expositor of an important article of the Christian faith. As however our opinion of this volume is thus unfavourable, we consider it to be now become our duty to state the grounds upon which it has been formed, and to guard our readers against what we deem fundamental errors in the author's system; errors to be deprecated at all times, on account of the singularly important nature of the doctrine which they tend to pervert, or obscure; and particularly to be lamented in the present instance, as they give the aid of Mr. Faber's acknowledged literary character to tenets, hitherto prevailing more by the aid of persevering zeal, and artful insinuation, than by the real talent, solid learning, or soundness of judgment, which have distinguished their defenders. It appears from the advertisement prefixed to the volume, that it has been written several years, and therefore must be understood to speak the deliberate and settled opinions of the author. It may perhaps gratify some of his readers to be told, that his sentiments on the important subject which he has undertaken to discuss have always been the same, and therefore the statement may have been made; but assuredly there are others, and perhaps among them we may reckon those, whose station and abilities will give weight to their opinion, who can only receive this avowal with feelings of regret, that his matured judgment had not suggested to him the propriety of making farther alterations in a confessedly juvenile production; or that the prudence, which induced him so long to withold his Practical Treatise from the world, had not operated to its entire suppression. Most certainly there is nothing novel, either in the view which Mr. Faber has taken of his subject, or in his method of treating it, which can be urged as a reason for committing his Treatise to the press: those, whose professional studies have familiarized them with theological controversy, will soon discover that he is travelling in a beaten path; that he is wasting his strength in vain endeavours to maintain positions, which have been long declared untenable; and in restating arguments, which more powerful combatants than himself have found it impossible to defend. The weapons which failed in the hand of Dr. Owen, will not have more effect when wielded by Mr. Faber; and if a second Claggett has not yet arisen, to vindicate the doctrines of the Church of Eugland from the misrepresentations of this new practical expositor, this silence will not be imputed to any apprehension of the result of the contest, Γιγνώσκων ὅτι ἄναλκις την θεός, ἐδὲ θεάων Mr. Mr. Faber declares in his advertisement, that "It has been his wish to exhibit, what he believes, to the best of his judgment, to be the doctrines and practice taught by that pure and apostolical Church, of which he feels it his privilege to be a minister." Giving him full credit for his sincerity, we shall proceed to examine whether his judgment has not misled him; and we think we shall be able to shew to the satisfaction of our readers, that the doctrines, which he has taken so much pains to explain and enforce, are, in all those respects, in which they differ from the generally received opinions of his fellow labourers in the vineyard of Christ, neither taught in the authorized formularies of the Church of England, nor to be proved therefrom. The preface contains a short statement of the ground over which the reader of the treatise is to travel; and it is impossible to peruse it attentively without anticipating the inconveniences inseparable from a journey undertaken under the direction of an incompetent guide. We look in vain for that clearness of ideas, and precision of language, which at once make us acquainted with the views and intentions of the great masters of controversial reasoning; and we find in their stead, premises inaccurately stated, conclusions hastily drawn, and specimens in abundance of that perplexing mixture of truth and error, which prevails, throughout the whole treatise. We had marked many passages for particular animadversion, but as we shall have occasion to dwell at a greater length upon the same topics, wben more fully discussed in the work itself, we forbear to linger on the threshhold. Mr. Faber has divided his treatise into eight chapters: in the first he deduces the necessity of the ordmary operations of the Holy Spirit, from a view of the depravity of man in consequence of original sin; in the four next he describes the nature and effect of these operations upon the understanding, the will, and the affections; in the sixth he treats of the Holy Spirit as a comforter and an intercessor; in the seventh he contrasts the fruits of the Spirit with the works of the flesh; and in the concluding chapter he discusses the necessity of the constant influence of the Holy Spirit, to conduct us safely to the end of our pilgrimage. We shall not attempt to accompany him through the whole of the task which he has thus imposed upon himself; but selecting those passages for particular consideration, in which important doctrines appear to us to be imperfectly, or erroneously stated, we shall endeavour to shew that the peculiarities, by which Mr. Faber's system is distinguished, cannot be deduced from the language of the Church, when that language is fairly quoted and z 2 candidly candidly interpreted. Passing over therefore several objectionable positions in the introductory part of the first chapter, we proceed to Mr. Faber's description of the effect produced upon the na ture of man in consequence of original sin. He begins by telling us that "A state of nature is constantly opposed in Scripture to a state of grace:"that" the first is the wretched inheritance bequeathed to us by our common progenitor Adam; the second is the free and unmerited gift of God the Father, purchased for us by God the Son, and conveyed to us by God the Holy Ghost." (p. 5.) Proceeding farther to illustrate the state of nature in consequence of the fall, he says that "the lineaments of that image of God, in the likeness of which Adam was created, were then totally obliterated by sin” (p. 5.); and that "the image of Satan was erected in its stead." (p. 9.) That a state of nature is opposed in Scripture to a state of grace is undoubtedly true: but it would have contributed much to the illustration of that mysterious doctrine, which Mr. Faber was beginning to discuss, if he had given the plain scriptural meaning of these terms. When we consider attentively the language of St. Paul, we must be convinced, that, by a state of nature, he means that state in which a man is placed before his admission into the Christian covenant. Writing to the Ephesians of the change which