felf would. fcarcely infer from hence, that it is not their duty to read the word of God, nor attend to the preaching of the Gofpel, nor purfue the neceflary avocations of life: neither would he reckon it abfurd to exhort them to fuch exercifes as these. The truth is, wicked men are required to do all these things, not carnally, but with a right end, and a right fpirit: and in this way Simon, though in the gall of bitternefs, and the bonds of iniquity, was exhorted to pray, not with a hard and impenitent heart, but with a fpirit of true contrition-Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee !-To repent and pray, is the fame thing in effect as to pray penitently, or with a contrite fpirit. Wicked men are required to read and hear the word, but not with a wicked fpirit; and to plow the foil, but not that they may confume its productions upon their lufts. There are not two forts of requirements, or two ftandards of obedience, one for good imen, and the other for wicked men; the revealed will of God is one and the fame, however differently creatures may ftand affected towards it. The fame things which are required of the righteous (repentance, faith, love, prayer, praife, &c.) are required of the wicked. * If it were not fo, and the averfion of the heart tended to fet afide God's authority over it, it must of neceffity follow, that a finner can never be brought to repent, except it be for the commiffion of thofe fins which might have been avoided, confiftent with the most perfect enmity against God. And this is to undermine all true repentance; for the effence of true repentance is godly forrow, or forrow for having difpleafed and difhonoured God. But if, during my unregeneracy, I were under no obligation to please God, I muft of courfe have been incapable of difpleafing him-where no law is, there is no tranfgreffion -confequently I can never be forry at heart for having difpleafed him and as there would be but little, if any, ground for repentance towards God, fo there would be but little, if any, need of faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift; for if, during my unregeneracy, I were under no obligation to do any thing pleafing to God, and were fo far incapable of doing any thing to difpleafe him, fo far I must be finless, and therefore ftand in no need of a Saviour. Where there is no obligation, there can be no * A&ts iii. 19. John xii. 36. Rev. xv. 4. offence; offence; and where there is no offence, there needs no forgiveness. Thus the notions of this declaimer, who, I fuppofe, would be thought to be very Evangelical, will be found fubverfive of the firft principles of the Gospel-. teftimony. GAIUS. cr ON THE MIRACLES OF JESUS. The following extract is taken from John Defpagne, on the Creed. He was a French Proteftant, born in Dauphiné, in 1591; and was Paftor of a congregation of Refugees, which met at Somerfet chapel, in Westminster. He diedin 1659. His works were published at Geneva, in 1671, W HEN wine was wanted for others, Jesus Christ turned water into wine; but when he was thirty himself, he asked water of a Samaritan woman: when others were hungry, he fed thousands with a few loaves; but when he hungered, and faw a fig-tree in the way, on which he found nothing but leaves, he did not make it produce fruit for his own ufe, as he might have done by a fingle word. Thus, when wearied with his journey, he might have commanded angels to bear him up in their hands, or have caufed himself to be carried by the Spirit, as Philip was afterwards; but he never wrought miracles for his own eafe or convenience. As he came into the world for the benefit of others, fo his miracles were reserved for others only. This was a part of his humiliation; but while he employed his miraculous power for the relief of others, he never ufed it for himself." This remark is very juft, though it never directly ftruck my mind before; but, upon reading it, I was immediately led to confider this peculiarity in the Hiftory of the Life and Miracles of Jefus, as a strong evidence of its authenticity. Had the four Gofpels been the invention of men, they never would have thought of observing such a rule as this, in their representation of the hero of their legendary tale, so that in reciting many fcores of miracles, all fhould appear to answer the above defcription; or, if impoftors had laid down fuch a rule, they would have been careful to make every reader notice it. Impoftors would never have given this uniform reprefentation in a fictitious hiftory; or, if. they had, they would have noticed it as a fubject of panegyric but the Evangelifts always record with this rule, and yet never indicate their defire that fo ftriking a fingularity fhould be admired. Therefore