"It is exceedingly probable that most readers of these passages, as they stand unqualified in Dr. Pusey's letter, have supposed that they referred to faith in the common religious use of the word, faith as preceding justification, that which he has who repents and believes, before he is baptized; and they have supposed probably that such faith was indeed made an internal, and the sole internal instrument, while an external instrumentality only was given to baptism. But they are deceived. Faith before baptism is not in the least referred to in these passages. If they will read them again, they will see it is a lively faith' that is spoken of. But this cometh only from baptism. All before is dead and inoperative and unregenerate-a mere sine-qua-non, no more instrumental in justification than is restitution. So that, whenever faith in these writers is spoken of as in any other sense, justifying, let the reader remember that it is faith after baptism, a justified faith. There is too much reserve' in Dr. Pusey's statements on this subject in his letter. A reader, not otherwise informed, would hardly suspect the real restriction of his meaning. There is not a line in all his professed confes sion of faith, in his letter to the Bishop of Oxford, by which a reader, unenlightened by other means, can get an idea of distinction being made between faith before, and faith after baptism; or that by the faith spoken of as the sole internal instrument, is not meant that by which in our usual understanding of things, the unbaptized, but penitent, sinner comes to Christ, and prepares for baptism: while in reality that faith is not mentioned, and not a line is devoted, in Dr. Pusey's Confession, to the great question what a penitent soul, just awakened and turned to God, must do to be saved; whether he must believe, or how he must believe, or what sort of faith must he have, or how it operates; nothing is hinted but that he must be baptized. The whole account of justifying faith, in Dr. Pusey's letter, has reference to its influence after a justi

We are next led to the sequel of all this, in the setting up of the teaching of the Church in the place of the oracles of God.

"Thus the faith which is required for baptism, in connection with repentance, the faith of a repenting sinner, seeking mercy through Christ, is identified with the faith of devils, equally dead, and equally without moral virtue or excellence, while each, the faith of the devil, and the faith of the penitent catechumen, is called a moral, supernatural instinct, implanted by the inward grace of God! Was ever truth like this?

"Now we are prepared to understand that such faith should be rested on the testimony of God, through the creeds of the Church, independently of all consultation of the Scriptures, as the primary and only rule of Faith. Such is Oxford doctrine. Mr. Newman contends that the sacred volume was never intended, and is not adapted to teach our creed, however certain it is that we can prove our creed from it, when it has once been taught us.' He contends for the insufficiency of the mere private study of Holy Scripture (i, e. without the pre-composed creed of the Church as a guide) for the arriving at the exact and entire truth which it really contains.' 'From the very first (he says) the rule has been, as a matter of fact, for the Church to teach the truth, and then appeal to Scripture in vindication of its own teaching,' while the way of heretics from the first has been to elicit a systematic doctrine from the scattered notices of the truth which Scripture contains.' Therefore the creeds of the Church are said to be divinely provided' (Newman's Hist. of the Arians, pp. 55, 56); a gift equally from God' with Holy Scripture; this, the record,' that, the interpreter,' of necessary truth;' and so it is contended that in primitive times the great duty of the Christian teacher was to unfold the sacred truths in due order, and not to insist prematurely on the difficulties' (that is the spiritual doctrines), or to apply the promises' (Hist. of the Arians, p. 57). Among our Oxford men, the matters to be sacredly reserved from

