and is not salutary. The opposite extreme Mr. V. glosses over very slightly, though he could not but know that a large portion of his Evangelical brethren, by dwelling exclusively on doctrine, on the original corruption of our nature, and on free grace, have done much and irreparable injury to the souls of men. Men are originally corrupt, and actually prone to evil. They are therefore very ready to yield, without reflection, to that doctrine, which, under the gloss of corruption, they easily Conclude to be irresistible and of free grace, which they equally interpret in its utmost latitude, leaves them at liberty to do as they list, and yet conclude themselves in the number of the elect.

On the other reflections quoted, we will only remark, that all sermons ought to be general, that the appeal may be fervent and the application animated; but still they must be general, or they will degenerate into personality, or they will be suspected of it, and in either case, they will not reform, but disgust. We must trust to the general influence of Providence for the effect of our public labours, and when that influence is made known to us, then may we properly, by private and particular admonition, do our utmost to apply the remedy, and complete the cure. To this important duty, perhaps the most important, difficult, and delicate of the Christian ministry, we should be much more frequently called, did we explain more copiously and enforce more fervently than we generally do, the nature, importance and obligation of the Christian sacraments, the ordinary means of grace, and the sacred seals of the Christian covenant. But preaching, mere preaching, is the great idol of the day, by which men are amused and rendered their own prophets and their own priests, without a settled attachment to any Church, or to any system of worship, and with no practical reverence for those sacred seals, which were instituted of God, as the ordinary means of grace, and which are at the same time guardians as it were of the fundamental truths of the Gospel.

The third sermon, from Exodus xxxiii. 18. is on the Glory of God; a good practical discourse on the natural and moral attributes of God. The fourth, from James ii. 24. is on Good Works, in which we find, on the whole, a plain and fair illustration of the apparent difference and positive agreement between St. James and St. Paul. Take the conclusion as a creditable specimen of the author's style and doctrine.

"Whatever be the difficulties discovered in this passage, one truth it most obviously teaches,-that faith, to be genuine, must must produce good works. It must be a principle from which they spring as the effect from its proper cause. Hence, then, we

should

should surely be led to inquire into the influence which our principles have upon our conduct. What effects do they produce in us? Wherein are we more excellent than others who have no faith? What is the benefit of barren and speculative opinions? They may be just in themselves; but so is the faith of devils; that faith which serves only to plunge them in deeper perdition. Nor is this admonition of small importance. Many are more solicitous to form their creed than to purify the heart. As if the essence of religion consisted in correct opinions; as if their salvation were suspended exclusively upon a barren belief; they rest there. For this purpose they read, they listen to the Minister of the Gospel, they inquire with eager curiosity into the various sects in religion; as if some tenet were thus to be discovered, the reception of which would operate as a charm, and at once recommend them to God. Far, indeed, is this from the true genius of Christianity.: True faith is the cordial reception of the Gospel of Christ. It is inherent in the very nature of the Gospel, that whosoever really believes it will do what is right in the sight of God. The various objects of a Christian's faith will each excite its corresponding virtues. Belief in the holiness of God will create a devout fear. A belief in the love of Christ will produce a reciprocal love to him. The reception of the Son of God as our Saviour will lead us to keep his commandments; and faith in his atonement will not only fill our souls with peace, but will lead us to adorn the Gospel, and to exalt that Saviour who is the source of all our hope and joy. Such is the power of faith as a principle of action. It moulds us into a state of conformity with the whole will of God. It works by love it purifies the heart: it teaches us to live to Him who died for us; to glorify Christ with our bodies and souls, which are his.'" P. 62.

The fifth sermon, from Ephesians iii. 14-19. is on the Prayer of St. Paul for the Ephesians; a very general but fervent exhortation to the love of Christ, who first loved us, and whose love for us passeth knowledge. The sixth sermon, from Rev. vii. 9-17. is on the state of the Saints above, contrasted with ' their former condition below. There is much animation and considerable interest in this discourse. We extract the following passage, because we have a remark or two to make upon it.

"The multitude assembled there [in heaven] is described as composed of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.' Here, again, we must beware of forming our judgment from the feelings and views of this fallen world. There, it will be no cause of jealousy, or rivalry, or hatred, that one person received his birth on this, and another on that, side of a river or sea. A man will not despise his brother on account of the different shade of his complexion: he will not seek his destruction because he spoke in another language, nor renounce communion with him because he

praised

praised the same God, with the same spirit of piety, in a house of a different form. All these petty distinctions will have either ceased to exist, or will be completely annihilated in the general spirit of love which will then animate every mind. One pursuit will occupy every heart; each will strive only to glorify God. There will either be no distinctions, or the distinctions be like the beautiful variety we see in the works of God-like flowers enriched with different colours to delight the eye, or with various perfumes to gratify the smell. Why should distinctions offend, or variety disgust? It is the dark and selfish pride of the heart which considers itself as the only standard of right and excellence, and therefore despises or hates every deviation from itself. Let the pride be removed, and the distinction would become a pleasing variety, instead of a source of hatred.

“ Álas, alas! what petty differences, engendered by pride, and nursed by the worst passions of the human breast, here separate, with unchristian hatred, those who are brethren, the children of the same God, the members of the same Church, taught by the same book, partakers of the same hope, redeemed by the same Saviour, influenced by the same Spirit, travelling along the same. road towards the same blessed country! Oh, Religion ! our best, our dearest, holiest guide! is thy sacred name to be prostituted, is thy divine aim to be perverted, to sanction discord, to justify hatred, and to consecrate bigotry? No! Religion acknowledges nothing as her own work, but union and peace. In heaven, her throne, no odious denominations will parcel out the regenerated Church, no frivolous distinctions be suffered to break the unity of the members of Christ; but people of every nation, and kindred, and tribe, and tongue, will unite in one worship, will be animated with one spirit, will be actuated by one principle-and that, the principle of pure and universal love." P. 88.

