lars, they ought not to have omitted the proofs (if there be any) of that which is the essence of the question, viz. that the first resurrection is in the body and on earth, whereas every place in the Scrip tures which seem to bear on the subject, go to prove that it is a ret surrection of the soul and in heaven ong a vo eti 9ɔned 9 of 19ino A CONNAUGHT CURATE.[[[{ am sido bino w nez ON CHRISTIAN UNITY. {«iys}, Lautf$ ,i¢ €!}། ΤΟ THE SIR Having lately visited the Metropolis, during my stay there I attended several Missionary meetings and Sunday evening lectures, in expectation of being both highly feasted with a rich banquet of Gospel truth, and also built up in our most holy faith by hearing the glad tidings of great joy dwelt upon, and brought home to the heart in that impressive strain of eloquence peculiar to some of our highly gifted ministers, to whose preaching I have often listened with feelings of delight and awe, whilst they warned sinners to "flee from the wrath to come," and pointed to the fountain of Emmanuel's blood to bathe in and be cleansed. But truly, Sir, during my last visit, I was rather disappointed in finding men whom I would designate faithful and zealous labourers in their Master's vineyard, dwell more, both in their lectures and speeches, upon that bone of contention the personal reign of Christ upon earth at his second advent, than in bringing before the minds of their hearers the grand and leading truths of the gospel. 1 Were they to confine their expositions of unfulfilled prophecy, and arguments upon the subject pro and con to an occasional paper in your truly estimable periodical, they might perhaps tend more to edify, as serving to explain and elucidate some difficult and obscure passages of Scripture; but sure I am that neither the pulpit nor missionary meeting-room is a suitable place for such discussions. Would it not tend more to the edification of their respective flocks, if ministers (when in the pulpit) would confine themselves toi preaching the gospel in all its fullness, freedom, and simplicity,TM than to distract the minds of their hearers by arguments upon ab point, which, whether true or erroneous, cannot, in my humbles opinion, be considered essential? And would it not conduce more to the promotion of the missionary cause, if its advocates would endeavour to excite the people present to still further exertions in y spreading the gospel, by informing them of what it has already effected in its triumphs over the ignorance and superstitution of the heathen, and the stubborn self-righteousness of the Jew, than too occupy the time of the meeting with lectures upon the millennium ? The present, Sir, is not a period for the stewards of Christ to break the bond of Christian union by such discussions, no, Sir; t the present is not a time for jarrings and divisions amongst ourselves › about non-essential points of doctrine, when our common enemy t has every engine busily employed in order to storm our outworks, and, were it possible, even to sap the very foundation of our holy religion, when the wily priesthood of an unscriptural and antichristian church is ever on the watch to take advantage of any petty difference of opinion upon religious subjects amongst us, in order to enhance its own enormous claims, and tyrannise over the minds and consciences of its benighted and deluded votaries. I fear, Sir, I have trespassed too much upon your time by these observations. Should you think that they would tend to any good purpose, and deem them worthy of publicity, you would oblige me by giving them a place in your Christian Examiner; and I trust they may be perused with the same spirit of brotherly love and fellowship in the gospel in which they have been written; may we all be deeply impressed with the Apostolic direction" Be of the same mind one to another Be not wise in your own conceits." Since Christian union is one of the brightest gems in our Redeemer's crown, let us lay aside all contentions upon the subject of unfulfilled prophecy, endeavour heartily to unite in the common cause of our Lord and Master by strengthening each other's hands, and by keeping the unity of the spirit in the bond of peacelo * 941 237 Dremain, Sir, your obedient servant, sui vont 99it* you has a i odred of bocid - UNITAS. 1 14 ON CHRISTIAN WATCHFULNESS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN EXAMINER.God te SIR The study of the Scriptures, like every other duty y to which the true Christian is called, should be entered upon and persevered in even unto the end, with humility, with self-diffidence, and with an anxious desire, not only to know but to profit by what they contain.