable labour to endeavour to prevent the mass of our people from being led into the dangerous notion, that every child baptized by a regularly ordained minister, is, by that act, and by that alone, born again of the Spirit, and made a child of God? A notion which is directly upheld by the language of our Baptismal Service, and which, in spite of the aid of elaborate arguments, large pamphlets, hypotheses, and the like, can convey no other notion to an untutored mind. Would our "whole position" be less "tenable," should we be the less able to "maintain it in all its extent?" should we be the less "prepared rightly to understand, and duly to use, our excellent Liturgy," if, instead of absolutely predicating that this stupendous change had been wrought at the very moment of sprinkling, we were to content ourselves with praying for it? The omission of the predication would not affect the work, neither would it interfere with the opinions of those who hold the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, but it would spare the consciences of those that can find no warrant for such a doctrine in scrip

ture.

Why should it be more difficult to find competent persons now to amend some few words in the Prayer-book, than it was in Edward the 6th's time to "remove from it all things that could nourish superstition? or in Charles the 2nd's time, when "several lessons in the Calendar were changed for others more proper for the days, the Prayers upon particular occasions disjoined from the Liturgy, Prayers for the Parliament, that for All Conditions, and the General Thanksgiving added; several Collects altered, the Epistles and Gospels taken out of the last translation of

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the Bible, instead of the old one,the Office of Baptism for those of riper years, the Form of Prayer to be used at Sea, the Form for the Martyrdom, and that for the Restoration of the Royal Family added."* It is true, indeed, that the very party which made these extensive alterations in the Prayer-book, while they added the story of "Bel and the Dragon," to the Apocryphal lessons, refused to make that "further expurgation of our Formularies," which it appears from the extract of Peter Martyr's Letter to Bullinger, as quoted by Mr. Fynes Clinton, our Reformers contemplated, and thereby mainly contributed to the ejection of such men as Calamy, Bates, Owen, Howe, and Baxter from the Church.

But this result has not deterred many excellent men from aiming at the same object, amongst them we may mention Lowth and Porteus, both of them Bishops of London; the former of whom had actually presented a revised copy of the Liturgy to George the 3rd, a few years before his death; and to borrow the opinion of Peter Martyr, "we are not a little confident that that may be accomplished at this time which has hitherto failed of success."

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CORRESPONDENCE-WORKS ON ROMANISM.

W. Osburn, were collected and published in a small volume by the Protestant Association, in 1846, under the title of "Hidden Works of Darkness," and may be had at the office, No. 4, Serjeant's Inn, Fleet Street, or of the publisher, W. H. Dalton, Cockspur Street, or ordered through any bookseller, at a very moderate price.

Also, there is a series of 12 vols. (of which the above work forms one,) consisting of Standard Protestant Works, at the moderate price of one pound: among which may be mentioned, as particularly suitable at the present time,

Serious Dissuasives from Popery, by
Archbishop Tillotson, and Bishops
Hall and Jeremy Taylor;
The Idolatry of the Church of Rome,
by the Rev. A. S. Thelwall;
No Peace with Rome, by Bishop Hall;
Accusations of History against the
Church of Rome, by the Rev. G.
Townsend; and

Letters on Tractarian Secessions to Popery, by the Rev. G. Stanley Faber, B.D.;

And many tracts and handbills; among which may be mentioned, "Facts and Documents in regard to Diplomatic Relations with Rome," which (with scarcely any alteration) might have been written and published in immediate reference to the

present crisis. It is chiefly (almost entirely) extracted from the second volume of the "Digest of the Evi

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dence taken before Select Committees of the two Houses of Parliament, appointed to inquire into the state of Ireland, 1824, 1825," which, perhaps, beyond any other work that could be named, is full of authentic and most valuable information respecting the character and policy of the Church and See of Rome; especially when considered with reference to the recent aggression.

In that work there is one passage so striking, that I must beg permission

to transcribe it.

"Every class of Christians has had, in its turn, some notion of a millenium; the Church of Rome alone has succeeded in giving it a permanent and imposing form.

