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can tell how important it has proved, to preserve our Church from those depths of Socinianism, into which so many other less favoured Churches have fallen,1 that, while the doctrine

1 It is observable that the great body of the ministers and people in all the Reformed Churches, one after the other, have fearfully fallen away from the doctrines of the Reformation, our own among the number. Yet, even in the time of the deepest downfall in our Church, the great majority still maintained the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation, and some able champions of those grand fundamental articles of our faith were raised up among us. Other important doctrines, especially that of the Atonement, were rather neglected in their practical use and application, than actually denied: and there is reason to believe that many humble and unknown individuals were savingly instructed, and led in the ways of godliness by means of our truly Evangelical Liturgy, even while the least of evangelical truth was proclaimed from our pulpits. And in that Liturgy our Church seemed to carry the seeds of a revival. The Churches on the Continent have fallen away into far deeper and more awful depths, into Socinianism, Neology, and utter Infidelity; into the most determined and awful opposition to every part of revealed truth and for the hopeful appearances of a revival, which here and there appear, seem to be in great measure indebted to an influence from without, and to an impulse communicated (at least in some measure) from this favoured land. And the want of that help, which is so abundantly supplied to a faithful Minister by our excellent Liturgy, is very observable,—even in those parts, in

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of the Trinity has been so prominently held forth in our truly Scriptural Liturgy, it has been so abundantly confirmed by the copious reading of the Scriptures. Here has been God's own testimony continually to His own truth and, beyond all doubt and question, His blessing upon the Church which has been

which the most cheering symptoms of a revival have been manifested.

There is but too much reason to believe that the Dissenting Congregations in our own country were at one time falling away very rapidly into the same awful gulph, which has overwhelmed so generally the Churches of Germany and Switzerland, Sabellianism, Arianism, and Socinianism were increasing on every side. But the revival, which commenced in the Establishment, in a measure communicated itself to them. Yet even now it is little known to what a vast extent Sabellianism, and some of the subtler forms of Arianism and Socinianism prevail among Dissenting Ministers and Congregations-even those which are too commonly and too easily taken for granted to be Orthodox and Evangelical. Some fearful facts have come within the compass of my own knowledge, and such as must lead every considerate mind to enquire very seriously, What can we suppose would have been the state of the Dissenters generally in this country, if it had not been for that Establishment, with its Articles and Liturgy, which they so greatly revile, and continually object to? I believe that this land, in which the means of grace and the

so careful to honour and to publish His holy word.

This letter, my dear Sister, has already exceeded all bounds; yet I cannot conclude it without reference to one part of our Liturgy which, I fear is comparatively little known— though it ought to be known and studied by

opportunities of Christian instruction are now so abundant, and which is sending forth the means of Evangelical instruction into all the world, would have been before this in the same awful state as Germany a few years back.

In different Churches the tendency to decay and departure from the truth has been more or less checked and limited by various circumstances. It might be very interesting and instructive to enquire into those circumstances, with reference to those Churches which have longest continued in their purity, and least departed from the faith. With respect to our own country, I have no doubt whatever that our Articles and Liturgy have been the great bulwark against Arianism, Socinianism, and Neology; and that they have mainly contributed to hold up the Standard of Doctrine among the Dissenters, as well as within the pale of the Church.

An intelligent Christian, who had spent some years in America, informed me that the Episcopal Church in that country, with its Articles and Liturgy, (taken, with very slight alterations, from our own,) was generally considered by all well informed Christians, as the great bulwark against Socinianism.

every one. I allude to the Ordination Services: which now, most properly, are introduced by the Prayer-Book and Homily Society into all their Prayer-Books,—except the very smallest. More especially I would refer you to a portion of that for the Ordination of Priests, beginning with the Collect, Almighty God, giver of all good things,' &c. and ending with the commission given, ‘Take thou authority to preach the word of God,' &c. or, I might have said, going on to the end of the Service. Those who have not read and studied the whole of those Services, have yet much to learn as to what our Church really is, and what her Ministers ought to be. May the God of all mercy raise and stir up many of them to press forward to the standard there proposed to us, make us indeed faithful to our Ordination vows and engagements, as there set forth, and hear and answer the prayers we are there taught to offer!-then shall our Church be enabled to defy and triumph over all her enemies, to the praise and glory of His holy Name, through Christ the Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen. *

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In connection with one of the subjects briefly touched upon in the preceding letter (our Office for Baptism) I here insert a paper referring to that part of our Liturgy, which has been, among other things, greatly objected to by the adversaries of the Church of England. The first rough sketch of this paper was drawn up in answer to some questions proposed to a friend, who requested me to answer them for him. A copy, both of the questions and the answers, was afterwards given to the Christian sister to whom these letters were addressed:-so that it formed, in fact, a part of the correspondence-which will be a sufficient warrant for the insertion here of a more intelligible transcript.

QUESTION I.-How far are we authorized from Scripture to take upon us to promise for others?

Before I proceed to a direct answer to this question, it may be well to premise two or three observations.

1. The three things which are vowed and

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