Tracts of the Anglican fathers

be found as the fruits of a true and lively faith. Now, since conscience thus varies in different persons to so great a degree, both by reason of their original mental constitution and moral tendencies, and also of their education, the question becomes an important one, how far errors in judgment excuse us from the guilt of the actions which they cause; that is, how far any action can be considered criminal which the conscience of the doer approves. That such an action is, if wrong in itself, to a certain extent criminal, under almost every circumstance, is expressly laid down as a fact by our Lord, who says, "Those who knew not their Lord's will, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." Now, had there not been some guilt they would not be beaten at all. All we have to do, then, is to ascertain the extent of this guilt, and, consequently, the extent of the excuse offered by an erring conscience. We shall suppose, of course, that the enquiry concerning any action is put in a spirit of honesty—that is, that the doer does really believe in his conscience that he did right, while, at the same time, he actually did a morally wrong action. This, of course, can only be decided by the individual himself, and he also only can judge as to his intentions. Thus much mischief may be done unintentionally, and, consequently, no moral guilt be incurred. But when an

action has turned out as the doer intended it to do, then we have to consider how far his belief that he is right exonerates him from guilt, if the action be wrong. This belief may arise from two causes, viz., an intellectual incapacity to comprehend the moral bearings of the case, or a lack of information as to the revealed will of God. Now, so far as the first reason can be fairly given, it must be valid, for it makes the individual irresponsible, by putting him on a level of an idiot-at least, there are very few cases in which it does not do so; and we therefore pass on to consider the second reason, viz., for lack of information touching the revealed will of God. This excuse, it is evident, will be of different force, under different circumstances. If the will of a master were written indeed, but locked up, so that his servants had no way of coming at it themselves, and no means of knowing from those formerly employed by their master what it was

-if the circumstances under which they were hired, the place to which they were taken, and the nature of their employment, gave them no insight into their master's intentions-then there could evidently be no fault in them if they failed to fulfil those intentions. There is, however, no parallel case to this among mankind. If such servants were sent to a distant part of their master's estate, where, though they had no positive instructions from him, yet those who had been before them had given them an account of the master's instructions when he had visited that part many years before-if the nature of the land, and the character of the crops, proved clearly what sort of conduct was necessary on their part; then, though little inaccuracies might be passed over, yet gross demerit would merit, and certainly receive, severe punishment. This case illustrates the condition of the heathen, and we see, therefore, why they were a law by nature unto themselves, and how their consciences might be, though not wholly enlightened, yet sufficiently so to cause a correct moral life. But again: if that master's will were written, and hung up where all his servants might have free access to it, and if, lest they should mistake the meaning of its provisions, he had set apart certain of his servants to explain that will at stated times to the rest, it follows that ignorance on the part of any one of those servants would not be the slightest excuse for not doing their Lord's will, but that he would both deserve and receive the same punishment as though, with a full knowledge of what they were, he had refused obedience to his lord's commands. This last is our case; and as, therefore, an unenlightened conscience among us must be one in a state of wilful darkness, it matters not what a man may think of his own doings, to the law and the testimony, and if they agree not with that, except he repent, he shall assuredly perish. The person, therefore, who withholds, or who does that which tends to withhold spiritual instruction from the people, especially from the poor, and more particularly still, from the children of the poor, will not, unless he shut up all our churches, and burn all our Bibles, diminish their responsibility, though he will accumulate on his own head an awful weight of guilt. They will have as much to answer for,

as though he had not attempted to snatch from their lips the bread of life, while the fearful criminality of the attempt will rest his own soul.

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We see, then, the importance of enlightening the conscience. We see from the example of St. Paul that is not always a safe guide, and that its errors do not extenuate guilt. It becomes, lastly, then, a matter of infinite moment to know, if conscience be not a safe guide, how may it be made so; or rather, what is a safe guide? We answer, the Scriptures of truth. There we find the commands of God, which we are bound to follow; there we find the promise of that grace by which we shall be enabled to do so; there we find the publication of that Gospel by which God can be at once just and merciful--can forgive us all those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and yet maintain the unsullied purity of his most holy law. By applying to that everopen fountain, the sins that oppress us with remorse shall be washed away. By studying that inspired book, we shall find the word of God "a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path." We must lift up our hearts to him who refuseth not any who come to him in the name of Jesus, to purify our hearts with his spirit, and so to set before us the greatness of his love, and the terrors of his coming, that we may both fear to offend, and earnestly desire to please him, through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Before concluding this preface, it may be well, as the present volume concludes the series of Tracts of the Anglican Fathers, briefly to recapitulate the objects with which the series was commenced. The unhappy divisions in our Church have arisen, it may fearlessly be asserted, from a want of information as to the views held by the Fathers both of the early, and of the Reformed English Church. The latter did most faithfully represent the opinions, both as to doctrine, discipline, and practice, of the Fathers of the first three centuries. When, therefore, their works were studied, and the sentiments held by them, and embodied in the Articles and Liturgy of our Church, were compared with the writings which remain to us from the apostolic era, it became evident that both taught the same doctrines, en

forced the same discipline, and enjoined the same practice. The Tracts of the Anglican Fathers was undertaken in order to show those who reverted to antiquity that our Church was in accordance with the purest period of that antiquity, and to prove to those who despised antiquity, that they could not despise it without at the same time despising the Church of which they professed to be members.

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The first volume was devoted, in accordance with this plan, to the examination of the authorized formularies of the Church the second to an investigation of some principal points of doctrine; the third, to an enquiry into the principles, both primitive and Anglican, of ecclesiastical discipline;-and in the present and concluding volume an attempt has been made to classify the various duties of men, and to enforce them in the words, and by the authority, of some of our best divines.

The division of duties adopted has been-1. Those which we owe to God: this has occupied two parts. 2. Those which we owe to the Church. 3. Those which we owe to society. 4. Those which we owe to those connected with us. And last, those which we owe to the State. We cannot close this undertaking without imploring the divine blessing upon our endeavours.

CAMBRIDGE.

St. Mark's Day.