had taken place in their situation, in consequence of their embracing Christianity, he says, "We all had our conversation in times past among the children of disobedience, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind: and were by nature the children of wrath even as others." (Ephes. ii. S.) It is evident then, that, when a man is baptised into the Christian Church, be changes his state of nature for the state of grace; he ceases to be " a child of wrath," in that particular sense, in which the unbaptised person is said to be so. The state of nature then, is the situation of the unconverted Heathen; the state of grace, that of the baptised Christian and whatever may be said of the effect of original sin upon the former, who is left to the inheritance which Adam bequeathed to him; the same cannot be said of the situation of the latter, to whom, not only is the penalty of this sin remitted, but the influence of it, in some degree at least, weakened and counterbalanced by the new principle of grace and goodness introduced into his heart. Such is clearly the interpretation given by the Church to these scriptural phrases; for in her catechism, she makes every one of her members declare that at his baptism he becane a child of God; and that, being by nature born in sin, and and a child of wrath, he was made by that sacrament a child of grace. Most of the erroneous positions in Mr. Faber's treatise may be attributed to his overlooking this very important distinction, and therefore applying the language, by which the situation of the natural man is described in Scripture, to the case of the Christian, to which it bears no sort of reference. Our objections however do not stop here, his description of the effect of original sin upon human nature appears to us wholly inadmissible. He calls it a total obliteration of the image of God, and a raising up of the image of Satan in its stead. If this be the language of Scripture let Mr. Faber produce his authority; if it be the doctrine of our Church, let him bring forward the passage, in any one of her authorized forms, in which she teaches it. In the absence of such authorities, we solemnly protest against expressions wholly irreconcileable, as we conceive, both with the letter and the spirit of Holy Writ. That a lamentable change did take place in man's nature at the fall, cannot be denied; we agree with Mr. F. that "no man, unless he be totally unacquainted with the workings of his own heart, can possibly doubt it." (p. 9.) The image of God impressed upon man at his creation was then obscured and defaced, so that few traces of it remained; but that it was totally obliterated, or that the image of Satan was erected in its stead, are not scriptural terms, nor do they convey the meaning of Scripture. Man became a fallen, weak, degraded creature, but not a devil; he was " very far gone from original righteousness," but he had not totally lost all marks of it; he was "of his own nature inclined to evil," but not altogether sunk in iniquity; he had still some good in his nature; and though the evil preponderated, and he was the servant of sin, yet we have no authority for representing him in that hideous and disgusting form, as that " monstrum nulla virtute redemptum a vitiis" which must be understood by the strong expressions of Mr. Faber. We earnestly recommend him to bear in mind the cautious and moderate language, which the Church employs upon this mysterious subject in her ninth article; and we request him to recollect, that this qualified language, so different from his own broad and offensive assertions, is not applied to the case of the regenerated Christian, without care being taken still farther to guard it from misconstructiou. Mr. Faber proceeds to state, that the effects of this change are discernible in the understanding, in the will, in the heart, and in the affections. The understanding he represents as now dark and confused, as far as relates to spiritual things" (p. 10.) and in proof of his position he appeals to St. Paul, m. i. 21, 22, 37, and 1 Cor. ii. 14. By these texts he feels himself warranted in asserting, that man in a state of nature," has no facul ties capable in themselves of embracing spiritual truths;" bu "is as much unqualified to decide upon them as a man born blind is to discriminate between the various tints of the rainbow;" "no description of spiritual things, however just," he tells us, can communicate a clear conception of them to him;" for that "they must be spiritually discerned, and consequently, till that spiritual discernment be communicated, heavenly wisdom must and will appear foolishness in his eyes." (pp. 11, 12.) As we differ from the author in our interpretation of the passages in Scripture to which he refers, our inferences from them will of course differ also. In the first of them, we have always understood St. Paul to ascribe the ignorance of the heathen, not to their natural incapacity, but to their pride and self conceit; not in short to the deficiency of their intellects, but to the perverseness of their hearts. He tells us that they are without excuse for their ignorance, because they might have known God if they would; because they did know him, but still refused to glorify him as God. "That," says he," which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse; because that, when they knew God they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened." Rom. i. 19, 20, 21. How far then the apostle here supports Mr. Faber in his assertion, that man, in a state of nature, has no faculties capable in themselves of embracing spiritual truths, the reader will decide. We now turn to the second chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians, to which we are next directed. The apostle says, that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." It is the opinion of the best commentators upon this passage that the apostle is here speaking not of man in a state of nature, as opposed to a state of grace; nor of the comparative faculties of man in these two different situations; but of the man who rejects Revelation, and admits of no higher guide than philosophy, no other testimony than demonstration, framed upon the principles of natural reason. Such a man, says the apostle, "receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God;" he will not accept the testimony of that Revelation, which the Holy Spirit has made; these things then "are foolishness unto him," because they are established upon evidence which he does not admit; "he cannot know them," because he does not allow the authority of that Holy Word which the Spirit has dictated, and therefore will not learn them from it. That such |