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The miserable illusions of some of the early sects, or of the Covenant and the Fifth Monarchy men of later times, are now only matters of curiosity and contempt; but the papal scheme was a magnificent design, worthy to be recorded in

prophecy; it has endured for a thousand

years, and is still the same awful and energetic organization. During that time its policy has been matured by greater vicissitudes, disciplined by a more ample experience of good and evil, and carried down in a more perfect continuity of design, than any other government that ever existed; and the statesman who now undertakes to cope with it, is matched against the worldly wisdom of every age and every country in Christendom." (Vol. ii. p. 101.)

All this is well worthy of the deepest consideration. If this worldly wisdom,-this concentrated craft of all ages and nations,-be not opposed by downright christian simplicity and unflinching integrity; if this masterpiece of Satan be not encountered with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; no statesman upon earth can pretend to cope with it. This "mystery of iniquity" laughs at the wisdom and policy of governments; it despises the power of fleets and armies; it tramples on all laws: but it trembles at the word of God, in the hands and in the mouth of the humblest true believer. It has therefore no resource but (whenever it can) to tie those hands and stop that mouth by the torture, the dungeon, the sword, and the stake; and to burn that blessed Word wherever it can find it spreading among the people.

I am, Sir, &c.

A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION. December, 1850.

P.S. The Protestant Association has

also some copies of "A Statement of Facts, respecting the Instruction given to Students for the Romish Priesthood, at Maynooth,"-full of information: and Wertheim & Macintosh have just published two tracts on the Canon Law; one by the Rev. Dr. M'Caul, and the other a lecture recently delivered by the Rev. Dr. M'Neile; both well worthy of perusal by all Pro

testants.

Reviews, and Short Notices of Books.

AIDS FOR DETERMINING SOME DIS-
PUTED POINTS IN THE CEREMONIAL
OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. By
WILLIAM GOODE, M.A., F.S. A.
pp. 110.

Hatchard. 1851.

MR. GOODE is an able champion in the Protestant cause, and the public is in no small measure indebted to him for the patience and judgment he has manifested in the discussion of subjects which have been forced of late upon its attention. He meets his opponents upon their own grounds, and shews that, with all their boasted deference for Rubrics and Canons, they inconsistently attempt the revival only of such ceremonies as seem likely to favour their Romish predilections, while they are silent respecting others which militate against their views. He says,

"Our professedly strict Rubricians and Canonists are sadly inconsistent with their professed principle, and would be very sorry to be compelled to carry it out; for instead of having the Commu nion Table placed permanently, as it now is, at the east end of the Church, which enables them to make it wear the appearance of an altar; they would have to move it when the Communion was administered, so as would take away this appearance. For the Rubric directs that at the Communion time, it'shall stand in the body of the church, or in the chancel, where Morning and Evening Prayer are appointed to be said.' And Canon 82, orders that at the Communion time, it shall be placed in so good sort within the church, or chancel, as thereby the minister may be more conveniently heard of the communicants in his prayer and ministration, and the communicants also more conveniently, and in more number may communicate with the said minister.' And in Queen Elizabeth's injunctions, it was directed, 'that the holy table in every church be decently made, and set in the place where the altar stood, and there commonly covered, as thereto belongeth, and as shall be appointed by the Visiters, and so to stand, saving when the Communion of the Sacrament is to be distributed; at which time the same shall be so placed in good sort

within the chancel, as whereby the minister may be more conveniently heard of the communicants in his prayer and ministration, and the communicants also more conveniently, and in more number, communicate with the said minister. And after the Communion done, from time to time the said Holy Table to be placed 188.) And such was the custom for a where it stood before.' (Wilk. Concil. iv. long period. But Archbishop Laud, seizing, with characteristic sagacity, upon an accidental circumstance of the bread

being once carried off by a dog, from the table, in his Metropolitical Visitation, in 1635, ordered the table to be surrounded by low rails as it stood at the east end of the church, which, of course had the effect of leaving it permanently in the place where the altar stood,' which was one step gained towards its recognition as an 'altar.' Now, as it is not impossible to keep dogs out of the church, and low rails are not a very effectual guard against a hungry dog, some people thought that the order had a much higher object in view than the prevention of such occurrences, and, as might have been expected, many stoutly refused compliance. And it is clear, from Laud's own expressions, (Hist. of Troubles, &c, of W. Laud, by Wharton, vol. i. p. 543,) that he felt he had no right to insist upon such an order being obeyed. It was, in fact, directly against the Rubric. But, with the High Commission Court to back him, nothingso to speak-was impossible to him in matters of this kind, and so the custom gradually prevailed.

