More uncomfortable to see his blood, or to hear his cries of anguish and despair? Hard-hearted compassion this.-verse 28.

22. Reuben's self-deceit :-If he had been free from the sin, he would have hindered it." Whither shall I go?"-Why, to tell his father to be sure. Many people cry about a matter which they took care not to prevent.-verses 29, 30.

23. They'-Reuben and Judah and all! "As the thing is done and cannot be undone now, I may as well lend a hand to gain the end."-verse 31. See Jeremiah xvii. 9.

24. Satan's device is to make one lie look little or nothing by comparison with another lie which looks a great one. That they found the coat was a lie; but it seemed nothing to a lie about Joseph's death: by overlooking the one they told both.-verses 31-33.

25. Offended pride hardens the heart. What a cruel taunt it was to put the old man in mind of the gift of the gay coat at such a time! -verse 32.

26. All his sons comforted him.-What hypocritical condolence! Many people say, "I am very sorry for you," when they had brought about the thing for which they say they sorrow. v. 35.

for

27. Disproportioned affection brings disproportioned sorrow. To let any thing grow out of place in your heart is to prepare an incurable wound there-verses 34, 35.

28. The most distressing trials and adverse circumstances are employed by God in His Providence, in order to bring his people into the place and station in which He means to make use of them. Genesis xxxix. 1.

29. The Ishmeelites thought they went to Egypt to sell merchandize!—this was their purpose. God's purpose was that they should be the means of taking Joseph there. Our great objects are allowed of God in order that we may ignorantly help on his plans, which depend upon some small matter as we call it, connected with those objects-verse 1.

30. There was no man in all Egypt that would serve the purpose in hand but Potiphar; for no man but the Captain of the guard could have committed his prisoners to the King's prison. How many little things must have concurred to make this particular man have need of and buy a slave at that particular moment when Joseph was brought to Egypt; yet God ordered them all exactly right-" the very hairs of your head are all numbered " -verses 1, 20; xl. 3, 4.

THE PASTOR'S REMEMBRANCER.

"It is an indirect advantage of efforts made out of the usual course-whether Sabbath Observance Societies, Temperance Societies, District-visiting Societies, adult schools, or meetings for exposition of Scripture-that they shew an anxious zeal against ungodliness and for religion. They prove that the ministerial work is no formal duty, but influenced by a sense of its indispensible importance. They are voluntary: and for that reason are doubly valued. The effect therefore, is the same in its nature as that arising from the minister's general character. However regular his services may be discharged, however scriptural may be the matter of his instruction, that minister will never reclaim many souls "from the power of Satan unto God," who does not display his own personal conviction of the truth which he proclaims by a blameless conversation, and a life above the world. Such is the silent and mysterious influence which, in the order of divine government, one man's character has upon another. And it extends throughout the whole of our ministerial functions. Had St. Paul contented himself with "shewing from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ," and that “God commandeth all men every where to repent:" he would have delivered his message, he would have declared the counsel of God. But what force was added to his message and his declarations, when he was able to call them to witness that "for the space of three years he ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears?" It was this which gave the point to his argument, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?"

"It cannot be denied that the times in which we live do stamp your ministerial duties with as much additional importance as such duties can possibly receive from any extrinsic circumstances. These are not days of quiet or of ease to the church and people of God. The contest is hot between Satan and the Gospel : between atheism and irreligion on the one side, and Christian faith and piety on the other. Every minister must take unto himself the whole armour of God;-the breast-plate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, that he may be able to withstand in the evil day :' -whilst at the same time he is gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. For these are the best weapons of our warfare: gentleness, meekness, affectionate expostulation, and patient instruction."

Bishop of Chester. Charge.-1832. ·

THE

PASTOR'S ASSISTANT.

APRIL 1, 1843.

PART FIRST.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PASTOR IN HIS STUDY:

THE PRESENT TRUTH. No. III:

THE subject treated in our last Number, under the head of "The Present Truth," (page 68) seems to claim precedence of almost every other practical consideration to a Pastor in the actual circumstances of our beloved Church; and therefore it shall stand first in our present number. May it please God to make our remarks tend to establish in the minds of our brother pastors that christian decision and faithful boldness for the truth which is so much needed in the present day, and which is one of the best evidences of real love to the souls of men.

