DEATHS OF EMINENT CHRISTIANS. No. XXIII. SIR HENRY WOTTON. (Died 1639, aged 71.) AFTER having attained to great proficiency in learning, and received the general applause of the university in which he studied, and having completed his embassies to Holland, Germany, and Venice, and finished his other honourable employments, he desired to retire, that he might contemplate greater things, and, for that reason, requested the provostship of Eton, where, enjoying his beloved study and devotion, he made this his motto: "At last I have learnt that retirement is the best way to make us wise. It being," he said, "the best state of life that a man could attain to, to be at leisure to be and to do good." And From "Last Hours of Christian Men; or an Account of the Deaths of some eminent Members of the Church of England;" by the rev. H. Clissold, M.A. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. No. 948. he would often reflect on his past life with tears, and say, "How much time have I to repent of, and how little to do it in* !" About five months before his death, he became much more retired and contemplative than before; in which time he was often visited by Mr. John Hales, then a fellow of that college, to whom, upon an occasion, he spake to this purpose: "I have in my passage to my grave met with most of those joys of which a discursive soul is capable, and been entertained with more inferior pleasures than the sons of men are usually partakers of; nevertheless in this voyage I have not always floated on the calm sea of content, but have often met with cross winds and storms, and with many troubles of mind, and temptations to evil; and yet, though I have been and am a man compassed about with human frailties, Almighty God hath by his grace prevented me from making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, the thought of which is now the joy of my heart, and I most humbly praise him for it; and I humbly Fair Warnings to a careless World, and David Lloyd's Lives, Prebend of St. Asaph. 2 E VOL. XXXII. acknowledge that it was not myself, but he that hath kept me to this great age; and let him take the glory of his great mercy. And my dear friend, I now see that I draw near my harbour of death, that will secure me from all the future storms and waves of this world; and I praise God I am willing to leave it, and expect a better world, wherein dwelleth righteousness, and I long for it." The beginning of December following, he was seized violently with a quotidian fever, in the tenth fit of which fever his better part, that part of sir Henry Wotton which could not die, put off mortality with as much content and cheerfulness as human frailty is capable of; being then in great tranquillity of mind, and in perfect peace with God and man. Of his poems, one entitled, "A Hymn to God, in a night of my latter sickness," is said to be remarkable for pointed energy of expression and harmonious versification*. The following are the three last verses of a hymn written by sir Henry Wotton, when he was an ambassador at Venice, in the time of a great sickness there. "Let these poor notes ascend unto thy throne, "Well then, my soul, joy in the midst of pain; "Now have I done: now are my thoughts at peace; Future in hope, but present in belief. Thy words are true, thy promises are just, RELIQUIE WOTTONIANE," 1650, p. 530. Reflection: In passing over the ocean of life we must not expect always to sail in smooth waters. Storms and tempests may meet us in our course, and raging billows may shake the frail vessel; but blessed are they who make God their haven of refuge; for truly may they say, "We have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast; and which entereth into that within the veil" (Heb. vi. 18, 19). THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY. THAT Our Saviour founded a church or society, * Life of sir Henry Wotton, by Izaak Walton, in Wordsworth's Eccl. Biog., vol. iv, p. 109. laid the foundation of his church, than he chose twelve of his apostles, to whom he committed the administration of it. These, while he continued with them, he laboured to instruct. He gradually enlarged their views, respecting the nature of his spiritual kingdom: he removed their prejudices and corrected their ambitious desires. After his resurrection, he passed forty days with them, speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God (Acts i. 3). He invested them with equal powers, and delegated to them that mission which he himself had received from God, saying: “As my Father has sent me, even so send I you" (John xx. 21). Subsequently he commanded them to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" and promised that he would "be with them alway, even to the end of the world" (Matt. xxviii. 