Where is the scriptural limitation of "heads of houses?" Dissenters who object to patronage altogether, acknowledge no such limitation. It may be wise; fifty good reasons may be given for it; it may be a wholesome check against the evils of universal suffrage; but this is not the question. Upon what principle did the General Assembly assert that though one should not nominate for the many, the many should not nominate for themselves; but that it is Christ's institution, that a nomination, or call, shall vest in an oligarchy of householders? In the act of 1712 the Church of Scotland has long acquiesced. Nay it has more than acquiesced; for though the General Assembly continued to call it "a grievance" up to the year 1784, yet, grievance as it was, it enforced it; nay persecuted the Seceders, especially that good though misguided man, Ebenezer Erskine, for their opposition to it. Dr. M'Crie, a zealous and thorough-going hater of patronage, expressly says (Life by his Son, p. 363), "Presentees soon conquered their shyness; applied for, and accepted, of presentations; and the Church courts came gradually to sustain them in spite of the greatest opposition on the part of the people, though they still continued to profess their wish [does Dr. M'Crie mean that their professions were hypocritical or farcical?] for the abolition of patronage, and to petition government for it." And what did Mr. Maule himself admit in his late speech in the House of Commons, in presenting the Petition of the General Assembly, and moving for a Committee to take it into consideration? "The General Assembly," said he, "not the law courts, but the church court, to their eternal and irrevocable disgrace, were the first to countenance the forced settlement, and to demand the assistance of the civil power." He speaks truly; for while they "professed their wish," as Dr. M'Crie has it, for the abolition of patronage, as "a grievance," they enforced it with all their might. The utmost of their desire was to return to the golden enactment of 1690, which gave the patronage to the squires; a system against which the Seceders justly protested, declaring that these land-owners whom the General Assembly wished to make "lords over God's heritage" were but one in thirty of those who had a right to a voice in the choice of pastors. Ebenezer Erskine fought the anti-patronage battle honestly and manfully with the Synod and the General Assembly. And what was the result? The General Assembly, with that harshness and tyranny which it has lately shewn in deposing several able and pious ministers from holy orders for obeying the law of the land, which the Church had obeyed from the first, proceeded to depose Erskine, and his fellow-protestors Wilson, Moncrief, and Fisher; and hence sprang up the Secession Church; which the vetoists of 1834 hoped to put down, as well as to gain over the voluntaries, by the mockery of a free popular choice. For a mockery, after all, it was, as Dr. M'Crie declared at the time. He said, in his sermon upon "The Aspect of the Times," preached in May 1834, "The decision on calls, so much applauded by many, toge ther with its strange but notunsuitable, accompaniments, I can look upon in no other light, but as an attempt to gull the people with a shew of privilege, while it subjects them to be fettered at every step in the exercise of it, and involves them in the inextricable meshes of legal tyranny." (p. 345 of his Volume of Sermons published in 1836.) His son also tells us in his Life, p. 357, that he considered the veto " a half-measure lying open to saints must be so ordered as may stand with the most convenient use of the ordinances, and discharge of moral duties, without respect of persons." objections on both hands, and dren." By what right exclude which could not be supposed to these, and favour only "heads of give general satisfaction." He houses?" Again, the "Form of added, that it was "more than Presbyterial Church Government," questionable whether the restriction ratified by the General Assembly be legal [he well knew it was not], in 1645, says, "the communion of and whether patrons may not resist its exercise." These are not the words of Englishmen; but of the Scottish historian Dr. M'Crie, a thorough Presbyterian, and an enemy to patronage whether in the From the Reformation to the hands of an individual or an oligar- year 1834 the people of the Church chy of squires. For, let it not be of Scotland never exercised, or forgotten that the question between possessed, the unrestricted right the General Assembly, and such of choosing their pastors except men as Ralph and Ebenezer Ers- during the two brief parentheses kine, and Dr. Brown of Hadding- before mentioned; nor did even the ton, down to the days of such wor- Act of 1690 give that right to the thy successors to their opinions body of communicants, or even to as the late Dr. Waugh and Dr. all householders. The patron preM'Crie, was whether the patronage sented a licentiate or probationer; should vest in the squirearchy or the Presbytery examined him; if the communicants, and the objec- they were satisfied, he was inducted'; tions of the Seceders apply in prin- if for any reason whatever they conciple to the "half-measure" of sidered him ineligible, they might 1834. An aged venerable com- reject him, as an English bishop municant who is domiciled in the may a candidate for ordination. house of a farmer is not allowed to The people might veto; and if sign a veto, even were the candidate they gave reasons satisfactory to the worst of profligates; whereas the Presbytery, the presentee was his master, though he may be rejected. The system worked well. ignorant and depraved, enjoys that Under it the ministers who passed right, provided he keeps clear of the veto edict, as well as their actual excommunication. But the brethren, had accepted their funcinsidiousness of the "half-measure" tion and their preferments. To say consists in