spirit of love, to commend the brave and godly Edward Irving's words on

PSEUDO-EVANGELICALISM.

"It is vain to think there can be any fruits without faith, or that the faith God prizes will be dormant, without fruits. Therefore, if we have had genuine faith, there is no need that we should skulk from inquisition behind its screen; if we feel disposed to do so it is proof positive that it was not genuine. If it hath been such faith as Christ sets store by, then by the fruits it will have displayed itself, and the knowledge of these fruits will make it manifest. Now it is these fruits which God bringeth to light, and in bringing them to light He doth take the only method of bringing our faith to light. So that, if faith have not served its office before that time (the day of judgment) it is a dead letter then; and if it have served its good office, there is no need to make words about the matter. The question at present is, whether we believe or disbelieve; because to disbelieve Christ, with all His commendatory graces and benefits, doth indicate a rebellious and debased spirit, most unsafe to die and go to judgment with. But the question hereafter is not 'Do you believe?' but Have you believed?' To ascertain which question, the heart of the party is bared, and his life unrolled; and if it appear to the Judge unequivocal, he stands acquitted, if not, he stands condemned.

Notwithstanding the clearness of these principles, and their coincidence with all which Christ and His Apostles have written, both of judgment and of faith, I am convinced, from the constant demand of the religious world for the preaching of faith and forgiveness, and their constant kicking against the preaching of Christian morals; the constant appetite for mercy, and disrelish of righteousness and judgment; or if righteousness, it be the imputed righteousness of Christ, not our own personal righteousness from these features of the evangelical part of men, I do greatly fear, nay I am convinced that many of them are pillowing their hopes upon something else than the sanctification and changed life which the Gospel hath wrought. Let no one mistake me (for, though I care little about the mistake on my own account, I am too much concerned for the sake of others in the success of this argument to wish to be mistaken), as if I advocated salvation from the wrath to come upon the ground of self-righteousness. But this I argue, and will argue, that unless the helps and doctrines of grace, deservedly in such repute, unless the free forgiveness purchased by the death of Christ, the sanctification by the work of the Spirit, and everything else encouraging and consolatory in the word of God, have operated their natural and due effect in delivering our members from the power of sin,

and joining our affections to Christ and His poorest brethren, and of working deep and searching purification within all the fountains of our heart; then it will only aggravate our condemnation ten times, that we have known, that we have believed, that we have prized these great revelations of the power and goodness of God, and insisted with a most tyrannical and overbearing sway that our pastors should hold on pronouncing them unceasingly, unsparingly, Sabbath after Sabbath.

"I greatly fear, I say again, that this modern contraction of the Gospel into the span of one or two ideas, this promulgation of it as if it were a drawling monotone of sweetness, a lullaby for a baby spirit, with no music of mighty feeling, nor swells of grandeur, nor declensions of deepest pathos, nor thrilling themes of terror; as if it were a thing for a shepherd's love-sick lute, or a sentimentalist's Æolian harp, instead of being for the great organ of human thought and feeling, through all the stops and pipes of this various world; I say, I fear greatly lest this strain of preaching Christ, the most feeble and ineffectual which the Christian world hath ever heard, should have lulled many into a quietus of the soul, under which they are resting sweetly from searching inquiry into their personal estate, and will pass composedly through death unto the awful judgment.

"Now what difference is it, whether the active spirit of a man is laid asleep by the comfort of the holy wafer and extreme unction, to be his viaticum and passport into heaven, or by the constant charm of a few words sounded and sounded and eternally sounded about Christ's sufficiency to save? In the holy name of Christ, and the three times holy name of God, have they declared aught to men, or are they capable of declaring aught to men, which should not work upon men the desire and the power of holiness? Why then do I hear the constant babbling about simple reliance and simple dependence upon Christ, instead of most scriptural and sound-minded calls to activity and perseverance after every perfection. And, oh! they will die mantled in their vain delusion, as the Catholic dies; and when the soothing voice of their consolatory teacher is passed into inaudible distance, conscience will arise with pensive reflection, and pale fear, her two daughters, to take an account of the progress and exact advancement of their mind. And should she not be able to disabuse them of their rooted errors, they will come up to judgment; and upon beholding the Judge, march forward with the confidence of old acquaintance, and salute Him, 'Lord, Lord,' and when He sitteth silent, eyeing them with severe aspect, they will begin to wonder at his want of recognizance, and, to aid His memory, make mention of their great advancement in the faith; Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name

cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?' But how shall their assurance stagger back upon their minds, and sink them spiritless into uttermost dismay, when the Judge, opening those awful lips upon which hang the destinies of worlds, shall profess unto them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me ye that work iniquity.""

Correspondence.

GREAT SUBJECTS.

To the Editor of the CHRISTIAN SPECTATOR.

SIR.-In your Magazine of July, 1864, a paper appeared from the pen of the Rev. John Howard Hinton, entitled, "On our Lord's use of Parables." In that article Mr. Hinton quoted for condemnation, a passage from "The Destiny of the Race :" as the author of that book, I replied in the number for August, in terms which the Editor did not scruple to designate as "an open attack on Evangelical doctrine," expressing at the same time a wish that "the great controversy on the future states of men, when handled in his pages, should be prefaced by a fair statement on the orthodox side by a person adequately versed in the science of criticism."

