Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

1.

"1. What incidents are noted by Professor Blunt as confirming the fact that in the time of the Judges there was no smith in Israel? How does Professor Blunt account for a wood of Ephraim in the land of Gilead? What is Professor Blunt's view of the character of Mephibosheth?

"2. Under what circumstances does Professor Blunt notice that jealousy is attributed to God? What is Professor Blunt's observation on the marriage of Amram with Jochebed? How does Professor Blunt account for Mount Hermon having a Sidonian name?

"3. Give a full account of Absalom, Jehu son of Nimshi, Sampson. "4. What are we taught of God's ends in afflicting men? Give instance from Scripture of afflictions proving to be blessings; cite promises in reference to afflictions.

"5. How would you establish the antiquity, truth, and authority of the Pentateuch?

6. Show in what respects the Psalms illustrate the history of David, and may be taken as containing prophecies of what should happen after David's time. Mention any of the Psalms that have, with good reason, been attributed to other writers than David.

[ocr errors]

7. Taking the writings that exist under the name of Solomon, show by citations what it was the writer specially pressed, and what were the distinctive features of his character.

II.

1. Give some instances of variations in the histories of the same event, as preserved in the writings of the four Evangelists. What have you to say in explanation of these variations?

"2. Give some account of the verbal coincidences in the writings of the Evangelists. What explanation have you to suggest of these coincidences?

«3. Give the meaning of the words αγνάφου, βιβαρημένοι, ὶσπλαγ χνίσθη, θερισμός, κουστωδίαν, ὄξους, όρχησαμένης, σινδόνι. αιτευτόν, τρυμαλιάς.

"4. Give the practical lessons from the parables of the new wine in old bottles; the laborers hired at a penny a day; the strong man armed keeping his palace.

5. Give the practical lessons taught in the concluding chapters of the Epistle to the Romans; the contents of the Epistle to the Ephesians; the object and method of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

"6. Cite passages and arguments from the New Testament in favor of unity; give instances of, and cautions against, backsliding; show what St. Paul considered to be matters indifferent, in comparison with the great matters pressed by him.

"7. In what respects do we receive knowledge of St. Paul's history from his Epistles? Give, where you are able, his words.

"Note. The candidates are examined viva voce in the Greek Testament."

III.

"1. Give the substance of the Second Article-Of the Son of God.

Show the practical importance of our being assured that He is truly God and truly man.

"2. How do you establish the canon of the Old Testament? How do you establish the canon of the New Testament? Give from Scripture some of the most notable commendations of God's word written. "3. Give the substance of the Ninth Article-Of Original Sinwith some account of the controversies on that matter.

"4. What is meant by justification? Show that we are justified by faith only. Show that this doctrine is not Antinomian.

"5. Give the substance of the Nineteenth Article-Of the Church. Under what figures is the Church spoken of in Scripture? What practical lessons do we learn from these figures?

"6. Show in what respects our doctrine as to the Holy Communion differs from that of the Church of Rome, and from that of the Zuinglians.

"7. How does our Church define a Sacrament? Give as fully as you can, in the words of her formularies, what the Church teaches us concerning Baptism-classifying your citations from these formularies."

IV.

"1. Show in regard to our Liturgy that it is Scriptural, primitive, reasonable.

"2. Give reasons for being an Episcopalian, for encouraging infant baptism, for being careful to bring young persons to be confirmed.

"3. What reasons, apart from Holy Scripture, have you for believing that God exists; that he is moral Governor of the world; that we shall live after death?

"4. Show how true religion is the safeguard of States, and necessary for the present comfort of man.

"5. Whom do you regard as the greatest Doctors of the Church in the third, fourth, and fifth centuries, respectively? Give some account of their lives and of their teaching.

"6. Show by what steps the Reformation of Religion was brought about in England. Can you trace how it took a middle course between superstition and needless innovation?

"7. Give, fully, the engagements made by a Deacon when ordained."