Now, I should be sorry to disturb such an arrangement, after it has existed so long, and people have become accustomed to it. But, when we hear so much about conscience compelling a man to abide strictly in every respect by the Rubric, and the laws of the Church, and see the Church thrown into confusion for the sake of reviving some practices that have been long disused,—to say nothing, now, of practices directly illegal, we may be permitted to ask, how it is that these tender consciences have never thought of reviving the practice prescribed by law in this matter?"

Our readers will doubtless deplore with ourselves, that in professing to worship Him who is a Spirit, and

REVIEWS DU BOURG.

who requires to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, such secondary matters as ceremonial observances should so fully engross the attention of a large section of the Christian Church. The unbeliever, it may be, looks on and laughs; while Christians of other denominations regard us with mingled pity and surprise; yet, who that has considered the subject, but knows that there is a close and intimate connection between ceremony and doctrine, that the novelties recently introduced among us with regard to the former are designed to pave the way for every vital error in the latter, and that consequently it is incumbent upon all churchmen who value their Bibles, and would be faithful to their God, to resist all such novelties, although, abstractedly considered, they are of little importance. We believe there are Tractarian places of worship where the preaching, although not evangelical, is, as far as it goes, devoid of positive error, the main reliance for imbuing the people with Romish tastes and sentiments being placed on the semi-popish ceremonies exhibited before them. As, therefore, the discussion of such topics is unavoidable, we are glad to see men like Mr. Goode employing their time and talents in their calm and impartial investigation.

DU BOURG; OR, THE MERCURIALE: a Sketch of the Secret Church of Paris in the Middle of the Sixteenth Century; being an Episode in History on the points at issue between the Reformation and the Papacy. By M. A. S. BARBER. pp. 186. Nisbet.

This is an interesting little work,partly historical and partly biographical, not the production of the moment, but conceived and carefully prepared before the excitement of the great Papal aggression. The subject of the chronicle is one of whom English readers know but little. In the work before us we have the result of an examination of original authorities, conveying as detailed an account of the imprisonment, trial, and martyr

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dom of Du Bourg, as the general reader can desire.

Anne Du Bourg, a nobly-born gentleman, an able ecclesiastical counsellor in the parliament of Paris, and a member of the Secret or Reformed Church of that city, in 1559, drew upon himself the displeasure of a king, worked upon by cardinals and bishops, through his bold denunciation of the cruelties with which the Protestants were pursued. The scene of his unflinching opposition to ecclesiastical tyranny was the Mercuriale, a court so called because its sittings were held on Wednesdays, and which had been established by Charles VIII. for the censorship of morals in the other courts and parliaments of the kingdom. The king (Henry II.,) who was present on the occasion in question, ordered the arrest of Du Bourg, and others, who were of a tolerant spirit. Du Bourg, in particular, was the object of the king's resentment, as he had pointed his discourse against the private vices of the court. Henry vowed he "would see him burned alive with his own eyes."

The learned counsellor was now in prison. He had but recently re

nounced the errors of the Romish Church; and his faith, in some respects weak, had now to sustain the severest test. An illegal commission was appointed by the crown, and Du Bourg's trial was proceeded with in the Bastille. Several examinations took place, in which he firmly maintained, from the word of God, his allegiance to the truth; the result being, a sentence pronounced by the Bishop of Paris, degrading him from his orders as Deacon, and delivering him over to the tender mercies of the secular power.

Another king ascended the throne of France; but the change affected not the condemned confessor of Christ. Du Bourg made appeals, indeed; but they were fruitless. At one time, his confidence in God forsook him, and he signed an ambiguous recantation. His God, however, had not forsaken him; he renewed his first confession, and, putting his seal to the document, exclaimed, "I have sealed it with my seal; I am ready to seal it with

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