their picture must have been taken from the life, and not created by their 3 B 2 own own fancy. And if Jefus anfwered their defcription, be must have been "God manifeft in the flesh." Amen. S. C. QUERY. CAN it be clearly proved, either from the nature of the fubject itself, or by any Scriptural evidence, "That regeneration is ever a gradual, and not always an infantaneous effect?" As the whole of our falvation depends upon our acquaintance with the foregoing fubject, it may be of ufe to many, if a folid anfwer be given to the above question, 1 am, fir, yours, &c. A. B. ANECDOTE, The following remarkable Circumftance, in which the hand of God is evident, took place a fhort time fince, near the town wherein. I refide, and may not be unworthy a place in your valuable Magazine. A young man in the army, lately called by divine grace, not having a place in the barracks in which he was quartered, wherein to pour out his foul unto God in fecret, went one dark night into a large field adjoining. Here he thought no eye could fee, nor ear hear him, but God's: but He, "whofe thoughts are not as our thoughts," ordained otherwife. Two ungodly men belonging to the fame regiment, in whole hearts enmity had long fubfifted against each other, were refolved that night to end it (as they faid) by a battle, being prevented at day-time for fear of punishment. They chofe the fame field to fight as the other had chofen to pray. Now the field is very large, and they might have taken different ways; but they were led by Providence to the fame fpot, where the young man was engaged in his delightful exercife. They were furprized at hearing, as they thought, a voice in the field at that time of night; and much more fo, when they drew nearer and heard a man at prayer. They halted, and gave attention; and, wonderful to tell, the prayer had fuch an effect upon both, as to turn that enmity they before manifefted against each other, into love. They took each other inftantly by. the hand, and cordially confeffed that there remained no longer, in either of their breafts, hatred against each other and that the Lord may fo faften what they felt upon their hearts, that it may be the inftrument in his hands, of allaying the enmity in their breafts against his Bleffed Self, let every reader unite up his humble peti tions with those of H. D REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS, An Effay on the Way to restore Peace, Good Order, and Profperity to the Nations. By BRYCE JOHNSTON, D. D. Minifler at Holywood. 45. 12mo. p. 334. Ogle. THE object of this well written effay, the author has fully ftated in the introduction. "For many years," fays Dr. Johnfton, "diforder, internal difcord, and foreign war, have convulfed the nations, not only of Europe, but alfo of every quarter of the globe. A tpirit of infidelity, of profaneness, of contempt of the relative duties, and of innovation, feems to have pervaded the world, and thrown fociety loofe from its proper bonds an effect to great, fo univerfal, and fo hurtful to the individual and to fociety, muft proceed from a caufe equally great, univerfal, and bad. The first thing neceffary to effectuate a cure, is to difcover the cause of the difeale. Ignorance of the real nature and obligations of true reli gion, and of civil fociety and civil government, hath generated all that infidelity, profanenefs, contempt of relative duties, and averfion to civil government, which have unhinged civil fociety, and deluged Europe in plunder and bloodthed. Every friend to truth, to virtue, and to mankind, muft ftrongly feel for the state and the diftreffes of the nations, and be willing, as an inftrument in the hand of God, to exert himself to restore them to peace, good order, and profperity." To accomplish this important purpose, is the defign of the following effay. It is divided into four chapters; the fift, treats of religion; the fecond, of civil fociety and civil government; the third, of the influence of religion on civil fociety and civil government; and the fourth, of the neceffity of that influence, in the prefent state of the nations, to restore them to peace, good order, and profperity.