THE CHURCH IN THE COLONIES.

The Archbishops of Canterbury, York, Armagh, and Dublin, on behalf of themselves and the Vice-Presidents of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, have issued an Address "To our beloved brethren in Christ, the Clergy and Laity of the united Church of England and Ireland," in aid of Church work in the Colonies and dependencies of the British Crown. The following is their Graces' Address in extenso :

"We beseech you, brethren, to weigh as in the sight of God, the few words we feel called upon to address to you, touching the duty of our Church and nation as to the maintenance of Christian missions. "We deem the obligation binding us to discharge this duty to be at this time especially imperative.

"The scattering of our people througout the world; the large emigration of our own poor who, unless we plant among them the Church of God, must lapse into heathenism; the obligation which we contract to the heathen people amongst whom our emigrants settle, and to whom they inevitably carry the contagion of our diseases and of our sins; and the fact that our Crown holds in India a vast empire over Mussulmans and Pagans-all these things force upon us the inevitable alternative of either neglecting daily the plainest obligations, or of doing heartily the work of evangelizing the world.

"The main present hindrance to the discharge of this work is the lack of funds. From every side the cry for aid reaches us daily. Here are some recent appeals to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts:

"1. From the Bishop of Calcutta: I am anxious that the Society should gradually extend its operations systematically through the north-east and east parts of the diocese, including East Bengal, Assam, the Hill Tribes on the frontier, Burmah, and so down to Singapore. The field would be of varied and hopeful interest. In Bengal, Burmah, and the Straits, the Society is already to a certain extent planted. It would have to deal with several great cities, many tribes in various stages of civilization, wholly free from the trammels of caste, Hindoos, Buddhists, Malays, and even Chinese.'

"2. From the Bishop of Labuan: I have had several applications in the course of the year for missionaries in new places, both from natives and from the European residents in charge of the Sarebas and Kanowit Dyaks. They say that the time has come for placing missionaries among their people, and they offer to help them. The variety of language makes native catechists the more necessary for us, and I trust the Society will authorize me to form an organized staff of them.'

"3. From the Bishop of Capetown: 'I do trust that you may be able to do something more for us next year. If not, we must abandon the work.'

"4. From the Bishop of Grahamstown: If the society is unable to make an additional grant, we must consider without delay which of the mission agents can be otherwise employed. Mr. B- has been removed from the Society's list, and he will not be employed again unless some increased grant is made.'

5. From the Dean of Maritzburg, diocese of Natal: Natal is about the size of Scotland. Every consideration requires that the colored people on the plantations and in the towns should be immediately cared for, as well as the scattered European population. This, wholly irrespective of mission stations, would require twelve clergymen, with agents working under them, but we are without men and without resources to support them.'

6. From Bishop Twells, who has recently gone forth to the Orange River Settlement, South Africa: The country which will form my diocese is larger than England in extent. There are some eight or ten towns or villages in the Free States, widely distant from one another (from 60 to 200 miles or more), each of which should be the

centre of missionary action for the territory around. But besides the wants of the Orange River Free States, provision has to be made for the planting of a mission among the 170,000 Kaffirs in Basuto Land. For years past some of the chiefs have desired Christian teachers. Moshesh will give every support to the mission, so will Morokko, Paulas, Mosali, Nohemcah, and others.'

"7. From the Bishop of Honolulu, Sandwich Islands: We want three more clergymen, and not less than 2007. a year for each. People cannot understand why we are paralyzed for want of funds to extend our work, when great and effectual doors are being opened.'

"From the Bishop of Ontario, Canada: We urgently need at this moment six travelling missionaries, who shall be wholly supported (if necessary) for at least three years from external sources.'

"From the Bishop of Columbia: There is a further want in the diocese at once, of thirteen additional clergy and five catechists, at a cost of 4000l. a year.'

