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to bestow, were usually performed in public. However, there can be no doubt that the sole object of Christ in this exhortation, was to discourage as much as possible all ostentation, and to enjoin nothing but that the design of charitable deeds, according to his own words, should not be, that they might be seen of men.

And certainly it is equally clear that he had the same object only in what he forbids respecting prayer. The same phraseology is used in both cases, and with the same intention. In this passage he is evidently speaking of his disciples' praying separately as individuals, and not in their social capacity. This is manifest from the nature of the case, as well as from all that has been now observed; but it is further confirmed by his use of the singular number on this occasion, and afterwards changing it for the plural: But when thou prayest, be not as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. But thou, when thou prayest,' &c. Here, then, the pronoun in the singular number is repeated, and thus rendered emphatical, evidently pointing out his meaning to be, when ye pray separately as individuals, do this, not in public from motives of ostentation and parade, but retire to your closets, &c. When, however, he gives them a model for their devotions in the Lord's Prayer, and, as Luke observes,+ at the request of his disciples, he makes use of the plural form of expression, as speaking of them collectively: But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the Heathen do,' &c. In this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven,' &c., using the plural number throughout. This form, indeed, is evidently intended to be used in society, not less than in private. It is admirably adapted to the use of all men, at all times, and in all circumstances: it is moreover composed of sentences found in the Hebrew liturgies of

"In the Temple, individuals were in the habit of going to pray separately at any time in public, after the social worship of that place was concluded; and it is very possible, that the same practice might be observed in the synagogues; or, if not, many might attend the usual services of those places constantly for no purpose but to be seen of others, and on that account, and that only, are they censured. He does not condemn them because they prayed in the synagogue, but because they prayed there to be seen of men." +" Chap. xi. 2."

that time, which were all used as social prayers.

To the passage under consideration, moreover, the observation has been applied, † That among the Jews nothing was more common than the use of a phrase directly negative, and without restriction, to express a limited and comparative idea. The following are instances of this kind: If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, and even his own life also, he can. not be my disciple.' No one understands this as meaning any thing more than to assert the great principle, that to prefer any earthly consideration to our duty, is inconsistent with the Christian character. Again; Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.' The mean. ing of which is better expressed by Mr. Wakefield's translation: He that believeth on me, believeth not so much on me as on him that sent me.' And in the Acts, Peter says, 'Ananias, thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God; that is, Your offence is greater against God than against men.' If passages like these are to be understood literally, without regard to the nature of the particular case, the connexion in which they stand, as well as the true spirit of religion, and the principles of common sense, what are the contradictions and absurdities, as observ ed before, that will not find vouchers enough in the Scriptures? Similar latitude of interpretation is not only allowable, but necessary, in the exhortation of Christ, When thou prayest, be not as the hypocrites,' &c. But when all the circumstances which have been stated are taken into consideration, it seems impossible to avoid the conclusion, that nothing more is intended in this passage (as in that on the subject of almsgiving, the phraseology of which is precisely similar) than a solemn caution against ostentation, or praying in order to be seen of men, without the slightest intention of giving discouragement to social prayer, originating in right motives and accom panied by humility. It is plainly directed, and directed only, against individual prayer in places of public resort."-Pp. 91— 98.

"With the exception of the expression, as we forgive them that trespass against us,' which is the only part of it upon which Christ makes any comment, as if there were nothing else in it that was new and uncommon."

+"See Simpson's Reply to Wake field."

Long as this quotation is, we cannot forbear making another which we think also valuable :

"To the Corinthians the apostle gives directions on the subject, which prove indisputably that prayer was not confined to the closet, but that Christians were then in the habit of using it in their assemblies for religious purposes: the man whilst praying was to have his head uncovered, the woman to wear the usual covering on the head.

"There is one passage, however, which can leave no doubt on the mind of any person who has not previously received the strongest bias on the subject, that social prayer in the manner now in use, that is, of one individual delivering the prayer in the name of all, and the congregation signifying their participation and concurrence by the response, Amen, was the habitual practice of Christians in general in the apostolic age. Let him that speaketh in an unknown language, pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknown language, my spirit prayeth, but my meaning is unprofitable. What is it then? will pray with the spirit,' that is, with my spirit, as in the preceding verse, understanding myself, and with the understanding also,' or with meaning, so as to be understood by others. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Otherwise when thou shalt bless God with the spirit,' with thy mind, understanding thyself, but not understood by others, how shall he that filleth the

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"1 Cor. xi. 4."
+"1 Cor. xiv, 13, &c."

"This does not necessarily refer to the gift of speaking different languages, given on the day of Pentecost, and which was so essential to the apostles in preaching to different nations: a foreigner might speak in a language unknown to the rest of the assembly, aud it seems strange, if an individual possessed the miraculous power of speaking an unknown language, that he should not at the same time be enabled to interpret that language."

place of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, since he knoweth not what thou sayest? For thou indeed givest thanks well; but the other is not edified.'* Were there no other text on the subject in the New Testament, this would be sufficient.

"It is not easy to imagine a more puerile attempt to evade the proof afforded by this passage, that social prayer was the common practice of Christians in their assemblies at this time, than that which has been made by some observations on the use of the word amen, as if it were not intended to express a participation in the prayer at the conclusion of which it was uttered. Every one knows that amen is a Hebrew word, signifying truth, and that it is properly translated verily at the beginning of many of our Lord's solemn affirmations recorded in the Gospels. But every one knows also that, by common consent, when it is used by those who hear, at the end of a prayer delivered in their presence, this use of it implies, not their approbation only, but their concurrence, their participation in what the speaker has uttered. That this was the ancient as well as modern sense in which it was so used, is unquestionable. The common response, says Vitringa, in the Jewish synagogue, was amen; by which the whole congregation replied to the minister's prayers and benedictions; and thereby signified their concurrence with him (suum eo consensum testatus cum precante'). He has a distinct section on this use of the word, in which he enumerates the several circumstances insisted upon by the Talmudic writers as requisite to render it acceptable to God, among which one at least was proper, namely, that it should be accompanied by a firm persuasion that God heareth prayer."+-Pp. 119–122.

