Images de page
PDF
ePub

for such stations, and particularly to the Arabic language. The time and application necessary to make a respectable proficiency in this attainment render it necessary that the earliest opportunity should be seized for its commencement."

During the greater part of the year 1823 Mr. Watson was either severely afflicted, or in such a state of debility and exhaustion, as to be scarcely able to travel, and to attend missionary meetings in the country; and his time was therefore mostly spent in the mission house and in his own room. His powerful and active mind, however, rose above every infirmity, and was constantly employed in useful study; and when he could sit at his desk, his pen was seldom idle. The approbation with which his "Theological Institutes" was received urged him on to the completion of that work; and the Wesleyan Magazine this year was greatly enriched by his communications. He wrote some valuable papers on that direct witness which is borne by the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of believers, to the fact of their personal adoption. The reality of this witness was generally held by Protestant divines in some former ages; but it is now regarded by many as a mere peculiarity of Methodism. In this light it was viewed by Mr. Southey, in his "Life of Wesley ;" and Mr. Watson, in his reply, has shown that this great blessing of Christianity is distinctly recognized in the writings of the highest authorities in the Church of England. It is a remarkable fact, to which Mr. Watson has not adverted, that for more than half a century, under the reign of Elizabeth, and of the first James and Charles, there were bound up with the larger editions of the English Bible certain prayers for the use of individuals and families, printed by the regular authorities, the king's printers and the two English universities; and with those prayers was connected, "The Confession of the Christian Faith." In this document the devout Christian is taught to say, "I believe and confess the Holy Ghost, God equal with the Father and the Son, who regenerateth and sanctifieth us, ruleth and guideth us into all truth, PERSUADING MOST ASSUREDLY IN OUR CONSCIENCES THAT WE BE THE CHILDREN of God, brethren to Jesus Christ, and fellow heirs with him of life everlasting." An attempt being made by some anonymous correspondents of the editor of the Wesleyan Magazine to confine this office of the Holy Spirit within much narrower limits than is warranted by the sacred writers, Mr. Watson enters somewhat largely into the question, and shows its direct bearing upon the entire system of experimental and practical religion. The papers were read with great interest at the time, and possess a permanent value. Mr. Watson contends, that "we must first be persuaded of God's pardoning love to us, personally, before we can, in the Scriptural sense, love God; and that such a persuasion is therefore a prerequisite to what is properly termed Christian holiness." This is the view taken of the subject by Mr. Wesley, and is fully borne out by the phraseology of Holy Scripture, and the constitution of the human mind. We cannot love God, so as to delight in him as our supreme good, while we conceive ourselves to be the objects of his wrath. In this case he is rather an object of our fear and dread, than of our delight and grateful love; and yet this love is the principle of all holiness and acceptable obedience. The theory therefore which requires men to ascertain the fact of their personal acceptance with

[ocr errors]

66

God from the actual conformity of their temper and conduct to the precepts of the Gospel, is directly calculated to produce a spirit of bondage unto fear," rather than that filial disposition which characterized the Christians of the apostolic age, and which is indeed the believer's "strength."

r

On this subject Mr. Watson's convictions were very deep. He often referred to it both in his ministry and writings, and laid great and just stress upon it in the examination of missionary candidates. Thus he speaks concerning it in one of his published sermons; in which he censures that philosophical Christianity which has become fashionable in modern times, and which many persons have mistaken for the Christianity of the New Testament. "It allows," says he, "that there is a witness of the Spirit to our adoption; but then this Spirit, we are told, is nothing more than the Spirit in the word, who has there described the moral characters of those who are the children of God; and that it is by comparing our own moral state with those recorded characteristics, that we are to apply his general testimony to ourselves. "We deny not that there is a testimony of the Spirit in the word as to the true character of all who are the children of God; but then one of these characters is love to God as a Father, which I can never feel until by some means I know that he is not only the common Father of mankind, but my Father reconciled; and of this I must be persuaded before I can apply the rule. I am set, therefore, upon this impossible task, to infer from a general description of the moral character of the children of God, what has passed in the mind of God, as to my personal justification; and to discover in my own heart love to God as reconciled to me, while I have a trembling fear of him as a Judge. No; it is the Holy Spirit that 'knoweth the mind of God,' which no man knoweth ;' and his clearly revealed office is to show us, by his own direct impression upon the heart, what God has decided on the matter of our personal pardon; and hence we are taught, not that the Spirit, as having inspired the written word which lays down authoritatively the terms of pardon to all, enables us to infer our adoption; but that the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God;' and that he thus abides with us' as the Comforter."" The excellent papers on the witness of the Spirit were not the only articles supplied by Mr. Watson to the Magazine in the course of this year. He also furnished an admirable sermon, under the title of "Man magnified by the Divine Regard," in which are contained some of the noblest views of human nature ever presented to the minds of men. They form a perfect contrast to the wretched and grovelling principles of infidelity and materialism; systems which separate man from his Creator, deprive him of religion and immortality, and leave him to live and die without either dignity, happiness, or hope. Mr. Watson shows, in a strain of beautiful and impressive eloquence, how greatly God has magnified man by the communication of an intellectual and moral nature; by the constant and merciful care of his providence; and especially by redemption, with its rich and endless train of spiritual blessings both in earth and heaven.

