Christian observer

              NEW SERIES. NO. 217. A. CONVERSE, EDITOR :_134 Chestnut Stkeet.
FOR THE DIFFUSION QF^RUTH AND THE SUPPORT OF THE PRInJiPLES OF TJJE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES.
SOUTHERN RELIGIOUS TELEGRAPH.
PHILADELPHIA, PR
CHRISTIAN OBSERVER.
For the Christian Observer. aOO DOLLARS WEM, SPENT.
There are in the Northeast District of Philadelphia, some ten thousand Ger¬ mans, mostly Romanists, and to a consid¬ erable extent, speaking the German lan¬ guage, A large portion of these may bo approached by tho German Colporteur, and be supplied with religious Tracts, Books, and, to some extent, with Bibles. They will receive the visits of such a man _-bo spoken to freely on the subject of re¬ ligion, and allow to have urged on them the claims of personal godliness. Their prejudices against Protestantism and Protestants, are by this means allayed, if not removed—their wants are searched out—their miseries commiserated—they are made to feel that we have common .sympathies with them as men and sin¬ ners, and feeling for them,—and they hereby learn that we are disposed to meet them with something better and more Christian, than unfeeling denunciation, fear or suspicion—that we regard them as fellow mortals, bound to the same unend¬ ing eternity, rather than fear or hate them as the hopeless progeny of the Mother of abominations.
There is every reason to believe—for the experiment has been in progress the last two months—that the same success will attend a judicious .system of Colpor- tage among the German Catholics of Phi¬ ladelphia, that has been witnessed in Cin¬ cinnati, and other principal places in the West.
By Colportagc is meant a thorough sys¬ tem of family visitation, by persons espe¬ cially appointed to the business, with faith¬ ful conversation on the things that pertain to man's future interests, and a judicious distribution of books and tracts on practi¬ cal religion. That tho result of such labors must be good, will not for a moment be doubted; and that they must be efficient to the accomplishment of the great moral purpose desired, will not be questioned by any one who has studied the philosophy of man in his social relations and suscep¬ tibilities, and in his religious habits and aptitudes—by any one who regards man as he is. He will recognise this as a com¬ mon sense way of acting on man as a so¬ cial and religious being.
An excellent man has been at work, in the way and on the field above specified, for the last two months ; a man of German tongue, but taught to speak in the school uf Christ—of a German heart warmed by the fires of the upper altar, and German perseverance quickened by evangelical zeal.
Shall such labors cease, and such a man be discharged 1 A single individual has made himself responsible for the last quarter, ($.50,) Who will do it for the next ] Let him who wishes to do a great amount of good with a small sum, speak in time. Fifty dollars thus expended, will do mure to suppress vice and crime—to say nothing of ultimate and eternal results —than a thousand dollars twice told, in police olficers, justice courts, and prisons.
Monies for this object, if sent to No. 13 N. 7th street, will be gratefully received and carefully applied. R.
and co-operation of Lowell Mason, of Boston. Thevolumeisin handsome type, nearly 400 pages, 12mo,, adapted to the most refined families and to permanent usefulness, and is sold at 56 cents. "We know families in which the children as regularly bring forward this book for singing in family worship, as they come to their meals.
;jAj!fUAR¥ 26,4.844,
VOL. XXIU. Na 4.
¦~-<WV^**^yVM,~
For the Christian Olisrrver. DEPLORABLE IGNORAIfCE.
A Colporteur of the American Tract Society, in one of the most destitute parts of the  West,  writes that his sales had
amounted in two months to about 500 volumes, and his grants to more than 200. " Many of the people," he says, '•are as ignorant as the htaiben. I have found many whole families in which there was not a single individual who could read: and a great many who can read, have no books excepitbe Bible and some old song book, I have found some fifieen or twenty families without the Bible: but what is even more to be lainented, there are many, even in the church, who have the Bible but do not read it. For instance, I called on one of the first families in a village named T,, which consisted ofthe parents and six or seven children, who could read—some of them members of thechurch. Whilecon- versing on some pointsof Bible truth, the story of David and Goliath was alluded to. The old gentleman remarked, 'I have never heard of that!' 'Nor I,' said the old lady, I took my Bible and read the narrative, which was listened to with breathless attention. I also gave them the narrative of Sampson, and Moses, and then commenced a sketch of Joseph's life, when the old man remarked, ' I have hearn tell of that /'—of the other stories not one in that large family had ever heard or read! Ihave often seen tears flowing freely, when rising from my knees, in cabins where the voice of prayer had then boon heard fur the first time: and that heart must be stone which would not be moved by such in¬ dications."
FortheClirlsthin Oliserrer, A BOOK FOR FAMILIES WHO SING.