18-20). But, as the persons to whom this mission was delegated were mortal, the promise of our Saviour's continual presence with them, in the exercise of their spiritual functions, could only be completely fulfilled in their successors. That they were to be succeeded by others is evidently implied in these words of our Lord. By virtue of this commission the apostles assumed the direction of the newly-constituted church, and in their turn ordained "faithful men, who might be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. ii. 2). And, if we "diligently read holy scripture and ancient authors, it will be evident," as stated in the ordination service of our church, "that from the apostles' time there have been these three orders of ministers in Christ's church, bishops," presbyters or "priests, and deacons" (Preface to the office of ordination). When the church increased, and the care of the poor demanded more time than the apostles could give, consistently with their important duty of preaching the gospel, they deemed it necessary to select from the multitude of the disciples seven brethren, to whom the name of deacons was subsequently given, and to whom certain specific duties were assigned. These deacons were specially set apart by prayer, and by imposition of hands, of the apostles (Acts vi.) About ten years after the institution of deacons, we read incidentally that there were presbyters or elders in the church at Jerusalem (Acts xi. 30); that Paul and Barnabas ordained presbyters or elders in every church (Acts xiv. 23); and, subsequently, that Paul sent for the presbyters (or elders) of Ephesus to come to him at Miletus, to whom he delivered the admirable and pathetic charge related in the twentieth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. At a still later period, during his imprisonment at Rome, Paul wrote his epistles to Timothy and Titus, containing special instructions for their direction in the ordination of presbyters and deacons, and in the other duties of their episcopal office*; to* On the functions of bishops as stated in the New Testsment: The peculiar office of a bishop consists in these four particulars:-1. In ordaining presbyters and deacons. 2. In superintending the doctrine of these ministers. 3. In superintending their conduct. 4. In regulating those matters in the church which are not settled by divine authority. Now these duties of a superintendent or bishop were committed by the apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus. 1. They were appointed to ordain other ministers, as the apostles had done before them. "For this cause," says the apostle to Titus, "left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest gether with such exhortations as plainly imply | existence of the Syrian church in the centre of that they had received, not assumed their autho- India-a church which never submitted to the rity. With regard to Timothy, in particular, be- papal antichrist, retaining episcopal government fore St. Paul took him to be his companion and and a scriptural liturgy, and deriving her episassistant in the gospel, not only did the apostle copacy from the earliest and best days of Chrishimself ordain Timothy with imposition of hands, tianity-furnishes one of the strongest proofs of but also the presbytery-or a number of presby- the apostolic origin of this mode of church governters-laid their hands on him, not to convey any ment. No ancient independent church, indeed, authority, but merely to express their approbation. can be named in which episcopacy was not found, "By the putting on of my hands," are St. Paul's nor any in which it was interrupted, until the words in his second epistle to Timothy (i. 6); and time of the reformation; when the most learned he says in his first epistle, "with the laying on and pious of the original framers of the presbyteof the hands of the presbytery" (iv. 14)*. In riau form of church-ministry-especially the our reformed episcopal church, as well as in other venerable Calvin and the learned Beza, the chief protestant episcopal churches, at the time of ordi- founders of the protestant churches at Geneva and nation, a certain number of presbyters lay their in France-pleaded necessity alone for their rebands on the heads of candidates for the mi-jection of episcopacy, of which they at the same nistry, together with the bishop, not for the pur- time strongly avowed their veneration. Calvin, pose of conveying authority, but merely to denote in particular, declared those to be worthy of every anathema who would not reverence and During their lives the apostles had the sole submit to episcopacy, where it was to be met with charge of the churches. Their office is expressly in its legitimate form; and Beza expressed his termed an episcopate or bishopric, in the first chap-deliberate opinion that it was hardly possible for ter of the Acts; and, after their death, those who a man in his senses to reject episcopacy. He succeeded to their office left the name of "apostle" considered that England had retained her episto the apostles strictly so called, and gave the copal ministry by the peculiar blessing of God, name of "bishop" to those who succeeded the and expressed his wish that she might long conapostles in superintending churches, and ordaining tinue to enjoy it. ministers. concurrence. And thus it is evident that the lineaments of that gradation in the ministry which subsists amongst us may be plainly discerned in the writings of the evangelists and apostles. The orders of deacon, LITURGICAL REMARKS: presbyter, and bishop, which were thus established, OR CONCISE AND POPULAR EXPLANATIONS OF we know from the testimony of the ancient fathers of the church, and from other ecclesiastical writers, continued in uninterrupted succession for fifteen hundred years, in all Christian churches, and it THE CONTROVERTED PORTIONS OF THE BOOK BY THE REV. C. H. DAVIS, M.A., still exists in our own church, and in the protestant Of Wadham College, Oxford; Chaplain of the episcopal churches in Scotland, on the continent of Europe, in North America, and among the ancient Greek and Syrian churches in the east. The ordain presbyters in every city, as I had appointed thee" (i. 5). So likewise especial directions were given to Timothy respecting the choice of those whom he should ordain presbyters or deacons (1 Tim. iii.) 2. They were appointed to superintend the doctrine of these ministers. So says the apostle to Timothy: "I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine (1 Tim. i. 3). person. 