to Sabbath, and sometimes upon special occasions our attendance is very considerable; as on the last occasion when we celebrated the Lord's Supper, when more than four hundred persons assembled in our hall of worship, and among these a great number appeared to receive the best impressions. A short time ago I was called to officiate at the interment of a Protestant lady, and as the ceremony took place towards the evening, at the moment when a great number of workmen left off work, a large mass of spectators were drawn by curiosity to the cemetery. When I arrived in the midst of this multitude, amounting to at least fifteen hundred souls, I was apprehensive of some disorder, or at least of being interrupted by noise in the service, but all passed off amidst the greatest quietness. The address which I delivered was generally listened to with attention and acceptance, and, when the ceremony was ended, we saw with joy the whole multitude retire with the utmost stillness and order. Still, if we do not meet with those violent and continued persecutions with which some of the Churches of Belgium have had to contend, what the Apostle Paul has said is true also among us, that 'all those who will live godly in Jesus Christ shall suffer persecution.' Here is a father of a family who is threatened with desertion by his wife for opposing his child's taking his first communion in the Church of Rome; and here is a young man whom his parents do everything in their power to prevent from reading the Word of God; while on their side the clergy utter loud menaces against us anathemas, calumnies, and even lies. Before another year is out, according to them, our cause will be dead, and our temple sold, and converted into an office for the commune, &c., &c. Thanks be to God! we feel that a principle of real and genuine life exists among us, and that we can go forward to meet the future without any fear of being so near an end."

"It is not in vain that the candle of the Word has been displayed in the midst of our profound darkness. Many souls have rejoiced, and still rejoice, in its lifegiving light. Hundreds have passed over from Romanism to Protestantism, and a great many from death to the life in Christ. Yes! among these stones which the hammer of the Gospel has brought down from the great edifice of Rome, many are now built into a spiritual

house. We have sometimes heard mothers and wives who were themselves Roman Catholics exhort their children and husbands to attend our religious meetings, in the hope of seeing them break off their evil habits, as such and such a one of their neighbours had done. And many of these solicitations have been listened to, and several of these workmen and fathers of families, whose return home had almost been looked forward to with trembling, have had their consciences awakened, their hearts changed, and are now become the children of peace."

"The dissemination of the holy Scriptures and religious tracts, the proclamation of a free salvation made from house to house

in prayer-meetings, at public worship, and upon occasion of interments, have acted with effect upon the immense population, and everything promises a great future work. The field is immense, and it promises to yield an increase of good fruit. The work at Lize is no longer in its commencement. God has already put upon it the seal of his powerful benediction, and the alarm spread in the Roman camp has already reached such a point that the Bishop of Liege, who two years ago refused a priest to the inhabitants of Lize, has lately sent them two to oppose what he calls the progress of heresy.

"God continues," says M. Cacheux, in a letter which I have since received from him, "to pour out his blessing upon my feeble efforts. More than 200 persons, all converts from Rome, attach themselves decidedly to the Evangelical worship; and we cherish the fondest hopes in regard to a certain number of others whom we are not permitted to visit; the awakening is not at an end, and we believe we have good reason to expect that on the occasion of the opening of our new chapel, a new movement, more or less considerable, will take place. We are, therefore, using every exertion to prevent the sad necessity of suspending our works, and postponing the opening of our chapel, and of failing to meet the numerous engagements which we have been obliged to contract. Oh, my dear Sir, and brother! how hard and difficult are moments like these which I am now enduring: workmen employed, who in a day or two will be coming to demand their wages; standing liabilities contracted, and which at any instant I may be called upon to meet, and not one sou in hand to meet them. Church is composed entirely of poor and

As our

of the Popish Church is built. Her sacramental theory rests upon it, and, from that theory, her worst abominations spring. Other Churches, holding this doctrine, may reject her sacramental theory,-may join issue with her on the subject of the efficacy of baptism, and, consequently, may, to all appearance, steer clear of her grossness, at least for a time; but will not the fundamental doctrine of such Churches bring them back to her at last? Is it possible, in short, to hold the doctrine of universal grace without setting wide the door for all the abominations of Romanism? My belief is, that it is not possible; and to show that it is not, is the main object of the following Essay." *

دو

The first of our author's chapters is devoted to an examination of "Popish Baptism; or, "Popery in the full ear." Baptismal Regeneration, or, "grace," he shows, by abundant quotations, to be the doctrine of the Popish Church. Baptism, according to the Roman creed, is essential to salvation, and the unbaptized must perish. Baptism confers an indelible spiritual mark, so that, once baptized, we are the children of God, and, although we may fall from grace and perish eternally through mortal sin, yet we never can cease to be regenerate. The baptized are Christ's Church, and the rite of baptism, administered to the whole world, would render it the kingdom of Christ! This is the doctrine of Popery!

Mr. M. has been peculiarly happy in illustrating his third section on this head. He shows with much perspicuity and power, that the doctrine of universal atonement is the real foundation of the system, that, if baptismal regeneration be the root, universal atonement is the seed from which the whole has sprung.

