time since, amidst much that is intangible, contains, if we read it aright, a distinct protest against the following propositions : "The sacraments, not preaching, are the sources of Divine grace.' "The two sacraments of the Gospel' are those which directly communicate Christ to the soul.' "The doctrine of regeneration in baptism, the very spirit and essence of the whole teaching of the Church.' Baptism . . . . confers on a child all things, and the true way of addressing such a child is not to speak to him of any new birth yet to be waited for; but to tell him to go forth against evil, fresh from the water, and strong in the blessings of his baptism.' Surely the Church has not encouraged the modern habit of dating conversion, of taking cognisance of any marked revolutionary epoch in a man's life, besides his baptism.' Receiving Him (Christ) into this very body, they who are his, receive life.' A person not commissioned may pretend to give the Lord's Supper, but . . . . there is no warrant from Christ to lead communicants to suppose that. . . . they will be partakers in the Saviour's body and blood.' "The Lord Jesus Christ gave his Spirit to his Apostles; they, in turn, laid their hands on those who should succeed them, and these again on others; and so the sacred gift has been handed down to our present bishops, who have appointed us as their assistants. . . We must necessarily consider none to be really ordained who have not thus been ordained.' "Thus far as to what is denied; we will next cite a few propositions which are affirmed to be the doctrines of the Church of Christ:"Every Christian is therefore bound . . to receive no doctrine as the doctrine of Scripture unless he sees it to be declared therein.' "Believers . . . are, from first to last, justified by faith alone without works." "There is no scriptural authority for affirming that our Lord is present with his people at the Lord's Supper in any other manner than that in which he is present with them whenever they meet together in His name; and His body and blood are verily and indeed taken and received by them at that ordinance by faith, just as they are verily and indeed taken and received by them WHENEVER THEY EXERCISE FAITH in his atoning sacrifice.' "To the document from which we have taken the foregoing, we find, among others, the signatures of the following ministers of the Church : "H. H. BEAMISH, M.A. (London). "J. B. CLIFFORD, M.A. (Bristol). "T. F. DIBDIN, D.D. (London). "D. K. T. DRUMMOND, M.A. (Edinburgh). "W. B. MACKENZIE, M.A. (Islington). "RICHARD MARKS, M.A. (Great Missenden). "W. MARSH, D.D. (Leamington). "CAPEL MOLYNEUX, B.A. (Woolwich). "THOMAS MORTIMER, B.D. (London). "BAPTIST W. NOEL, M.A. (London). "WALTER SHIRLEY, M.A. (Archdeacon of Derbyshire). "HUGH STOWELL, M.A. (Manchester). " HENRY WALTER, M.A. "CARUS W. WILSON, M.A. (Casterton). "C. I. YORKE, M.A. (Shenfield).' These names are quoted, of course, for disgrace; but, to be so quoted, and by such persons and for such purposes, is the highest possible honour! With the same feeling, also, we venture to extract the following, as an amusing piece of documentary evidence, and a parallel, too, that may be instructive. It appeared in "The English () Churchman" of the 8th of February :— 66 THE WESLEYAN METHODISTS AND ARCHDEACON SHIRLEY, AND "SIR-I beg shortly to call your attention to several remarkable coincidences between the two official declarations contained in your last Number, viz., that of the Wesleyan Methodists, who are now separated from us, and that of 250 ministers and members of the Church of England, who still retain their offices in and remain in nominal connexion with the Church. I shall also occasionally refer to the notorious practices of the party from whom this declaration proceeds, and then ask whether the Wesleyan Methodists are not fully as worthy of the name of Churchmen as those who have had the hardihood to attach their signature to such a document? "WESLEYAN CHURCHMANSHIP.' "Mr. Wesley strikes out from the Prayer-book, the Epiphany and Lent, as relics of Popery; substituting 'particular days' for holy days,' he turns all the saints adrift, and reduces the long catalogue to three-Christmas-day, Good Friday, and Ascension. The multiform tables of feasts, and fasts, moveable and immoveable, are rejected, and the fasts "CHURCHMANSHIP OF THE DECLA RATIONISTS. "Is not all this practically the case with every one of the Declarationists ? Having solemnly undertaken at their several ordinations to conform to the whole Liturgy, do they not, in practice, 'strike out the Epiphany and Lent,' 'turn all the saints adrift,' as smacking of Popery,' reject the multiform tables of feasts and fasts, and reduce the fasts reduced to all the Fridays in the year, except Christmas-day.' "The Collects, &c., for what are called holy days and saints' days are rejected as smacking of Popery, and those for Sundays and for Christmas-day, Good Friday, and Ascension-day, only retained. "The Creed of Athanasius is wholly rejected.' "In the prayer for the clergy and people,' the words all the ministers of the Gospel' are substituted for our bishops and clergy, and all congregations committed to their charge. "In the petition for Christian ministers, instead of bishops, priests, and deacons,' we read the ministers of the Gospel.' "In the order for ordaining elders, all acknowledgments of the exclusive claims of the clergy of the Church of England are omitted, and though the superintendent strangely enough is directed to say, 'Receive thou the Holy Ghost,' &c. Yet the blasphemous words, Whose sins thou dost forgive are forgiven, and whose sins thou dost retain are retained,'' are expunged.' "The order for the administration of the Lord's Supper is much altered and abridged. All the Semi-Popish directions, the Creed, and the Exhortations, are omitted. "The ministration of baptism of infants is altogether remodelled, and even then is left at the discretion of the minister to use as much or as little as the time will admit.' 