rest, his "one thing needful;" but that he may give diligence to make his calling and election sure. He no longer looks to the decrees of eternity with trembling apprehension, lest he find the page which his name should occupy a gloomy blank; and thus all his efforts prove abortive; his faith hypocrisy, his hope delusion, his love selfishness: lest, for some deep degeneracy of nature, he has been quickened into partial life but to taste more keenly the bitter pains of eternal death and been thus "exalted unto heaven" for his sins, by delusive hopes, unfruitful means, and common influences of the Spirit, only that he may be thrust down into a deeper hell. But now, if he looks into the decrees of eternity, it is but to quicken his incipient gratitude; to kindle in the warm beams of free and sovereign grace the purer flame of a more ardent, generous, enthusiastic love. He now rests satisfied that there is no secret flaw in his title deed; no hidden defect in the registry of heaven, to bar his admission to the freedom and privileges of his citizenship, the possession and enjoyment of his inheritance among the saints in light. His fervent and daily increasing desire is, more and more to love Christ, to be like Christ, to be with Christ. These, he knows by a fearfully contrasted previous experience, are not the spontaneous product of corrupt nature, but the fruits of the Spirit divinely implanted in the renewed soul. His spiritually enlightened understanding, his regenerated affections, assure him that he has come unto Christ by faith, and he can repose his soul in peace upon the Saviour's gracious promise, "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out."

Those to which I have alluded are but a few from amid numberless instances of a similar character which Scripture furnishes, and which the diligent soul daily contemplates with edification and delight. By this divinely ordered juxta-position of superficially conflicting or morally disconnected truths, which in a wider local interval would have distracted the moral vision by their dim and divided light, a beacon is set upon the watch tower, which pours its friendly cheering light upon the dark waters of a doubting and struggling soul. Their blendure dissipates its midnight glooms and stormy terrors; their concentrated effulgence enlightens, guides, and gladdens the heart.

Of this juxta-position the chapter before us furnishes a remarkable instance, in the cautious provision which it makes, as it were incidentally and without design, for the supremacy of an overruling Providence over human means and human exertions, where, in the thirtieth verse, it states, "no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come;" while at the same time, by the conduct of our Lord himself, unqualified by any comment or restrictive observation, it plainly establishes the absolute necessity for the adoption of means and thus suffers both to stand out, without any attempt at reconciling them, in all the self-derived strength and conspicuous prominence of independent and isolated truths.

J. M. H.

CORRESPONDENCE ON THE AFFLICTING CONSEQUENCES OF OXFORD TRACT DOCTRINE.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

I SEND you an extract from a letter recently addressed to a clergyman, respecting a lady who has been carried away (I would earnestly hope and pray only for a little moment) by the mournful delusions of the Oxford Tract system; together with his reply, which appears to myself and others who have perused it so scriptural and valuable, that (with the kind permission of the pious and able writer) we are desirous of seeing it inserted in your pages; and may it please our Heavenly Father to bless the perusal of it "to strengthen such as stand, to comfort and help the weak-hearted, and to raise up them that fall." A. W.

My Dear Friend,-* * * * I went last week to spend a day or two with that amiable Christian lady

; but how Then there

changed is she in her spirit since my former interview! was all you could wish to see in a young convert-love to "the brethren," a token of her having passed from death unto life ". an earnest following after Christ, with an humble confidence that He would be found of her. Since those days she has been thrown with some of our clergy who embrace the views of Dr. Pusey and Mr. Newman. It made my heart ache to hear the tone of despair in which she now expresses herself. They tell me," she said, "that there are but two seasons when sin can be pardoned; those are at Baptism and the day of Judgment; if so, what will become of me! Then we are to fast, and use other species of self-denial; but after all I may come short in these duties, and then I am lost for ever!" At this her tears flowed afresh, and I longed for some one at hand more able than myself, and upon whose judgment she would depend, to "shew her the way of God more perfectly."

-'s

The above extract occasioned a reply in substance as follows: My dear ——,—I was much interested in your account of mind. It is affecting indeed to see tender spirits scourged by the lash of those worse than Egyptian task-masters. I can hardly repress a feeling of indignation at their proceedings; but charity should lead one rather to pity and pray for them-for those amongst them at least, who seem to be sincere, though misguided.

