The Demonstration of the Saving Plan No Truth more firmly ascertain'd than this: VI. "Our Lord"- Our New and True Parental Head, Our Second Adam, in the first when dead; What God through Him rejoices to restore. 30 27. The Saving Plan. The scheme of died in the first Adam. (See 1st Corinsalvation. thians, xv. 22: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.") 32. In the first when dead. When we have ON CHURCH COMMUNION IN SEVEN PARTS; FROM A LETTER OF MR. Law's. [The "letter of Mr. Law's" paraphrased in these stanzas-although the poem in the later Parts becomes rather a comment on the text than a reproduction of it-is the second of the Collection of Letters on the most Interesting and Important Subjects, and on several occasions, of which the second edition (1769) is included in vol. ix. of Law's Works (1772). It is dated February 28th, 1756, and addressed "to Mr. J. L.," who, as Canon Overton thinks, was probably John Lindsay, a friend and correspondent of Byrom's, and an acquaintance and warm admirer of Law's. (See Overton, William Law, p. 336, and cf. ib., 371. As to John Lindsay, of St. Mary's Hall, Oxford, and minister of the non-jurors in Trinity Chapel, Aldersgate Street, London, see Remains, ii. 532. He published in 1726 a translation, with additions, of Mason's Vindication of the Church of England.) On the subject of this letter, viz., Church Communion, as a comparison with the well-known Letters to the Bishop of Bangor (reprinted in vol. i. of Works) suffices to show, Law's views had undergone what would perhaps be incorrectly described as a change, but may certainly be called a modification. In a curious passage in Byrom's Diary of July 2nd, 1737 (Remains, ii. 182), he states that in conversation with him, Charles Wesley said: "Do not you think that a palpable mistake of Mr. Law's in his Serious Call," [chapter i.] "That there is no command for public worship in Scripture?" "He said," adds Byrom, "that it was much that he would not leave it out; and I endeavoured to show him what a trifling objection it was, but he persisted a little obstinately, and I thought that it was better let alone the contention about it." Canon Parkinson properly points out in a note that Law's object in this chapter, as in the Letter to Mr. J. L., was to excite a devotional spirit, as opposed to formalism; moreover, it is well known that Law was himself a regular attendant upon the services of the Church of England, to which his allegiance remained unbroken. Perhaps I may add that the conception of Eusebius, in chap. i. of the Serious Call, reappears at the beginning of Part ii. of The Spirit of Prayer, in the more elaborate character of Philo, who "for this twenty years has been collecting and reading all the spiritual books he can hear of," but who "never thinks how wonderful it is that a Man who knows Regeneration to be the Whole, should yet content himself with the Love of Books upon the new Birth, instead of being born again himself."] RE PART FIRST. I. ELIGION, Church-Communion, or the Way As it regards the Body and the Mind Is of external and internal Kind,— I seqq. Religion, Church-Communion, nal, which are thus united, and thus distin&c. "Religion, or church communion, is in its true nature both external and inter guished; the one is the outward sign, the other is the inward truth signified by it; The one confiding in the outward Sign, II. This Inward Truth, intended to be shown III. Now, what this is, exclusive of all Strife, Of Christ Himself, brought forth within the Soul; And carried on, however It be done. IV. Christianity that has not Christ within, Can by no means whatever save from Sin ; the one never was, nor ever can be, in its true state without the other." [The language of course is that of the definition of the word Sacrament in the latter portion of the Church Catechism, which was not added till 1604.] "The inward truth, or church, is regeneration, or the life, spirit, and power of Christ, quickened and ΙΟ 20 brought to life in the soul. The outward sign, or church, is that outward form or manner of life, that bears full witness to the truth of this regenerated life of Christ formed or revealed in the soul." (Letter to Mr. J. L., p. 5.) 13. Exclusive of all strife. Setting aside all controversy, V. The Will of God, the Saving of Mankind, 30 VI. If Christ has put an End to Rites of old,— The One True Church, the Real Heav'nly Ground Is still the Same, and to its Saviour's Praise VII. By hearty Love and correspondent Rites 25 seqq. The Will of God, the Saving of Mankind, &c. "Inwardly nothing lived in Christ but the sole will of God, a perpetual regard to his glory, and one continual desire of the salvation of all mankind. When this spirit is in us, then we are inwardly one with Christ, and united to God through him." (Ib.) 29, 30. Till they came At ANTIOCH to have a Christian Name. "And the disciples were called Chris 40 tians first in Antioch." (Acts, xi. 26.) 31. If Christ has put an End to Rites of old. Cf. Romans, vi. 14: "Ye are not under the law, but under grace." 32. Foretold. Typically. 39, 40. In all stated Scenes, The Life of Christ is what a Christian means. To the Christian that which is signified under all external forms or conditions is the following of Christ's example. VIII. Church Unity is held, and Faith's Increase, IF The Inward Church, the Temple of the Heart Of what is pray'd for in "Thy Kingdom come," II. Now, in His Outward Form of Life we find 6. We must recur to Christ's Example too. We must in this respect also recur to Christ's example. 7 seqq. "Now, in His outward Form of Life we find, &c." "Outwardly, Christ exercised every kind of love, kindness and compassion to the souls and bodies of men; .... now this, and such like outward behaviour of Christ, thus separate from, and contrary to, the spirit, wisdom and |