she, without reserve, proclaim the full and free salvation of the Gospel? Let her own authorized documents answer the question. "We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or deservings: wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification." Article 11. No words can be more explicit, and they are fully supported by the third Homily, the one alluded to in the Article, as the following extracts prove:— "Justification is not the office of man, but of God; for man cannot make himself righteous by his own good works, neither in part, nor in the whole; for that were the greatest arrogancy and presumption of man, that Antichrist should set up to affirm, that a man might, by his own works, take away and purge his own sins, and so justify himself. But justification is the office of God only, and is not a thing which we render unto Him, but which we receive of Him; not which we give, but which we take of Him by his free mercy, and by the ONLY merits of his most dearly-beloved Son, our only Redeemer, Saviour, and Justifier, Jesus Christ." Again:-"This faith, whosoever denieth, is not to be accounted for a Christian man, nor for a setter-forth of Christ's glory, but for an adversary to Christ and His gospel, and for a setter-forth of man's vain glory." So far the Homily. How entirely opposed to Popish teaching! What a contrast to the false, dangerous, and soul-destroying opinions circulated by the writers of the Tracts for the Tames! Our beloved Church is clear; she nowhere teaches that justification is an "inherent quality," but boldly denies it, and considers, that all who attempt to teach that we are justified by any inherent quality, are adversaries to Christ and His Holy Gospel. I cannot close this part of my subject without one short extract from the judicious Hooker. Let it suffice to show the want of candour in those who try to make it appear, that that great Divine agrees with them in their false teaching: "The righteousness wherein we must be found, if we will be justified, is not our own; therefore we cannot be justified by any inherent quality. The believing penitent, God beholdeth with a gracious eye, putteth away his sin, by not imputing it-taketh quite away the punishment due thereto by pardoning it; and accepteth him in Jesus Christ as perfectly righteous as if he had fulfilled all that was commanded in the law. Shall I say more perfectly than if himself had fulfilled the whole law. I must take heed what I say-but the Apostle saith, He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.' 2 Cor. v. 21. Such we are in the sight of God the Father, as is the very Son of God himself. Let it be counted folly, or frenzy, or fury, whatsoever; it is our comfort: we care for no knowledge in the world but this; that man hath sinned, that God hath suffered; that God hath made himself the sin of man, and that men are made the righteousness of God." (Sermon on Justification.) Dear Brethren, this is the way: walk ye in it. But the pardoned, justified sinner, is renewed by divine grace, in the spirit of his mind, which leads me to notice5thly-That the Church of England teaches apostolical doctrine respecting the nature of repentance, and of divine renewal by the Holy Ghost. Our commission enjoins upon us the duty of preaching repentance. John called upon the people to repent. A greater than John, the Lord himself, conmenced his ministry by calling upon the people to repent. St. Paul testified in the name of his Blessed Master, "repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, publicly, and from house to house." "Goo commandeth ALL men EVERY where to repent." Nothing can be more scriptural on this subject than the Homily o Repentance. There you will find that repentance is change of mind. We are told that repentance consists in "conviction of sin, contrition for sin, confession of sin to God, and conversion from sin." That God is the author of repentance, and that it is never genuine unless springing out of a believing view of Jesus, in His sufferings and in His death for guilty sinners. Now, wherever the soul is truly penitent, that soul is under the renewing influence of the Holy Ghost. "Ye must be born again." "For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.' "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John iii. 3. Born not only into the visible church by water, the outward sign, but born of the Holy Ghost; and thus, "by a death unto sin and a new birth unto righteousness," made "a partaker of the inward and piritual grace," signified in the outward ordinance. Carefully mark this distinction, beloved brethren, lest you should mistake the shadow for the substance the sign for the thing signified. Carefully examine your own hearts; and let each one ask himself, Am I what I profess to be? Am I what I am bound to be? For, says Hooker, “Not all receive the grace of God which receive the sacraments grace." of his called The special work of the Spirit in renewing the soul is taught by our church. In our catechism each child is aught to declare, "I believe in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me, and all the elect people of God." We are upon to join in prayer, that the Holy Spirit "may cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by His Holy inspiration." Of his gracious influence mention is made in the 13th and 17th Articles. The chosen family, we are told, “are called according to God's purpose, by His Spirit working ♫ due season." And, again, "Godly persons feel in Lemselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh." I must not omit, here, an extract from the Homily for The duty of restitution, where injury has been done to our neighbours, also strongly enforced.-See Luke xix. 8. C Whitsunday" For it is the Holy Ghost, and no other, that doth quicken the minds of men, stirring up good and godly motions in their hearts, which are agreeable to the will and commandment of God, such as, otherwise, of their own crooked and perverse nature, they should never have; "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit;" as for the works of the Spirit, the fruits of faith, charitable and godly motions-if man have any at all in him, they proceed ONLY of the Holy Ghost, who is the ONLY worker of our sanctification, and maketh us new men in Christ. Such is the power of the Holy Ghost to regenerate men, and as it were to bring them forth anew, so that they shall be nothing like the men that they were before. Bede says: 'Where the Holy Ghost teacheth there is no delay at all in learning."" Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith. "For if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." The method suggested by the Homilist for self-examination, is very important, because it shews that our Church does not teach men to rely upon the mere fact of their being members of the visible Church, as a proof that they are members of the invisible Church. "O, but how shall I know that the Holy Ghost is within me?" some man perchance will say. Forsooth, as the tree is known by its fruits, so is also the Holy Ghost. The fruits of the Holy Ghost, according to the mind of St. Paul, are these "Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance," &c. Contrariwise, the deeds of the flesh are these "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, debate, emulation, wrath, contention, sedition, heresy, envy, murder, drunkenness, gluttony, and such like." Gal. v. Here is now the glass, wherein thou must behold thyself, and discern whether thou have the Holy Ghost within thee, or the spirit of the flesh. If thou see that thy works be virtuous and good, Solemn thought! Jesus will appear in His glory. 6th place-To the Second Coming of our Lord-the resurrection of the body, and the eternity of rewards and punishments. Our Church has set apart one season in the year, with a view to call the attention of her members to that solemn and interesting subject-the Advent of our Lord. In her services during that season, she brings before us the first coming of Jesus with all its touching incidents. From the written word is read the testimony of the Holy Spirit-that Jesus should be born in Bethlehem. The fact is then proclaimed; every minute particular is literally accomplished; to shepherds the tidings are announced by an angel; and hosts of angels join in the chorus, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men." During the same season, however, another event is kept prominently before our eyes-the second coming of our Blessed Lord: "When he shall appear in His glory, and build up Zion." Then the whole creation, which now groaneth (yet waiteth in hope,) shall be emancipated, and admitted into the glorious liberty of the children of God |