صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

iv.

Mulligan, Rev. James, Installation of,
National Board of Education,

...

[blocks in formation]

Non-subscribing Irish Presbyterians, Address of to the Queen... 396
36, 71, 108, 143, 178, 215, 252, 359, 428

Obituary,

...

Old Light and New Light
Paul, the Apostle, a Unitarian,
Paul, Rev. John, Letter to

...

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

.47, 90, 155

...

Plain Letters on Important Subjects,

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

...

Poetry, 12, 46, 77, 116, 130, 160, 203, 270, 297, 341, 378, 402, 412
Protestantism, what it is and what it is not
Ready Reckoner, by John Calvin,
Remonstrant Synod, Meeting of...
Reputed Orthodoxy, The Spirit of,

...

REVIEW.

...

Discourse on Creeds, by Rev. J. S. Porter

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

More Plain Words for Plain Men, by Rev. W. H. Doherty
Wilson's Proofs and Illustrations of Unitarianism
What are the Independents? by Rev. James Carlile
The Messiah's Deity Considered, by Rev. James Orr,
Defence of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Gene-
ral Synod, by Rev. J. Carmichael

M'Cormac's Philosophy of Human Nature,
Religion and Politics, by R. J. Dick, M.D.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors]

135

211, 390, 424

[ocr errors]

318

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

Sentinel, the Londonderry, and the Bible Christian,

Strand-street Congregation, Dublin

Temperance, Excess of

...

...

[ocr errors]

Temperance Societies, by Rev. George Hill
The Trinity and Transubstantiation Compared,
Ulster Unitarian Association, Proposal for establishing
Unitarian Association, British and Foreign
Unitarian Association, Somerset and Dorset
Unitarianism, its Doctrine and its Power
Unitarians, What is the besetting sin of

United States, Unitarianism in the

...

[ocr errors]

...

...

37

...

[ocr errors]

163

...

...

...

...

204

...

...

[ocr errors]

303

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

United States, Religious Denominations of...
United States, Orthodoxy in the

Voluntary System and Royal Bounty

...

Warrenpoint, Dinner to Remonstrant Ministers at

Warrenpoint, Tea-party at

[ocr errors][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

A Letter from a Country Clergyman to a Neighbouring Farmer.

MY DEAR JOHN,-I am glad to find that the reading of the little book* which I gave you has caused you to feel an interest in those points that are disputed among Presbyterians, and as you have requested me to state what is the difference between Old Light and New Light, I will strive to do so fairly, briefly, and simply.

There is much ignorance among the people in these matters, and unfortunately too many do not wish to be informed about them. The very name of New Light is enough to frighten them from inquiry, and they are satisfied to believe that it is something very bad and very dangerous. The clergy too, strive to keep them in ignorance; they tell them to keep out of the way of the New Light folk, for they deny their Saviour; and they say, that if they do not believe just as they bid them believe, they will not be saved. You know yourself that your own minister told one of his people that I did not make use of the same kind of Bible as others, but that I had a New Light Bible that I read to my flock. Fortunately the man knew, that he was under a mistake, and he told him as much. When such means are taken to deceive the people, and to darken their minds, you will not think it strange that there is so much prejudice against the New Light. You might as well strive to persuade many people that there is no such thing as ghosts, as to convince them that the bad things that are said about New Light doctrines are false.

I know, John, that you were once like your neighbours; you swallowed all that your minister told you. But you found that he was wrong when he said that

* Plain Words for Plain Men. By W. H. Doherty.

N

the Bible was not read in our National School; and when you found him wrong in one thing, you justly enough thought he might be wrong in more; and now you think, as I do myself, that ministers are no more than men; sometimes they are right and sometimes they are wrong; sometimes they say what they believe, and sometimes they say what they would like to believe. It is hard to say when the names Old Light and New Light were given to particular doctrines; but the origin is likely the following

