about the spread of Antinomianism. It is greatly to be feared that some good men are charged with its errors, who are as much opposed to it as are those who are incessantly crying out against it. There may be, and there is, among many excellent men, (and would to God that their number was larger!) a thing to maintain the cause of religion, all we have is the Lord's, and it would only be of his own that we should give him. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? Let Christians yield themselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and the members of their bodies as instruments of righteous-high regard for those doctrines that ness unto holiness. Then will their peace be as a river, and the Spirit of God will witness with their spirits, that they are his children. Then the church shall look forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners. G-N. PASTORAL SKETCHES. Antinomianism. HUMAN life is diversified. It has its joys and its sorrows, its hopes and its fears, its gratifications and its disappointments. And such is the Christian ministry. The devoted pastor sets out on his career of labour and of usefulness, with high expectations and cheering prospects; he possesses the vigour of health, enjoys the affections of his people, zeal animates his exertions, and he anticipates a long and successful discharge of his duties. We would not damp his ardour, nor discourage his labours; he will soon discover that as he is opposed to error, to sin, and to satan, so they are opposed to him. He will surely find that his bed is not composed of roses, that his comforts are not free from alloy, and that even the church is not purified from error. He will be placed in circumstances in which he will only derive comfort from the words of his great Master, and the approbation of his own con science. Much is said in the present day peculiarly distinguish the gospel, -doctrines that ensure the divine honour in connexion with the believer's salvation, where there is no disposition to lessen the divine authority, or weaken the bonds of human obligation. It is worthy the enquiry, whether some ministers may not neglect the doctrinal part of the New Testament, as much as some others its practical requirements; and the prayer becomes us all," Lead me in the midst of the paths of judgment." But while some persons may be improperly charged with the detestable heresy to which we are now directing the attention of our readers, it must not be forgotten that the error does exist; and that its pestilential effects are too often felt. The relation of circumstances that shall now be placed before the reader, are not the creation of the imagination, but are real facts. They are not designed to caricature events, but " are the words of truth and soberness." About eight years ago a young minister was settled over a newly formed Baptist Church, within eighty miles of the metropolis. The congregation had been recently collected, with the exception indeed of a very few persons who had left a congregation in the neighbourhood, and who unhappily were deeply infected with the moral disease which invariably produces spiritual pride, or a conviction that they know more than any other-leads them to act as though they were infallible, and to blamed for the omission of duties despise all whose minds are other that need the possession of a holy wise moulded, or whose education principle for their proper discharge; has taught them to view some and when reproving the children of things differently from themselves. the professedly pious for their imThe anxious concern of the newly proprieties, he would meet with settled pastor, was to promote the the remark from their parents, that salvation of sinners, and advance better conduct could not be exthe glory of God. His labours pected unless God would change were constant, and, accompanied their hearts, and that, till then, all with holy influence, successful. instruction and restraint were in His plain and forcible statements vain. But in the exercise of meekof divine truth, his scriptural en-ness, he endeavoured to instruct treaties to sinners to be reconciled those who opposed themselves; to God, and his unlimited invita- and hoped, in due time, to see these tions to transgressors of every dangerous errors supplanted by class, to come to the Lord Jesus the diffusion of scriptural truths. for salvation, cannot be supposed to have met the approbation of the class of persons to whom we have alluded. But, as is commonly the case, while he was yet comparatively a stranger, they professed the warmest attachment to his person and labours, and zealously contributed to his support. The cause seemed to prosper, the congregation increased, sinners were converted, the church was greatly enlarged, and the neighbouring Christians rejoiced as they looked on and said, "This is the finger of God.”