704 "When it is proposed to form a church, the persons wishing to unite, first seek, by earnest prayer, for divine guidance, then ask the advice of their pastors, or of ministers and judicious brethren in the neighbouring churches, if there are any, after which, if such appear plainly to be the will of God, they proceed to draw up articles of faith and covenant, with rules for their mutual government and practice as a church of Christ. They then forward 'letters missive' to such neighbouring churches as they choose, inviting their assistance, through their pastors and delegates, in forming the new church. thority to interpret them as he pleases, scarcely guess the way to set about it. and add to them what he pleases, and to have his interpretations and additions stand for laws; if he can rule his people by his laws, and his laws by his lawyers. So the church of Rome, to establish her tyranny over men's consciences, needed not either to abolish or corrupt the holy scriptures, the pillars and supporters of Christian liberty; (which in regard of the numerous multitude of copies dispersed through all places, translated into almost all languages, guarded with all solicitous care and industry, had been an impossible attempt;) but the more expedite way, and therefore more likely to be successful, was to gain the opinion and esteem of the public and authorized interpreter of them, and the authority of adding to them what doctrine she pleased under the title of traditions or definitions." "The pastors and delegates meet them at the time and place appointed, organize an ecclesiastical council, and then proceed to inquire into all the circumstances connected with the origin of the enterprise, and examine the certificates of church standing, of those who propose to Where an "authoritative interpreter" unite in forming the new church, and of disenters, "definitions" will speedily fol- mission from the churches to which they reIf there are persons who spectively belong. low. Accordingly, Mr. Crowell insists upon the duty of a church to do what have been baptized, but are not members of any no church is exhorted to do in the apos-church, who wish to unite with them, they tolical epistles, and what he can scarcely should not be received till after the church is himself think that any church did formed, nor should the names of absent persons while primitive simplicity lasted-the be included. The council then examine their duty of forming a creed for its members. articles of faith and covenant, and if all is "It is likewise the duty of every Christian church to decide for itself what satisfactory, they express, by vote, their readi ness to publicly recognize this company of doctrines the scriptures contain; and having done so, these doctrines form its disciples, as a regular church of Christ. A list of all their names, including none except those creed." "As to written confessions who are present, then called by the Moderaof faith for baptist churches, each tor of the council, and as they stand up togechurch adopts one for itself." "They contain the leading doctrines of ther he asks them, in the presence of the bishops and elders of the churches, if they the church in the form of distinct propositions, to be placed in the hands of heartily believe and desire to maintain the doctrines of the gospel, and voluntarily assume all the members and candidates for bap- the covenant which unites them in the church "These doctrines, the relation, and to maintain the worship, ordimembers of the church, individually and collectively, agree to maintain and nances, and discipline of the house of God, promote among themselves, in their watch over, admonish, and reprove each other, families, and in the world." All this is according to the precepts of Christ. When done to prevent troubles and promote they have thus publicly signified their united, unity and peace; and from similar deliberate assent, the formative union and conviews of expediency, many practices are stituting act adopted which would certainly render it necessary for the apostles Paul and Peter, were they to visit their brethren in America, to procure a Church Member's Manual, or something of the kind, if they desired to avoid collision with The formation existing arrangements. tism." of a church which, we believe, was in completed by which they be come a true church of Christ. The church and council then unite in prayer to God, that the act may be ratified in heaven, and that the presence of Christ their only head may be with them. "The usual public exercises at the recognition of a church are, 1. The proceedings of the council are read by the clerk. 2. Invocation of the Divine presence and blessing on the approaching services. 3. Reading suitable passages of scripture. 4. Introductory prayer. 5. Sermon. 6. Reading of the church covenant with the consecrating prayer. 7. Fellowship of the churches by the Moderator of the council. 8. Address to the church. 9. Con cluding prayer."-Pp 181, 182. Ecclesiastical councils are called on many other occasions; as, for example, when a church has invited a minister to the pastoral office, and he has expressed his willingness to undertake it. "For this purpose a council of pastors and delegates is assembled by letters missive to the neighbouring churches, with a deputation from the church itself, before whom are laid the proceedings of the church in calling the candidate, with his answer, his original licence to preach, and the vote of the church admitting him as a member. The candidate then gives an account of his religious experience, states the evidence of his call to the ministry, and presents his views of Christian doctrine and church order. All the members of the council are at liberty to question him freely. The council, if satisfied, declare by vote that they find all the proceed ings in accordance with approved usages of the churches, and proceed to recognize him publicly as a minister of the gospel, and as the pastor of that