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I would fain hope the ftraitened circumftances of fo many Chriftian teachers is more the effect of thoughtleffness, or inactivity, than want of liberality and affection. I therefore wifh to ftir up their minds by way of remembrance. I flatter myself that deacons, truftecs, and other leading perfons, will lay it to heart. They may, with peculiar propriety, excite the generofity of their chriftian brethren towards a faithful and affectionate paftor. Having fet the example, many will follow who would not take the lead. A little leaven of generofity and kind counfel, wifely diffufed, will foon leaven the whole lump; and the fmalleft congrega tions will convince their minifters, that while they rejoice to hear them pray, they fcorn to let them faft.

How conftantly do profeffors make ufe of fuch language as the following: The everlasting Gofpel; the one thing needful; the bread of life; food for our precious and immortal fouls How often do they deprecate a famine of the word as the greatest evil! How frequently do they ftile their minif ters, The honoured fervants of God, and the ambassadors of Jefus Chrift; but how few fet their hands and their hearts to the caufe of Chrift, as if they really believed these things were according to their own defcription! How few contribute to the gofpel fanctuary with the devout and grateful fpirit of David, Of thine own have we given thee! How many give fresh occafion for the lamentation of Paul, All feek their own, not the things that are Jefus Chrift's! How many who think they give liberally to the gofpel, and cannot with propriety make any addition, are annually expending as much or more, on the most trifling purfuits! In parting with their money, the difciples of Jefus Chrift fhould confider the importance and magnitude of the object on which it is fpent. On hearing a profeffor of independent property mention, how generoufly he contributed to the gospel, by giving four guineas a year to the meeting, a friend coolly replied, I believe your jhooting licence cofts you every year about the fame fum. It is faid this feafonable hint made a suitable impreffion upon him, and he increased his fubfcription.

I beg leave to add a word concerning the poftage of letters. It has long been a heavy tax upon minifters. I know one with a small falary, who in the courfe of a few years paid above fix guineas for letters entirely concerning the affairs of neighbouring congregations. When the people write for fupplies, or counfel, it is only juftice to frank their letters. Kk 2 I have

I have great hopes, Mr. Editor, that thofe difciples of Chrift to whom these remarks apply, will take these things into ferious and generous confideration, and give their pastors fresh evidence, that they esteem them very highly in love for their work fake.

April 22d, 1801.

T

Yours refpectfully,

A LOVER OF THE BRETHREN.

ཡར་ར་་ར་ར་ར་

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE.

HE Rev. John Mc Leland, in the year 1638, was chofen minifter of Kircudbright in Scotland, where he continued with much fuccefs until the year 1650, when he died. He was happily calculated for the education of pious youth, feveral of whom he prepared for the univerfity. "Prior to his fettlement in the above parish, he had preached through the north of Ireland, for which crime he was hunted like a partridge by the Bishop of Down. He was a moft upright and zealous man, and knew not what it was to be afraid in the caufe of God. He lived near to God, and was a pattern to the church of Chrift, and had glorious views of the Gofpel. A little before his death he compofed the following epitaph upon himself:

Come deathlefs death, have o'er; lo here's my pass,
In blood 'tis written, by his hand, who was,
And is, and fhall be. Jordan, cut thy ftream,
Make channels dry, I bear my Father's name
Stamp'd on my brow. I'm ravish'd with my crown,
I fhine fo bright; down with all glory, down,
That world can give. I fee the pearly port,
The golden ftrect, the bleffed fouls' refort.
The tree of life, floods gufhing from the throne,
Call me to joys; begone, fhort woes, begone,
I liv'd to die, but now I die to live.

I do enjoy more than I did believe.
The promife me into poffeffion fends;
Faith in fruition, Hope in having, ends.

་་་ས་ར་ར

SELECT SENTENCES.

The appearance of religion only on Sundays, proves, that it is only an appearance.-T. ADAM.

The terror of the rod often extorts penitent acknowledgments from thofe who have no penitent affections.-HENRY.

REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS.

OLAM HANESHAMOTH, or a View of the Intermediate State, as it appears in the Records of the Old and New Teftament, the Apocryphal Books, in Heathen Authors, and the Greek and Latin Fathers. With Notes, by the Rev. GEORGE BENNET, Minifter of the Gospel, Carlisle. Octavo, 419 pages, price 6s. Richardfons, Cornhill, 1800.

