The Presbyterian teachers are fuppofed by fome not to believe the atonement. Let us fuppofe that Socinianifm fhould be generally profeffed among them; fuppofe alfo they had articles framed by the Westminster divines of 1643, one of which was, that Chrift died for our fins (or any other text thought by thofe divines to affirm the atonement), might not any Socinian teacher honeftly fubfcribe that article? Would not the Socinian fense be their Church's fenfe of that article? Suppose again the Presbyterians divided, one-half orthodox, the other half Socinian; might not a minifter of their church fubfcribe in either fenfe, and himself chuse which he would adhere to in his ministry?

Did not ALL the first reformers, and all the Churchmen of their days, believe that Chrift defcended perfonally into hell, that is, into the place of the damned? If we are to recur to the original conftitution of the Church, this is the sense, the ONLY fense of the article: it is that which was held by the most eminent, the most pious of the reformers. But is there either a Bishop or a Methodist that holds it now? No one now believes it means any more than that the human foul of Chrift was by death feparated from his body, and remained till his refurrection in the place or state of unclothed fpirits. While the local defcent into hell was the only interpretation of the article, and no other heard of, whoever subscribed must subscribe in that fenfe only. But a fubfcriber now is undoubtedly at liberty to believe and maintain either opinion. No one will fay that the article may not be subscribed in the primitive fignification (yet if there is any doubt it is here). And that it may be understood as ALL learned men do now understand it, will hardly be denied.

Still it will be faid, of what use are articles, if they do not preserve the purity of the Church? No human means can preferve the purity of the Church; the Scriptures themselves cannot do it. Time, indeed, which gradually changes all things, will foften their rigour, and introduce much latitude of interpretation, but their MAIN fenfe will still be preservedthey will not haftily fink into infignificance.

Ought not, then (it will perhaps be further faid), the articles to be REVISED? And to whom can this important work be committed? If one fet of men be employed, the article of Chrift's atonement will be wholly taken up in binding upon us the fin of man transferred by imputation to Chrift, and his fuffering under a charge of guilt, in our law place, and as our fubftitute, and all the other metaphyfical absurdities that can be raked out of Witfius. Had a certain Bishop been fet to work, he would have infifted upon your profeffing your belief in the No intermediate state; had his chaplain been fet to work, he would have purged out of the articles almost every doctrine of Christianity, as having no relation to the present times. And why should the articles be altered, to accommodate them to the opinions, not of the clergy in general, but of a few, who would dictate to all the reft. One alteration once made upon fuch grounds, would invite fome other religious party to demand a new alteration, and every alteration would occafion fresh difputes.

We have much reafonable liberty in the affent we give to the doctrines contained in the articles when we fubfcribe them; time has procured for us this liberty, and it were very imprudent to give it up, and submit to the ftrait bonds of modern school divines.

Mr. Berridge long fince charged the whole body of the clergy with preaching doctrines contrary to the articles they have fubfcribed; and the

whole

whole body of his methodistical friends feem to be of the fame opinion, but wanting his openness, they only hint it in public. What RIGHT have they to confine the fense of every article to their own interpretation? Why is our Just liberty judged of another man's confcience?

The other charge, that the prefent Church of England has departed from the received opinions of the Clergy at the time of the Reformation, may be true; but that in fo doing the Church is become corrupt, remains yet to be fhewn, unless you will fay that the reformers fucceeded to the Pope's infallibility, and, like him, became infallible interpreters of scrip

ture.

There are who maintain, that the articles ought to be understood in that fenfe in which the compilers intended they should be understood; but furely it is very ftrange to apply a rule of interpretation to these articles which is never applied to any other law, articles, or covenant whatsoever. The TEST act, as far as we can discover the intentions of those who paffed that law, was intended to exclude Papifts only from offices of truft in the ftate; but the words exclude proteftant diffenters, and accordingly they have always been excluded.

And who fhall make out what was the intention of the lawgiver, exclufive of the law itfelf? And who thall fhew what were the notions of one, or of all those who framed the articles, exclusive of the articles themfelves?

But we are not here concerned to know what was meant by the writers, but what will be understood by the readers of these articles; for every fincere man who makes a declaration, will conceive it as meaning what it is now ufually conceived to mean. Not by thofe in particular who require this declaration, for they have no authority to fix the meaning-nor by the governors of the Church, for they cannot properly be faid to require that which they have no power to difpenfe with, or to alter. But the sense of the articles (as the sense of the law) is that which is determined to be their fenfe by the general voice of the learned through the nation; what that is, may in fome cafes be doubtful, but in moft, and those of greatest importance, there will be no doubt. But to go through every article, and fettle the limits of interpretation, is no part of our defign.