church. "It is always to be borne in mind, however, that the duties of the council are not limited to the mere preservation of regularity in the forms of proceeding. They have come together to discharge a solemn duty to the church that convenes them, to the churches at large, and to the Saviour. It is their duty to inquire very carefully into the moral character, the piety, the doctrinal views, and the literary qualifications of the candidate; to ascertain whether he possesses theological knowledge, practical talents, and good sense, adequate to the arduous and responsible work of the ministry. They should also attend to any objections which may be made from any quarter, previous to or during their deliberations. By consenting to his ordination, they attest before God and men their confidence in him as a minister of Christ. If everything is satisfactory, the council vote to proceed to the public services of ordination."— Pp. 198, 199. Here follows a document such as it is probable that neither Paul nor Peter ever saw. The words distinguished by capitals are so distinguished in the original. It is a licence to preach the gospel! "TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,"The Baptist Church in Sansom Street, Philadelphia, send Christian salutation. "The bearer hereo, our beloved brother, FLAVEL SHURTLEFF, being a man of good moral character, real piety, and sound knowledge of divine things, and having been called to the exercise of his ministerial gifts, of which we have had considerable trial, both in private and public, we have judged him worthy, and do, therefore, hereby LICENSE and authorize him to preach the gospel wherever he may have a call; not doubting but that in due time, circumstances will lead on to a more full investiture of him in the MINISTERIAL OFFICE, by ordination. In the meantime, we recommend him to favour and respect, praying the Lord may be with, and abundantly bless him. "Done at our regular meeting, Dec. 19, 1814, and signed by order and in behalf of the church. "WILLIAM STAUGHTON, Pastor." -Pp. 274, 275. Mr. Wenger coincides with us in the opinion that every man who understands the religion of Jesus Christ has a right to teach it. He closes a number of remarks on what are called "laymen," by saying, "Not to dwell longer upon this topic, we may safely say, in general, that all the functions which, under ordinary circumstances, devolve upon the regular officers of churches, may, under extraordinary circumstances, be performed by other members of it;-and that teaching and preaching, in particular, must be acknowledged to be the duty of all who possess the requisite time and mental and spiritual qualifications for it, provided they abstain from all unwelcome interference with the work specially entrusted to the regular officers."-P. 110. Mr. Wenger's opinions generally correspond more nearly with our own respecting the minutiae of church business than those of our transatlantic brethren; though in some cases even he carries church authority farther than we should. He maintains that a church ought not to permit one of its members to be married by a minister of the national church. He argues at some length that it is wrong for a dissenter to choose this course, and we think he proves it; but we cannot go with him in the introductory sentence, in which he says, "A Christian church is not at liberty to allow its members to submit to any religious ceremony, in connexion with these events, which is contrary to duty or the word of God. And that for a dissenter to be married by the is a "This certifies, that member, in good standing, of the Baldwin Place Baptist Church, and, in compliance with request, is affectionately recommended and dismissed to your fellowship. "If, within one year from date, we receive the accompanying certificate, with the blanks filled, showing that has been received by you as a member, or a certificate equivalent thereto, we shall consider relation to us as discontinued; otherwise, this letter shall be null and void. "In behalf of the Church, 66 Clerk." "The foregoing is printed on one leaf of a letter sheet, and the following on the other, to be filled, certified, and returned to the church granting the letter of dismission; and when it is done, the name of the member is discontinued from its roll. "This certifies, that -, recom mended and dismissed by the Baldwin Place Baptist Church, in Boston, by a letter dated 18-, was, on the ceived as a member of the Letters of introduction were evidently in use among the first churches, under apostolic sanction. Paul speaks of them to the Corinthians as needed by strangers, though not by himself and his fellow-labourers. It is highly desirable that Christians going among brethren to whom they are not personally known, whether out of their own country or in it, should provide themselves with such documents as will facilitate their prompt reception to the advantages of fellowship. Peace (Permanent and Universal) the Law of Christ. London: Peace Society, 19, New Broad Street. 12mo. pp. 118. THOUGH this essay was not published till a few weeks ago, it gained a prize in the year 1840. It evinces considerable ability, and contains much important truth. Like other publications which maintain the absolute unlawfulness of war, however, it scarcely glances at the point which we are most anxious to see elucidated. "All war," says the writer, "is either offensive or defensive;" and then he proceeds to argue first against wars of aggression and then against fighting in defence of our lives or liberties. But there is what may be called protective fighting, and to this our chief difficulty relates. All that can be said respecting the Christian duty of love to enemies, the propriety of sacrificing ourselves to the welfare of others, and the unlawfulness of retaliation, we readily admit; but these are topics which only bear upon the employment of force in self-defence, not on its employment for the protection of others. Clerk. Is the employment of physical force for the protection of the innocent and defenceless in all cases unlawful? A child of eight years of age is brutally attacked by a boy of twelve: is it right or wrong for the child's father to interpose, and use all the force that may be necessary for its preservation from fatal injury? A daughter of eighteen, walking with her father, is brutally attacked by a drunken man: is it right or wrong for her father to use whatever physical force may be necessary to preserve her from his violence? A band of ruffians enter a town, determined to carry away a lady whom one of them chooses to claim as his wife: is it right or wrong that the police should be sum re Baptist 66 LETTER OF OCCASIONAL COMMUNION. 