tradesman, who has had his house decently furnished, and his family respectably dressed, no sooner begins to "rise in his circumstances," than he looks forward to have handsome furniture and suites of apart ments, and to see his wife and daughters decked out in the height of fashion, and adorned (or disfigured) with trappings of gold and silver, that they may vie with those in a higher grade of society. That which satisfied them before, as being both comfortable and suitable to their station in life, does not please them now, simply because they are laying up treasures on the earth. 3. If property be accumulated in order to subserve our own or our children's indulgence, and freedom from honest labour, it comes under the reprobation of Christ. Many seem to imagine, that it is respectable to have nothing to do." But sound wisdom declares, that the idle man is certainly the most disreputable, because the most useless, person in the community. Others suppose, that to "retire from business" must be a great luxury; but they were never more deceived. Labour is one of the greatest blessings which God has brought out of the primeval curse. The command of our Lord, therefore, is, "Occupy till I come." (Luke xix. 13.). When a man is accumulating property in order "to retire," that he may enjoy an inglorious ease, he is laying up treasure on the earth." The approach of age and feebleness would naturally cause him gradually to with draw from the active toils of life; and such a gradual retirement we think alone to accord with a faithful discharge of man's stewardship. A few exceptions are occasionally found in persons who leave the desk or the counter, to serve society in a more important manner; for doing which, they have the requisite ability, and have previously formed a scheme which shall occupy their powers, And both mental and physical. when this is the case, they are worthy of double honour; for they have left "making their own fortune," with the intent of blessing those around them. But such instances are necessarily rare. Few men of business have the ability, disposition, and opportunity of thus spending their years of retirement in active usefulness; and all others would much more study the will of God, and promote the best interests of themselves and others, by "occupying till He come." If they have already gained enough for themselves and families, let them now work for God, by devoting all their profits to the glory of Him who has favoured them above their neighbours in a providential manner. And so it ought to be with families. Except in the inheritance of family property, no child, who is able to provide for himself, has a right to expect more from his parents than a good education, and a suitable "start in the world." And the parent, who "lays up" for such, is injuring his child, by encouraging him to be remiss in his exertions, through a hope of "being provided for." The case is different with the female sex, and those members of the family who are unable to labour; yet nothing more than a suitable provision is here justifiable. But great advantage is frequently taken of this point, by a man's bringing up his family in a more expensive style than he deemed necessary for his own station, and making these expensive habits an excuse for laying up more largely for their future wants. God, who "seeth the heart, and trieth the reins," will judge aright in such cases: and we often find a providential judgment to overtake these persons and their families, as a warning for others to obey the word of the Lord." 66 R. MAXWELL MACBRAIR. ANECDOTE OF THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY. TOWARDS the close of Mr. Wesley's life, he preached in MidsomerNorton church, and was entertained at the house of Mr. Bush, who was a Local Preacher, and kept a large boarding-school, in that place. While Mr. Wesley was there, two of the boys had a quarrel, and fought and kicked each other most fiercely. While thus engaged, Mrs. Bush went into the school-room, and parted them, and brought them into the parlour, where Mr. Wesley was about to take tea with Mr. Bush and the family. In a most kind and affectionate manner, Mr. Wesley talked to them, and concluded his advice by repeating those lines of Dr. Watts: "Birds in their little nests agree; He then said, "You must be reconciled. Go and shake hands with each other;" which they did. "Now," said he, "put your arms round each other's neck, and kiss each other." When this was done, Mr. Wesley said, "Come to me; and, taking two pieces of bread and butter, he folded them together, and desired each to take a part. "Now," said he, "you have broken bread together." He then gave them a cup of tea, and told them, they had both drunk of the samne cup. And after putting his hands upon their heads, he blessed them; when they went into the school-room, and forgot their animosities. The next morning, when the scholars came in to prayers, Mr. Wesley singled out these two boys, took them in his arms, and sent them away with his blessing. This anecdote was related to the writer by a Magistrate of Berkshire, who was one of the boys thus kindly reprehended and instructed. RICHARD TREFFRY. Maidenhead, CHRIST NOT TO BE SUPERSEDED BY THE CHURCH. IN OPPOSITION TO THE CHURCH PRINCIPLES OF THE OXFORD TRACTS. II. THE other error to which I purpose to allude, is no less injurious to the Saviour's glory. Practically, he is treated with dishonour, when the church which he has established is made to usurp his place, to perform his acts, to receive his homage; is so represented as to be, virtually, the author of salvation, instead of the channel through which salvation flows. This is, in truth, to depose him from his throne, and to invest his subjects with the authority which belongs to himself alone. It is convenient, no doubt, in language, to embody the multitude who believe in Christ under one