In his second chapter, Mr. Marshall treats of Episcopalian Baptism, or, as he terms it, " Popery in the ear." The doctrine of by far the larger part of the Episcopalian Church is that of Archdeacon Wilberforce, given in the following few but pithy words:"For this reason was the system of sacraments ordained, as, being the means whereby the humanity of the Word should extend itself to others; so that men might hereby have the same relation to the second Adam, which the course of nature gave them to the first. On this account is the gift of regeneration first bestowed on holy baptism."+ Even the Archbishop of Canterbury, though the foe of Puseyism, contends for the theory of what he calls, common grace." This, he says, "is given

.

in baptism, and brings all who receive it into a state of favour with God, from which, indeed, they may fall, so as finally to perish, but which, provided they make good use of their privileges, shall issue in eternal life."* On this head, Mr. M. shows, we think, most conclusively, that, as in the Church of Rome, the turning-point of the system is the doctrine of universal atonement, that grace is purchased by our Lord Jesus Christ for all men indiscriminately,—the Church being constituted the Depository of that grace, and the sacraments, as dispensed by the ministers of the Church, the channels through which it flows. The Romish doctrine of baptism is precisely that of Anglican High Churchism. "According to our Church," says Dr. Pusey, "We are by baptism brought into a state of salvation, or justification." + "Justification," says the Bishop of London, 'begins in baptism, when the children of wrath are regenerated by water and the Holy Ghost, and are made children of God. Remission of sins is expressly declared to be then given; and remission of sins implies justification in the proper sense of the term. Grace is also then given; and, by virtue of that grace, the person receiving it, and thenceforth using and improving it, continues to believe in the atonement made by Jesus Christ, and to seek for, and realize the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and to be renewed, day by day, in the inner man. As long as he does this, he continues in a state of justification,

his sins which cleave even unto the regenerate, are forgiven as they are repented of, and forsaken, and the work of sanctification goes on." Such is the prevailing theology, in the far greater part of the Anglican Church, held and taught by men of highest talent, and profound erudition,— a theology differing hardly, if at all, from that of Rome! "And what," asks our author, with propriety and point, "is the radical principle from which it springs?" I answer, without hesitation, it springs from the doctrine of universal atonement, or, in other words, "from a denial of the sovereignty of the Divine procedure in the work of redemption." "The one baptism for the remission of sins," says the circular recently sent throughout the Episcopal churches directing attention to the decision in the Gorham case, "the one baptism, by which the Catholic Church hath ever proclaimed to man the glorious tidings of universal redemption, and in which the divinely inspired founders of the faith built up that mighty system of sacramental agency,-the ladder between heaven and earth,—the

Our limits do not permit us to enter even on an outline of the two remaining chapters of Mr. Marshall's book. In the Congregational baptism," he finds "Popery in the blade;" and he handles, on this point, with severity, but without acrimony, the sentiments of the leading Independents both in England and in our sister kingdom. His fourth chapter considers "Presbyterian baptism;" and here he finds Popery rooted up." "" In the subordinate standards of the Presbyterian Church, and in the sentiments of her clerical and lay writers, this is undoubtedly the case; but we be lieve Popish notions on the subject of the sacraments to be extensively prevalent even among professed Presbyterians. This last portion of Mr. Marshall's book, however, we regard as peculiarly valuable. It is lucid, powerful, and thoroughly scriptural. We earnestly commend it, as, indeed, we do the whole volume, to the serious perusal

of our readers.

appen

Of the essay of Witsius, on The Efficacy of Baptism," forming Mr. M.'s dix, we need say nothing. It is a noble production; and it is admirably trans

lated.

We have found almost nothing in the volume with which we could reasonably find fault. On one point only do we feel inclined to dissent from Mr. Marshall's views. It regards the mode of baptism. "On few subjects," he says, "has so much useless discussion been expended. It seems clear to any one who reads the Scriptures with an unbiassed mind, that plunging, sprinkling, and pouring, are, all of them, valid forms of baptism; and, consequently, that a little Christian forbearance on both sides-such forbearance as would allow Churches and individuals to baptize, or to be baptized, according to whichever of these three modes they may prefer—is all that is necessary to bury this part of the controversy in complete oblivion."

We regret this statement. We consider the mode of the administration of the one sacrament, as of equal importance with that of the other. The form of administering the holy Supper is most plainly and distinctly laid down in Scripture; and we cannot conceive that the form of the other * Page 4.

VOL. V.

should not be equally so. We believe the mode and the subjects of baptism to be as clearly set forth in the New Testament as the ordinance itself; and we should rejoice if our respected friend, on his work realizing a second edition-which we trust it will soon do-should see cause to cancel the objectionable paragraph to which we have just referred. His Baptist brethren will not accept the concession he has made; and his Presbyterian brethren, most of whom hold decided views on the subject, will rejoice in the omission.

We shall be glad to know that this very masterly volume has obtained an extensive circulation.

Lectures and Sermons. By the late JAMES M'LAGAN, D.D. With a Preface, by

the Rev. A. D. DAVIDSON, Aberdeen. London: Nisbet and Co.

DR. M'Lagan was a man of such modesty, that he shrank from every prominent position, and could scarcely ever be induced to print a sentence of his own composing. Yet he was one of the mightiest masters in theological science, which these latter days God's Word, and yet a professed and indehave yielded. A reverential student of pendent thinker, few have been favoured with views of revealed truth more comprehensive, or a faith more firm. To those who love massive thought pervaded by devotional feelings, this volume will be a feast of fat things; and to the rising ministry it may be commended as shewing how possible it is to be orthodox, and yet original, and how the closest adherence to Scripture is the highest sublimity. A book containing so many important thoughts in a guise so unostentatious, has seldom appeared since the days of Bishop Butler and

Jonathan Edwards.

A Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy, &c. By ISAAC BARROW, D.D. Edited, with Introduction and Notes, by THOMAS M'CRIE, D.D., LL.D. Edinburgh: Johnstone and Hunter.

THIS is most appropriately the first volume of a Protestant library. In the words of the editor, "As a historico-political argument against the Papacy, it stands unrivalled, and must remain unanswered;" and whether or not he has energy to read it regularly through, every theologian would like to possess such a master-piece of reasoning, and such a store-house of antiPapal authorities and arguments. Το this edition great value is added by Dr. M'Crie's instructive preface.

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