A Sermon preached in St. John's Episcopal Chapel, before the Bishop and Clergy of the Episcopal Communion in Edinburgh. By the Rev. JAMES WALKER, M.A. formerly of St. John's College, Cambridge, Senior Minister of St. Peter's Chapel, Edinburgh, &c. London. Rivingtons. 1826. A Respectful Remonstrance, addressed to the Rev. James Walker, on the subject of his Sermon preached before the Bishop and Clergy, &c. By the Rev. EDWARD CRAIG, M.A. of St. Edmund Hall, Oxon.; and Minister of St. James's Chapel. London. Hatchard and Son. 1826. A Serious Expostulation with the Rev. Edward Craig, M.A. in reference to the Doctrine by him falsely attributed (in a Remonstrance addressed) to the Rev. James Walker, humbly submitted to the Judgment of the Bishops and Clergy, &c. By the Rev. JAMES WALKER, &c. London. Rivingtons. 1826. WE are extremely sorry to find that the peace of the purest and humblest branch of Christ's Holy Catholic Church, the unassuming Episcopal Church of Scotland, has of late been interrupted by a controversy as little creditable in its details, to the ministerial character of one at least of the parties concerned, as it must be unsatisfactory in its results to the sober-minded portion of the public at large. It was our original intention not to notice this war of words; partly because the subject under debate has been again and again discussed, usque ad nauseam, and partly because we were not desirous of giving to the thing a greater degree of publicity than it has already unfortunately attained. But the circumstances under which the dispute began are so curious, and the mode adopted in conducting it so extraordinary, that our readers will, we suspect, be gratified rather than fatigued, in having both the one and the other brought shortly under their notice. On the 22d of June, 1825, the Rev. James Walker, senior minister of St. Peter's Chapel, in Edinburgh, and professor of theology in the Scottish Episcopal Church, preached before the Bishop and Clergy of the diocese of Edinburgh, what is commonly called a Visitation Sermon; selecting for his subject a consideration of the Gospel commission, its import, its obligations, and its influence in the commencement and conduct of the Christian life. The discourse was manifestly written with no view whatsoever to future publication; for though the doctrines be sound and orthodox, the style is very far from being correct; and the repetitions, proper enough perhaps when delivered from the pulpit, are, when examined in the 1 closet, absolutely wearisome. Among other matters insisted upon, the preacher took care to lay before his hearers his own views of the frequently-contested point, Baptismal Regeneration, and he did so in terms which we have been taught to consider as perfectly in agreement with the doctrines of the Bible, and, as a necessary consequence, with the formularies of the Church of England. There is, it appears, in Edinburgh, a Reverend Edward Craig, late of St. Edmund-Hall, Oxon, and now minister of St. James's Chapel, Broughton-place; a gentleman of extremely sensitive feelings and boundless zeal; one, who, though a comparative stranger in Scotland, and standing alone, or next to alone, in most of his notions, considers it necessary to protest, in the name of the Church, against every opinion with which he cannot, in his own proper person, accord. Mr. Craig, as one of the Edinburgh clergy, formed part of the audience before whom Mr. W. preached; and he entertained, as it would seem, great horror at Mr. W's. doctrine. Instead of joining with the rest of his brethren in a request, that the preacher would print and publish his sermon, he accordingly adopted a course diametrically the reverse. He informed his Diocesan (we give the fact in his own words) that he hoped Mr Walker would not see it necessary to print his sermon, as he should then feel compelled to notice it. Mr. Walker had already refused to comply with the expressed wish of his Bishop and brethren of the clergy; he had laid aside his discourse, and with it all ideas of polemical warfare, when Mr. Craig's threat (whether judiciously or not we have no business to determine) was communicated to him. Here was a direct and positive challenge to publish if he dared; a bare-faced defiance to bring himself and his tenets into the field against a champion of a different school. Now though no friends to controversy, we cannot see how, under these circumstances, Mr. Walker could any longer adhere to his first resolution; for had he done so it might, and in all probability would have been said, that he feared to submit his views on a very important point of religion to the examination of the world; Mr. Walker accordingly sent his sermon to the press and with an introduction prefixed, and certain notes, most of them of no great value, appended, it is now in the hands of the public. The consequence of this step was an almost immediate fulfilment of the threat which occasioned it; the sermon appeared, and in as short a space of time as could well be required for its composition, appeared Mr. Craig's reply. It is entitled "A Respectful Remonstrance addressed to the Rev. James Walker, on the subject of a Sermon preached before the Bishop and Clergy of the united Diocese of Edinburgh, Fife, and Glasgow," and we must be permitted to say, that though we have read many uncandid and unfair attacks, both upon individual men and their doctrines, we never met with one more unfair or more uncandid than this. It is from beginning to end one tissue of misrepresentations, of gross oversights, and we are almost tempted to add, wilful perversions. These are stronger expressions than we are