social, civil, and religious world. Of these claims I mean to say nothing here, but merely that I think they merit a candid hearing. But the doctrines stand on a very different footing, quite independent of the views we may choose to form respecting the peculiar claims of those who hold them.

The doctrines of the "New Church" comprehend all the vital truths of Christianity, which are involved in the doctrines held in common by other denominations as orthodox, but present them in a more or less different point of view, and as being alone Scriptural and true. For the proof of this, they appeal solely to the testimony of the Word of God, in its express, plain, and obvious meaning; and the more they seem to have been sincerely submitted to this test, the more do I find them to be confirmed, and opposing nothing in other systems but what is unscriptural and dependent merely on human tradition and authority. Thus of the trinitarian creed, they hold fast as revealed truths the Divinity of the Lord, that He is God manifest in the flesh, Emmanuel, God with us, and that there is a trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Godhead. But they reject as errors the dogmas that this trinity consists of three separate divine persons, "each of which, separately and by Himself, is Lord and God," and that an "eternal Son," the second divine person in the trinity, is God manifest in the flesh.

For myself, the more I search the Scriptures, the more do I see abundant testimony that they do not more clearly reveal the truth that there is only one God, and that "besides Him there is no Saviour," than they reveal the truth that Jesus is that God Incarnate,-that "in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," that in Him is the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as body, soul, and spirit are three essentials of humanity in one man. Jesus Christ is thus the Father as to His invisible and essential Divinity; the Son as to His Divine Humanity, declaring or manifesting to us God, whom no man hath seen or can see, God manifest in flesh; and He is the Holy Spirit as to the divine influence proceeding from the indwelling Divinity and the Divine Humanity of the Lord. "Jesus breathed on His disciples, and said, Receive ye the Holy Spirit ;" and we need continually the influence of His Spirit to sanctify us.

Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,-"And Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy." And Jesus commanded His apostles to baptise in the "name of the Father, and Son, and the Holy Spirit ;" and the apostles baptised in the name of Jesus, (Acts ii. 38; xix. 5.) showing that this was equivalent to the name of the three. The prophet,

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REASONS FOR EXCHANGING THE FAITH OF

foretelling the Saviour's birth, says "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and His name shall be called, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Is. ix. 6.) And Christians unite in the profession that the New Testament reveals Jesus as the Saviour, the Redeemer, the Bridegroom, of the church,—the Creator, by whom, and for whom, all things were made and exist. But the Old Testament declares-" I, even I, am Jehovah, and besides Me there is no Saviour." "Thy Maker is thy Husband, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called."

The unity of Jesus Christ and the Father may be inferred from numerous passages, and is expressly stated in others; thus Jesus says, “I and the Father are one;" (John x. 30.) "The Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works;" (John xiv. 10.) "He that seeth Me, seeth Him that sent Me;" (John xii. 45.) "No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John xiv. 6.) Teaching us that we cannot approach or have access to the Father, but as dwelling in the Humanity, the Son. Jesus says "If ye had known Me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth, ye have known Him, and have seen Him.” (John xiv. 7.) Jesus saith-" Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father.” (John xiv. 9.) And after His glorification and ascension He proclaims to John in Patmos-"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Rev. i. 8.) When this great truth is seen and acknowledged by the whole church, it may come to pass that is written-" The Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one." (Zech. xiv. 9.)

Respecting another vital truth of Christianity, we derive from the express testimony of Scripture views of the resurrection of man at death from-not with-his dead body. This is essentially different from the popular, orthodox doctrine, which teaches the resurrection of our dead bodies at some unknown period of time; for, according to this dogma, Adam and Eve, and the myriads who have died since the creation, have not yet been raised from the dead, their spirits, without bodies, being in some unconscious or indefinable state of existence, waiting in hope and expectation till the morning of the resurrection, to be then reunited to their risen and changed bodies, and then to be judged.

In a pamphlet, lately published, on these subjects, the respected author in one place thus aptly expresses this view: he says-" The

Christian cemetery, as the word implies, is a sleeping place; and when we deposit a Christian brother in the tomb, we say

"O grave, the guardian of his dust,

Grave, the treasury of the skies,

Every atom of thy trust

Rests in hope again to rise!'"

To prove how inconsistent all this is with Revelation, as it obviously is with reason and science, and how such a traditional interpretation makes void the express statements and teachings of our Saviour and His apostles, it should be sufficient evidence to adduce without comment their own divine testimony. That man has a body suited for the spiritual world, as well as his material body suitable for this world, the apostle teaches us-"That there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." That our material or vile and corruptible body has no claim to the inheritance of life, it is written-" Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither can corruption inherit incorruption." (1 Cor. xv. 50.) That man lives and goes to his final state after the death, and not after the resurrection, of the body, it is written-"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Heb. ix. 27.) And our Saviour teaches us that "the beggar (Lazarus) died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom; the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes." (Luke xvii. 22.) To the thief, whose dying body was on the cross, Jesus says" To-day thou shalt be with Me in paradise." (Luke xxiii. 43.) But as touching the resurrection of the dead, Jesus teaches-"Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matt. xxii. 31.) The apostle alluding to his material death says-" Willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Cor. v. 8.)