3. They were appointed to superintend the conduct of other ministers. "Against a presbyter receive not an accusation but before two or three witnesses (1 Tim. v. 19). He, who is authorized to receive accusations, and hear witnesses against any person, is authorized to be the judge of that 4. They were appointed to regulate such matters in the church as were not settled by express divine command. "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting;" that are left undone, as the margin expresses it (Titus i. 5). This was a branch of apostolical authority which is here delegated to Titus, as appears from 1 Cor. xi. 34. For, when the apostle Paul had rectified the erroneous manner of receiving the Lord's supper, into which the Corinthians had fallen, by stating to them the nature of that ordinance, according to its original institution, he adds, that he would regulate inferior matters when he should be present with them. "And the rest will I set in order when I come" (Hey's Tracts and Essays, moral and theological, pp. 594, 595). These two passages of St. Paul's epistles to Timothy are of equal authority, and therefore prove that the presbytery joined with the apostle in the imposition of hands. Stroud Union, Gloucestershire. No. V. THE SAINTS' DAYS, AND CERTAIN EXPRESSIONS, "Al THE next point to be considered will be example (see the collects for St. Stephen, St. Matthew, &c.), or of warning (see the collects for St. Thomas, St. Matthias, &c.) The value of Christian festivals as commemorations of important scriptural facts, is well stated in Dr. M'Neile's Lectures on the Church of England, No. iii., pp. 139-40; see also Hooker, book v., chap. 70, sec. 8. And, on this principle, our saints'-day services, as commemorations of the important fact that the early apostles of Christ were inspired men-that we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone" (Ephes. ii. 20)—and also as suggest ing lessons in sacred biography, are most valuable. And such a commemoration of the saints is truly and essentially scriptural (see Heb. vi. 12, xii. 1, 2, and 22-24, xiii. 7). 66 The holy-days of our church are few and simple; and, as they are not observed with any view to a ceremonial justification, so they cannot be obnoxious to the apostle's censure in Gal. iv. 9-11, as some pretend. They are not binding on the laity to observe as Christians, like the sabbath : they are simply ecclesiastical ordinances-days on which the church intends her ministers to give to such of their people as may feel disposed the opportunity of attending public worship, but leaves them in the full enjoyment of the Christian liberty granted by the scripture ; 66 one man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it" (Rom. xiv. 5, 6). The sabbath or the Lord's day we observe, as Christians, on divine authority; while the holy-days and saints'-days claim our attention only as obedient churchmen, willing to follow St. Paul's example, who, while he strongly censured and firmly opposed the superstitious observance of the Jewish festivals (see Gal. iv. 9, 10, v. 1, 2; Col. ii. 16), was yet quite ready and willing to conform to them when his motives for neglecting them would have been misunderstood (see Acts xvi. 3, xviii. 21, xx. 16, xxi. 20-27; Gal. ii. 3)+. Nor, as has been truly observed, can "objections lie for a moment against the manner or effect of the observation of any of as countenanced by the prayerbook, which, by a simple addition to, or slight variation of, the common service, puts forward the idea to be presented, with distinctness, but without violation of the analogy of truth, and takes no step beyond the suggestions for thought and prayer which it borrows from the scripture. We these seasons "Our church has listened to the cautions of the past, while she has acted on its sanctions. She has with an admirable prudence abstained from venturing beyond the immediate neighbourhood of the Saviour. His forerunner, his mother, his apostles and evangelists, the children who perished at his birth, and his first martyr, who saw him standing at the right hand of God-all, by their close proximity to their Lord, appear in their own true characters, and direct our eyes at once to him. A single day revives the thought of our communion with all the angels; another, that of our communion with all the saints who surround his throne in heaven" (Christian Observer, Feb., 1848, p. 110). + See Rowe's "Appeal" pp. 40, 42, 44, 50-82. At the Savoy conference, in 1661, the bishops distinctly declared that "the observation of saints'-days is not as of divine, but ecclesiastical institution" (Cardwell, p. 