ment 'some in later times have done ciety is founded in mutual agreeagainst the censures of their brethIt is no less a dictate of ren. And had the church of Per- reason, than of the word of God, gamos been formed on the princi- that two cannot work together exples above mentioned, they might cept they be agreed. No society have replied to the solemn message can subsist, unless there be some of our Lord, in some such manner specific principles in which they as the following: Why are we are united. In political societies, blamed for having those among us, these principles will be of a politiwho hold the doctrine of Nicholas? cal nature; and in those of relig It is sufficient for us as individ- ion, of a religious nature. Accoruals to think for ourselves, and ding to the degree of importance leave others to do the same. We in which those principles are held cannot refuse these men, without by the parties associating, will be invading the right of private judg- their concern to maintain and act ment!' upon them; and the terms of admittance, or continuance in such society, must be regulated accordingly.-A community must entirely renounce the name of a Christian church, before it can act upon the principle here contended for ; and those who entirely reject Christianity, ought, nevertheless, to be admitted or retained in fellowship, if they choose it; since in becoming infidels, they have only exercised the right of private judgment." If it be objected, that inspiration rendered the judgment of the apostles infallible, and that therefore their conduct in this case is not a rule for us; it may be replied, that if the Apostles were infallible, the churches were not so, and the blame is laid on them for having neglected to exclude the characters in question. Besides, this objection would tend to prove that primitive Christians, on account of the infallibility of the apostles, did not possess the right of private judgment; and that the right sprung up in consequence of our all being equally fallible! But this is contrary to the declaration of an apostle: Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy. Hence it appears, that admonishing, or excluding from the primitive church, those who held pernicious errors, was not reckoned to be subversive of the right of private judgment; and the churches being exhorted to such discipline by the apostles, was exercising no dominion over their faith. Secondly. Not only is this supposed right of private judgment inconsistent with apostolic practice, but it is also contrary to reason, and the fitness of things. All so Whether it be right for us to think the worse of any person on account of his erroneous principles, must depend on a previous question, namely, Whether he be better or worse for the principles which he imbibes! If he be not, then it must be allowed that we ought not to think so of him; but if he be, we undoubtedly ought to think of one another according to truth.— To say that no person is better or worse in a moral view, whatever be his principles, is to say that principles themselves have no influence on the heart and life; and that is as much as to say, that they are of no importance. But if so, all those scriptures which represent truth as a means of sanctification, ought to be discarded; and all the labours of good men to discover truth, and of the apostles to disseminate it, yea, and those of the Son of God himself, who came into the world to bear witness to the truth, were useless and in vain. ANDREW FULLER. - ERROR OF DR. CHALMERS, EXPOSED. Dr. Chalmers introduces his sermon on 1. John, iv. 19, thus:"Some theologians have exacted from an enquirer, at the very outset of his conversion, that he should carry in his heart what they call the disinterested love of God. They are for having him to love God, and that on the single ground that he is lovely, without any ref : erence to his own comfort, or even his own safety. Strange demand that they make on a sentient being, that even, amidst the fears and the images of destruction, he should find room in his heart for the love of complacency." The ground of the sinner's returning love to his Almighty Sovereign, he states in another paragraph in the sermon "But there is a harmony between the processes of grace and of nature; and in the same manner as in human society, the actual conviction of a neighbour's good will to me, takes the precedency, in point of order, of any movement of gratitude on my part; so, in the great concerns of our fellowship with God, my belief that he loves me, is an event prior and preparatory to the event of my loving him." Again-"But let all this burst upon the eye of a sinner, and let the truth and righteousness of God, out of Christ, stand before it in visible array, along with the other glories of character which belong to him-the love of moral esteem, you may say, ought to arise in his bosom; but it cannot. The affection, in such circumstances, is impossi ble. The man is in terror; and he can no more look with complacency upon his God, than he can delight himself with the fair form of a landscape opened to his view, by the flashes of an imperding volcano." Other passages there are of a like import in the sermon. Thus, according to Dr. Chalmers, the sinner cannot, it is impossible, and it is preposterous to require it of him, to love God in the first place, as being what he is, as amiable in his own nature, and in the spirit and upon the basis of love. How does this strip the blessed God of his rights, deny his gloTy, place him in the wrong in the demands of his law; and what a quieting opiate it is to the selfish sinner! I must first be convinced that God loves me with an intent to make me quit of the penalty of his law and to raise me to glory, before I can have the least measure of love to him. But it is impossible to know this in such an order. What evidence of it can ex ist, if I now hate God with all my heart? Most certain it is, that there never was, and never will be, any saving religion, but what has its disinterested love of God. How foundation in this prior thing, the much to be lamented it is, that so popular a writer should inculcate errors so gross! DR. AUSTIN. CALVINISM. "That religion which makes the best citizen, is the best religion for society." This is the remark of one, who inveighs bitterly against Calvinism. Let the Edinburgh Reviewers, who will not be suspected of any very strong prejudices in favour of Calvinism, decide its merits by the above standard. Editor Ch. Mirror. "Predestination, or doctrines and entertaining in them all, and yet not satisfy the claims of the inconsiderate. When is a Minister to study and prepare for the pulpit? How is he to bring forth things new, as well as old, if he does not increase his store? I can recollect that I endeavoured to gratify in this way, but I could not. It was not in my power to be out always, to go every where, or to prolong my visits to a degree that my friends wished. If Pastors can satisfy their own consciences, they must disregard unreasonable complaints." much inclining towards it, have, on PAROCHIAL VISITS. "I heard complaints on the subject of a Minister's not visiting his people. This is a charge, which is sometimes well founded, and sometimes not so. The Minister of a large congregation would need to have twenty bodies, animated with twenty souls, and to be in twenty places at the same time, and to be cheerful, lively, spiritual, Memoirs of Kingsbury. From the Connecticut Observer. EXTEMPORANEOUS PREACHING. A great deal is said about extempore preaching. Many persons think their ministers would do much better if they would lay aside the practice of writing sermons and speak as lawyers do. If a minister preaches without notes, he is considered as a much greater man than those who write and read their sermons. And references are made to ministers among the reformers, and among other denominations, as either possessing greater talent, or more of the Spirit than our own. But, Mr. Editor, there is a great error in judgment about this thing. The truth is, almost any body can extemporize, while comparatively few men can compose. A well written sermon is only the fruit of a thorough education, and is one of the highest efforts of the human mind. Place many a popular extemporaneous preacher at a table with a pen and his Bible, and require of him a well composed sermon, and he could not produce it. This fact ought to make those congregations which have pastors who are capable of doing this, from week to week, value the blessing they possess most highly. Such pastors will preach ANECDOTE OF MR. FULLER. the Gospel with great variety. Seldom will a man write the same It is related of this worthy man, things twice; while an extempo- remarkable for his ingenuousness raneous preacher, for want of some- and simplicity of manners, that on thing else, will repeat it an hun- a tour which he made for the purdred times. Such a man too will pose of soliciting donations for the give every subject a thorough in- Baptist mission in India, he called vestigation. It is his object when on a certain wealthy lord in EngBut this can land, who was not personally ac he folds his paper. seldom be said of an extemporaneous preacher. There is something in his life which almost necessarily leads to mental indolence; to depend on his powers when he shall meet his audience. If there is something in his manner more engaging than in that of him who writes, let the latter catch it as far as possible; but if he would not be come a poor preacher, in matter, let him hold fast to the practice of writing his sermons, and let his people prize him the more for doing it. J. T. M. THE TASTE OF THE AGE. Extract from a Review in the Christ ian Mirror: The prevailing taste of this age, is, in many respects, bad. There is very little close and solid thinking. Men are not looking for deep views, profound investigation, in works now issued from the press. What is not sparkling and moving, cannot gain a hearing. Even among the graver part of readers, the demand is made for intelligence, biography, travels, voyages, and other works, which do not require fixed and patient attention. There is a great dread of elaborate discussion-a mental indolence, which is attempting to bring into disrepute all those works, which are best suited to make enlightened, substantial Christians, by raising a hue and cry of metaphysics against them. quainted with Mr. Fuller, but had heard of his disinterested labours in the cause of missions, and the report of his talents and piety. After he had stated to him the object of his visit, the lord observed, that he thought he should make him no donation: and Mr. Fuller was preparing to retire; when the former observed that there was one man, Andrew Fuller, to whom, if he could see him, he thought he would give something for the mission.Mr. F. immediately observed, "My name, Sir, is Andrew Fuller.". On this the nobleman, with some degree of coldness, gave him a guinea. Observing the indifference with which the money was presented, Mr. Fuller, looking the nobleman in the face with much gravity, addressed him with this interrogation, "Does this gift, Sir, proceed from your heart? If it does not, I wish not to receive it." The nobleman melted and overcome with this honest frankness, spontaneously took from his purse and presented him ten guineas more, with this remark, "there, Sir, this comes from my HEART!" It was an important idea with Mr. Fuller, to enforce this sentiment, that men should do good from a good motive. On a certain occasion, when he had preached a charity sermon, after stating to his hearers their duty in the case, he warned them against giving from the opinion of thereby meriting the favour of God; and instead of flat THE PHILOSOPHER. tering them in order to draw from understand-but you should not them their money, he plainly stated talk of Christianity, for you have to them: "If any of you propose not studied it I have, and am certo give with such a corrupt motive, tain you know nothing of the matI warn you of the danger of such ter." This was a just reproof, and conduct." one that would be very suitable to be given to half the infidels of the present day, for they often speak of what they have never studied, and what in fact they are entirely ignorant of. Dr. Johnson, therefore, well observed, that no honest man could be a Deist, for no man could be so, after a fair examination of the proofs of Christianity. On the name of Hume, being mentioned to him, "No Sir," said he, " Hume owned to a clergyman in the bishopric of Durham, that he had never read the New Testament with attention." Sir Isaac Newton set out in life a clamorous infidel, but on a nice examination of the principles of Christianity, he found reason to change his opinion. When the celebrated Dr. Halley was talking infidelity before him, Sir Isaac addressed him in these or the like words:" Dr. Halley, I am always glad to hear you when you speak about astronomy, or other parts of the mathematics, because that is a subject you have studied and well POETRY. VERSIFICATION OF THE 72D PSALM. [By James Montgomery.] HAIL to the Lord's Anointed! His reign on earth begun! He comes with succour speedy, To those who suffer wrong; To help the poor and needy, And bid the weak be strong; To give them songs for sighing, Their darkness turn to light, Whose souls, condemn'd and dying, Were preclous in his sight. By such shall He be feared, While sun and moon endure, For He shall judge the poor, Shall Peace the herald go; And righteousness in fountains Arabia's desert ranger, To him shall bow the knee : His glory come to see; Ships from the isles shall meet, Kings shall fall down before Him, His praise all people sing; Or dove's light wing can soar. A kingdom without end: The mountain-dews shall nourish A seed in weakness sown, Whose fruit shall spread and flourish, O'er every foe victorious, He on his throne shall rest, His covenant remove, |