Since then, I, for one, have waited with no little impatience for the advent of this scientific critic, and his fair statement. Hitherto, however, he has not made his appearance.

The subject has been recalled to my mind by observing in your last number a kind, but discriminating, notice of a new work of mine, which you describe as a succint re-statement and defence of the doctrines which the author's previous volumes have rendered familiar. This book has been noticed favourably by several of our orthodox religious writers, but to my mind not satisfactorily.

I say, "not satisfactorily" because these criticisms have been accompanied by declarations to the effect that it is not in the power of reviewers to take up and discuss any of the more commanding points set forth in the book.

The question then naturally arises,-Who is to do it? and where is it to be done? Can the editor of the Christian Spectator furnish me with an answer?

I fear there is amongst us in the present day little or no disposition to examine into great questions, especially when certain

conclusions regarding them have been bound up for centuries with our popular theology. Instead of this, we think it enough to abate the force, without denying the truth, of any doctrine which, from whatever cause, has come to be doubted or disputed.

This tendency to abate the force of certain doctrines, rather than to re-examine them, is seen in a growing disposition to use on some points vague and indefinite terms in religious teaching; to avoid, rather than to seek, language that is clear and explicit. It really now often seems as if men were becoming afraid to look their beliefs distinctly in the face,-as if they thought it dangerous to examine any religious subject on more than one side.

Why should this be? On every other topic of human interest and research men feel the importance of wide views, of precision in thought, of taking care to use words in a well-understood sense, and of saying what they have to say as clearly and concisely as possible. In religious writing or speaking only is it otherwise. Here, oftentimes, vagueness is a virtue, and explicitness a fault. The conclusion, false and dangerous as it is, now finds favour, that on certain subjects to be indefinite is to be safe; that in a religious teacher vagueness is sometimes a proof of modesty and humility, while clear and definite statement,-unless, indeed, it be in support of some recognized opinion of a school or party, in which case the teacher can never be too dogmatic for the disciple, is, however well sustained by Scripture, to be shunned.

That these feeble convictions should be associated with adhesive tendencies in relation to traditional views of truth is by no means surprising. Obstinacy is the ordinary characteristic of a mind unable to reason, or distrustful of its ability to come to any satisfactory conclusion. In all such cases the man clings to old and honoured judgments much as the limpet sticks to the rock. The views in question may be only partially true, and perhaps obviously require modification, but they must be sustained, in theory at least,--for in the present state of things change could not be brought about without risk.

So men reason, ignoring everything in Scripture that makes against themselves, and giving exclusive prominence to whatever seems to support their position. In the meantime, silently but certainly faith decays, convictions become weaker, and the active intellect of the country drifts away from Evangelical Christianity; not indeed because it is unworthy of regard, nor yet because anything better is offered for acceptance, but simply on account of the unrealities which infest it on every side.

Nor is this all. The notion of abating the force without

denying the truth of divine teaching runs through and demoralizes all society. It affects morals as much as doctrine; it is manifested as decidedly in the counting house as in the pulpit, and it is emasculating the whole tone of thought and feeling amongst us. If unchecked, it will end in landing the weaker part of the community in some form or other of ritualistic superstition, and the stronger in absolute infidelity. O when will it be felt that a little truth held vitally and as a controlling influence, is vastly more powerful for good than the most perfect creed received passively, and therefore to a great extent inoperative.

Yours faithfully,

THE AUTHOR OF "THE DESTINY OF THE HUMAN RACE." [With much of this letter we cannot but coincide. We think, however, that some subjects, from their very magnitude, must still be treated chiefly in books devoted to them. Especially is it difficult, if not impossible indeed, in a magazine article of a few pages, first of all, to state fairly and sufficiently an author's views; then, to do justice to the arguments adduced by him in their support; then to point out their (presumed) insufficiency; and, finally, present and justify a truer statement; all of which is essential if the subject is to be treated "satisfactorily." Something, however, may be done, no doubt; and we can scarcely think that the readers of the Christian Spectator, for the fifteen years of its existence, will be disposed to condemn its conductors on the ground of deficiency in the moral courage requisite to deal openly with any of the great questions of the day. And if this periodical shall be as happily conducted in the future as it has been in the past, we venture to hope its endeavours in the sacred cause of truth “will not be in vain in the Lord."

To the intelligent and estimable Christian gentleman who has addressed us we will cheerfully open our pages for condensed statements, and will allow of as free rejoinder. The Editor is seated in no chair of infallibility, and has no wish to stifle the freest utterances of any thinkers that are competent and reverent, truthful and courteous.-ED.]

DEATH OF LORD PALMERSTON.

OUR present number was in the printer's hands when the Times announced the fatal termination of Lord Palmerston's illness; but we should be wanting in the common proprieties of journalism if we did not express, though, under the circumstances, with inevitable brevity, that sense of loss which we are conscious of, in common, we presume, with the whole country. The time has not come for a full and fair estimate of his Lordship's services to the cause of freedom, which we believe, in spite of the suspicions on this point entertained in some quarters, Lord Palmerston had at heart, and which, we think, he greatly served.