with their flocks do, that there is, at the present time, a great desire on the part of the laity to resort to confession as a real means of grace, and that this desire not unfrequently outruns the inclinations of the Clergy. Of course it is easy to oppose such desires, without inquiring how far they are justifiable: it will be as easy for modern Bishops to ignore the cravings of the people after a stricter practice of religion, as it was for Bishops in the last century to expel Methodism from the Church:-but far better will that servant, whether Bishop or Priest, be doing the work of his Master, who bends himself diligently, earnestly, and with prayer, to the full investigation of the subject, that he may know whether, if he receives men to confession and absolution, he is truly helping their souls, or whether, if he rejects them when they seek it, he is sending the lost sheep again into the wilderness. Our own opinion is, that the craving for confessional practice is a natural result of the Sacramental practice for which we have so much cause to thank GOD, and which itself is the sequence to the better teaching of the Clergy of late years: and we firmly believe that the Clergy will be compelled-willing or unwilling-to adopt the practice much more generally than they do at present, before another generation arises. Probably it is the next great step towards gaining the 'masses,' high and low, of the English people.

But if our Bishops are all like the Bishop of Chichester, we must look to gain the people without their help. While they are of that type how can the religion of English "Church-people" be anything but the mere decent mediocrity so long known among us, except in spite of them? We humbly trust that, by God's grace it will, in spite of such Bishops, become something more; yet it is melancholy to see them shut their eyes to so much actual good and make so much of mere visionary evil. They think, no doubt, that by upholding the received standard of Protestant Establishmentarianism they shall gain or keep a hold upon the educated classes among whom they are accustomed to mingle-the respectable world of "Society" in which Bishops who live the lives of ordinary English noblemen that have no particular connection with public affairs are most accustomed to move. Such conduct gains those classes, no doubt,-after a fashion. It gains them in their pride and in their selfishness-the women of society in their worldliness, the men of society in their profligacy: the man of business in his soul-hardening covetousness, the man of rank in his haughty indifference. It gains them, yes,-by letting them have their own way; by taking out of their sight everything that offends -not their Christian love or their Christian zeal, but-their unchristian pride, selfishness, profligacy, covetousness, and indifference. And what a gain is this for the Christian Pastor to show when the righteous Judge shall call upon him to render up the usury of His talents! Alas! alas! for the Church of England

while children are her princes. What is her sin that God should suffer those spiritual rulers so often to be an incubus upon her who ought to be the chief stimulus and aid in all action for good? Let her priests be more and more diligent that this plague may the sooner be removed from her.

BISHOP BETHELL ON JUSTIFICATION.

Bishop Bethell's Sermons. London: Rivingtons. 1857.

THE Sermons of Bishop Bethell claim our deepest respect for many reasons. Their author is now the father of the English Bench, and they are given to us by him in his old age as a remembrance of the activity of his prime. Those earlier years also which witnessed the original delivery of these Sermons were made memorable by his able treatise in maintenance of one great point of the Sacramental teaching of the Church, which at that day seemed likely to be lost, held, as it was too often, by those who taught it without perception of its spiritual consequences, and for this reason blasphemed by opponents as if it were the nucleus of religious declension. Bishop Bethell's Treatise on Baptismal Regeneration was one which probably served by GoD's blessing to win many to the appreciation of truth and prepared the way for the more spiritual study of dogmatic theology which has occupied the Church of England in the last quarter of a century. A volume of Sermons from the same author is a boon which will be amply appreciated. We shall not attempt to criticise where we should not like to blame, and where it would be impertinent to praise. We shall content ourselves with taking the first Six Sermons, which form a connected disquisition upon the mode of reconciling S. Paul's teaching with that of S. James, as the occasion of some further remarks upon the same subject.

First of all let us briefly state what is the outline of Bishop Bethell's argument. Sermon I. is entitled, The Righteousness of GOD without the law by Faith of JESUS CHRIST. He elucidates the true meaning of this phrase by showing that as the Apostle's opponents were the Jews, so the law whose insufficiency he desired to make evident was the law of Moses. To their belief in the law as a final dispensation he opposes the revelation of GOD, and the proclamation of righteousness in CHRIST as a spiritual system which has taken its place. The impossibility of achieving any true righteousness, not to speak of any complete and spiritual

righteousness under the law of Moses, is contrasted with the righteousness which is accepted by faith, and preserved by a filial obedience to Gon's commands, enabling us to advance from strength to strength, until we attain to everlasting life.

The second Sermon speaks of this same "Righteousness of GOD" as "witnessed by the law and the prophets." The law is exhibited in its twofold aspect, both as intended for immediate national purposes, dealing therefore only with earthly sanctions and promises, and also as intended for a world-wide development, in that it prepared the way for the SAVIOUR of mankind. The whole series of the Divine teaching during the law was a continued declaration of the inefficiency of outward obedience, of the sin which still tainted those who were within its covenant, and of the need of better gifts in order to regain the likeness of GOD. The sermon on "Justification by faith" goes on to illustrate this gift of righteousness under the Christian system by the other expressions of Holy Scripture which convey the same idea. "To be justified by

faith denotes what is otherwise called to receive remission of our sins, to be justified freely or by grace; the righteousness of GOD without the law, and having righteousness imputed to us without works." Although the mind of man, oppressed by an accusing conscience, might sometimes feel that in its overwhelming misery at least it might hope for some remedy from the infinite goodness of GOD, yet human reason could not possibly suggest any means of escape. GOD then in mercy interposed, and while the death of His SON evidenced the heinousness of sin, it also was the great evidence of God's love to the sinner. As the means of atonement thus provided are entirely of GoD's appointment, "we are said to be justified by faith, neither because faith is the only qualification required of us in order that we may be accounted innocent and righteous, nor because faith in the Apostle's view comprises obedience and good works and all Christian virtues, nor because faith is (as it has been sometimes called in language which though admitting of a good meaning often terminates in self-complacency and presumption) a hand or instrument with which the believer seizes upon, and as it were applies to his own case the merits of CHRIST and the healing virtue of His atonement; but because faith is that act or habit of mind which relies fully on God's word, and is persuaded that all 'His promises in CHRIST JESUS are Yea and Amen.""

