MISCELLANEOUS.

THE RIGHTS OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.

In our previous volumes, we have discussed repeatedly and at length the subject of Congregational churches, showing their distinct corporate existence, and their right to hold their own property, elect their pastors, and to manage in general their own proper concerns. That our views on this subject are not novelties, or the peculiarities of a party, is evident from what we have already published; (See Vol. i. p. 498.) and will be further evident from the following article, which appeared in the Christian Register of Sept. 10th. The writer of it, whoever he may be, is entitled to the thanks of all the friends of Congregational churches.

"What are the rights of Congregational churches? These safeguards of religious liberty were erected by the fathers of New England. They are monuments of wisdom deserving the veneration of their children. In answering the proposed inquiry, two points are to be considered.

"1. The origin and principles of churches bearing this name. "2. The practice of Congregational churches.

"1. The origin and principles of Congregational churches. It is not deemed necessary to bring into view the whole history of churches of this denomination. It may suffice to observe, that the principles of these churches in distinction from others relate, not to doctrine, but to their order and government. Omitting what may be asserted respecting the founding of the first Christian churches on earth on the same principles which are the basis of the Congregational churches, I will mention only that the Independents, so called in England, may be considered as having revived rather than originated the system of church government, which is the system of Congregational churches in this country.

"A Congregational church is a company of professed Christians, possessing the exclusive right of self-government in matters of religion, and so far independent as to be amenable to no earthly tribunal for the exercise of its rights and prerogatives.

"Its rights are, to form its own terms of agreement; its own conditions of membership; its own constructions of doctrine; its own laws of discipline; accountable only to the great Head of all Christian churches.

"A Congregational church has, most clearly, the exclusive right to determine who may be members of its own body, and to elect its own officers. If others than those contrary to its own consent could become members and influence its elections, its very existence must become a nullity. It has the right of electing, not merely its own teacher of religion, but its own pastor, its own presiding officer, its own minister of holy seals. The imposition of a pastor and presiding officer upon a church, by a body politic not acknowledging its terms of agreement, its obligations and the sanctity of its seals, would seem to me to be the essence of tyranny. A congregation or society of Unitarians might

have it in their power to impose a pastor to break the bread of life and administer government to a Calvinistic or Baptist church, and vice versa. Societies who associate for the support of religious teachers do not consider themselves as professing to be Christians. Their general object is, not to take upon themselves the obligations of Christians, but to be instructed upon the general subject of religion. They give no pledge that they ever will receive the seals of membership in the church, or consent to its administration of discipline. I think no enlightened and good citizen would lift up his hand in the election of a teacher to be imposed on the church as its minister of seals-to break to it the sacramental bread. It cannot be reasonably supposed, that what are called religious societies, in electing their teachers, consider themselves as exercising a right of membership in the church. If they supposed this, would not many persons of tender conscience, or influenced by sentiments of most serious regard to Christian institutions, be induced to shrink from measures that confound together civil and religious institutions. Parishes and religious societies are known to our constitution and laws as bodies politic under the protection of the State. If the churches be merged in them, they either lose their ecclesiastical existence, or there is a complete amalgamation of church and state. Or rather, the church loses its existence, and the body politic assumes the keys of the kingdom of God and all the attributes of ecclesiastical prerogative. This cannot be reconciled to the principles of religious liberty. Although the puritans of New England, who founded our Congregational churches, carried their religious principles into all their institutions, it cannot be believed that they intended to blend or confound together parishes and churches.

2. In coming to a result upon this question of rights, we proceed to consider the practice of Congregational churches.

“In all times, I believe, it has been the practice of these churches to exercise independently the right of electing their own pastors, and of determining their own terms of discipline and communion and membership. On Congregational principles, and according to practice, every church has the right to ordain its own minister. In courtesy, and for the sake of promoting good fellowship, churches in the ordination of ministers or pastors invite the aid of pastors and delegates from other churches. But ordination has ever been considered exclusively an ecclesiastical ordinance.

“Of late, the rights of these churches have been called in question, and in my humble opinion seriously invaded. The error, I admit, may be in my own apprehension.

