The Prayer book unveiled in the light of Christ or, Unity without liturgical revision, letters

Front matter

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Preface

substitute for it, in accordance with the conceptions of the natural mind ; and of these there is an ample supplyin the Church of Eome. It is only the natural mind that can attempt to revive the Jewish types, which Christian realities have done away, or convert a means of grace into an object of worship ; and when there is any such unspiritual perversion of Divine ordinances, the means are not likely to accomplish the end for which they are specially appointed. It was greatly to the credit of the party, and in perfect accordance with their freely acknowledged zeal in defending objective truth, that they evinced a willingness to form a coalition with Evangelicals in order to repel the assault which "was being made upon the doctrines of our holy religion, by men who are in the Church, but not of it, and whom the Church, in a healthier state and under more favourable circumstances would have summarily ejected. But confederacies which are formed by the sacrifice or suppression of principle, and despite existing differences of opinion on vital truths, are only made to be " broken in pieces." Already one party to the confederacy is calling upon the civil government to put forth its powers to check the Romanising developments of the other. Evangelicals, as God's witnesses for saving truth, ought to have known and felt that, by such a

PEEFACE.

coalition, they were giying Tractarians to infer that, after all, the difference between the two parties was not of such Tital importance as had been alleged ; and the leader of that school has now turned round upon them and taunted them with their inconsistency in calling for the aid of the civil power to restrict the liberty of the Ritualists in its development towards Rome, while they are making no outcry for an act of Parliament to restrain the propagators of positive heresy. Whether it be right or whether it be wrong to call for the interference of the civil power in either case, or in both, I have no wish at present to express an opinion, but certainly the accusation of inconsistency arises from a very superficial view of the case. Heterodoxy varies its form, and is simply the ephemeral production of the restless, unsanctified, natural mind; it has no support from any existing organization; but Romanism is an insidious and corrupting leaven, which has most effect upon a certain class of religiously disposed persons, to whom it offers a spurious substitute for the saving truth which their spiritual state requires. Our Church has already suffered much from its deluding influence ; and there are not wanting assiduous agents without her communion who are not over scrupulous as to the means they employ in alluring their victims. Prevention is

PREFACE.

doubtless a necessity. Our bishops, I dare say, are doing tbeir duty according to their power, but if the laity had a voice in the appointment of their ministers, under any kind oi reasonable restriction, we should •oon hear nothing more of Eomish innovations. The great original cause of the Reformation still exists. The "Word of God and Rome are at issue upon the cardinal point of saving truth ; and the views of Tractarians on the vital doctrine of justification by faith are similar to those which are held by the Church of Rome. There cannot, and there ought not, to be any kind of coalition between them and God's witnesses for this very truth. Every co-operation in the work of the ministry is found to be an impossibility. Now this h just an illustration of what I have so repeatedly and strongly stated throughout this little book. The fact meets us everywhere, and it is our wisdom to look it in the face, that until the Gospel of our Salvation amd the Gospel of the Kingdom are held in harmonious unity, instead of being arrayed antagonistically against each other, there can neither be peace nor prosperity within the Church. God will have a controversy with us as long as we have a controversy with each other ; and our agreeing to differ wiU make the case no better ; for such a course is alien to the spirit of Christian morality.

PREFACK.

Truly the times are perilous. There is within the Church not only an openly avowed system of Eoman* izing, but also a numerous class of persons who are propagating an evasive theory of the Atonement, which even the rationalistic mind will find it difficult ta accept, but which can certainly give no peace to an awakened soul. Their teaching amounts, in short, ta a ** denying of the Lord that bought them**; and, in addition to this fearful heresy, they have wrested from their plain significance the solemn declarations of our* Lord respecting the eternity of future punishments, and given them an interpretation of theii own. By some of the men of free thought even the Divinity of our Lord is more than questioned ; and the subjection; of the Word of God to the critical strictures of the natural mind has also been carried so far that the actual inspiration of the Scriptures has come to be considered a doctrine about which even good men may agree to differ. There may be troubles from without as well as from, within. Nothing less than the separation of Church and State will satisfy the political Dissenter, and it is not unlikely that there will be a much more formidable attack from this quarter than ever there has been before. What a pity it is that there should be any such anomaly among professing

PREFACE.

