"sin" and "curse," and the like. (See John i. 29, 36. Acts viii. 32. 2 Cor. v. 21. Gal. iii. 13.) And the ancient propitiatory was bloodless in itself, inasmuch as it was also inanimate, and received only the sprinklings of the blood of the victims; but the Lord is God, and propitiatory, and high priest, and lamb, and in His own blood hath worked out our salvation, demanding faith only from us. -To declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past: 25. Through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness. God has both exhibited His own mercy in so long bearing with sinners, and has made manifest His righteousness to all men; for that it was not without any further view that He thus bore with sinners, but as preparing for them this mean of salvation, the next sentence shows-that He might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. For both these things should we learn from hence, that the God of all has ordered His dispensations concerning ourselves with justice equally as with mercy; and that whosoever believes in the Lord Christ is made partaker of the righteousness which is by faith. Thus briefly having stated the free gifts conferred by (the covenant of) grace, he returns to his discourse respecting the law, and shows that it yielded the victory to grace. 27. Where is boasting then? This must be read interrogatively, and then comes the answer, It is excluded. He says not destroyed, but excluded; that is, has no longer any place. By boasting he means the haughty self-esteem of the Jews, who exalted themselves as the only possessors of God's favour; while now, divine grace having appeared abroad, and been shed among all nations, this arrogance had been put out of the question, in that God had given to man a short and easy mean of salvation in faith; for this the apostle continues to show forth in the following sentences also, By what law? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. He calls faith here a law, not from inconsideration, but as recollecting the prophecy of Jeremiah (xxxi. 31, 32,) "For in those days, saith the Lord, and at that time, I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers." If then the Mosaic law is thus styled a covenant, and the new covenant again bears also the same name, and faith in Christ be the law it enacts, in strict accordance with the phraseology of the prophet does the holy apostle here apply the name of the law to faith. And then he subjoins the conclusion concerning faith: 28. We conclude therefore that a man is justified by faith, without the works of the law. By law here he means that of Moses; but at the same time he says not, we conclude that by faith a Jew is justified, but a man, the common name of the whole human race; as he goes on to reason, 29. Is He the God of the Jews only; is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. And then, as a position which cannot be disputed, he confirms it by the assertion, 30. Seeing that it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. It is one God, who is the God of all; one, who is the Maker of all; nor is it possible that He should be careful for some, and leave others uncared for; wherefore For however out of place, and cut off by this new covenant, the Jews yet had not relinquished it.-E. B. He extends His salvation to all that believe. By circumcision he means the Jews, by uncircumcision the Gentiles. And he next resolves the objection which might be raised, 31. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law. For of old both the law and the prophets prophesied of the things concerning the faith, and in receiving therefore the faith we confirm the law. He then brings forward evidences of all this, and, while having it in his power to adduce a vast variety of testimonies from the prophets, prefers going at once to the very root of the Jews, and demonstrates that the righteousness of the patriarch Abraham himself was that which is of faith. (To be continued.) THE "PULSE OF THE TIMES" AFTER THE ASSASSINATION OF CHARLES I. BY THE PURITANS. THE following letter on the state of England, addressed exactly 190 years ago to Sir Simonds D'Ewes, by John Stuteville, Esq. of Dalham, in the county of Suffolk, is at once so admirably written, and so well adapted to the present aspect of affairs, that we have great pleasure in submitting it to our readers. The original will be found in the British Museum. Harleian MSS. No. 374, p. 296. HONOURED Sir, I give you many thankes for yo' kind lines, together with the enclosed papers, wherein the pulse of these times, and prædominant humo' of this nation, is plainely discouered; the Beate whereof is soe violent that it shewes to every ordinary Physitian, a great Distemper, wth (if by God's great mercy it bee not speedily prevented) threatens the utter subversion