We ought to attempt the acqui- | sin, our helplessness, and the jussition of knowledge, were it only tice of the claims of God; wil that this world, and the future, may give an unspeakable emphasis to each be held in proper estimation. the Gospel of Christ, and lead us The proximity of the things which to embrace him as the only Saperish, give them magnitude and viour. Self-knowledge, indeed, importance far beyond their in- however painful, is essential to trinsic and relative value. It is by salvation, as without it we never an intimate acquaintance with eter- shall, we never can submit to renal realities, that we learn to treat ceive the righteousness of God: the things of time with contempt, nor can we ever give God the glory as mere vanities, when they would which he must and will receive claim the heart, and withdraw the from all who obtain honour, immind from God. The distance and mortality, and eternal life. invisibility of eternal things has Nor shall we exercise proper rendered them diminutive, and of compassion towards others, or secondary consideration, to the make due exertions for their relief, darkened understanding. But after without much knowledge. The having seen the inanity of worldly springs of benevolence are opened, good, the mind under divine teach- and the soul is aroused to compasing becomes prepared to receive sion as we become acquainted with proper sentiments and feel- with mankind, and are under the ings the blessings of salvation. influence of the Holy Spirit. We The things of time and sense les- are never led by the light of God sen in our view; their foliage merely to speculate on human woe. and beauty wither as we approach Jesus Christ beheld a perishing them; while the glories and bless- city, and wept over it: he saw ings of an eternal world discover thousands sinking beneath the more to secure our imperishable weight of their misery, and he hasfelicity, the more we contemplate tened to their relief. The Son of them. Hence they who have had God had all knowledge, and his the greatest degree of spirituality zeal for our salvation was proporof mind, have been the most grate-tionate to it. This knowledge will ful for present mercies, and the furnish our most important errands most ready to leave them all at the to the throne of grace. We shall divine summons. be earnest that calamities may be averted, burdens removed, and hearts changed, as our minds are aware of the evils of sin. As we are convinced of the misery of the world, so shall we labour in preaching, in Sunday school teaching, in prayer and in all means calculated to prevent the shipwreck of immortal souls. We ought to possess much selfknowledge in order to produce proper feelings of abasement before God, and to give vigour to our application to Christ for mercy. Our pride is the sin most fruitful of mischief and ruin. A sight of pollution spread through the powers of the soul, a knowledge of the narrowed and shrivelled state of the understanding, the obliquity of the will, the carnality of the affections, the discovery that we are earthly, sensual and devilish, will bring us into the dust before God. IT is greatly to be lamented that Our conviction of the demerit of in all ages of the church, many J. M. ON CHURCH DISCIPLINE. I consider unchristian-like treat- who have professed the fear of there not been many instances come God, have, through the strength under my own knowledge, of what of temptation, acting on a nature but partially renewed, fallen into sin; of the culpability of such there can be no doubt. The question I wish here to propose is, what is the duty of the church towards an offender, supposing him to manifest a spirit of contrition, and to be one of whom his brethren entertain the hope that his offended Lord will not at last exclude him from the abodes of the highest purity? Many, as well as myself, doubt the propriety of excluding a brother or a sister for a crime, who give evident signs of penitence and godly sorrow for having committed it. This appears to us contrary to the mild spirit of the gospel. And I WHEN Charles the Second assumbeg leave to ask, if such a mem-ed the government, the people ber be excluded, on what princi- consisted principally of three reliple can he ever be restored; since gious sects, the Presbyterians, it is the state of the mind only Independents, and Baptists; but that can change, the crime must the whole power of the kingdom ever remain against him? It is was in the hands of the Presbyteonly in the character of a peni-rians: the parliament was tent offender that he can be re- posed of their friends, and their ceived again into the church; form of church discipline was eswhere then is the consistency of tablished. excluding him while exhibiting those signs of humble penitence which are sufficient to secure his re-admission. HISTORY OF THE CORPORATION AND TEST ACTS. The Corporation Act. com To conciliate the affections of a people divided by religious distinctions, Charles the Second published the famous Declaration from Breda, copies of which he sent to the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament before he himself came For the better information of myself and others, I solicit some of my elder brethren to consider the subject, and give us their over. In that Declaration he thus thoughts upon it through the'medium of our Magazine. Church discipline is a very important, and oftentimes a very painful and delicate duty. To discharge it aright, we must be guided by the word of God, follow the example of our Saviour, and in the meekness of his spirit, endeavour to restore, lest that which is lame should be turned out of the way, which ought "rather to be healed." Had expressed himself: "We do declare a liberty to tender consciences, and that no man shall be disquieted or called in question for differences of opinion in matters of religion, which do not disturb the peace of the kingdom; and that we shall be ready to consent to such an act of parliament as upon mature deliberation shall be offered unto us for the full granting that indulgence." Trust ing to this assurance, the Presby- that shall not have, within one terians, notwithstanding a strong year next before such election or opposition from the other sects, choice, taken the Sacrament of entered heartily into his views, the Lord's Supper according to the and compassed his restoration. rites of the church of England;" and in default thereof, every such placing, election, and choice, was thereby declared to be void. By means of the Restoration, the church of England was tacitly re-established, but for some time afterwards the Presbyterian clergy Mr. Hume* gives the following were allowed to retain their liv- account of this Act :- During the ings; the king by proclamation violent and jealous government of stated his intention to have the li- the