even from the ordinance itself we may consider great good as arising to the soul; since, as in the case of circumcision, the person is thereby brought into covenant with God. The Israelites, as a nation in covenant with God, were highly privileged; for to them,' as the Apostle says, 'belonged the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises*. The same, I doubt not, may be justly said of all that are baptized indeed, we doubt not, but that our Reformers had that very passage of Scripture in their eye, when in our baptismal service they instructed us to thank God for having regenerated the baptized person by his Holy Spirit; and, in our Catechism, to speak of children as by the ordinance of baptism made members of Christ, children of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven.' These expressions are doubtless strong; and so are St. Paul's expressions respecting the benefits of circumcision; and every blessing which he asserts to have been conveyed by circumcision, we may safely and truly apply to baptism. By the very admission of persons into covenant with God, they are brought into a new state, have a right and title to all these privileges; and by the exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ they come to the actual possession of them. . . .

"But the chief source of the fore-mentioned error is, that men do not distinguish between a change of state and a change of nature. Baptism is, as we have just shewn, a change of state: for by it we become entitled to all the blessings of the new covenant; but it is not a change of nature. A change of nature may be communicated at the time that the ordinance is administered; but the ordinance itself does not communicate it now, any more than in the apostolic age. Simon Magus was baptized; and yet remained in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity, as much after his baptism as he was before. And it So may with us and this is an infallible proof, that the change, which the Scriptures call the new birth, does not always and of necessity accompany this sacred ordinance. As the cir cumcision of the heart did not always accompany the cir

*Rom. ix. 4.

be

cumcision of the flesh, so neither does the renovation of the soul always accompany the outward rite of baptism, which shadows it forth; and if only our opponents will distinguish the sign from the thing signified, and assign to each its proper place and office, there will be an immediate end of this controversy."

Extract from the Sermon on James ii. 24. "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

"It is obvious, that the words which I have read to you are a deduction from a preceding argument. We ought therefore carefully to examine the argument itself; for it is only by a thorough knowledge of the premises that we can understand the conclusion drawn from them. Suppose that I were, as a conclusion of an argument, to say, 'So then man is an immortal being;' if the argument itself were not investigated, you might understand it as a denial of man's mortality: but, if the argument shewed that the conclusion referred to his soul alone, the conclusion would be found perfectly consistent with an apparently opposite position, namely, that man is a mortal being. In like manner, if the Apostle's argument in the preceding context be candidly examined, there will be found no real inconsistency between the deduction contained in the text, and an apparently opposite deduction which may be founded on premises altogether different."..

"It is said that St. Paul's sentiments and declarations on this subject are directly opposed to those of St. James; since, after a long argument, he comes to this conclusion: "Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law*." He goes further still, and says, that 'to him that worketh not, but believeth in Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness +.' Now it may well be asked, 'How can this be reconciled with the foregoing statement?' I answer, Only examine St. Paul's argument, as you have that of St. James, and you will see that there is no opposition at all between their respective asser

* Rom. iii. 28.

+ Rom. iv. 5.

tions.' The two Apostles are writing on two different subjects. St. Paul is proving that a man is not to seek salvation by any righteousness of his own, but simply by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: whereas St. James is proving, that the man who professes to have faith in Christ, must shew forth his faith by his works. St. Paul endeavours to convince the selfjusticiary; St. James, the Antinomian; St. Paul, by shewing that works are nothing without faith; St. James, by shewing that faith is nothing without works. St. Paul exalts Christ, as giving a title to heaven; St. James, as giving a meetness for heaven. St. Paul bends the whole force of his mind to establish the one leading doctrine of the Gospel; St. James to have that doctrine adorned. Thus, according to the two Apostles, a man is justified by faith, because by it he is made righteous; and he is justified by works, because by them he is proved righteous: and God in justifying him, whether on the one ground, or the other, approves Himself both a just God and a Saviour.' We may render this matter somewhat more clear by means of a familiar illustration. A scion must be engrafted into a stock in order that it may live and it must bring forth fruit in order to prove that it does live. Is there any opposition between these two assertions? None whatever. So then with Paul I assert, that man must be engrafted into Christ by faith, in order that he may live; and with St. James I assert, that he must bring forth fruits of righteousness, to prove that he does live. Without being engrafted into the stock, he can have no life and, if he bring not forth good works, he shews that he has no life. These two positions are perfectly compatible with each other: and so, when properly understood, are the apparently opposite positions of these two Apostles."

In referring to the statements in this Sermon, towards the close of his life, Mr. Simeon writes:

"On all subjects, except that of Justification by Faith, St. Paul exercised the greatest candour; but on that he would not tolerate an angel from heaven, if he brought anything erroneous. I think I have myself gone to the utmost verge of what is right (or rather, stated what is precisely right) in my Sermon on James ii. 24. in my Hora."

...

CHAPTER XXIII.

LETTERS TO REV. T. THOMASON-VARIOUS EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF THE JEWS-FORMATION OF A JEWS' SOCIETY AT CAMBRIDGE -TO MISS GURNEY ON THE DEATH OF HER SISTER-TO REV. J. W. CUNNINGHAM RESPECTING DR. CHALMERSON CLERGYMEN ATTENDING TO SECULAR CONCERNS-TO REV. E. B. ELLIOTT ON RECEIVING TWO VASES-TO HIS GODSON AT HAILEYBURY ON THE COLLEGE REPORTS-TO REV. T. THOMASON ON THE ENJOYMENT OF MERCIES-SENDING HIM AN ASSISTANT-RETURN OF HIS

SON TO INDIA-MEMORANDUM ON RECEIVING INJURIOUS TREATMENT.

1821.

CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.

To the Rev. T. THOMASON.

"My beloved Brother, "K. C. Jan. 31, 1821. Your Report has come to hand, and cheap as dirt: the former was charged £10. 5s., and this only £7. Your friends are not so considerate as might be wished; but I consider for them, and keep my money in my pocket, till the Post Office come down to my terms. I was filled with wonder by the last; and doubt not but that this, when it comes to hand, will warm my heart with gratitude and praise.

"Through the tender mercy of our God the Jewish cause is prospering. I will just mention, in few words, what the last fortnight has produced. We have established a College, or Seminary, for our Missionaries, We have an excellent (a pious and learned)

man for the President: and we have four students, very hopeful ones, already there. The Bishop of Gloucester, Mr. Way, &c., and myself, drew up for them a course of study, and there is to be a kind of public examination at Midsummer. Thus they will have an appropriate education; and I hope that in a year three of them will go forth. We could have a great number of others, but must wait for funds to enable us to proceed on a larger scale.

66

"I am going soon, anonymously, to give prizes for the best tracts on Jewish Questions. I have fixed two questions for this year; but I must first draw the public mind to the subject by some Papers in the Expositor. I hope by this to interest the Public in the general question, and to get the best tracts composed for the Jews. You know the great results of Dr. Buchanan's prizes, and I hope there will be the blessing of God on these also.

"On the 18th and 25th of February I am to preach (D. v.) before the University, on the Jewish Question. My Sermons will be printed; and I propose to send you some. If I live till May, I shall have a Public Meeting at Cambridge; and if my Sermons shall have prepared the way, I hope that many will join themselves to your unworthy but most affectionate Brother, "C. S."

To the same:

"We have just established a Jews' Society in the University, and had a Public Meeting. Indeed such is the state of the University now, that multitudes are ready to come forward in every good work. It is no little mercy to have lived to see such a day as this. When I was an Undergraduate myself, I