Friends deem indispensably necessary to salvation, contradicted either Scripture or sound and right reason; but that he maintained," that the inward revelations of the Spirit are not to be subjected to the testimony of Scripture, as to a touchstone." This is the identical proposition, against which our objection was directed, and which appears to us not only untrue, but pregnant with mischief; and those who have followed us through the preceding part of this Review will not think, that either speculatively, or practically, it will prove a sufficient protection against the delusions which such a doctrine is calculated to produce, to say, that it is a certain maxim that whatever any do pretending to the Spirit, that is contrary to the Scriptures, be accounted and reckoned a delusion of the devil." We can readily believe, that neither the man who cried, Woe, woe, in so extraordinary a manner, to the bloody city of Lichfield; nor the other man who went for three years naked through the streets, could be formally convicted of disobeying the precepts, or denying the truths, of Scripture. But will that prove that they were not under a delusion? We have no objection to admit that the Holy Spirit is superior to the Scriptores and that it is His power and influence on the heart which give them all their efficacy; but it surely does not follow from this admission that they "are not to be esteemed the principal ground to us of all truth and knowledge, as well as the adequate primary rule of faith and manners." This Barclay denies, (Apology, p. 67), affirming that the Scriptures are only a secondary rule. We, on the contrary, hold, that they are to us the prituary and not the secondary rule; and yet that they are a dead and inoperative letter, except as the Holy Spirit applies them to the heart, convincing us, by his influence and teaching, of sin, of righteousness, and of a judgment to come; directing our view to our crucified Redeemer; and renewing our hearts in holiness after the image of God. But, asks our correspondent, How can all this be, and we not be conscious of the Spirit's operation? We answer, that as we ascribe evil thoughts to Satan's suggestions, being taught by Scripture so to do, although we are not sensibly conscious of those suggestions; so do we ascribe all good to the energies of the Holy Spirit of God, which, although we cannot directly trace them in operation, we perceive and acknowledge in their effects. who made the mind of man at first, and endowed it with thought, consciousness, volition, understanding, memory, taste, judgment, without our being able to comprehend how these wonderful faculties are produced or strengthened; can and does renew and sanctify all these faculties, and give then a divine and heavenly direction, without the necessity of distinct and immediate communications: the means which he employs are not less efficacious and admirable because they are objects of our faith, and not of our feeling; and because they are only known by the unspeakable blessings they impart. True Christians are conscious, indeed, of expe. riencing in their hearts a growing fear and love of God and hatred of sin: they are conscious of the feelings of peace and joy in believing the promises of the Gospel: they are conscious of the desire and delight of communion with God by prayer. Nevertheless, that all these holy feelings are the work of the Spirit of God on the heart, in answer to their gracious breathings after his presence and influence, is a matter not of consciousness but of faith. They believe it, because God in his word has told them so, and their whole conduct is influenced by that belief. The paper of our correspondent which we declined inserting, was a string of quotations from a variety of authors, to shew that all good was wrought in the heart by the Spirit's influence. This proposition, however, we not only did not deny, but we stre nuously maintained. Quakers also strenuously maintain it; but they maintain it, as we conceive, with adjuncts which are unscriptural, and which are also full of danger because leading to enthusiasm. Our correspondent could, perhaps, have informed us whether in point of fact, any persons do actually minister in Quaker congregations who are ignorant of letters. We were fully aware that in theory such were admissible to the ministry. We spoke of the practice. On the subject of worship, we have only to observe, that we ourselves are at some loss to conceive why the man who lives under the habitual influence of the love of God-and unless he thus lives, he is not a true Christian-needs to wait for some further Divine intimations as to the fit time of communion with God and Christ; or how he should deem it a burden to join in vocal aspirations for fresh measures of light and grace, or in vocal ascriptions of praise to him who bath loved us, and redeemed us with his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God." Respecting the office