It has been faid, the articles are to be understood according to fcripture, and fcripture is the fame now that it was two hundred years ago; how then can a different interpretation be admitted? I always thought that fcripture was to be interpreted by articles, and not articles by fcripture; elfe of what ufe are articles?

The true genuine fense of scripture is undoubtedly the fame, not only at ALL times, but in ALL places, and to ALL perfons; let whoever read fcripture, it has but ONE genuine fenfe. But are men, even pious and learned men, either of our own or past times, AGREED about that one genuine fenfe? Who, without infpiration, fhall determine, out of the vaft variety of interpretations, which is the TRUE one? Each fect, nay

each individual, does indeed with great confidence pretend divine authority for their own fancies; they have been earneft in prayer for the promifed teaching of the Holy Ghoft, and the teaching fo promised is (as they fay) like the teaching promifed to the Apoftles, a promise that they shall be led into ALL truth, John xvi. 13; they fhould add, "and be SHEWN THINGS TO COME." Being, therefore, in this degree under the teaching of the fpirit, whatever opinions they take up are of divine authority. No

wonder,

wonder, then, with Mr. Scott (late of the Lock), they fhould charge all who differ from them with difbelieving the promife of the aflittance of the spirit, defpifing prayer, and being fuperficial enquirers. But it is faid, you would not differ from another unless you thought him wrong; and if he be in the wrong, there must be fome great fault (you thould add, or fome great misfortune) which is the ground of his error. There are who deny the Divinity of Chrift; is not this a great error-an awful departing from the truth? You will at least warn them of the fin of denying Chrift. They also think you in a great mistake, and they, in their turn, will warn you of the unpardonable fin of idolatry.

REFLECTIONS ON SUDDEN DEATH.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN,

THE alarming increase of the number of fudden deaths, which of late have occurred in almost every part of the kingdom, cannot fail to make a very serious impreffion on the mind of every confiderate and reflecting perfon. And as thefe awful vifitations have been very frequent of late in the immediate neighbourhood where I refide, it appeared to me an indifpenfible part of my duty, as a minifter of the established religion, to call the attention of that congregation which is committed to my charge, to thefe affecting difpenfations of the Almighty, and to endeavour to fix their thoughts very feriously upon them. In purfuance of this perfuafion, on the morning of the 10th of last month I began a fermon on this fubject, which I finished, excepting a page and half, on the 11th, and delivered in my Parish Church the day following, Sunday, Dec. 12, 1802. The difcourfe appeared to make a very ftrong impreflion on the congregation affembled together on that occafion, which, I earneftly pray to God may not be very ipeedily obliterated, but, on the contrary, may remain indelibly engraved upon their hearts, and bring forth the fruit of godliness, and procure the reward of an holy and pious life in a future ftate. As every fentence of the difcourfe above mentioned, is original-composed on the fpur of the moment,-and without having any reference (as far as I know) to any author whatever who has written on the fame fubject; if you think the following extracts are likely to make that good impreffion on any of your readers which the difcourfe feemed to do from the pulpit, they are at your service.

Extracts from "An Original Difcourfe, by T. C. Dec. 12th, 1802," bearing the Title," A Sermon concerning fudden Death."

Pfalm xxxix. 5.

"Lord let me know my End and the Number of my Days, that I may be certified how long I have to live."

THE extreme uncertainty of human life, and the very precarious tenure

upon which it is held, have conftantly and properly employed the ferious reflection of the thinking part of mankind in all ages. By fome, this awful truth hath been miferably mifemployed to the purpofes of fin, by others it hath been wifely improved to the power of godliness. luptuary and the infidel have frequently cried out, with fome of those Corinthians

The vo

Corinthians whom Saint Paul notices in his firft Epiftle addreffed to them, "Let us eat and drink for to-morrow we die;" or, in other words, "Let us feize the present moment to gratify every finful and luxurious defire of our fouls, fince from the uncertainty of the duration of our mortal existence, it may poflibly happen, that "to-morrow we die." On the other hand, the wife and the good, who are careful to draw forth leffons of improvement from the feveral occurrences which are paffing around them, exclaim, with the pious Pfalmift in the 90th Pfalm,-" So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Now fince it is certain that a much greater number of the fons of men are inclined to do evil than to do good, and that they would abuse the privilege of being "certified how long they had to live," it seems evident that this uncertainty of the duration of our mortal existence is indeed far better for us than if we could affuredly "know our end, and the number of our days."

Within the short space of a few weeks paft, no less than three fudden deaths have happened in this immediate neighbourhood, and within the laft two or three years these fudden vifitations of the great "King of terrors," have been multiplied in a more than usual degree in this part of the ifland where we refide. To inquire into the physical cause of these awful difpenfations belongs not to the minifter of our Saviour's gospel, but it ftrictly falls within the circle of his duty to endeavour to improve the impreffions they are fo peculiarly calculated to make on the serious mind, while the remembrance of them is yet fresh and lively, and therefore more capable of being effectually turned to the advancement of godliness.