Christians as a political Dissenter, or that there should be any Dissenters at all. Oh that every good man who professes to be a Churchman, would help me to convince Dissenters that it is both their interest and their duty, to use their influence and employ their best efforts, in reforming, strengthening, and extending the Church, that they and their children's children may find in her the most blessed, the safest, and the best of homes ! What a field for holy, child-like effort is presented, notwithstanding all our differences, divisions, and contentions, to the enlightened. Catholic-minded, peace-making Christian ; and what need there is for fervent continuous intercessory prayer ! If God in His great mercy would awaken the earnest-minded Tractarian to the sense of his need of the Gospel of Salvation, and open the understandings of our Evangelical and Nonconforming brethren to discern the Gospel of the Kingdom, there would soon be an united, extended, and effective Church, powerful enough in the strength of the Lord to make adequate provision for the spiritual wants of our long and shamefully neglected population, and to evangelize the world. It is more apparent than we are willing to believe, that as we are, we cannot long remain ; combinations may be formed of which no man can foresee the result. The

PREFACE.

external administratioii of the Church is an offence, tt by^word, a reproach, and beyond defence ; and if internal unity cannot by Good's help be brought about, «nd if there be not a great increase of spiritual life within it, the growing intelligence of the people, and their probable accession to a greater amount of political power are more likely to lead to its ceasing to be the Established Church of our land than to its reformation; and should this be the case, there would be an immediate and an irreparable disruption, which would pave the way to the eventual triumph of Romanism and infidelity. It is in troublous and yet hopeful times, that this Httle book is again sent forth on its mission of peace. A proposal has been made to publish a large edition, simply as a reprint, on the ground that it has been useful to many, and may be useful to more, to which I have consented with some little reluctance. I have only been able to make a few corrections and some imimportant alterations. But in revising the book I have felt most deeply, that it is " not by might nor by power" that so great a work as the restoration of Christian unity is to be accomplished. Notwithstanding its many defects, the book is full from beginning to end of all important truth, and yet with all its labored repetitions and expositions, how very little impression

PBEFACE.

has it made upon the religious mind of the day. It is a great saying, " Now are we the sons of God ;" but, how unlike Him ! Where is His wisdom ? Where is His power ? I am very sensible that, if more of the spirit of Christ had been manifested in the book, it would have done its work much more effectually. But there may be faults in the reader, as well as in the writer. There may be little Divine power and illumination in the one, but is there always a receptive capacity — ^the effect of a humble and prayerful teachableness — ^in the other ? In everything it behoveth us to give thanks. It is of God's great mercy and goodness that the book has been made a blessing to so many ; and I trust it wiU be the fervent and continued prayer of ihose who have profited by it, — in which I shall most heartily unite, — ^that the expectations which have been formed as to the results of its republication may, by •^God's blessing, be more than fully realized.

Pendeen Paesonage, June, 1867.

Contents

LETTCK. PAOX.

The Introduction 1

I.— The Will of God, the Law of Christian

Introduction

PAGE.

All Need to Learn ..... 1 Party Spirit is Unteachable .... 3 Evils of Systematized Dissent . .9

A Higher Conception of Christianity the Want of the

Present Day . . . .14

Justification precedes Regeneration . .15

** Non-Essential " a word to be used only, by Selfish

Eeligionists . . . .17

A Knowledge of Acceptance necessary for all 19

Different Uses in Scripture of the word Salvation 21

The Preaching of the Gospel only a Preparation for

the Teaching of the Church . .23

Letteb I.

The WiU of Ood the Law of Christian Conduct,

Disunion not felt to be a Sin . .27 not Inevitable .31

Vm ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS.