WE announce this learned work to the more learned part of our readers. Without expreffing our own approbation of every argument in this performance, we think, however, that biblical fcholars, on perufing it, will be ready to exprefs their obligations to the ingenious Author for the learning and pains he has bestowed upon it. He has trodden in a path not much frequented by the learned of modern times. But, whatever may be thought of fome particular difcuffions, and critical interpretations of certain paffages of fcripture, it must be acknowledged, that he has thought and written, as many antient and eminent Chriftian writers led the way. Some may think he has availed himself too much of his extenfive acquaintance with fanciful Rabbins of antiquity. But it muft alto be admitted that he is equally verfed in the facred books of the original Scriptures. All must admit of the general doctrine of an intermediate ftate between death and the refurrection; which state, after the Jewish writers, the Author calls Olam Hanefbamoth, that is, The World of Souls. When fuch authors as Bishops Burnet and Law, the Hon. Mr. Campbell, and Archdeacon Black. burn, have tried their powers on this fubject, it may be thought too unwieldy for moft writers. Mr. B. has, notwithstanding, ventured to bring his opinions before the public; and we may fafely predict, that his opinions are likely to engage the attention of the learned; fince from good authority we are affured that fome of our most learned prelates have already honoured the author with their notice and correfpondence on the subject of his work. We fhall prefent our readers with the general plan of the man⚫ner in which the subject is profecuted, extracted from the introduction.

"ift. To premife fome confiderations on the defign or end of the intermediate state; and the mutual relation to each other of foul and body— 2. To discuss fuch paffages of scripture, in which are given indirect or undefigned notices of the intermediate state; and to throw fuch together from both Teftaments, for the purpose of mutual illuftration.-3. To investigate what opinion the ancient Hebrews entertained relative to the place of de parted fpirits, under the direct terms of Sheol in the Old Tefiament, and Hades in the New.-4. To take a view of the progrets which this opinion made, and the distinctive terms that were given to the manfions of the righteous and the wicked, during the period that intervened between the lait of the prophets, and the coming of Meffiah.—5. To enquire what opinions the heathen world entertained on this fubject, and how far they coincide with, or may be fuppofed to have been derived from revelation.6. To fet forth the opinions of fome of the Fathers of the Greek and Latin churches, of the three firft centuries after Chrift, as understanding Sheal and Hades to denote the place, or what the Jewish writer's term, the world of fouls; and never confounding these terms with that which in these refpective languages is employed to denote the grave."

"This" (adds the author) I would hope, will not be deemed labour mifemployed, as this is a region, whatever it may be, or wherever situated, that we are all fometime or other to vifit. Of this we are concerned to obtain, in a practical view, what information we can, that the time of our departure from earth may not take us by furprize. In this work I profess

not

not to meet the curiofity of mankind, but rather to point to the light which fcripture affords; and to lead the way to others, who, bringing to the task fuperior talents, may apply with greater success to investigations of this nature."

In the Author's enquiry into the opinions of the heathen world, he has introduced an ingenious differtation on the fourth Eclogue of Virgil, which will be acceptable to the claffical reader. Following Grotius, (and others whom he does not mention) he thinks that, in this celebrated poem, the Roman bard tuned his lyre to the fuppofed Sibylline verfes, which he had met with; and that thofe vertes were the productions of Hellenist Jews fcattered among the nations, and originally derived from the predictions of Hebrew prophets, concerning the kingdom of the Meffiah, and the bleffings of his reign. The conjecture about the Sylva of the Heathen poet and they of the Hebrew prophet, (Ezek. xxxiv. 25) is ingenious; but whether it is folid, we fhall not take upon us to pronounce. Nor are we certain that the learned will be fatisfied with the curious explication that is offered on the word Cumai." Ultima Cumai venit jam carininis ætas." We regret that the Hebrew and Greek words introduced into the work should be printed in English characters, especially as many Hebrew scholars read that language without points, which the author feems to retain; but we fuppofe the expence and difficulty of printing in proper types at Carlifle, were the reasons of fuch a mode being adopted. In the conftruction of some sentences and expreffions, the critical reader, will perceive an idiom, expreffive of the writer's having been educated on the other fide of the Tweed. There are feveral errata of the prefs, and the punctuation is remarkably defective and erroneous. Should a fecond edition be called for, we hope it will be introduced with corrections and improvements.