18-, "THIS MAY CERTIFY, that the bearer, A. B., is a member of the Baptist Church in P., in good and regular standing, and, as such, is affectionately commended to the sympathy, watch-care, and communion of the brethren and the churches. 66 By a standing rule of the church, this letter continues valid only one year. moned to resist them, and that if it be not sufficiently powerful for the purpose, the magistracy should strengthen it? A neighbouring nation, insane with the love of what is called glory, or animated by bitter hatred, suddenly invades us : is it right or wrong for the government to employ physical force to prevent the landing of the marauders? If in any one of these cases the employment of physical force is admissible, the principle seems to us to be conceded that force may be repelled by force, in order to protect the peaceable from the lawless; and if physical force be employed in the most gentle, cautious, and reluctant manner, there is no saying to what the conflict will grow. The truncheon may kill as effectively as the bayonet. If the employment of physical force is not in any case allowable, the magistrate is no longer a terror to evil doers: he bears the sword in vain. While we give credit to the Peace Society, and its advocates, for the achievement of much good, in promoting aversion to war, in teaching men to régard it as one of the chief sources of misery and crime, and in urging the adoption of other measures for the settlement of national disputes, and while we wish to increase the circulation of the society's publications, as beneficial in their tendency, we cannot unite with it heartily and without reserve, as for many reasons we would wish to do, because we are not convinced that the employment of physical force in the defence of others is not in some cases a duty. We say in defence of others, conscious that readiness to endure suffering, when it cannot be avoided without injuring others, is an essential part of the Christian character; but conceiving also that the prevention of crime is warrantable and even incumbent in some circumstances in which it can only be effected by the prompt exertion of physical power; and that there is no discernible limit to the degree in which it may be employed, the kind of instrumentality which may be used, or the number of persons who may combine in using it, if it be lawful to employ it at all. If the decided advocates of the Peace Society will turn their attention to this view of the subject, they will oblige us. BRIEF NOTICES. The Paragraph Bible. The Holy Bible, according to the Authorized Version. Arranged in Paragraphs and Parallelisms. With an entirely New Selection of copious References to Parallel and Illustrative Passages, Prefaces to the several Books, and numerous Notes. Job to Malachi. London: Religious Tract Society. Pp. 416. The only deduction from the excellence of this publication which we have to mention is, that the type in which it is printed, though clear and beautiful, is extremely small. To hundreds of thousands this is no objection, and to them we can without hesitation commend the work very highly. It condenses into a small compass, with the English text, judicious prefaces to the sacred books, chronological tables, explanatory paragraphs on important topics, many short notes, and an immense number of marginal references. These references we cannot profess to have examined, but we believe that they have been compiled with great care, and independently, and we have been assured that they will be found to be more pertinent than any that have hitherto been published. The unskilful division into chapters and verses by which our common bibles are disfigured, not being followed, but marked with small figures in the margin, the division into paragraphs, and the poetical aspect given to the poetical portions of the text, enhance the value of the edition. This is the second of the three volumes of which the work will consist. Compendium of the History of Doctrines. By K. R. HAGENBACH, Doctor and Professor of Theology in the University of Basle. Volume II. Translated by Carl W. Buch. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 8vo. pp. 483. Though reviewers are reputed to be prone to pronounce censure which authors and publishers regard as undeserved, it is not often we believe that they say of a work, It is too cheap. We fear, however, that the extreme cheapness of the series to which this volume belongs endangers its continuance, as it is impossible that the price of one pound to subscribers for four such volumes as this, or even the half-guinea per volume charged to non-subscribers, can remunerate the publishers, unless the sale should be very large. It is but just, however, to Messrs. Clark to say, that for many years past they have been doing more, we believe, to put English students into possession of the truly valuable portion of German theology, than all other publishers in this island together; and that therefore they deserve to be encouraged by generous friends of literature, whether they happen to desire the works for their own perusal or not. In noticing the first volume of this Compendium we described its character, and we need only say now that the second volume, which completes