the evil by any scheme of comprehension which might be devised. To our minds, indeed, the terms of union are clearly revealed in Sacred Writ, and no man is at liberty to propose or devise any other. And that which prevents men from discovering them, or acting upon them when discovered, is that want of Christian humility-that spiritual pride, which is the bane and curse of "the religious world." False teachers rise up on every hand, and draw away disciples after them, and "make merchandise of their souls ;" and when it thus becomes a matter of self-interest, all the bad passions of human nature are brought into play between rival sects, and sometimes even between rival teachers of the same sect, with as much hatred and ill-will as we see exhibited between rival tradesmen. The Wesleyan connexion, for instance, since the death of its "father and founder," has split into many distinct sects, differing and quarelling with each other to the great injury of Christian truth. The Independents, Baptists, Quakers, Presbyterians, and other "denominations," also watch each other with suspicion and jealousy, and somewhere or other are always at war, denouncing each other as scarcely entitled to the Christian name, because the one will not adopt or submit to the interpretation which the other may chance to put upon any passage of the Word of God. And should a Churchman, believing the old maxim, that "the nearer the fountain the purer the stream," prefer the interpretation of some ancient Father of the Church to the crude notions of men of the present day, all would unite and stigmatise him with some opprobrious name.

And what is so lamentably true of "the religious world" at large, is also true of it in every moderately-sized parish in the kingdom. Scarcely can we fix our eyes upon any district, containing only a few hundred inhabitants, but we descry the evil workings of strife, dissent, and division. Some teacher of dissent, in one of its thousand forms, fancies that he can 66 raise an interest" there, which may produce him a better living than he would have obtained at the trade he may have left, and commences his work of strife and contention by insinuating, peradventure, boldly stating, something against the Church or the Clergyman of the parish, and persuading the people that he will supply them with spiritual food of better quality and in greater abundance. One, two, or three, fond of novelty, or in pride of setting up their private judgment above the Pastor, whom God, in his providence, has placed over them, and above the Christian Church, whose servant he is, gather round the intruding sectary, and with him lay the foundation of a world of mischief to the souls of the people. And as political dissent follows close upon the heels of religious dissent, he is there ready to take advantage of any local or general discontent which may pass his door, and, in one way and another, keeps the neighbourhood in almost perpetual disturbance.

Thus, whether generally or locally, the divided and distracted state of "the religious world" is productive of the worst consequences; it drives many to popery, many to open infidelity, and many more to a state of lethargy and indifference on religious subjects, little, if any thing, less dangerous than either of the former, and is altogether highly injurious to the temporal and eternal interests of the multitudes who fall within the reach of its baneful influence. Alas! how many thousands of humble and pious Christians have been perplexed and hindered in their pilgrimage to a united and brighter world, by the multitudinous divisions, and consequent confusions, which have crossed their path and troubled their minds! True, "there must be heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.' (1 Cor. xi. 19.) "It must needs be that offences come, but woe unto that man by whom the offence cometh." (Matt. xviii. 7.)

If Divine revelation had been quite silent in reference to Church government, our own reason, in connexion with the fact, that the Church founded by Christ has been handed down to us in all its integrity, would have told us that Almighty God would not have determined on the redemption and salvation of men, without appointing the means for the accomplishment of so wonderful a work. It could not have been supposed that the end would have been appointed, and the means left to be devised, or not devised, by fallible man; especially as He who knoweth the end from the beginning foresaw how many human inventions would be set on foot for the purpose, real or pretended, of effecting that for the accomplishment of which he instituted, and has hitherto preserved, his Church. If the means whereby men were to be brought to the knowledge of the truth, built up in their most holy faith, and guided and assisted in their way to eternal life, had been left to the wit and contrivance of frail and uncertain men, there might have been no means at all, and the glorious work of redemption might have been altogether defeated. And if the scheme or schemes for the conversion and salvation of men had really been left to be devised by any man as he might have thought best, plans could scarcely have been more numerous or dissimilar, and matters could hardly have been worse, than they now are in "the religious world." But we are happy to know that our blessed Lord and Master has not left us without a witness for Himself; that while on earth He instituted, to be the pillar and ground of the truth, and for the better security of it, and the safer conduct of those who should embrace and adhere to it, a society, or Church, which He honoured with the most ample authority, dignified with the highest privileges, encouraged with the largest and most glorious promises, and will always defend, as with a wall of fire, against all the power or policy of men and devils, either upon earth or under it; so that, as He has told us, the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. Of the nature and constitution of this Church, the Holy Scriptures inform us with exactitude sufficient to enable us to satisfy ourselves on the subject, and to convince us that there is as wide a difference between the Church as therein described and "the religious world" as now existing, as there is between light and darkness. In the former, there is peace, harmony, and union; but in the latter, strife, contention, division, and every evil work. It therefore behoves every professing Christian, as he values his soul, to examine carefully this important subject, with all sincerity and earnestness, and to pray to his Heavenly Father, that, admidst the waters of strife which overwhelm " the religious world," he may be guided to the ark-the Church, and there find rest for the sole of his foot.