You ask me to mention some books on the subject. Isaac Taylor has undertaken the case in a work called "Ancient Christianity," which I have heard very highly spoken of. There is also a valuable pamphlet called "A Letter to the Lord Bishop of Oxford, containing strictures on Dr. Pusey's letter to his Lordship." The author, with whom I am acquainted, is a man of very cool judgment as well as piety, and has been on terms of friendly acquaintance with Mr. Newman and Dr. Pusey, and others of the party, for many years past: so that his testimony, while it is in the highest degree authentic, cannot be impugned as prejudiced. Do you know the sermons of the late excellent Mr. Howels? They are not controversial, but they are as a hammer to break in pieces every human system of justification;

so clear, forcible, and comprehensive, in the statement of first truths. There is something grand in his manner of illustrating the truth.*

But I have never found anything serve instead of the soul-satisfying declarations of the word of God itself. Other books throw light, but it is only to introduce us into those parts of the inspired volume which are capable of being elucidated by historical research, critical knowledge, or argumentative deduction. Let us never suffer any wolf in sheep's clothing to rob us of the comfort and privilege of" searching the Scriptures," in humble dependence on the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to see "whether these things be so." I was once myself startled into alarm by a sermon of Dr. Pusey's on the subject of sin after baptism, &c.—a sermon which probably none will soon forget who heard it but I thank God that before the day was over I was enabled, by the simple light of Scripture, to see that these things were not so as Dr. Pusey represented them. The Epistle to the Galatians is especially in point-and Luther's commentary probably a good companion. The early chapters to the Romans also are an invaluable gift to the Church, as a shield against the attacks of those who would plunder us of the simplicity of the faith which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But after all, the burden of proof surely lies on the propounders of the theory that "there are but two periods of absolute cleansing, viz., baptism and the day of judgment." Baptism, indeed, is confessedly a period of cleansing (faith being supposed :)-but where have these false teachers discovered that the day of judgment is a "period of cleansing?"-such an assertion is utterly without scriptural foundation. It is a presumptuous figment of human invention and as untrue as it is presumptuous. For the word of God is Truth and that word not only gives no countenance to Dr. Pusey's doctrine, but completely overthrows it.

For example: Rom. v. 1, "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God," &c. How can this be, if cleansing from guilt is deferred till the day of judgment? Peace without cleansing, is impossible.

Again: Rom. viii. 1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." But if " now," at this present time, there is "no condemnation " to believers, then it follows that there is to believers now, at this present time, "absolute cleansing " from guilt. I need not multiply similar quotations.

Again there is a rich mine of truth and consolation in that most significant declaration of our Blessed Saviour, after washing His disciples' feet, he that is washed (Greek, hath been washed ") needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And ye are clean, but not all." What else is this but the clear admission of

Since this was written, Dr. Mac Ilvaine, the able and apostolic Bishop of Ohio, has published the labours of his powerful pen, in a book intituled "Oxford Divinity compared with that of the Churches of Rome and England." If this work should pass into a second edition, would it not be well if the

excellent bishop would do justice to the University of Oxford by altering the title, which seems to attribute to that orthodox body a doctrine held by a certain party amongst its members. The Heads of Houses have unanimously condemned and repudiated Mr. Newman's opinions as expressed in No. 90.

the sinner to "absolute cleansing" after baptism, and before the day of judgment?

Again: John xv. 3, "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Here is faith justifying, cleansing from guilt, because it believes the testimony ("the word ") of God concerning Christ. The cleansing, or justification, of the penitent believer is not deferred till the day of judgment, but is perfect and complete now that is, as soon as he believes "the witness of God which he hath testified of His Son."

The whole testimony of Scripture on this point fully establishes this cheering and blessed truth, that the sinner who through grace accepts the offer of pardon through the atonement of Christ, repents, and is baptized, is then "absolutely cleansed," and hath been washed from all his sins, both original and actual: and that afterwards he has need, and is permitted, to come day by day to "wash his feet," i. e. to obtain "absolute cleansing" from the sins and pollutions contracted in his daily walk in the midst of this miserable and naughty world. The same fountain in which he first was washed is still "opened for sin and for uncleanness," and loses not its efficacy, when applied by faith, to cleanse him day by day from every stain. Notwithstanding the daring assertions of Mr. Newman and his followers, I venture to believe that there is not a word in all the Bible which can give their doctrine about sin after baptism so much as room to set a foot upon. And, "if God be for us, who can be against us?"