PA»X.

Disunion would not be hea]^d by mere Intercommunion between Churchmen and Nonconformists 82 Disunion perpetuated by Eeligious Selfishness 36 This Selfishness destroyed by Christianity . 38 And by the Church — Mr, Oladstone quoted 40 Sin, which caused Division must be Confessed ; and

the Bible and Prayer Book sti^died . 44

Letter II. Revision of the Liturgy

The Prayer Book God's Witness to the Harmony of Evangelical and Church Truth . .47

Justification by Faith distinct from Begeneration by

Baptism . . . . .51

Opposing Theories reconciled by a Higher Truth —

F.Robertson . .66

"Christ in us" . .' .57

Contrasted with Sin in us — Archer Butler. . 64

Letter HI.

Regeneration Expounded.

The Prayer Book intended only for the Justified 67

This shown in the Baptismal and Confirmation

ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS. • IX

Shown also in the Litany and Confession . 72

(John iii. refers primarily to Justification) . 73

The New Christian Covenant distinct from the Eternal

Covenant of Redemption . . .76

Baptism the Sacrament of Initiation into the New

Christian Covenant . . . .78

Object of this Covenant, the Regeneration of the

Redeemed . . . .79

The object of our Probation analogous to that of Adam

before the FaU 83

Regeneration Typified by Noah's Salvation by Water. 88 The Covenant of Circumcision analogous to that of

Letter FV.

Bsgeneration Expounded in the Light of Christ and the Word.

Christ our New Covenant .... 100

Christ as our Life ..... 102

Christ in our Eternal Oneness with Himself . . 105 The benefits of the Covenant in proportion to Obedience

The Gospels especially the Book of the Covenant,

and therefore written for Believers . 109

Self-denial the condition of the Covenant 110

X ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS.

PAOX.

Oiirist the Pattern of the Hegenerate Life . Ill His Human Will subdued by Discipline .111 Dying unto Self the first Christian duty . .115

Negative and Positive Christianity correlative . 118 This shown in the Beatitudes (quotation from Dr.

The Bite of Baptism distinct from fulfilment of the

requirements of the Baptismal Covenant 128

Baptism unto Christ's Death .... ISO

Christ's Obedience unto Death . 132

Christ the Power of Obedience 189 What is done in the Baptismal Rite, and what remains

to be accomplished .... 140

Teaching of the Prayer Book on the Requirements of

the Baptismal Covenant .... 144

Teaching for 19th Sunday after Trinity . . 120 Obedience to Christian Precepts not Vicarious but

Federal 151

St. Macarius' illustration of Burial with Christ . 154 Old Testament Manliness and New Testament Godliness contrasted . . .155

Letter V.

Hie GhwrcKs Teaching in the BapUmtal Office.

Evangelical Truth only a preparation for the teaching

of the Prayer Book .157

ANALYSIS OF OONTENTS. XI

PAOX .

The Church Service, one of Worship . . . 164

Church Truth virtually repudiated hy Evangelicals . 167 The Prayer Book contains all Catholic Doctrine . 171 Provision made for the Children of Christians . 173

Christie Nurture ..... 176

Baptized liiifEuits n(>t under God's Wrath . . . 177

The " strait gate" not Baptism, hut Conversion . 179 State of Baptized In£ants Provisional . . .164

Sponsorship shows that Baptism is a Conditional

IJie Church— Visible, Invwihle, and Heavenly . 196 The Invisible Church consists of those who become as • UtUe children . ... . .197

The command to Baptize all nations, implies Infant

Baptism 201

The Church a Theocracy . . ♦ . .203

The state of Baptized InfEints 1^)rpified by that of the

circumcised Israelite in the. bondage of Egypt 207 Passage of the Bed Sea a type of Conversion . 208

Israel in the Wilderness, a type of the state of the

Justified . . . . . .210

The Jordan, or the Judgment of this World . .212

The conquest of Canaan, or the Progress of the Regenerate life ..... 213

XU ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS.