66

As we shall have ample opportunity, in future, to show where the cause of the divisions and distractions, and consequent confusion, and other evils of the religious world," rest, we shall only remark here, in conclusion, that the Church of England is not involved. This is not a matter of opinion, but of fact; for a fact it is, that cannot be denied, that during the first years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth the Church was the only religious society in the country; that all persons were in communion with her; and that there were no dissenting societies of any kind in existence. These, we repeat, are facts; and the inevitable consequence is, that the Church has not separated from the dissenters, but they from the Church. The Church, then, at all events, cannot be said to be guilty of the sins which now press upon and torment "the religious world." Even those who were attached to the abominations of popery were allowed, for some time, to communicate with the Church by the pope, who thus himself acknowledged her to be a branch of the one Holy Catholic Church. And it was not until many years after the Church

NO. I. VOL. I.

had been reformed, that any of the dissenting societies were created-created by fallible, erring men, like ourselves. While, therefore, the Church is of God, dissenting societies are of men; the one a Divine institution, above eighteen hundred years old; the others merely human inventions, of modern date. It is also worthy of remark, that popish Jesuit priests in disguise were the first to propagate dissent in this country, and that to papists the older dissenting sects owe their origin, if some of the modern sects, also, be not under the same or similar obligation for the assistance they have received from papists. The evils of dissent and division are grievously felt by the whole religious world, and the only remedy appears to us to be, union with the ancient and Scriptural Church of England, from which the various sects originally separated; and to point the way to this shall be our constant aim. Our belief is, that no man ought to separate from a church while he can obtain salvation within her pale. That there is not a shadow of danger in the Church of England, but everything of spiritual safety and comfort, our enemies themselves have given voluntary and ample testimony. The Eclectic Review says, "It cannot be denied that the Church of England professes the life-giving doctrines of the Gospel; favours every great principle rescued from Rome by our Reformers; and puts into the lips of the people a language of devotion unrivalled in majesty, beauty, propriety, and comprehension." And Mr. James, of Birmingham, says of the Church, "Its Scriptural doctrines are the themes with which Luther and Cranmer, and Calvin, and Knox, assailed the papacy, and effected the Reformation. Its Divines have covered its altars with works more precious than the purest gold of the ancient sanctuary of Israel. Its literature is the boast and glory of the civilised world. Its armoury is filled with the weapons of ethereal temper, which its hosts have wielded, and with the spoils they have won, in the conflict with infidelity, popery, and heresy; and its martyrology is emblazoned with names dear and sacred to every Protestant."

What splendid testimonies! What need can there be to separate from such a Church? Let us then all lift up our hearts in prayer to God, that He will, in mercy to our poor souls, deliver us from all false doctrine, heresy, and schism, from hardness of heart, and contempt of His word and commandment; and that, as there is only one body, one spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, so we may always "endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph. iv.)

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH.

THIS subject would seem to press itself upon our attention, to succeed the foregoing, as a matter of course; and more especially as therefrom may be discovered some of that necessity which we conceive to exist for such a plain, cheap, and popular periodical as THE CHURCH MAGAZINE is intended to be. To enter upon an inquiry into the State of the Church is a delicate, and, in some respects, unpleasant affair; but if a man find his house surrounded by a number of neighbours, who, professing the greatest interest for his safety and welfare, are loud in declaring that the foundations of it are very insecure, and that its superstructure is ready to fall about his ears and bury him in the ruins, it would be wisdom in him to at least institute a survey of the building, and carefully to ascertain whether there existed any cause for alarm, and to act accordingly. In like manner, when so many of our fellow-countrymen,

professing to be actuated by the purest of motives, and to profess the tenderest of consciences, have for so long a period been incessantly declaring, trumpet-tongued, that the Church of England, which has stood the shocks of nearly eighteen hundred years, is really founded upon sand; that by a process called reform her buttresses have been weakened; that her cornerstones have been undermined; and that, with its massive columns and magnificent arches, the noble and venerable temple was tottering to its fall; it behoves the watchmen to scrutinise well the foundations; to "walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof; mark well her bulwarks; consider her palaces ;" and see whether there be any danger; and to repair any breaches, and protect the edifice. And should the pious Christian be so strong in faith, and rest so firmly upon the promises and protection of the Great Master Builder, the Lord and Husband of the Church, as to believe such an examination unnecessary, yet having made it, with what holy joy may he summon around him his weaker and timid brethren, and assuring them that all is perfectly substantial and safe, direct them to the gracious promises of the Most High, who has vowed that He will be with His Church alway, even unto the end of the world; that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it; and that He will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and the glory in the midst of her.