` They were not given to man for the purpose of gendering strifeof exciting vain curiosity, or of gratifying it of puffing up his fleshly mind or of dogmatizing upon the times and the seasons which the Father hath reserved in his own power. They recommend moderation, and address man as a heady and high-minded being, ever disposed to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, and to determine the character of other persons' opinions, by their agreement with or opposition to his own. They plainly declare, that if a man think he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know; and they say to all, be not highminded but fear. They should at all times be read under this conviction, and especially when a subject like the Millennium divides the opinions of professing Christians a subject which, to say the least of it, is involved in the obscurity inseparable from unfulfilled prophecy. Satan is an adversary, and a divider of the brethren, and can transform himself into an angel of light, for the purpose of deceiving; and he is often eminently successful in leading those who are con tending for an opinion to believe that they are contending for the truth of God. Every one who knows his own heart will mourn over the ignorance of his devices which still remains there, and every fresh discovery of it which he makes will constrain him with encreasing earnestness to cry out, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? That Satan is busily at work in the present day is quite visible to those who, by the belief of the truth, have been reserved out of his hands, and are following the Saviour; who, having triumphed over all his temptations,. spoiled him of his power, and made a show of him openly. To detect and counteract his devices is a special part of Christian duty, and all should labour in it with sincerity and assiduity, lest the members of the Christian family should fall out by the way. Let us then pray that we may be kept from an assumption of supe-, rior wisdom-from an overweening attachment to our own opinious, and from severity in condemning those of others. When gross error is to be combated, and when the truth of God is to be de-. fended, we are directed to instruct in meekness those that oppose themselves. Must we not, then, allow, that forbearance upon subordinate matters, may most reasonably be required among those who are fully agreed in essentials? Our country presents a wido field for labour, and all our energies ought to be directed to the cultivation of it. If there were less vain jangling, and more Christian exertion, our own souls would be more blessed, and the people around us more benefited. At a period when the ministerial office is held to be unscriptural when it is maintained that those who preach the Gospel, shall NOT live of the Gospel, (contrary to express apostolic testimony)-when Mahometanism is declared by one writer to be a dispensation of the Almighty, and analogous to Christianity when, by another, the nature of our adorable Redeemer is represented to be sinful as ours is; and, when all who do not hold his personal reign are treated as if they were perfect novices, in religion, ignorant of the Scriptures, unwilling to examine them, obtuse in their intellects, and influenced by bigotry, it appears to me there is great need of caution, of examination, and of prayer, that we may know what manner of spirit we are of, and that we may exercise ourselves to have always a conscience void of offence, both towards God and towards men. THAUMATURGIANA HIBERNICA-OR MODERN MIRACLES IN! IRELAND. TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN EXAMINER. 91Å MR. EDITOR, I dined a few weeks ago with a friend in this part of the country, and after dinner, among other subjects connected with the state of religion in Ireland, the condition of the Church of Rome was introduced. The company consisted of Mr. Lawrence, our host, a worthy and intelligent clergyman ; a neighbouring magistrate of liberal politics, whom the peasantry here love with one side of their hearts, as an emancipator, and hate with the other for his severity against poachers and trespassers: this, to be sure, the worthy magistrate pays them in kind; for though he re lishes them on the emancipating side, he detests them on the antipoaching one, which, I suppose, is that next his stomach; the other guests were, a sensible well-read pastor of the Presbyterian persuasion; a young surgeon, just entering on his practice; our host's curate, a care-worn man, with grey hair; a veteran officer from the neighbouring garrison, a man of piety and experience; and lastly, your humble servant. The conversation, as I said, after hovering over many topics, at length settled upon that to which I have alluded. This of course, embraced education in all its forms and bearings, and occasioned us to take a retrospect of the Church of Rome, in which we compared her past with her present state. "It is a singular circumstance," observed Mr. Lawrence, “that in all my pastoral experience, which has been varied and extensive, I have seldom met with a Roman Catholic priest thoroughly favourable to education; this may appear a startling assertion, but as far as my own observation goes, I can declare it to be true. The