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possession the said power of Free Will, by the most liberal gift and grace of God their maker, that not only they might eschew all manner of sin, but also know God and love him, and fulfil all things appertaining to their felicity and wealth. For they were made righteous, and to the image and similitude of God, having power of free will, as Chrysostom saith, to obey and disobey; so that by obedience they might live, and disobedience they should worthily deserve to die. For the wise inan affirmeth that the state of them was of that sort in the beginning, saying thus: God in the beginning did create man, and left him in the hands of his own counsel; If thou wilt, to keep the commandments, and to perform acceptable faithfulness*.

From this most happy estate, our first parents falling by disobedience, most grievously hurt themselves, and their posterity; for besides many other evils that came by that transgression, the high powers of man's reason and freedom of will, were wounded and corrupted, and all men thereby brought into such blindness and infirmity, that they cannot eschew sin except they be illuminated and made free by an especial grace, that is to say, by a supernatural help, and working of the Holy Ghost; which, although the goodness of God offereth to all men, yet they only enjoy it, which by their free will, do accept and embrace the saine. Nor they also that be holpen by the said grace, can accomplish and perform things that be for their wealth, but with much labour and endeavour so great is in our nature the corruption of the first sin, and the heavy burden bearing us down to evil. For truly albeit the light of reason doth abide, yet it is much darkened, and with much difficulty doth discern things that be inferior and pertain to the present life, but to understand and perceive things that be spiritual, and pertain to the everlasting life, it is of itself unable. And so likewise, although there remain a certain freedom of will in those things, which do pertain to the desires and works of this present life, yet to perform spiritual and heavenly things freewill of itself is insufficient, and therefore the power of man's free will being thus wounded and decayed, hath need of a physician to heal it, and an help to repair it, that it may receive light and strength whereby it may

* Eccles. xv. 14, 15.

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see, and have power to do those godly and spiritual things, which before the fall of Adam it was able and might have done..

To this blindness and infirmity of man's nature proceeding of original sin, the prophet David had regard, when he desired his eyes to be lightened of Almighty God, that he might consider the marvellous things that be in his law:* and also the prophet Jeremy, saying, Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be made whole. St. Austin also plainly declareth the same, saying, "We conclude that free-will is in man after his fall, which thing whoso denieth, is not a catholic man; but in spiritual desires and works to please God, it is so weak and feeble, that it cannot either begin or perform them, unless by the grace and help of God it be prevented and holpen." And hereby it appears, that man's strength and will in all things which be healthful to the soul, and shall please God, hath need of grace of the Holy Ghost, by which such spiritual things be inspired into men, and strength and constancy given to perform them, if men do not wilLingly refuse the said grace offered unto them.

And likewise, as many things be in the scriptures which do shew free-will to be in inan, so there be no fewer places in scripture, which do declare the grace of God to be so necessary, that if by it free-will be not prevented and holpen, it can neither do, nor will any thing that is good and godly. Of which sort be these scriptures following; Without me ye can do nothing. No man cometh unto me, except it be given him of the Father. We be not sufficient of ourselves, as of ourselves to think any good thing. According to which scriptures and such other like, it follows, that free-will before it may think or will any godly thing, must be holpen by the grace of Christ, and by his Spirit be prevented and inspired, that it may be able thereto; and being so made able, may thenceforth work together with grace, and by the same sustained, holpen and maintained, may do and accomplish good works, and avoid sin, and persevere also, and encrease in grace. It is surely of the grace of God only, that first we be inspired and moved to any good thing: but to resist temptations and to persist in goodness, and go for ward, it is both of the grace of God, and of our free-will and endeavour. And, finally, after we have persevered

* Psal. cxix. 18.

John xv. 5. vi. 65, 2 Cor. iii. 5.

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to the end, to be crowned with glory therefore, is the gift and mercy of God, who of his bountiful goodness hath ordained that reward to be given after this life, according to such good works as be done in this life by his grace.

Therefore men ought with much diligence and gratitude of mind, to consider and regard the inspiration and. wholesome motions of the Holy Ghost, and to embrace the grace of God, which is offered unto them in Christ, and moveth them to good things. And furthermore to go about by all means to shew themselves such, as unto whom the grace of God is not given in vain: and when they do feel that notwithstanding their diligence, yet through their own infirmity, they be not able to do that they desire, then they ought earnestly, and with a fervent devotion and stedfast faith to ask of him who gave the beginning, that he would vouchsafe to perform it, which thing God will undoubtedly grant, according to his promise, to such as persevere in calling upon him; for he is naturally good, and willeth all men to be saved, and careth for them, and provideth all things by which they may be saved, except by their own malice they will be evil, and so, by righteous judgment of God, perish and be lost. For truly men be to themselves the author of sin and damnation; God is neither author of sin, nor the cause of damnation. And yet doth he most righteously damn those men, that do with vices corrupt their nature, which he made good, and do abuse the same to evil desires, against his most holy will: wherefore men be to be warned, that they do not impute to God their vice or their damnation, but to themselves, which by freewill have abused the grace and benefits of God.

