תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

¡ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE.

In the Morning Chronicle of January 18th, 1814, is a letter written by a Mr. Wright, who had formerly been secretary to four right reverend bishops, in which he gives the following statement of ecclesiastical discipline in the small diocese of Ely, in 1813, compared with the year 1728:

In 1728.

[ocr errors]

On 140 livings, 70 resident incumbents.

Thirty-four who reside near, and perform duty.

Thirty-one curates, who reside in the parish, or near it.

The population was 56,944 souls.

The duty was performed 261 times every Sunday.

In 1813.

On the same 140 livings, 45 resident incumbents.

Seventeen who reside near, and perform duty.

Thirty-five curates, some of whom reside 8, 10, or 12 miles off. The population is 82,000 souls.

The duty is performed about 185 times every Sunday.

And their income is now £61,474 per annum.

And their income was £12,719 per annum. Thus we find the duty to be neglected in proportion as it becomes more important and better paid for! The population increased one half, and the number of services diminished one third! The revenue increased almost five-fold, and the number of resident incumbents decreased one third! Will such facts as these help the Bishop of London to account for the "awfully degenerate state of religion in England"?

CHURCH OF ENGLAND BLESSINGS!

"Something decisive must speedily be done, or the Church of England, with all her blessings and advantages, will be reduced to one chaotic mass of undistinguishable ruin."

TRAFFICKERS IN SOULS!

"To be sold by auction, with the prospect of immediate possession, the next presentation to a Rectory, in the county of Devon, the incumbent about 79. The living consists of a commodious and newly built parsonage house, an excellent glebe, consisting of 92 acres, and the tithes of the parish, which, with the glebe, may be fairly estimated at £300 a-year. The parsonage is situated upon the bank of a river, and is within five miles of a principal town."

Morning Herald.

"Advowson, and next presentation to a Rectory, in Norfolk. The Curacy, with a superior house and grounds, may be had, and a lease of the tithes; incumbent about 75. The tithes, and glebe-land, produce about £1,100 per annum. The situation is beautiful and healthy. To be sold, or exchanged for a living within sixty miles of London."

Ib.

We have been informed that the presentation to the Rectory in Devon has been sold for £1,250! and the Norfolk "concern" for £4,890.

Thus, a congregation of the Law-Established Church has been "knocked down to the highest bidder" for the sum of £1,250, and another "cure of souls" bartered away for about £5,000! A lot of human souls would puzzle an auctioneer accustomed to deal in bacon, cheese, and household furniture; and he might find himself somewhat embarrassed for language to tempt the Reverend and Pious Speculators to offer an adequate price for such a multifarious "lot of sundries." A simple, inexperienced bungler in the rostrum would address his company thus: "How much is offered, Reverend traders in souls, for this valuable parcel of church-going, tithe-paying parishioners?" "A thousand pounds." "A thousand pounds! What, no more than a thousand pounds for this profitable congregation?""Guineas," roars out a lump of clerical frailty.-"Why, Reverend gentlemen, this is not half its value. Remember the incumbent is 79, with one foot in the grave and the other ready to follow."—"Eleven hundred and fifty," bid in four places. "Dog cheap still, my friends. Remember the 92 acres of Glebe, with £300 a-year, a capital House, and little to do."—"Another Hundred," squeaks out a youngster of three and twenty.-"Why, only twelve hundred and fifty pounds for the power to save or damn as many christians! A going at twelve hundred and fifty-the third and last time at twelve hundred and fifty pounds-Remember the age of the Incumbent, the Parsonage House, the Glebe, the Tithes, and the £300 a-year! All silent, gentlemen? Going, going for the last time, going-gone!"

In Scotland, we learn that presentations to livings in the Presbyterian church are actually sold under the patronage laws. ED.

UNIVERSALISM.

The Sentinel and Star of the West.

AFTER a long time, after having "No. 3 of the Logic and Candor of Universalism Examined" in charge from the 25th day of May till July 28, (for the Editors acknowledge my having furnished them with No. 3 on that day) I say, after so long a time, in the Sentinel of the 28th July I am served with another dish of the very lowest scurrility, and informed that my No. 3 is the last piece with which Messrs. Editors shall defile their paper, "except it be necessary hereafter to give a sample of the filth of his (my) pen.' 99 So ends the boast of Messrs Kidwell and S. Tizzard!!!!

If any gentleman thinks that he can sustain Universalism, we inform him our pages are open to him under equal and impartial laws.

EDITOR.

EPAPHRAS, No. 3, and some other articles forwarded, have been

crowded out of this number.

THE MILLENNIAL HARBINGER.

No. 10.

BETHANY, VIRGINIA:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1832.

Vol. III.

I saw another messenger flying through the midst of heaven, having everlasting good news to proclaim to the inhabitants of the earth, even to every nation and tribe, and tongue, and people-saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgments is come: and worship him who made heaven, and earth, and sea, and the fountains of water.-JOHN.

Great is the truth and mighty above all things, and will prevail.

FOR THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER AND MILLENNIAL HARBINGER.

NO. 11.

The justification of sinners and ungodly men by faith, without works, and the justification of righteous men by works and not by faith only.

TO A. CAMPBELL, EDITOR OF THE MILL. HARBINGER: Brother Campbell-I WILL now present to you what I apprehend to be the gospel doctrine of the justification of sinners, or ungodly men, by which they become godly or righteous men in the sight of God; and the justification of righteous men, as distinguished from the justification of ungodly men.

