his first epistle to Timothy; where, in evident allusion to Judaizing deluders of the converts he had made at Ephesus, he says, "the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned; from which some having swerved, have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law." To the Romans also, the same apostle says of these aspirants, as indiscreet as they were ambitious, that being "confident of their ability to be guides to the blind, a light to them that sat in darkness, instructers of the foolish, and teachers of babes, yet they had only the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law." It is against the affectation of an office so ill desired, and so i administered, aspired to through motives which had nothing in them becoming true religion, and executed in a manner not in any degree suited to promote the interests of truth or sound knowledge or godliness, according to the law, that St. James seems to warn the persons whom he addresses. Aware that through the presumption of teaching others, they would expose themselves to the severer consequences of their disobedience of the law and its requisitions, he urges upon them the folly and wickedness of their proud aspiring to be masters, according to the so prevalent spirit of their day, to which our lord himself is shown us by the evangelists so frequently adverting, over their brethren. Brethren, be not many masters, knowing that ye shall receive the greater condemnation. The epistle of St. James, having been addressed alike to Jews yet unconverted to the faith of Christ, and to those among the nation who had received the faith in general, yet had nourished errours inconsistent with its purity, this interpretation of his meaning, in this place, seems reasonably to demand our acquiescence. There is, however, another, which is modified according to the supposition that the apostle ad dresses himself here, as in the epistle generally, to those who, from among the twelve tribes, scattered abroad, having received the Christian faith, yet retained many of the habits of religious errour, which so greatly characterized this period of this unhappy nation's history. As in the Jewish syna. gogues, it was customary, after a chapter had been read from the books of the old testament scriptures, that every one who had sufficient learning and ability, might be permitted to expound and to exhort, the same custom is supposed to have prevailed in the assemblies of the primitive church. St. James, therefore, it has been supposed, here warns his readers against the abuse of this liberty, and advises them to be cautious lest they executed this task to the perversion of others, and of course to their own condemnation. Whether this interpretation of the language of St. James, in this place, or that which was first stated to you, be received as the true one, it is evident, that although he adverts to an evil of his own peculiar day, he yet adverts to errours of feeling and of conduct, which have been transmitted through all ages of the church. Legalized practices, exactly corresponding with those, on the abuse of which, his admonition was founded, may not, indeed, make part of the discipline of the church in our day; but, perhaps, we may find, on consideration, that St. James does not utter in this place, that which may not bear an application, in which we may reasonably indulge an interest, and from which we may derive useful and wholesome instruction. then inquire, whether in general, there is any evil in the church of Christ, to which this admonitory precept may be applied, and see what the consideration is, by which such evil, so far as it may be admitted to exist, should be restrained. Brethren, be not many masters, knowing that ye shall receive the greater condemnation. Let us The history of the church, as well as experience and observation, make this a copious subject. My purpose must necessarily be, simply to suggest to - you, a practical application of the exposition of it, as an obscure, and, as it appears in our translation, somewhat difficult passage of this epistle. The apostle need not be understood to direct his advice and admonition, against the desire to exercise an office, sacred in its institution and authority; but against the ambitious affecting of the character of masters in religious things, on the part of those who held no office in the church, having sacred obligations and intent. Where, then, in the history of the church, since his day, may not the spirit of this be seen, agitating, in a greater or less degree, the household of faith, and disturbing the peace of the followers of Christ? We look, indeed, with wonder and with gratitude at the dispensation of heavenly wisdom, which, in one or another age, raises up the bold assertor of truth, and endues him with strength and fortitude for its defence, against the unhallowed designs of its corrupters, or for its rescue from the hands of weak and pusillanimous traitors to its cause. The hand of heaven, in such occurrences, may be recognis. ed, and should be honoured and adored. But the restless spirit of the pride of individual wisdom, or of the impatience of obligation, which would express and confine men within prescribed limits of religious conduct, that neither cross nor interfere with any which the scriptures have set, is not characteristick of the true and faithful disciple of the Son of God. God has his own instituted method of instructing and enlightening his household. He chooses not that men should rashly take the office upon themselves of instructers, censors, and guides of their brethren; and they, who, in some portions of the Chris. tian community, may be frequently found asserting their right and capacity, uncalled and uninstructed, to teach, and exhort, and admonish, are in di Of the extent to which this evil has prevailed, we may form some conception, by adverting to the innumerable divisions and subdivisions of religious party, which, at the instigation of such as would be masters, in all ages of religious liberty, have dishonoured and disturbed the church. The