with him to his own Master he | ing principle of such a society, standeth or falleth; and we the that the lesser number of members same. But if he propose to have Christian fellowship with us, it is right that we should inquire whether his principles so far coincide with ours, as that the end proposed may be accomplished. Is there not a wide difference between my persecuting, or wishing to persecute, a Deist, and refusing to unite with him in church fellowship? I believe also, that Mr. R.'s principles are as opposed to right reason, to common sense, and to the rules of society in general, as they are to Scripture. In large societies, the govern ment of a nation for instance, they are obliged to be very general, and cannot maintain such a minute regularity, as in secieties of less extent. But even here, some union of sentiment is required. Suppose a Jacobite, for example, were to insist that King George was not the rightful possessor of the throne, would he have a right to form one of his Majesty's ministry? And suppose he were to express his intention, if opportunity offered, of uniting to dethrone him, would not the Government have a right to banish him the kingdom? Whether they would invariably use their right, is another thing; but the right itself they would undoubtedly possess. should, in all matters of debate, submit to the greater; and another, that a certain sum of money should be paid by each member at certain times. Now, just suppose any one member should dissent from the rules; common sense suggests the necessity of his being convinced or excluded. But, it seems, a Christian society has not the authority of a common club! It cannot be difficult to prove that a union of faith respecting the proper deity of the Great Author of our religion, and the object of our worship, is of quite as much importance in religious society, as any of the above in civil society. Surely, the dethroning of the Son of God, by the denial of his essential deity, cannot be less pernicious in the Gospel dispensation, than the denial of his Majesty's authority, and the endeavour to dethrone him, would be in these realms. Some of the grand ends of Christian society are, unitedly to worship God--to devote ourselves to the blessed Trinity, by Christian baptism-and to acknowledge the atonement made by the Redeemer, by a participation of the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. But what union could there he in worship, where the object worshipped is not In lesser societies, where persons the same?--where one party beunite for the sake of obtaining lieves the other to be an idolater, certain ends, it is always expected and the other believes him to be a that they should agree in certain degrader of Him, who is over leading principles necessary to the all, God, blessed for ever!" What accomplishment of those ends. fellowship could there be in the Hence, there is scarce a society Lord's Supper, for instance, (not formed without articles, testifying to mention baptism,) where one the agreement of the members in party thought sin to be an infinite certain fundamental particulars. evil-that they, being the subjects Suppose, for example, a common of it, deserved an infinite curseclub, united for the purpose of as- that no atonement could be made sisting each other in time of afflic- but by an infinite sacrifice--that tion. It is supposed to be a lead the sacrifice of Christ was such, 66 ANDREW FULLER, and an instance of infinite grace | righteousness with unrighteousness? and love-and that the design of and what communion hath light the Sacred Supper is to revive in with darkness? and what concord our minds these affecting truths ;- hath Christ with Belial? and what and where the other party believed part hath he that believeth with an none of these things-had no con- infidel? Be ye not unequally yoked ception that sin was so great an together with unbelievers.” evil as to deserve infinite punishYours sincerely, ment, or to need an infinite atonement-that, in fact, they are not such great sinners, as to need, not only a Saviour, but a great one? That which is to the one "the glorious Gospel of the blessed God," is to the other foolishness, and an insult, forsooth, upon his dignity! ON ORDINATIONS. To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. THE reading of a Paper in your February Number, "On the ImIf ever any professed Christians portance of Ordinations," brought differed in the essentials of religion, forcibly to my remembrance the Calvinists and Socinians do. I celebrated reply of the late Mr. wish to conduct myself towards a Pitt, in the beginning of his parliaSocinian no otherwise than I be- mentary career, to an insulting lieve a Socinian ought to conduct observation on his youth;-"The himself towards me, on the suppo- atrocious crime of being a young sition that I am in error. Dr. man, which the Hon. Gentleman Priestley acts more consistently, has with so much spirit and deand more like an honest man, than cency charged upon me, I shall Mr. R. He denies the propriety of neither endeavour to palliate nor Unitarians and Trinitarians unit-deny," &c. I have no doubt, Sir, ing together in divine worship, and that there are young ministers who exhorts all of the former class to display a spirit of pride and a love form separate societies. This I of novelty, nor have I any doubt, cordially approve: for verily, what-that where such feelings exist, it is ever esteem we may entertain for highly proper and Christianly