8. That instead of measures so objectionable as these, and so peculiarly unsuitable to the attainment of their professed object, it is desirable to convince members of the Church of Rome, that they may renounce the dangerous errors of their creed, without necessarily giving up their membership to the true catholic church of Christ, or those spiritual privileges and religious consolations, which, in the ordinances of such a church, they have been accustomed to expect; that the church into which we invite them, being, indeed, more primitive, more ancient, more catholic than their own, recognizes, no less fully than theirs, every sentence of Scripture, in which the sin of schism is denounced, acknowledges no less deeply its opposition to the will of Christ so anxiously expressed, deplores no less sorrowfully its prevalence in our own country, and guards no less diligently against its encroachment in our own christian community.

9. That ere we can hope effectually to reform others, we must, in these and many other respects, reform ourselves, and not attempt, with the breath of idle declamation, to shake the roots of our neighbours' faith, whilst our own bears notoriously so little fruit of unity and concord with each other, or of temperance, soberness, and chastity, humanity and common honesty in ourselves.

To the force of these considerations, no name can add much weight, and my own none; I should prefer, therefore, not to have it pub lished but out of respect to the just suspicion in which anonymous communications are commonly held, I enclose it, with the assurance that you are welcome to mention it to any one who takes the trouble to inquire after Your obedient servant, MODERATOR:

LETTER II.

SIR,-Nothing can be further from my intention than a protracted controversy with the several correspondents who have noticed my former letter; but to prove that I am not insensible to the courtesy of their remarks, I offer to each in answer a single sentence :—

"Omicron" is mistaken in saying that I challenge, for our Establishment exclusively, "the title of the true Catholic Church;" he should be aware, also, that there are more points at issue between Protestants, one with another, than "matters of discipline, ceremony, and church government," and that an outward union upon "the principle of a common interest," whilst it tends not to make them more of one mind within, is no approach whatever to the unity so affectionately recommended by the founder of our faith.

To the "Layman" I would observe, that our having hitherto neglected the " vantage ground" of the Church, is no sufficient reason that we should now abandon it; and that, judging from experience, in the case he alludes to, the friends of the Reformation Society, rather than its opponents, run risk of becoming converts to Popery; for which this short reason may be assigned, that a mind once persuaded of the infallibility of private judgment, may the more readily admit the infallibility of Popes and Councils.

Mr. Roaf, whose candour of expression is entitled to my best acknowledgments, needs only to consider seriously this one manifest

truth;—that separation from outward church communion, for the "non-essential parts of Christian discipline and practice," whether it be schism or no, is wanton, wilful, and sinful, precisely in proportion as these are non-essential.

It is because the points at issue are essential that we are justified in our separation from the corrupt Church of "Reflector;" whom I refer to "historical facts" for proof, that the Reformed Church,-if, at least, we are to judge by doctrine, discipline, and practice, is more akin to the primitive model than the modern Church of Rome; and that the latter, though claiming to be infallible, has been distracted by religious feuds and animosities, far more wide, more numerous, and more scandalous, than ours, which makes no such pretence.

And now, Sir, without entering, in your columns, on any single point of doctrinal controversy, permit me to complete the subject I have in hand, by a brief statement of the right method in which Protestants should uphold the one true faith, and win from the error of their way the victims of Papal superstition. I have already urged the fundamental importance of proving ourselves to be lovers of unity,―of marking and avoiding them which cause divisions amongst us,-of valuing and maintaining our prescribed communion with all who have, in all ages and in all lands, "contended earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints." These duties we must, I say, convince Romanists that the Church into which we invite them recognises no less fully, but upholds far more faithfully, as well as far more charitably, than their own. We must offer them, in the ministrations of our Clergy, a resource on which they may rely, with less of blind submission, but not with less of genuine humility, than on theirs, not only for visitation in sickness-for conference in doubt-for correction-for instruction in righteousness,—but for that pastoral control in all spiritual concerns which the ambassador of Christ is bound to exercise, and in which his flock should delight to confide. We must be able to point out to them how carefully our Reformers preserved, in the ritual of our religious service, every particular in their own ordinance which could be made available to Christian edification; that no fast or festival-no prayer or assurance of pardonno ordinance of sacramental efficacy-was omitted, whose suitableness for the aid of human frailty is vouched by the stamp of Christ's own institution and the universal practice of primitive antiquity.