Letter VI.

The Teaching of the Sacraments.

PAOX

Unify impossible till the nature of the Christian

Theocracy and of its Sacraments be understood . 216 Why Christ gave no direct command to Baptize

The Sacramental System is not productive of evil . 220 The Sacraments symbolize the object of Christianity,

i.e." Christ in us" . . . .222

Christ's Headship in the Church . . . 228

Rationalistic objection to Sacramental Grace refuted 229 Actuality of the distinction between the Spiritual and *

Kegenerate Life . . .231

Christ formed in us distinct from the Indwelling of

the Spirit . . . . .283

Tractarian Party — ^tendencies of hope for — Bishop

Hobart's Charge . . . . . 236

Need of a firmer £aith in the " Ecclesiastical grace of

Christ" • 239

Letteb VII.

The Churchy Oo^s Witness for Christianity.

The Sacraments as regarded by different minds.

(Quotation from the Edinburgh Review) . . 241

ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS. XUl

PAOB.

Fearfol resnlts of pitting one class of Truth against

the other . . . . .243

The Liturgy as it is, witnesses to hoth . 247

The Church, the battle field of the powers of Light

and Darkness ..... 251

The Church of Borne has conserved the Truth, and witnesses to the self-denying principles of Christianity . . . . . .253

Distinctiye characteristics of Evangelicalism and of

Christianity ..... 259

The peculiar excellencies of the Nonconforming bodies

needed in the Church .... 206

Evils of division . . . . .268

Christ manifested in the Church 271

The Church's Teaching ; from Advent to Easter 275—313 Unconverted Churchmen have some apprehension of

Christianity ..... 314

Unity possible, if {he Nonconformist and the Evangelical accept Christianity . . 316

letteb vni.

Truths and Facts which demand Consideration,

Revision of the Baptismal Office Impossible . .319

•^The only real ground of Controversy between the

Churchman and the Evangelical . . . 320

XIV ANALYSIS OP CONTENTS;

PAGX.

The Revival of Evangelizing worit should be accompanied by a Kevival of Christianity . .821

The Advantages of the Church {Edinburgh RevieiB.) 826 Certainty as to Justification and Kegeneration in

those who enjoy their benefits . . . 881

Evangelical TruUi and Evangelicalism Contrasted . 886

Present state of Keligion in England :«fitlmatcld . 841

Christ's order of Teaching must be returned to . 842

Objections to Church and State answered . . 844

Utity averse from the Temper of the Age . 846

Religious Disunion « Danger to the Nation . . 849 Objections of Nonconformist Ministers to Episcopal

Ordination unchristian .... 81^1

Letter IX.

Conclmum,

Baptism the First Bond of Union . . . 858

The Church, Christ's Body . . . .866

Evangelicals do not give as much weight to Baptism

as God's Word does . . . .867

Justification the Second Boiid of Uiii<m . . 860

Regeneration the Closest Bond of Union . . 861

The Unity of God*B Kingdom practically ignored by

Dissent and " Evangelical Alliance " . .864

ANALYSIS OF OONTENl-S. XV

PAGE.

We are under the Judgment of a Divisive Spirit . 366 This Spirit fostered by the Evangelical Party . 368 There is no Presumption in Pointing out the Deficiencies of the two Church Pajcties . . 369 If Nonconformists would return to the Church, the prejudices of Churchmen would no longer have a foundation ..... 871 Only a United Church can Evangelize the World . 876 Baptism, not Conversion, admits into the Church . 877 Concluding Words ..... 378

INTEODUCTION.