6

Reference has been already made to Mr. Watson's fine taste in sacred music. Of his judgment in this science his friends were fully aware and especially in reference to congregational singing. The

Methodists in Wakefield, having for some time been dissatisfied with the manner in which this part of Divine worship was conducted among themselves, meditated the erection of an organ in their chapel; and some time about the end of the year 1823 solicited his opinion and counsel on this measure. In answer to their inquiries he addressed to them the following letter, the principles of which are of deep and general importance. The letter is not dated; and the name of the person to whom it was sent does not appear :

London, Monday.

DEAR SIR, I am unable to say any thing but what is exceedingly obvious, in the case of the introduction of organs into our chapels; and I think the only question to be considered is, whether they serve or obstruct congregational singing. On this opinions differ; some affirming, and others denying as positively, that the congregation trusts to the organ, and listens, rather than joins in the service. As far as my observation goes, this does not necessarily follow. In churches, where the congregations are irreligious, it is so; but it would be the same if there were only a clerk, or an orchestra of singers and fiddlers. In many churches I know, where the minister is evangelical, and the congregation devotional, the organ is scarcely heard, but at the commencement of the tune, its sounds being mingled with the full swell of the voices of the worshippers.

Among ourselves, at Brunswick chapel, Liverpool, the congregation joins with as much ardour as if there were no organ, and I think more. This is also the case at Bath, (in both the chapels,) at Margate, and at Newark. These facts have fixed my opinion in favour of organs in large chapels, and where they are prudently and constitutionally introduced. The only exception I know is one in which the tone of the organ is so intolerably harsh, that no sound in heaven or in earth can commingle with it. I believe, however, that even there, the people sing; but after all, the tones of the organ, like the voice of a fishwoman in a market, keep a lofty distinction above all others.— This exception only proves that it is of importance to have an instrument of full and mellifluous tone.

On the other hand, we shall regret the day when the liberty to introduce organs into our chapels, under certain circumstances, was granted, if we are to have organists also who seek to display their talents, and to tell a gaping crowd below with what elasticity their fingers can vibrate, and how many graces and trills they can add to the composition before them;-men who could not think the sun shone bright, unless they looked at his beams through a painted transparency of their own; and who would fancy they heightened the sublimity of a peal of thunder by ringing hand bells during the storm, The attempts of some organists to embellish and garnish the noble compositions of our great masters in psalmody is disgusting beyond endurance. Voluntaries are equally objectionable for a different reason. If good, they are out of place; if bad, they do not deserve a place any where.

As you are good enough to attach the least importance to an opi nion of mine, I may give you in few words my deliberate judgment, formed now for several years, and after some observations of

1

the practical effect. It is, that organs in our large chapels are desirable,

1. When they abolish formal choirs of singers.

2. When they are played by persons of judgment and sobriety. 3. When the end for which they are introduced, to assist congre→ gational singing, is steadily maintained.

4. When no voluntaries, interludes, &c, are, on any account, or at any time, permitted.

[ocr errors]

5. When the tune is not first played over by the organ alone,common but very silly practice.

6. When nothing is done rashly, or in the spirit of party; for many of the best men have the strongest prejudices against the instrument.

CHAPTER XVII.