We are placed here on earth in a state of probation and trial, and the life which is lent to us by our Creator hath annexed to it the express condition of our surrendering it whenfoever and howfoever our heavenly Father fhall require it at our hands. The time and the manner of our respective deaths it hath pleased the Almighty Difpofer of all things to hide in the councils of his Omnipotence, and therefore we should endeavour to be always prepared for that great event. This is the great and useful leffon we may all learn from this difpenfation of our nature which is common to us all. In every period of our mortal course, from the cradle to extreme old age, we behold our fellow mortals dropping around us into the grave, and the place which they occupied is immediately filled by others, who in their turn, when their "appointed time" is come, muft, in like manner, give place to others. This hath been the manner and custom of human affairs from the beginning of the world to the prefent moment, and it is ordained to continue the fame till the confummation of all things. A difpenfation of this nature, which involves in it all the fons of men without exception, must at one time or another awaken ferious thoughts in the minds of all men, and this impreffion is more or lefs lively and durable according to the varying circumftances of things. Thus, if the young and tender promise of infantine charms is nipped in the bud by the hand of death; if, when it is a little more expanded, and the bud of beauty begins to unfold its graces to an admiring world, it is then struck by the arrow of deftruction, and droops its head and dies; if, when full blown and in perfect beauty, delighted and delighting all around, it thould please the All-gracious difpofer of Events to call away the foul of virtue and of goodness, by a flow and gradual decline, we grieve indeed, and grieve moft justly for our loss, but ftill by previous circumftances we have

been

been prepared to expect the catastrophe, and fo are enabled to submit with greater eafe to the trying difpenfation. But the cafe is very widely different when those who are to-day rejoicing in the glow of health are tomorrow become the tenants of the clay cold grave; when those who are the nearest and dearest to our affections in a single moment are snatched from our embraces by the relentless hand of death. An event of this alarming nature is apt to ftrike home to the human heart; to make a deep and lafting impreffion on the minds of furviving relatives; and to read a moft ftriking and useful leffon to unconcerned fpectators. Unconcerned did I fay? Who is there then that can be altogether unconcerned at such an awful vifitation as this? What individual is there present in this congregation, who, for a moment, can flatter himself with an exemption from this common lot of humanity? Can youth, can health, can ftrength or fpirits, can any, or can all of them united, fhield their poffeffors from the ftroke of death? We know they cannot. We feel they cannot. Deep fhould the awful reflection fink into our hearts.

What exceeding little ground have we to flatter ourselves, that our unpreparedness for death will be at all palliated by the excufe, that we have been called on fuddenly to render up an account of our actions, and to give up the loan of life. It is the whole fcope of Revelation to impress the uncertainty of human life in the most folemn manner upon our minds. How frequent were the allutions of our bleffed Saviour in his Difcourfes and Parables to this awful event, and how uniformily did he inculcate the neceflity of a due preparation at all times for it. Under the fimilitude of a ftrong man armed, watching his goods against the approach of the thief, and the impoffibility of his knowing at what exact time he would come, our Lord points out to us how impoflible it is for us to know the very time that the great thief Death will come to rob us of our life; and confequently that we should never relax our vigilance left he should vifit us at a time when we are not prepared for his approach. In the parable also of the wife and foolish Virgins, the fame watchfulness, care and circumfpection is inculcated; and various other parts of the facred writings speak the same sentiment. However true this reprefentation of the state wherein we are placed upon earth, in reality is, and however falutary the advice which is drawn from it by our bleffed Lord, yet the light and frivolous fons of men are too apt to difregard thefe maxims of wifdom, from a weak and foolish fuppofition that this awful difpenfation is very far removed from themselves. To men of this defcription, these sudden examples of mortality are of the greatest benefit, and are peculiarly calculated to fix their thoughts, and rally their fcattered recollection. When we behold the arrows of our mortal enemy flying thickly arounds us ;— when we fee the best and fairest of the herd of our fellow-mortals, in perfect health and strength, selected by this "infutiate archer," and ftruck down by his unerring aim in a fingle moment, can we flatter ourselves that for any very long period we shall be able to escape his keen regard? No; we all partake of one common nature,-all of us are placed upon earth on the fame condition of uncertainty,-and every one of us is liable to be called away in a fingle moment, at the will of him who placed us here. That vifitation which hath fallen upon one so near to us; that deftruction which hath but a very little miffed us, may, for ought we know to the contrary, very speedily fall upon our own head; and then nought can avail us but the being properly prepared to receive the awful fummons. Vol. IV. Churchm. Mag. Jan. 1893.

Let