constantly employed by other persons to inculcate tenets not only at variance with, but absolutely

his Holy Spirit." And again: "Therefore this consolation is to be held fast, that our person is accepted on account of the Son of God, his righteousness being imputed to us (imputata nobis ipsius justitia.") Yet no one acquainted with the works of this great Reformer will attribute to him any but the most sound and perspicuous principles on this important point of doctrine. Whenever therefore the phrase is used in these volumes, it is meant, -in accordance with the chapter on Justification,-that the righteousness of Christ is so imputed or reckoned to the person justified, as that on account of it, that is, on account of Christ's active and passive obedience—on account of his perfect fulfilment of the law and of his meritorious sacrifice on the cross, those who believe on him are accepted and treated as righteous by God: "so that," as the Homily on Salvation expresses it, "Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him. He for them paid their ransom by his death. He for them fulfilled the law in his life. So that now in Him and by Him every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the law; forasmuch as that which their infirmity lacked, Christ's justice hath supplied." The imputation of Christ's righteousness, in the above sense, seems also to bear an obvious proportion to the imputation of Adam's guilt, according to the remarkable parallel drawn by St. Paul in Romans v.

All this is very different from the doctrine, that the personal righteousness of Christ is so transferred to a certain number of Christians, that, being in itself perfect, it must render them inherently so, and must exclude the possibility of falling from a state of justification. The term certainly does not require this latter sense to be put upon it. It is not necessary, therefore, to relinquish it. With regard to the expediency of doing so, it may, perhaps, be said genc

subversive of the doctrines which they are here used to elucidate and confirm: but he has not done so, unless they are either literally scriptural, or indisputably accord with the sense of Scripture, or are sanctioned by authority which may be deemed next in rank to Holy Writ, that of the Church herself, or of those from whom she derives her phraseology.

It would be of little avail to enumerate the difficulties which have obstructed the progress of this portion of the work. They will occur to the mind of all, who have ever endeavoured to impress even the most simple Gospel-truth, in a perfectly intelligible manner, on the understandings of the uneducated; and still more readily to those who have been obliged to give an explanation of matters involved in mystery and doubt. The Author has done his best to accomplish an object so exceedingly desirable as that of being at all times easily intelligible, but he is conscious of not being always successful, and must therefore trust to some more able pen to correct and improve whatever he may have faultily or feebly executed.

THE EXTRACTS FROM SCRIPTURE* will be

rally, that it is more expedient to explain and affix a right sense to an expression that has been perverted,—but which is still frequently to be met with,-than to omit it, and thus tacitly to acknowledge that all those who have used it, have been in error.

The first translations of the Scriptures, or of parts of them, into the language of this country, were of a very

found more numerous and full towards the conclusion of the work; and especially in those parts

early date, in Anglo-Saxon; but these were no longer of public use after the Conquest, when a new tongue was introduced, and the old one became obsolete. Some few efforts were made to translate single books and portions of Holy Writ, but none of great importance, till the whole Bible was rendered out of the Latin into English, and published by JOHN WICKLIF about 1382. Of this translation a new version was given after Dr. Wicklif's death, less literal and inelegant, probably by some of his followers, who were denominated Lollards. Until the reign of Henry VIII. no further step was taken either in adapting what had already been done to the language of the time, or in producing a new translation.

The spirit of the Reformation soon, however, excited the desire to possess the Word of God in the only language generally understood by the people; and learned and pious men were found ready to undertake the task.

From the year 1526 to the present time, the English editions of the Scriptures have been very numerous; it may not therefore be uninteresting to review the following brief catalogue of the principal translations, and revisions, and of the most remarkable editions, through which they have passed.

In the Reign of HENRY VIII.

TYNDAL'S New Testament, translated from the Greek, published.

.......

A second edition, published in England...

Translations of the Pentateuch, by Tyndal, and of

some other separate books, were published between....

1526

1534

.. 1530 and 1534

COVERDALE'S Bible, different from Tyndal's translation

........

The only editions, as is supposed, were in 1550 and 1553.

1535

the occasion and local force of the passage. It has often been with great reluctance, that the prescribed limits of a small work have been adhered to, in transcribing for it from the Sacred Volume of Inspiration.

The Extracts from the Book of COMMON PRAYER * will be acceptable to those who wish

*

During the dawn of the Reformation, in the latter years of Henry VIII., no circumstance tended more to open the eyes of men to the necessity of extricating themselves from the spiritual darkness, in which the Roman Church involved her sons, than the permission which was granted them to understand the prayers which were offered in public worship on their behalf, and which had hitherto been intelligible only to the learned. By the persuasion, as may be supposed, of those of the Clergy, who inclined to Protestantism, and especially of Cranmer, some books of religious instruction, which will be mentioned hereafter, directly opposed to the worst doctrinal corruptions of Popery, were sent forth; but besides them, and indeed before them, the king allowed to be published, under the royal authority, a book, called the King's Primer, containing translations from the Latin Rituals of a great part of the matter which forms the foundation of the Book of Common Prayer. Of this Primer, Strype, (Memorials of Archbishop Cranmer, B. I. xxiv.) when enumerating the books prohibited by Bishop Bonner, as heretical, in 1542, mentions, "The Preface made in the English Primers, by Marshal. This Marshal was he, I suppose, whose Christian name was Cuthbert, and was D.D. and Archdeacon of Nottingham, and died about 1549. At this book I will stop a little, being a book of eminence and remark in those times; and that hath such a strain of truth and serious piety in it, that it seems very probable, that the Archbishop had a considerable hand in it, and procured the publication

to render themselves familiar with the language and principles of the most excellent of Liturgical compositions; and cannot fail to give solid satis

of it, Cum privilegii Regali. It was styled, A Goodly Primer, or Book of Prayers, and called The King's Primer. I speak of the second edition, which was about the year 1535. It began with an admonition to the reader, containing very sharp and severe reflections upon the Popish devotions, and praying to saints." He then gives its contents.

Immediately upon the accession of Edward VI. more decided steps were taken to secure to the country the inestimable benefit of public service, of a reasonable and spiritual nature, and in the English language. In the Convocation in 1547, Strype says, (Mem. of Cranmer, B. II. ch. iv.) that "the Archbishop bore the great sway By his means, also, another great thing, moved in the Convocation, was now ratified, and made a law by this Parliament: which was, for the administration of the Communion under both kinds throughout the kingdom of England and Ireland. And upon this, the King appointed certain grave and learned Bishops, and others, to assemble at Windsor Castle, there to treat and confer together; and to conclude upon, and set forth, one perfect and uniform order of Communion, according to the rules of Scripture, and the use of the primitive Church. And this being framed, it was enjoined to be used throughout the realm, by a proclamation, and all required to receive it with due reverence.

This led the way to the compilation of the first Liturgy, which was entrusted to the same commissioners, was in the course of a few months completed, was approved by Convocation, and published, by order of the King and the Parliament, in 1549. "The Common Prayer Book, and Administration of the Sacraments, by the great care and study of the Archbishop, was now (in 1549, says