"Shall such calls as these remain unanswered? And if they do, must not these rejected multitudes cry unto the Lord against us, and it be a sin which shall be laid to the charge of our Church and nation?

66

We earnestly and affectionately entreat you to make a new and great effort for a large increase in our present missionary funds.

"Speaking in the name of the vice-presidents of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, we plead specially for that peculiar instrument of service. But we do not limit our sympathies to it. We are convinced that in no other way can the work be done than by every parish, as a part of its separate parochial assistance, raising its own contributions for the work; and we therefore beseech our brethren of the clergy to preach one sermon annually, and make a collection for Church of England missions; and we pray our brethren of the laity to help them, not only by their contributions to this annual collection, but by securing regular subscribers, if they are not such at present, or if they are, by increasing on a new scale of Christian liberality their aid to the funds of the societies they support, and by forming themselves into associations for the more complete effecting of this great work of God.

"C. T. CANTUAR; W. EBOR; MARCUS G. ARMAGH; RICHARD C. DUBLIN."

ENGLISH CHURCH MISSIONS IN INDIA.

From the Colonial Church Chronicle we take the following:-At a meeting of the "Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge," a letter was received from the Bishop of Calcutta, in which the Bishop gave a sketch of his late metropolitical visitation of India and Ceylon. He left Calcutta on Nov. 9, 1863, and returned to Calcutta on Feb. 27, 1864, having delivered his charge in the cities of Madras, Bombay and Colombo. The Bishop spoke in high commendation of the Theological College, under the Rev. A. R. Symonds, at Madras; at Bombay he noticed the great stride taken by female education, "in which

the capital of the Western Presidency was facile princeps among India cities;" and at Colombo he was struck by the impetus given by Bishop Claughton to missionary work, preaching himself (at present through an interpreter) to the Tamil coolies on the coffee estates, and promising soon to understand both Tamil and Singhalese.

The following extracts are from the Bishop's letter:

"Our next fortnight was spent in visiting the Missions of Tinnevelly, the most interesting and inspiriting sight in the whole country. We went round under the able and kind guidance of Dr. Caldwell... . In these the southernmost provinces of British India, there are nearly 40,000 native members of our Church, whose Christian villages, schools, and churches, were scattered like so many oases amidst the deserts of red sand and forests of palmyra trees. They are under a regular parochial organization, far stricter and more real than anything we see at home; they contribute largely of their own substance to the maintenance of the poor, the building of Churches, evangelistic efforts among their heathen neighbors, and other good works; and they live under the ministry of 24 European and 14 native Clergy, assisted by nearly 200 native Catechists. There is an efficient system of education organized throughout the Province, both for boys and girls; and there are four excellent training institutions for masters, mistresses, and catechists. "The northern portion of Travancore and the adjoining State of Cochin are in the hands of the Church Missionary Society, and here our Church numbers about 8,000 adherents. Here, too, we visited the Syrian Christians. Of these, more than 100,000 are in communion with the Jacobite Patriarchate of Antioch; but about 50,000 adhere to the Church of Rome, their ancestors having been forced into submission to the Pope, by Alexis de Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, in the sixteenth century. At Cottyam, the head-quarters both of the Jacobite Metran and of the Church Missionary Society, many of the Syrians, including even some youths in Deacon's Orders, are receiving education in our College. There seemed to me no unfriendliness at that station between the two Churches; but there is no longer the active co-operation which was designed by Buchanan and Bishop Middleton, and broken off during Bishop Wilson's Episcopate, mainly through the fault of the Metran of the time."

ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF UNITY OF CHRISTENDOM.

This Society was established in 1857, and more than 7,000 persons have enrolled themselves members, of whom nearly a third consists of Clergy of the Roman Catholic, Greek, and Anglican communions. The only condition of membership in it is, that each member pledges himself to use daily the following prayer, together with the Lord's Prayer:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles, My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; regard not my sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant her that peace and unity which is agrecable to Thy Will, Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

[blocks in formation]
« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »