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labour and suffer, in hope of the final reward. The holy Spirit also applies the same principle to the christian under all his tribulation: "Be patient, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. ird up your loins, and be sober, and hope to the end." It is but a day of adversity, and a day that is far spent; the shadows of the evening are drawing on, when we shall enter into rest. The blessed Redeemer will soon return to make all things new: then there shall be no more curse, nor any more pain, nor any more death. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, or any heat, for the former things are passed away.

our companions in tribulation, and who in the school of adversity had learned to succour the distressed. The Captain of salvation was himself made perfect through suffering, and how then can his followers expect perfection in any other way?

If we attentively view the connection between present affliction and future glory, we shall see how the one tends to prepare for the other. The prophets, apostles, and even the Son of God himself, was " stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." And wherefore, but to consecrate their souls, and strengthen them to bear that "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," which awaits them in the world to come. We best enjoy rest The believer also has reason to after labour, and the land of safety expect that those light afflictions, after a storm at sea; and the miswhich are but for a moment, shall eries of earth will make the happiwork for him a far more exceed-ness of heaven double when it ing and eternal weight of glory.comes. The innate strength imThis is an additional encourage-parted by affliction will make the ment to patience, and a powerful gain immortal: for, as much afflicmeans of promoting it. Tribulation tion as we can bear with patience, cuts the cable by which we had cast so much glory are we qualified to anchor in the world-dashes our bear with true humility. Joseph's idols to pieces-and leaves us no- troubles prepared him to be the thing but God in the day of saviour of Egypt. Moses's solitude trouble. We call upon him, and and seclusion, at the back of mount he delivers us; and then we set Horeb, prepared him to be the our hope in God. He magnifies leader of Israel. But these were his grace in our extremity, so that honours that would ill have suited patience worketh hope, that he who any other characters. The humihath delivered, and doth deliver, liation of Christ also qualified him will still continue to deliver. for his glorification; and similar It is none of the least advantages shall be the effects of sanctified of tribulation, that it produces a adversity to all his followers. "They spirit of sympathetic tenderness shall not much remember the days towards all who are distressed, es- of their life; because God answerpecially those who suffer in a way eth them in the joy of their heart." similar to ourselves. This also They shall so much remember their tends to nourish patience, by pro-days, however, as to enjoy heaven viding a soil congenial to its growth. the better for it; so much as to Were we to collect out of all deno-know that what they reap in joy minations of professed Christians, was sown in tears. They shall also those who excel in sympathy and so much remember the days of goodness; those who "put on as their life as to know, that if God the elect of God, bowels of mer- had spared them the greater tribucies and kindness;" we should find lation, they had missed the greater JÁBEZ. those very persons to have been glory.

Theological Review.

Studies in History; containing the History of Rome, from its earliest records to the death of Constantine; in a Series of Essays, accompanied with reflections, references to original authorities, and historical questions. By THOMAS MORELL. London; Gale and Co. and Josiah Conder: 450 pages 8vo. 10s. 6d. 1815.

younger classes of readers. An eminent English moralist, is said by his biographers to have taken such an antipathy against the reading of history, that he would be rude towards any one who presumed to mention in "He his presence the Punic war. took no pleasure in tracing the annals of blood," was the remark with which he usually quashed the unwelHISTORY has been defined, Philocome subject. In the work before sophy teaching by example;' and us, designed, as the author modestly that the annals of the world during intimates, for the use of the rising a period of nearly six thousand years, generation, that which forms the must furnish abundant lessons of in-leading topic in other histories, struction, to every succeeding gene-namely, the detail of battles fought, ration, is a truth too evident to be disputed. The misfortune, however, is, that precepts of wisdom are more easily given than received; and though Philosophy have condescended to become our preceptress, so backward are we in general to profit by the example of others, that hitherto the progress of mankind has been slow; since the evils that have afflicted former times, still continue to be too prevalent in the world. It has been justly remarked that the examples and events of history press upon the mind with the weight of truth; but when they are reposited in the memory, they are oftener employed for show than use, and rather diversify conversation than regulate life. Few are engaged in such scenes as give them opportunities of growing wiser by the downfall of statesmen or the defeat of generals. The stratagems of war, and the intrigues of courts, are read by far the greater part of mankind with the same indifference as the adventures of fabled heroes, or the revolutions of a fairy region. Between falshood and useless truth there is little difference; for, as gold which he cannot spend will make no man rich, so knowledge which he cannot practically apply will make no man wise.

