but providing (I must tell you) suddenly to remove his goods: and truly I must farther add, that my selfe, though yet unquestioned, shall not long hold the place I obtained when I'left Brasen Nose. I will not have any fellowship with, and among these wretches, into whose hearts, the devil hath entred, and filled them full of all iniquity, that he may bring them to destruction both of body and soul. The God of Heaven purge their hearts from this gall of bitterness, and loose them from this bond and covenant of iniquity: otherwise God preserve your and my soul, that they enter not at any time into their counsels. So I am your's." Oxon, April 17, 1648. POSTSCRIPT. "One pretty odde passage there was betwixt Sir William Cobb, and the doctor--The doctor strongly assevering something, sayd as I think, in good faith. Sir William having ruminated a good space on the business, at length as in extasy, cries out blasphemy, horrid blasphemy, is there never a justice of peace here? This made a general silence until the doctor spake to Sir William, and desired to know what it was that made him to amuse the company. Sir William replied, the doctor had blasphemed; the doctor asked in what? The knight replied, in swearing by your faith. The doctor said, he did not remember that he had used those words, but admit he had, he desired to know where the blasphemy lay? In this, sayd the knight, in that you have sworne by that which is none of your owne, that is your faith. How said the doctor? By your good leave Sir William, my faith is my own, and if you mean to be saved, you must get you a faith of your owne, it will be a hard matter for you to live by the faith of another; yea said the knight your faith is none of your own, it is the gift of God. Then returned the doctor, it is so much more myne own, for what freer than gift? Indeed Sir William, you are here quite beside the cushion: I confesse replied Sir William, I am no doctor. True said the doctor, nor physician: And so the tongue-combat ended, and thefoyles were laid down on both sides." [To be Continued.] REVIEW REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. An Answer to some Pleas in favour of Idolatry and Indulgences in the Romish Church. Addressed to the Friends of the Protestant Faith. By the Rev. R. B. NICKOLLS, LL. B. Rector of Stoney Staunton, Leicestershire, and Dean of Middleham, in Yorkshire. 8vo. pp. 36. TH HE question as to the Idolatry of the Roman Church has been considerably agitated, and much ingenuity has been certainly displayed in repelling, as well as in maintaining the charge. It is not to be supposed that such men as Bellarmine, Bona, Fenelon, or Bossuet, could be so weak as to think it proper to pay adoration to a picture or an image. While on the other hand it must be admitted that genuflexions, and other extraordinary marks of respect paid to such representations, must have a bad effect upon less informed minds. The learned Romanists contend that nothing more is intended by placing crucifixes and images of the saints in churches, than to awaken recollection and sentiments of devotion in the minds of the worshippers. Probably not; but the ignorant, we fear, carry the matter farther, and are too apt to fix their devotions (if they may be so called) upon the mere representations alone. It is, however, a more arduous task for a Romanist to free his church from the charge of Idolatry, when the high religious services rendered to the Virgin Mary, and the saints, (some real and some fictitious) are alleged as a proof of the accusation. The ingenious author of this pamphlet has adduced one instance which certainly approaches ast near to Blasphemy as to Idolatry. It is a travesty of the Te Deum thus: We praise thee O Mary! We acknowledge thee to be the Lady; The Lady everlasting, &c." The many offices in the Church of Rome, exclusively appropriated to the honour and worship of saints, fix the brand of Idolatry indelibly upon her; and what makes worse against her is this, that notwithstanding the breaches Breaches occasioned by the separation of the Greeks in the east, and the protestant churches in the west, on grounds which would render it sinful to hold communion with her, she has never made a single effort to purge away her manifold corruptions or to renounce even one of her errors. The pamphlet before us exhibits her true character, drawn from faithful sources, and is therefore well deserving the serious consideration of every Christian who is desirous of preserving the truth in uprightness. Three plain Reasons for the Practice of Infant Baptism. 12mo. pp. 38. An Exhortation to the Duty of Catechising. With observations on the excellency of the Church Catechism. 12mo. 48. An Admonition against Lay-preaching. 