to each other as men, in religion there discountenance them; but I cancan be no harmony. Either we not help fearing, lest in our zeal are a company of idolaters, or they against vanity and innovation, are enemies to the Gospel-ren- who wear the grey crown of old dering the cross of Christ of none age," should sometimes assume effect. Either they are unbeliev-what may be mistaken for a frowners, or we are at least as bad-ing, brow-beating aspect, like that rendering to a creature that hom- of the antagonist of the celebrated age which is due only to the Creator; and, in either case, a union is the last degree of absurdity. Whatever, then, my dear friend, Mr. R. or any one else may suggest, under the specious pretence of liberality of sentiment, I trust you and I shall ever give heed to the better reasonings of an inspired Apostle :-" What fellowship hath - 66 we an statesman above mentioned; aspect, the tendency of which is to check that spirit of inquiry, and that independence of thought, which we might spare, perhaps, had we arrived at perfection; but which, while improvement is possible, it is in the highest degree important to preserve. I say again, I wish not to encourage the pre sumption of vain and upstart inno vators; but neither would I say, or seem to say, any thing which should encourage the spirit of legitimacy, as a politician would call it an earnest anxiety to preserve things as they are, without regard to their usefulness and importance. Baptist ministers are not the people to impose bondage on thought, though they should be subject to the indignity of being opposed by their juniors, or even sometimes to the mortification of baving errors which they had sanctioned, exposed and discarded. None are more ready than we to oppose the claims of the church of Rome, or to upbraid it with its cowardly attempts to support those elaims, by checking the spirit of inquiry. common justice requires that your Corespondent should abstain from using terms, which affix to the persons he opposes an undeserved and unappropriate stigma. It is too much like calling a Dissenter a Jacobite, that we may persecute him without fear. I think it cannot for a moment be doubted, that reasonable and sensible men, whether old or young, may entertain scruples about the propriety of the ceremony commonly called ordination: I would entreat "A publicly recognized. Pastor," therefore, to reflect whether, in holding up these young men to public odium, he may not be committing an act of injustice, and visiting the scrupulousness of a tender, though perhaps mistaken conscience, with unmerited chastisement. I suppose, for the sake of the argument, that the scruple is an improper one. The discussion of this question would occupy more room than you would be willing now to allow me; however, the following hints present grounds on which the young men in question might, at least plausibly, object to ordination. Though acquainted with several ministers, both young and old, who have settled as pastors without ordination," I have no means of discovering to whom your Correspondent alludes: they may be persons whose general conduct displays pride and a love of novelty, and, if so, perhaps it was fair to suspect that the same feelings prompted them in the instance referred to; otherwise, I cannot The Scriptural word ordain (kahelp thinking “A publicly recog-rasnans), in Titus i. 5.) means apnized Pastor" unkind, in attribut- point; and does not include a ing their conduct to those motives, reference to any public ceremony as he is evidently disposed to do, at all: what it does mean implies instead of charitably giving them a power and authority in the church credit for scrupulous consciences, which not even the most obstinate as to the expediency or lawfulness stickler for ordination, at least of the usual ceremony. Nor is it among us, ever pretends to; and quite fair to refer to such scruples, which the whole character of the as he does somewhat tauntingly, ceremony now called ordination, as a discovery; he doubtless knows and often the assertions of the mithere are talented, and rather el-nisters who conduct it, shew they derly ministers, who settled as pastors without ordination" when the young men who have followed their example were in their cradles; and if it be any disgrace to a young man to be alone in an opinion, do not pretend to: indeed, the impropriety of our use of this term seems to be felt by your Correspondent, when he signs himself, not "an ordained,” but “a publicly recognized pastor." To plead this Scripture, therefore, in support | done, and for which they have reof the modern ordination, is to ceived castigation from "A pubadduce an act of authority by in- licly recognized Pastor." I am, Sir, &c. A COUNTRY MINISTER. HORA EVANGELICE. spired men, as authorizing a ceremony of a totally different character, performed by uninspired men, who pretend to no authority at all; just as the church of Rome defends its sacrament of extreme unction, administered to the dying, as a passport to heaven, by referring to the anointing oil, applied in apostolic days, and by divine authority," AND Jesus, walking by the sea for the recovery of the sick. (Continued from p. 107.) THE GOSPEL OF ST. MATTHEW. of Galilee, saw two brethren, SiSo much for the “jus divinum" mon, called Peter, and Andrew, of public recognition. For the his brother, casting a net into the rest, I think, with your Correspon- sea; for they were fishers. And dent, that a public