ence, or the little child, that had scarce learnt to lisp of heaven, is suddenly transplanted thither, as a flower, too fair for earth, but ripe for the paradise of God. And can such dispensations be appointed of God?" Yes, they are a most important part of his wise and benevolent government. The prospect, so cheerless, when viewed only with reference to the present, becomes bright and glorious, when we look forward to the future. Our afflictions then appear as merciful appointments to prepare us for heaven. We see how salutary may be their influence in weaning us from earth, in teaching us the emptiness of the idols, that are so apt to fill our hearts; in leading from a world of disquietude and sin, to peace with God and ourselves; from riches that perish, from pleasures that weary, from friends that die, to an incorruptible inheritance, to an unfailing and eternal friend. If it be true, that this life is intended only as our preparation for a better, then whatever fixes our thoughts on futurity, should bę esteemed our choicest blessing. If heaven held the place in our hearts, which it deserves, we should think nothing too dear, if it would only purchase for us a mansion there. And how highly should we prize afflictions, when we regard them as forming within us those graces and virtues, which will make us meet for that inheritance? We should welcome them as the best gifts of God; and should praise him as well when he causes our eyes to weep tears of sorrow, as when he makes our hearts to sing for joy. We need afflictions. The best are apt to grow careless and forgetful in an uninterrupted succession of prosperity. The world seizes upon our affections, engrosses our pursuits, and the very blessings, that should have led us to God, and to obedience, only rivet our chains to the earth. It is when our heavenly Father takes from us these blessings, that we look up and remember from whom they came; that our hearts are softened; and we learn, that our best and only refuge is religion. Perverse indeed, and ungrateful is man, that seldom thinks of his God, but when the world is failing him; and must have his blessings taken away, to make him remember their giver. Ask the humble christian, whom affliction has improved; and he will tell you, that he remembers his hours of sorrow as among his choicest hours; that in these he has possessed the clearest views of himself, and seen the character and perfections of God in their brightest lustre; that at such seasons the world with its seductions has been forgotten; he has most ardently aspired after holiness, and has enjoyed some anticipations of that pure felicity, for which his sorrows were designed to prepare him. If such then be the necessity, and such the peaceful fruits of affliction, shall we not adore the merciful God, who sends them? Who, when we are spiritually sick, restores us by such salutary medicine; and changes the diseases of our souls to moral puri ty and health. These are the reflections, which all our trials should excite; and if we submit with resignation, and endure with patience, they will work our eternal good; and when we arrive at heaven, we shall remember, with fervent gratitude, that they have helped our passage thither. May 16, 1815. ON MINISTERIAL EXCHANGES. THE freedom with which the congregational clergy in this part of our country have been accus, tomed to interchange their weekly labors, has formed a very pleasing part of the religious intercourse among christians. By this practice each minister has seemed in some sense to belong to most of the societies in his vicinity; and when any one of them has been called to suffer bereavement, it has had the previlege of enjoying an administration of the most solemn and affecting ordinances of our religion from the hands of those, whom they could not regard as strangers. A more friendly and intimate union has thus been cherished among different church es. The bitterness of sectarian feelings has been allayed. The truths of religion have been presented in more interesting forms by the variety of illustrations and of manner in different preach ers. The clergy have been preserved from those negligences, which the indulgence to be expected from one's own society might produce. And what is And what is better than all, that harmony and fellowship have been culti vated and increased, which ought to subsist among those, who ac knowledge the authority of the same Master, and draw their faith from a common source. This intercourse however, which seemed to be so pleasing and useful, has of late been partially interrupted. I have inquired very anxiously into the cause of this unhappy effect. The chief reason assigned by those, who decline to continue this practice with the freedom and liberality which we have been accustomed to witness, I find to be this: That there exist important differences of sentiment among different ministers, and it is wrong to permit what we esteem to be error to be preached to our people. The good effects of our labors is counteracted; the minds of our people are unsettled, and the cause of truth must necessarily suffer. I must freely own that I think this objection a very serious one; and if the consequences of free. dom of exchanges be really that which is stated, I cannot, for one, condemn those ministers, who discontinue it. Since religion is necessarily with so many minds a business of authority, it is of great importance to the usefulness of a minister that an unity of impression should be " preserved. It is true, that if error is preached to a minister's people, he is at liberty to show that it is error, and to disprove it by argument. But if what is preached one Sabbath is contradicted the next, the minds of men will be apt to become wavering and perplexed; Christ appears to those, who do not think deeply, to be divided; his cause is dishonored and the interests of truth unavoidably suffer. There is however a very simple expedient by which these painful consequences may be avoided without breaking up the praetice of exchanges, which seems so interesting and useful. Nothing more is necessary than a general agreement among ministers to avoid to preach on those topics in each other's pulpits, on which they entertain different opinions. A general understanding, or a simple verbal pledge to each other on this subject would be all that is necessary. It will perhaps be objected to this plan that no minister ought on any occasion to shun to deelare what he believes to be the whole counsel of God. He who does this when properly called on, undoubtedly is unworthy the sacred office, and criminally betrays his trust. But he is not called on the thing is evidently impossible to declare at all times every thing that he believes on every subject in divinity. He is at liberty therefore in each discourse to select that topic for illustration, which he thinks best adapted to the circumstances of his hearers, so as most effectually to promote their christian edification. When be goes into the pulpit of a brother