comprehensive term; and our Lord has himself taught us, by example, that we may do this safely and legi And it is still timately. But language may mis- thority, act in his stead, and as his vicegerent dispense his anger or his favour. We look in vain for a single sentence in which such a purpose is implied; a purpose so important, and, I may add, so extraordinary, that it must have been written in words which none could fail to read. But advantage has been taken of the obscurity of language, to maintain and encourage this idea. The church has been made, first, an abstraction, and then a person, and then a Saviour. The church, thus invested with divinity, has the Minister as her visible representative; and he, explaining the prophetic anticipation, has assumed the place of God. We too well know what corruptions found entrance at this source; what opportunity was given to the exercise of the worst of human passions; what food was supplied to malice, enmity, pride, covetousness, and ambition. So that one of the first and most needful works of the Reformers was, to pierce the veil, to divest the church of the mystery in which it had been shrouded, and to disclose it to the world in its true and scriptural form, as the company of believers.* The church is that body which had assembled in the upper-chamber at Jerusalem, and there received the promise of their risen and ascended Lord. The church is that party which united together, and "had all things common," and "continued in the Apostles' fellowship." The church is that "congregation of faithful men,” in all ages and in all countries, who maintain, in their purity, the doctrines and institutions of the Gospel. The Ministers of this church are those called to serve the united body; to perform the prescribed rites; to teach, to rebuke, to exhort, to warn, to comfort; and to commit perpetually, to other faithful men, the things which they have themselves received. church, the holy catholic church, of which Christ is the Head, and with which he has engaged to be present, by his Spirit, unto the end of the world. We must beware of assigning to the members, or to the body which the members compose, a power which really belongs to the Head alone. If we speak of the ark of Christ's church, we must remember that we are only speaking metaphorically. That ark is not limited to any special locality on earth, like the ark of Noah: it extends as far as the knowledge of Christ extends: for he is the true Ark, prepared of God for the saving of all who commit themselves to him. The ministrations of the church are the door by which the community of the faithful on earth is entered; but Christ is the only door by which heaven can be entered and many may be admitted into the visible fold, who remain for ever unknown to the true Shepherd. The members of the church are branches of the vine; but the church is not the vine: that name belongs to Christ alone. The church is "the pillar and ground of the truth;" but the church is not "the truth;" neither has it life in itself: Christ alone is "the way, the truth, and the life," through which every individual member of the church must seek access to God. Yet all this, undeniable in itself, is practically contradicted, whenever the services, and the ordinances, and the ministerial office are magnified beyond their due proportions, or placed before the people with a prominence to which they have no claim. Church principles, in their proper sense, all must approve. All must approve of that cordial agreement with the articles, that sincere preference of the services, that willing conformity to the discipline, of the church, which show that our profession is honest and consistent. This, and nothing else, must be the meaning of the phrase, unless it is intended to avow, that the church is to assume the place of the church's Head, and to be reverenced, served, and trusted instead of him. No one will deny our right FEBRUARY, 1842. L Such is the simple analysis of the "The visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments be duly administered according to Christ's ordinance."Article xix. VOL. XXI. Third Series. to maintain Church principles, in preference to the principles of the Presbyterian or Independent. But, on the other hand, I must think, that to set up, as it were, Church principles in opposition to the principles of the Gospel, and place them in invidious contrast, is alike unreasonable and unscriptural. It is to confound the means of grace, with the Author of grace; to worship the thing made, and to dishonour the Maker. It is to array against Christ the instrumentality which he has established against Satan. He appointed his Ministers, that there might be a perpetual provision for opposing "the power of darkness," a perpetual provision for carrying into effect, through conviction, and conversion, and sanctification, his merciful purpose of "bringing many sons to glory." He instituted his sacraments, that they who observed them might be a visible body of witnesses to him in the world; and that, after the usual manner of the divine operations, there might be known and manifest channels in which his Spirit might flow, to the edification and comfort of believers. themselves as "the temple of the Lord; " to be satisfied that they were "Hebrews;" that they were Israelites ; that they were " of the seed of Abraham." The warn ing furnished by the Romish Church comes still more nearly home. In their creed, they hold the vital truths of the Gospel. Practically, their dependence is on their Church. To be within that pale, is indispensable to salvation. To receive absolution from the Priest, is security. He claims a power of sanctifying water to the washing away of sin: he professes to deliver to the communicant what he has made the very body and blood of Christ : he, in short, is in Christ's stead. We know all that follows; and what we