of it, and all Religion, and Liberty, (wth is so much pretendedly stood for now a dayes.) Certaynely, S', o' particular and national Sinnes, are come to soe great a height, that the greatest of temporale Judgements, Warre, Pestilence, and flamine, even all the Plagues of Egipt, wee may expect and looke for. Nay, I feare, a spirituall Judgement; the removall of of Candlestick, the glorious Gospell (weh hath shined so cleerely amor gst us for many ages together) to some other nation, wch will bring forth better fruite than wee have done. The punishments, we have beene inflicted upon us already, shew apparently of sins and sicknes to bee Epidemicall. Have wee not suffred in every part? I can not say the Heade is sicke; but (alas) quite cut off,* and in the roome thereof, a prodigious Hydra sprung up. I am sure of Heart languisheth; o' free Parliaments (which have formerly beene the very heart and vitals of the Kingdome,) are now driven away, and confined to a very few, wth in the walls of the House of Comons, and those overawed by the sword. Have not the Merchants suffred at Sea, and the poore countryman by that intolerable oppression of ffree-Quarter? Neither can that great • Alluding to the martyrdom of Charles I. in this year. Should the puritan and popish faction of the present day gain the ascendant, we may look for a similar tragedy, to be followed by a despotism similar to that subsequently described. The parallel might be easily carried out. The blockade of Mexico and the affair of the Vixen affect our merchants. The free-trade in corn, will prove to the poor Metropolis (although shee hath carried herselfe more politiquely than religiously in these times,) boast that she hath beene free; witnes that universal cry for want of trading, and I can not see how that city can flourish, when there is such obstruction at sea. Truely, S', I looke upon the Souldiers, but as the Instruments and Executioners; I looke up to God as the chiefe Agent, who "hath a great controversy with us," and if wee doe not, all sorts of us, as wee have sinned, endeavo, to prevent him, by o' preparation to meete him, by true and unfained repentance, actum est de Anglia; wee shall only bee able to say, wee have beene a flourishing people, and by reason of o' sinnes God hath forsaken us, and made us a scorne and derision to o' neighbo nations. S', these are the meditations yo' letter hath wrought in mee, weh w my humble service I leave wth you, and remayne th April 9th, 1649. Yo' humble Servant, I. S. DEFECTS OF OUR ECCLESIASTICAL SYSTEM, AND THEIR REMEDIES. In adverting to the means (see the Number for September last, p. 550) which might be made available to the equalization of income derived from Ecclesiastical Benefices, there was one item omitted, which, though only of secondary consideration, still ought to be taken into account: I allude to the very considerable incomes arising from fees and other perquisites of office, in the metropolis and other populous places, at present enjoyed by Clerks and Sextons. Would it be believed that these usually very humble offices are often canvassed for by professional men, and occasionally realize an income to their possessors of 700l. per annum! Nay, it has been asserted that, in a few instances, they have even doubled that sum. Now surely, saving existing rights, these incomes ought to be made subservient, in future, to the benefit of the Church, and to the maintenance of several assistant Curates in such populous districts. There are a few examples in the Church of Clerks in orders. One is attached to the Church of St. James's, Piccadilly. In the present day, much scandal is often brought on the Establishment by the low and degraded situation in life, particularly in rural districts, of these officials. The very words, Clerk (Clericus) and Sexton (Sacristan, i. e. one having the care of the holy things, and chiefly the furniture of the altar, and every thing connected with the sacraments), show that in olden times these offices were placed on a different footing. They were, in short, originally filled by scholars and persons in the inferior orders of the Church, as Deacons and Sub-deacons. My own opinion is, that these offices need a thorough revision, and that, wherever the income will admit it, one or more Deacons might be substituted for the Clerk countryman of the 19th century as "intolerable" an "oppression," as "ffreequarter" in the 17th; whilst all our manufacturing metropolises are much more distinguished for politics than religion, and are by no means behind in uttering loud cries "for want of trading." May the advice, with which the letter closes, sink deeply into the hearts of our readers, lest "by reason of our sins God forsake us, and we again become a scorn and derision to our neighbours." and Sexton, only employing