— The ray of hope seemed to brighten, and confidence was felt that this spirit, so much opposed to that of the Lord Jesus was not spreading; but alas! dense and dark clouds soon overspread the horizon, and the storm which scattered desolation and ruin around soon fell. The ways of God often appear to us mysterious; but they always tend to the promotion of his glory. When his ministers or his churches begin to imagine themselves of importance, he generally takes an effectual method to shew them he can carry on his designs without The fairest prospects may be them; and that, deprived of his fasoon blighted, and the brightest vour, they are useless. The young hopes destroyed. Perhaps a spirit minister to whom we have referred of self-confidence might obtain was, amidst the circumstances we possession of the pastor's heart, have stated, laid aside by illness. and like Job he might be ready in His life was threatened by the that confidence, to say, "I shall chastising providence, his pulpit die in my nest;" and for this, the became vacant, and his congregaravages of error might be permit- tion in a state of confusion. The ted to try him. He had often individuals to whom reference has grieved at the spirit too frequently manifested by those with whom he was called to act. It was not uncommon to hear the idea of instruction being given to children in Sabbath Schools ridiculed; he had to grapple with the awful delusion that sinners are not to be been made, embraced the opportunity thus afforded them, of introducing a series of supplies, who preached one part of the truth to the exclusion of the other, made injudicious and unscriptural statements of the doctrines of the gospel, wrought on the feelings, in This is a brief sketch of the effects of this dangerous system of error in one place; and many such sketches might be easily given. stead of informing the judgment, represented themselves as the only preachers of the gospel for many miles round, and unhappily but too well succeeded in the object Is it not easily seen that a spirit they had in view. Persons newly of opposition to the freeness of the introduced to an acquaintance with gospel-that allows of pride and the gospel, with minds uninformed, rancour being indulged, that enand feelings easily wrought upon, courages contempt towards the are in great danger of falling into ministers of Christ, that makes exthis awful system. There is so cuses for sin, and discourages efmuch in it to foster the pride of forts for the promotion of the cause the human heart, to make the most of Jesus-cannot be of God? Look ignorant wise in their own conceit, at the character of Jesus, at the and to impart false comfort to the conduct of the apostles, at the zeal man indulging in sin, that it can- of the martyrs, and say did they not be wondered at if the bait shew these feelings, and manifest caught and allured many to dan- this spirit? No; they loved holy conduct as well as holy doctrine : ger. the doctrines of sovereign grace fed their zeal, and, feeling their obligations to Jesus, they wished their children to know and to serve him. The consequences may be easily guessed at. After a season, the young pastor began to recover, and hoped yet to live many years in the discharge of his duties, and there to die in the bosom of his charge; but he soon found that the discovery had been made that he had never preached the gospel: that the most ignorant of his congregation were wiser than himself-and that all the duties enjoined in the gospel were performed for his people by the Lord Jesus Christ. A spirit of the most determined rancour had suddenly taken possession of the hearts of a few of the leading persons of the congregation; the church itself ceased to have power; and, unable to contend with such a faction, the pastor resigned. It was not long before they had another more to their taste, the Sunday School was abandoned, the voice of warning to the sinner is no longer proclaimed from the pulpit; and every hearer, however vile his conduct, is led to infer his interest in the divine favour. The blessing of heaven has been withheld, Christians have wept, while infidels have triumphed. The design of our sketches is to instruct. Let us hope that our readers will learn, from this statement of facts, to value the bible, and regard all its contents-to encourage a spirit of humility, and a concern to be found obeying Christ in all things-to avoid a litigious, disputing spirit, and to receive the truths of Revelation in the teachable and simple spirit of little children. Let the members of Christian churches cultivate a devotional, and affectionate disposition; let them watch against every thing that would the gooppose vernment of Jesus, rob any part of the truth of its glory, or disturb the peace of the family of God. So shall the beauty of the Lord be upon us, and God, even our own God shall bless us. B. ON THE LOW STATE OF SOCIAL PRAYER MR. EDITOR. THE subject of this paper, to which, if you deem it expedient. you will assign a place in your Magazine, has occupied my mind more or less during upwards of twenty years' service in the pastoral office. Deterioration of character must inevitably follow the decline of vital godliness; as the former constitutes the life and guard of the latter. In the same proportion as conscious guilt is realized, prayer, being a confidential transaction between the soul and God, ceases to be interesting; and when we can no longer visit our closet with pleasure, we shall behold no atThe evil is too palpable to be tractions in the prayer meeting. denied. It is visible in the metro- Character, in reference to those polis, and (so far as