severe impositions of popery, by which heresies and schisms were for some centuries repressed, constituted a greater evil than they, and claim our reasonable abhorrence. But the liberation of the human mind from the shackles of arbitrary imposition, was the liberation also of the spirit of dissension, inseparable from the infirmity and corruption of man, from the confinement in which it had been kept, and a new confusion of tongues was its consequence. While we rejoice in the blessings of religious freedom, which it is the manifest will of God that the professors of the religion of Christ, ever should enjoy, we must lament the abuses to which man, in the spirit more of antichrist, than of the gospel law of liberty, is for ever perverting it; and applying the language of the apostle before us, to such abuses, may reasonably feel ourselves required to disapprove, and, by all prudent and consistent means, restrain and discountenance the pride of individual opinion, or the excessive ardour of individual feeling and persuasion in religious things, which would lead men, with little opportunity of qualification for such an office, to affect to be teachers and leaders of their brethren. We have seen this evil, in our day, operating to no small extent; and perhaps it may have encroached on the order and harmony, in some portions of its territory, of our own communion. They who should meekly follow the counsels of the church, in which they were placed by Providence, as hearers of counsel, and not authors of it to others at large, and receive with all godly quietness, that which, not at variance with scripture, is the engrafted word adapted to their instruction unto salvation, have unhappily been found, in some instances, far more ambitious to teach, than willing to be taught. Even the church itself, both as to its ministry and people, might receive, if it would, the benefit of their imagined excellence of qualification, to enlighten its darkness, and correct its doctrines; while their brethren within their own immediate personal sphere, shall hear them exhort, expound, and pray; or, foolishly content with their authorized minister's instruction alone, remain but half enlightened, and go on unconverted, in the course of the cold formalities of the church, to their destruction. We shall mistake, my brethren, if we suppose, that the spirit thus imperfectly characterized, goes about, altogether, within other borders than our own, or that it has not risen in our own immediate day, to distract the minds of the weak, and infringe the right or der of the church. There are always those, to whom the admonition of the text is applicable; and it is perpetually necessary to guard the church from confusion, and the minds of its members from distraction, by dissuading men from the rash enterprise of attempting to lead the sentiments of their brethren in religious things, and laying down for them the law of religious opinions and behaviour. The consideration, by which the apostle enforces his peculiar advice, is universally applicable, and may suitably be referred to, where we would ourselves be instrumental of correcting an evil of a similar character and tendency. "Knowing that ye shall receive the greater condemnation." If, my brethren, it is true of the duly authorized ministers of Christ, that they bear upon them, a burden of ha zardous responsibility, and when they have preached to others, may, for their insufficient vigilance, and faithfulness to prevent the misery of others, be come themselves cast away from the divine presence and favour, how manifestly must the danger of even greater condemnation, attach to the unnecessary, rash, and unauthorized assumption of an office, whose province is the direction of the sentiments, and the regulation of the habits of men, in their relation to their God and Saviour! O, who sees not the awful risk they run, who thus take upon them to regulate the opinions, and authoritatively influence the actions of their fellow men, in things of sacred and eternal import! The admonitions of friendship, and the kind suggestions of charity for the souls of men, are always consistent with the duty of every member of the church of Christ, however humble his lot, or small his opportunity of improvement. But we can be at no loss to distinguish these from the magisterial attitude too often taken, and the task assumed for systematick execution, of instructing and guiding the minds of men, to the supply of their deficiency in knowledge, or the correction of their errours of opinion, or the animation of their too cold and formal religious conduct. Let the supposition of errour, in the res ligious doctrine or opinion inculcated or enforced by those who thus take the spiritual interests of their brethren under their care, be admitted, or let the temper and conduct induced by them, be supposed at variance with those fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, brotherly kindness, and the like, and how easy is it to admit the position of the text, that against them there is a heavier sentence of condemnation, prepared of the Judge in heaven. The ministers of the gospel of Christ can, we trust, in no case, be insensible to the awfulness of the consideration, that the souls of men, made a sacrifice to their perverseness, negligence, or caprice, will be demand ed at the day of account at their hands. How reasonably, therefore, may they urge upon those who have not the solemn responsibility with which they are invested, that they do not need lessly expose themselves to danger, greater than otherwise impends their immortal destiny, by affecting to guide their fellow men, where it may be their unhappiness most perniciously and perilously to mislead them. There is, however, another view in which this conduct, to which the admonition of the text is directed, implies danger of divine displeasure. It bespeaks a pride of self, which the religion of the gospel does not warrant, and which its author cannot but disap prove and condemn. Spiritual pride is the real principle of this conduct, (unknown