distress, and could not therefore relieve it. Many of the less vigorous were not able to bear it. The flesh wasted away from their bones, and they died. Children, with dry and parched lips, asked their parents for a little bread, and they had none to give. But they prayed to God, and besought him to have pity upon his people in the wilderness. Vessels arrived from England, bringing them aid; and summer ripening the corn which they had planted, once more supplied them with food. were In 1623, was another distressing famine. Scarcely any corn could be obtained. At one time, the quantity distributed was only five kernels of maize, or Indian wheat to each person. Only five kernels to each person ! These parched, and eaten. This should not be forgotten by the descendants of the pilgrim-fathers. The anniversary of their landing at Plymouth, is commemorated by public religious exercises. On the 22nd December, 1820, was its second centennial celebration,-that is, the day on which two centuries had elapsed since their arrival. Great pains were taken by pious and eloquent men, to impress the minds of a happy and prosperous people, with a sense of what their ancestors had sustained, in their first planting of this land. At the public dinner, when the table was loaded with the rich viands of a plentiful country, by each plate was placed five kernels of corn, as a memorial of the firm endurance of their fathers. I have sometimes seen young people displeased with plain and wholesome food, when it was plentifully provided. I have even heard little children complain of what their parents or friends thought most proper for them. I have known them wish for what they could not have, and be uneasy because it was denied them. Then I regretted that they should waste so much precious time, and even make themselves unhappy for such trifles, and forget the old maxim, that we should "eat to live, and not live to eat." My dear children, if any of you are ever tempted to be dainty, and dissatisfied with plain food, think of the five kernels of corn, and be thankful. D. C. THOUGHTS FOR THE THOUGHTFUL. I BELIEVE that the Church which church, which from the beginning Such, I believe, was the primary signification of the word Catholic as used in the creed. It had respect to the form and order of the church, as the "one body of Christ." It was not episcopalian in some places and presbyterian in other places, or independent. It was episcopal every where: this was its catholic form. When the number of Christian churches had so multiplied as to fill the Roman empire, there was not one to be found, from the east to the west, which was not in union with its own bishop, nor a single bishop who was not in union with the Catholic Church. It was not until heresy had reared its head, and began to hiss its enmity, that some of the churches were led away from the faith and order which at the first were catholic. There was an evident propriety in the application of the term Catholic to the Church of Jesus Christ. I. It was intended to embrace penitent believers of all nations. "Go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Repentance and the remission of sins were to be preached among all nations.-Luke xxiv. 47. II. It consisted every where of persons who were of the same general character, i. e. they had agreed to renounce the Devil” and his service, to associate together as redeemed criminals, and to aid one another in seeking the "kingdom of God and his righteousness." III. The unity of the church had been represented by its divine founder as of the utmost importance to the success of his mediation: "that the world might know that he was the Messiah." John xvii. 20. Hence the strong aver sion which was manifested by the early Christians to party names, and their great attachment to the term Catholic. There is a necessity of believing in the Catholic Church,' says Bishop Pearson, 'because except a man be of that he can be of none: for being the church which is truly Catholic, containeth within it all that are truly churches; whosoever is not of the Catholic Church cannot be of the true church. That church alone which first began at Jerusalem on earth, will bring us to the Jerusalem in heaven; and that alone began there, which always embraceth the true faith "" once delivered to the saints." Whatsoever church pretendeth to a new beginning pretendeth at the same time to a new churchdom, and whatsoever is so new is none. So necessary is it to believe in the holy Catholic Church.' I believe that the "holy Catholic Church," which was from the beginning, still is, the same church; and that it is the bounden duty of all who call themselves Christians to belong to it, laying aside all their different devices' by whomsoever 'found out,' whereby "the body of Christ" has been divided. I see no other way in which the mischiefs which have been done by divisions can be repaired, or the end for which the church was instituted can be obtained, I believe that without the bounds of the " holy Catholic Church," where the faith and order of the gospel are enjoyed, nothing will avail to the salvation of its members" without holiness," which effect can only be produced by the 66 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Ghost." Reader think of this. G. B. LETTER TO A ROMISH PRIEST. THE Esperance, a French Weekly newspaper, every way deserving of support and encouragement, states that TEN THOUSAND copies of the following letter have been circulated among the Romish Priests in France. We trust that the labours of its pious author will not be in vain, and that the publication of it in our periodical may produce a beneficial effect. 