We would remark in the first place, that no men commit more fatal breaches of charity than our Evangelical brethren, who are at the same time the first and the loudest in their complaints against them. They are constantly vilifying, either openly or by inference, the other Clergy of the Church, because they do not preach as they do. They exhibit them as enemies of religion, because they do not join this society or the otherbecause they do not act in this manner or in that, which they choose to consider as essential. Having made this breach in their own body, they prefer the society of Dissenters, whose doctrine and system of preaching resemble their own, and they represent their brethren, who dislike such heterogeneous associations, as absolute bigots; as totally devoid of charity; and as enemies to that liberal spirit which they choose to admire and inculcate. We would remark in the second place, that an exclusive

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VOL. VI. AUG. 1816.

exclusive adherence to the Church to which we belong, is perfectly consistent with the truest charity; that an opposite conduct undermines the just influence of the Church, generates indifference in Churchmen and presumption in Dissenters, and promotes a sectarian and uncharitable spirit. What the Church is we know; what the Dissenters are we know not, for their principles are never permanent for half a century. We are bound to maintain the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Church, as exclusively good, and always obligatory. If the doctrine of any class of Dissenters be sound, we must certainly conclude that their worship, compared with ours, is deficient, while their discipline is an absolute nullity, equally devoid of spiritual and of temporal authority. If we should even hesitate in coming to these conclusions, (which, however, are the positive conclusions of the Church) at least it is certain, that all our habits are formed, or ought to be formed, on an exclusive attachment to our own system, and therefore the worship of the conventicle can never be suited to the Churchman. It is a system with which he is unacquainted, and he must give up, repeatedly and of design, that which to a Churchman is essential before he can acquire the habits which are requisite in another system.

Well, is not this for which we are now contending, the very essence of bigotry? Does it not mark the grossest want of charity? We say no. We maintain that we are no bigots. We will yield in genuine charity to none. We judge not the Dissenters. We would not abridge their liberty of worship and opinion, if we had it in our power. It is rather hard too, that we should be accused of bigotry and want of charity, merely because we prefer (from motives of conscience, and what we conceive to be a regard to truth) our own system to theirs, while they are left at liberty (and without any such reproach) to prefer their own to ours. Such a preference on their part, implies a strong censure on our system, either in whole or in some of its details. For such censure, whether implied or expressed in temperate controversy, we shall never blame them. We respect serious Dissenters, well aware of the vast variety of human opinion. We feel for them the most sincere and disinterested charity. We hope and trust, that, though walking in different roads, we shall meet at last in happiness and unity and glory. We feel no personal resentment, no pique, no prejudice against them. But our system is the system of our deliberate choice. This choice to us is truth, as theirs is to them. It is unfortunate that we should be so dissected into schisms and parties; such is our condition, however, and we cannot help it. They will not come over to us. We are on this account neither angry nor surprised. We are sincerely sorry,

but

but perfectly charitable. But we shall not mend the matter by going over to them either wholly or occasionally. Even by the latter we shall essentially weaken our own cause. We shall thereby also greatly lessen the influence and endanger the permanence of true religion among us; while instead of promoting charity, we shall increase dissension. We have met with much indifference, much levity and much animosity among the men who affect to despise all exclusive attachment to one system, society, or church; but genuine charity, which we consider to be the indispensable duty of every Christian, have we never found in him, who halts between two opinions, or is equally indifferent to all. No, never; when we have been able to assist our judgment by the fair induction of facts. We cannot afford to continue either our extracts or our remarks; we shall there fore add a bare list of the remaining subjects of these volumes.

The seventh sermon, from 1 Tim. iii. 14-16, is on the great mystery of Godliness--God manifest in the flesh. The eighth, from Matt. xxviii. 19. On the doctrine of the Trinity. The ninth, from John viii. 56. How Abraham saw the day of Christ, and in what way the types in the Old Testament referred to Christ. The tenth, from Luke x. 23. On the difference between the Patriarchal, Jewish and Christian dispensations. The eleventh, from ! John i. 3. On the Communion of Saints. This is a pious and interesting discourse, on which, however, we were strongly tempted to make some remarks; but we have not room to indulge our propensity. The twelfth, from Heb. xii. 22. On Communion with the Angels. The thirteenth, 1 John iii. S. On the effect of seeing God as he is. The fourteenth, from John v. 44. Undue regard to reputation, a source of unbelief. A very valuable discourse. The fifteenth, from Rom. i. 21. On the causes of unthankfulness. The sixteenth, from Matt. xiii. 28-30. On the tares and the wheat. Substantially a good discourse, with some ground for animadversion, had wa room for it. The seventeenth, from 1 Kings xiii. 21. On indecision in religion. The eighteenth, from 2 Sam. xii. 7. The fall and punishment of David illustrated. Sufficiently plain and practical. The nineteenth, from James iii. 5. On the gradual progress of evil. The twentieth, from Psalm lxxxix 47. Ou the nature and value of human life. The twenty-first, from Heb. xi. 13. On the Christian's state of pilgrimage on earth. The twenty-second, from 2 Chron. xx. 3. On fasting. A good practical discourse on a much misunderstood and neglected duty.

In the second volume there are twenty-three sermons. The first from Psalın viii. 4. On the goodness and condescension of God to man. The second, from Gen. xxvii. 35. On Jacob and

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Esau.