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God required at his hands the reformation of them. He could no longer allege that he was not apprized of the enormities every where committed. "Behold, I bring these things to your knowledge this day." "Say not then," he added, "that these crimes have been committed by the fault of others, without your knowledge; for whatever you suffer through your connivance to be done by others, is your own. Therefore, in the presence of God, his angels, and men, I pronounce you to be the author of all these evils: yea, and in that strict day of general account, I will be a witness to testify against you, that all these things have come to your knowledge by my means and all these men who hear me this day will bear witness of it also."

Mr. Gilpin's boldness alarm ed his friends :-If the bishop had been so forward in punishing him before without any provocation, he must now be exasperated beyond measure. Mr. Gilpin said, that, if good were done, he was indifferent to personal consequences. To the surprise of every one, however, the bishop shewed no marks of resentment; and after dinner, when Mr. Gilpin went up to take leave, the bishop told him he meant to accompany him to Houghton, which he according ly did. On entering a parlour, he eagerly seized Mr. Gilpin's hand, and said to him, "Father Gilpin, you are fitter to be the bishop of Durham than I am to be the rector of your parish. I ask your forgiveness, father, for past injuries. You have enemies; but, while I am bishop

of Durham, be secure; none of them shall trouble you."

Mr. Gilpin was much employed during the last years of his life, in fixing his school on a solid foundation. He made the statutes as unexceptionable as he could. Though he had applied a considerable sum of money to its support, the endowment appeared insufficient. He prevailed therefore on some others to contribute to this object, until the revenues became answerable to his wish. He likewise procured a charter for it from the queen.

In the latter part of Mr. Gilpin's life, his health was much impaired. The fatigues he had undergone had broken his constitution.

His memory began to

decay, and his sight and hearing also failed. In this situation he met with a very severe accident. An ox ran at him and threw him down with such violence, that it was thought hewould have died in consequence. He, however,got abroad again; though he never afterwards recovered his former strength, and continued to be lame for the rest of his life. But he had a mind not to be depressed by such cir cumstances. He received them rather with thankfulness than repining; he considered them as kindly monitions sent by his heavenly Father to remind him of his approaching end, and to prepare him for it. But sickness was not the only trial which beset his declining years. As age and infirmity increased, the malicious efforts of his enemies, now less apprehensive of vigorous opposition, increased also. They availed themselves of the most frivolous pretences

for giving him trouble; but he bore all with an unvarying equanimity, and maintained, even to the immediate authors of his disquiet, a truly christian spirit of meekness and charity, without at all departing from that character of firmness by which he had been through life distinguished. Under all his trials, he was cheered and strengthened by those consolations which flow from communion with God, and an undeviating reliance on his truth, wisdom, and goodness.

His health continuing to de cline, about the beginning of February, 1583, he became so weak that he felt his end must be near, and spoke with the greatest composure of his approaching dissolution. He was soon after confined to his chamber; but his senses continued perfect to the last. A few days before his death, he sent for several poor people who had been his pensioners, to whom he ad. dressed suitable exhortations, praying God to remember them after he was gone, and to enable them to be faithful to their God, who in that case would never

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leave them comfortless. scholars were next called in; them he earnestly reminded of what he had often told them before, that, though learning was well worth their attention, it was piety which ought to be the great object of their ambition, if they would be useful here, and happy hereafter. He next kindly exhorted his servants: sent also for several persons who had hitherto been unaffected by his labors to do them good, in the hope that his dying words might have greater weight with them, and influence them to turn to God. His speech began to falter, before he concluded his exhortations. The remaining hours of his life he spent in prayer, and in broken conversation with some chosen friends, in which he dwelt much on the con. solations of religion, and the peace which exclusively resulted from the faith and hope of the gospel.

He died on the 4th of March, 1583, in the 66th year of his age.

It only remains to give some account of his character, and common manner of life.

(To be continued.)

RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATIONS.

A VIEW OF THE MESSIAH AND OF THE FOUNDATION AND ORDER OF HIS CHURCH: from Mat. xvi. 13—19. (Continued from page 353.)

THE great purpose, for which our Lord retired with his disciples to Cesarea Philippi, and there held with them the conversation now under review, evidently was, to fix decisively

the foundation of the church. It was for this purpose, that he obtained from Peter, and by him from the twelve, the memorable confession, "THOU ART THE CHRIST, the Messiah, THE SON

of THÉ LIVING GOD." After expressing to Peter, therefore, his approbation of the confession, he immediately proceeded to the grand point in view.

And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, AND UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

When Simon was first introduced to Jesus, by his brother Andrew, Jesus said to him,

Thou art Simon the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Ce. phas, which is, by interpretation, A stone." Cephas, in Syriac, and Peter, or Petros, in Greek, áre of one signification: they both signify a stone, or a rock. Accordingly, when Simon, after the violent attack upon his Mastér, by the Pharisees and Sadducées, made his noble confession of faith; Jesus, alluding to his firmness, reminded him of the significant name, which he had before given him, and said, "Thou art Peter," thou art a rock; and immediately subjoined, "And upon this rock I will build my church." The allusion here is plain; but this important de claration of our Lord has been variously understood.

"Thou art a rock; and upon this rock I will build my church." It is here, say the Romanists, expressly declared, that Peter was to be the rock, or founda tion of the church. But this, they farther say, could not have been spoken of Peter in his own person only, but must be understood to include his successors: for as Peter could not continue by reason of death, he could not be in person, but must be in his successors, the foundation of the church, through all succeeding VOL. II. New Series.

generations. And to complete the argument, Peter, they allege, was the first bishop of Rome; and therefore, his successors in that chair, are to be acknowl. edged, from generation to gen. eration, as the rock of the church. This is the grand papistical argument. But unfortunately for this argument, the premises are false, and the conclusion is ab. surd.

