THE STARS WITNESSING FOR GOD. DURING the melancholy time of the Revolution in France, foolish men tried to forget God; and for some time the churches were closed, and in many cases destroyed. "I am going to order your old church-tower to be destroyed,"aid an unbelieving revolu tionist one day to a pious peasant; "I wish you to have nothing left to remind you of your old superstitions." The peasant replied by pointing to the heavens. "You will be obliged," said he, "to leave us the stars, which are far older, and are seen from a far greater distance than the old church-tower. If the church is destroyed, the stars will never cease to speak to us of God." "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork." THOMAS WRight. Queries and Answers. No. I. DEAR MR. EDITOR,-Will you kindly favour me (through the ANSWER. This is one of the points debated between the Arminians and Calvinists. Calvin seemed to believe that Christ's active (doing, or what he did) and passive (suffering) righteousness or obedience is upon our believing, so imputed, or accounted to us, or accepted for us, "as though it were our own." This involves a transfer of character, or that Christ's righteousness would be accepted in default of our own. This is a most objectionable feature, and while it has administered false comfort to many pious souls, it has also encouraged many lax and careless professors to sin. Under this false view they have branded as Pelagianism the inculcation of an inwrought righteousness, and have contended with a zeal that would have done honour to a better cause, for an imputative righteousness. Goodwin says, " If we take the phrase of imputing Christ's righteousness improperly, viz., for the bestowing, as it were, of the righteousness of Christ, including his obedience, as well passive as active, in the return of it, that is, in the privileges, blessings, and benefits purchased by it, so a believer may be said to be justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed. But then the meaning can be no more than this: God justifies a believer for the sake of Christ's righteousness, and not for any righteousness of his own. Such an imputation of the righteousness of Christ as tins is no way denied or questioned." For Calvin's view, there is no warrant in the Scriptures; for Goodwin's there is. See Rom. iv. 3, 5, 9, 22-24. "Faith is imputed" is a scriptural phrase, but "imputed righteousness is not." No. II. DEAR SIR,-Will you give me an answer on the following passage of Scripture: "Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as heat in a dry place; even the heat with a shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low."—Isaiah xxv. 5. Plymouth. THOMAS HEATH, jun. ANSWER.-In the 24th chapter, the misery and desolation of Jerusalem are described, but the visitation shall not be overwhelming, for Jehovah "shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem and before his ancients gloriously." The 25th chapter amplifies this closing idea, and is really a song of triumph in anticipation of this glorious event. "Thou shalt-dry place;" "Bring down," silence; "Of strangers." The Babylonians, who would triumph over the Jews by martial music, the shout of triumph, and other demonstrations of joy. "As the heat- -a cloud." Were it not for the clouds of heaven, the unabated rays of the sun would scorch every thing and desolate the earth. So the wrath of the Babylonians would have utterly consumed the Jews. But the interposition of God will temper and mollify their wrath, as the intervening cloud tempers and abates the fierce rays of the sun. "Branch-low." The original term signifies a pruning time, hence a song, perhaps from the fact that those who work in a vineyard usually cheer their toil by merry songs. The idea is, that the songs and other noises by which the Babylonians celebrated the fall of the Jews, shall be turned into wailing by their own overthrow. CRANMER BURNT BY THE PAPISTS. THOMAS CRANMER, afterwards Archbishop Cranmer, was born in 1489, at Aslacton, in Nottinghamshire. The rudiments of an English education were given to him at a village school. In 1503 his mother, who was then a widow, removed him to Jesus College, Cambridge, where, in 1510-1511, he became a fellow. While at the University he distinguished himself in Greek, Hebrew, and theology. In 1523 he took the degree of D.D. In 1528 he removed to Waltham Abbey, the house of a Mr. Cressy, and became tutor to his sons. The lustful Henry VIII., who had married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon, was getting tired of his spouse, and wished to divorce her. This plethoric sensualist knew full well that the Pope would oppose his designs, he therefore sought various pretexts to set aside the authority of his Holiness in this matter. Cranmer, in a conversation with Gardiner and Fox, afterwards bishops of Winchester and Hereford, at Waltham Abbey, said he thought the cause should be determined by the Bible, by divines from the English universities, without those of Rome. The judgment was reported to the king, who was well-pleased with it. His presence was required at court. He hesitated, but Henry was firm, and Cranmer had to obey. He placed his opinions on record, and professed his willingness to maintain the same before the Pope in Rome. He and others travelled to Rome for this purpose, in 1529. The Pontiff, notwithstanding the arguments of the embassy, would not consent to the divorce. These gentlemen quickly returned to England, excepting Cranmer, who remained in Italy a short time. He was raised to the archbishopric of Canterbury in 1533. When he swore submis sion to the Pope at his consecration, he said he did not intend by this oath to restrain himself from anything he was bound to, either by his duty to God, or the king, or the country. He was a very bad Catholic. Soon after his elevation to the see of Canterbury the divorce was completed, and he married the King to Anne Boleyn. He also officiated at the coronation on the 1st of June, 1533, and stood sponsor to the Princess Elizabeth, who was born in the following September. During the remainder of Henry's reign, Cranmer, amidst many errors, did much good in opposing the papacy in every possible way. The King had grown very corpulent and unwieldy, and after an illness of some weeks he sank under his disease on the 27th of January, 1547. Cranmer was named one of the executors of his will, and one of the regents of the kingdom. The youthful Edward now came to the throne; he was only ten years of age. By the wisdom of Cranmer the vessel of State was safely guided past the many rocks and quicksands that beset its course, and the Reformation made many sensible advances. Edward, dying young, was succeeded by Mary, daughter of Catherine. Mary was a bigoted papist, and, moreover, had much to avenge her mother's divorce, and consequently the imputation that act put on her own birth, and the attempts to keep her from the throne. The hopes of the Protestants were blighted. A commission was granted to the bishops of London, Winchester, Chichester, and Durham, to degrade and imprison Protestant prelates and ministers, on the charges of treason, heresy, and matrimony. Cranmer's friends advised him to save himself by flight. This, in consideration of his high office, he refused to do. In Aug., 1553, he was summoned to appear before the council, and ordered to confine himself to his palace. In September he was committed to the Tower, together with Latimer and Ridley. During his confinement to his palace he wrote against the mass; copies of this writing were produced in council. In the star-chamber he publicly avowed the writing, and of his intention of affixing a copy against every church-door in London. The council com |