After the Gospel had been in the world for a great many years, errors began to creep into the church. By degrees these errors increased so much, that, about eleven hundred years after Christ ascended into Heaven, the truth was darkened by superstitions, and that state of religion prevailed which we call Popery. After a time, however, some men began to study the Holy Scriptures, and they were led to think that the religion of the church was not exactly the doctrines of the Gospel, and they began, at the risk of their livings and their lives, to reform the church. On this account they were called Reformers, and among them was your own namesake, John Knox. At this time Popery was called Old Light, and the religion of these reformers New Light. By and bye, when the Scriptures began to be more read, there were some who thought that these first Reformers had not cut off all the false doctrines that had grown up in the church, and they tried to make a farther Reform by removing some other things which they believed to be opposed to God's Holy Word. It was probably then that the doctrine of the early reformers was called Old Light, and the opinions of these later reformers were called New Light. You will see from this at any rate why it is that Old Light is sometimes said to be Popery once snuffed, while New Light is Popery TWICE snuffed.

There are four points of doctrine on which the Old Light and New Light differ:

I. About the nature of God.

II. About the dignity of Christ.

III. About the object of Christ's mission.

IV. About the extent of Christ's Redemption.

1. The Old Light say that "in the unity of the Godhead there be three persons of one substance, power and

eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost;"* while the New Light say that there is "but one God the Father."†

Both parties, you see, believe that there is only one God; but one party believes, that that one God consists in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the other believes that he consists in one person, the Father. And if you make the Scriptures your only rule of Faith, you may readily judge which of the two is nearer the truth. What does Jesus say? He says that the true worshippers shall worship the Father-he teaches his disciples to pray, saying, Our Father-he tells them to ask of the Father in his name; and he himself prays to the Father, saying, "O "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;" and again, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." I think you will agree with me that Christ says nothing of three persons in one God-nothing about a Trinitynothing about himself being the second person in the Godhead. I think you will admit too that the Apostles say nothing about three persons in one God; either in their preaching or in their epistles. But you will perhaps ask me, if there be not three persons in the Godhead, what I will make of Matt. xxviii. 19, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." I believe that it is a very important and interesting text; for it teaches the three great points of the Christian's creed-a belief in him who is the God and Father of all-a belief in Jesus Christ the Son of God, through whom we have the Gospel, and a belief in the Holy Spirit who is the comforter. But if you think over it, you will at once see, that it says nothing at all about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost being One God. It is very strange how people can think that such words prove a Trinity, when they say nothing about a Trinity, or about three being one. You will also point perhaps to 1 John v. 7, where it says, "There are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one." In this text there is some appearance of a Trinity, for it speaks of three being one; but you will see that it does not

* See Westminster Confession. Chap. 11. Part III.

1 Cor. viii. 6.

we

say that the three are one God. We read in Scripture that Paul and Apollos are one*-it does not mean that they are one man, but engaged for one purpose; read that in the Gospel the Jews and Gentiles have become onet-it does not mean one nation, but one church. So when we read that the Father, the Word, and the Spirit are one, it does not follow that they are one God, but that they are working together for the salvation of sinners. I should tell you that some learned men, both Old Light and New Light, believe that this latter text was not written by the Apostle John; but there is no need to throw aside even such a text, to prove that there is but one God, the Father. I think, John, that you have always been a New Light man, when you kneeled down with your family, or at your bedside, and prayed- Our Father who art in heaven.' I think have then prayed not to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, even to Him to whom Christ himself prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, and on the hill of Calvary.

[ocr errors]

you

2. As to the dignity of Christ, the Old Light say, that he is God, the same with the Father, while the New Light say, that he is the Son of God, and cannot therefore be the same with his Father. The New Light believe that Jesus had much anxiety and suffering when he was in this world, and they believe that God could not be thus exposed to anxiety and suffering-they know that Jesus laid down his life for men, and they know that God could not lay down his life, for He is the support of the world and all things that are therein. "In Him we live and move and have our being." The New Light folk think that it is almost blasphemy to say that the everlasting and unchangeable God was crucified by his creatures; and they cannot but shudder when they think that Christians will sing, as many of the Old Light do, in their meeting-houses, such verses as these

Well may the earth, astonished, shake;
And nature sympathize;

The sun as darkest night be black,

Their Maker, Jesus, dies.

Behold fast streaming from the tree,

His all-atoning blood.

[blocks in formation]
« السابقةمتابعة »