Peter was never the bishop of Rome. The apostles indeed, were none of them bishops. Their office was, not to have the oversight of any particular church or churches, as stationary pastors; but to preach the gospel to every creature, and to establish churches in all parts of the world: and over the churches which they established, they appointed stationary pastors or bishops. Not only was Peter not bishop of Rome, but the church in that city was not planted by him; nor does it appear that he was ever much there, or that he had ever much to do with that church. It deserves to be stated also, that it was not until about three hundred years after the apostles, that the bishops of Rome claimed to be the successors of Peter. Their first claim to pre-eminence, or supremacy, in the church, was founded on the fact that Rome was the imperial city, the me. tropolis of the world; and their argument was, that the bishop of the imperial city was entitled to a precedence, or primacy, over all the bishops and churches of the empire. This was the ground, on which their claim was rested, until the imperial residence was removed from Rome to Constan. tinople. Thus it became necessary to change their ground; 3B

and then, and not till then, it was, that they resorted for the support of their claim, to the pretended succession of Peter.

Whatever may be the first aspect of our Lord's declaration, it surely cannot be admitted for a moment, that he intended to designate Peter, as the foundation of his church. For Christ himself is the foundation. Of him it is said, "Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation ;" and throughout the Scriptures, he is constantly presented as the ROCK of the church. Any construction, therefore, which makes Peter the foundation, must be false. When Jesus had driven the buyers and sellers from the temple, the Jews came and asked him, "What sign shewest thou, seeing thou doest these things?" His answer was, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up but he spake of the temple of his body." His meaning, on that occasion, was indicated, doubtless, by some partic. ular manner, tone, or gesture. Such also was probably the fact in the present case. When he said, "Thou art a Rock; and on THIS ROCK, I will build my church," he might very distinctly, by his manner, tone, or gesture, signify to his disciples what he meant by THIS ROCK. Unquestionably they did not understand him to mean, that Peter was to be the foundation of his church.

In strictness, Christ himself is the foundation; but in a proper sense, as it respects the outward administration, a true confession of him is the basis, on which his church in the world is built. Peter had said, "Thou art the

Christ, the Son of the living God." Alluding to the verity and firmness of this confession, Jesus rejoined, "Thou art Peter, the firmness of thy confession justifies the name which before I have given thee; and upon this rock, this firm and sure confession of eternal truth, I will build my church." The confession of Peter, was the confession of all the apostles; and the same, essentially, was the faith of all the ancient prophets, and patriarchs, and righteous men. Hence, the church is said to be "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." The foundation of the apostles and prophets is the same. Their faith in the Messi

ah was, in essence, the same, (the same which Peter confessed ;) and on the truth of this faith, Christ, from the earliest ages has been building his church, and will continue thus to build it to the end of time; when this glorious temple of our God shall be completed.

Peter's confession then, or the great truth contained in it, was what our Lord meant by the rock, on which he would build his church. Accordingly Paul to the Corinthians, says, "Oth er foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Or, as it is expressed in the original, and more justly rendered by Macknight, "JESUS THE CHRIST." The agreement here is exact. "THOU (Jesus,) says Peter, ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD." "ON THIS ROCK, says Jesus, I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH." * OTHER FOUNDATION, says Paul, can no man lay, than that

is laid, which is, JESUS THE CHRIST :" or this truth, "JESUS IS THE CHRIST." That Paul, when he penned this eleventh verse of the third chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians, had his eye on Peter's confession, and the immediately subjoined declaration of our Lord, can scarcely admit of a doubt. To the rock, so emphatically designated in this memorable conversation at Cesarea Philippi, he evidently referred, as the foundation, than which no other could be laid; and by his words, our Savior's meaning is most conclusively determined.

At

The basis of the church then, is not the infallibility of man, but the truth of the everlasting God; a foundation as immoveable as the throne of Heaven; a rock, which has stood the shocks of ages, and against which " the gates of hell shall never prevail." At the gates of their cities, the ancients held their courts and their councils, and through them, their armies issued for war. the entrance of the gate of Samaria, Ahab and Jehoshaphat consulted, respecting the Syrian war; and thence they proceeded with their forces to the battle at Ramoth Gilead. In obvious al. lusion to ancient custom, our Lord uses the figure, "gates of Hades," to denote at once the policy and the power of the infernal world. Neither by policy nor by power shall Satan, with all his legions, ever prevail to overthrow the church, supported, as it is, by the Rock of ages.

Having thus fixed the foundation of his church, our Lord proceeded to declare the grand principle of its order.

"And I will give unto thee

THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF

HEAVEN; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven."

This, as well as the preceding verse, is alleged by the Romanists in support of the hierarchal supremacy of the pope. The keys of the kingdom of heaven, say they, were delivered to Peter, and from him have been transmitted to his successors, in the Roman see; and therefore, in him and his successors, must be considered as lodged the whole power of the church; to open its doors and to shut them; to admit members and to exclude them; to forgive sins and to retain them; and in a word to govern the whole body and to dispose of all its interests. But this reasoning is no better founded than the other.

Whatever be understood by "the keys," they were not giv. en to Peter to the exclusion of the other apostles. As Peter spoke, on this occasion, not for himself only, but for the twelve; so Jesus, in his reply, had respect, it is natural to suppose, not to Peter only, but to his brethren with him. It deserves also to be particularly noticed, that the tense here used is not the present, but the future. Our Lord did not say, I now give, but, I will, that is, at some time hereafter, give unto thee the keys. The keys were not delivered either to Peter, or to any of the apostles, until after the Savior's resurrection; for it was not un. til after his resurrection, that he gave them their commission in the kingdom of heaven, or un

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