honour and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only and all-sufficient head and governor of his church. Hence the Holy Spirit has graciously become the minister of Christ, and is spoken of as the Spirit of Christ; as sent by him; &c. From the above statement of Dr. Hawker, one might be led to suppose, that, when our Lord ascended to heaven, he retired from the superintendence of the church, and that the Holy Spirit occupies the vacated throne. But, in reality, so far was the time of our Lord's ascension into heaven from being the period of his terminating his government of the church, that it was eminently the day of his coronation, and of his installation into his kingly office. It was then he took his seat at the right hand of God, and was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows. The government is still upon his shoulders, and, to conduct it prosperously, he has all power in heaven and on earth. The pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, was so far from being an instance of the Holy Ghost taking on himself the government of the church, that it was the direct and full evidence that our Lord had taken possession of his throne in heaven. The gift of the Spirit itself was an act of his royal prerogative and munificence. 'Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted,' says the apostle Peter, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye see and hear."" pp. 75, 80.

Entirely neglecting, as he does, the fundamental truth of God's moral government, which one would suppose must enter into all systems pretending to be scriptural, it is not surprising that Dr. Hawker should have been supposed by many to have no system; but to be wandering in endless mazes, without any ascertainable track. The extracts we have made, will satisfy our readers of the incorrectness of this opinion. The Doctor avows his adoption of the principle, that there is nothing in the dispensation of the gospel, or in personal religion, but sovereign acts of grace; and all his other views are modified by the necessity of being consistent with this. He hesitates, indeed, at nothing; but sacrifices without scruple, as Mr. Birt has clearly shewn, the unquestionable fact of God's moral government; the excellence of his law; the prerogative of the divine Father; the Kingly office of the Son; and the scriptural representation of

experimental piety. We may thus, perhaps, account for the unhappy progress in error which, in the course of his life and ministry, the Doctor appears to have made, for it is a fact, attested by many who were delighted and edified much of the tone of sentiment in which by his early discourses, that he has lost he then spoke. Then, indeed,—and what Christian is not?-warm in the exaltation of sovereign grace, and of the Spirit's agency; but now, with ruthless hand, aiming at the demolition of all other parts of the sacred temple, to establish this in solitary grandeur— the desolate and melancholy grandeur of a fragment and a ruin. But such is the natural operation of partiality to one section of the truth. It blinds the eye, and renders the heart callous to every other: and, growing with his growth, it has led Dr. Hawker farther and farther astray from words of sound doctrine.

A system so defective, should it contain no falsehoods, cannot be the truth, the whole counsel of God. Without inquiring particularly, therefore, into its tendencies, we may pronounce, neficial; and we fear, that an inquiry with certainty, that they cannot be beinto facts, upon the spot, would painfully confirm this conviction. There is, indeed, one indication of its unhappy influence upon the Doctor himself, which gives us the deepest concern: we refer to his adoption of the epithet Antinomian. He says,

"The word antinomian is well known

to be formed from a Greek compound, antinomos; the nearest literal translation ing, when applied to any person, in relaof which is, against law. And the meantion to religion, is, that he who is an antinomian, is looking for justification before God, solely on the footing of Christ's person, blood, and righteousness, without an eye to the deeds of the law; yea, even against them." Quoted by Mr. Birt, p. 23.

We are willing to exercise the utmost candour in judging of this language: but we really cannot believe Dr. Hawker to be ignorant of the meaning in which the word Antinomian has been generally, (with the single exception of himself,) we may say universally, employed. If he be so, he is, at least, utterly incompetent to define

theological terms: but, if he knew that no man has ever been called an Antinomian, but in consequence of his deny the law of God to be binding as a rule of life, can he be accounted guilty of less than a conscious and wilful untruth, intended for the most mischievous of purposes? We are sorry to use severe expressions, but their justice and necessity must be our apology. The obvious tendency of this flagrant misrepresentation, is to banish the general dread of antinomianism, and of all that has ever been called by that name; as well as to suggest and confirm the idea, that we have nothing whatever to do with the moral law, but in the matter of our justification, and in this, only to hate and despise it. And, if it was not the Doctor's design to promote such results, nothing was more easy than to avoid the appearance of it. Had it, in truth, been his wish to guard his followers against an unholy life-we had almost said, had his own heart shrunk from it with becoming detestation-it is, to us, utterly inexplicable, that he should not have indignantly renounced a principle, which his readers could not fail, unless pointedly warned, to connect with the name, and abandoned the very term itself to an association, which had already consigned it to unmingled abhorrence.

Immediate, not gradual Abolition, or an Inquiry into the shortest, safest, and most EFFECTUAL MEANS of getting rid of West Indian Slavery. Arch, Cornhill, Price 2d.

