The declaration of Absolution.

this part of the service, produced a deep sensation through

the whole group.

"Let us all take notice of this, said I, and record it to the praise of the glory of God's grace.

"I do not wish,' said Mr. R-, ' to interrupt, or dissipate, by any improper inquiries, the state of feeling that now exists, but as we have come together to have our minds enlightened, I wish to inquire what we are to understand by the declaration of absolution, or remission of sins, to be made by the Priest alone, standing, the people still kneel. ing. Some of our neighbors think that this looks like the Roman Catholic Priest's pretended power to forgive sins.'

"How easy it is-was the reply, to misrepresent, and give false impressions! There is nothing in our church, that makes the slightest approach to that arrogant claim set up by papal anti-christ. None but God can forgive sins. His ministers may declare to the people on what terms God will extend pardon to sinners; and this is the whole sum and substance of this declaration of absolution.

"Consider the circumstances connected with the use of this declaration. The worshippers in the sanctuary having bowed before Jehovah-made humble confession to him of all their sins, and implored his pardoning mercy, the minister, as God's ambassador, now stands up, and declares on the authority of God's own word, that the Most High desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live; and that He hath given power and commandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins.' And farther, that this God of love pardoneth and absolveth all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy gos pel.'-And, therefore, they are affectionately exhorted to be seech Him to grant them true repentance, and his Holy spirit, that those things may please Him which they do at that present, and that the rest of their lives thereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last, they may come to his eternal joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Now is there any thing here that looks like the unscriptural and papistical doctrine of a pretended delegated power to remit sins? Is not all this in perfect accordance with the word of God? You might just as well condemn the use of the twentieth Psalm-The Lord

Design of the Absolution.

hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee. Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion. Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice.—Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. Nay, on the same principle, you would condemn every mode of blessing the people.

"No one could wish the declaration of absolution dispensed with, who considers its design and intention. While the people are on their knees, in the act of confessing their sins to the Eternal Jehovah, could the ambassador for Christ seize upon a happier moment, in which to declare to them the terms on which God is willing to be reconciled? And can such a declaration, at such a time, fail to fan the flame of devotion? At such a moment, to have our memories refreshed with a view of the boundless love of God in Christ,—how admirably adapted is this to lead the heart to turn with new emotions of wonder and love towards the great fountain of life and light! I would no sooner strike out this declaration from our service, than I would extinguish the lamps of a light house, in the midst of a mid-night tempest. What but dark ness can gather around the soul, when we survey our exceeding sinfulness, and awful exposedness to the wrath of God, as we do in the preceding parts of the service! And was there no other object towards which we could turn our eye, the blackness of darkness would roll over us forever. here just at this moment, the declaration of absolution comes in like a beacon light mid a night of storm; which, though it tells us of danger, still assures us that there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. It points to the cross of Christ, and bids the sinner look and live. And while he thus gazes on that blessed cross, and remembers all God's precious promises he feels the spirit of adoption stirring within him, and is prepared to lisp out his Abba Father' as the service proceeds, in the language of that delightful prayer of our Lord's—‘Our Father who art in Heaven,' &c.

But

"The information conveyed in the Absolution, is in short, an answer to the inquiry,' what must I do to be saved?' And this appropriate presentation of the gospel plan of salvation, to the worshipper, in a condensed view, admirably attunes his feelings to the sentiments of thanksgiving and praise, to which

The reading of the scriptures: An incident.

the service by its arrangement, calls upon him immediately to give utterance. And in view of God's wonderful love to dying sinners, and the astonishing provisions He has made for their rescue, his ambassadors, having directed the attention of the people to these, may well say to them who are the subjects of this transcendant mercy;

"Praise ye the Lord. And well may they instantly respond

"The Lord's name be praised."

"One of the company, after a short pause, looking over his prayer book which he held in his hand, remarked—

"I like the mode, the church has of introducing the Psalms into the service. I think there is nothing better calculated to excite a truly devotional spirit than these Psalms.'

"Another remarked The reading of the scriptures, is, I think, an arrangement equally beneficial. By this means all are instructed in the word of God, and I know that there are a great many people who go to meeting, who seldom or never look into their bibles. If the scriptures are read in church they will in time know something about them.'