A TOKEN of Regard to the Members of the Established Church at Stirling, in a Letter addreffed to them by their late Paftor, William Innes. Pages 30, price 6d. Ogle.

MR. Innes was a minifter of the established church of Scotland, at Stirling. As he difapproved of fome parts of its government and difcipline, and could not confcientiously practife fome things which it enjoined or al lowed, he gave up his charge, and is now paftor of a diffenting congrega tion at Dundee. Every one muft applaud Mr. Innes for acting according to the dictates of his confcience. But whether what he did, was in itself right or wrong, is another queftion. The Evangelical Magazine is of no party and between the church of Scotland and them we do not decide. To their own mafter they stand or fall: leaving good men to act according to their own light, and entreating them not to lay undue firefs upon modes and forms and fects; we are the friends of virtue, godlinefs, and of that pure religion and undefiled in which all are agreed, to whom Jefus is made wifdom, righteoufness, fanctification and redemption.

After Mr. Innes was fettled at Dundee, he wrote this addrefs to his old parishioners at Stirling. It is like the author, ferious and affectionate; and we cordially recommend it as a suitable present from any minister to his people. It flows from the heart of a man animated with a tender, solicitude for the falvation of precious fouls, and is calculated to be exceedingly useful.

DEMONSTRATION

DEMONSTRATION de l'Authenticité et de la Divinité des Livres du Nouveau Teftament, &c.

DEMONSTRATION of the Authenticity and the Divinity of the Books of the New Teftament, &c.

[Continued from our last, page 206.]

M. Gibert cites the teftimonies of Athanafius, and Eufebius, to prove that the books of the New Teftament were generally received as divinely infpired, by Christians in the fourth century. He then goes back to the third century, and refers to the evidence of Novatus, Cyprian, Origen, and Tertullian, to demonftrate the fame belief was entertained during that pe. riod; and for the fecond, and the latter part of the first centuries, he alledges the authorities of Irenæus, the two Clements, Papias, Polycarp, and Ignatius. The concurrence of witneffes fo eminent, and at the fame time fo different in many respects one from another, is judiciously and forcibly exhibited by Mr. G. While he extracts from the multitude of paffages which Lardner had collected, thofe quotations only which are most important, he has illuftrated the characters of the writers who bore their teftimony, by paffages from various antient hiftorians, which enliven the argumentative part of his work, and render it equally instructive and entertaining.

In the fecond part of his first volume, he enters into the contents of the New Teftament, reviewing the books of which it confifts, in a manner well adapted to difplay thofe excellencies by which they are plainly diftinguished from all writings merely human, and strongly contrasted with thofe of the most celebrated philofophers, whether antient or modern. He also illuftrates fuch facts as immediately tend to ftrengthen the hiftorical evidence of the Gospel; the genuine doctrines of which, he embraces fuitable opportunities to explain and inforce. We add a tranflation of his conclud. ing paragraph.

I think it has been demonftrated, to the fatisfaction of all who are, willing to yield to evidence, that it is a faithful Jaying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jefus Chrift came into the world to fave finners: and if this be an established fact, if the reader cannot contradict this affertion, nor refufe his affent to the proofs which have been adduced; can he allow himfelf to remain unconcerned about his falvation, to flight or to defpife the Gofpel, and to reject the gracious invitations of the Saviour? Surely no language can defcribe the inconsistency of thofe perfons who treat this fubject with indifference. They have before them the choice of life or death, of happiness or mifery; and they give to death and mifery the preference ! This is the only alternative. Except the Gospel be an impofture, they who do not come to Jefus Chrift, that they may obtain life, and enjoy peace in Him, remain expofed to everlastin, condemnation."

We see much to commend, and nothing to cenfure in this part of Mr. Gibert's work; and little to wish for, in addition to it. Perhaps more attention fhould have been given to thofe of the Epifties, which, though they were less early received into the canon of the New Teftament, are amply fupported both by internal and external evidences of infpiration. The author engages largely, and with justice, in a vindication of the first epiftle attributed to Clement of Rome, as a genuine production, against the doubts expreffed on the fubject by the learned Michaelis. If, however, Mr. Marfh, in his valuable tranflation of the Introduction to the New Tef tament, had not omitted the chief part of what that eminent critic fuggested relative to it, we think Mr. Gibert would have given him more credit for

the

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