the Discipline contains a brief summary of the faith of the Methodist Épiscopal Church, according to the above great names of Blackstone and Webster. A creed, according to them and the above illustrations, is a visible, tangible, written and printed book, set forth to the world by each of the above-named and highly respectable and numerous denominations, as a brief summary of their respective faiths.

"The English word creed is derived from the Latin verb credo (I believe,) and from the Saxon word creda, (I believe.) According to the above popular use of the word creed, a man's writings are not his creed-his sermon is not his creed-his views are not a creed. Calvin's Institutes are not the creed of the Presbyterian church—but the longer and shorter catechisms. Wesley's sermons and writings are not the creed of the Methodists, but a book called the 'Discipline.' Gill's and Fuller's writings are not the creed of the Baptists, but the London and Philadelphia Confessions of Faith. We do not call the sermons, nor the discourses, nor the writings of one man, the creed of a denomination; but a brief summary put forth by the whole fraternity. According to Webster, these denominations have not their creeds in their heads, nor in their pockets; but in a printed book. This is a fair and common sense meaning of the word creed. There was no Hume's History of England, nor Gibbon's History of the Fall of Rome, before they were written, printed, and circulated. They were not called histories while they were in their author's heads-but when they became visible and tangible. A man cannot carry Hume's history in his head. The word creed is a definite and clearly defined word, as much as the word history, chair, table, or house. A person cannot carry a creed, nor any of the above-named things, in his head. A creed must be written, printed, visible, and tangible; so that it may be examined and appealed to by the denomination who set it forth, and by the public. So much, therefore, for the popular meaning of the word creed. And, according to this broad and popular meaning of the word creed, the denomination to which the author of this essay belongs has no creed. If it has, he has not seen it, nor heard of it: and if our denomination had a written and printed creed, that would not prove that it was right to have creeds; two wrongs cannot make one right— two blacks cannot make one white.

"The next question is, Are the above creeds authorized by the Word of God-the Bible-or are they made by human authority? We say they were made by poor, fallible man. Let him that says they are authorized by the Sacred Writings, point us to 'Thus saith the Lord, You shall have a brief summary of faith.' This, the advocates of creeds are bound to do. Protestants, in their discussions with Catholics about the utility of the mass, the cross, and the Pope's supremacy, say, 'Give us Apostolic precept or example for these things, and we will have them too.' James, the Apostle, says, there is one Lawgiver, who is able to save the obedient, and to destroy the disobedient. Reader, how many do you say there are-one or four-one or fifty? Is the Pope the one lawgiver? or is it Luther, or Calvin, or Wesley? We say, it is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

"To all persons who believe that uninspired men have power to make laws to bind the consciences of men, we submit the following in

terrogatories:-1. Have the Pope and his Cardinals a right to make a creed for the Protestants? 2. Has the Pope a right to make a creed for all the world? 3. Who gave him such authority? 4. Has one Protestant a right to make a creed for all the other Protestant denominations? 5. And will all of them agree to be bound by the creed of one? 6. Can any one sect in Christendom renounce their creed, and submit to that of any other, and maintain its own separate existence afterwards? 7. For example, can the Baptists adopt the creed of the Methodists, and remain Baptists afterwards? 8. Can the Catholics adopt the creed of any one of the Protestant sects, and maintain the separate identity of the Catholic institution afterwards? 9. Can America adopt the British constitution, and maintain her republican institutions afterwards? 10. Can the European States adopt the American constitution, and maintain their kingly governments afterwards? 11. Can two constitutions be obligatory upon one people or nation at the same time? 12. Can America be bound by the British constitution and the Bill of Rights at once? 13. Can any denomination of Christians be bound by a creed and the Bible at the same time? 14. Can all the European governments be grouped under the American constitution, and support their separate identity? 15. Can the Catholics and Protestants be grouped under the New Testament, and still remain Catholics and Protestants ? 16. Can all the Protestant sects be couched under the New Testament, and remain as they now are ?

"We subscribe most heartily to the following quotation from the twentieth page of the Presbyterian Confession of Faith:

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The Supreme Judge, by whom all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writings, doctrines of men and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.' And on page 150, The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God-the only rule of faith and obedience.'

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They are not simply a rule of faith, or the rule of faith and obedience; but the only rule of faith and obedience. Therefore, it is wrong to have any other rule than the ONLY rule of faith and obedience!

"Thus we have demonstrated-fully demonstrated, I trust, to the entire satisfaction of the reader, our first proposition, to wit:-That human creeds are unauthorized by God; that they are human productions; that they were made by fallible men; that they are human opinions, inferences, and deductions of the human mind from the Scriptures; that they are traditions of men; that they are not binding upon the human conscience; that they are unscriptural and unnecessary."

His attributes of the Christian creed concludes the tract. They are as follows:

"The Bible is the Christian's creed. The Old Testament contains the Jews' religion: the New Testament contains the religion of Jesus

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Christ. If these two religions are false, then there is no true religion : then Mahometanism is false, Paganism is false, and all other religions are false. The attributes of the Christian's creed are seven :

"1. The Christian's creed is inspired; for Peter says, Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." All Christians agree to this; but they do not agree that any human creed is inspired. "2. The Christian's creed is authoritative: The words that I speak to you shall judge you in the last day,' says the Lord from heaven. 3. The Christian's creed is intelligible: Paul says, 'When you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.' "4. The Christian's creed is moral in its tendency: The Word of the Lord is pure.' (Psalm xix).

"5. The Christian's creed is perpetual: The Word of the Lord endures for ever, and this is the Word which has been announced as glad tidings to you.' (Peter).

"6. The Christian's creed is catholic: He that is of God, hears God's Word;' Preach the Word;'Preach the Gospel to every creature.'

"7. The Christian's creed is perfect: From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, thoroughly furnished to every good work.'