"It is asserted to be a gross assumption for the church to claim the right of a negative against the election of a minister or a teacher of religion by the parish. Whether parishes have been in the practice of yielding too much courtesy or liberality to the church may be a distinct question. Very seldom have serious difficulties arisen in practice, during the whole period since the establishment of the Congregational system by our Puritan ancestors. I speak of disagreement between churches and parishes connected with them. They have generally had a mutual interest, that led them to a course of con

ciliation. Seldom could the church be so regardless of its own prosperity as not to consult the peace and welfare of the parish. In a few instances, churches and ecclesiastical councils have disregarded the will of parishes. These instances are monitory, but surely cannot furnish a sufficient pretext for annihilating or impairing the rights of Christian professors. If the church has claimed the right to determine exclusively whom the parish shall support as a public teacher of religion, it is equally absurd as for the parish to claim the right of determining who shall break bread to the church. To contribute money to the support of a minister not of our choice surely cannot be a greater grievance, than to receive from him the holy seals of membership and communion in the church. If either the church or parish or society assume unjust prerogative, the practice must be a most fruitful source of division and contention, and of accumulated burthens upon both parties.

The Congregational system of order and discipline appears to me no less admirably formed to secure the rights and privileges of common Christians, than are our political institutions to secure to the common citizens their rights and privileges. These religious and civil institutions were devised with great care and wisdom by our ancestors, and were evidently designed to aid and strengthen each other. Like concentric spheres, they have generally moved harmoniously though distinctly, and although sometimes losing the equability of their motion for a moment, it may probably be asserted with truth, that neither could have continued in existence without the other, and that no institutions of hunian device have ever so successfully secured to any people their rights and privileges, both civil and religious, as these have done.

"But admit for a moment, that without any seal or explicit profession, a whole parish or religious society be considered as constituting a church. It may be that members of parishes are sometimes destitute of all decency of character, and as members of parishes have power to give a casting vote against the dearest rights of exemplary Christians. Would not Christians be compelled to shun all connexion with parishes on such terms? In a question of discipline, for instance, an accused Christian would be exposed to be judged and condemned by those to whom the laws would not allow the common rights of suffrage, and no safeguard or protection could be found against such oppression. In the church-relation, we have a voice in the admission of those who may be our judges. To the church they would be amenable for their oppressive or abusive acts. The church being merged in the parish, the members would be less secure in their rights, than are common citizens. The laws secure to the citizen, on trial involving his property, life, or reputation, an impartial jury of "good men and true" to render judgement. The Christian, in his character as a Christian, would enjoy no such protection. It must then be the unalienable right of members of Congregational churches, whether in their individual or collective capacity, in regard to religious rights and privileges, to enjoy the sympathy, aid and protection of those to whom they are joined by acknowledged obligations of duty.

"For these reasons it is the duty of Congregational churches to protest with firmness against all encroachment upon their rights."

PROFESSOR LEE.

The following letter from Rev. Samuel Lee, Professor of Arabic and Hebrew in the University of Cambridge, England, to Jonathan Scott, Esq. presents a very interesting account of genius and industry in humble life, struggling with and surmounting all external obstacles, and at length elevating their possessor to one of the most important and conspicuous stations in the literary and Christian world." We publish it, as we find it, in the last number of the

Biblical Repository.

“SIR,

"In conformity to your request, I now proceed to give you a detail of my pursuits in languages, with some circumstances of my life connected therewith.

The first rudiments of learning I received at a charity school, at Longnor, in the county of Salop, where I was born, which is a village situated on the Hereford road, about eight miles from Shrewsbury. Here I remained till I attained the age of twelve years, and went through the usual gradations of such institutions, without distinguishing myself in any respect; for as punishment is the only alternative generally held out, I, like others, thought it sufficient to avoid it. At the age above-mentioned, I was put out apprentice to a carpenter and joiner, by Robert Corbett, Esq. in which, I must confess, I underwent hardships seldom acquiesced in by boys of my age; but as my father died when I was very young, and I knew it was not in the power of my mother to provide better for me, as she had two more to support by her own labor, I judged it best to submit.