rule by which I judge in these matters is this-when I see a priest establish a school at the remonstrance or solicitation of others; when he does it for the purpose of withdrawing Roman Catholic children from Protestant schools; or, when he does it to meet the charge of indifference on this subject; I conclude, that such a man is not favourable to education; because if left to himself, that is, if none of these motives existed, he would establish no school. Education is, indeed, the last weapon with which the Church of Rome will ever willingly defend herself." The Magistrate" And pray, Doctor, why should we embroil ourselves in a quarrel with her clergy about the education of their own flocks? If the ignorant rabble will be priest-driven, why let them-it is no affair of ours?" Mr. Lawrence "We do not wish to embroil ourselves in a quarrel with them upon that or any other subject; but, as ministers of Christ's Church, and citizens of a free state, we wish to see the moral and religious character of our countrymen raised and improved; we wish to see them enlightened - their sanguinary and atrocious habits changed their superstitions and ignorance abolished: we would have them instructed in their duties to God, to themselves, and to each other the national stigma, too justly affixed to their character, wiped away, and a rational independence established among them. Now, all this cannot be done if the ple continue ignorant and superstitious, but that they are so, who can doubt." peo The Curate"There are, however, many good points about the Irish people; in fact, they possess the materials for a national character that might stand forth in moral and religious beauty not surpassed by that of any other country. They are naturally quick, warm-hearted, and intelligent; and, if possessing knowledge, directed and sustained by Scriptural religion, they would be a pious and humane people." The Magistrate-" Pious and humane! drinking, dancing, singing, fighting Paddy, pious and humane-ha, ha, ha! Well, Mr. Morris, that's really placing good-humoured Paddy-for, with all his cutting of throats, and burning of houses, he is good humoured I say, that's placing Paddy's character in a new light come now, that's not bad; I protest, you deserve credit for the ingenuity and novelty of it--for I believe, you are the first who ever invested Paddy with piety and humanity-materials that are seldom blended together." The Surgeon Mr. Prenderville, you forget that Ireland was once called par excellence, the Isle of Saints; you will grant that Paddy was pious then at least ?" Captain Mervin "We are not to estimate the character of a people by what they may be at any particular period-nay, even by what they may be for the lapse of centuries; any man who looks abroad into the history of nations, may perceive, that their moral changes are as remarkable as their political ones. Look, for instance, at Italy, where we may perceive religion in the trammels of human passion, gradually stifled, and imperceptibly disappearing, whilst, under its name, but deprived of its power; a people, the greatest, the most refined, and the most intellective, perhaps, with one exception, that ever existed, sink by slow degrees from their lofty and vigorous character to one of cruelty, ignorance, perfidy, and imbe cility: nor did the change affect the moral and political character only; the very soil partook of the degeneracy; honesty disappeared, industry was relaxed, and the fairest and most fertile por tion of that beautiful country, when in a state of only barbarous refinement, became a desolate waste, loaded with the miasma of the swamp. Now here is an instance of a complete change in the character of a nation, and why? Because they had religion without knowledge. Now I defy any man to show me an instance in which religion without knowledge does not ultimately degenerate into superstition; and of all kinds of superstition, that based upon truth is the most degrading and dangerous, because the most delusive. We are not, therefore, Mr. Joice, to conclude, that because the character of Irishmen is now, or has been for centuries, such as you describe it, it may not gradually change, and become yet elevated to a very exalted standard. Look at Scotland, and consider what she has been, and what she is now. The fact is, that a pure system of religion, law, and knowledge, effectually administered, will improve the character of any people, and that character will consequently assimilate itself to the system under which it exists, be it good.or bad." ne port. 21 Mr. Lawrence" That is self-evident. I myself have observed, that whenever the surface of a country, or of any part of a country is in a neglected state of cultivation, the people are generally, or as far as that particular district extends, in a state of ignorance; so that it is possible to judge of the moral state of a people, even from the aspect of the country through which you pass you try ་ |