"If the creeds agree with the Bible, then they are as useless as a fifth wheel to a wagon; if they disagree with the Bible, then they are pernicious and impious, and should be burnt, as the Ephesians did their magical books. (Acts xix.) This one argument sets them aside for ever.

THE BAPTISMAL VOW.

LORD JESUS, that thou art the Messiah, the Messenger of Jehovah, thy words, thy works, and the Holy Spirit, thy Advocate, declare and prove. As the Son, the only begotten of the Father, as coming from his bosom with pledges of love and mercy, I regard thee. As his great Prophet, his consecrated Priest, and anointed King, and as our Mediator in these relations, I acknowledge thee. Thou camest to seek and save the lost, and thou hast invited sinners to come to thee. I am a sinner, Lord; and as such, I now present myself before thee. Hadst thou not invited and commanded me to come to thee, I dare not to have approached thee, vile and polluted as I am.

The covenant which thou hast stipulated I approve. A God I want whom I can call my God. A Saviour I need whom I can call my Saviour. A rule of action according to which I can have intercourse with thee engraven on my heart, I desire. A knowledge of thee, which is eternal life, I seek with my whole heart; and, O Lord! remission of my sins, and thy Spirit to comfort me, is what first of all, and most of all, my soul longs for. Into thy family I wish to come, and amongst thy sons and daughters I long to be enrolled. I have heard that thou, the Faithful and True Witness, has commanded immersion into thy death, as a pledge, and as the means of a sinner's forgiveness

and adoption into thy family. Therefore, Lord, at thy command I come, relying upon thy Word, and am willing to make thee my Prophet, my Priest, and my King, by a covenant never to be forgotten. I do accede to thy own gracious constitution in all its provisions, and do renounce every other prophet, priest, and king, but thee alone. I vow to thee, that whither thou goest, or requirest me to go, I will follow; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

In pledge of this I am now willing, and I come, Lord Jesus, to be buried with thee-to put off the body of the sins of my flesh by an immersion into thy death-to bury the old man in this watery grave as thou hast appointed me. I wish to rise with thee, to walk in a new life, and to ascend in my affections to the place where thine honour dwells. And, Lord, as thou, in anticipation of thy burial and resurrection, wast buried in Jordan, and raised out of it; so I wish to see in this my burial and resurrection with thee, an assurance that I will be raised from the earthly grave in the morning of the resurrection. Lord Jesus, thou great Shepherd of the sheep, I die to every lord and saviour but thee-my confidence is in thy blood. I will be buried with thee, and will hope to rise with thee, not only out of this water, but out of my grave at the last day. I take thee, Lord, upon thy own word; receive me now upon this my vow: and as I give myself up to thee in the obedience of faith, so may I live to thee while life endures. "Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead my Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting institution, make me fit for every good work to do his will, producing in me what is acceptable in his sight, through Jesus Christ -to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

The above is in extenso, or in detail, what is implied in putting on Christ in Christian immersion.

A. C.

HOW HAPPY TO BE BORN AMONG
CHRISTIANS!

LORD, I ascribe it to thy grace,

And not to chance as others do,

That I was born of Christian race,
And not a Heathen or a Jew.

What would the ancient Jewish kings

And Jewish prophets once have given,

Could they have heard those glorious things

Which Christ revealed and brought from heaven.

How glad the Heathen would have been,

Who worshipped idols, wood, and stone,

If they the Book of God had seen,

Or Jesus and his Gospel known?

Then if this Gospel I refuse,

How shall I e'er lift up my eyes?
For all the Gentiles and the Jews

Against me will in judgment rise.

WATTS.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS, &c.

MODERN SPIRITUALITY.-No. III.

WE have received from Mr. Greer another letter, which he intimates may be his last on this subject. We likewise trust that it will, for although sincerely desirous that the subject should be fully discussed, we would prefer some opponent better acquainted with dialectics. We cannot find room in this number for the whole of Mr. Greer's letter, we must therefore divide it, and give the remainder next month. In our May number, God willing, we will sum up the argument and dismiss the question.

Tullylagan, Dungannon, February 19th, 1846.

To Mr. G. GREENWELL.

Dear Sir.-On reading my letter addressed to Mr. Tener under date 11th of December, 1845, as it appears in the pages of the Messenger for this month, together with your reply, I find that a few inaccuracies of the press have crept into it, most of which, however, are not of much account, and I shall only remark on one which occurs in the ninth line of the seventy-sixth page, where the word futile is substituted for fertile; this typographical error mars the sentence. I also observe that you have somewhat abridged my lettter-however, as this condensation is principally confined to the references from history, I shall not complain of it, as I think we are both agreed that if the merits of the question under discussion cannot be maintained by Scripture proofs, those adduced from history and the corrupt practices of many of the early Christian churches, are of little, if any weight whatever.

After having shown from history, which you acknowledge, as authentic and competent to prove facts, although neither of us, I believe, will allow it to occupy higher ground, that many centuries ago several persons suffered martyrdom for denying the efficacy of water baptism, I shall no longer contend with you about your favourite term Modern Spirituality, but freely allow you to ride your hobby at pleasure; but in giving you undisputed possession of your favourite term, permit me to remind you that dissent from water baptism in the present day is not confined to the Society of Friends, as you seem to intimate, for in parts of the continent of Europe there are small societies_of_pious Christians by whom water baptism and the ceremony of the Lord's supper are entirely disused-for instance, with the Inspires in Germany, and with the Malakans in south Russia. (1)

You admit that "Christ has been the channel of every spiritual blessing since the fall of man; all spiritual privileges have flown from his work prospective or actual." You continue, "But our argument was, that baptism with the Spirit, designated a peculiar and supernatural work." And you go on to say, "We furnished, in support of