The gospel doctrine of the justification of sinners, is the same as the doctrine of the remission of sins, of forgiveness of sins, and the pardon of sins; and is called the righteousness of God. This doctrine claims to itself a sort of precedency and pre-eminence over all other doctrines, as being the one in which all the other doctrines of grace unite; so that Luther might well pronounce it to be the criterion of a standing or falling church, according as it is held soundly or unsoundly. Respecting those who departed from the gospel views of justification, it was declared by Paul that "Christ should profit them nothing"-to them the gospel had become of none effect, they had fallen from grace.

Justification is a law term, and is taken from the business of Judicial Courts, and denotes the acquittal of a person tried by such a court upon an accusation of crime. The person accused being upon trial found innocent of the charge, is declared to be just in the view of the law; and by an easy and natural figure, is said to be justified; that is, made just. The judgment of acquittal in this case does not make the person innocent of the crime charged against him, but hav ing been innocent, the judgment of acquittal, by which he is said to be justified, declares his innocence.

In the gospel use of the word justification, the meaning is very different from the above, because all have sinned, and all are guilty before God, and therefore it is obvious that no person can be justified

VOL. III.

41

on account of his own personal innocence. Hence the justification of sinners is gratuitous; that is, by grace, and not meritorious, and is provided for in the New Covenant, or in the gospel of the grace of God, agreeably to which they are justified by faith through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. When our Lord instituted his Supper, he took the cup and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for for the remission of sins." In the New Covenant, by the divine appointment, Christ was made a sin offering for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

many,

The righteousness of God in the gospel, being by the faith of Jesus Christ, the true believer in him is supposed to be put upon his trialcharges of various sorts are pleaded-he has been guilty of the sins. charged. How can he be justified, and God be just in his justification? The gospel answers the question by declaring that, "by the law is the knowledge of sin;" but, the righteousness of God, is, by the faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins, that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus, Rom. iii. 19, 30. Therefore, however aggravated and true the charges may be against the true believer in Jesus Christ, Paul asks the question, Who shall presume to condemn, since it is God who justifies him through Christ, who died for him, and, whom he set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to manifest his righteousness for the remission of sins?

The true believer is thus declared by the judge to be just: the judgment of acquittal does not make him just, or innocent, or righteous, in the sight of God, but declares him to be so, and to have been made so, by faith in Jesus Christ; and looks back to the period when he first sincerely believed in him for the commencement of it, and not when he was baptized. The heinous and aggravated sins which he had committed before that period, as an ungodly man, were pardoned at that time. By faith in Christ he obtained redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins; and by that faith he became a child of God, and a new creature. He was born of the Spirit by the incorruptible seed of the word, which by the gospel is preached. All this is provided for in the New Covenant, which excludes all works of righteousness that we can do, in the article of justification. From these views of the subject, it appears that the justification of a sinner, or an ungodly man, by which he is received into the divine favor, is complex, and includes the idea of pardon, as well as of acquittal — The justification of a pardoned sinner gives him a present title to the reward of righteousness, without respect to his past actions, and independent of his future conduct. The present reward of righteousness is fellowship with God, and hope of glory.

[ocr errors]

There is a strange kind of notion existing in our day, that sinners are justified, or that their sins are remitted and pardoned by the immediate physical operations of the Spirit, as Naaman was cured of the leprosy, or by immediate impulses. Those who entertain it, do not know that justification is a judicial, and not a physical act of God. God justifies sinners, not by infusing a holy disposition in them, but by imputing their faith in Jesus Christ to them for righteousness. Faith is the only instrument in justification, and consists in the cordial belief of the testimony of God concerning his Son. Before God can hold fellowship with man, his sins must be remitted, as it was sin that destroyed that fellowship in Eden. This is done by faith in Jesus Christ, who is exalted to give reformation and remission of sin. Every thing is given to us in Christ, and nothing is given to us without him, of a spiritual or divine nature. Without Christ a sinner can do nothing, as without him he car know nothing of God, and receive no favor from him.

God views and treats man as a sinner, under a dispensation of grace or favor, through the atonement and mediation of Jesus Christ; and he makes no communication to him, bestows no blessing upon him, and requires nothing of him but through his mediation. Christ is the light and life of the world in its fallen state, and God requires nothing of man, either in the exercise of his natural or moral ability, in the way of love or obedience to him, but through Christ, and by faith in him. The first thing he requires of a sinner, is, to believe in Jesus Christ, as without faith it is impossible to please him. And the first thing presented in the gospel for his faith and reception, is Christ, and him crucified, "through whom is preached the forgiveness of sin; and by him all that believe are justified from all things." Faith is obtained, not by the physical agency of the Spirit, but by the word of the gospel, and consists in the belief of it.

Having shown that a sinner, or an ungodly man is justified by faith without works, and by which he is made a righteous man, I am now to show that a righteous man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

As faith in Jesus Christ justifies the sinner according to the divine constitution of the New Covenant, so there is nothing that can change the moral state, or the heart of man from enmity to God, to the love of him, and love of holiness, but the manifestation of his grace and love, which he has made in the gift of his Son; and all that do sincerely and truly believe in him, realize this change-and thus sanctification begins with justification.

Sin lost our title to heaven, and corruption destroyed our qualification for the enjoyment of it. The former is restored by our justification, and our qualification for the enjoyment of it is restored by our sanctification.

Although Paul has said nothing in reference to the justification of a sinner, but only a true and living faith, yet that faith does not shut out its consequences, reformation, hope, love, and the fear of God, and attention and submission to the ordinances of the gospel, baptism,

« הקודםהמשך »