ture is instructive, and teaches us that the subject concerning which nothing is said is not suited to our present condition : as I tell my children when they ask an improper question, You are not capable of understanding that matter at present: you may be so in due time.-Pp. 136-138. Much stress has in various quarters been laid on the importance of ascertaining the exact period of conversion, and the precise order of Christian experience. Such points are, to say the least, of doubtful disputation; and those who have been perplexed with reference to them, will do well to · consider the following extract: I am decidedly of opinion, that there was spirituality in both Brainerd and Edwards, in that (early) part of their experience which they totally condemn. It was, in part, above nature, and contrary to nature, though vastly alloyed. The day had broken, though darkness still prevailed. Here I think they all differ from Scripture; for their statements uniformly discourage the diligence of newly awakened persons, (as I have had many opportunities of observing,) by setting them to inquire whether they were seeking spiritually; but the Scripture always encourages every one to ask, seek, and knock; and says, Then shall ye know if ye follow on to know the Lord. It is not necessary for us to answer such questions in order to accept the invitation, where all that will are welcome. But, if we would (subsequently) determine whether our faith be living and our hope genuine, we must assay it by the standard. If (even then) we cannot come upon the ground of the promises (made to certain characters), we must come upon the warrant of the invitation, which requires no qualification, and admits of no hesitation; provided we apply in order to receive, and do not take it for granted that we have received, and then call that faith. Here I have many years rather differed from even admired Edwards and Brainerd, rather more from Bellamy, and still more from Hopkins. It is not necessary to distinguish the seeds till they have grown awhile, and then they are easily distinguishable. When men are taught to judge of their feelings by certain rules, and to expect things to occur in a certain order, they will often imagine that things go on in that order, and call their feelings by peculiar names. Thus different classes of men naturally relate experiences of their own sort. There is a sameness in the relations of Arminian Methodists; another in that of Calvinistic Methodists. Huntington's disciples all experience in the same manner; so do Mr. -'s people; and so do those of the New England divines. I own I vastly prefer the latter for substance: but the exact order I view in the same light (in all); because the Scripture does not lay it down. The thing wrought is all, not the order the former is the same in all (true Christians), the latter almost infinitely varied. Men of lively imaginations, watching their feelings, will, when in earnest about religion, commonly think they experience as they suppose they should do, and will infer their conversion from the regularity and order of their experience, rather than from its effects on their future lives: while more cool and diffident persons will be perpetually harassed with apprehensions that they are unconverted, however evident the change, because their alarms, comforts, &c. did not come in regular course, and they cannot speak of such experience as others do. This is worst when the experience itself is enthusiastic; but it leads to delusion or discouragement at all times." Pp. 140—142. The following suggestions are highly important to those who feel a desire for the work of the ministry : I do not in the least wonder at what you mention concerning your desire for the ministry; and I think it very probable that the Lord intends in due time thus to employ you. It appears, however, to me, that you should endeavour rather to repress and moderate the desire, than to indulge it at present; at least to aim and pray for a willingness to wait the Lord's time, and to submit to his will as to the event. I should not consider it as any deduction from the prospect of future usefulness, should you meet with various disappointments and delays, and repeatedly seem to have the door shut against you; so as to induce you to leave it calmly in the Lord's hands to determine whether he sees good to employ you or not. I lay a great stress on the Apostle's rule, not a novice, or new convert; and deem some time spent in gaining self-acquaintance, knowledge of the human heart, and experience both of what is within and what is around us, with other qualifications and endowments for so arduous and important a work, much better than a premature entrance upon it; and if the Lord have work for us to do, we shall certainly be preserved to do it. I think, however, that it is very right to have an eye to the service continually, and to be aiming to acquire that kind of knowledge which may be peculiarly suited to the character of a minister, as well as that which is profitable to a Christian. And bere I should advise you to recede, though with caution, from your strict rule of reading nothing but on religious subjects. I did this for a considerable time; but I think I should have been qualified for various services, for which I am now incompeteut, had I set apart a portion of my time, not too large, for acquiring general knowledge. It appears to me, that theology is best learned from the Scriptures and a few select books; that one often reads very pious works without much enlarging one's fund of knowledge, though they produce a good effect on the heart; that a minister should be continually, if possible, increasing his knowledge, while he watches carefully his heart; and that any sensible book, if read so as to be continually compared with the Scriptures, will increase useful knowledge,-namely, that of human nature, of the state of the world, the delusions which prevail, the most plausible objections to our doctrines, the weak side of our way of stating them, and a thousand other things which a well-informed scribe in the law of God knows how to make good use of. I call this reconnoitering; which is necessary to the commander, though not to the common soldiers.