Now that the holidays are over, parents will do well to provide their families with sources of enduring and useful enjoy- mcut.    Such an one  may be found by families   who   sing,   in   the   " Sacred Songs."     Not only   has   this   valuable work, of vvhich 10,000 copies have already - been issued, pro\'^d most acceptable in the families of our country, butseveral of our foreign missionaries have spoken of it with high commendation.   The Rev. Daniel Temple, at Smyrna, an accom¬ plished singer as well as devout mission¬ ary, says, in a letter just received: "We use the Sacred Songs daily in our family, and also in our prayer-meetings.   I re¬ joice that this book has been issued, and •iuiiht not that it will do much good," 'i'l'is Work has doubtless been prepared \\iih more maturity of judgment and skill ^^^¦•iu has ever been applied to any similar )'""lv.   Tho 329 of the best devotional
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^'"ii^ in the language  were   selected
'er the
care of the Committeo and |;:^f:reianes of the American Tract So- Il'~(ii"n '^^'^ "lusic was adapted by Mr
POSITION OF THE EVANGELICAL PAR¬ TY IN THE EPISCOPAL CIIUUCII.
[Continued from our last] A Religion of Forbis Opposed to Scrip¬ tural Piety.
From the days of Constanline, Chris¬ tianity became a religion of forms. But where was the spirit of the gospel' Where, during the dark ages, did it live 1 Has it ever been known in permanent connexion with the Bapal communion, or in the Greek, the Armenian, or the Nestorian churchosl In all these church¬ es the religion of form* Jias-prevailed, and still prevails, and their history has been characterized by an almost entire separation from the spirit of Christiani¬ ty. There has been no permanent con¬ nexion, and if, under the influences of the Spirit of God, there has been, at any time, a reviving spirit of piety, after a few efi'orts to diff'use itself through the cold and slumbering church, it has either died away, or withdrawn vvhere it could breathe the air of freedom. To see this, let a few facts be submitted to the atten¬ tion of candid men.
Far back in the history of the Papal communion, there was a reviving spirit of the gospel. Some pure spirits arose imbued with the same love of Christ, and feelingthe same power of religion, which prevailed in the days of the Apostles; but could they blend theirreligion vvith the prevailing religion of forms'! They with¬ drew, and in the peaceful valleys of Piedmont the Waldenses worshipped God "in spirit and in truth," until the fires of martyrdom vvere lighted on all their hills and through all their vales, by the advocates of the religion of forms, and Rome succeeded in nearly extermi¬ nating them.
Again the spirit of vital piety was re¬ kindled in the bosom ofthe Papal church. Simultaneously, and without concert, a heavenly influence breathed upon the souls of Zuingle, of Luther, of Melanc¬ thon, and of Farel. They vvere all in the bosom ofthe Papal church ; all had been reared in connexion with the religion of forms; all had every thing to lose, and nothing to gain by a separation ; and all, by a separation, exposed themselves to the thunders of the Vatican—the fearful power that could shake the thrones of princes, and cause monarchs to turn pale in their palaces—and to the terrors of the civil arm. Yet, with every inducement from education, from their belief of the heavenly origin of the Papacy, from the love of peace, and from the dread of martyrdom, to remain in the bosom of the Papal communion, an attempt to blend the spirit of the gospel that novv filled their hearts with holy fire, with the cold spirit of the religion of forms, was hopeless—and hence the Reformation. In Germany, in Switzerland, and in France, as i'av as the Reformation ex¬ tended, there was a final separation of the two, nor was there any power of ar¬ gument, or art, or interest, or arms, that could there unite them.
THE EXPERIMENT IN ENGLAND.
In England tho experiment was to be tried in another manner, and with a much belter prospect of success. It was the ex¬ periment that was made under Henry VIIL, Edward VI„ and Elizabeth, There was the genuine spirit of the Reforma¬ tion in the Anglican church. It reigned not indeed either in the heart of Henry or Elizabeth, but it did in the heart of Edward, and more illustriously still in the hearts of Latimer, Ridley, Bradford, and Cranmer, and vvith these men there was a sincere effort to blend the two to¬ gether. There was every facility for making the experiment in as satisfactory a manner as possible. Every thing in the protection of the laws—in the power of talent, eloquence, learning, and piety, that could be demanded for the successful prosecution of the eff'ort, existed, nor could circumstances ever be well ima¬ gined that vvere more favorable to suc¬ cess. What was the result 3 It is before the world, and the world has it by heart. The Puritan spirit gradually rose and in¬ creased. It became chafed, and galled, and was impatient under the fetters of form. Itsighedfor freedom, and in a sin¬ gle day two thousand ofthe best men in the English church left their livings—ex¬ posed themselves to poverty, persecu¬ tion, and imprisonment, only because the spirit of the gospel could not be per¬ manently blended vvith the religion of forms. Part of those men went to prison ; all vvere subjected to privations and sor¬ rows in their external circumstances ; but the evangelical spirit was free, and the "chureh" was left a cold, dead, dull, formal thing. The vital power of the Episcopal communion had withdrawn, and there were no earthly temptations lhat could ever again induce the Puritan to seek a union vvith the religion of forms. The experiment had been made under the mostj advantageous circum¬ stances possible, and it was decisive.
