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452

DR. HOW-MILLENNIUM.

The chief champions of episcopacy are the late Dr. Bowden, bishop Hobart, and Dr. How. The presbyterian form of church government was defended by Dr. Mason, and Dr. Miller. Dr. How labours to prove, that controversy is the life and soul of religion; and that to it, principally, is the episcopal church indebted for its growth in the United States; and that by its aid episcopacy will cover the whole earth, about the time when the Millennium first sets in.

But it may be doubted, if continual controversy do not call up feelings, and tempers, and dispositions, far other than those which characterize the servant and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to be feared, that controversy, in general, does not answer to the apostle's description of charity; and it is a consummation devoutly to be wished, that the only controversy among Christians were, who should, most faithfully, zealously, and constantly, in season and out of season, preach Jesus Christ and him crucified, as the only foundation of present peace, and future hope, and eternal safety, to individuals; as the only source of domestic, social, and national concord, joy, prosperity, strength and honour.

There are some fine and forcible observations in Dr. Mason's "Plea for catholic communion upon catholic principles," upon the evil of rending the unity of the Christian church by contests about minute and unimportant points of difference among those who agree in all the essential doctrines of Revelation. He shows, with great ability, and much learning, that the love of unity, and the horror of schism, prevailed in the hearts of all the best and brightest Christians of the primitive ages; and shone out with renewed lustre in the saints and heroes of the Reformation, and their followers of succeeding generations; that the Luthers and Calvins, the Melancthons, and Bucers, and Martyns, the Dutch, French, and Swiss churches, and the evangelical interest, generally, were desirous of basing the communion of the church upon the broad foundation of

CATHOLIC COMMUNION.

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the common faith, without regard to minor differences, and that it will never be well with Christendom until an union be endeavoured and effected between all those who are orthodox in doctrine, though differing among themselves in some circumstances about church government.

And surely, a Christian spirit and temper are infinitely preferable to all controversies respecting matters not essential to salvation. Far better would it be for all real Christians, whether Calvinistic or Arminian, whether episcopalian, or presbyterian, or congregational, to cease their disputations upon extreme points of doubtful construction and unintelligible abstruseness, about discipline, and habits, and ceremonies, and external rites and observances; and to unite all their forces in harmonious combination, against the real enemies of their common faith, whether open or secret; against atheists and deists, against Arians and Antinomians, against Socinians and formalists; to uphold the doctrines of the cross; to strip off the mask of self righteousness from the formal pharisee; and to expose the impiety and blasphemy of the avowed opponents of Revelation.

Memorable, says the preface to the "Jus divinum," ," is the story of bishop Ridley and bishop Hooper, two famous martyrs, who, when they were out of prison, disagreed about certain ceremonial garments, but when they were put into prison, they quickly and easily agreed together. Adversity united them, whom prosperity divided.”

We, certainly, do prefer the union of all Christian denominations, in their efforts to evangelize the world, to all assertions of the exclusive claims of episcopacy to covenant mercy, and the consequent condemnation of all nonepiscopal communions, to a state and condition, no better, if not worse, than that of the heathens, who never heard the sound of the glorious Gospel. It must, in very deed, be an iron heart, to say nothing of the head piece, which would

454

FORMAL MONOPOLIES.

degrade, unchurch, unchristen, all other protestant persuasions, the papists being cordially embraced as brother episcopalians, and proscribe them as having no sacraments, no covenant right to salvation, for want of a ministry derived by an uninterrupted succession of episcopal ordination from the apostles.

All formalists, of every religious persuasion, are prone to set up a monopoly of salvation for themselves; from which they rigorously exclude every one, who cannot, or will not, pronounce their shibboleth. In Christendom, the papists are supposed to be most strenuous in asserting their exclusive church privileges on earth, and for heaven. The Hindu brahmun, perhaps, is equally charitable, when he denies the possibility of future happiness to any Christian faith and holiness, unless the candidate for immortality occasionally refreshes himself with a naked seat on tenpenny nails.