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But these things it will not be sufficient to argue from the Articles and Canons of our Church, or from the contents of our authorized Liturgy. The common sense of man prompts him to look for the spirit of our institutions to their practical working-to judge of the religion proposed to his acceptance by the manner in which it operates before his eyes. The member of the Church of Rome who may seriously, on grounds of conscience, thinking of renouncing the errors of his creed, will naturally, in reference to his main objections, consult, not the written constitution of what our Church should be, but his own daily observation of what it actually is. He will reflect to himself what will be the real change of his condition in points most essential to his habitual peace of mind. If he hope for no warm encouragement in the members of his adopted Church,-if he apprehend them

to be deficient in that lively regard for each other which he looks for amongst brethren of the household of faith,-if he deem the public worship to be conducted in a cold, careless, irreverent manner, and the efficacy of the most edifying Christian ordinances to be dishonoured by their negligent performance, if he suspect the minister of his parish will take little pains to instruct and guide him, and if he see both minister and flock mixed up in religious proceedings with all classes of their dissenting neighbours,-no wonder that he should feel most reluctant to enter into a community which would thus outrage his most dearly cherished feelings, and deprive him of his habitual sources of religious consolation.

It is not denied but that his feelings are incorrect, his esteem of these means of edification oftentimes unfounded. But it is argued that the Church, as established in these realms, supplies its advocate with scriptural institutions wherewith to meet every one of these Romish prejudices, to correct, and when corrected to satisfy them fully; it is deplored, that the visible conduct of the members of our Church does not, as generally as it might, enable us to appeal in our controversy with Rome, to its actual working in these particulars; and it is contended, that the prevalence of such practice would be the most effectual means of removing in the minds of our fellow-christians their most deep-rooted objections to the Reformed religion.

Let us then agree to prove the excellency of our faith, by the holiness of our lives; by the more spiritual intercourse between the pastor and the flock, and the more brotherly unity of the flock among themselves; by the more diligent attendance on public worship, and the more enlightened celebration of sacramental ordinances; by the more general practice of family devotion, and the more upright and benevolent discharge of each man's own individual duties. And for the better advancement of pure Christianity both in ourselves and in others, by religious associations, let us support with enlarged contributions those venerable SOCIETIES, in connexion with the Church, FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL, and the PROMOTING OF CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE, which labour for those ends, both abroad and at home, by missions, by the circulation of the Scriptures, or by the supply of edifying tracts, and which need, under God's blessing, only our more zealous encouragement to insure them tenfold success.

To this sober, earnest, and practical application of the truths we profess and the institutions we have the happiness to enjoy, I invite all true friends of the cause of the Reformation. It demands indeed, on the part of us Protestants, somewhat more zeal and labour in the Clergy, somewhat more humility, self-denial, and devotion in the laity, than an attendance on the display of exciting eloquence or an imaginary sharing in the triumph of public disputations. Such measures may, very likely, have influence either way, with the unstable and unwary, with those who would use religion as the daily draught of spiritual intoxication, or as the deadly drug that pretends to heal on an instant the long-pampered virulence of sin. But if there be they by whom that gift of heaven is valued as the bread of life, who inquire into its purity and genuineness, with the sense that their salvation is at stake, I can never think that such will change their faith

out of deference to the decisions these meetings come to, or will risk in any measure their hope of heaven on the dubious success of theological disputants, strangers perhaps till that hour; and, therefore, unentitled to confidence so entire. No, let us not deceive ourselves ; these things cannot be done for us; this victory of truth cannot be achieved by delegated champions encountering on a platform, whilst we sit idle spectators of the combat. Pure are, I believe, their motives, and eager their zeal, as their discretion is questionable, and their weapons unsound; but not, though they had tenfold will and ability, could we ourselves be discharged from our own proper share of this arduous undertaking; and so only may we reasonably expect to win our brethren to the truth of Christ, when we adorn it diligently and uphold it faithfully in our own personal conduct.