A portion of the band of Puritans, driven from their country to Holland, and then across the ocean, found a refuge on the rock of Plymouth, and gave their religion to this great western world. Here all was free and vast. A boundless territory was spread out before them, and they laid the foundation of a religious system which they intended should be for ever separated from a religion of forms. Its effect is seen in the religious activity and zeal, the intelligence and or¬ der, the revivals and the efi'orts to spread the gospel abroad, which distinguish our republic among the nationsof the earth.
Butthe history of the religion of forms in our father-land is not completed. The separating of the Puritans had left the church a dry, cold, dead thing. Again, however, God visitedthat church with the special influences of the Holy Spirit, and there was a reviving and quickening spi¬ rit of religion. God breathed upon the hearts of tho Wesleys, and of Fletcher, and of Whitefield, and fired Ithem with as devoted a zeal as had ever warmed the bosom of a Puritan. They were inthe
^^shnga in the patient exercise of his|church, and were converted when con- ^uudginoiitjiua skill, with the kind aid   nected' with it.   They loved if.    They
shrarik back from the very thought of a separation. John Wesley lived, and la- j bored, and prayed night and day, that he might not separate himself from the church in which he was reared, but that, there might be diffused through all that communion tho spirit of evangelical re¬ ligion. Never was there a more honest, vigorous, or persevering efFort to unite tbe spirit of the gospel with the religion of forms, but in vain. That vital part of the Church of England vvhich had been quickened by the Spirit of God, in spite of every effort to bind ihem together, drew off by Itself, breathing the air of freedom, and .s[)readiiig the heavenly fire over continents.
Until the present time, the result ofthe experiment has been uniform.   The reli¬ gion of forms has never been permanent¬ ly blended with the gospel.   The experi¬ ment is again making in our land^and in our father-land, with what result„iS a mat¬ ter of great interest to tho whole Chris¬ tian world, but what that result will be no one can reasonably" doubt.    That there should be outbreaks and collisions; that the love of revivals and of prayer meet¬ ings, and the purpose to mingle with other denominations in great efforts to spread the knowledge of the truth, should bring the patrons of these things into conflict with the high church party, is to be ex¬ pected.   They are the regular results of the existing state of things in the Episco¬ pal Church, and they cannot be avoided. Such conflicts will arise,   and however much they may be suppressed foratime, and however all parties may unite in singing pasans to the   "unity"   of the church,yet the elementsof collision, like | the pent-up fires  of the  volcano,  rage within.    To keep these elements under ; to prevent entire separation and a pros¬ tration of the  whole fabric, requires all the power of authority, on tbe one side, and all the yielding of a Christian spirit on the other, and a devout attachment to prelacy in both. It is the spirit of the gos¬ pel struggling in bonds and sighing for freedom. The present state of the Epis¬ copal  Church,  is   but  the  acting  over again of scenes vvhich have been played from the beginning.    The spirit of true faith   will not   be  bound.    It does not breathe and act freely when fettered with forms.   It cannot go forth freely to the conquest of the souls af men, or to the subjugation  of the world.   If it lives, it will be the spirit of the Apostles—unfet¬ tered by forms; the spirit of Wickliffe, of Luther, of Farel, of the Puritans, of Wesley, of Whitefield, Every controver¬ sy thus far waged, where the spirit of the gospel has come in conflict wilh the reli¬ gion of forms, has had one of two results —either the spirit of the gospel is sup¬ pressed and dies away, or the one is se¬ vered from the other never to be united again.   They never have been—they ne¬ ver can be permanently blended.    Such, it requires little sagacity to foresee,must be the result of the present controversy between the two great parties in the Epis¬ copal Church.   It is just a struggle, whe¬ ther the love of prelacy, and the cry of unity, and the power of numbers, and of wealth, and of the " bishops," shall be sufficient to crush the rising spirit of the gospel, or whether there will be vital en¬ ergy, and independence, and the love of the pure doctrines ofthe gospel, enough to break away from all this, and be free. We should rejoice in the latter result—we aniicipate the former—and we fear the Episcopal Church will still continue to be "o?ie."
We have thus stated one truth, as it seems to us, of great importance in re¬ gard to the position of the evangelical party in the Episcopal Church, and to the probable result of their struggles. In il¬ lustrating the nature of their relative po¬ sitions, and the difficulties with which they have to contend, we novv proceed to remark, that they are compelled to use a liturgy which counteracts the effects of their teaching. We bay© stated that they are no less sincerely attached lo the Prayer- book, and no less disposed to laud its ex¬ cellence above all other uninspired pro¬ ductions, than the most staunch defender of high church principles. And yet, what is the effect of the perpetual use of this book on an attempt to diffuse evangelical doctrines through the Episcopal Church.