An able controversialist, who has published a refutation of the Essays and Eeviews, gives us the following counsel : — " Let every one use all his powers, and make all the discoveries he can. Lei him me research unshrinhingly, and freely enunciate his thoughts. Truth, essential truth, is one, and party not founded on it must go down. We must all learn. Let us work on steadily towards the light; and let each beware of worshipping his own peculiarities of idea ; so that we may learn from every one, and teach all; but never swerve from the plain, honest, common seme interpretation of God's Word. We have a good deal to learn and to unlearn; to do, and perhaps to suffer. But things are progressing, n< ^ retrograding.^^

Such sentiments coming from a man of the Evangelical school is indeed a hopeful indication of progress. The day is surely beginning to dawn upon us when religious men of all parties will no

B

Z INTRODUCTION.

longer suffer themselves to be so far deluded, as to imagine that their own peculiar system is the purest form of our holy religion, and comprises the whole of Christianity. 0, if instead of the empty, arrogant boast, — "We are all right; truth, and piety are with us," — there were a humbling sense of our unlikeness to Christ, and of our limited and very imperfect knowledge of Divine truth; an earnest, careful, and reverent study of the "Word ; and an honest, and ardent, and prayerful application of the heart and mind, soul and spirit to "learn Christ,'' the peace of the Church would soon cease to be disturbed by the efforts of the two great parties in it, to controvert the two classes of truth for which they are respectively God's witnesses; for they would very soon and very easily discover that the very truths which they are each trying to controvert, it is both their duty and their privilege to realize in saving and transforming power.

" We must all learn; and let each beware of worshipping his own peculiarities of idea, so that we may learn from every oneJ^ Most wise, most salutary, and most needful counsel; but wiH it be taken? Which party will make the first attempt to act upon it? Will that very party to which he belongs who gives it admit the fact that they require to ,be taught, and that they

INTKODUCrnON. 3

have need to learn P It is the very want of this teachableness — ^it is the supremacy of self-satisfied opiniativeness— which perpetuates all our differences and divisions. Which of all the parties, of all the sects, of all the denominations does not make its boast that it is " rich, and increased with goods and hath need of nothing?" It is not in the nature of party to think humbly of itself. It cannot obey the apostohcal injunction " to esteem other better than itself." Those who believe that the Church is Christ's institute cannot leave it, and must do their best to reform the abuses which have crept into it. They can afford to be humble; and truly there is enough to humble ihem. But party is a matter of choice. If one does not please, it is not very difficult to find or to make another. Party depends for its very existence upon the conviction of its partisans that it is preferable to all others. The spirit of party is simply a development of the self-willed, self-seeking, self-pleasing natural spirit, unrestrained by a sense of individual responsibility, whatever may be the object for which the particular party exists. It is always proud, self-sufficient, self-exalting, self-confident and boastfiil. Party will not submit to be taught, and cannot learn. The expansion of its views would be its destruction. For instance, if Church truth were admitted into the Evangelical system, the class of truths properly called Evangelical would take their place in the proportion of faith, as first principles, instead of heing accounted the all in all of our holy religion, and Evangelicalism as such would cease to exist. And if Evangelical truth were admitted into Churchism, there would he an end to the fatal misconception, that the grace of justification comes hy the sacraments ; the purposes for which the sacraments were instituted would he discerned, and they would cease to he regarded as a species of charm; externals would simply he the emhodiment or symhol of an inner life, and Churchism would he converted into true Catholicism.

When God, in great mercy, revives a neglected truth, it is doubtless our duty to give prominence to that truth ; but when we make it the foundation or centre of a system, we sin against the truth by destroying the proportion of faith. Light is given to individual members for the good of the body ; but the formation of a party creates an interest independent of the body and subversive of its unity and interests. In short, party is an evil root, however laudable its purpose may be ; and, like all evils, it cannot be mended — ^it must either be destroyed by the acceptance of enlarged views of Divine truth, or fall into decay through the diminishing zeal and gradual defection of its

INTRODUCrnON.