know, might be sufficient to deter us from approaching principles which lead to such confusion of truth and error. [In the Appendix is a note on the paragraph which is the first in the extract given above. We quote a part of it.] It is well that those who are inclined to carry church authority to a height for which there is no scriptural warrant, should be aware of the consequences which follow. And the principle I have here combated is thus laid down in a recent publication, which may justly be expect the character of its author. Therefore, He ordained the ministry, and he ordained the sacraments, that there might be a church,-a continual "congregation of faithful men." And shall this church boast itself against its Author, and claimed to derive extensive influence from a power which he has never given? Shall the earthly members assume the authority of their heavenly Principal? Such seems to be the case, when they confound church membership with faith; or so magnify the ministrations belonging to their office, as virtually to represent that, except through their instrumentality, there is no salvation. In addition to the chart of Scripture, which is sufficiently clear and instructive, beacons enough have been raised in former times, warning us how those who, in this respect, have wandered from the track, have made shipwreck of their faith, and left an example to future ages. The Jewish nation has shown us what it is to make a boast of privileges, and ascribe undue importance to outward ordinances; to pride "It is in the church that we have our religious life, derived to us not as individuals, but by virtue of incorporation into her body. "God has not chosen to establish his relations with each of us on a distinct and individual footing, but has constituted us in a body, to derive from its source of life a portion of its general life." * If we receive this doctrine, we must re-write the Scripture. For if there is a truth which is declared throughout the whole New Testament, it is, that God has established his relations with man through the medium of individual faith in Jesus Christ, and that we have our religious life by virtue of union with * Church Principles, pp. 5, 147. him, of which union faith is the instrument. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Shall we write instead, "Come into the church, and the church shall give you rest?" "I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Shall we substitute the church catholic for the individual Saviour? "All that the Father giveth unto me, shall come unto me: and him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." Shall we write instead, "Him that cometh into the church, the church will in no wise cast out?" Can we be justified in thus altering the terms of Scripture, in a matter of such importance as everlasting salvation ? Invited to approach God "on an individual footing," as believers in the Son whom he hath sent, shall we seek out another door of approach for ourselves, and come to him, not as believers in Christ, but as members of a body? "If any man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Are there any other words by which God could establish his relation with us, on an individual footing, more clear than these? The texts which I have quoted are some among multitudes of plain declarations, in which God proposes to establish relation with us on the footing of faith, individual faith, in his Son Jesus Christ. If his purpose were changed, and he designed to set up a visible institution, like the Christian church, as the medium of man's communication with him, he surely would have revealed this to us in clear and intelligible terms. Scripture contains nothing of the kind. So difficult has it proved to confirm such an idea from Scripture, that the commission of Christ to his Apostles has been forced into the service, and made to bear the whole burden. "Go ye, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and lo, I am 66 with you alway, even unto the end of the world." I am with you, and with those after you who shall be ordained to the like office, to proclaim the redemption which I have wrought, and gather men into one body, having one Lord, one faith, one baptism." "And lo, I am with you alway; to support, and guide, and strengthen you; to give an answer to your prayers, to give life to your words. "For without me ye can do nothing.". A blessed promise! independently of which there could be little hope to the Apostles originally, and little hope now either for Ministers or for their people; but, certainly, no substitution of person, no delegation of authority. "I am with you alway." Not, Ye are in my stead alway. How, then, can we venture, with such plain declarations on the one hand, and with nothing, literally nothing, except a vague inference, on the other; how can we venture to interpose the church, instead of Christ, as the mediator between God and man; to represent the church as the 'ground of our Christian privileges," or affirm, that "it is simply as members of the body that we have any rights at all?" I examine the word of God, and there I find all its promises annexed to individual faith. Can I venture to turn aside from this, and claim the promises as a member of the church? to look for "religious life," or peace with God," by virtue of incorporation into her body?" Especially when the danger of such doctrines, when generally propounded, is neither slight nor doubtful. They have been again introduced, and maintained, and disseminated, in defiance of all the lessons of experience, and all the warnings of example. Such a person as the author of "Church Principles may be out of the reach of such danger, and even imagine that a high doctrine concerning the church would have the opposite effect, from obstructing our contemplation of the Redeemer; would bring men more palpably near to Christ, and greatly |