TENDENCIES OP THE LITURGY.
The prescription to use the liturgy in the worship of God, is binding religious¬ ly on all the ministers and members of the Episcopal Church. The whole sexviee forpublic worship, for marriages, for bap¬ tisms, for funerals, is prescribed. Every prayer to be offered is set down; every portion of Scripture to be read is desig¬ nated, and every address, with the single exception ofthe sermon, is already com¬ posed. At a baptism, a marriage, or afu- neral, it does not appear from the canons, that a minister is to be allowed either to oflfer an extemporary prayer, or to make an extemporary address. Even the form of prayer in a family is prescribed, and the "master or mistress having called together as many of the family as can conveniently be present, is to say as fol¬ lows"—morning and evening. The direc¬ tions for public worship are all positive and explicit. " The minister shall begin the morning prayer by reading one or inure of the following portions of Scrip¬ ture," " Then the minister shall say ;" "the people s/iaZZ answer here." "Then the minister shall kneel and say the Lord's prayer;" "then likewise he shall say;" " then shall be said or sung the fol¬ lowing anthem ;" " then s^aZZ follow a por¬ tion ofthe Psalms ;" "then shall be read the first lesson according lo the table or calendar," and "before every lesson the minister shall say, Here beginneth such a chapter or verse of such a chapter of such a book"—and so on to the end of the Prayer-book. All the discretion which is allowed, appears to be in the choice of some half a dozen " collects" of half a dozen lines each ; that at the end of the Venite, Benedicite, Jubilate, Benedictus, Cantate, Domino, &c., there "moy be said or sung the Gloria Patri;" that he has a choice between two forms ofthe creed— a longer and a shorter form—and that he may introduce into the morning ser¬ vice more or less of the quite tedious communion service. With these quite unimportant discretionary powers,, the prescriptions are absolute, and the de¬ sign was undoubtedly to render the ser¬ vice of the church wholly uniform. There is NO discretion given in regard to e.xtem- poiary prayer. There is no permission on I any occasioii to gobej'ond wJiat is writ-1
ten down. If there is any special emer¬ gency requiring a form of prayerHifFer- ent from any which are printed, it iipro- per to wait until it can be prepared in |. the authorized quarter, and sent down to the inferior clergy. There Is no permit, sion to hold prayer-meetings, and the lit¬ urgy does not contemplate any such thing as a prayer meeting. There is not even permission given to the minister to selectand read a portion of Scripture that shall have any relation to the subject. If his text should happen to be, " God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son," and the " lesson" for lhat day .should happen to be that chapter of the book of Chronicles which commences thus, "Adam, Sheth,Enosb, Kenan, Ma- halaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, La- rtiech," all that the minister is to do is to say,"here beginneth such a chapter," and read on.
We are avyare that the Jow church par¬ ty do sometimes hold prayer meetings, and that occasionaljjf: ^an extemporary prayer is offered after'aofmon, and we will do them the justice to say, that so far as we have heard, their prayers are mo¬ dels of a simple, pure, and holy wor¬ ship, and are such as to prompt irresisti¬ bly to the expression of regret that they are not permitted by their book to pour out their souls in this rpanner, and that j they are fettered by forms. But we be¬ lieve that they themselves regard such prayers and prayer meetings as a de¬ parture from the prescribed mode of worship. We know that the high church party consider them a direct violation of the prescribed rules of the church. We consider them as wholly unauthorized by the church. We see no permission of such things ; we see no latitude of discre¬ tion in regard to such things; we believe that such a thing as a prayer meeting, vvhere extemporary prayer should be of¬ fered, and especially by laymen, is a thing not contemplated by the canons of the Episcopal Church. ^^   •
What then is the inevitable tendency ofthe constant use ofthe liturgy accord¬ ing to the manner prescribed 1 Or, what amounts to the same thing, so far as the subject before us is concerned, what must be the effect of its use even as it is employed by the low church party, in regard to the preaching of evangelical doctrines! They hold, we have conced¬ ed, the doctrines of grace. They teach the necessity of regeneration by the agency of the Holy Spirit. They insist on the doctrine of justification by faith. They are friendly to revivals of religion. Do thearrangementsin the liturgy harmo¬ nize with these efforts 1 So far from it, we think, that their teaching and the Prayer- book come into petpetual conflict; and where the Prayer-book is to be perpetu¬ ally used, the result of such a conflict cannot be doubtful.