this, that while profes- that it was unscriptural and sinful sing that the call of the people is would be to condemn themselves Scripturally and Presbyterianly acand their Church from the begincording to the will of Christ, it ning. They have not produced gives it to the patron, only allow- a single passage from the word ing the people (and of these only of God which says that the people householders) a veto, not a voice. are to choose their pastors. But But, we reiterate, are the house- even if it were proved that they have holders the church? Listen to the that right, this is not the question. "Directions for the Public Worship The relations between the Church of God," ratified by the General and the State would then require to Assembly in 1645. "Particular be newly modelled; but that must churches, in the primitive times, be by mutual agreement; not by were made up of visible saints; the Church altering its plans, and of such as being of age professed expecting still to be recognized as faith in Christ, and obedience unto a national establishment in defiance Christ, according to the rules of of law. There are a few other matfaith and life, taught by Christ and ters which we intend to touch his Apostles; and of their chil- upon on some future occasion. 256 VIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS. THE intelligence from India is of a peaceful character. One particular of it is most cheering; namely, that an act was about to be passed which will exterminate slavery in that vast empire, where it has existed from early ages. The Governor-General's proceedings respecting the Somnauth gates, continued to be much and justly reprobated. In China, Her Majesty's representative has required the punishment of some of the native authorities and others who have cruelly massacred a large number of British shipwrecked seamen; but there seemed no reason to apprehend that this just and politic demand would lead to a renewal of hostilities. By the blessing of God upon the indefatigable labours of that truly Christian and philanthropic statesman Lord Ashley, a bill has been brought in by Sir J. Graham, for regulating the employment of children and young persons in factories, and for the better education of children in factory districts. It contains a great number of wise and humane provisions; such as, that children under eight years of age shall not work in factories, and when of age to be employed, shall not work more than six hours and a half in a day; nor any young person more than twelve hours-which is two hours too long, and Lord Ashley will try to abridge the time; and that no child or young person shall work in the night. But a still more important provision is, the setting up of schools for religious as well as secular instruction. The Scriptures are to be read "and taught," the Catechism and Liturgy of the Church of England to be used at the hours of religious instruction, and the children to attend Church on Sundays; but none of these against the wish of parents. The master is to be appointed by the Trustees, who are to consist of the clergyman, church-wardens, and four persons appointed by the magistrates. It is proposed to extend the measure to the lace and silk districts. Schools are also proposed to be set up for pauper children, who are to be instructed, where no objection is made, by a clergyman of the Established Church. The Dissenters are making very unreasonable opposition to these excellent and reasonable measures; but, we trust, it will be unavail ing. It does them no credit. May it please God to prosper this great work to his own glory and the unspeakable welfare of the present and future generations. Sir R. H. Inglis has presented an important petition from the University of Oxford, praying for Church extension; and we trust the session will not pass without some step being taken towards promoting this momentous object; but perhaps at present, and especially till the Factory bill is safe, it may not be wise to press the subject upon parliament. The Oxford petitioners justly remonstrate against trying to meet new wants with old resources, which are already little enough to bear the pressure upon them. It is true, that a better management of Church property would add to its value, and ought to be effected; but it is not sufficiently elastic to allow of its being stretched from rural districts over millions of a new manufacturing population, without becoming too attenuated to shelter either. Orator Henley, “in his tub," upon the principle that "omne majus continet in se minus," advertised that he would show how a shoe might be made in five minutes, which he performed by cutting down a boot; thereby spoiling a good boot to make a bad shoe. This has been too much the practice of late in promoting Church extension. If a clergyman dies, or removes, whose income was a fair maintenance, the first question asked is, whether out of one living cannot be constructed two starvings. A church for a largely increasing population cannot be upheld by such contrivances, any more than the national debt could be paid by the juggle of a sinking-fund. The country must make sacrifices, or the poor cannot be replenished with the bread of life. Sir Herbert Jenner Fust has reversed Dr. Lushington's decision in the Braintree case; thus declaring that a necessary church rate, if made by churchwardens and a minority of the parishioners in vestry, is valid. M'Naughton was proved, upon clear evidence, to have been a monomaniac; and new cases of alleged monomania are daily recurring. We may recur to this very difficult subject. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Ecclesiasticus; T. G.; C.; P. R. W.; M. G.; H. F.; J.; M. D.; J. E.; I. S.; Zenas; W. D.; M. B.; A Layman; and S. M.; are under consideration. THE MEMOIR OF ARCHBISHOP MAGEE. For the Christian Observer. HE name of Dr. Magee, the late Archbishop of Dublin, occurs so often in our Volumes, especially in connexion with his learned and invaluable work on Atonement and Sacrifice," that we have lamented we have never been able to present to our readers a memoir of that much esteemed prelate; but the few notes we could collect were too scanty to do him justice; nor has any biographical account of him ever been published till last year, when the defect was supplied by the Rev. A. H. Kenney, D.D., Rector of St. Olave's, Southwark, and formerly Dean of Achonry, and Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, in a Memoir prefixed to the collected works of the Most Reverend prelate. The works are comprised in two volumes, including his "Discourses and Dissertations on the Scriptural Doctrines of Atonement and Sacrifice," and his published Sermons, and Visitation Charges. We fear that in this day of many books, Dr. Magee's great work is too much overlooked; and we shall be glad if our digest of Dr. Kenney's memoir of the author, shall invite the attention of such of our readers as are not acquainted with it, to avail themselves of Dr. Kenney's republication. It is often hazardous to refer back to critiques upon books written at the period of their publication; for many hopeful works fall dead, and others succeed beyond expectation: but we are happy to say that our review of Dr. Magee's "Discourses on Atonement and Sacrifice," penned exactly forty years ago* from the time at which we are writing, favourable as it was, proved only a prelude to the general opinion of those who were best able to estimate its value. Upon the publication of the enlarged edition in 1809, we took occasion to re-state our opinion, and to urge to the utmost of our power the circulation of this publication. The main points connected with the Scriptural doctrine of Atonement and Sacrifice are ably and firmly established, both against the Deist and the * Christian Observer, April 1803. In the same Number was a review of Dr. Paley's "Natural Philosophy," then just CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 65, published, another of those works which a reviewer might confidently anticipate mankind "would not willingly let die." 2 L Socinian; and justly did Dr. Magee declare, in the very first passage which we cited from his book in 1803, that "We are commanded to preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED; which, however it may to the self-fancied wise ones of this world appear foolishness, is, to those who will humble their understanding to the dispensations of the Almighty, the grandest display of the Divine perfections,-Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." In presenting to our readers the following interesting memoir of Archbishop Magee, we should not act up to the testimony which he was pleased to record, in alluding to our work in the second edition of his treatise, that "The Christian Observer is a periodical publication distinguished for the uprightness and talent with which it is conducted;" if, however unworthy of the latter half of the eulogy, we did not try to deserve the former, by uprightly stating that, in perusing the Memoir, we note some deficiency in reference to the strictly spiritual part of the Archbishop's character. His orthodoxy in regard to the great questions connected with the redemption of mankind by the sacrifice of Christ the Son of God; and the inadequacy of repentance without an atonement; he has forcibly evinced in his writings. Nor less clearly has he expressed his opinion both of the necessity of an atonement, and of divinely imparted grace; seeing, as he says, that "The history of man from the Creation to the time of Christ, was a continued trial of his natural strength; and the moral has been, that man is strong only as he feels himself weak; strong only as he feels that his nature is corrupt; and, from a consciousness of that corruption, is led to place his whole reliance upon God." He goes on: "I know not, nor does it concern me to know, in what manner the sacrifice of Christ is connected with the forgiveness of sins; it is enough that it is declared by God to be the medium through which my salvation is effected. I pretend not to dive into the councils of the Almighty. I submit to his wisdom; and I will not reject his grace because his mode of vouchsafing it is not within my comprehension." Yet some reasons, he adds, may be assigned, since the Atonement honours God and humbles the sinner: "It is a public declaration of God's holy displeasure against sin, and of his merciful compassion for the sinner; and on the part of the offender, when offered by or for him, it implies a hearty confession of guilt, and a hearty desire of obtaining pardon.' And further: "We are not only in virtue of the sacrifice forgiven; but in virtue of the intercession admitted to favour and grace." From such passages we discern that the sinfulness and spiritual impotence of man, and the atonement of Christ, were regarded by Dr. Magee as essential parts of the Christian economy; but we could have wished to have seen in the narrative before us a full and clear account of the practical bearings of Scripture doctrine upon the heart, in regard to justification, peace with God, the implantation and growth of holy affections, and the hopes and fears, the trials and consolations, of the renewed mind. We do not imply that the prelate would have denied or doubted that in the regenerate there is the life of God in the soul of man ;" but we regret that what is shewn to be lovely and of good report in his temper and conduct, is not distinctly traced up to the operation of those principles which the world accounts fanatical, but which are the germ of all that is spiritual-minded and holy. Having offered these preliminary remarks, we proceed with the narrative. For the statements and opinions we are not responsible, as we are not competent to revise the biographer's materials, not having been ourselves personally acquainted with the subject of his story. |