There were two points adverted to in the last article, as being of paramount importance, in considering the steps which it may be wise for a clergyman to take as to alterations in his ecclesiastical practice, that it may be in fitting conformity with the rules of the church, in order to be able to oppose error with the greater power. The first was that we should not be ensnared into the additions engrafted by the Tractarians upon the authorized requirements of the church. The second was that, in doing what may be found really necessary for correct conformity with the Church's rules, nothing should be done in a manner to give countenance to the Tractarian party, by affording occasion for any to suppose that we approve of their system as a whole. VOL. II. NO. XVI.

H

It has been already stated, that the vaunted restoration of ecclesiastical order attempted by the Tractarian innovators is more specious than real; and that the general effect of difference that is produced may be traced to additions and supererogatory circumstances connected with the services. These are all of one character, which it will be important to detect and expose, in order to rectify the mind in following the rubric, according to the true spirit of its intention, which is directly opposed to that of the Tractarian additions. To perceive this clearly, we must first examine what the spirit and intention of the rubric is, as well as the letter of its enactments.

It must be remembered that the arrangement for our religious services in the Church of England was not an original formation of a system for a society of Christians, when they first became such; but was emphatically a Reformation. Any omissions therefore, which a christian may suppose are to be found in the arrangement, must be tested by what it was in its unreformed state: if it shall appear that the point in question formed part of the system in its former condition, and that it was then specially considered and reprobated, the absence of a reference to it must be construed, not merely into disregard, but into distinct disapprobation, manifested in the most charitable way by silence. This argument would be quite sufficient to prove that all the supererogatory additions of tractarians, and of the undecided semi-tractarians who concede to them the compliment referred to in the last article, are wholly at variance from the principles of the Church of England, and are therefore contrary to the sworn duty of her ministers.

The principle that guided the Services of the Church of England, during the dark period of its Romish slavery, was that which pretended to lead the mind to spiritual exercises through the medium of material helps. This is stating it in terms suitable to the arguments of its very best apologists, who maintain their hold upon this principle, in defence of the grossest practical abuses of image-worship; and justify undeniable idolatry in an absolutely ignorant worshipper of a petticoated piece of wood, set up in a church and called the image of the Virgin Mary, upon this theological view set forth by the school authors. Taking therefore this statement of the principle, it is a fact that it practically induced a state of abuse, whence resulted much of the circumstance of the Romish services. This led to the Reformation because, by grossly offending the understandings of men, it made them search into the authority for what was commanded; and provoked the discovery, that under the exter

nal abominations of outward sensual worship was hidden the false foundation of essentially erroneous doctrine. In the days immediately succeeding the Reformation, the people, by the mere exercise of common sense, detected the evil that would result from attempting to make material and sensual helps the stepping-stones to spiritual exercises. They knew, practically, that those who stepped on these stones never stepped off from them; and, having their eyes opened by the palpable nature of the evil in the extremity of the abuse, they would not tolerate even the enunciation of the principle, much less the introduction of any act flowing from it. Their indignation led them to guard against anything like a return to a similar course, as the burnt child dreads the fire (a proverb which was more than a metaphor to them); and it is only wonderful that their Christian charity prevailed to make them mark out so temperate a course in

contrast.

The Book of Common Prayer is the only guide in these matters, which possesses the authority of the statute law. The canons have authority also; but it is not of the same kind, nor received with the same universal consent. From the former we may obtain positive, distinct, and authoritative directions: from the latter, much valuable collateral testimony as to the purpose and intention of the law in the Prayer Book. These, with similar assistances from the Book of Homilies, must be considered as containing all to which we can appeal for regulating our practice in conducting the Services.

66

In the Prayer Book-the first and statute authority-there is a statement of ceremonies, why some be abolished, and some retained." With respect to those which are abolished it is said, that "some at the first were of godly intert and purpose devised, and yet at length turned to vanity and superstition: some entered into the Church by undiscreet devotion, and such a zeal as was without knowledge; and for because they were winked at in the beginning, they grew daily to more and more abuses, which not only for their unprofitableness, but also because they have much blinded the people, and obscured the glory of God, are worthy to be cut away, and clean rejected." Again, it is said that many of this "excessive multitude of ceremonies" were "so dark, that they did more confound and darken, than declare and set forth, Christ's benefits unto us." With respect to those that are retained, it is declared that “ they be neither dark nor dumb ceremonies, but are so set forth, that every man may understand what they do mean, and to what use they do serve. So