it, is all that the first entitled us to expect it to be. It shows the progress and variations of opinion prevalent on theological subjects at different periods; illustrates the controversies that have successively agitated Christendom; gives a condensed view of the sects that have attracted public attention; contains in the notes quotations confirmatory of statements in the text; and is so constructed as to be itself an index by the aid of which yet further research on the topics referred to may be pursued The philosophical opinions that have prevailed in Germany during the last century on subjects connected with religion are also described, and the whole is written with great impartiality and candour. To a genuine student of ecclesiastical history and dogmatic theology, these volumes will prove invaluable. A Condensed History of the General Baptists of the New Connexion. Preceded by Historical Sketches of the Early Baptists. By J. H. With a Recommendatory Preface by J. G. Pike. London: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. 16mo, pp. xvi., 376. WOOD. We have not been able since the publication of this work, and we are not able even now, to give it the degree of attention that it deserves. It often happens that when a book is obviously of a substantial character, our notice of it is postponed, because we hope that another month we may be able to deal with it more fully than at present; and that then, the next month brings with it new and urgent claims, and the purpose which has been formed is frustrated. Let this be our apology to Mr. Wood both for past delay and present brevity. To our readers we may offer compensation. It is not to be supposed that our acquaintance with the statistics of the New Connexion of General Baptists, with the details of their history, or with the operations of their societies, is very minute: we are enabled therefore by the delay to give a much more valuable opinion than our own of the correctness of the work, and of its satisfactory character to the body to which it refers. The General Baptist Repository says, "The statistical information it contains is as complete as can be desired, and has been obtained at immense labour. Its notes and biography are of great value, and rescue from oblivion worthy names, both of the Old and New Connexion. In short, the volume contains a more numerous and better arranged mass of historical, biographical, and statistical detail, than has ever been presented in even a much larger space concerning the General Baptists, both ancient and modern." To this testimony we have pleasure in adding that it is not to the General Baptists alone that this work will be acceptable; by others it will be valued as a compendium of information respecting a little known but very estimable section of the church. The introductory portion, which relates to the first seventeen centuries, has special claims to universal attention. This part of the work might be advantageously detached from the rest, we think, and sent forth into the world alone, to promulgate facts which ought to be universally known, but of which writers on church history in general have been studiously silent. The Benefit of Christ's Death: or the Glorious Riches of God's Free Grace, which every true Believer receives by Jesus Christ, und Him Crucified. Originally written in Italian by AONIO PALEARIO; and now reprinted from an ancient English Translation; with an Introduction, by the Rev. John Ayre, M. A., Minister of St. John's Chapel, Hampstead, and Domestic Chaplain to the Earl of Roden. London: R.T.S. 24mo. pp. xx., 124. The author, who was born at Veroli about the year 1500, being asked one day what was the first ground on which men should rest their salvation, replied Christ; being asked what was the second, he replied Christ; and being asked what was the third, he still replied, Christ. This was enough to indicate his heterodoxy; of Christ's Death was demonstration of his but the publication of his treatise on the Benefit writer, "that this son of Belial was obstinate guilt. "When it appeared," says a Romish and refractory, and could by no means be recovered from the darkness of error to the light of truth, he was deservedly delivered to the fire, that, after suffering its momentary pains here, he might be found in everlasting flames hereafter." The efforts made to suppress the work were so far successful that not a copy is known to exist in the Italian language; but it was translated into Spanish and French, and an English version was made about the year 1577, of which the small volume before us contains a reprint. Religion and Poetry; being Selections Spiritual and Moral from the Poetical Works of the Rev. R. MONTGOMERY, M. A. Oxon. Author of "Luther," " Gospel in Advance of the Age," &c., &c. With an Introductory Essay by Archer Gurney, Author of “ King Charles the First," 66 Translator of Faust." Second Edition. London: James Nisbet and Co. 16mo. pp. 345. There is a Montgomery who was extensively known as "Montgomery the poet," before Mr. Robert Montgomery had learned his alphabet. This is no discredit to the latter gentleman, and ought not to have impeded a just appreciation of his verses; but it has been his misfortune, ever since his first appearance as an author, to be prodigiously puffed, by writers who have thought fit to overlook the existence of his illustrious namesake, and who have spoken of "Montgomery" and " Montgomery's poems" in a way that could hardly fail to startle men a little older than themselves. This may perhaps have done something towards producing what Mr. Archer Gurney complains of, as "unceasing and would-be-contemptuous ridicule in the pages of very many of the chief periodicals of the day." After having endeavoured to lay aside prejudices of every kind, however, we are unable to rank ourselves among the admirers of Mr. Robert Montgomery's productions; but, if any of our readers wish to taste for themselves, they will find copious and diversified |