of Elders, we drew our information from the Extracts of Minutes published by the authority of the Yearly Meeting. These Extracts recommend to the Society, to "lay hands suddenly on no man, and that the approved ministers and elders in the several monthly meetings, would tenderly advise those who come forth in public testimony, to wait patiently under a deep consideration of their state of infancy and childhood; and when their fruits afford sufficient evidence of their qualifications for so important a service, that such young ministers be reported to their monthly or quarterly meetings, which, upon solid and deliberate consideration, may, as in the wisdom of truth, shall deem meet, recommend to the meetings of ministers andjelders, in order to their becoming members of these meetings." p. 96. "The meetings of ministers have a right, as they see meet in the wisdom of truth, to advise, exhort, and rebuke any of their members, or any one who may travel in the work of the ministry, as occasion may require, without being accountable for the same, to anv monthly or quarterly meeting." p. 103. Is not this process, in point of fact, what we called it in our Number for September. (p. 602), "substantially a human ordination?" We fully agree with our correspondent, that this is not a time when the hostility of different sects should be excited against each other. But surely he does not believe, that it is necessary, in order to avoid hostility, to merge all our differences of sentiment. He himself professes to love the Church of England, and many of its members, and we fully believe him. Now, to say nothing of George Fox's Journal, or the Minutes and Advices of the Yearly Meeting, what, we would ask, has been Mr. Tuke's conduct? Has he not considered it as his duty publicly to reprehend several of the practices of the Church of England, which he conceives to be unchristian and superstitious? See his "Principles," pp. 122, 123, 128, &c. ; a work, one of the objects of which is," to convey information to persons who are not of his own religious persuasion," p. 186. Nor do we blame him for this proceeding. He is perfectly at liberty to state his own opinions on subjects which he deems important; and also to expose what he conceives to be the errors of other sects, provided it be done (and we freely admit that Mr. Tuke has afforded no room for reprehension on this ground) with calmness and moderation. But then we claim the same indulgence; we claim the same privilege of freely stating our sentiments on the published opinions and practices of other religionists, without becoming liable thereby to a charge of hostility, and much less to a charge of wishing to "traduce and misrepresent" them; of being illiberal, uncharitable, and unjust. It is this charge which has induced us to enter so largely into the present inquiry. We have been anxious to shew that there exists no ground for such an imputation on our motives; that, on the contrary, whatever petty errors may have crept into our former Review, it was marked rather by the characters of good will, moderation, and forbearance, than by those of enmity, exaggeration, and uncharitableness. Having, however, been reluctantly compelled to enter so much at large into our own vindication, we are anxious that what we have said may have a farther use. We are anxious that it may lead our "friends," for so we must call them, to weigh well the momentous subjects we have brought before them; and in particular to consider, whether the cause of sound scriptural religion is not more impeded than promoted by the sanction given by their highly respectable body to some of the views and practices which are developed, for example, in the Journal of George Fox; and whether, as they have themselves practically renounced some of the most objectionable features in his system, it would not be the part of true wisdom, to suffer them to sink into oblivion, and not even to exhibit them either historically or speculatively to the world. There will still remain the solid, substantial, influential parts of their creed,-a belief in our Lord Jesus Christ, as the only Saviour of the world, and in the indispensable necessity of the Holy Spirit's influence to our renovation in the Divine image ;-a belief, also, in a judgment to come, and in our absolute obligation, if we would stand before God in that judgment, to endeavour to regulate our whole temper and conduct, our inward and our outward man, according to the precepts, the example, the spirit of our Divine Master and his Apostles. These are the grand doctrines which, we have no doubt, operate effectually CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 146. in the hearts of all, whether Quakers or not, who are actuated by love to God and man,-who are really renewed in holiness after the Divine image. And when to the effect of these doctrines, on those among the Quakers who feel their truth and act under their influence-and the