the catechumen, are such as the Atonement, because, says Tract No. 80, fully to know that we are saved by faith in Christ only, is a great secret, the knowledge of which can only be obtained by obedience, as the crown and end of holiness of life.' But this reserve can only be used, now that the Scriptures are in all hands, by discountenancing the free use of them by the uninitiated, the neophytes, and shutting them up, virtually, to the teaching of the Church, so far as her ministers choose to communicate it. Hence the stern war of Oxford divines against the study of the Evidences of Christianity, as a way of becoming established in the truth, instead of hearing the Church, and trusting by an instinctive faith' in her testimony (See British Critic, No. 51); hence the complaint that Protestants dispense with the Church, by basing the genuineness and authenticity of the Scriptures on history and criticism, (British Critic, No. 65); Paley's Evidences being as much an object of aversion to these writers, as substituted for the testimony of the Church, as his Moral Philosophy is in comparison with the Philosophy of Plato. Hence, because the Church of Rome requires this implicit faith in the Church, not sending her sons to the Scriptures, but requiring them to hear what they contain by and on her testimony, it must be allowed the praise, that it was ever distinguished as a pillar of the truth,' so that the Romanist cannot fail to think it a great defect in the English Church, that she has no authoritative voice of her own, and cannot put forth the Bible in the name of the English Church; and therefore is driven to make the Bible stand by itself, by a cumbrous apparatus of Evidences. (See British Critic, No. 64). Hence it is maintained that young men,' catechumens, though they may not be able formally to state the ground of their faith, yet they do receive it, whether they would say so or not, on the authority of the Church.' Hence also it is aid to be natural and proper that youth should have a comparatively external knowledge of religion. Do what we will, we cannot make its knowledge other than external-the opinions of youth are not so much in religion, as about religion.' (British Critic, p. 64). When therefore youth in due season make a right religious choice, it is not owing to clearness of intellect, &c., but to the possession of certain habitual ways of thinking and feeling, which we are not ashamed to call wholesome prejudices, constituting our notion of the believ

ing temper.' (British Critic, p. 41). Thus we come round again to the instinctive faith' which precedes baptism, faith without distinct knowledge; engaged only upon the external of religion, the naked assent of the catechumen of the Church of Rome. And this is all that is required of a sinner prior to being baptized!”

Some of the followers of the Oxford Tract leaders may be startled at hearing that the opinions which they have been taught, relative to justification and sanctification, are pronounced by the venerable Bishop Beveridge to be Socinian.

"The bishop ascribes the doctrine we have exhibited to Socinians, who hold, he says, that Justifying or Saving Faith is nothing else but obedience sincerely performed to the Law of God; so that Good Works are not the Fruit of Faith, but constitute the very form and essence of it.' This contradicts the whole tenor of the

Gospel and the grand design of Christ's coming into the world, and of all that he hath done or suffered for us.'

"Socinians and Romanists are not wide apart on the subject of Justification and Faith. A veil of mystical words, and the opus operatum of Sacraments, is nearly all that separates into such doctrine as that of Beveridge, them. It is quite refreshing to dip after all the shadows, and symbols, and vain shew of faith, in which we have been so long walking."

There are some striking chapters describing various particulars in which the Oxford Tract system symbolizes with Popery. The statements are too multifarious for quotation; but the proofs are most lucid and condemnatory.

With these passages we conclude Our remarks upon BiBeshop M'Ilvaine's treatise. lieving as we do in the Apostolical succession in the Church of Christ, in a Scriptural and Pro

testant

sense, which is far removed from the arrogant assumptions which Popery grafted upon it, we rejoice to see our own beloved, and truly apostoli

cal, portion of the Church Catholic, spreading its offsets to distant lands, where many a goodly tree has sprung up, and is bringing forth rich and holy fruits. Episcopacy is not a matter dependent upon the external relations of churches. They may be nationally established or otherwise; they may be rich or poor; they may include the mass of the people, or only a select body of the faithful; but the episcopal office is of divine appointment; and when in the hands of men eminently qualified, like Bishop M'Ilvaine, by piety and zeal; by love, and discretion; by mental and moral ability, to discharge its arduous functions, it becomes, through the divine blessing, a source and centre of

incalculably great and extensive spiritual benefits. Bishop M'Ilvaine, in this treatise, has endeavoured to exercise one of its prominent duties, "to drive away erroneous and strange doctrine;" and he has addressed himself to his task with much meekness and spiritual wisdom. There are many declaimers against the Tractarian writings, who hate them for what is best in them, their serious spirit. "They are much too strict for me," selfcomplacently exclaims many a worldly-minded careless shepherd; but such objections only cause a recoil in their favour; whereas solid scriptural argument, in the lips of devout and laborious men, comes with manifold force.