Since it pleased Almighty God to send the light of the glorious Gospel of His Son into this country, as we have before said, well nigh eighteen hundred years ago, the Church has passed through unnumbered vicissitudes; but through them all the Lord has delivered her, and here she is yet alive and flourishing, at this day, the same Church she was when planted by apostles or apostolic men, most likely by St. Paul himself, who is known to have travelled to the uttermost bounds of the west, as the British islands were then considered. But of all the persecutions and trials to which the Church has ever been exposed, those of the last two hundred years have probably been the most severe and the most important, aimed as they have ever been at her very existence as a portion of the Church of Christ. That period has not yet elapsed since in anger with the nation, and for the punishment thereof, God removed our candlestick out of its place, and left us a prey to all the wicked works which ever result from darkness and confusion. The popish-directed puritans the Goths and Vandals of "the religious world,"-becoming the instruments of vengeance in the hands of God, arrayed themselves against the Church, put out her lights, overturned her altars, broke down her fences, exposed her for a prey to the wild boar of the forest, converted her houses of prayer into dens of thieves, until nothing was to be heard but a confusion of tongues, nothing to be seen but the abomination which maketh desolate. The measure of punishment appointed by the Ruler of nations having been meted out, and the Almighty in wrath remembering mercy, restored the candlestick to the guilty and partially at least penitent nation, and again the light of truth shone forth into every corner of the land, and people were again permitted to hold the faith in unity of spirit, and in the bond of peace. The Bishops and Clergy, grown wiser by experience and reflection, now did that which they ought to have done fifty years before. They preached and wrote most powerfully and most triumphantly against schism of every kind, contrasted the evils and dangers of dissent with the spiritual safety and excellencies of the Church of England, pointed out and earnestly enforced the necessity of Christian union, and the blessings attendant upon its observance. Having, in their own experience, just had practical proof of the truths thus pressed upon their attention, the people were easily convinced; and seeing clearly that religious dissent and political dissent were inseparable in principle,

and generally so in practice, that dissent from the Church and hatred of the monarchy went hand in hand, they immediately proceeded in their national capacity to pass enactments which rendered dissent in the eye of the law, what it always was and always will be in the sight of God, a heinous crime. Dissent thus having the spiritual and civil power wielded against it, sunk to insignificance; and the Church, feeling herself strong in the affections of the people, and in the support of the State, relaxed in her activity and zeal; and, as the result of the hypocrisy so evident during the ascendency of dissent, the people flew to the other extreme, and gave way to profligacy of

manners.

The Church had next to suffer from the liberal-the sapping and mining system under the popish James the Second; but on the abdication or banishment of that treacherous monarch, she again enjoyed for some time comparative though varied 'tranquillity. During this period, a spirit of lethargy and indifference gradually crept over the Church, and also over the various sects of dissenters, many of whom relapsed into the deadly heresy of Socinianism. Some few Churchmen and dissenters felt and deplored the general apathy, and devised means for rousing the people, and producing "a revival of religion." Measures were put into operation, and the soil was thus prepared for the subsequent labours of Whitfield and Wesley. It is not true that they originated or commenced the movement. "The tide had begun slowly to flow when Whitfield and Wesley launched upon it."

These men, both of them Clergymen, professed sincere attachment to the Church, and strongly disclaimed all intention of becoming dissenters, or of in any way augmenting the ranks of sectarianism. But wiser and more consistent, though less ardent, men foresaw and foretold that the result of their labours would be a practical and a mischievous contradiction to their reiterated professions. That this has turned out to be the truth, we live to see and lament. The issue of these men's exertions now stands before us in the two sects of Calvinistic and Arminian Methodists. Whether Whitfield or Wesley raised the larger number of dissenters, it would be perhaps difficult to determine. The Wesleyans, as a distinct sect, are by far more numerous than the Whitfieldites, but this is partially if not altogether to be accounted for by the fact that while Whitfield, by far the more sound, eloquent, and effective preacher of the two, took but few pains to form his disciples into a separate body, Wesley exerted himself in the organisation of his followers into a distinct and compact sect, which, with great prudence, he continued to manage till his death. While, therefore, the Wesleyans combined, and have hitherto existed, as a separate sect, great numbers of the followers of Whitfield were constantly going over to the Independents and Baptists, a comparatively small portion only remaining in Lady Huntingdon's connexion. And it is not a little singular how much of the spirit and conduct of their respective "founders" these two sects have hitherto manifested in one particular. Whitfield said less about his attachment to the Church, but gave stronger proof of it by his conduct, and bound his congregations to a profession of belief in the Articles, and to the constant use of the Liturgy of the Church; and his followers have generally followed his example, and complied with his wishes. On the other hand, Wesley was ever loud of his professions of Churchmanship, of his veneration for her Articles and formularies, and of a determination not to separate from her communion; and yet at the same time he was most intent on organising a distinct sect of separatists. He disbelieved, and therefore rejected, many of the Articles of the Church; he mutilated the Liturgy and Offices of the Church, and in a great measure raised his society by reiterating the accusa