The fourth sermon carries forward the same subject, with the inquiry whether we must persevere to the end, seeking for salvation only by faithful acceptance of God's appointed means of grace. This humble state of continued submission is exhibited in its lifelong necessity, and defended against the inroads of such doctrines as particular Election, Assurance, and Sensible Conversion. In saying that we have been justified by faith:

"S. Paul manifestly refers to something which had happened to the converts, some conveyance of grace and pardon that had been made to them already, on which they could rely with confidence and certainty. For he expresses himself in the past tense- Having been justified,' ' after that we have and since we have been justified by faith,' we have peace with God through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD.' But we may collect from the constant testimony of Christian Antiquity, and from Scripture itself, that the Apostle is specially alluding to that crisis of the Christian life when the disciples were first taken into the covenant of grace, and received forgiveness of their sins by spiritual regeneration' in the Sacrament of Baptism."

Even after Baptism, however, the soul still needs to seek for mercy upon those conditions which God has revealed. Sin hampers throughout life the very best of those who have struggled to live worthily of GOD's adoption, and when God shall render to every man according to his works :

"The soul united to the glorified body will not lose the recollection of its frailties and guilt, and will feel and know that the imperfect obedience of the penitent and faithful must be allowed and accepted for CHRIST's sake, and counted for perfect righteousness. When we

...

come before GOD as our Judge, either in this life or in the life to come and submit ourselves to His righteous award and sentence, we can in no case plead our own works or deservings, but must take shelter in His kindness and love toward man and in the merits and mediation of CHRIST JESUS our LORD."

The Doctrine of Justification by Faith having been thus enunciated in its simplicity, S. James' teaching of Christian responsibility forms the subject of the next sermon,-that "By works a man is justified, and not by faith only." Bishop Bethell sets aside those modes of harmonising this assertion with S. Paul's statements which depend upon ambiguous use of words, and shows that the object of this declaration is to enforce the necessity of good works, as

a condition of man's continuance in that state of salvation into which he has been received as a believer. . . . As therefore we are by S. Paul said to be justified by faith, not because there is any virtue in faith to purchase and deserve our justification, but because it is that act of the mind which relies on GOD's promises in CHRIST and appeals to His mercies and forgivenesses; so we are with equal reason said by S. James to be justified by works, not because they can put away our sins and endure the severity of God's judgment,' but because they are prescribed by Him to us as indispensable conditions of continuing in a state of life, peace, acceptance, and righteousness.'

"The Example of Abraham" is considered in the concluding sermon of the series, inasmuch as it forms the meeting-point of the two Apostles' arguments, and ought therefore to furnish

the key for undoing their apparent discrepancy. S. Paul combating the self-righteous Jew, appealed to the narrative of Abraham to prove that "eminent as he was for high and holy deeds of piety and self-denial," it was not for his "works in a Jewish sense as making amends for sin or deserving a reward" that he could claim pardon from the Judge of all. He had to rest by faith upon God's free grace and mercy. S. James, combating a class of men who relied upon their Christian position as presumptuously as the Jews did upon their Abrahamic descent, showed that Abraham required to be "upholden in GoD's favour by a devoted obedience to His commands. . 'Seest thou how faith wrought with his works,' how it set him upon action, and supported him under this trial of obedience; and by works was faith made perfect,' was improved and strengthened by these exercises, and became a powerful principle of action ?'"

We shall give one extract more to complete our brief sketch of these six discourses before proceeding to add our own observations upon the same subject.

"But though faith must in the very nature of things, give being and life to a religious obedience, and must stamp our works with the name and character of religion, such works are in their turn not less necessary to the maintenance and increase both of faith itself and of every other principle of religious endeavour and action. Faith without works is dead, being alone.' It loses all its life and virtue: it is no longer available to wholesome and spiritual purposes; it cannot justify the sinner nor save him that has been accounted righteous; and ceases to be faith in God's esteem and on the construction of the Christian dispensation. "This arises out of the very nature of principles of action, and their results and development, and of dispositions and habits of mind. For it is only through practice that dispositions ripen into habits; and since it is the end of those principles to determine men to a settled course of life and conduct, they lose their force and become useless unless brought into play and strengthened and perfected by being exercised in their proper offices and peculiar spheres of action."

Having thus given the outline of Bishop Bethell's argument, we shall endeavour to draw out as briefly as the subject will allow, and as fully as our space will permit, the Scriptural doctrine of justification. In doing this, it will be best to commence with a general review of the actual statements of Scripture upon the subject; and having arranged them according to their natural grammatical divisions, to see how far the various modern schools of opinion can be accommodated under their authority.

The Justification of man is the Reversal of the Fall, and the great object of the Christian Revelation. The only two passages of Holy Scripture where the word occurs are consequently the turning points of S. Paul's argument in the Epistle to the Romans, where