We do not advert now to the fact, though we might do it, that preaching in the Episcopal Churchi»<j^it^ a seconda-'i ry thing, and that the al-fangement is so made as to allow it to produce as little effect as possible. A whole hour of the service, if performed with any degree of deliberate solemnity, is occupied inevi¬ tably with the prayers and other forms of devotion. After this protracted and wea¬ risome service, it cannot be supposed that the mind will be in a very desirable state to listen to a sermon of any conside¬ rable length. The ordinary length of Episcopal sermons, from fifteen to twen¬ ty minutes, we regard as in entire accord¬ ance with the arrangements in the Epis¬ copal Church; a sermon of fifty minutes or an hour, becomes intolerable. In ano¬ ther communion—the mother of Episco¬ pacy—the jot^Zpif is placed in the corner of the church ; in the Episcopal Church the sermon is designed to occupy the same relative position.
Butthe difficulties erjcountered by the evangelical party lie deeper than this. We mean, that they are .ci^inqpelled per¬ petually to use a Kttrpg^^btcti'jCo'iinTfer- acts all their teaching. T^jeliturgy i.s,op- posed to the views of the low church Episcopalian, and to the whole influence of his teaching, and is a constant infiu- ence. To some of the views thus con¬ stantly brought before the people in the Prayer-book, opposed to the evangelical teaching, we will now advert.
BAPTISMAL REGENERATION.
There is, first, the doctrine of baptis¬ mal regeneration, a doctrine which we regard as the undoubted teaching of the Prayer-book, and vvhich presents a con¬ stantly counteracting influence to the doc¬ trine ofthe necessity of a change of heart by the agency of the Holy Spirit accom¬ panying the truth.   The doctrine of the Prayer-book is, that a child that isbaptiz- ed in a proper manner, is "regenerated by the Holy Ghost." The language ofthe liturgy on this subject is as explicit as language can be, and we have never seen any explanation by the advocates of low church views, which seemed to us to have the least degree of plausibility. The language on this subject in respect to the public baptism of infant children is the following: The "minister," after I the baptism and making the sign of the cross, is commanded to "say*'—"Seeing now, dearly beloved, that this child is re¬ generate, and grafted into the body of Christ's church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits," &c.— " We yield thee hearty thanks, most mer¬ ciful Father, that It hath pleased thee to regenerate this infant wilh the Holy Spi¬ rit, to receive him for thine own child by adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy church."   The same doctrine is ex¬ pressed in reference to the "privatebap¬ tism of children." Afler the baptism, and the sign of the cross, the ••minister" is directed also to "say"—" this child is re¬ generate, and grafted into the body of Christ's church"—and in like manner to give thanks • that it hath pl§?ise.d thee tp regenerate this infant with t^ Holy Spi¬ rit, to receive him for thjiflSeOwrf child by adoption, and to incorpidrate hitn  into thy holy church." But this ^octrine, that by baptism there is regenerating grace bestowed by the Holy Spirit, is held not only in reference to infants and children, but,if possible, still more clearlyin refer¬ ence to "those of riper years."   Inthe canonical directions on this subject, we find in the Prayer-book the following things.   (1.) The people are  told that} ••all men are conceived and  born  in sin," that ''none can enter into the king¬ dom of God, except they be regenerate] and born anew of water and ofthe Holy j Gho;^," and arc exhorted to "call Upon
God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous goodness he will grant to these persons that vvhich by nature they cannot have, that they may be baptized vvith water and the Holy Ghost." (2.) The following prayers are then directed to be off'ered : "Mercifully look upon these thy servants; wash them and sanctify them with the Holy Ghost; Uiat they, being delivered from thy wrath, may be received into the ark of Christ's church." And again: "Give thy Holy Spirit to these persons, that they may be born again, and be made heirs of ever¬ lasting salvation, through our Lord Je¬ sus Christ." (3.) After baptism, and the sign ofthe cross, the minister is directed to say: "Seeing now, dearly beloved, that these persons are regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for those benefits." The thanksgiving then follows, and then this prayer: "Give thy Holy Spirit to these persons, that be¬ ing born again, and made lieirs of everlast¬ ing salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, they may continue thy servants," &c. &c. Here is a regular order in the teachings, prayers, and thanksgivings, all implying the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, and all implying that that regeneration is accomplished by the Holy Ghost. There is the exhortation to the people to pray for this, then the pray¬ er actually off'ered for this, and then a solemn form of thanksgiving that it has been done. And that this is tho true teaching of the liturgy on this subject, and that the meaning is not, as some Episcopalians have endeavored to show, that the word " regeneration" here means a mere "change of state," or a transi¬ tion from the world into the church, seems to us to be perfectly clear, for, (L) Such is notthemeaningof the Scripture terms, " regeneration," and "being born again," employed in this service. In the Bible they cannot be understood to have