in the habit of using; but that they are not more strong than the facts of the case require, our readers will, we are satisfied, be very shortly convinced. It was not to be expected that the matter would rest here. Thus attacked, Mr. Walker felt bound to defend himself, which he has done in a pamphlet written with very considerable vigour and ability. It may be, that to some the writer of the Serious Expostulation will appear as having infused into the style of his composition a greater degree of bitterness than was necessary; but we really know not how an honourable man, accused of preaching and publishing a dangerous doctrine,―a fearfully unsound and delusive statement, a doctrine, not according to godliness, and leading decidedly to fatalism of the worst kind; -we hardly know how an honourable man accused of such things could have written in a strain very different from that adopted by Mr. Walker. With this, however, we are not deeply concerned; neither do we feel called upon to enter into the details of the controversy; it shall be our object to show, that we, at least, have not spoken of the Respectful Remonstrance in language more harsh than it merits. We have hinted that Mr. Walker's Sermon possesses none of the adventitious advantages of a lucid style, or correct diction. In point of composition it is, indeed, but a meagre performance; but it contains no single statement which may not be found in the pages of our ablest and best divines, from the days of Cranmer, down to the present time. In the Respectful Remonstrance, on the contrary, it is represented as inculcating tenets absolutely contradictory of all religion; and the author has had the hardihood to declare, that he makes his statements in the very words of his adversary. We know no more effectual method of ascertaining the correctness of such an assertion than by placing the two polemics here in juxtaposition. Mr. Walker chooses for his text, Matt. xxviii. 18, 19, 20; of which a brief explication is given. (Mr. Walker.) "A portion of this sublime power of spiritual and moral dominion, which was conferred on the Son of God, as the consequence and reward of his voluntary humiliation, as the son of man, of his meritorious sufferings, and of his precious death.A portion of this power he, in the words of my text, conveys to his faithful followers, so far as it can be possessed, and may be administered by frail and mortal man. 'Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things, whatever I have commanded you,' 'and lo,' he concludes, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." P. 11. (Mr. Craig.) "The passage which you quote as your text, and on which you found your whole system, is di rectly against you. It is the commission, certainly, of Christ to his ministers; but it does not say, as you would affirm, Go and administer the two Sacraments to all nations, as channels of effectual and permanent and spiritual gifts, and lo, I am with (you) always, in every such administra tion, unto the end of the world.' P. 7. Again, speaking of Baptism as the commencement of the Christian life, we have for (Mr. Walker.) "Instead, therefore, of searching for an imaginary period of supposed regeneration, we have a point already fixed, beyond dispute, and to which we may confidently refer in all circumstances; and if we refer rightly, we do it with the absolute certainty of finding all that instruction and consolation, which Christians require. That point is baptism, a fact of much more certainty and importance, if we properly apply, and improve it, than any transient emotion, however fervent. This is undoubtedly sacred; and from this point, which has the express sanction of 01 (Mr. Craig.) "Baptism and regeneration are not invariably and inseparably connected. Hypocrisy may disjoin them. But then on your principles there must be no exceptions. The ordinance of God must be ef.. fectual. Simon, (Magus) according to your view, was regenerated, and if he had the slightest suspicion, that the denunciation of the Apostle was true, he had now a point already fixed in his soul's history, fixed beyond all dis pute, to which he might confi dently refer;' for although Peter told him that he had no part, or lot, in the blessings of this kingdom, he would know that his God, we may at all times con- this important fact and period in The above are two fair specimens of Mr. Craig's method of quoting his adversary's words, and drawing inferences from them. But he is not satisfied even with this. He has printed with the marks of quotation, statements for which we have looked in vain throughout the pages of the Visitation Sermon, not only failing to discover the terms themselves, but any other terms having the same or a similar import. For example, the zealous watchman (as he is pleased to designate himself) after giving his own views respecting the Apostolic commission, observes, "but this is a very different matter from what you call applying the faith,' by which I understand you to mean baptizing, that is in your view of the ordinance, by the performance of the rite, originating in the candidate, the operations of faith." Now we positively aver, that the phrase "applying the faith," is not to be found in the whole of Mr. Walker's discourse, and that no such meaning is any where attached to the bare administration of the baptismal rite. We have neither time nor inclination to take further notice of Mr. Craig and his performances. A clergyman who is capable of charging his brother, and that brother the authorized teacher of Theology in his own Church, with promulgating opinions which lead to Atheism of the worst kind, (for fatalism |