"Finally, let us all scrupulously attend to the nourishment
and exercise of the catholic principle. Let us impress upon
our minds the necessity of 'keeping the heart with all
diligence, for out of it' arise 'schisms' and 'strifes.' Let
us watch over ourselves, and guard against every circumstance
that may diminish candour, pervert the judgment, or poison the
affections. As Christians, let us war with what separates man
from God; as dissenters, with what separates Christian from
Christian. Let us seek the nearer approximation of church to
church, and the ultimate recognition and union of all. Let
each of us so enter into the spirit of our faith, and so feel
the propriety and understand the reasons of our ecclesiastical
position, as to be able to say with boldness and truth, 'I am
a Dissenter, because I am a Catholic; I am a separatist,
because I cannot be schismatical; I stand apart from some,
because I love all; I oppose establishments, because I am not
a sectarian; I think little of uniformity, because I long for
union; I care not about subordinate differences with my
brother, for CHRIST _has received him_, and so will _I_;
thus, cultivating the spirit of universal love, I am hastening, I
hope, that day when the world itself shall become the church,
and preparing, I trust, for that world in which the church
shall be ONE--one in faith, in feeling, and in worship; in a
higher sense than can be witnessed here. While here, however,
so far as the _spirit_ and _expression_ of affection is
concerned, I am longing to witness and realize some approach
to what I anticipate hereafter,--anticipate in that region
where, amid the lustre and the loveliness of heaven, the jars
and the jealousies of earth shall have passed away.' This,
brethren, _ought_ to be the feeling and the consciousness of
'all who profess and call themselves Christians.' It ought
pre-eminently to be ours. May God make it to be so, and to be
so universally, by pouring down upon his church the Spirit
from on high; and by diffusing and sustaining in every part of
it the strength of love, and the meekness of wisdom! Amen."
_A Memoir of the Rev. James Upton, late of Church Street, Blackfriars;
the Addresses delivered at the Interment, by the Rev. G. Pritchard and
the Rev. W. B. Collyer, D.D., with the Funeral Sermons by the
Rev. Dr. Newman and the Rev. J. Davis, the Present Pastor._
In the November number of our last volume--which contains a brief
memorial of this revered and beloved servant of Christ--it is intimated
as "probable, that some account of our departed friend will appear in
another form." This account is contained in the small volume now before
us. It has been prepared by the members of his family, by those who are
engaged in proclaiming the truths of that blessed gospel which was the
theme of his ministry, and the solace of his dying hour. Hence the
sorrows of the mourning relatives are alleviated by the most joyful
anticipations, even while "with tears they cast this wreath of filial
duty and affection on his tomb."
We can, however, assure our readers that this tribute of natural esteem
to the memory of a deceased parent--a feeling not always to be trusted
in sketches of this description--has not produced in this instance an
overcharged exhibition of his character. If filial affection has held
the pencil, modesty and fidelity have guided its delineations. In a
letter dated from St. Alban's, 1834, Mr. W. Upton thus writes:--
"I would just remark, that neither my dear brother nor myself,
I am sure, pretend to eulogize our father as a faultless man,
or a faultless minister. In him the effects of a depraved
nature were seen as well as in others, but in him also were
seen, to a far greater degree than in most, the counteracting
and restoring influences of the gospel and the grace of God.
We feel therefore bound to say--not indeed with any design to
attribute unmerited honour to him, much less with a view to
borrow splendour from his rays, but with a desire to glorify
God, to encourage others, and to excite a holy emulation--that
"he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith;"
while by his instrumentality "much people was added to the
Lord." p. 100.
In accordance with this sentiment, the elder brother, the principal
writer of the memoir, observes:
"Now the Head of the church has called him to his rest, it
would be improper not to make the attempt to 'glorify God in
him,' by gathering such facts respecting his early history and
subsequent course, as our slender materials for such a purpose
will furnish."
The scantiness of the materials which the life of this excellent man has
supplied to his biographer, though to his friends a matter of regret,
will be none of surprise to those who knew him. Modesty and diffidence
seem to have been the native elements of his character; and humility,
inducing a deep sense of his own unworthiness, constituted a
characteristic feature of his renewed nature. To our departed brother,
SELF had no attractions. It was not the idol of his idolatry; it was not
even an object of his complacency. It was therefore scarcely to be
expected that he should contribute much to perpetuate the memory of one
of whom he habitually entertained so lowly an estimate.
It appears, indeed, that Mr. Upton did at one time entertain the idea of
preparing "a short narrative of his own life," urged so to do by the
affectionate request of a friend; but the purpose was afterwards
abandoned, probably, in part at least, from the cause to which we have
adverted. Humility is a beautiful garment; it is a lovely and attractive
grace; but its tendency is to conceal from view the excellencies with
which it is associated. Hence men who are remarkably humble will be but
imperfectly known. These plants of righteousness, not less than others,
"have their fruit unto holiness;" but they are like those of the
vegetable kingdom, whose richest products are often concealed beneath
the broad foliage with which they are invested.
Mr. U. was, however, not only "a tree which the Lord had planted," but
he was like those "planted by the rivers of waters," he was eminently
fruitful. A brief history of his connexion with the church over which he
so long and so honourably presided, is modestly given by himself, in a
letter to his son, dated November 9th, 1826, to which we must refer our
readers. It appears that from the date of 1791 to 1800, including a
period of ten years, 293 persons were baptized and added to the church;
and from 1800 to 1820, 350 more; and after all the changes produced by
death and removals, the number of members at the time of his decease is
stated to be probably above 400: on his first connexion with this pious
people there were but 16 members, and from 50 to 60 hearers. He was
pastor of the church more than forty-eight years, and entered into his
rest in the seventy-fifth year of his age.
The contributions to the volume of the respected friends whose names are
given in the title-page, cannot fail to add to its value. While they
have attempted to magnify the grace of God in him, and to improve the
event for the benefit of survivors, their concurrent testimony in
relation to the deceased seems to have been, "Behold an Israelite
indeed, in whom was no guile."
_The Reciprocal Duties of Church Members. A Sermon before the London
Baptist Association._ By the REV. EDWARD STEANE. pp. 44.--London:
Thomas Ward and Co. 27, Paternoster Row.
We have read this sermon with considerable satisfaction, both on its own
account, and on that of the Association to which it is dedicated. An
Association must do good which calls for such clear, faithful, and
instructive expositions of Christian duty, as this sermon furnishes. Mr.
S. founds his discourse on John xiii. 34; and, as we think, wisely
selects as his chief topic of illustration, that mutual love which Jesus
Christ enjoins upon all disciples, and out of which the reciprocal
duties of Church members will naturally flow, as "so many practical
demonstrations of their obedience to the law of love."
The nature of the love which our Lord inculcates, as a new commandment,
is first explained in the sermon before us; though we doubt whether the
preacher has put all, or even the principal, reasons for its being so
denominated. _New_, in the text as well as in several other
passages--for instance, _new_ heavens and a _new_ earth--has always
appeared to us to indicate especial excellence or paramount importance.
This commandment is not, as Mr. S. very properly observes, merely a
revival, a vindication, or fresh enforcement of the spirit of the
original law.
"It is new," he says, "in relation to the parties commended to its
exercise, the peculiarity of its nature, and the motive by which it is
enforced. Under the second of these particulars the remarks of the
preacher are somewhat feeble. The discriminative differences of
Christian love are not clearly and forcibly drawn. We are told that it
is "a spiritual principle--a supernatural endowment,--a property
acquired in the process of that change by which Christians are born from
above." So is that love to our enemies which Christianity requires us to
cherish.
We learn, further, that Christian love is "something more than good
will; it is not simple humanity; it is brotherly love; an affection
having its seat, not in the sympathy of the feelings, but in the
sincerity of the heart." The distinction between "sympathy of the
feelings" and "sincerity of the heart" is not very obvious; but, passing
this, mere friendship, apart from Christianity, might be described in
the same terms. Mr. S. adds: Christian love is "stronger than death; if
needs be, it will lead a Christian to that last act of a devoted and
divine friendship, to lay down his life for the brethren." True: so also
is the love, not Christian, to which the apostle adverts, Rom. v. 7; and
that of which, now and then, the idea and the precept is given; nay, and
the example too, as Mr. S. must have known, by those to whom
Christianity utterly unknown.
Mr. S. appears to us, at pp. 11, 12, to have somewhat too sweepingly
intimated that an "exclusive principle in the constitution of our
churches" is indicative of a deficiency of the principle inculcated in
the text. He has gone out of his way for the observations introduced on
this point; and, as nineteen twentieths of the Christian world have
always been, and are now, thus exclusive, it is somewhat daring to
insinuate such a charge. If we take a narrower view of this subject, and
regard only what are called _strict_ Baptists, whom Mr. S. appears to
have had in his eye, we should be unwilling to pronounce judgment on the
amount of the Christian love of such men as Kiffin, of olden time;
Fuller, Kinghorn, and a host of others, of more modern date.
In the second division of the sermon before us, the occasions and modes
of fulfilling the new commandment of our Lord are exhibited. If all that
Mr. S. has remarked upon are not strictly modifications of that mutual
complacency in which he appears to think Christian love consists, each
is of such vast importance that it could be but ill spared. This
commandment, we are told, will be obeyed by affording _each other
mutual_ (redundant) countenance, in supporting the public means of
grace; by embracing opportunities for social devotion and spiritual
intercourse; by _mutual_ submission _to one another_, especially in
cases where a difference of opinion exists; by treating offenders
properly; by mutually sympathizing, interchanging kindly offices, and
watching over one another in the spirit of meekness; and by a hearty
co-operation with fellow-christians in whatever tends to promote the
prosperity of the church, and the general interests of Christianity in
the world. These topics are respectively remarked upon with considerable
propriety; as are also the motives enforcing this new commandment. These
are, Christ's love to us; our mutual love will afford one of the best
evidences of personal piety; it will make known our character to the
world; and it will exist for ever. We a little regret that Mr. S. has
fallen into the common error of supposing faith and hope excluded from
heaven. "Faith and hope," he says, "will expire; but love never dies."
We need not say that Scripture furnishes no ground for such a
representation; neither is such ground involved in the nature of faith
and hope, or in the views the Bible opens to us of heaven. Under some of
their present modifications faith and hope will indeed be unknown there;
but as much may be said of love. Do not the spirits of the just made
perfect now anticipate, with faith and hope, "the adoption; to wit, the
redemption of the body?" And will not the glorified assembly around the
throne of God be always anticipating large accessions to their
knowledge, holiness, and joy?
On the whole, however, notwithstanding these free remarks, we cordially
recommend this sermon to our readers; and shall be glad, at any time, to
meet with the author in a department of Christian instruction for which
his habits and experience have so well qualified him.