-Pp. 217-219. The following extract will, we trust, prove satisfactory to a correspondent who has recently desired our explanation of the passage in the Burial Service to which it refers: I think the objections made to the Burial Service (by those who think ministers have any thing officially to do with burying the dead) are ill grounded. The persons buried are unexcommunicated members of the Church of England; at least professed, Christians: "such as lay violent hands on themselves" are excluded. And in many peculiar cases a clergyman might, without much censure, refuse to officiate. "We commit the body to the ground in sure and certain hope," (not of his or her resurrection to eternal life, but) in general," of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ;" while in all the rest the pronouns are expressly appointed and marked. We bury a professed Christian, in sure hope of the resurrection of all true Christians to eternal life; leaving the individual to the judgment of God, with only a general hope respecting him-" as our hope is this our brother doth." And in what ordinary cases would we say, I have no hope? As to the word "brother," or "brethren," the Apostles used it respecting the persecuting Jews: and shall we object to it in respect of a professed Christian?-Pp. 277, 278. SEPT. 1824. We had marked for insertion extracts from several other letters--from Thoughts on the Words of St. Paul to Timothy, "Give thyself wholly to them"-On apparent declension in Usefulness, &c.-but these must now be omitted in order very briefly to advert to the unpublished work with which the volume closes. We have already intimated, that this MS. has been prepared many have been written between 1779 years. The Editor supposes it to and 1785; and he is probably right in his conjecture, though the style appears to us more accurate than that of Mr. Scott's earlier publications. The work may be regarded, as far as it goes, as a concise view of the author's system of theology; and at the same time shows how complete his system became at a very early period. The same views of truth appear in this work as in the last edition of his Commentary; this will appear from the following extracts: : And now, all that was requisite having been done to manifest God's awful hatred of sin, and inflexible justice in punishing. it, for the instruction of all his subjects in this part of his character to all eternity; every impediment being thus removed, the gracious propensity of the divine nature, which is LOVE, and which induced him to take these previous steps, that he might honourably show mercy, breaks forth into exercise. .... All things being now ready, the servants are sent forth to invite the guests. Ministers commissioned, and qualified from the fulness that is in Christ, are sent into all the world to preach the Gospel to every creature; and, having informed them of the suitable and sufficient preparation made in and by the Son of God, to invite them to return to God through Christ by faith, that they may receive pardon, righteousness, and eternal life. These invitations are to be made as unlimited as possible; to every creature; to the chief of sinners, and the meanest of sinners. Let him that is athirst come; and WHOSOEVER WILL let him take of the waters of life freely. They are to be made as free and unencumbered as possible; without money and without price. The waters of salvation flow in rich abundance, and the poorest are welcome to as much as 2 z they want. Nothing is required as price, ing, enjoying, coveting, or aspiring after any thing in it; but willing to be poor, despised, neglected; to endure hardship and dishonour; to be amongst men as he that. serveth; and to leave all that the world calls great and good to the men of the world, who have their portion in this life. And did he in this respect leave us no example that we should follow his steps?— Pp. 476-478. It is to be feared that there is much of this religion in the present day. Many religious professors are as mercenary, as selfindulgent, as expensive and vain in their apparel and furniture, as luxurious in their manner of living, and as anxious about these things, as the people of the world. Can we really think that these are the true disciples of Jesus, and of the same religion with primitive Christians? that they have renounced the world, have overcome it, are living above it, do not love it, are crucified to it? In vain will they object, to such admonitions as legal. I am not On indifference to the world, treating of justification: on that subject I our author remarks, It is peculiarly a conversation becoming the Gospel of Christ, when Christians appear satisfied with the sweet pleasures of communion with God, with the rich inheritance of the children of God, and with the honour and distinction which God has put upon them as such; and show that they have no need to borrow of the world: when, indeed, feeding and feasting on the hidden manna, the bread that cometh down from heaven, the joys unspeakable and glorious! or when hungering and thirsting after these things; they lose their relish for other delights, cheerfully forego them, and keep at a distance from them: when they without reluctance renounce all those vain diversions and amusements in which they formerly indulged: when they turn away their eyes from beholding vanity, and learn to mortify the lust of the eye and the pride of life; and manifest a becoming contempt of those numerous attractive trifles which the heart of vain man wanders after, though they add nothing to his happiness; when they are indifferent about those things which gratify the sensual appetite; when they can cheerfully leave those, who know nothing better, to scramble for preferments, titles, honours, and riches; and, by a disinterested, unambitious conduct, show that they are inwardly willing to be without these things, and neither value themselves nor admire ethers on account of them; but are determined to keep at a distance from the very suspicion of selfishness with respect to them. View here, again, the example of our blessed Saviour, how he lived, and passed through the world, without either possess have avowed my sentiments. I am speaking of the evidences of faith, which such persons do not exhibit.-Nor are these "little things." If any think them so, let him remember that he nugæ seria ducunt in mala. These are the things which discredit religion, and open the mouths of opposers,. and prevent professed Christians from bringing forth fruit. Many will excuse themselves from feeding the hungry, cloth-> ing the naked, or contributing to the support and propagation of the Gospel, because they cannot afford it: who will spend twenty times as much upon needless vanities of dress, furniture, and entertainmentswhich only feed their pride, and expose the carnality of their minds. Is this Christianity? Is this having the law written in our hearts? Is this loving God supremely, and our neighbour as ourselves? Are these trifles? Satan knows they are not, though many of us do not. Will not these things appear, at the day of judgment, stronger evidences against us, than all our talk about doctrines and experiences will for us? Would not Isaiah, and Paul, and Peter, and other apostles, and our Lord himself, have borne testimony against them? and shall we then be censured for doing it? Though I am no advocate for monkish austerity, nor for what in the least tends to level the different orders of society, yet I own that the expensiveness of many professors in their dress, table, furniture, and whole style of living, carried to the utmost extent they can afford, if not beyond it; often interfering with the payment of just debts, still more with feeding and clothing the poor; and always in violation of the precept, Be not conformed to this world; makes me ready to conclude, that they have either no love, or very little; and, if they have none, they are nothing, though they spake with the tongues of men and of angels.-Pp. 479-481. The Household of Faith. A Sermon preached to the English Congregation assembled at Rome, Sunday, 6th April, 1823, for the Benefit of the Primitive Church of the Vaudois or ancient Albigenses, and Waldenses. By the Rev. Lewis Way, A. M. Minister of the Episcopul Protestant Chapel at Nice, in Sardinia. Second Edition, with an Appen dix. London: Hatchard, 1823. IT may be noticed, as not the least remarkable ircumstance in the present eventful crisis, as it regards the religious world, that a sermon should be preached by an English clergyman in the very residence of the Pope, on the very steps of the throne of Antichrist, in behalf of a Protestant communion, long since proscribed and anathematized, and regarded with peculiar horror and enmity by every good Catholic, as contaminating the sacred ground of Italy itself. And moreover, that this should be a repetition of sentiments uttered in a chapel, built at Nice by permission of the Sardinian government for the accommodation of English heretics. It is truly a satisfactory reflection, that one consequence of the hostilities in which our country was so long engaged, has been, to place her in such relation to the Roman and Sardinian states, that an English family can now drive its own carriage to a place of worship in the capital of the patrimony of St. Peter-a liberty hitherto considered as too open a recognition of damnable error in such holy precincts-and that our poor valetudinarians, who seek an alleviation of disease on the Piedmontese shore, are no longer debarred the benefit of Protestant instruction, and the consolation of Protestant sacraments. The discourse is from Gal. vi. 9, 10, and is at once historical as well as didactic. The doctrinal part occupies about seven pages; and in the remainder, the preacher endeavours to awaken the feelings of his audience in behalf of the Vaudois, by giving them a succinct account of their persecutions, in the sufferings; and which must have very country and theatre of their had a striking effect, particularly in its first delivery. After shewing the injustice