'FRIENDS AND BRETHREN IN JESUS CHRIST, It is a friend who now writes to you: read and you will be convinced of this. The heart has an accent of truth which penetrates to the heart, and I think that you will find that accent in this letter. 6 Although I address myself to you all, it is not by all that I dare hope to be heard. In your number, as is ever the case among men, there are some who trouble themselves very little respecting the truth, but very much about their own interests. They are to be grieved over, and I pray for such. But it is to you that I address myself who are upright and conscientious men, who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Grant me some moments of a kind attention, as I am now giving to you some hours of my labours, with the desire, if it may be, of being useful to you. You and I agree that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of those who believe in him. In the estimation of us both, the Bible is a divine book, and the Christian faith the only way of salvation. But is your Church, the Romish Church, in that way of salvation? This is the point in question which I now beg you to examine. 'Be not afraid of me, I am not about to begin polemics; not to bandy about names; not to throw dirt in your face, and to indispose you even more than before, against what I believe to be the truth. No, I repeat it. I am your friend, your brother; it is with a heart full of love that I address you. Hear me then. Is the Romish Church in the way of salvation? I do not ask whether in the decrees of some particular councils, or in the heart of some of its members, true Christianity is found? Of this there can be no doubt. But I ask, whether the general instruction of the Romish Church be in conformity with the gospel, and whether in following it we may be saved? Nor think that I am about to reproach you with a worship overloaded with ceremonies, with some useless practices, with some errors in discipline. No. It is not upon these that salvation depends; and you yourselves allow without doubt, that in respect to such matters popes and councils have not been infallible. But I speak of doctrine; and not to lose myself in details, I will put the question in as general terms as possible. The fundamental doctrine, then, of the Romish church, that upon which all its other doctrines rest, the doctrine of salvation, merited in whole or in part, by the works of man. Is this doctrine in conformity with the gospel of Jesus Christ? I speak in all simplicity: do not endeavour to evade my question by saying, that this is not your belief, and that, according to the Romish church, it is only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that the works of men are meritorious-for this would be an affirmation and a denial of the same thing in the same expression. If it be by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that the works of man are meritorious, man has then no merit, he is saved by mere grace. But this you do not admit. If you contend that Christ and man concur to give a value to man's works; it is then certainly the case that in the estimation of your church the works of men, as done by men, are in a degree meritorious; and this is precisely the doctrine which I attribute to you. If you do not believe it,--that is enough, and we agree together. But if you do believe it, it remains for us to consider whether this be in conformity with the doctrine of Jesus Christ. This great question being once laid down: before I endeavour to resolve it, let me disperse some difficulties which lie about your path. 'First, have you not some prejudices (pardon me the word, for I do not make them a matter of accusation against you, inasmuch as they are involuntary) have you not certain prepossessions against the Protestants, and these prepossessions against the men, are they not reflected back again by your mind on their doctrines? Let there be among them, infidels, deists, socinians-who thinks of denying it? May we not also find the same among the Catholics? But, believe me, there are among us also men of faith, men devoted to the service of their divine Master, men who have no other ambition than to save souls, and who feel themselves in a communion of spirit with a Fenelon, a Pascal, a Francis de Sales, an Augustin, in all that is essential to salvation; and this we should expect, since they are all under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Well then! do not lay upon these men the blame of those who are nominally their co-religionists. I have correctly distinguished you who are conscientious priests from so many others; why refuse us the same justice? Believe me, there are Protestants who are sincere, men of faith, converted to Christ; do not then for ever be distrustful of their words. In the second place: taking for granted what your charity doubtless will not do; taking for granted, that we possess no good quality, yet is our cause on the account of this to be condemned? Is it not possible that we may have declined in piety, and yet the doctrine of our church be the truth? If we be bad, blame our unbelief for this: but do not blame the faith which in reality we have not. Did we possess more of that faith which we would impart to you, we should be the better. Well then! I beseech you, condemn it not because we have reduced it badly to practice; make a better use of it than we have done, and before you reject it, examine it, without in any way thinking that you receive it from us. 