of thousands slaughtered, of towns besieged, and their unoffending inhabitants cruelly massacred, is very properly made an object of inferior consideration. "Every thing which has a manifest tendency to vitiate the mind and inflame the passions, is carefully excluded from his pages; and even political disquisitions have been avoided as being foreign to the design of the work." The author's great aim has been to select the characters and events most celebrated in the history of Rome, during the period of which the volume treats, to bring them to the light of truth, and try them by the test of Christian principles; and, intent upon tracing the footsteps of JEHOVAH, amidst the desolations of former ages, he has studied to place those facts in the clearest and strongest light, on which the finger of God was most visibly impressed.

The particular period of history, which forms the basis of Mr. Morell's present volume, possesses every recommendation which a writer could reasonably desire, whose object was to instruct his readers by a judicious selection of diversified examples. For, to adopt the language of a late writer," amidst the broken monuments of Imperial grandeur, the These remarks, if well founded, ruins of Rome command our venerawill sufficiently justify the conduct of tion through successive ages. The Mr. Morell, in deviating from the es-rigid virtues by which she gradually tablished method of writing history, and giving the subject a new, and, in our humble judgment, a much improved form, especially for the

arose to power; the constancy and address by which she long maintainedit; the genius of her people, the spirit of her laws, the extent of her

dominion, and the magnificence of the rewards of worldly ambition! Yet, her public edifices, all combine to at-strange as it may appear, uninstructed by tract the curiosity and excite the regard of posterity.”

these repeated and impressive lessons, succeeding generations proceed with unabated ardour in the same perilous career, court similar dangers, endure equal fruits. And still more strange is the mesufferings, and reap at last the same bitter

despised and trodden under foot by those votaries of ambition, though the prize is both certain and glorious. Would to God that equal efforts were made, and equal ardour displayed in the pursuit of that which is the mark of our high calling of eternal inheritance and unfading crown, God in Christ Jesus.

The author has divided his work into three books: the first of which relates to the history of Rome from the building of the city to its cap-lancholy fact that an immortal crown is ture by the Gauls. The second from the rebuilding of the city to the death of Julius Cæsar. And the third from the death of Julius Cæsar to the reign of Constantine the great. It is during this latter period that the Roman history becomes more especially interesting to Christians of the present day; and there are two prominent articles in it, of such high import, that they must ever continue to interest the human race to the end of time; these are the overthrow of Judaism, and the establishment of Christianity. As these stupendous events have fallen under the consideration of Mr. Morell, and he has surveyed them with the discriminating judgment of a Christian philosopher, we shall give our readers an extract or two, by which they will be enabled to form some estimate of this valuable publication. The following reflections occur on a review of the war that desolated Judea, by the Roman army, under the command of Vespasian and his son Titus, and which ended in the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem,

The calamities which befell the Jews in the reign of Vespasian are deeply interesting, whether they be contemplated as an awful display of the righteous vengeance of the Most High against a people laden with iniquity and ripe for destruction; or, as a manifest fulfilment of prorecorded by the sacred Evangelists; or, phecy, and especially of the predictions as affording the most convincing evidence of the truth of Christianity, and of the divine Authority and Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.

The Jews had been for many ages a people distinguished from all others by privileges and sacred institutions. To them belonged exclusively the Oracles of God. Theirs were the patriarchs and prophets, holy men, whom God endowed with the spirit of Revelation, and instructed in the knowledge of his will. They were claimed by Jehovah as his peculiar portion, and “the lot of his inheritance." Yet amidst all, they were disobedient, rebellious, and ungrateful; a people prone to idolatry; proud of their privileges, and incorrigible under the chastisements of the Almighty. Though long threatened with judgments, they were spared from age to age; a succession of holy prophets was raised up to admonish and reprove them; and at length, the Son of God from heaven himself visited them, dwelt among them, taught in their streets, and performed many miracles in the midst of them. But the heavenly messengers were scorned, persecuted, destroyed—the incarnate Redeemer himself was despised, rejected, and, with wicked hands, crucified and slain. This was the consummation of their guilt