of the charge sometimes brought against the doctrine of justification by faith alone, that it tends to speculation rather than action, from the writings and example of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, the preacher observes with equal force and tenderness, Christian benevolence, however en larged and bounteous, is at the same time discriminating and judicious. If it extends to the world which lieth in wickedness, it embraces the church which is chosen in Christ. If we thus judge, that he died for all, because all were dead, and his love con straineth us to love even our enemies for his sake, according to his precept and example, and that man be worse than an infidel who provideth not for his own house; how much more binding is the obligation on the members of Christ, to nourish his mystical body, and to do good in an especial manner to the household of Faith? In many cases our personal feelings may be excited by the sufferings of a nature, and the incidents of a condition common to all; but in this, the distinguishing privileges of our calling, and the peculiar en dowments of a new and exalted character in the scale of being, are put to their appropriate use, and claim a more exclusive exercise. God bestows his common gifts on all alike; his extraordinary graces he reserves in his own hands, and bestows them at will on his people. His mercy is over all his works, but he keeps the believer as the apple of his eye. He causes the sun to shine, and the rain to fall on the evil and on the good; but on them that fear his name, and on them alone, the sun of righteousness arises, and the dews of grace descend! In conformity with this arrangement in the divine economy, the Christian is exhorted to do good unto all, but especially unto them that are of the household of faith. I question, brethren, whether the injunction of the text respecting patient continuance in well doing was ever more signally exemplified, than in the history and conduet of that interesting people, whose condition I am about to recommend to your peculiar notice; and I trust the time is not far distant, when, having sown in tears, they will reap in joy; when, having sown to the spirit, they will, of the spirit, reap life everlasting; when, having never fainted under their great tribulations, they will at length, and in due season, in the appointed time, come forth out of them clothed in the white raiment of the Redeemer's righteousness. As we have therefore this present opportunity, let us not be weary in well doing; but avail ourselves of an occasion to show our especial regard to those of our afflicted brethren in Christ, who have at least an equal, if not a far superior claim with ourselves to the scriptural designation of the household of faith. You are aware that there exists in the province of Pignerol, in the vicinity of Turin, a body of simple and primitive Christians called the Vaudois; but many of you are possibly unacquainted with their peculiar character and pressing necessities, which I shall therefore endeavour to set before you in a summary manner, but with as much particularity as the time and occasion will allow, and conclude by recommending their case to your most charitable consideration. For the sake of order, I propose to distribute the narration under the following arrangement: The antiquity of this Church; This introduction is neat and happy, and distinguished by sound sentiment. The preacher gives a judicious abridgement of the his tory of this religious community, which, in respect of its magnitude and consequence, has gone through more persecution than any other in the world. In the latter part of his discourse he remarks, that the Waldenses and Albigenses were considered by Bishop Lloyd, and are still regarded by Mr. Faber, and other commentators, as the two apocalyptic witnesses. These were to hold forth the true light of the Gospel, while the Christian Church was depressed under the continuance of the power of the little horn of Daniel; or that temporal power which was to supersede, and rule over the ten kings of the Latin earth. After continuing without political existence for a series of ages, they were in the latter days to rise, as from a state of death, and stand on their feet, or be recognized as a religious and civil community. It appears, that about the very period when it is conjectured the season of depression was to terminate, this people did actually obtain the protection of their own sovereign, and attract in a remarkable manner the notice of the Christian world; as, in 1794, Victor Amadeus III., King of Sardinia, removed many burdensome restrictions which had been laid upon them, promised farther concessions, and found them the most faithful of his subjects in opposing the French revolutionary movements, making open acknowledgments of their zeal and attachment to his cause. We doubt whether the preacher strengthened his appeal by bringing forward, and in some degree, enlarging upon this question of the two witnesses. It was quitting the very strong ground on which he stood, when he pleaded for a people, who had endured thirty persecutions, and remained faithful to the covenant of their God, for an abstract and doubtful interpretation of a particular and obscure prophecy. If it could not have been introduced in the former part of the discourse, it had perhaps better have been omitted altogether, as it might endanger the effect produced |