adherents. Besides, when the proportion of faith is sinned against by giving undue prominence to any one truth, the mind becomes judicially blinded to correlative truths; for every sin has its own punishment now, as well as its entail of future consequences. Hence the antagonism which at present exists between the doctrine of justification by faith and what is called the sacramental system. How otherwise can the fact be accounted for — that two great parts of a consistent whole, which are actually essential to the healthful and effective operation of each other, should be pitted against one another as opponents, as if there were an irreconcilable contrariety between them? "Be not wise," saith the Apostle, " in your own conceits. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." But parties, as I have just said, cannot think humbly of themselves. They know nothing of " poverty of spirit " — the first in the ascending line of Christian virtues. The spirit of party is not only proud, self- exalting and self-confident, but it is a censorious, envious and bitter spirit, the veriest contrast to the q)irit of Christianity. Partisans may allege that they are not under the influence of party spirit; but, the truth is, party, like everything else, be it good or be it evil, cannot exist without its spirit; individuals may be more or less under its influence, but it is always there; and wherever it is, it is in some degree subversive of the Christian spirit.

If party were not blind, it might easily make the discovery that it has very little to be proud of, and that there is very much to humble it; for it exists in opposition to the appointed order of God and to His clearly revealed will. And as it is " God who dealeth to every man the measure of faith;" and as it is only given to them who do the will of God to know of the doctrine whether it be of God, those who belong to a partp have no right to expect any great measure of spiritual enlightenment, and most certainly they do not possess it. They may compile systems of divinity, and draw up confessions of faith in accordance with their own views, and all who agree with them in opinion may give their adherence to such systems and views, and each party may say to all others, "I have no need of thee;" but the all-important fact is overlooked — ^that a party is man's work, and not God's institute — a self-constituted association, and not the body of Christ. Now, the body of Christ is one although it has many members ; and were it even true, as some allege, that the body includes all parties, who hold what are called essential truths, this would not very much alter the case; for what profit is there in belonging to the body if we are not in subjection to it? Unless we have communion with it we cannot be partakers of its

The imity of the body is not a mere arbitrary appointment. It is one purpose of the Church's institution to render us dependent upon and subject to each other, and thus to subserve to the subjugation of the creaturely wilL The Church places us imder a law of conduct which is in God and out of self; whereas divisive principles assume it to be our inalienable right to have a law of conduct in ourselves, whether it be in accordance with God's revealed will or not ; and, therefore, divisive principles are antichristian both in their nature and tendency. The fulness of the measure of truth has never been dealt out to any party, because the very existence of self-constituted parties is an ofifence against the unity of the body, and is directly contrary to the revealed will of God and to the clearest and strongest apostolical injunctions. Still, in the Divine government there are evidently in operation correlative principles of action, which to our very limited conceptions may have the appearance of contrariety. The Holy One of

Israel cannot be limited. Infinite wisdom has never yet failed to make a necessary and righteous provision against the wilfulness of man and the unfaithftdness of his Church. He has never yet left himself without a witness to any one class of Divine truth ; and souls have not been left to perish for lack of knowledge, that the external unity of the Church might be preserved. For instance in our own Church, (and I believe it to be God's special witness for the truth in these last days, yea, and the very pillar and ground of the truth,) every class of truth is not witnessed to as by "living epistles written by the Spirit of God " that may be " known and read of all men.*' Separation from her has not always been wilful, although it may have been premature. And does any man suppose that our most loving Father has no sympathy with His tempted and tried ones, who are perplexed under the grievous judgment of an unspiritual ministry ? Can He look with indifference upon the rejection of His witnesses, whom He from time to time raises up to revive His saving truth, and to do the work which the Church has neglected to do? At this moment, when the Church cannot provide for the spiritual necessities of the nation, can it be His will that the thousands not in communion with the Church, who are proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Divine grace

IKTBODUCTION. 9

throughout the land, should be unfaithful to the dispensation of the^ gospel which has been committed to them, and hold their peace while souls are perishing, because they have not been canonically ordained ? The fact is undeniable that God has owned and blessed, and continues to own and bless, the Evangelizing labours of our nonconforming brethren, yea, and that they have been and are His specially favoured and honoured witnesses for Evangehcal truth.