Parliament and of the Protecturgy revised, to which a strict tors, all magistrates liable to susconformity was not exacted; and picion had been expelled the corof the numerous vacant bishop-porations, and none had been adricks, several were not filled up. mitted who gave not proofs of Attempts were made, withont suc-affection to the ruling powers, or cess, (in which the Presbyterians who refused to subscribe the cohad good reason to complain of ill venant. To leave all authority in usage) to fix upon some discipline such hands seemed dangerous; and form of worship that should and therefore the Parliament eminclude them and the friends of powered the King to appoint comepiscopacy in one national church. missioners for regulating the corIn 1661, while the terms of this porations, and expelling such macomprehension, projected in pur-gistrates as either had obtruded suance of the king's declaration, themselves by violence, or prowere negotiating, the Corporation fessed principles dangerous to the Act passed. By that Act, power constitution, civil or ecclesiastiwas vested in commissioners ap-cal." agrees with the account of Mr. Hume. It appears that the Corporation Act originated in the House of Commons, and that when it was sent up to the Lords it did not contain the clause requiring persons elected to corporate offices to take the Sacrament, the preamble only briefly stating, "that the succes pointed by the king, to turn out The history of this Act, as taken what officers in corporations they from the parliamentary journals, thought fit, and to place other persons in their room; and it was further enacted,* that "after the expiration of the said commissions (which by a subsequent clauset were to determine on the 25th of March, 1663,) no person or persons shall ever hereafter be placed, elected, or chosen in, or to, any of the offices or places aforesaid,‡sion in corporations might be most probably perpetuated in the hands of persons well affected to his Majesty, and the established governThe offices and places before mentioned ment." The Lords made several in the Act, are those of " mayor, alderman, recorder, bailiff, town-clerk, common counalterations, and added the follow cilman, or any office or offices of magistracy, ing words to the former preamble,† or places, or trusts, or other employments" it being too well known, that relating to or concerning the government of the several cities, corporations, and bo- notwithstanding all his Majesty's 13 Car. II. c. 1. s. 12. + Sect. 13. roughs, and cinque-ports, and their memhers," within England, Wales, and Berwick-upon-Tweed. *Hist. Eng. vol. vii. p. 383. + Com. Journ. vol. viii. p. 336, * endeavours and unparalleled indul- | mental test, and was the only part gence in pardoning what is past, of the bill not of a temporary nanevertheless many evil spirits are ture, was proposed in the House still working; wherefore, for pre-of Lords with other amendments; vention of the like mischief for the and the Commons having aftertime to come, and for preservation wards agreed to those amendof the public peace both in churchments,† the bill was passed. Thus and state." And at first the Lords the clause in question, so far from new-modelled the whole of the being a principal, or even collateral bill; endeavouring, for instance, object of either house of parlialike true friends of despotism, to ment, was not so much as thought make this temporary expedient a of till after they had had two conperpetual change;" and inserted ferences upon the other parts of the a clause, directing that by the bill; and after its general scope 24th of June, 1662, all corpora- had been perfectly settled. Few tions should renew their charters, can doubt against whom this clause under penalty of their becoming was levelled; for, up to that time, null and void; and another clause, the sacrament had been designed that the king, in the manner pre- as a test from persons addicted to scribed in the act, should have popery only; and protestant dispower to appoint the mayor or senters were then almost univerchief magistrate, with the recor- sally communicants in the church. der, and town clerk, of every cor- But, contrary to the fact, let it poration, as vacancies might hap-even be admitted that this clause pen! But when the bill was sent of the act was framed expressly to back with these amendments for exclude all protestant dissenters, concurrence, the spirit of inde- was it not then a breach of the pendence warmed the Commons king's declaration from Breda, and into opposition: they objected to had not the presbyterians, in partigiving a permanent increase of cular, reason to complain of treapower to the crown, when they chery and injustice? Founded upon had only proposed a temporary his letter from Breda, the king isexpedient; they refused to commit sued a declaration to conciliate the a breach of trust, by destroying religious differences which divided the rights of their constituents; his subjects; and a bill was brought and demanded a conference with into the House of Commons for the House of Lords. After seve-giving full effect to it, but it was ral conferences, the Lords gave up thrown out upon the second reador altered all these objectionable clauses; but unfortunately, when the bill had been nearly five months under consideration of 'the two Houses, and after two conferences they were nearly agreed,§ an adjourument took place. When they met again, it should seem that the clause which imposed the sacra * Com. Journ. vol. viii. p. 310. + Ibid. Ibid. p. 312. ing. The presbyterians were then *Lords' Journ. vol. ix. p. 349. POETRY. Translated from an Italian Epigram, on seeing a representation of Christ bound to a pillar, to be scourged. Di marmo é la colona Di marmo son gli empi. MARBLE the pillar; marble they The pillar was by nature hard; Sin turn'd the Jews to stone; 'Twas love that harden'd thee, blest Lord, To constancy unknown. If I, for whom the scourge he felt, Ryland's Pastoral Memorials, vol. ii. Happiness. By Bishop Heber. Can God, I thought, the just, the great, The boon of happiness? Tell me, ye woods and smiling plains, In which of Nature's wide domains The birds wild carol'd o'er my head, I question'd Love, whose early ray And heard the timid genius say, His light was dimm'd by tears." I question'd Friendship-Friendship sigh'd, And thus her answer gave :— "The few whom Fortune never tried, Are wither'd in the grave." I ask'd if Vice could bliss bestow; I sought of Feeling, if her skill I question'd Virtue-Virtue sigh'd, I question'd Death-the grisly shade And I am Happiness," he said, "If Virtue guide thee here." Heaven. We know but little of that place, While we in earthly scenes remain, We seek-but never find: Yes, there we find a heaven of joy, A home of endless rest: There would I gently lean my head, Enfold me in thy arms: R. G. |