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THE names of Neff and Oberlin are familiar to British readers; that of Overberg, the narrative of whose life two translators have given as above in English from the German, is less known; but it was so eminently devout, useful, and exemplary, that cannot occupy a few pages better than in presenting some account of it. It may be sufficient to premise, that he was a Roman Catholic minister, who occupied, during a great number of years, the office of Teacher of the Normal School, and Director of the Theological Seminary, of Munster in Bavaria; and was also Chief Councillor of the Consistory (his royal patron, the late king of Prussia, having conferred

that post upon him.) He was offered in 1822 the second stall in Munster Cathedral, which is very valuable; but he declined it, from inability he said to fulfil the duties of the office.

Our extracts will be taken from the translation published last year, as we had marked them before we were aware that another translation had been published (by Messrs. Seeley) two years before. Each translation supplies some particulars left out in the other; but we ought to mention that the one which is stated to be issued by some "Society for the Promotion of Popular Instruction," omits some allusions to the Roman Catholic church; as for instance, that Overberg was con

"

fessor to the Lorraine Cloister :" and also converts" priests" into pastors," which gives too Protestant a colouring to the narrative. We are sure that nothing is more important in " popular instruction than open simplicity; and we may add that the constant remembrance of the fact that Overberg was a Roman Catholic, is specially important both as explanatory of some particulars in the narrative, and for Protestant edification; for the memoirs of devout men in the church of Rome, who have been enabled practically for their own souls' health to throw off many of the errors of the communion to which they belonged, are useful in proportion as we discern their position, and, while we imitate what was exemplary, are kept on our guard against what was delusive. We may read Kempis, or Fenelon, or Pascal, or Quesnel, with great spiritual advantage, when we know what were the characteristic errors of their system, especially as it would lead them to make the very virtues we admire a portion of their justification before God; but if we lose sight of this, we shall be in danger of confounding what was good with what was evil, and perhaps of imbibing false doctrine, while meditating upon acts flowing from a truly sanctified heart, though accompanied by much erroneousness of judgment.

These cautions premised, we shall proceed to the pleasanter duty of extracting some interesting particulars in the life of this humble and holy man.

"Bernhard Overberg was born on the 1st of May, 1754. He learned in his earliest years the answer to that question, What hast thou that thou didst not receive?' An extreme delicacy of constitution held back the development of both bodily and mental powers, so that he did not learn to walk till his fifth year, and when sent to CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 39.

school was so dull a scholar, that he wore out eight elementary books, before he had learnt to read with any degree of fluency. When he was nine years old, the clergyman at Voltlage died, and he overheard his father and mother converse upon his death, upon his useful life, how zealously he had laboured for the salvation of his flock, and also how improbable it was, that another so worthy would be appointed to the church. Bernhard, who had listened attentively to these remarks, thought in childish simplicity, How important must be this office. I should like to become a pastor myself.' The following day he was at work in the funeral: the sound seemed to thrill field, and heard the bell tolling for the through his soul, and he poured out his childlike prayer; Lord God! if and quickly, I will become a pastor." thou wilt help me to learn diligently From this time he made rapid progress, and at the end of six months, could not only read fluently himself, but assisted his master in teaching the younger children. His increasing religious knowledge and personal devotion were delightfully perceptible, and when he for the first time approached the table that, by the help of God, he would deof the Lord, he again renewed his vow vote himself to the work of the ministry."

"In 1780 he was appointed vicar of Everswinkel, and entered upon the regular discharge of his pastoral duties. His labours there, and the blessings which attended them, are still the theme of many of the inhabitants; and among the number an old blacksmith, in whose workshop Overberg had spent many of his leisure hours, related not long since the following circumstance:

Our vicar once preached such a sermon as had never been heard in Everswinkel before. He read the parable of the wedding garment, and his text was

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He was speechless.' The wedding garment he described as the righteousness with which a Christian must be invested, and stated in what that righteousness consisted. God had, he said, given us this robe at the baptismal font, but how had we preserved it? should have to give an account of this gift as well as others, at the great judgment day. He placed us, as it were, before the throne of God: then followed question after question, demand after demand; what had we to answer? 'And he was speechless,' said the vicar; then taking his biret (cap) he departed with tears in his eyes. The congregation were much impressed, they remained motionless for about a quarter of an hour, and then, one by 2 B