service for so- he saith unto them, Follow me, lemnly supplicating the divine and I will make you fishers of men. blessing, on a person newly chosen And they straightway left their to a situation so important and re-nets, and followed him. And gosponsible as that of a Christian ing on from thence, he saw other pastor, is on most grounds highly two brethren, James, the son of proper and seasonable; although I Zebedee, and John, his brother, in am disposed to except to some of a ship, with Zebedee their father, the reasons by which he would mending their nets; and he called support it. It is certain, however, them. And they immediately left that some danger attends it: there the ship and their father, and folis a danger lest its unvaried ob-lowed him.” servance, and in pretty nearly the There is one circumstance in this same form, should beget an idea passage to which the reader's atthat ordination (in our, not the tention is particularly solicited. It scriptural sense of the term,) is a is this-that our Lord, after the divine ordinance; and that it, and call of Peter and Andrew, having not the choice of the church, be- proceeded a little further along the stows the right to act as a pastor shores of the sea of Galilee, saw and hence come all the cautionary James, and John, his brother, in a observations made by judicious ship, with Zebedee, their father,、 ministers who engage in such ser- MENDING THEIR NETS." vices; and the prevalence of this may fairly be supposed that fisheropinion, after all, proves that the men, and especially those of Galitendency is too strong for mere lee, could scarcely afford to let occasional observations to counter-their nets remain long in a torn act: the only probable way of correcting this mistake is to omit the ceremony occasionally, and thus to shew those who build their faith on the practice of their brethren, that we consider it not essential, though expedient, at the settlement of a minister. This is what these young ministers have It state; and it may therefore be inferred, that the nets which James and John were mending had recently been broken. Now this is precisely what we learn from the Evangelist Luke; the whole of whose account we subjoin, for the sake of comparison with the preceding:-"And it came to pass, 1 that as the people pressed upon tion of James and John is omitted him to hear the word of God, he by St. Luke, who was more intent stood by the lake of Gennesaret, on relating the miracle which ocand saw two ships standing by the curred, though it is certainly imlake: but the fishermen were gone plied in his statement, that "when out of them, and were washing they (i. e. the four partners) had their nets. And he entered into brought their SHIPS to land, they one of the ships, which was Si- forsook all and followed Christ." mon's, and prayed him that he The latter Evangelist, also, does would thrust out a little from the not mention St. Andrew, either land. And he sat down, and taught here or elsewhere, except in the the people out of the ship. Now catalogue of the apostles (chap. vi. when he had left speaking, he said 14.); but his presence appears to unto Simon, Launch out into the be implied by the use of the plural deep, and let down your nets for a pronouns in verses 5 and 7:draught. And Simon answering," And when they had this done, said unto him, Master, we have they enclosed a great multitude of toiled all the night, and have taken fishes; and their net brake. And nothing; nevertheless, at thy word they beckoned unto their partners, I will let down the net. And when which were in the other ship, that they had this done, they enclosed they should come and help them." a great number of fishes, and THEIR With regard to the statement of NET BRAKE. And they beckoned St. Matthew, with whom St. Mark unto their partners, which were in agrees, (Mark i. 16-18,) that our the other ship, that they should Lord, "walking by the sea of Gacome and help them. And they lilee, saw two brethren, Simon, came, and filled both the ships, so called Peter, and Andrew, his brothat they began to sink. When ther, casting a net into the sea;" Simon Peter saw it, he fell down this is easily accounted for, on the at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart supposition that they were, as refrom me; for I am a sinful man, Olated by St. Luke, thus " washing Lord! For he was astonished, and their nets," when first seen by all that were with him, at the Jesus. draught of the fishes which they had taken and so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him." Luke v. 1-11. It would appear, then, that the nets which James and John were mending when called by Jesus, were those which had been torn by the miraculous draught of fishes, and which had been consigned to their charge by Simon, as being his partners, when he began to follow our Lord. The distinct voca Now, that these coincidences are wholly undesigned, is manifest from the slightest comparison of the two accounts; the apparent discrepancies between which have led some, without sufficient reason, as may appear from the preceding observations, to conclude that the transaction recorded by St. Luke was different from that related by St. Matthew and St. Mark. But, as justly observed by Dr. Townson, who differs in a trifling degree from the preceding statement, "the two accounts, that of St. Matthew and St. Mark on the one side, and that of St. Luke on the other, thus concurring in the place and situation in which Peter was |