"In proof of the truth of your remark, I replied, I will state a single fact.

"In one of the New England States, some ten or fifteen years ago, there lived a very poor but pious woman. When she was near her end, she was visited by a Congregational minister, who was delighted with her evangelical views and simple hearted piety. There was one thing, however, that struck him as peculiar in this woman. Whenever he repeated any passage of scripture, if the quotation was not perfectly accurate, she would modestly correct him, by repeating the passage with entire accuracy. At length he said to her:

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My good friend you must have read the word of God very attentively to have treasured up such large portions of it in your memory.

"No,' she replied, 'I never read a word in that blessed book-I cannot read.'

“How,' said he,' you cannot read! How then are you so well acquainted with the scriptures?'

"I have attended the Episcopal Church,' she replied, 'from my childhood till within a few years and all that I know of

"He descended into hell." Gehenna-Hades.

the scriptures I have learned from hearing them read in the service.'

"This fact speaks for itself. It needs no enlargement, by way of comment.

Mr. R-then remarked

Thus far, I am satisfied, but still there are other explanations that I must have before all my difficulties are removed.-I wish to know what you understand by this clause in the creed—He descended into Hell.'

"In answer to this inquiry, I wish to call your attention first to the rubric, or rule, giving direction in relation to the use of the creed, placed in smaller type just over it, which is as follows- Any church may omit the words, he descended into hell, or may instead of them use the words, he went into the place of departed spirits,' which are considered as words of the same meaning in the creed.

"Secondly, I wish you to remember that the creed is a very ancient piece of composition. By some it is supposed to have been framed by the Apostles themselves, and thus to have derived its name-The Apostle's creed.' By others it is supposed to have been so called from the fact that it is a brief and comprehensive summary of the principal doctrines which the Apostles preached.

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"Thirdly, the particular article to which your inquiry relates, is founded on St. Peter's exposition of a passage in the 16th Psalm Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.' This, in Acts 11. 30, 31, Peter declares to be a prediction relating to Christ. Therefore, the patriarch being a prophet,' reasons the Apostle, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he, seeing this` before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in Hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.' You will see at a glance, that the same difficulty attends the exposition of this passage of scripture, as that of the article in the creed.

"But there is no real difficulty in either case. There are two words in the original Greek, which in our translation, are called by the same name, hell. One of these words, Hades, means the place of the dead, or a concealed place.' The other, Gehenna, denotes a place of punishment. Ac

Romanists and Restorationists.

cording to the notions of the Hebrews, Hades was a vast subterranean receptacle where the souls of the dead existed in a separate state until the resurrection of their bodies. The region of the blessed, or paradise, they supposed to be in the upper part of this receptacle; while beneath was the abyss of Gehenna, in which the souls of the wicked were subjected to punishment.*

"St. Peter uses the word Hades, as the mansion or country of the dead. He says that Christ's soul was not left there. You will bear in mind, that our Saviour had not only a human body, bút a human soul, which existed in that body; and which was also mysteriously united with the divine nature. When, therefore, the Saviour was put to death, that human soul, like the soul of any other dead person, left the body, and went into the place of departed spirits. I suppose this is all that was meant to be taught in the creed. The grand design of this article was to assert that Jesus was really dead-that his soul had left the body—that his repose in the grave was not a mere suspension of life-that there was an actual severance of the soul from the body.† This being the fact, his resurrection would be a proof that he was divine.

"There are two things here, which I wish you to ob

serve:

"1. That by no legitimate construction, can this expression be made to favor the idea, that the souls of men after death are in an undecided state, still capable of repentance, or susceptible of being cleansed through some fiery ordeal, to which they may be subjected. This idea which is held by the Romanists and Restorationists, is utterly at variance with the word of God. 'As the tree falleth, so it shall lie.' Death closes the account, and settles the doom of every man for eternity. Perfectly preposterous, therefore, is the idea that Christ, during the absence of his soul from the body, went to preach to the imprisoned spirits, shut up within the dusky and adamantine walls of eternal woe.

"2. And again, you see in this instance, upon what liberal principles the church proceeds in all those matters that are

*See Robinson's Lexicon, p. 9.

+ Bishop White's Lectures on the Catechism, p. 32. Also Pearson on the Creed.

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