minister, he is to remember that he is speaking to those who are not peculiarly under his spiritual charge. He is not responsible for the opinions they may entertain. He is bound indeed to preach to them nothing but what he believes to be true; but he comes as the friend, and not the censor and judge of his brother. He is called to express his sympathies with them in the great truths and hopes of our common christianity, and not to indoctrinate them into the peculiarities of his sect. He goes among them as he would go into the family of a friend in the absence of its father and head; not to give to the children new theories of education, or to insinuate into their minds distrust of his teaching and government; but to unite with him in inculcating and impressing those all important maxims, which he knows they hold in common. In But there are some, who will say that no faithful minister can avoid introducing the fundamental truths of the gospel into every sermon that he preaches. one sense and to a certain extent this is no doubt true. But if it means that every sermon should be chiefly occupied with those questions about which christians differ, I think the sentiment a very erroneous one. There are no sermons, I believe, so generally unprofitable as those, which are employed in ringing the changes of sectarian sentiment, If a minister thinks it his duty to preach only such sermons as these, he had better stay at home. But the great body of christians, I am persuaded, will confess that they have great and interesting truths enough in common to supply them with topics for at least occasional improvement. What congregation but what would be interested and edified by discourses on the subjects and in the manner of Scougal in his Life of God in the Soul of Man; or Law in his Serious Call; or Taylor in his Holy Living or Paley, or Cappe; or our own venerable countryman, Lathrop, in their sermous. What minister will venture to say that he should depart from his ministerial duty if in some of his discourses he should imitate the writings of these excellent men? Is it not clear then that a mau with the nicest ideas of official fidelity, might assent to the plan which I have now ventured to propose? If this proposition should meet the approbation of ministers, it might be well in the different associations, to pass votes to carry it into effect. REVIEW OF "MORAL PIECES IN PROSE AND VERSE." THE prose pieces occupy about a fourth of the volume. They were principally intended," we are informed, "for the use of a school," and contain remarks written in a plain, affectionate manner, which well calculate them to answer the end for which they were written. The remainder of the volume consists of miscellaneous pieces in verse, to which, as the largest and most important portion, we shall confine our observations. These poems are of no common stamp. Both in a literary and religious view we regard them as a valuable offering to the public. They seem to be the product of beautiful imagination, regulated by a delicate taste. They have an easy flow of varied and harmonious versification, and are very free from faults of expression, from bombast and roughness. Never attempting a very bold or lofty fight, nor failing in what is attempted, they give perpetual and almost unmingled pleasure. But they have higher claims of thought and sentiment. They are moral and religious poems. They are marked with deep and constant seriousness, a pure and elevated piety. They display a mind habitually thoughtful and fond of noticing the hand of a God in every thing that takes place, and of drawing instruction from every object; which makes the storm and sunshine, the forest and the flower speak some moral lesson to the heart of man; which "finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in ev ery thing." This is the disposition we should wish to see prevail. It is such as belongs to the christian;-to a believer in that gospel which teaches that the heavenly Father is to be worshipped not only in the tem ple and on the mountain, but in every place, in spirit and in truth. It is this habit of thoughtful piety which will afford the most immediate, constant and effectual motive to virtuous conduct, will diffuse the most unvarying cheerfulness over life, give stedfastness in prosperity, comfort in adversity, and hope in death. We think these writings calculated to promote such a spirit, and as such we cheerfully recommend them. Many of our readers will be glad to return from the wild and empassioned tales of doubtful morality in which the muses have so long indulged us, to the milder and more soothing strains of some former days. The harp has long rung to notes of confusion and discord; it is grateful to hear it touched by a hand that reminds us of Cowper and Kirke White-to hear it vibrating to the songs of God, and virtue, and immortality. Reading religious poetry has undoubtedly an effect upon the religious character. All poetry has an influence over the imagination and the heart. It may rouse the feelings, or sooth them to rest; it may excite, or allay the passions. It has been employed with effect upon almost every subject, and for almost all purposes. Enlisted in the cause of vice, it is able to conceal her deformity, or even give her a fascination which allures to destruction. It has been a power ful instrument to raise and continue in the world, a spirit of martial enterprize, and the 'love of military glory. It has been successfully used to disseminate licentious principles and coun tenance the indulgence of degrading passions. If employed in favor of morality and religion, why should its effects be less? Why may we not hope that virtue may be made to appear more lovely, and duty more pleasant; and that the fancy and feelings kindled by the inspiration of poetry, may shed a permanent influence upon the heart and life? Without question, this is the case. The mind is disengaged from the petty cares of the moment, and rises for a little time above the concerns and the bustle of life. It is allured to higher regions than earth, and feels the christian's love of goodness and "longing after immortality." The savor of such moments continues; the sentiments and images of the poet for a long time play about the memory, and may be traced in their effects upon the habits of thought and action. We cannot but think it important that good writings of this kind should be known and read. The most important of all causes, should have the full advantage of all those charms which are employed so successfully in decorating and recommending inferior subjects; men of genius ought not to lend their powers to useless, much less pernicious topics, while religion, which presents the most noble and sublime themes, is neglected. We thank God our religion can stand, and will prevail, even though trodden under foot of men; it needs no lyre to raise its everlasting walls; but men should rejoice to employ their faculties upon it; it should be their pride that they are permitted to tune |