number, we hope, is considerable-is superadded the operation of their admirable system of discipline, commencing with earliest life, and extending itself universally over all the members of the body, we may at once perceive how the tendency of some parts of their system to certain evils is counteracted. But it is no light remark-and with pressing it upon the mature consideration of the more spiritual and intelligent part of the Quaker body, we close this article-that as we believe the undue extent to which certain dogmas are carried in the creeds of Geneva and Scotland, have been a main cause of the scepticism and religious indifference which prevail among the reasoning part of the community in those countries; and as we believe the gross absurdity of the Romish ritual to have been the parent of the recent infidelity of the Continent; so we believe, that if religious coldness and formality have been found to prevail in Quaker congregations, this effect is chiefly to be ascribed to the revolting nature of some of those parts of their system to which we have taken the li berty to advert. Persons who do not carefully discriminate between what is scriptural and what is visionary, in any particular scheme of religion, are too apt, when shocked by the irrationality of one part of it, to disburthen themselves of the whole. An Address, delivered before the Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East, to the Rev. Messrs. Greenwood und Norton, of the Established Church of England, proceeding as Missionaries to the Island of Ceylon; and to the Rev. Messrs. Schnarrè and Rhenius, of Q the German Lutheran Church, proceeding as Missionaries to the Coast of Coromandel, on Friday, January 7, 1814, at the Freemason's Hall, Great Queen Street, London. By the Rev. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D.D. London: Seeley and Hatchard, 1814. 8vo. pp. 67. WITH unfeigned satisfaction do we turn to this early proof of the benefits resulting from the late solemn legislative recognition of the comThon interest, possessed by our Indian fellow-subjects, in the grand charter of man's salvation. Its influence has been felt even prospectively; and several months before the act of Parliament is in force, the Court of Directors of the East India Company, with a degree of liberality which reflects the highest credit upon them, have granted, without any hesitation, the requisite licence to these Messengers of the Churches of Christ. Before they should proceed to their destination, Dr. Bu chanan was judiciously selected to address them, in the name of the Society which sent them forth, on the means of duly discharging their sacred office. This Address forms, as might be expected, a most valuable accession to the missionary library. Its substance ought to be engraven on the heart of every candidate for missionary honours. It is not, how ever, our intention to enter at any length on the consideration of this important charge. The space occupied by the preceding Review will not admit of this. Our object rather is to apprize our readers of its existence, and to recommend it to their perusal. They will find in this, as in the former productions of the same indefatigable writer, much curious information, much sound Christian counsel, and much to gratify a pious taste. We must content ourselves with laying before them two extracts, which will serve to verify a part, at least, of this commendation. "Let every page which you write be consecrated by sacred truth. Beware of that powerful self-deception, whose operation is sometimes commensurate with a man's zea for his object, which leads him to practise pious fraud, to deceive for God's sake, and to do partial evil under the hope and plen keep at a remote distance from such a temp. that great good may come. If you would tation, avoid amplification and embellish ment in what makes for the credit and ho nour of your personal labours, or of those of your fellow-missionaries. Like great generals who recount their victories in few words, let a modesty of description charac terise your spiritual trophies. Though there be no one sentence in your page which is literally untrue, yet if the complexion and is false, an error is committed." pp. 30, 31. tenor of the whole give an impression which "Let us inquire for a moment, what it is to deny Christ; for whether you hold a Living in the Church at home, or a Mission Living abroad, you may equally deny Him. "A minister of Christ denies Christ, when, instead of labouring in his service, and endeavouring to win souls, he hides his talent in a napkin, and lives in a state of decorous indolence; only appearing occasionally in his sacred character, and then only to serve his own reputation. "A minister of Christ denies Christ, when, while he preaches to the people, though it be with splendid eloquence and apparent zeal, he so preaches that the offence of the Cross ceases; and the world (which is at eninity with God) is