the writer with whom we are to unite, also has had opportunities of judging), has its influence, for the mind rein all our cities, towns, and vil- coils at the idea of meeting lages. It was not thus from the men in the most solemn engagebeginning; for Christians then ment, of which the creature is ca"continued in the apostles' doc- pable, whose general line of contrine, and in breaking of bread and duct, to say no worse, is marked in prayers." To what, then, are with mean, base, sordid, and illiwe to ascribe the present derelic-beral traits which excite disgust. tion from primitive practice, as it Purity of character in ourselves is but too obvious that however and our associates, then, will be modern professors manage to main- found a powerful auxiliary to social tain an attention to apostolic doc- prayer. trine, and breaking of bread, they do not continue in prayers? May not the lamentable deficiency, amongst others, be traced up to the following sources? 3. To the low state of gifts. The state of the heart certainly constitutes the main excellence in all spiritual exercises in the sight of God, and the mode of expression is but of secondary importance. At the same time, when a ther for the purpose of presenting their united petitions to the mercyseat, edification is the grand object proposed, which can only be subserved by the parties who officiate expressing themselves in a manner most pleasing to the ear and affecting to the heart. I would be far from giving countenance to that fastidiousness of taste which 1. To the low state of Piety in our churches. That we have much of the Shib-number of persons meeting togeboleth of sectarianism amongst us, much of "Stand by, for I am holier than thou," much noise and bustle, is readily granted; but certainly we do not abound in that calm, quiet, unobtrusive, and yet not the less fervent, animated, active spirit of devoted piety, which prevailed amongst the primitive Christians: hence prayer in the closet, the family, and the church affects to despise the pious and has grown lamentably out of repute; and the most frivolous pleas are advanced to cover a criminal neglect of an interesting and effective duty. ter. 2. To the low state of charac warm effusions, however plainly, or even quaintly expressed, of the most illiterate brother; but surely a total inattention to the cultivation of gifts, cannot be justified; nor ought we to be surprised if where a total absence of capabili G. C. THE IMPORTANCE OF PIETY IN THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. ties to edify prevails, there should | earth in a state more truly deplorbe absentees from our assemblies. able. Approved and esteemed by It is not now our purpose to en- the church for important labours quire into the cause of that paucity in the gospel; but in the sight of of gifts, but too visible in many God the slave of avarice, of amof our churches; there is, however, bition or of lust; a whited sepulgreat reason to suspect they may chre, a concealed grave; as desbe traced to a deficiency in fre-titute of spiritual life or moral exquent, earnest prayer in the closet cellence, as sounding brass or a and family. May the spirit of tinkling cymbal. No minister grace and supplication be poured therefore, unless he awfully trifles out from on high; and then a holy with his own salvation, can reand happy change in these in- main satisfied without growing evistances may be anticipated. dence of his love to Christ; love to good men; generous compasFarringdon, May, 1827. sion for the poor; and tender solicitude for the spiritual welfare of all men. He will look well to his goings, lest the love of money, of power, of applause, of distinction, of indulgence, steal into his heart, and utterly harden him to his eternal ruin. If we are not As your publication no doubt greatly mistaken, teachers are in comes into the hands of many mi- peculiar danger of overlooking the nisters in the course of its exten- necessity of love in their disposisive circulation, may I request of tion and whole character; and you to insert the following extract the more so that professing Chrisfrom a work which I recently met tians are not very scrupulous in with. It is entitled "A view of this particular. If the forms of Inspiration, comprehending the religion are conducted to their saNature and Distinctions of the Spi- tisfaction, they can the more easily ritual Gifts and Offices of the Apos-overlook the want of love and tolic Age; by Alexander M'Leod." true holiness in their spiritual I hope that some of your reviewers guides." will give a full account of this work, which seems to me to contain much original information on an important subject. Meanwhile, I think you will allow, Mr. Editor, that the following observations are well worthy of the attention of all engaged in the work of the Christian ministry. MR. EDITOR, "A minister may be eminent for biblical knowledge, knowledge, distinguished for his pulpit exhibitions, and obtain a desirable celebrity for zeal and usefulness, and yet may not have the love of God in his heart. Can man be found on QUERIES. ALIQUIS. 1. Ought singing in public worship to be confined to praise, or it also include prayer, com may plaint, &c.? 2. What is the Scripture doctrine of blasphemy? |