-Though thus divided into four parts, to give the reader a more diftinct view of each of them, it is one united whole; the reader is therefore defired to read the whole in the order in which it is written, otherwife he will lofe the connection and meaning. Speaking of the influence of religion upon civil fociety, the Dr. fays, "In any country where religion prevails, the Sabbath and the ordinances of the Lord are regularly obferved. Thefe excite, preferve, and strengthen the best affections of the foul, and thofe which are the most beneficial to the interefts of civil fociety. The uniform fact is, that in any part of the country, where perfons of rank, and the body of the people, are regular in the fanctification of the Lord's Day, they place a mutual and uniform confidence in one another; and live together in harmony, good order, and in the reciprocal performance of good offices. For more than half a century, perfons of rank have gone on with an accelerated motion, in forfaking the ordinances, and in profaning the Sabbath of the Lord. In the fame progrefs have the people gone on in their contempt for perfons of rank; and both in their want of confidence in each other. Without intending it, perfons of rank by their profanation of the Sab bath, have moft effectually taught many of the people the French principles and practices of infidelity, profanity, and leveiling of rights and ranks. In vain will be all their attempts to eradicate thefe, until they return to the fanctuary, to the worship, and to the fervice of God. But when they fhall return to the regular obfervance of the Sabbath, men of all ranks will foon return to their mutual confidence in each other." God's God's Approbation of our Labours neceffary to the Hope of Success. A Sera man, "delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Bedford Union, May 6, 1801. By ANDREW FULLER. Published by request. 54 pages, 12mo. Price 6d. Button. THE author of this difcourfe is fufficiently known and efteemed among the friends of vital goodnefs, to preclude the need of recommendation by us, of what comes from his pen. His prefent fubject is also peculiarly interefting to the multitudes who are exerting themselves to fpread the knowledge of Christ at home or abroad, for he juftly" confiders the work as one." It is excellently adapted to their inftruction, encourage. ment, and admonition; and the lowness of its price is fuitable for extenfive circulation. An advertisement, figned by the Secretary of the Union of Chriftians, at Bedford, explains the principles upon which that affociation is formed, for the fatisfaction of readers who were not previoully acquainted therewith. We understand that Mr. F. though not a member of the Union, has liberally prefented to its conductors, the fermon which he both preached and printed at their request. The Qualifications and Call of Miffionaries. A Sermon preached before the Edinburgh Miffionary Society, in Brifto-Street Mecting, March 31, 1801. By JOHN DICK, A. M. Minifter of the Gospel in Slateford (now in Glasgow.) Published at the Request of the Society. Ogle, London. IN this fermon,- -on Acts xiii. 2. As they miniftered to the Lord, and fafted, the Holy Ghoft faid, feparate me Barnabas and Saul for the "work whereunto I have called them"-Mr. Dick enquires, first into the character and qualifications of those who are called by the Holy Ghoft to preach the Gofpel to the Gentiles, and then confiders the mode in which he feparates them to this work. On the character and qualifications of Millionaries, Mr. Dick fpecifies and illuftrates the following: Piety, ardent love to Jefus Chrift, and to the fouls of men, knowledge, activity, courage, and patience. The following thoughts fhould be engraven, as on eternal brafs, on the heart of every candidate for Mif fionary work. Having mentioned ardent love to Jefus Chrift, and to the fouls of men, as a neceffary endowment, the preacher adds, the general principle of piety comprehends this and every other Chriftian difpofition; but its influence on the exertions of a Millionary, entitles it to feparate notice. When a perfon is acting his part upon a ftage, when he is exhibiting before a multitude of fpectators, difpofed to admire and applaud him, vanity, or the love of glory, will fupport and animate his efforts; but when he is withdrawn from the public eye, or is in the prefence of thofe from whom he will meet with no return but ridicule and perfecu tion, principle alone will fuffice to bear up his fpirits, and to preferve him from abandoning his duty.-The fituation of a minister in a Chriftian country, and that of a Miffionary among Heathens, are exceedingly different. The one is furrounded with friends, who are ready to bestow due commendation on his labours; whereas the other has no witneffes but those who are indifferent or hoftile, who are incapable of appreciating his talents, or disposed to recompense his benevolent exertions with infults and injuries. He mutt minifter in the moft humiliating and difcouraging circumftances-amidft fcorn and ill-ufage, amidst poverty and nakedness, amidst danger and deaths: he muft minifter in the lonely wilderness, and in the hut of the favage, where no eye fees him but the eye of God: he muft minifter to thofe on whom he hath bestowed labour in vain, and |