not at all disposed to be at enmity with him, or to reproach him for the doctrine which he maintains. "A minister of Christ denies Christ, when he courts the society and is flattered by the applause of men who have no respect for the name or religion of Christ; when he heart, God's law, and eternal truth; and, preters science and talents, to purity of instead of being transformed in the spirit of his mind,' carries about with him these words, written in legible characters, I am conformed to the world.' Many ministers, who have thus denied, and have been thus ashamed of, Christ for many years, have at length denied themselves, and been ashamed of themselves; and have repented, with tears, and made a 'good confession, and magnified their Saviour before the world. lindoos, and say, 'Repent, and be con"My brethren, you may preach to the verted; while, at the same time, indolence, or avarice, or sensual passion, seizes your own souls, and you are quite indifferent about their repentance or conversion, except as it adds to your own interest, or the fame of your mission. "Some, who have preceded you, and have been solemnly designated to the sacred work, have fallen away. They declined from sound doctrine, or they were seduced from pureness of living; and, instead of doing the work of an Evangelist, they have lived an useless burthen on the society which supported them. after death God was pleased to honour their faithfulness. The East-India Company erected a monument, as a testimony of their reverence for the apostolic Swartz, and engraved on it a record of his labours; and to have rendered a tribute of respect yet more their late Senior Chaplain, Mr. Brown, they manificent, by providing for his numerous family. "I have thought that this short record of these good men would find a proper place in your circumstances. an Address to young Ministers who are in Be ye also followers of them, who, through faith and patience, have inherited the promises?" "I mention these things to warn you. But I have more pleasure in directing your view to other servants of Christ, whose bright example has illumined the East,-who have been patterns of faith, diligence, prudence, and fortitude. From the ministers of the two churches to which you respectively belong, I shall select two illustrious characters, who have left a great example for them that follow. I mean the venerable Swartz, of the Lutheran Church; and the late Rev. David Brown, of the Church of England. These men did not deny Christ. They did not love father or mother more than Christ. They took up their cross and followed Christ. If you knew, as well as I do, the conflicts which they were called upon to sustain in the East, you would see how fitly the words of our Lord might be applied to them:- BeFold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. But, beware of men.' If you knew, again, the conjoined wisdom and innocence which they manifested in these conflicts, you would acknowledge that they studied to obey our Lord's admonition; Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.' The character of both was marked by an extraordinary liberality of sentiment in regard to the differences in religious profession; a liberality which others, in a confined sphere is the following inscription :--“ To could not well understand. In a word, they endured unto the end;' and both of them were enabled to glorify God in their deaths, by the manifestation of a joyful hope in the view of their dissolution. And In an Appendix, Dr. Buchanan has favoured us with some notices of the last hours of the Rev. David Brown, which serve to illustrate his heavenly-mindedness, and his devotion to his Master's will. It ought to be known of this eminent servant of Christ, that although, as Senior Chaplain of the Company, his proper church was that of the Presidency; he was nevertheless so anxious to fulfil, as far as was in his power, the duties of a Missionary, that he instituted public worship gratuitously, for the native Christians and lower orders of the peo ple generally, at the mission church, which is private property. On a marble in the chancel of this church THE POOR THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL INTELLIGENCE, &c. &c. GREAT BRITAIN. In the press: An edition of Swift's Works, with additions, in 19 vols. 8vo., by W. Scott, Esq.;-An edition of Gray's Poems, in 2 vols. 8vo., by Mr. Mathias;-Inscriptions, triumphal and sepulchral, recording the acts of the British Army in the Peninsula, by R. Southey, Esq.;-A Praxis of the Hebrew, Samaritan, and Syriac Alphabets, with a Hebrew and Arabic comparative Vocabulary, and the Book of Job in Hebrew, with Miss Smith's translation, by the Bishop of St. David's;-the third Volume of the Dooms, day-Book, containing the Counties of Leie cester, Warwick, Stafford, Salop, and Chester, and part of North Wales, by the Rev. W. Bawdwen;-A literary History of the Middle Ages, by the Rev Joseph Berrington; |