12mo. pp. 59.. All three by EDWARD PEARSON, B. D. Rector of Rempstone, Nottinghamshire. N our last volume, page 390, we gave an account of I this judicious author's tract against separating from the established Church. The present articles are of the same size, and are drawn up and published with the same pious and benevolent view of guarding members of the Church from the artifices of the sectaries, and to exhort them to a due discharge of their christian duty. In the first of these little pieces Mr. Pearson has condensed in a narow compass, but with considerable strength, the arguments in favour of Infant Baptism. This tract may be serviceable in those places where the Antipo dobaptists are apt to produce schism by their sophistry. The second tract, on the "Duty of Cathechising," is of more general importance, and we cannot too strongly recommend it to our readers as meriting their perusal and distribution. If the importance of fixing sound principles of religion early in the minds of youth be duly considered, the inestimable value of frequently catechising will be felt and acted upon. Useful and necessary as preaching may be, it is far inferior to the other mode of instruction, which, judiciously managed by occasional exposition, will have the advantage of benefiting those advanced in life as well as younger persons. persons. It is related of Mr. Hooker, that his custom was to preach once every Sunday, and he or his curate to catechise after the second lesson in the evening prayer. (See his Life by Walton.) Mr. Pearson proposes, "that the Bishops at their Ordinations and in their charges should lay particular stress on the duty of catechising, and, if need be, exert their authority in exacting a due discharge of it. 2. That the parochial clergy, so far as circumstances will permit, would catechise either every Sunday according to the 59th canon, or very frequently, and not merely in the season of Lent. 3. That all parents, guardians, masters, and mistresses of families, masters and mistresses of schools, &c. would cause their children, wards, apprentices, servants, scholars, &c. not only to be instructed in the Church Catechism at home and in school, but also to give attendance on their parochial minister, in order to have it explained to them by him." These judicious propositions are followed by a list of books necessary in explanation of the catechism, among which is one entitled "The Art of Catechising, or the complete Catechist, in four parts, printed in 1691;" but which is now very scarce. We agree with Mr. Pearson in thinking that it well deserves to be re-printed. In the apendix to this pamphlet, Mr. P. considers the much agitated question of the Calvinism of our church; to reduce which to a point, he contrasts the Calvinistic creed with the Arminian, by which any reader of common discernment will easily be enabled to determine on which side the truth lies. The "Admonition against Lay-Preaching" demonstrates fully from scripture the sin of such teachers, and the sin and folly of their adherents. The nature of the priestly character is clearly laid down, and the dangerous consequences of unlawfully intruding upon any of its offices are related in a variety of instances. As the most common, and most specious plea usually offered by the lower orders of the people, for attending meeting-houses, is that of edification, or that what they hear there is better adapted to their understandings, Mr. Pearson bestows the following considerations upon it: "In answer to this I must, in the first place, allow that it is the duty of the clergy of the Church of England, who address themselves to mixed congregations, to deliver the great truths of the Gospel in the plainest lan guage guage possible. If there be any just ground in this particular, it is humbly to be hoped that it will speedily be removed. I am inclined to think, however, that this is a pretended, rather than a real reason. Admitting it to be real, it is by no means sufficient. For, if a person be not capable of profiting by the service of the church, the Tational step is, not therefore to desert the church, but to take all the methods in his power of becoming capable. It too often happens by the neglect of vulgar catechetacal instructions in the time of youth, that persons of mature age are ignorant of the first principles of Christian knowledge. In such a state they cannot benefit somuch by sermons, and the service of the church, as might be wished. The proper remedy for this, so far as it admits of remedy, ought to be disctinctly pointed out. Most certain it is, that the going to a meeting-house does not form any part of it. Nothing is more clear, than that he, who is not capable of understanding the prayers and preaching of the church, is not, capable of knowing whether what he hears at the meeting-house, where, it is so much more necessary for him to be on his guard în this particular be true or false; that is, whether it be agreeable or not to the true sense of Scripture. Let such a person repair to the minister of his parish, as I will venture to say, he generally may do with the assurance of welcome and success, for the instruction of which he finds himself in need. In a few conversations, assisted by the perusal of such books as would probably be recommended to him, he might attain such a view of the Christian scheme of salvation, such a conception of the use and design of the several parts of the public service, and such a knowledge of the meaning of the more difficult terms, which occur in the Scriptures, in the book of Common Prayer, and in Sermons, as would enable him to attend the service of the church with more and more profit and satisfaction. This is a step, which it behoves every one to take, who finds any occasion for doing so, for all may be assured that generally speaking, nothing is said in the church, but what it highly concerns them to know; and of which it is both shamefulk and dangerous for them to remain in ignorance. As to their understanding what is said at a meeting-house, this may possibly be true, but supposing it to be so, it may fairly be questioned, considering the professed reason of their going thither, and the kind of preaching which Vol. IX. Churchm. Mag. Sept. 1805, Ff they |