effected. Divided into companies of male and female devotees, under a leader and two masters, they stripped themselves naked to the waist and publicly scourged themselves or each other, till their shoulders were covered with blood. This expiatory ceremony was repeated every morning and afternoon for thirty-three days, equal in number to the years which Christ is thought to have lived upon earth; after which they returned to their former employments, cleansed from sin by the baptism of blood.' The Flagellants appeared first in Hungary, but missionary societies were soon formed, and they hastened to impart the knowledge of this new gospel to foreign nations. They spread with rapidity over Poland, Germany and the Low Countries. From France they were excluded at the request of the Pope, who had issued a severe constitution against them; but a colony reached England and landed in London to the amount of one hundred and twenty men and women. Each day at the appointed hour they assembled, ranged themselves in two lines, and moved slowly through the streets, scourging their naked shoulders and chanting a sacred hymn. At a known signal, all, withi the exception of the last, threw themselves flat on the ground. He, as he passed by his companions, gave each a lash, and then also lay down. The others followed in' succession, till every individual in his turn had received a stroke from the whole brotherhood. The citizens gazed and marvelled, pitied and commended; but they ventured no farther. Their faith was too weak, or their feelings were too acute; and they allowed the strangers to monopolize to themselves this novel and extraordinary grace. The missionaries made not a single proselyte, and were compelled to return home with the barren satisfaction of having done their duty in the face of an unbelieving generation."-History of England, 4to ed., III. 68-70. "L'Evesque has given us too stanzas of one of their hymns, p. 531. They run in the following strain: "Through love of man the Saviour came, He suffered want, reproach and shame, Oh! think then on thy Saviour's pain, And lash the sinner, lash again." To Mr. Worsley, on his Communication on Lay Preaching." (See Christian Reformer, p. 296.) DEAR SIR, Rolvenden, Sept. 10, 1826. YOUR remarks on Lay Preaching are to me a high gratification. It is a subject which has occupied much of my thoughts, and I am persuaded that if the plan could be generally adopted, it would be attended with much good. I am pleased and thankful that we have many ministers who are men of learning, and that we have a prospect of having a succession of this most valuable class of preachers; but if, in addition to the regular and stated labours of these, we had in our several congregations a number of pious and intelligent persons capable of acting in the capacity of local auxiliary preachers, it would be useful. In how many villages around our stated places of worship might they supply, especially on Sunday evenings, and preach the plain truths of pure Christianity; and how many small congregations are there in different parts of the country who are unable to support an educated minister, which local preachers might supply! And is it not lamentable that any of these places should be shut up and the cause lost? The general state of education is now much improved, and the means of general information may be obtained in our own language. The plan, therefore, of local auxiliary preaching appears practicable. The qualifications necessary for this good work are what every Christian should strive to attain; and whatever qualifications any Christian possesses, it is his duty to use them for the good of others. Every privilege has its corresponding duty, and every duty its privilege.. The first qualification is personal piety, and without this every other acquirement is "as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing thoù hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee?" And surely every reflecting Christian must acknowledge that this qualification is needful for every one to attain. A second qualification for this great and good work is a general knowledge of the Holy Scriptures: the more they can be committed to memory the better; added to this, a general knowledge of theological subjects. And ought not Christians generally to seek to make every possible progress in knowledge? Is it not of the highest importance and utility? A third qualification is arrangement; the dependence and connexion of ideas; what constitutes a proof of any point, and what are its proper uses; so as to be able to form a judicious plan of a profitable and edifying discourse. And if Christians in general were to make this the subject of their study, they would find it profitable in their private meditations, and in reading and hearing it would assist their comprehension and strengthen their memories. That which we understand the best, we retain the longest. A fourth qualification for a local preacher is utterance, an ability to communicate the ideas which he has on his mind to the hearers, in such a manner as to enable them to understand, and to entertain and edify them. The habit of free extemporaneous speaking is much easier to be attained than is generally supposed. From our infancy we are in the daily habit of it, so that whatever ideas we have on our mind we can readily communicate to others. Clear and distinct ideas properly arranged are the foundation of free extemporary speaking, and public speaking becomes easy by practice, if a suitable preparation be first made. Meetings for free religious conversation and conferences are calculated to promote an ability for local preaching. $ A fifth