I trust I have now shown that it is out of no indifference to the abominations of Rome that I advanced these objections to the Reformation Society. As I stated them plainly, I have been answered temperately, and now reply, to the best of my power, fairly. Aiming at the same end, and seeing, as I think, so much better a way to compass it, I could wish my neighbours to agree with me; and having taken this open method of laying the matter before them, conclude with committing the issue to their attentive consideration.

Your obedient Servant,

MODERATOR.

COLLECT BEFORE SERMON.

MR. EDITOR,-Allow me, through the medium of your valuable pages, to suggest to my brother clergy an occasional variation of those collects commonly used before the sermon, on the principle, as Bishop J. Taylor expresses it, "that the change, by consulting with the appetites of fancy, may better entertain the spirit." I would have them, however, confine themselves to those beautiful and comprehensive collects of our church, as nothing can be better; moreover, they are so diversified in language and sentiment, that one may generally be found peculiarly adapted to the subject of the discourse about to follow. I have adopted this plan of selecting one in accordance with my subject, with pleasure to myself, and, I have reason to believe, with its proper effect upon my hearers; it also gives an opportunity of introducing many of those admirable compositions of our Liturgy, which otherwise are read but once a-year. This hint may appear trivial, Mr. Editor, but I venture to give it on the authority of the divine before alluded to, who says, It is not imprudent to provide variety of forms of prayer to the same purposes." I am Sir, your obedient servant,

E. H.

THEOLOGICAL STUDIES.

No. VIII.-BISHOP LLOYD'S LIST.

[We We are particularly happy in being able to lay before our readers the List of Bishop Lloyd. From its lucid arrangement, and minute completeness, the student will find it an invaluable guide in his theological inquiries. The extensive acquaintance which the Bishop possessed with the whole range of theological literature, must render his advice especially worthy of attention and respect.]

1. AFTER carefully reading the BIBLE from Genesis to Nehemiah, with the historical part of Daniel, without Commentators, marking the difficult passages; to go over it a second time in conjunction with

Sumner's Treatise on the Records of the Crea-
tion.

Graves's Lectures on the four last Books of
the Pentateuch.

Lowman's Rationale of the Ritual of the He-
brew Worship.

First Volume of Spencer de Legibus Hebræ-
orum Ritualibus, et earum Rationibus.
Jahn's Archæologia Biblica in Epitomen re-
dacta.

Beausobre's Introduction to the Reading of
the Scriptures.

Warburton's Divine Legation of Moses De-
monstrated.

For the notice of remarkable

some

facts.

For the Jewish Ceremonial.

For the Jewish Po

Lowman's Dissertation on the Civil Govern

lity.

ment of the Hebrews.

2. INTRODUCTION to the Reading of the NEW TESTAMENT.

The History of Alexander the Great, in

Mitford's History of Greece.

*Arrian's History of Alexander's Expedition, by Rooke.

And of the hundred years of Roman History, preceding the

Birth of Christ, in

*Hooke's Roman History.

The last Books (11 to the end) of Josephus's

Antiquities.

The two Books of Maccabees.

Tenth Volume of Antient Universal History.
Prideaux's Old and New Testaments con-
nected.

For the intermediate
History.

For the Doctrines of

Bp. Van Mildert's Boyle Lectures, in the AP-the Jews.

pendix.

Josephus, in the Original.

Vetus Testamentum LXX.

For the Language.