this meaning, and there is no evidence that the framers of the liturgy meant to de¬ part from the Scripture usage. (2) The regeneration here spoken of, is not a mere "change of state or relation." It is a change of regeneration by the Holy Ghost. This is what is prayed for, what is taught as having been accomplished, and that for which "hearty thanks" are given when the form of baptism is passed through. Now regeneration by the agen¬ cy of the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures, means a definite thing. It is not a tran¬ sition from heathenism to nominal Chris¬ tianity; it is not a mere profession of re¬ ligion ; it is a work on the heart it¬ self, by which that is changed, and by which the soul begins to live anew unto God. (3.) This cvnnot be the meaning in the liturgy. Isit possible to believe that sensible men should gravely intreat a whole congregation to offer fervent pray¬ ers that certain persons then present might be enabled to join a aliurch ? Is it necessary foT- all,this _parade and cere¬ mony, and^aU this solemn invocation of the special aid of God's Holy Spirit, lhat they might be enabled to change their relation? Is this a work so difficult to be performed, as to need the special inter¬ position of heaven in the case, and that no one could hope to be able to do it without the particular influences of the Spirit of Godi And is religion in the Episcopal Church such a solemn trifling as this representation would imply 1 We do not believe it; and despite all the ef¬ forts of low church Episcopalians to ex¬ plain this, we believe that the high church and the Puseyites have the fair interpre¬ tation of this part ofthe liturgy, that it is intended to teach the doctrine of baptis¬ mal regeneration, and that this will be the impression ever made on the great mas« of those vvho use the Prayer-book. Now these prayers, teachings, and thanksgivings, occur constantly. When¬ ever an infant or an adult is to be baptiz¬ ed, the low churchman, as well as the high chujrchman, is con\peU3d tc publish this doctrine. He has no discretion. The whole service, from beginning to end, is to be read through, and no matter what may be his public teaching as a preach¬ ed or his private views, here he is under a necessity of teaching the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. He gives public thanks in reference to every child, as well as every adult that is baptized and sealed with the sign of the cross, that he is regenerated by the Holy Ghost, and made an heir of everlasting life. What will be then the force of his preaching, on the subjectof the newbirth, or the change of heart, in the proper sense ofthe termi What impression will be made on those already " regenerated by the Holy Ghost" in baptism, in regard to thisl Can such preaching be intended for them 1 Can it be applicable to any but the heathen and the unbaptized; for pagans, scoffers, and " dissentersi" Are not all others alrea- dy born again 1
ANOTHER DIFFICULTY.
A second difficulty of a similar kind derived from the liturgy, with which the evangelical churchman is obliged to con¬ tend, relates to the doctrine of "confirm¬ ation." If we understand the views of low churchmen, they accord with our own in regard to the necessity of a change of heart, and of evidence of per¬ sonal piety, as qualifications for commu¬ nion. They do not suppose, that regene¬ rating grace is conferred either by con¬ firmation or the '•eucharist," nor do they hold that persons should be admitted to either, without evidence of personal re¬ ligion. We believe that they are sincere¬ ly aiming to guard the Lord's table from the approach of all who do not give evi¬ dence that theyare truly ••born again"— not of baptism, but by the Holy Spirit of God.
They are undoubtedly right in these views, but are these the views of their lit
tism.  In support of this, we turn at once to the Prayer-book itself, and find the ar¬ rangements there contemplated in refer¬ ence to " confirmation" and the Lord's Supper, to be the following: The minis¬ ter is directed to say, not to the parents of the child, but to the »• godfathers and god¬ mothers," after baptism is administered, "Ye are to take care that this child be brought to the bishop to be confirmed by him, so soon as he can say the creed, the Lord's prayer, and the ten command¬ ments, and is sufficiently instructed in the other parts of the church catechism set forth for that purpose." We observe here no requirement of any change of heart, or any evidence of piety whatever.   We do not believe that an acquaintance with the creed, the  Lord's prayer, the   ten commandments, and the  church  cate¬ chism, necessarily infers the possession of renewing and saving grace, and as these are all that is specified, we do not see what right any churchman has to add thereto.   To us, lhc.**nly question vvhich it would seem to be proper to propound to a candidate for confirmation would be whether he could "say the creed,  the Lord's prayer, the ten commandments," and the "parts of the ehurch catechism set forth for that purpose." Why has any minister a right to reqtiireany thing more 1 Why is he any more at liberty to demand evidence df what he regards as a change of heart, than he has to insist that the can¬ didate shall be familiar with the West¬ minster Confession or the SaybrookPlat¬ form 1   As these are all the requirements specified, we naturally turn to "the other parts ofthe church catechism set forth" with reference to the rite of confirmation to enquire whether that contemplates a change of heart as a qualification for that rite.