qualification is persevering zeal and activity, arising from a sense of the importance of religion, and from the holy principle of love to God, to Christ and to imankind. These, with a competent knowledge of the English Grammar, are the leading qualifications for a local preacher. Let us suppose, then, that Unitarians were generally improving their privileges to the utmost of their power, in attaining these valuable acquirements, and we might then apply to them the declaration of Paul to the primitive Christians, "But ye, brethren, are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another." Happy should I be to see this plan carried into full effect, and I hope that all our educated ministers will give it that support and encouragement which you have given it. I remain, dear Sir, yours respectfully, VOL. XII. 2 G T. PAYNE On Lay Preaching. SIR, September 17, 1826. WITH but little leisure at present for polemical disquisition, it is not my intention to examine the pros and cons of what is commonly called lay preaching; but, happening to open the Reformer for August last, (pp. 296-303,) I read with some interest Mr. Worsley's account of the presentation of Belsham's valuable work on the Epistles of St. Paul, to Mr. Sylvanus Gibbs, as a tribute of respect for his services in that noiseless and, perhaps, too little honoured way, considering that the Founder of the Christian system and his coadjutors and followers were not priests, but laymen. With Mr. Worsley's preliminary observations I perfectly agree; and although Mr. Gibbs, as a lay preacher, modestly observes," that it has always been his opinion that an academical education is most essential to the Christian ministry," his own example, and the sense which seems to be entertained of his success and usefulress by those who have had the immediate opportunity of appreciating his talents, indicate, at least, that the absence of an academical education does not disqualify a man from enforcing those truths of Christianity and revealed religion, with fruits, at least two-fold, if not ten-fold, in the belief and practice of which, pure and undefiled religion before God the Father consists. My object, however, as I have already said, is not to discuss the merits or demerits of lay preaching; this I leave to others and to time, which, as is observed by a good political, if not theological, writer, in some cases makes more converts than reason; but in the same ratio that men think for themselves, discarding creeds and valuing the Scriptures, the only pure fountain of religious truth, I feel persuaded that lay preaching will rise in the estimation of mankind.-To come, however, to the object of this hastily written paper: I have observed in most essays on lay preaching, that what appears to me of no little importance is overlooked, namely, the advantage, which is derived from the practice to the preacher himself. It is observed by one of my favourite authors, that "teaching, we learn ;" and if so, which is indisputable, the practice of lay teaching or preaching is highly beneficial to the teacher himself. Simply to hear sermons and lectures, or even to read them, does not require that close attention and examination which he who engages in the active employment of teaching finds to be indispensable. He who would teach others must first learn himself; and, whatever be the cause, unless men are driven, almost, into close study and application, there seems to be a listlessness about them generally which produces a kind of mental apathy; and this, to beings framed as we are with intellectual capacities, designed, no doubt, by the Giver for constant and perpetual improvement and expansion, at least in this variable state, is much to be regretted. Hence, in religious knowledge, I infer, as well as in all other branches of inquiry, the greatest progress will be made by him who teaches; because teaching requires study and application, and study and application are the only means by which we can become truly learned or skilful on any subject. As with the body, so it is with the mind. To give tension to the nerves and vigour to the muscles, we must use exercise, and not content ourselves with listening to lectures on riding and walking and leaping, &c. One race will be of more physical service than a thousand treatises, in bracing the arms, setting the joints, and strengthening the sinews. And so with respect to the mind; he who merely attends to the instructions of others, however good and excellent those instructions may be, will never attain that mental vigour and command of intellect which are possessed by him who both teaches and hears. Academical tuition is no doubt of vast service to those who possess its advantages; but it must not be forgotten, that these, abstractedly, are chiefly valuable as they enable the future student to study with more profit than he who is without them; and that many of our brightest characters, who have adorned the republic of general literature with the fruits of genius, had no academic compass to guide them on the ocean of knowledge; but, thrown on their own resources, and depending on their own energies, have achieved a reputation and obtained a celebrity which the academic pretender has frequently panted for in vain.-It will not be understood from these remarks that I am inimical to the plan of a regular education for young men, whether designed for one profession or another; all that I conceive is, that Christianity, (properly so called,) at least in the present day, is as independent of academical learning, as it is of sin-offerings and cloud-topped churches, and that it can do as well without the one as the other. D. DELARUE. |