perhaps, sometimes, to him who indulges it,) whatever of benevo lence for men, or of zeal for God, it may affect to have for its motive. It is because men, by some unaccountable delusion of their own evil heart, are persuaded that they are wiser and better than others, that they would undertake to be their master in Israel. Let, then, a true, be substituted for this extravagant, self estimation, and men will learn, that it is enough for them, that they improve to the utmost that they can, the occasions heaven may afford them to become wise unto salvation; and while they let their brethren have their prayers and their counsel, seasonably, and in the spirit of meekness and fear administered, "labour to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. thrown by the pride and presumption: of spiritual precedence and rule, out of the restraint necessary to its right and happy use. It were unnecessary, however, to a sufficient enforcement of the advice of the apostle, which we have been considering, and the subject may therefore be dismissed with a mere recital of his forcible and penetrating appeal. This wisdom, which in the pride of self estimation is affected, adequate to all men's own moral necessi-, ties, and their brethrens' also, descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where there is bitter anger on account of opinions, to which it unavoidably leads, and strife in maintaining them, there must be tumult and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be persuaded, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Let us then, humbly seek to be possessed of this true wisdom; and under its guidance seek our way to eternal life and glory. For the Gospel Advocate. CONCORDATE OR BOND OF UNION BE TWEEN THE CATHOLICK REMAINDER Ir will perhaps be recollected by some of our readers, that, in our number for March, 1821, we republished from the Churchman's Magazine, the address of the Scottish bishops, "to the Episcopal clergy in Connecticut." In that address, mention is made of "a concordate drawn up and signed by the bishops of the church in Scotland on the one part, and by bishop Seabury on the other, the articles of which are to serve as a bond of union between the catholick remainder of the ancient church of Scotland and the now rising church in the state of Connecticut." The copy of this concor date sent to the clergy of that diocese, not having been deposited in any publick archives, or transmitted, as far as we can learn, from the first bishop to his successors in office, cannot now be found; but through the kindness of the right reverend Dr. Skinner, the present bishop of Aberdeen, and the son and successor of one of the vener able bishops who assisted at the consecration of bishop Seabury, we have been favoured with a correct copy of one of the most primitive documents of modern times. We hasten therefore to lay it before our readers, requesting them before they peruse it to refresh their recollections by turn. ing to the address in the 94th and 95th pages of our first volume. It may be necessary to premise, that in consequence of the political disabilities of the Scottish bishops, many of the Episcopal clergy and laity in Scotland remained in the anomalous state of paying no ecclesiastical obedience to the apostolick succession. However they may have justified this on a plea of obedience to the civil authority, the mo. ment the Scottish bishops took the oaths required by the existing government, it became the duty of the clergy and laity to submit to their lawful government. Those who did not thus submit, became guilty in the language of bishop Horsley, of "keeping alive a schism." It was this state of things in the year 1784, to which the third article of the concordate alluded. To worthy bishop Seabury; and distinctly proves the soundness of their sentiments and opinions on the most important points of theology. The circumstances of our church are indeed considerably altered since that period; a change for the better, which is in a great measure to be ascribed to the part which its governours took in contributing to lay the foundation of your American church. By this means they were made known to some of those worthy friends in Eng. land, through whose benevolent exertions we were relieved from the severe penalties of legal restriction, under which our pious predecessors had been so long depressed: and although in point of numbers we are greatly inferiour to our presbyterian and sectarian countrymen, yet in the respectability and rank of our members, we are, to say the least, fully on a level with the establishment. Those anomalous intruders of English or Irish ordination, of whom the concordate complains in such severe terms, are now reduced to a very few congregations, not above six or sev. en in the whole kingdom; and in no long time, there will not, I hope, be any in Scotland professing themelves Episcopalians who are not really such by submitting themselves to the spi ritual authority of their indigenous bishops." IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY, ONE GOD, BLESSED FOR EVER, AMEN. heal this schism has been for many Father, Son, & Holy Ghost, years an incessant object of exertion among the pious and consistent friends of the church; and we are happy to add that their labours for peace have not been in vain. "I feel most hap. py," says bishop Skinner, "in having it in my power to inclose for you a correct copy of the concordate which you mention as likely to prove a very acceptable present. This interesting document forms a pleasing record of the perfect harmony and unanimity which subsisted between the bishops of our church at that time, and the THE wise and gracious providence of this merciful God, having put it into the hearts of the Christians of the Episcopal persuasion in Connecticut in North America, to desire that the blessings of a free, valid, and purely ecclesiastical episcopacy might be communicated to them, and a church regularly formed in that part of the western world upon the most ancient and primitive model: and application |