The church catechism has the follow¬ ing title inthe Prayer-book, "A cate¬ chism ; that is to say. An Instruction, to be learned by every person before he is brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by the Bishop." The qualification which is here specilied, in accordance vvith that which is stated at the baptism as necessa¬ ry in order to confirmation, is not that there shall be evidence of a change of heart, or any vital transformation of cha¬ racter after baptism, but that this cate¬ chism has been learned, that is, commit¬ ted to memory, before he is brought to the bishop.
This catechism contains the creed, the ten commandments, the Lord's pray¬ er, and a few questions and answers growing out of each, and on tbe na¬ ture of the sacraments. The question is, with what qualifications and character one would " be brought to the bishop" who should have strictly complied with the directions in the Prayer-book 1 Would it be necessary that he should furnish evi¬ dence of a change of heart, or would it be right to reject his application for the communion, if he could '¦'•say the creed, th« Lord's prayer, and the ten command¬ ments, and had learned the other parts of the church catechism set forth for that purpose 1" These qualifications may be learned from a few of the questions di¬ rected to be proposed to the candidate, and the answers which he is required to give. The first thing which we meet with is the odious doctrine of baptismal rege¬ neration—the elementary idea of Episco¬ pacy as it is in the Prayer-book, and a doctrine on which all that is required to be said by the candidate is based. " Ques¬ tion. What isyour name 1 Ans. N. or M. Quest. Who gave you this namel Ans. My sponsors in baptism ; wherein I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven." Then we would propound a •' question" to those Episcopalians who endeavor to show that regeneration in the Prayer- book does not mean a change of heart, but a change of state. It is this. What more can there be in the new birth, or in regeneration as effected by the Spirit of God, than to be made "a member oF Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven 1" Yet all this the candidate is to affirm was secured to him in baptism. The same doctrine we have affirmed again, if possible, in still stronger terms in this same catechism, which is to be " learned." " Quest. What is the outward visible sign or form in bap¬ tism? Ans. Water; wherein the person is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Quest. What is the inward and spiritual grace 1 Ans. A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness: For being by nature born unto sin, and the children of wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace." That all this is supposed to be conferred by baptism, is apparent from the previous answers on the nature ofthe sacraments. " Quest. How many sacra¬ ments hath Christ ordained in hischurcbl Ans. Two only, as generally necessary unto salvation; that is to say, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Quest. What meanest thou by the word Sacrament.» Ans. I mean an outward and visible sign ofan inward and spiritual grace, given unto us, or¬ dained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof." The necessity of grace is not indeed any where denied, but it is affirmed here, as it is implied every where in the Prayer-book, that the grace is imparted at baptism, and that the "outward visible sign" and the "in¬ ward grace" go together.
With these views, and having "learn- ed" to say these things, the candidate is to be brought to the bishop to be confirm¬ ed. We are ready to acknowledge that many, or most of the questions directed to be propounded to the candidate are solemn and pertinent. On the supposi¬ tion that they were propounded lo one who had been truly converted, they are such questions as ought to be proposed
which is needful to the salvation of the f soul. But here stands this catechism which they are to teach, and which conveys les¬ sons so plain, that we fear they are un- de^rstood and believed by the great mass of those who are "brought to the bishop to be confirmed." Wo can easily ima¬ gine what the eft'ect would be, if, in a Congregational or Presbyterian Church, all the children vvere to be taught, that re- generation was imparted by baptism pro¬ perly administered, and that all they bad to do in order to bo qualified for tbe com¬ munion, was to "learn to say" this. Where would be our revivals of reli¬ gion 1
EVANGELICAL TRUTH vs. TUB PRAYER-BOOK.
We are aware that the evangelical par-- ty in the Episcopal Church endeavor lo evade this. We know that many of them insist that the candidates for confirma¬ tion shall give evidence to them that they are truly e<mverted, and  that by the c.<- , erciso of-what they seem to regard air their right, they restrain those from con¬ firmation whom they do not judge to be qualified for the communion.   Aware of the obvious and dangerous tendency of the system as set down in the Prayer- book, they claim the right of not present¬ ing to the bishop for confirmation those whom they do not regard as qualified for it. We have no doubt that in doing this, they are acting in accordance vvith the New Testament, which plainly teaches that repentance and faith are indispensa- ble qualifications for the Lord's table. But is this Episcopacy 1   Have they this right according to the canons of their own church 1 We think not. We aro will¬ ing to allow that there must be some dis¬ cretion allowed to the officiating minis¬ ter or rector of a parish in regard to those vvho are to be presented, as the fair rules of interpretation seem to demand that he shall not be requiredto present those vvho are open infidels, or who are grossly im¬ moral.    But has he a right to put his own interpretation on what constitutes a pro¬ per qualification—to  say   that   baptism does  not mean regeneration;  that  the child that was baptized, was not " made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven;" that it has not "pleased God to regene¬ rate him vvith his Holy Spirit" when he was baptized, but that another kind of re¬ generation is necessary, and to withhold him from confirmation until he has him¬ self the^evidence that he is born again 1 Has he a right to set his own views thus against the teaching ofthe church, and to insist lhat his views shall be complied wilh contrary to the obvious meaning of the canons, and to the almo.st unbroken custom ofthe church 1 We think not. We think that by becoming  an  Episcopal minister, he binds himself to act in ac¬ cordance wilh the obvious meaning of the liturgy in this respect, and that how¬ ever his soul may revolt at it, and how¬ ever coritrary all this may be to his con¬ victions §!f what is taught in the New Tes¬ tament, as long as he chooses to remain in the church, he has no discretion.   He is the servant of the church.   He has re¬ ceived this Prayer-book as his guide, and it is his to carry out its views. If he is dissa¬ tisfied with them, the way is clear.    It is to leave the communion ; it is not to in¬ troduce and defend practices contrary to the elementary conceptions of Episco- pacy.
