which never formed a part of it. Calvinists are both willing and able to defend all its doctrines as they are there announced, but they do feel just indignation when doctrines are attributed to it which it never contained. Surely that gentleman should blush for such a breach of common decency, as a writer, and common honesty, as a man. The person capable of acting so, "does," to use his own language, "display the characteristics of a heart that is not right with God." Let him produce one direct quotation from this much calumniated work, to show that it "strongly asserts" this "abominable doctrine,' and he will have performed a task which none of his party have ever yet been able to accomplish. But he cannot, because such a passage is not contained in the whole work. 6. He "cannot sign the 'Confession of Faith,' because the following sentence appears to him to be equally erroneous, presumptuous, and vain :-" Others not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet they never truly come unto Christ, and therefore cannot be saved: much less can men not professing the Christian religion be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the law of the religion they do profess, and to assert and maintain that they may, is very pernicious and to be detested."-Chap. 10. In contradiction of this he quotes Rom. ii. 12-16, neither of which passages, even remotely, oppose the sentiment contained in the above quotation. But I will quote two passages of Scripture, both directly referring to the point at issue, and which much more strongly affirm the doctrine, than any article of the Confession of Faith. John xiv. 6,-"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father but by me." Acts iv. 12,-" Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Mr. Doherty may, if he pleases, call the doctrine contained and so prominently expressed in these passages of Scripture, erroneous, presumptuous, and vain; but he must settle the account with them before he again utters his denunciations against this part of the Confession of Faith. Until that be done, I need not further explain the passage already quoted from it, the meaning of which is altogether different from that which he attributes to it. I would also be extremely anxious to see some of "the sweeping assertions contained in the standard of Orthodoxy, respecting the condemnation of the whole heathen world." These must be hidden amongst some of its undiscovered depths of enormity, at the bare idea of which Unitarians shudder with so much well-feigned abhorrence. Let Mr. Doherty, if he discover them, and point them out to the world. can, 7. He "cannot sign the Confession of Faith,' in consequence of certain articles which assert that the magistrate hath authority to take order that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed, &c., because this arms him with all the powers of a judge in the holy inquisition."" Now it so happens that this can alone be done by moral restraint; and if a magistrate do endeavour to check sin and error in this way, and to promote godliness and virtue, it cannot appear to be so very atrocious as Mr. Doherty's fearful fancy would lead him to imagine. Let Mr. Doherty read the very able reply of the Rev. John Paul to the Covenanter upon this subject before he proceeds to write again, and also let him understand the limitation adopted by the Church of Scotland in the year 1647, and he will perceive that he has merely been beating the air in this piece of declamation with which he has been pleased to entertain the gullability of the readers of a contemporary publication. Do not the very men of the present day, who are loudest in their cry against all interference on the part of the civil magistrate, in reference to the affairs and discipline of the church, evidently contradict themselves by their boisterous and angry demands upon the legislature for church reform? In the same way the great opponents of religious creeds in this country have been most urgent in the demand to have their representatives shackled by those that are political. Their creed at least fits them very easily, as they can just change it as expediency requires, declaiming one hour against the intolerable tyranny of religious creeds, and the next making use of the very arguments of their opponents, for the purpose of proving the necessity of political ones. I have now examined what Mr. Doherty calls the principal reasons which have induced him to leave a body with which he has been connected from his childhood. Whether he has been connected with the Synod of Ulster from his childhood, I cannot tell, nor is it a matter of much consequence, either to the public or to me. He has now, however, determined to leave the body, and I am disposed to think that it will not attempt to throw any obstacle in his way; he has no more claim upon it than I have, or than any other young man has, who may choose to connect himself with any other religious society; the Synod, I trust, will not be any loser, as I am not well aware that it has ever gained very much in any one way by the connexion. But Mr. Doherty asserts, that he knows he will, in many respects, be a loser, and in none a gainer : now I really do not know how that can happen; a person cannot lose that which he never possessed, and certainly he possesses no stronger claim upon the Synod than any other student who may have voluntarily placed himself under its care. But this is the common cant of his party, and he has only adopted the whining cry of his brethren. I trust, however, that as Mr. Doherty has made this appeal to them, the good people of Holywood or of Larne will have the grace to reward him for his chivalrous magnanimity. The Unitarian congregations now vacant are certainly more lucrative than any in the same situation under the care of the Synod of Ulster. For myself, I wish Mr. Doherty every happiness, and I trust he may not be just such a martyr to his cause as he dreads. He has by this time, I suppose, connected himself with some other religious body, and the Synod of Ulster must console itself, the best way it can, under what Mr. Doherty, no doubt, considers so great a loss. "Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone." Yours, &c., CHRISTIAN WARFARE. A STUDENT. "MORTIFY therefore your members that are on the earth;' be always doing it whilst you live in this world. It is true, great ground is obtained when the work is vigorously and constantly carried on. Sin is much weakened, so that the soul presseth towards perfection; but yet the work must be endless, I mean, whilst we are in this world. If we give over, we shall quickly see this enemy exerting itself with new strength and vigour. It may be, under some great affliction, it may be in some eminent enjoyment of God, in the sense of the sweetness of blessed communion with Christ, we have been ready to say, that there was an end of sin, that it was dead and gone for ever. But have we not found the contrary by experience? Hath it not manifested that it was only retired into some unsearchable recesses of the heart, as to its inbeing and nature, though it may be greatly weakened in its power? Let us then reckon on it, that there is no way to have our work done but by always doing of it; and he who dies fighting in this warfare, dies assuredly a conqueror. "REV. DR. OWEN." Subscription from Rev. M. Finlay.. Coleraine. Killileagh.... .... 1 0 0 Mrs. Gemmill, Beech-Hill.... 0 10 0 0 Rev. Mr. M'Aldin... 4 8 Rev. A. Breaky. 7 7 1 Subscription from Rev. A. Breaky... .... Letterkenny Ladies' Association, Auxiliary to the Formerly received from the same Auxiliary.. Portaferry Dromore... Faughanvale.. Rev. J. Orr. Rev. J. Collins... 0 10 0 Newtonstewart. ... Portglenone, per Mr, A. Crawford.... HYMN OF The Mountain Christian. "For the strength of the hills we bless thee, Our God, our fathers' God! Thou hast made thy children mighty," By the touch of the mountain sod. Where the spoiler's foot ne'er trod; For the strength of the hills we bless thee, We are watchers of a beacon For the strength of the hills we bless thee, For the dark resounding heavens, Where the still small voice is heard, For the strong pines of the forests, For the storm, on whose free pinions For the strength of the hills we bless thee, Our God, our fathers' God! The royal eagle darteth On his quarry, from the heights, But we, for thy communion, Have sought the mountain sod; For the strength of the hills we bless thee, The banner of the chieftain, Far far below us waves; The war-horse of the spearman Thy dark clouds wrap the threshold Of freedom's last abode; For the strength of the hills we bless thee, Our God, our fathers' God! For the shadow of thy presence, Round our camp of rock outspread; For the stern defiles of battle, Bearing record of the dead;. For the snows, and for the torrents, For the free heart's burial sod,. For the strength of the hills we bless thee, Our God, our fathers' God !”----Mrs. Hemans. 1 |