Thus by express declarations and experiences, directly drawn from the New Testament, is this practical and consoling doctrine of the resurrection of man at the death of the body taught and confirmed, and freed from all merely human speculation, mystery, and contradiction,-is profitable for encouragement to live well, and to hope and trust in the dying hour on Him who says "I am the resurrection and the life, whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die." (John xi. 23.)

But I must not further enlarge, or notice, as I would otherwise wish to do, some other doctrines. I have made this communication with no feeling or desire for controversy, but in the spirit of love and for the

truth's sake,—more desirous to provoke others to love and good works than to debate. I neither value myself more or others less on account of any such differences as may exist between us, and highly esteem all in proportion as they shew, by the fruits of a consistent Christian life and conduct, that they sincerely love the Saviour, and are holding the truth, as far as they know it, in righteousness of life. For myself, I know and feel my past and present deficiences and shortcomings in this respect; and the nearer I approach my change, the more do I feel my need of just such a Saviour as the Bible reveals to me. But especially as he reveals Himself in the relationship we can all so well feel and understand is He precious-as our Father in heaven, who yearns with love and pity over His wandering and erring creatures, rejoicing when coming to our right mind and with penitence turning to Him, "that he that was lost is found, and he that was dead is alive again." (Luke xv. 32.) And though he sees in us, as His restored children, our remaining frailty and unworthiness, of which we are so often ourselves conscious, He encourages us to look to Him for strength to resist and to persevere, with the gracious assurance that "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him; for He knoweth our frame, He remembereth we are dust." (Psalm ciii. 14.)

I had not thought of formally withdrawing myself from church membership until it was suggested by the inquiry in your letter-"If I considered myself a member." Since which, on due reflection, I feel that under existing circumstances it will be more consistent as regards the church, as well as myself, to answer in the negative. I therefore, in all kindness and courtesy, now intimate to the church my desire to withdraw myself as one of its members, and that accordingly my name be taken from their books.

I wish to say, that in taking this step, I have still the same kind feelings and good wishes I have always had towards the church generally, and especially to those who statedly preach to the church and congregation, and, as ever, desire their continued prosperity and usefulness, and to aid in promoting this as far as ability and a sense of duty will permit. I may explain that my non-attendance at your meetings has been at least partly owing to the infirmities of age, making such attendance more or less irksome to me physically.

I find this letter has become much longer than I could desire or avoid, arising chiefly from my convictions that it was due to the church, but especially to myself, to prevent any misconstruction now or hereafter, that I should clearly explain the views I have referred to, and

how far the evidence is, as I profess it is, derived from the Word of God, which constrains me to believe in such views as being Scriptural and true, and by consequence to reject as unscriptural what that evidence opposes.

I have never before unduly encroached on the patience of the church by telling my experience; I therefore trust that the necessity for my now doing this may, with the other defects of this letter, meet with the needed excuse and kind forbearance of my friends. And now, expressing my sincere desire that all who love and fear the Lord may become more and more one in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace, I remain yours faithfully,

Wolfville (Nova Scotia),

Feb. 1862.

LEWIS JOHNSTON.

REVIEWS.

SPIRITUAL MEDITATIONS FOR EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR, WITH MORNING AND EVENING PRAYERS. By the late Rev. THOMAS GOYDER. London: F. Pitman, 20, Paternoster-row, E. C., and C. P. Alvey, 36, Bloomsbury-street, W. C.

MEDITATION and prayer are two most important means of spiritual improvement, and this work is admirably adapted to serve as an aid to both. It is the composition of an intelligent and pious minister, who performed much useful work when living, and who bequeathed to the church, in this excellent work, the means of doing a still greater amount of good to the souls of her children now that he is gone. Of a work which has been so long before the church, it is hardly necessary to give a description or to express an opinion. The book contains a meditation on some portion of Scripture for every day in the year. After the meditations for each month, follows a morning and evening prayer for each of the seven days of the week. The meditations and the prayers are of moderate length,-long enough to improve, but not long enough to exhaust. We cannot imagine a greater good than such a book as this is calculated to effect, if employed as the author designed it should be every day of the year. Its regular use would induce a habit of communion with the Word and its Divine Author, which would do much to realise the petitions of the Lord's Prayer, that His name may be hallowed, and that He will give us for the day our daily bread. How desirable is it that we should cultivate this habit! The world, which demands so much of our time and attention, requires to have its pursuits and labours directed by the truths of the Holy Word, and sanctified