In the conclusion of this Chapter, and of the "Inquiry," the author

pression addressed to the woman of Samaria, of worshiping God in spirit and in truth, that is, with the mind and sincerely."

§ "See Locke on the passage. This sagacious and skilful commentator, however, understands by my spirit in the 14th verse, the mind of the worshiper; but by spirit in the next verse supernatural assistance to pray in an unknown language. But what sufficient reason can there be for changing the meaning of the same word so suddenly in the same passage? The repetition of the pronoun my was not necessary. The signification seems to be the same here as in our Lord's ex- "Vitringa, p. 1092."

"Vitringa quotes this text, among others, in order to shew that the worship of the synagogue and of Christian assemblies was essentially the same, both including prayers, thanksgivings and benedictions, with the responses of the people, by saying, Amen. The chief difference appears to have been, that the Christians did not use forms of prayer, or read the law. Vitringa de Syn. Vet. Lib. iii. Pars ii. Cap. xix. p. 1100."

proves that "the practice of Christians immediately after the Apostolic Age" was consonant to the present usage of the Christian Church, as well as to that of the ancient Jewish Synagogue.

It is stated in the title-page that the volume is "printed for the author," and we are informed that, for reasons not necessary to be detailed, it is extremely desirable that the public should so far patronize it as to exonerate him. This alone would not induce us to recommend the work; but we confess that it increases our desire to bespeak the favour of our readers for a publication which on the ground of its merits is entitled to no small portion of praise.

ART. IV.-A Letter to a Friend at Saffron Walden, touching some Recent Disputes amongst the Dis senters in that Place. By a Member of the Church of England. 8vo. pp. 8. Rivingtons. 3d.

T

HIS "Member of the Church of England" has taken advantage of the intolerance of a Dissenting Minister and his congregation, (see the Review of the account of Mr. W. Clayton's "Extraordinary Proceedings" in our last number, pp. 504, 505,) to disparage and revile Nonconformists in general, and to chaunt the praises of his own church, "the best constituted church in the world." We forgive his jokes and gibes at Dissent: for these Mr. W. Clayton has to answer, it being the necessary consequence of outrageous, unchristian conduct like his to provoke the sneer and to aid the triumph of the champions of political churches, churches by law established on the ruins of the fundamental principles of the gospel: yet, we think that this "Member of the Church of England" has not chosen the fittest moment to extol the frame of the national ecclesiastical polity, and to claim for his church apostolical discipline;" a moment, when the distress of the leading interests of the country causes the Church to be felt an insupportable burden, and when certain occurrences have filled the community with shame and indignation at the open traffic in church benefices and the corrupt appointments to episcopal rank for the

sake of ministerial patronage and parliamentary votes.

The Letter-writer laughs at the office of a Dissenting "deacon;" but he must allow the Dissenters to look with as little veneration upon a Churchof-England bishop.

The "moderation" of the Church of England is much vaunted by this author; but if we are to judge of the mother by her sons, we must dispute the boast, for the public is sickened with the high priestly claims that are set up at every Visitation, and sorely aggrieved by the rigour with which ecclesiastical dues are constantly enforced. True, the church does not persecute Nonconformists, but let the Bishop of St. David's say, whether this tolerance of hers be owing to a tender regard to conscience, or to legislative enactments by which "heresy" is taken from the cognizance of the priest, and put under the protection of the magistrate.

Our Churchman appeals to "the history of the last two hundred years" for the fact, "that the different Nonconformists, amidst all their clamours for liberty of conscience, have uniformly endeavoured to seize every opportunity of suppressing all modes of worship but their own:" the reproach ought to be felt by such Dissenters as those of the " Abbey-Lane Meeting" at Saffron-Walden, that make popes of their ministers and cherish bigotry as an idol; but it falls pointless at the feet of the leading bodies of Dissenters in the metropolis and elsewhere, who have on every suita ble occasion, for the last quarter of a century at least, proclaimed their deli berate judgment of the equal right of all men to adopt their opinions and observe their worship, without restric tion, molestation or even censure.

The "Member of the Church of England" asserts the safety of relying "for the sense of Scripture upon the wisdom of our learned and pious Reformers;" just as if he did not know that those Reformers interpreted the Scriptures differently, and that their "wisdom" is a riddle of which no two Churchmen living will give the same solution. Scripture, we humbly think, is quite as intelligible to the people of the present day, as the "wisdom" of the Reformers; and it would surely be more consist.

ent with piety to send inquirers for their opinions to prophets and apostles, rather than to the Reformers; though it might not be quite so safe for the reputation of a church whose kingdom is of this world, whose ministers are called Fathers and exercise lordship, whose creeds are contradictory and one of them abundant in curses, and whose worship consists of "vain repetitions."

Knowing little of the people at Saffron Walden whom this "Member of the Church of England" and Mr. W. Clayton jointly reproach in the same spirit and nearly the same terms, we must leave them to defend them

selves from the gross charge (p. 2) of "setting up the Devil's code, and calling it the gospel of Jesus Christ;" but we dismiss the subject with remarking, that if they be proved to be Antinomians in theory, they may retort upon their opponents as Antinomians in practice, who trample upon the evangelical law of love, uphold their cause by excommunications, the instruments by which "the Man of Sin" has ever defended his throne, and in default of convincing such as differ from them, pursue and vex them with insinuations, menaces and revilings.

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