Now, what had in fact been done, or recommended, or allowed by the apostles, in the churches they personally founded, or governed, could not but be thoroughly known in those churches during the lapse of a generation or two; say at the least forty years. But we possess the various writings of the men of the approximate generation, and therein find, as is natural, diversified statements, and innumerable allusions to practices and to opinions universally admitted as of apostolic origin. Let us sift this evidence as we may, (and it demands, as we shall see, to be severely sifted,) and let it be reduced to the smallest possible amount, yet there remains what no man in his senses can deny to be a mass of good historical evidence, touching such or such points of apostolic christianity. Shall we then listen to this evidence, or, at the impulse of some inexplicable qualm, resolve not to hear a word of it? Or, are we in fact so destitute of historical acumen, as to render it a hopeless task to discern between the genuine and the spurious in this body of materials? And so, in matters of exposition, how light soever we may esteem the judgment of the ancient commentators, they possess, at the least, (or many of them,) a vernacular familiarity with the canonical phraseology, to which it is arrogant and absurd not to pay a respectful attention. Shall the men of eighteen hundred years hence the critics and professors of the universities of Australia and New Zealand-pretend to understand the language and idioms of the divines of the seventeenth century, far better than we do of the nineteenth?

As our primary object, on the present occasion, is to put our readers in possession of the method in which the question at issue is handled in the work before us, we shall prefer doing so in the writer's own words rather than our own. Let him speak for himself:

Meaning no more, then, than to do my part, however small, I shall attempt, in this line, what the occasion seems to demand. And in doing so, instead of carrying forward a multifarious inquiry, concerning twenty topics of early opinion and practice, I shall select, in this first instance, and confine myself to, a particular topic, and shall clear a path, as I go, right onward toward the highest antiquity. But then this selected subject of inquiry must be one, not of an incidental, but of an intrinsically important kind; and it must intimate alliances with the entire ecclesiastical and religious system of antiquity; and it must, from its peculiar character, be well adapted to the general purpose of bringing, vividly and distinctly, into view, the general, and the special merits and faults of the times in question.

Such a subject, recommending itself to our choice, with singular completeness, by its conformity with the above-named conditions, is found in the ancient, and the universal opinion entertained in the christian church, concerning the merits, and the spiritual efficacy of celibacy, and especially of uncontaminated virginity; taken in connexion with the practices thence immediately resulting, and the sanctioned institutions to which, in an early age, it gave rise.

The concluding pages of the present number are occupied in applying this subject to the test of catholicity insisted upon by the Oxford party-the quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus of Vincent of Lirius. But a more indisputable authority still is claimed for this doctrine by the party in question. In the letter of Dr. Pusey, from which we have already quoted, we find a solemn sanction awarded to this element of ancient Christianity. "The preference of celibacy, as the higher state, is scriptural, and as being such, is primitive." But are we to infer from hence, that celibacy was practised and maintained

in the primitive ages on the principles advocated by the author and first preachers of the gospel? If it be so, then indeed ought we to court any inquiry into the fuller development of this goodly discipline, and shall be infinitely indebted to the author of Spiritual Despotism for directing our attention to this neglected article of our most holy faith.

ART. IV. The Church a Gift of the Saviour; wherein and whereby the Holy Spirit acts as the Teacher and Guide of God's Children. A Sermon, preached in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Salford. By the REV. ALEXANDER WATSON, B.A. of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; and Licentiate in Theology of the University of Durham; Curate of St. Andrew's, Ancoats. Published by request. London: J. Burns. Manchester: Bancks and Co. Pp. iv. 29.

IN our last Number, we gave a brief notice of this excellent Discourse, but, on a reperusal, we find so much sterling matter that we cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of again reverting to it. The public mind is at this time distracted by controversies respecting the steps we are bound to take for the formation of our religious faith; but they take a view of the subject directly at variance with propriety, or, indeed, truth-looking at faith as a mere thing of "shreds and patches, the gathering of which into a continuous whole" may be the work of every isolated individual. Under such circumstances it cannot be unprofitable to inquire how far Scripture authorizes this assumption; and whether, in order to the understanding of the word of God, it is not necessary that some should guide us.

Such, in a great measure, is the line of argument taken by Mr. Watson; and, certainly, we never saw a subject handled in a more conspicuous and convincing style. He has, in fact, said so much and so well on this point, that we have vainly sought for arguments to strengthen his position, and therefore we cannot choose but lay before our readers that portion of the discourse which has made so powerful an impression on ourselves.

The minds of men are at the present moment convulsed with controversies with regard to the steps we are bound to take for the formation of our religious faith, as though that faith consisted of a thousand shreds and patches, the gathering of which into a continuous whole, was to be the separate work of every isolated individual! The recent contest concerning the education of the people has tended to the still more general agitation of this question, and it would seem from the almost unanimous voice of churchmen, and the united protest of a large body of seceders, that the written word is not in itself a sufficient guide to the right perception of its own statements. It will not therefore be unprofitable to inquire how far Holy Scripture claims for herself