'Godfathers and godmothers, with all their trumpery, disappear; and although the prayer immediately before baptism is retained, it is minus the petition, Sanctify this water to the mystical washing away of sin.' even below all the Fridays in the year?' for they notoriously condemn all fasting as Popish. "Nay, they even go beyond the Methodists in their rejections, for they do not observe the Feast of the Ascension, as the others do. "Is not the Creed of St. Athanasius become a dead letter in all the churches of the so-called Evangelical Clergy, although the Eighth Article declares it ought thoroughly to be received and believed, for it may be proved by most certain warrants of Scripture? "The Declarationists witness with grief the endeavour of some persons to unprotestantise our Church, who change the ministry of the Gospel into a priesthood, assert that those ministers of Christ who have not received episcopal ordination are not true ministers of Christ, and that their congregations form no part of the Church of Christ.' "With many of the Declarationists, also, this is practically the case. The consecrated bread and wine are delivered, not to each communicant singly, but 'to a rail at a time;' and the address is uttered only once, and in the plural number; the word oblations is omitted; and the exhortation on the previous Sunday is reduced to one sentence. "The directions that the priest shall place the bread and wine on the table are neglected, as Semi-Popish. "The Declarationists witness with grief that the Anglo-Catholics' deny that ungodly persons, if baptised, need to be regenerated, and pervert the mean. ing of the sacraments; and they declare that ungodly persons have neither been born again of the Spirit, nor justified, although they were baptised in infancy, but remain in an unpardoned state, exposed to the wrath of God; and unless Finally, the Articles which, in the Book of Common Prayer, are Thirtynine, are reduced by Mr. Wesley to Twenty-five. "The Articles wholly omitted are the 3d, 8th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 21st, 23d, 26th, 29th, 33d, 35th, and 36th. Of those which are retained several are materially altered. "The 9th is much contracted, if not in sense altered. "The 16th is entitled, 'Of Sins after Justification, instead of after Baptism.' "The 27th is modified, so as to exclude the idea of Baptismal Regeneration. "In the 25th, the assertion that the sacraments are effectual means of grace is qualified by the omission of the epithet. "From the Articles omitted, it may be inferred that Mr. Wesley and his followers differ from the Church as to the scriptural character of the Three Creeds; as to the nature of good works before they be born again of the Spirit, and obtain saving faith in Christ, they must perish. "And yet these men continue to say with their lips, We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this infant with thy Holy Spirit, to receive him for thine own child by adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy Church. And humbly we beseech thee to grant, that, he being dead unto sin, and living unto righteousness,' &c. "Moreover, many of them take strange liberties with the baptismal service; some of them omit the prayer for the consecration of the water. "All these are practically rejected by the Declarationists. The only difference between them and the Wesleyans is, that they have solemnly promised to read them, and have thereupon obtained their preferments; which the Wesleyans have not. "The Articles of which the Declarationists alone profess their belief' in this declaration of their faith, are the first half of the 6th; the middle of the 20th, omitting the words, "the Church hath power to decree rites and ceremonies, and authority in controversies of faith,' and all that relates to the Church being a witness and keeper of Holy Writ; part of the 19th; a few words of the 21st; the 11th; a little of the 12th; and the latter parts of the 23d and 28th. justification; as to the authority of the Church; as to'public authority' being a necessary element in the call to the ministry; as to the unworthiness of ministers not hindering the effect of sacraments; and as to the office of consecrating and ordaining bishops, priests, and deacons, containing nothing that is of itself superstitious and ungodly.' "The Wesleyan Chronicle concludes with saying: 'Having made this analytical comparison, we leave our Episcopalian and Congregational readers to estimate for themselves the real amount of official churchmanship in the Wesleyan (and I take the liberty of adding, 'in the self-called Evangelical') body.' "I am, &c., "A CHURCHMAN." We mean not to commit ourselves to the expediency of such a Declaration being made, or the policy of individual clergymen in signing it. We make these extracts for ourselves, as documents for future reference, touching the doctrines thus antagonised; and, as such, we present these fragments to our readers. We shall have ample opportunity to make use of them in a manner that shall be equally satisfactory to our readers and the Tractarians, though possibly in very contrary senses. HOPE TO THE POOR. PSALM X. LORD! wherefore thus dost thou stand off afar? They have imagined! Lo! the ungodly boast |