'But why should I say, From us? We do not bring forward our own assertions, our own books, our own confessions of faith, our own liturgies by which to judge this question. We simply bring forward one book which you venerate in common with ourselves, the source of all truth, the Bible, nothing but the Bible, the whole Bible. We are then, you see, upon the same ground. I do not even ask you to read that divine book in one of our Protestant versions. I desire you by all means to read it in the Greek text, or in the Vulgate. My dear friends! permit me then another question. Has it never appeared to you strange that either in your studies or in your ministry, you have been called upon to make so little use of this book of books, of this which is the only divine book, and which consequently is as far superior to all others as the heaven is higher than the earth? I do not say that it has been forbidden you, or you deprived of it: this were too much to be possible. But has it been given the first place in your library, in your services of devotion? What has been given you to read? Has it not been a set of fragments, culled and clopped, more Latin than French, intended rather to be recited as a breviary, than to be meditated upon as a study? Then it appears to me, from the little use which you have been called to make of the Bible, that you may draw two conclusions. That your superiors are afraid of it, and that in the present day you yourselves are scarcely acquainted with it. We may say, that for the most part you are not acquainted with it at all. "Well then, my dear brethren, let us now come to the Bible, and let us inquire from it: What we must do to be saved? According to you. Salvation is more or less merited. According to us. Salvation is of grace. 'Salvation is of grace, simply of grace, solely of grace, so that would you possess it, you have but to accept it; it is your's even before you have done so much as to give a cup of cold water: from this very moment, if you believe, you may rejoice, for you are saved: and if you die in the instant in which faith enters your heart, before you have had time to accomplish a single work, you are not at all the less saved and eternally saved. Am I in error as to this? However that may be, yet allow that it is well worthy the labour of examining whether it be not the truth; for if it should be, what joy would be yours, to have made such a discovery, and to know that from this moment your salvation is for ever ensured if you believe. 'Let us begin our examination then. What says the Bible on the question which I have just laid down-“ What must I do to be saved?" Itself gives the answer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." This declaration is so positive, that it might itself singly suffice; but that is unnecessary. Here are a multitude of others which reflect the same thing. "There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus."I "God hath saved us, not according to our works, but according to the grace which he hath given us by Christ Jesus." 2 "And it is by him that all that believe are justified from all things." "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God." "None shall be saved by the works of the law."5 "God hath shut up all under disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all." "Justified freely by grace, by the redemption which is in Jesus Christ."7 "Who has been made to us on the part of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.' "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour." 9 "Come ye, come ye without money and without price." 10 "There is forgiveness with God.” 11 8 'Before going further, I wish to answer one objection. The Bible itself you say, declares that faith without works is dead, then good works as well as faith are necessary to salvation. 'Dear Brethren, there is here a misunderstanding, and I beseech you, allow me a comparison which will make it vanish. A man is drowningHis preserver reaches him his hand and saves him; from that moment the first devotes his life to the service of the second. I demand then are his works the means of his saving? Is it not his saving already accomplished which affords him the means to perform afterwards these works? In the same way, man by his sin is lost-Jesus dies for him and saves him. From that moment man devotes his life to his God. Now I ask, in the same way are these works the means of his salvation? Is it not his salvation already accomplished which gives to him the means of doing these works afterwards? Without doubt the man who is saved will do that which is good; but he must be saved first before he can have the power of doing this. Salvation is therefore independent of works, although these works of necessity follow it. What produces compassion in many minds is that some imagine salvation not to commence until the next life, whereas the Bible declares that it begins even now; they make salvation a fruit which grows upon the tree of good works, whereas according to Jesus Christ salvation is the tree and the works are the fruits. According to the idea of many persons we must do that which is good in order to the being saved; according to the revealed will of God we must do that which is good because we are already saved. 'Dear Brethren! see whether these thoughts are from me or from the Bible; see if I have done any thing else than copy the ideas and the words of Jesus Christ. "There was a certain creditor which had two debtors, the one owed five hundred pence and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore which of them will love him most. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." Luke vii. 41-43. Yes! the debtor loves the creditor; but it is only when he has forgiven him his debt. Up to that time he is rather disposed to hate him. Yes! the Magdalen loved Jesus Christ; but it was only when she had felt in her heart that she was already pardoned, then she cannot but come to his feet 1 Rom. viii. 1. 2 2 Tim. i. 9. 10 Isa. Iv. 1. 7 Ibid. iii. 23. 3 Acts xiii. 39. 4 Eph. ii. 8. |