340). are not to be understood as contending for the importance of the universal observance even of all those retained by our church, though we think that our reformers acted with great judgment on the subject; but we must say that, as it respects many of them, the advantages resulting from their cbservance for the purpose of public worship, are numerous and obvious" (Christian Observer, Feb., 1848, p. 110)*. And the rev. J. B. Marsden, in the preface to his admirable volume of "Discourses for the Festivals" and saint's-days truly observes, that “it is obvious to remark, that those religious communities which are the first to censure us display the same tendencies themselves. Their anniversaries, centenaries funereal eulogies, and the like, are of the nature of church festivals-with this singular disadvantage, that their number is unlimited; their objects frequently indefinite; and that they are far more open to objection on the ground of an undue exaltation of the dead, than those few and sober festivals which the church of England retains. Indeed our greater festivals are practically adopted by almost every communion of orthodox dissenters. And some, who have not been restraints, have devotedly observed even the least remarkable for scrupulous submission to canonical ancient of our saints' days, to the great comfort of their souls. We blame them not-far from it--but such considerations should abate their hos tility, or remove their scruples, against the church of England" (preface pp. v., vi.) Mr. Marsden here alludes to Wesley's constant observance of All Saints' day, "which was with him a favourite festival," and on which "it was his constant practice to preach," according to Watson's life of Wesley. The collect for St. Michael's day has, indeed, been thought favourable to Romish views respecting the ministry of angels. But the worshipping or invocation of angels and departed saints is expressly excluded from our services. So careful were our reformers to guard against every thing of this kind, that they inserted the words "by thy appointment" into this collect, to express their belief that angels can do nothing for us but in subjection to God-that they are not mediators, but only "ministering spirits, sent forth" by him "to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Heb. i. 14). In the "Anxious Inquirer," by rev. J. A. James, a nonconformist minister, in chap. x. pp. 128, 129, the ministry of angels, as an important and comforting scripture truth, is introduced, and treated much in the same way as in this collectt. In rev. S. Rowe's Appeal to the Rubric, pp. "We advocate the present arrangement of our sacred seasons of fast and festival on no superstitious grounds, and believe that the English church was at perfect liberty to have followed the example of the earlier ages, as she has done, or to have adopted other regulations for ensuring attention to all the great topics of Christian faith and practice. But we rejoice much in the arrangements which she has made. They are wise, and tend to edification, when duly seconded and carried out by her members; and we think of them only the more favourably because they are sanctioned by early precedent, because they are provisions which were then also deemed expedient, and were among the means by which the spirits of the just, now made perfect in heaven, were prepared for their reward" (" Church Advocate and Magazine," March, 1845, p. 92). † On this subject, "Principalities and Powers in heavenly 76-81, and "A Mother's offering to the younger Members of the Church of England," by the author of "Scenes in our Parish," more upon this subject may be seen especially at p. 67 of the latter work; but, above all, in the rev. J. B. Marsden's valuable volume of "Discourses." With respect to the actual observance of the saints'-days, Mr. Marsden observes, "What public services should mark the festivals of our church, is a question upon which it is not within my province to offer suggestions; it rests with the parochial clergy, acting in submission to their bishops. But were private Christians, in the course of their daily reading and household worship, to mark the return of these festivals; were they to investigate the lives and labours, and to study the characters, of the illustrious men whose history is thus revived, the advantage, I am persuaded, would be very great" (preface, P. ix.). And here it may be remarked that, in the rev. E. Bickersteth's useful volume of "Family Prayers," the collects, with references to the epistles and gospels, are set down apparently for this very purpose. The rev. C. Bridges, in his "Christian Ministry," also writes as follows: "A more full recognition of our fasts, festivals, and commemorative seasons, would be an edifying means of grace. For this or some collateral purpose, the weekly lecture might often be made available" (part v. chap. 6, sec. 2, p. 463). Moreover, in au article "on the observance of the festivals and holy-days of the church," by the rev. T. P. Wright, M.A., which appeared in the "Church of England Magazine" for 1837, vol. iii., No. 64, p. 97, we find the following remarks: "If this system manifests the wisdom of the church, it also points out the importance of all her members acting, as far as possible, in conformity with it. Let