"How many correctives to human pride and ambition do the records of Antiquity contain! In the short space not only of a few years, but even of a few months, how many instructive lessons were presented, tending to impress a deep conviction upon the mind, of the vanity, the uncertainty, and the misery attendant upon worldly grandeur. With what rapidity did these phantoms of royalty glide along, and how suddenly did they disappear. How full of cares and sorrows, solicitudes and dangers were the fleeting honours which these shortlived emperors pursued with so much ardour, and maintained with such fatal obstinacy! It is worthy of remark that this, the beginning of their sorrows. In not one of the Roman Emperors from how awful a sense was the imprecation of Augustus to Vespasian died a natural these murderers fulfilled, within a few death. Tiberius was smothered by his years of the death of Christ, “ His blood successor-Caligula, assassinated by his be upon us, and on our children." The soldiers-Claudius, poisoned by his wife storm, charged with divine vengeance, Nero, to escape greater tortures, destroy-gathered, lowered, and finally burst with ed himself-Galba was murdered by a tremendous fury upon this heaven-devoted band of his revolted troops-Otho termi- | nated his own existence and Vitellius was torn in pieces by his enraged subjects. Such are the wages of sin; such,

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people. The first vial of wrath was poured out 'upon Galilee, the place, where many of the miracles of Jesus were performed, and where, notwith

standing these mighty works wrought in | struggle-the various measures adopted the midst of them, the guilty inhabitants by their enemies to frustrate their endeabesought him to depart out of their coasts. vours, and (had it been possible) to blot But vials of augmented vengeance were out their very names from the earth-if reserved for that abandoned city, which these, with many other counteracting had been the scene of the most affecting circumstances, be attentively considered, tragedy ever exhibited to men and an- it will appear that nothing less than a gels. The infatuation that possessed the perpetual miracle could have perpetuated inhabitants of Jerusalem-their obsti- and built up the Church of God. Had nate rejection of pardon and mercy when the religion of Jesus been of men, it not only offered, but pressed upon them could not have endured such a test-but by the clemency of the conqueror-the its introduction, its protection, and its manner and extremity of their sufferings abundant increase, notwithstanding the -all bespeak the direct and awful inter- combined efforts of all the powers of position of the God of vengeance for their darkness, prove it to have been from destruction. heaven, and demonstrate the justice of its claims, when it challenges our faith as "the glorious Gospel of the Blessed God."

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"These calamities were foretold in general terms by several of the Jewish Prophets, but by our Saviour especially, in language so express and remarkable, that they might almost be considered as an historical record of the transactions to which they refer. When we read in Sacred History, that our Lord assured his disciples, when they were admiring the magnificence of the temple-that one stone would not be left upon another, which should not be thrown down" -that "the tribulation of those days would be great, such as was not since the beginning of the world to that time, no, nor ever shall be"-that " there should be great distress in the land, and wrath upon the people" of the Jews, who should "fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive into all nations"-and that "Jerusalem should be trodden down of the Gentiles, till the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled"-when these, and many similar predictions, are read, and compared with the authentic statement in profane history of the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus Vespasian, and the consequent dispersion of that ancient people: it seems impossible to resist the conviction, which arises from this comparison, that those prophecies were literally fulfilled, and that in a most remarkable manner, by these events."

As we can only afford room for one more extract, we shall select that which forms the conclusion of the author's work. It relates to the triumph of Christianity over all the posing powers of Pagan darkness.

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A religion so manifestly divine could not stand in need of human support, though the divine Head of the Church may sometimes have seen fit to employ such feeble agents. It rests not its claims upon the genius, the learning, or the eloquence of those who have at different periods advocated its sacred cause. No human authority, however great; nor any of the most honoured names amongst men, can add to the splendour or dignity of a religion which emanates from the Eternal Fountain of Light. Yet it is gratifying to see the mightiest efforts of genius, the most copious stores of learning, the sweetest flowers of taste, and the richest streams of eloquence, poured forth at the feet of Jesus, and consecrated to his service. If it were of importance to measure swords with the enemies of the Gospel, the advocates of evangelical truth have no reason to shrink from the combat. To their Celsus, Porphry, and Lucian, we can confidently oppose our Origen, Tertullian, and Justin Martyr; who turned back with confusion and dismay all the enemies of Zion in the day of battle, and made their hostile weapons. recoil upon themselves. Nor is it less gratifying to observe, that most of these Christian Heroes, after having triumphantly refuted all the sophisms and calumnies of the adversary, set their seals to the holy doctrines they had maintained, by a glorious martyrdom.