the power of guarding her own assertions from misconstruction, and whether she claims an all-sufficient converting power independent of personal teaching. We hesitate not then to affirm, that Scripture contains no single passage which goes the length of asserting, that the Divine Author of Scripture has armed that Scripture with the power of providing the reader with his religious creed, if that reader's mind be previously a blank so far as religious convictions are concerned. Do not misundertand me, I do not say that Scripture is insufficient for this-but this I do say, that God has nowhere told us in Scripture, that he has committed to Scripture alone, the work of instructing the candidate for immortality in the high and mysterious doctrines of his religion; as for instance, those of the Trinity, and the great plan of human redemption. These truths are in the Bible, or else, indeed, they would cease to be truths; for all the inspiration of which we know, is gathered into the sacred volume, and there is no reason to suppose that there is any inspired unwritten tradition; but, although these truths are in the Bible, and notwithstanding it is because they are in the Bible that they are binding upon us as truths of necessity to be believed in order to our salvation by covenant; yet they do not lie upon the surface of Scripture, and are therefore not obvious to him whose attention is directed to Scripture apart from any previous hints as to what he is to look for in that Scripture. In fact, the assertion that the Scripture is not itself destined to be the sole teacher of God's children, is plainly implied in the question of Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch, "Understandest thou what thou readest?" and is still more pointedly declared in the answer, "How can I, except some man should guide me?" If this latter were not a valid excuse for ignorance in one who yet had the Scripture before him, we have no right to suppose that St. Philip would have suffered it to go unrebuked, still less that he should set about obviating it; or that St. Luke, writing as the Holy Ghost gave him utterance, should have recorded it, as he plainly does, with tokens of approbation.

66

We have, therefore, scriptural warrant for asserting, that, in order to the understanding of Scripture, it is necessary that some one should guide us. Where then is mankind to look for this guide? God has given to us Holy Scripture, wherein are contained all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." Now God having done this much for man, is it improbable that his "long suffering to us-ward" should lead him to do still more? Having out of his divine goodness given us Holy Scripture, is it improbable that he should provide "some man to guide" us to the understanding of that Holy Scripture? Having supplied us with the rule of faith, may we not reasonably expect that he should instruct us in the best method of understanding and applying this rule? Having given us Scripture as the touchstone, is it irreconcileable with our notions of his love for our race to suppose that he should also provide us in a substantive form with a clue to the "whatsoever" it is necessary for us to find proved therein ?

So far from all this being improbable, we have the express promise of our Saviour, that when he should have returned to the glory of the Father, then he "would send the Spirit of truth, who should guide his disciples into all truth." Now, Christ's word is sure; and therefore you may depend upon it the Comforter has been sent; and "as no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation," you may also be quite convinced that he has been sent for the benefit of all Christ's disciples in all ages; and that the promise of his presence to lead into all truth, is available for this and every other age of the christian dispensation.

The question, however, recurs-How does the Holy Spirit act for this purpose? It cannot be through Scripture alone that his leading is discernible, else, why needed the eunuch that “one should guide him?” ~Neither are his operations irregularly diffused among individuals; for we have reason to believe that his sensible or perceptible agency in individuals ceased with the apostolic

age. The heavens have long since closed on the descent of "cloven tongues like as of fire," but the people of God are not without their "cloud by day, and their pillar of fire by night;" the covenant of the Lord is yet laid up in the ark of the Lord, and the "church of the living God" is now, as it was in the days of the great apostle," the pillar and ground of the truth." In the church, therefore-that is, in the baptized household of Christ-does the Spirit of Christ reside in abundant fulness.

From this it appears that in the Church's teaching, we have the guide we require for the understanding of what we read; and here at once we have an intelligible fulfilment of the gracious personal promise made by Christ our Lord, that he would be with his apostles, "Lo, always, to the end of the world." I say the gracious personal promise, because it was made to the apostles, and not to their doctrine, just as the command to disciple nations was committed to men and not to books. This view, moreover, of the Church, is quite conformable to the method taken for instructing the attendant of Queen Candacehe requires that" some one should guide him;" and forth with Philip, a deacon of the Holy Catholic Church, is provided as his instructor, who having convinced the eunuch that Jesus was the only Saviour, having "preached unto him Jesus," at once proceeded by baptism to admit him into covenant with Jesus, and by the sacrament of Christ's own institution, to secure for him the preventing and cooperating grace of Christ's Holy Spirit. It is no longer then left for us to ask despondingly for one to guide us; the Church is our faithful Mother to bring us to God our Father, and she is too faithful and too true to leave her little ones without training and instruction.

In Scripture, the Holy Spirit may be said to speak as promulgating the law; in the Church he is present as the Interpreter of that law. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit secures our titles to certain possessions; in the Church, he puts us in the way of asserting our claims and obtaining these promised possessions. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit furnishes the sword; in the Church, he supplies facilities for wielding this two-edged weapon of our spiritual warfare. In the Bible are the inexhaustible stores of Divine grace; in the Church there is provided a faithful inventory of those stores, that so we may readily use them to our soul's health and benefit. The Bible is the holy mine, in which lie embosomed the glorious truths of redeeming love: in the Church, and through the Church, the Holy Spirit has gathered the beautiful gems into one transcendent wreath of surpassing splendour. Nor does this bringing together of Divine truths weaken their inherent force, nor sully their divine purity, nor detract from the supreme excellence and richness of the mine whence they are dug, any more than the gathering of the scattered rays of light into one focus, through the medium of a glass, robs the sun of its brilliancy. For the Bible may be looked upon as a cistern, whose fountain is inexhaustible-that Fountain being none other than Christ himself-and therefore dip we the bucket of faith and draw of its pure contents never so often, still, like the widow's cruse of oil, of which we read in the first lesson of this evening's service, it faileth not, and like the barrel of meal it wasteth not. It is the same Holy Spirit that dictated the Scripture, who speaks in the Church; and therefore it is foolish, and perhaps wicked, to suppose that the supremacy of the Church as an interpreter may not co-exist with the supremacy of the Bible as the text of the law. The Church, equally with the Scriptures, is Divine; Divine as to her Founder, Divine in her constitution, Divine in her sacramental powers, Divine in her preservation as a witness among the nations, and Divine in her commission to preach and expound the word of God.

LITERARY REPORT.