a man of too much nerve to shrink from stating it. The answer is long; it is even tedious; but I shall read it notwithstanding. It will furnish a most instructive illustration of the working of "Church principles."

"A. I should consider it a most grievous misfortune to be under the care of such a Pastor; but still, his infidelity would be but a poor excuse for my apostacy. God may, perhaps, mean to prove my fidelity by this severe trial. I would therefore, I trust, pray earnestly to God, to keep me stedfast under such trying circumstances; but I should never once think of forsaking the communion of the Church. I am well aware, that I am but too apt to err, and to stray from the way of truth, even like a lost sheep; and that I have, therefore, great need of a faithful Pastor to watch over my ways, and to bring me home to the fold of Christ, whenever I may wander from its sacred border. But if my Pastor be not thus faithful, this very circumstance would put me more on my guard, and excite me to redoubled diligence, lest I should lose the narrow way, and finally perish. If he who ought to guide my steps aright, were careless or ignorant, or even positively disposed to mislead me, still there is one circumstance which, I trust, would preserve me in such a season of trial: the portion of the Church to which I belong, has taken care that the whole counsel of God shall be made known to her members, by means of her public Services, and thus I am in some measure rendered independent of the peculiar conduct of my Pastor. St. Paul tells me, that I am to account of my Christian Minister as a servant of Christ, and steward of the mysteries of God. And this he does without reference to the Minister's personal character or qualifications; with which I, as a layman, have very little to do. On looking into the Ordination Service, I find, that no one is admitted into the sacred office, until every means within the reach of man have been used, both to ascertain his fitness, and to remind him of the awfully responsible nature of the Ministerial office. He is solemnly ordained to be the servant of God, and cautiously entrusted with the commission of our Lord. It is his ministerial, not his personal character, with which I, as a layman, have to do. Be the latter what it may, if he have Christ's commission, he is to be esteemed by me, as an ambassador for Christ; as one clothed with that authority, which alone gives validity to all his official deeds. A man may have authority to preach to others, and yet himself be of a reprobate mind. We have no reason to suppose, that the acts of Judas, in his apostolical capacity, were not accompanied by the Divine blessing, and as efficient to the salvation of souls as those of Peter or John. To esteem the ambassador for Christ by his own personal qualifications, is to put the servant in the place of his Lord, to set man up as the idol of veneration, instead of giving the glory to our God and Redeemer. But God is jealous of His honour, and will doubtless visit upon their own heads, the sins of those who thoughtlessly or impiously do so: and, perhaps, the greatest punishment that can be inflicted on such, as thus in a manner put their trust in man, and in their heart go from God, is, that they be given up to the effects of their folly, and led to prize personal qualifications, instead of the authority of Christ, through Whom alone is salvation. It is thus that this sin, like every other, will be found to involve, in some measure, its own punishment. It is not, therefore, from the Minister, as a man, that I have been taught to seek salvation, but

Hence, if my Chrislaw of the Lord, and If he is God's ser

from Christ, through His duly authorized servant. tian Pastor have his Lord's commission to teach the dispense the means of grace, that is enough for me. vant, it is not my part to judge him, whether he be faithful or not, but to receive him, even as I would receive the Lord Jesus. He can neither give nor withhold the blessing on his labours: he may preach to others, and call them to repentance, and yet be himself a castaway. It is only those who idolize man, and degrade the Redeemer; only those who lack faith in Christ, and suppose that He can convey His blessings through none but what they judge to be proper channels, that can think otherwise. But I would ask such, What are human qualifications, in comparison of the Divine blessing? What is the ambassador, in comparison of his Commission? What is the steward, in comparison of the Master, whose bounty he dispenses? The servant may be unfaithful, but the Lord of the servant is faithful, and will, undoubtedly, perform what He has promised. The servant may be a traitor—a devil; but He, whose apostle he is, and whose message he brings, can neither lie nor repent, and will be with those whom he has sent, even unto the end of the world. I am thus emphatically taught, that the efficacy of the Christian Minister's official acts, depends entirely on the Commission which he holds from Christ, and not-as the language and practice of multitudes would lead one to suppose on his own personal character and qualifications. My duty, therefore, is to obey them that have the rule over me in the Lord; and I no where read, that this duty is to be relaxed on account of the faults of the Minister. He could scarcely omit the reading of the ordinary Services, and, at the stated seasons, the dispensing of the means of grace; and were he so negligent, his Bishop would, in all probability, adopt means either to have the abuse corrected, or the unfaithful Pastor suspended from his sacred charge. I do not choose my religion by the character of my Minister, but by the marks, the indelible marks, of truth which it exhibits; and I am guided much in the same manner in my opinion concerning my Pastor. I recognise him as such, not because he is good or bad, but because he has the Redeemer's commission to act in that capacity. Such is the doctrine of Scripture. Such, too, is the doctrine of the Church, who, in her twenty-sixth Article, thus speaks! Although, in the visible Church, the evil be ever mixed with the good, and sometimes the evil have chief authority in the ministration of the Word and Sacraments; yet, forasmuch as they do not the same in their own name, but in Christ's, and do minister by His commission and authority, we may use their ministry, both in hearing the word of God, and in receiving of the Sacraments. Neither is the effect of Christ's ordinance taken away by their wickedness, nor the grace of God's gifts diminished. from such, as by faith and rightly, do receive the Sacraments ministered unto them; which be effectual, because of Christ's institution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men. Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, that enquiry be made of evil Ministers, and that they may be accused by those that have knowledge of their offences; and, finally, being found guilty, by just judgment be deposed.' Thus, if he be in fault, he will have to account for his conduct; but I should certainly be guilty before God, were I, on any pretence whatever, to slight the divine laws, or forsake the communion of Christ's Church. I should regret the conduct of my Pastor if unfaithful; but I

should have no right to make his errors a plea for abandoning my principles. If I would enjoy a crown of life, I must be faithful unto death." -Pp. 124-129.

The Rev. Mr. Horsley of Dundee, in a sermon preached three years ago, and published under the title of The Pillar and Ground of the Truth, tells us that Scottish Episcopalians hold "the necessity of Episcopal ordination to constitute a valid clerical commission." This gentleman's idea of a Church of Christ will be seen by the following extract:

"The WORD is in fact the test by which every community professing faith in the gospel must be tried, before it can be known to be a branch of Christ's holy Catholic Church. If the doctrine of the community be pure, that is, in agreement with the word, then such community is to be acknowledged as a part of Christ's visible body; and by doctrine I mean not merely articles of religious belief, properly so called; but also every thing relating to discipline and government."-P. 6.

The doctrine of Mr. Horsley is, that there is a certain form of Church government, which is essential to the being of a Church that there is a particular constitution and discipline, the want of which will be fatal to the claim of any religious community to be regarded as a Church. Episcopalians, he says again,

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"should show to those who differ from them that they consider continuance in the fellowship' as much a part of their religious duty, as in the doctrine' of the apostles, and that they regard the question of church polity not as an abstract speculative truth, but as one determining the important point whether an individual be or be not a member of the Church of Christ."-Pp. 21, 22.

More fully unfolding his views, Mr. Horsley says:

"If, as many Christians in the present day seem to think, the Church be any or every society of professing Christians, then it never can be the pillar and ground of truth. Truth is one, and the Church, in conformity with the tenor of the solemn prayer uttered on its behoof by the Saviour just before his departure out of the world, ought also to be one; whereas, it is notorious, that the various sects of Christians are any thing but one, and the points on which they differ and dispute innumerable. Others again imagine, that they may hold communion with Christ, the head of the Church, without belonging to any visible Church on earth; and they have a notion of a multitude of people united to Christ immediately by the sanctification of the Spirit; and this multitude they call an invisible Church, to which they say, if a man belongs, it matters not to what visible Church he belongs, or whether he belongs to any. This is a most dangerous and dreadful error, and at complete variance with any thing we find upon the subject in Scripture. Christ has indeed an invisible, but it is com

prised within his visible Church. The latter is THAT society on earth, of which Christ in heaven is the head, and the different orders of the ministry on earth are the officers and governors, in which the word of God is preached, and the sacraments administered, and prayer made daily to God, in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, by persons set apart to their holy office, deriving their authority for the execution of them, not from any human constitution, but from our Saviour Christ, transmitted by an uninterrupted succession to the present ministers, from the Apostles, who were constituted by our Lord himself, with authority to ordain others, and they again others successively, to perpetuate the ministry so long as the world shall endure. THIS is the visible Church on earth; and by admission into THIS Society, a believer becomes entitled to a share in all those privileges of the children of God which are promised to the Church in its collective capacity, and to which no individual is entitled otherwise than as a member of it."-Pp. 8, 9.

I shall read only one other extract from the sermon of Mr. Horsley:

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"If I regard the Church of Scotland as an efficient instrument for the Christian education of the people, and consequently for the salvation of the souls, I may be asked, what then is the difference?' or ' what advantage' hath the Episcopalian over the member of any other Christian community? I answer, much every way;' chiefly, because unto him the oracles of God, and the promises contained therein are delivered by a ministry, deriving its commission in regular succession from the fountain head of all; to whom also pertaineth THE COVENANT, and whose are the Christian fathers. These I take to be advantages possessed by the Episcopalian. But though I believe this to be the case, God forbid that I should believe, or teach others to believe, that none but Episcopalians can be saved; or that all who differ from us are heretics. No! faith in Christ, a real vital active faith in the great atonement, bringing forth its natural fruit-good works-I believe, through the merits of that atonement and the mercy of God, to be effectual towards procuring for the sinner the pardon of his sins, and a place for him at the last, among the 'spirits of just men made perfect," belong to what earthly community he may. But THE PROMISE of eternal salvation-THE COVENANT ON THE PART OF GOD, that so it SHALL be, I conceive to be made to the individual only as a member of the corporate body, that is, as a member of the Church; and the profit' to the Episcopalian is in belonging to a community which hath the scriptural badges of the body. Other communities may be branches of Christ's holy catholic Church. I do not presume to pronounce authoritatively that they are not; but the want of one or more of the marks appears to me to render this uncertain, and what I wish for myself and for the souls committed to my keeping is certainty on this momentous point."-Pp. 30, 31.

From these statements it seems very plain that Mr. Horsley is one of those who consign Presbyterians, Wesleyans, Independents, &c. to the "uncovenanted mercies of God;" or, as the author of Lyra Apostolica would

express it, to that portion of the love of Christ, which is conjectured to

"o'erflow the bounds His prophets trace
In His revealed design."

That he holds the Establishment to be truly a Church of Christ, Mr. Horsley does not pretend; he uses expressions, and lays down doctrines, which, by direct and necessary inference, unchurch all those who are not Episcopalians; yet it would seem that he has too kindly a heart to let him, in so many words, declare that we are cut off from the body of Christ. He therefore sends his readers to one who has more courage, and can go through with it bravely. At page 30, he refers us to a sermon which" ought to be among the theological stores of every Episcopalian." Thinking that a sermon so valuable should not be confined to Episcopalians, I have procured a copy, and will read an extract or two for the information of the Presbytery. It is entitled, The Traditions of the Christian Fathers the Standard Interpretation of Holy Scripture. A Sermon, preached at an Ordination held by the Right Rev. the Bishop of Ross and Argyle, at Pittenweem, Fife, the 4th April, 1838; and again preached at Muthil, Perthshire, 9th September, 1838. By a Presbyter of the Diocese. Printed by particular request. A sermon, delivered and published under these circumstances, becomes peculiarly important, because it cannot fail to be viewed as almost possessing the sanction of Episcopal authority. See now what it

says:

"there must be, somewhere upon earth, one visible Christian Church, founded by the Apostles, and regularly perpetuated by those whom they ordained to succeed them. Now, if we be not that one Church, where, we ask, is it to be found? If any one of the numerous sects around us be that Church, we shall be glad to be informed which it is, and what are its claims; for we court the fullest enquiry on this point. And, if we be that Church, it must follow, as a necessary consequence, that OUR CLERGY ALONE are empowered to administer the sacraments of the Gospel. Our Bishops, we have already seen, have derived their divine commission, in one unbroken line, from the Apostles themselves, in regular succession, through all the intermediate ages from the beginning. Hence they, and they who are ordained by their hands, are EXCLUSIVELY those to whom our Saviour still says, as he said to the eleven Apostles, Go ye and preach the gospel to all the nations, baptising them