There is another thought. The ehurch may be regarded as making a sort of compact with every child that is duly bap¬ tized, that if he will comply with her re¬ gulations, he shall be entitled at the pro¬ per time to whatever advantage there may be in her full fellowship and favor. There is a pledge given, through the sponsors at baptism, that if the course of life which is then recommended is pur¬ sued, the child, as soon as he can say the creed, the ten commandments, and has been stJiitably instructed in the other parts bf the" catechisrnTsIiaTr be entitled to the privilege of confirmation. We be¬ lieve that he may forfeit this by an unho¬ ly and wicked life, but not by any inter¬ pretation which his pastor may choose to put on the terms of the compact im¬ plying that he was not made a member of Christ and a child of God. On this sub¬ ject, we think, the case is wholly parallel with that of one who becomes a '• candi¬ date for orders" in the Episcopal Church; and as such a candidate, if he complies vvith the canons in the case, has a right to ordination in the church, so has a youth who. has been baptized, and who has learned to say what is taught him, a righito confirmation. The right in the one case is as clear as in the other.
[The writer here quotes Dr. Tyng's ar¬ guments in support of Mr. Carey's ordina¬ tion, based on the implied compact be¬ tween the Episcopal Church and the can¬ didate for orders. He then applies the rea¬ soning to the quesfion in hand, and says—]
Now, with these principles, we do not see   how  a minister  of the  Episcopal Church can refuse to present a candi¬ date for confirmation who has compli-ed with the directions in the rubric, even though he should not give him evidence that his heart was changed.    One of the difficulties, then, vvith which the evange¬ lical party has  to contend, is that ihe grand, the leading ubject ofan evangeli¬ cal ministry every where—the conver¬ sion ofthe soul to (iod by the truth, the quickening of a spirit dead in Bin by tho preached gospel, tho conversion and ual- vation of the lost by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit—meets with this ceunter- acting, this all-pervading influence in the Prayer-book, and that despite his private convictions and all his sense of what is right and true, he is under the high obli¬ gation of his ministerial vows to act as if a baptized child were made ••regenerate
to* alllCho make a profession of'religion. ( with*the Holy Ghost,"and was •'a mem
urgyl Does the Prayer-book contemplate I .--..,      •, ,, °       i,       ^^,  .,       ,_„,    „ .-.   ,
• •   jButwhatistheirweight,orpower,orper-(berofChrist,a child of God.andanin- tinency, when addressed to one who is j taught to say that by infant baptism he [ was '• made a child of God, a member ofj Christ, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven," and that his sponsors made certain    promises for him   in  baptism which he has come now to relieve them from, by ratifying them himself 1
Now what will be the effect of thisj. standing and stereotyped system of in¬ struction on the preaching ofthe evange- lical part ofthe Episcopal Church 1 They aim to teach a difl'erent thing from this. They strive to teaoh, and ihey really be¬ lieve, that water baptism, however ad- minisVerfed, Bdes' not impart  the grace
this'l Have they, as Episcopalians, a right to rest in this, and to exclude from ••con¬ firmation" and the Lord's Supper, all who do not give tlem evidence that they are truly converted, or are truly piousi We think they have not; and that m their efforts on this subject they are not only departing from their own standards, but are in the very n^atter compelled to use a liturgy, the tendency of which is to counteract and render nugatory all their own instructions and efforts. We believe that the Prayer-book does not contem¬ plate, in order to confirmation, any other regeneration than that of water baptism, or any other qualification than that of following otit the arrangement (Jf bap-
} heritor of heaven."
[To be ^continued.]
BETHEt School IN Montreal, Canaija. —The Montreal Transcript of December 30th, contains a card' from the Rev. L. Osgood, who had just returned to that cityj giving thanks for the kind assistance he had received during his visit to several plajces in the United States, He also invit¬ ed the children of the Bethel School, to meethim with their parents on New Year>i, to hear an address, recite their hymns, and partake of fruits and cakes provided for them.