But the Jews themselves were signal examples of this exclusive, formal disposition. At the advent of the Messiah, these people maintained the exterior of piety, although the power of godliness was lost. Their chief priests, and popular leaders, Josephus describes as profligate wretches, who had purchased their places by bribes, or other iniquitous acts; and maintained their authority by the most flagitious crimes. Their religious creed was split up into various sects, which were, all of them, more intent on the gratification of private enmity, than the advancement of piety, or the promotion of the public welfare. The subordinate members followed the corruption of their head; the priests, and Levites, and all the inferior clergy, were most abandoned and dissolute; while the laity, profiting by their clerical example, plunged into every species of depravity, and drew down the vengeance of God upon ther devoted land.

Yet were these Jews the very stanchest formalists; attached to the Mosaic ritual; and the traditions of their elders, with a maniac fanaticism and

JEWISH FORMALISTS.

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zeal. These hypocrites assumed the most sanctimonious appearances before the world; uttering their set forms of long and loud prayers at the corners of crowded streets; publicly parading their religion and their almsgiving, yet, in private, exercising the most horrible cruelty and oppression; devouring widows' houses, robbing the orphan, perpetually bawling out, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord! paying tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, to support the splendour of the priesthood; and, in practical life, violating the first duties of morality, justice, faithfulness, and mercy.

Their great men were incredibly depraved; many of them Sadducees in principle, and in practice; profligate sensualists; more abandoned than the corrupted ages of the heathen world; vieing, which should surpass each other in impiety against God, and injustice towards man. They compassed sea and land to proselyte the pagans; and when they had gained a convert, they soon rendered him a twofold child of hell; making him, by their own scandalous example, more profligate than before his conversion.

The circumstance of their nation having been blessed with a direct revelation from God, instead of expanding, narrowed their minds into all the bitterness of theological hatred. They regarded the uncircumcised heathens with sovereign scorn; and branded them as enemies of Jehovah, because they were, by birth, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and lived strangers to their covenant of promise. They would not eat with, nor do the least act of kindness for, nor hold any social intercourse with them.

Hence, they could not endure the calling of the Gentiles to participate in the Christian salvation; wherefore, the apostles, particularly Paul, laboured to confirm this point by reference to numerous prophecies in the Old Testament. In the true spirit of exclusive churchmanship, also, they professed to be

456

ROMAN AND ANGLICAN CHURCHES.

lieve, that all Jews would infallibly be saved; and that Abraham sits near the gates of hell, and does not permit any Israelite, however wicked, to descend thither.

The Rev. Samuel Wix, likewise, is too stout an exclusive churchman, to desire to conciliate, or unite with any protestant dissenters. He prefers coalescing with the pope, to uniting with any nonepiscopalian, however sound in Scriptural doctrine; however fervent in evangelical faith; however pure and holy in a life regulated by the precepts of his blessed Redeemer. "No," says he, "the union is not desired between members of the (English) church and schismatics; but between the church of Rome and the church of England, if, indeed, they may be designated, as churches under different names.

Union is not, indeed, nor ought to be desired between the true apostolical church, and those who renounce apostolical discipline; but union between the church of England and the church of Rome, on proper Christian grounds."

Mr. Wix professes to be struck with "horror” at the schismatic spirit of the day, and says, that "no sound catholic, whether of the church of England, or of the church of Rome, can unite with protestants while they refuse to be under the discipline of the church, (Roman or Anglican ?) or to bow to its faith." And Mr. Wix discovers, by a round of reasoning, doubtless quite satisfactory to himself, and peradventure, also, to the papists, that "the impiety of protestant nonepiscopalians are far more injurious to Gospel truth, than the errors attaching to the Roman catholic faith."

Protestant impieties, and popish errors? but eheu jam satis est.

Upon these asseverations, somewhat marvellous in the mouth of a beneficed clergyman of the English church, who is probably on his way to the episcopate, the Christian Observer thus mildly animadverts: now, without going into the inquiry, if the

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