Once more.

If these men are right, what becomes of "the adoption of sons?" For "when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." At some time or other, then, believers in Jesus are to be made sons of God by adoption. But when is this to be? Are they to wait till the day of judgment, when, according to Dr. Pusey, they are to obtain the only absolute cleansing after baptism? For if we are yet in our sins till the day of judgment, it is plain we cannot before that day be adopted to be the sons of God. Away with such mischief! What says the Scripture? "Beloved, Now are we the sons of God." And if so, we must be already cleansed: for without the forgiveness of sins there is no adoption to sonship. They who are yet in their sins are enemies to God, and not sons. If, indeed, there be any persons so pure as never to have sinned since their baptism, then the case is different: and this, one is almost driven to suppose that the followers of Mr. Newman must believe, under their monstrous notion of preserving baptismal purity! They tell us, that if we have fallen into grievous sin after baptism, there is no cleansing till the day of judgment: but since they would not deny that there have been, and are, some persons on earth who are true Christians, and sons of God, it must follow, that sins are of two kinds -either too trifling to forfeit the favour of God!-or else too great to be forgiven! For if they are not forgiven before the day of judgment, it is certain that they will not be forgiven then. "Then shall it be too late to knock when the door shall be shut and too late to cry for mercy when it is the time of justice." (Commination Service) "Then shall they call upon me, (saith God) but I will not answer : they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." (Prov. i. 28.) The fact seems to be that they have followed the steps of the GalaCHRIST. OBSERV. No. 46.

4 F

tians, and have slidden off from Calvary to Sinai, from Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all, (who are justified by faith) to Jerusalem that now is, and is in bondage with her children. Their system allows that by grace we are made salvable; nay, saved; yet not saved! (see Dr. Pusey's Sermon, "The Day of Judgment;") but they do not allow that we are actually saved throughout by grace. They tell us that we are "saved once" at baptism, but for the rest of our lives must save ourselves by our fastings, and austerities, and alms-deeds, and baptismal innocence! What a fearful perversion of the apostolic doctrine, "By grace ye are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Their doctrine cuts away at once the whole ground of evangelical obedience from under their feet. They cannot "stand fast in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free;" they cannot "walk at liberty" in the way of God's commandments; they cannot be "followers of God as dear children;" for they are entangled again in the yoke of bondage." Having "begun in the Spirit" (being "saved at baptism" by grace) they try to be "made perfect by the flesh," i. e. by their own good works, building up by these a "continuance," (see Dr. Pusey's "Letter to the Bishop of Oxford") in a justified state. It is to be feared they have need to go and learn what that meaneth, "the Joy of the Lord is your strength." Their system is absolutely withering-prostrating at once every energy for obedience, by bringing every effort under the curse of the law, and making us "debtors to do the whole law" for justification; thus casting us again under the power of the law of sin and death, instead of enabling us to exult with the apostle, "The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

Whatever powers of imagination Mr. Newman may possess, he is a very bad reasoner. His opinions spread from the same causes which procure acceptance for Popery-because they feed the carnal pride of self-righteousness,-which would rather scourge itself to death with ropes and knots, than submit itself to the righteousness of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Humble minds give up to these men because they carry a great sanctity of outward behaviour: but it should be remembered, that the usual means by which heresies spread is the apparent sanctity of their promulgators. Satan is too crafty to make use of instruments whose character would disgrace his cause. The self-denial imposed by the doctrines of Mr. Newman is a "voluntary humility," which is condemned by the Scriptures. Whatever else they require, they do not require the denial of selfrighteousness and to deny that, is an incomparably harder matter than to live an austere life without any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

The whole subject is one of the most vital importance to every Christian. Wrong here, wrong altogether. But many, I believe, go a little way with Mr. Newman, but leave him before they come to the turning-point of justification. The Lord be our guide.

Believe me, yours, &c.

*We are not surprised at hearing of the mournful effect produced in the mind of the lady alluded to, by the awful doctrines of the Oxford Tracts; for from the first we predicted that such must be the result. The following was a portion of our reply to Mr. Newman's Letters addressed to us more than four years ago. See page 331, &c. of our Vol. for 18 37.