About the age of seventeen, I formed a determination to learn the Latin language; to which I was instigated by the following circumstances. I had been in the habit of reading such books as happened to be in the house where I lodged; but meeting with Latin quotations, found myself unable to comprehend them. Being employed about this time in the building of a Roman Catholic chapel for Sir Edward Smith of Actonburnel, where I saw many Latin books, and frequently heard that language read, my resolution was confirmed. I immediately bought Ruddiman's Latin Grammar, at a book-stall, and learnt it by heart throughout. I next purchased Corderius' Colloquies, by Loggan, which I found a very great assistance to me, and afterwards obtained Entick's Latin Dictionary ; also soon after Beza's Testament, and Clarke's Exercises. There was one circumstance, however, which, as it had some effect on my progress, I shall mention in this place. I one day asked one of the priests, who came frequently to us, to give me some information of which I was then in want; who replied, that "charity began at home." This was very mortifying, but it only served as a stimulus to my endeavors; for, from this time, I resolved, if possible, to excel even him. There was one circumstance, however, more powerful in opposing me, and that was poverty. I had, at that time,

but six shillings per week to subsist on, and to pay the expenses of washing and lodging; out of this, however, I spared something to gratify my desire for learning, which I did, though not without curtailing myself of proper support. My wages were, however, soon after raised one shilling a week, and the next year a shilling more; during which time I read the Latin Bible, Florus, some of Cicero's Orations, Cæsar's Commentaries, Justin, Sallust, Virgil, Horace's Odes, and Ovid's Epistles. It may be asked, how I obtained these books? I never had all at once, but generally read one and ́sold it, the price of which, with a little added to it, enabled me to buy another, and this being read, was sold to procure the next.

I was now out of my apprenticeship, and determined to learn the Greek. I bought therefore a Westminster Greek Grammar, and soon afterwards procured a Testament, which I found not very difficult with the assistance of Schrevelius' Lexicon. I bought next Huntingford's Greek Exercises, which I wrote throughout, and then, in pursuance to the advice laid down in the Exercises, read Xenophon's Cyropædia, and soon after Plato's Dialogues, some part of the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, Pythagoras's Golden Verses, with the Commentary of Hierocles, Lucian's Dialogues of the Dead, and some of the Poeta Minores, with the Antigone of Sophocles.

I now thought I might attempt the Hebrew, and accordingly procured Bythner's Grammar, with his Lyra Prophetica; and soon after obtained a Psalter, which I read by the help of the Lyra. I next purchased Buxtorf's Grammar and Lexicon, with a Hebrew Bible; and now I seemed drawing fast towards the summit of my wishes, but was far from being uninterrupted in these pursuits. A frequent inflammation in my eyes, with every possible discouragement from those about me, were certainly powerful opponents; but habit, and a fixed determination to proceed, had now made study my greatest happiness; and I every day returned to it, rather as a source of rest from manual labor; and though I felt my privations in consequence, it amply repaid me in that solitary satisfaction which none, but a mind actuated as mine was, could feel. But to return; chance had thrown in my way the Targum of Onkelos; and I had a Chaldaic Grammar in Bythner's Lyra, with the assistance of which and of Schindler's Lexicon, I soon read it. I next proceeded to the Syriac, and read some of Gutbir's Testament, by the help of Otho's Synopsis, and Schindler's Lexicon. I had also occasionally looked over the Samaritan; but as the Samaritan Pentateuch differs little from the Hebrew, except in a change of letters, I found no difficulty in reading it, in quotations, wherever I found it; and with quotations I was obliged to content myself, as books in that language were entirely out of my reach.

By this time I had attained my twenty-fifth year, and had got a good chest of tools, worth I suppose about £25. I was now sent into Worcestershire, to superintend, on the part of my master, Mr. John Lee, the repairing of a large house, belonging to the Rev. Mr. Cookes. I began now to think it necessary to relinquish the study of languages; as I perceived, that however excellent the acquisition may have appeared to me, it was in my situation entirely useless.