"The period of Church history which has been contemplated, as well as every succeeding century to the present day, Amongst the numerous and splendid confirms the representation given by our miracles that were wrought in confirma- Saviour, in one of his most beautiful pation of the truth and divine authority of rables, of the origin aud progress of his the Gospel, scarcely can one be found kingdom. For how soon did it appear more convincing and irresistible than that that wherever the good seed of divine which was displayed in the propagation truth had been scattered by the holy of Christianity itself. If the circum- Apostles and their successors, there also stances attending its first promulgation be the enemy had sown tares. These perconsidered-if the character and condi- nicious, and in some instances deadly, tion of its primitive advocates the con- plants sprang up in every direction, cor◄ federacy that was formed against them-rupting the churches almost as soon as the strong and apparently overwhelming they had been planted, and perverting tide of opposition with which they had to many from the truth as it is in Jesus.* VOL. I.

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interests of mankind-to correct the erroneous opinions of those who mistake worldly grandeur for true

In this imperfect state, what good is there | manly; the materials of his volume unmixed with evil? What is there so are judiciously selected; his reflecpure, so exalted, so divine, as to have es- tions are pertinent and pious; and caped the contaminating touch of human his whole publication adapted in no depravity? Even Christianity itself has been perverted, corrupted, defiled, by the ordinary degree to subserve the best ignorance and immorality of its false professors. But our Saviour has taught us, in the same parable, that these tares of error and false doctrine are not to be pluck-glory; and to teach them, in the laned up by violence; that even heresy is not to be extirpated by penal and persecuting laws; but, having by the manifestation of the truth commended ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God, we are to wait the general harvest, when he who is emphatically, "The Truth," will finally separate between the righteous and the wicked.

"If the whole of the preceding history be compared with the brief hints which have been occasionally introduced, respecting the progress of Christianity; it will appear most evident, that the spiritual kingdom of the Messiah is widely different from those empires which are temporal and worldly. We have seen the Roman empire, like a boisterous torrent, rushing forward with desolating fury, till it inundated the world, and made it a dreary waste. In tracing a series of more than 1,100 years, we have seen that gigantic monarchy founded in rapine and murder, extended by carnage and oppression, and finally dismembered and crushed by the same ponderous engines, which it had employed for the destruction of others. But not such was the manner in which the empire of the Son of God was introduced and established in the earth. When He appeared," the mountains brought peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness." The benign and fertilizing influence of his government is beautifully compared to the silent descent of rain

upon the mown grass, and of showers that water the earth. Christianity, like a pure and chrystal stream, has quietly, but rapidly, glided along from age to age, from land to land, dispensing, through all its majestic course, the richest blessings; nor will it cease to flow, till it shall have visited, refreshed, nad fertilized the whole earth. "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of GOD; the holy place of the tabernacles of the

MOST HIGH."

Were Mr. Morell, now for the first time, making his debut, as an author, upon the public theatre, we should say that these extracts could not fail to prepossess his readers in his favour in a high degree, and ensure the popularity of his work. But the fact is, that he has already passed his ordeal, and needs not our feeble suffrage to give him currency. His style is every where perspicuous and

guage of Cicero, that the latter consists" in doing what deserves to be written, or in writing what deserves to be read." We sincerely wish the author health and spirits to continue his labours for the public good, and shall be happy in due time, to meet him again with his projected volume on the History of his own country.

***We are glad to see that Mr. Morell's "History of Greece" has already reached a second edition, which has just made its appearance in 12mo. As the first edition was published before the commencement of our Magazine we shall probably ere long take an opportunity of noticing that publication.

Travels in South Africa; undertaken at the request of the Missionary Society. By JOHN CAMPBELL, Minister of Kingsland Chapel. London, Black and Parry, &c. 8vo. 600 pages, and 20 maps and plates; price 12s. bds. 1815.

Mr. Campbell's Travels are introduced to the notice of the public by the following advertisement, which, his journey, we shall print entire. as it tends to explain the object of

"The Missionary Society, instituted in London, in the year 1795, for the sole purpose of diffusing the Gospel in Heathen and other unenlightened countries, first directed their views to the islands of the Pacific Ocean; after which their attention was turned to the vast continent of Africa. That long neglected and much injured country appeared to the Directors to have powerful claims on their regard. Accordingly, in the year 1798, Doctor Vanderkemp, a respectable physician of Holland, who had devoted himself to the arduous and honourable office of a Christian Missionary to the Heathen, went forth from England under the auspices of the Society, accompanied by Mr. Kicherer and other pious men. Not succeeding in the

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