All men also be to be monished, and chiefly preachers, that in this high matter, they, looking on both sides, so attemper and moderate themselves, that they neither so preach the grace of God that they take away thereby free-will: nor on the other side, so extol free-will 'that injury be done to the grace of God.

REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

The Rural Sabbath, a Poem, in Four Books; and other Poems. By WILLIAM COCKIN. 12mo.

THE

HE Rural Sabbath, which takes up by far the greater part of this little volume, is a pleasing and useful performance. Its distinguishing characters are good sense and piety and these are expressed in a strain of poetry, which, in our opinion, is very little, if at all, inferior to that of the much-admired Cowper, in his more serious pieces. The following short account of the author is prefixed.

"WILLIAM COCKIN, the unassuming and truly inestimable author of the poems now offered to the public, was born, in September 1736, at Burton in Kendal, in the county of Westmorland. His father, Marmaduke Cockin, was a teacher of writing and accounts, and brought up his son to the same employe ment. He died when his son was of the age of eighteen years, and left his family, a wife and three younger children, in moderate if not distressed circumstances. To the care of our author they were committed, and they experienced from him an attention, which may be truly styled paternal.

"The education of Mr. Cockin was but slender, as he at an early age assisted his father in his profession. His first attempts towards a permanent settlement, were at two boarding-schools near London, which he quitted with disgust, and never recalled to his memory without expressions of aversion and contempt. In 1764, he was elected writing-master and accountant to the freeschool at Lancaster, a situation he hell for twenty years, at the end of which term he removed to Nottingham, to assist Mr. Blanchard in establishing his academy there. At that place he continued eight years, and then retired to his native town, where he employed himself chiefly in literary pursuits, and domestic occupations and amusements; sometimes visiting London, where he resided with his friend Romney, the celebrated painter, at whose house at Kendal he expired, May 30, 1801, after a tedious illness, to the great regret of his friends, by whom he was much beloved, as well as the poor, to whom, as far as his means extended, he was a kind benefactor,"

As

As a specimen of the Rural Sabbath, we shall give an extract or two from the second book. After adverting to the exterior appearance of different individuals in their progress to the village church, the poet thus turns his thoughts to the nobler part of man, the mind.

"BUT tho' a while the pond'ring mind may view
The group sedate, its various speaking traits,
And in exteriors only gratify

A partial aim, her better form'd research,
And scope of meditation, soon will roam
Beyond this bound'ry, and with wonder trace
The powers of INTELLECT, whose excellence
The frail integument, which they adorn,
Oft speaks but feebly. Like another sun,
The plastic mind there lights another world
Vast, luminous, and fair, endow'd with laws
And energies peculiar, and beyond

Her own best efforts ever to define :

Where, if the earth's dark veil some parts o'ershade,
How far 'tis from obscuring all its charms!
This is the fav'rite province, that employs

Man's highest care; gives him unbounded realms
The pow'r of kings, the folly of their foes,
Can ne'er annoy; gives him a citadel,
Which keeps th' elbowings of the world aloof:
Where, let its earth-born series of events
Seem e'er so dark, move e'er so harsh, quickly
He can retire, and calm his thoughts perturb'd
With their own sunshine, and fair fancied scenes
For ever gliding smooth in bright array.
And here the high perceptive pow'r divine
Can see the rudi...ents of things subsist
In embryo; trace their final aims; their laws
Of meet relation; and, as light'ning swift,
Traverse th' etherial void, and count, and span
Its glittering orbs. Then, of import more,
Pervade the moral system. Thence ascend
To the Eternal Spirit of the world,

The GREAT SUPREME, and see, and pow'rful feel,
In its ethereal shootings beyond sense,

An universe of mind, soliciting

High favour'd man, in mutual intercourse

To aid the purport of its hallow'd laws.

Yes, there is a spiritual world, where thought
May taste of joys ineffable, and reap
Advantages peculiar as divine

Which all should have in view, and ever strive
To feel and cultivate with warmest zeal.
Vol. VIII. Churchm. Mag. for June 1805.

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