a Servitor to perform the more menial offices connected with the due care of the Church. And here I cannot but suggest, that, in any changes which may take place, it would be highly beneficial to make such arrangements as should assign to every cure of souls two Clergymen. The modern custom, which often gives the sole cure of souls to a Deacon, is utterly inconsistent with the doctrine and discipline of the Church. The Rubrics everywhere suppose that every office is performed for the greater part by a Priest; and to permit a Deacon to minister alone on any occasion, except at baptism, is contrary to the very letter of our own Church, and to the example and practice of every other. Nay, even at baptisms, if we follow the rules laid down for the duties of Deacons in the Ordination Service, we shall find that they ought only "to baptize in the absence of the Priest," where, of course, a private baptism, in case of sudden emergency, is contemplated; all the public administrations in the church requiring the presence of a Priest. If in all cures the Priest had one or more Deacons as assistants, to aid him in the visitation of the sick, the aged, and the poor, and to perform that portion of the service only which belongs to the office, a very admirable means of initiating the younger Clergy into the duties of the ministry would be provided, for which at present there are no opportunities at all; a mutual feeling of obedience and responsibility would become habitual to the Clergy (a thing, alas! by no means unnecessary in these days); the necessity for so great an amount of lay agency, which is partially undermining the distinctive character of the ministry, would no longer exist; and the apostolic distinction of orders would be visibly taught the people. These changes might, perhaps, render it desirable that Ordination should take place at an earlier age than now, or that the inferior rank of Sub-deacons and Readers should be revived, and that no one should be ordained Priest till he actually possessed a Benefice. G. C. EXTRACT FROM STEPHEN'S INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL IN EGYPT, ARABIA PETRÆA, AND THE HOLY LAND. THE Jews are the best topographers in Jerusalem, although their authority ends where the great interest of the city begins; for, as their fathers did before them, they deny the name of Christ, and know nothing of the holy places so anxiously sought for by the Christians. That same morning they took me to what they call a part of the wall of Solomon's temple. It forms part of the southern wall of the mosque of Omar, and is evidently older than the rest, the stones being much larger, measuring nine or ten feet long; and I saw that day, as other travellers may still see every Friday in the year, all the Jews in Jerusalem, clothed in their best raiment, winding through the narrow streets of their quarter, and under this hallowed wall, with the sacred volume in their hands, singing in the language in which they were written, the Songs of Solomon and the Psalms of David. White-bearded old men and smooth-cheeked boys were leaning over the same book; and Jewish maidens, in their long white robes, were standing with their faces against the wall, and praying through cracks and crevices. The tradition which leads them to pray through this wall is, that during the building of the temple a cloud rested over it, so as to prevent any entrance; and Solomon stood at the door, and prayed that the cloud might be removed, and promised that the temple should be always open to men of every nation desiring to offer up prayers. Whereupon the Lord removed the cloud, and promised that the prayers of all people offered up in that place should find acceptance in his sight: and now, as the Mussulman lords it over the place where the temple stood, and the Jews are not permitted to enter, they endeavour to insinuate their prayers through crevices in the wall, that thus they may rise from the interior to the Throne of Grace. The tradition is characteristic, and serves to illustrate the devoted constancy with which the Israelites adhere to the externals of their faith. POEMS BY JOHN CHARLES EARLE. No. IV. ELIM. (Exod. xv. 27.) I. O GOD of our fathers! our bosoms were bursting, And Egypt's dark bondage seemed bright to the free, II. We gazed on the margin of flowers that were striving 111. Around us, in circles, each starry-eyed maiden Was sounding the timbrel she held by the sea,* And the air of that lovely oasis was laden IV. The camel again o'er the wilderness going, Bears bright streams she quaffed by the well-watered tree; The sparkling remembrance of Elim and Thee. V. The antelope vainly, with fond desire swelling, VI. Oh! is there beyond the world's desert a garden, Drink deep at the fountains of peace, love, and pardon, • Exodus xv. 20. |