THIS is a well-written, argumentative, cheap pamphlet. It deserves to be generally read. The writer of this read it to his congregation a few evenings since, and is happy to say, that the good effect it produced was very general. On the plan proposed, the nonusage of West India produce, till the condition of the slave population is ameliorated, every minister of God's word, and even every child in our congregations, may help in the abolition

of this accursed traffic.

If, among serious people, those articles should be contemned, which are emphatically the fruit of the most horrible slavery and bondage that ever afflicted the creation of God, the effect

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would, doubtless, be very considerable. But, even if the result should not be the entire abolition of the slavery of 800,000 human beings, ought not every Christian to be able to stand un and say, I have no hand whatever in perpetuating the monstrous and cruel traffic in the blood and bones of my fellow-creatures.”—Surely, no Christian ought to give his eyes to sleep, or his eye-lids to slumber, unless he can utter this language !

The writer feels glad, that a society is formed in Leicester for the abolition of this horrible injustice. Surely this is an example worthy of general imitation. The Christian world are, doubtless, not sufficiently awake to the enormities of the dreadful system of slavery: if they were so, surely not a single number of any religious publication would in future issue from the press, without some striking article on this momentous subject!

After this description of "the true church of Christ," given by the Pope, we select another from the pen of inspiration: -"And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON, THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMI -NATIONS OF THE EARTH." Rev. xvii. 5.

IOTA.

Mahometan Opposition to the Bible.

THE Sultan of Persia has published a Firman at Aleppo, on August 12, 1824, prohibiting the introduction of the Bible into his dominions. He has commanded that all the copies possessed by his subjects, should be given up and burnt: threatening to hang those who refuse to obey his mandate! It is added, " Catholics, as well as other Christians, believe the Firman has been issued at the instance of the Roman Catholic clergy."

BAPTIST BUILDING FUND.

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. SIR, The account you gave last month of "The London Baptist Building Fund," has already produced a considerable impression in its favour. A minister, writing from the country, says, concerning the plan: "I must be excused if I express my warm sense of the wisdom and benevolence shown in its formation. It will, doubtless, prevent many serious evils, both to ministers and churches, who may need the assistance of their more opulent brethren in the metropolis; and, in future, Cases will be more likely to be assisted according to their merits and necessities, rather than in proportion to the begging qualifications of their respective advocates." Another country gentleman is so much pleased with the design, that he has signified his intention of giving a donation to the Society. I mention this, Mr. Editor, as an example of importance, and hope there will be found, in different parts of the kingdom, many gentlemen who will deem it worthy of their imitation. If but ten, or twenty, would confer a donation of ten or twenty guineas each, to be funded, it would be laying a foundation for the permanent existence of a Society, that may prove a blessing to generations yet unborn. Application, on behalf of the Society, is now making to the benevolent in London, and its environs, which, I hope, will prove abundantly successful. Some, I am in

formed, who gave a guinea per month to regular cases, are subscribing to the Society £20 per annum. I have seen a list of sums already put down, varying from £20 to £4, amounting to between £300 and £400 a year; to say nothing of one individual that subscribes £150 per annum. I am, Sir, Yours,

A Well-wisher to the Society.

CORPORATION AND TEST ACTS.

It is understood, that "the Deputies, representing the Dissenting Congregations in and near the Metropolis;" the "General Body of Protestant Dissenting Ministers of the three Denominations;" and "the Protestant Society for the Protection of religious Liberty," have come to a resolution to make an application to Parliament, in the ensuing Session, for the repeal of the Corporation and Test Aots; but that they have no intention to invite congregational petitions on this

occasion.

ORDINATIONS, &c.

Ordination of the Rev. J. T. Jeffery, at Gray's Walk, Lambeth.

ON Tuesday, December 7, the Rev. J. T. Jeffery, (formerly Missionary on the Scilly Islands,) was ordained pastor over the newly-formed Baptist Church in Gray's Walk. The Rev. F. A. Cox stated the nature of a gospel church, and asked the usual questions. An address was delivered to the minister by the Rev. John Edwards; and, in the evening, a sermon was preached to the church by the Rev. James Upton.

Ordination of the Rev. T. Price, at Devonshire-square, London.

ON Thursday, November 18, the Rev. T. Price was ordained co-pastor with the Rev. Timothy Thomas, (who had that day completed his forty-fourth year of ministerial labours,) over the Baptist Church meeting in Devonshire-square, London. Mr. Steane, of Camberwell, commenced the service by reading and prayer; Dr. Newman delivered the introductory discourse; Mr. Thomas, the senior pastor, prayed the ordination prayer; Mr. Edmonds, of Cambridge, gave the charge to the minister; and Mr. Berry, of Broad-street, (Independent,) concluded the morning service. In the