us, then, be on our guard against modern innovations in this matter, and not quietly suffer these sacred days to pass by unobserved. The principal festivals, indeed, are generally regarded; but it is to be feared that the saints'-days are often overlooked. But why should this be? Where it is impracticable to attend public worship, the collect, epistle, and gospel for the day, might, at least, be used in our private or family devotions." And in a note it is remarked that "the time, it is hoped, is not far distant when more frequent opportunities will be afforded for the observance of these festivals, by the clergy generally opening their churches for divine service, and inviting the attendance of their flocks," &c. For, as the same writer proceeds to observe, "it is not to honour the creature that they are had in everlasting remembrance, but rather to supply us with continual incentives for adoring Almighty God, who, through his grace, has given such blessed examples to his church, and to inspire us with a holy emulation to aim at following them as they followed Christ" (vol. iii. p. 99). In these sentiments the writer of this paper is disposed to concur. For Mr. Marsden well reminds us that, "if the festivals of the church have been abused to the purposes of superstition, the re medy is, not to depreciate and to neglect them, but to shew that they may be made conducive to the interests of pure religion. It is not sufficiently considered that we afford a real triumph to our assailants if, when they plunge into one extreme, we permit ourselves to be goaded into the other. The retreat on our part may seem a voluntary one; but it is not the less true that our ancient position is abandoned, and that the character of our cause is injured. We have conceded to a covert foe that which we resolutely maintained against an avowed enemy" (Preface, p. iv.). The general observance of the holy-days and saints'days of the Anglican church, therefore, according by some public service in our churches, seems to to the true protestant spirit of the prayer-book be highly desirable. And, though a clergyman does not appear to be absolutely bound by the letter of his subscription to the 36th canon to observe all such days-for by it he only engages that whenever he does perform divine service he will use "the form prescribed" in the prayer-book "and none other"-yet the entire spirit, and the general tenor of the prayer-book from beginning to end seem to be decidedly in favour of their obsion-day" (for which there is a "proper preface" servancet; but especially of such days as "Ascenprovided for the communion), Ash-Wednesday, and those days which refer to events in our Lord's life Year's-day), the "Epiphany" (Twelfth-day), the and ministrys, such as the "Circumcision" (New "Presentation of Christ in the Temple (or "Purification of the Virgin Mary "), the "An ور * Still among the complaints of irregularity which led to the original imposition of this subscription, one was, "that holy-days were not observed" (Lathbury, p. 187). And among the immediate effects of the subscription we find one to be, that "the fasts and festivals were better observed" (Collier, v. 7, p. 311-12. See also Robertson, p. 55). Does not this illustrate the "animus imponentis"? †Thus in the following parts of the prayer-book we find the observance of the holy-days to be assumed as a matter of course, viz., in 1, the table of proper psalms and lessons; 2, the table of "all the holy-days which are to be observed " 3, the rubric before Athanasius' Creed; 4, the rubric before the collects, epistles, and gospels, together with the collects, &c., themselves; 5, the rubric after the Nicene Creed; 6, the rubric before the notice of the communion; 7, the first rubric at the end of the communion; 8, the rubrics before the offices of infant and adult baptism; 9, the rubric at the end of the catechism; 10, the rubrics before the offices of ordination, and of consecration of bishops; 11, the rubrics prefixed to the "state services." lected: "In reference to this subject we feel tempted to say, what we have often thought, that there is one day, the interest of which appears in general to be very imperfectly appreciated, and the use which might be made of it to be too much negwe mean the day of our Lord's ascension. The truths which it exhibits are most glorious and solemn, and most naturally and obviously suggested by the occasion; the spirit of the day is singularly elevating to the mind. We have therefore noticed with regret that, in many places and on the part of many persons, this day does not appear to receive its due proportion of attention" (Christian Observer, Feb., 1848, p. 111). .... "Where the people cannot be persuaded to observe the other holy-days, efforts should nevertheless be made for the observance of those which have special reference to our blessed Redeemer; such as, not Christmas-day only and Good Friday, but the Circumcision, the Epiphany, the Presentation in the Temple, the Annunciation, and, particularly and most of all, the Ascension. If the morning service be impracticable, the day might be fitly marked by an evening service" (Bp. Mant's Hora Liturgicæ, p. 55). Prayers and the Lord's supper in the morning, with full service in the evening, would most suitably celebrate this festival. |