Mr. Watson publishes the second Part of his Theological Institutes-Letter to Mr. Walton-Persecution in Barbadoes-The Argument a priori in proof of a First Cause-Dr. Samuel Clarke's Demonstration--Divinity of Christ—Missionary Report for 1823-Projected Mission to Jerusalem-Mission in Ceylon-In the West Indies Catechisms of the Wesleyan Methodists-Mr. Watson preaches on the Mission to the Negroes at the Anniversary of 1824-Letters to Miss Watson.

THE second part of the Theological Institutes, completing the first volume, was published at the beginning of the year 1824, and fully realized the expectation which its predecessor had excited. The following note, which the author sent to his friend Mr. Walton, of Wakefield, with a copy of this publication, states the improvement of his health, and some interesting particulars respecting the missions.

MY DEAR FRIEND, I take the opportunity of my sending a copy of the second part of my work to Miss Walton, to wish you all the blessings of a new year. I am, through mercy, much better in health, and, as you may suppose, pretty well employed, though I have nearly given up travelling this winter. You will see that a storm has broken out in the West Indies; but though the difficulties are great enough, we know that this work is of the Lord, and he will not forsake it.

[ocr errors]

In the notices, which you will receive with this, you will see a long and affecting account from Mr. Shrewsbury.

Our mission fund goes on nobly. This year we exceed £35,000, being upward of £4,000 increase. Thanks be to God, and to our libe ral friends, and especially to our collectors!

The "storm" here referred to, as having "broken out in the West Indies," was the riotous conduct of a number of white people, onemies to the religious instruction and improvement of the negro slaves, at Bridgetown, in the island of Barbadoes. They assembled one evening, by general consent, and spent the greater part of the night in demolishing the mission chapel and dwelling house, destroying the furniture with axes and hammers, and tearing to pieces the mission

ary's library, consisting of about three hundred volumes. Mr. Shrewsbury, the missionary, a man of most exemplary character, was obliged to flee for his life. The case, as will appear from a subsequent part of this narrative, was afterward a subject of parliamentary censure. Previously to this outrage an insurrection of the slaves had broken out at Demerara, when Mr. Smith, an excellent missionary, belonging to the London Society, was condemned by a court martial to be executed. The iniquitous sentence was reversed by his majesty; but before the royal determination could be communicated to the colony, the man of God was released from his imprisonment by death; and removed to those abodes "where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest." By these circumstances, and the hostile spirit of many of the planters and the local authorities, the West India mission was placed in a state of peril and anxiety; and many of the poor negroes, who were robbed of the blessing of personal liberty, were in danger of losing their only solace in suffering,-the means of religious knowledge, and the ordinances of Christian worship.

Having ascertained in the first part of his Theological Institutes, the Divine authority of the Holy Scriptures, Mr. Watson proceeds, in the part now published, to examine their contents, and to collect from them that information on religious and moral subjects which they contain. This portion of the work treats of the existence and perfections of God, his unity, spirituality, eternity, omnipotence, ubiquity, omniscience, immutability, wisdom, goodness, and holiness. It treats also of the trinity in unity, of the pre-existence of Christ; and partly of his Divinity, proving him to be the Jehovah of the Old Testament; the farther prosecution of the argument being reserved for a future occasion.

The knowledge of God, as an infinite and eternal Spirit, and as the Creator and Preserver of all things, was originally communicated to man by revelation; and when that knowledge has become extinct in any part of the world, it does not appear that it has ever been recovered but by the same means. It would therefore seem, judging from the history of all ages, that the human mind, by its own unassisted efforts, is unable to discover this first principle of all true religion.— But the existence of God, once communicated by his own revelation, direct or traditional, is capable of ample proof, and receives an irresistible corroborative evidence. It is well known that two modes of argument have been applied to this subject by learned men, which are usually denominated à priori, and à posteriori. "An argument à priori is an argument from something antecedent to something consequent; from principle to corollary; from cause to effect. An argument à posteriori, on the contrary, is an argument from consequent to antecedent; from effect to cause." The most remarkable examples of the former kind of reasoning on this great question are Dr. Samuel Clarke's "Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God," which has been often reprinted, and the more recent "Attempt to prove the Existence of the Supreme Unoriginated Being," by the late Bishop Hamilton.

Upon the argument à priori, Mr. Watson was inclined to lay but little stress. Whatever might be its value, he saw that it was not adapted to the popular mind; and the other argument was every way

« PrécédentContinuer »