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Millfield Hill.

FRIENDSHIP.

AH! sweet is the cloud-circled brow of the hill,

When morning's first light is in golden hues streaming;
And sweet is the valley, when zephyrs are still,

And Cynthia's soft rays on its willows are gleaming;
For poesy loves in deep shadows to stray,
Where rugged and wild is the cottager's way.
And sweet is the ocean, when stormy winds far
Are retreating, and sparkles the sun on its breast;
And lovely the stream, when the pale trembling star
On its silver wave slumbers, and all is at rest:
And dew drops, like crystal, on flow'rets descend,
And glitter on branches that gracefully bend.

But sweeter, far sweeter, is friendship's dear smile,
When sincerity glows in the soul-beaming eye;
May friendship my path through life's valley beguile,
And o'er my cold grave heave a sorrowing sigh!
While oft the sad tear unnoticed will fall,

As shadows are flitting at memory's call.

And then to the regions of light may we spring,
Through him who once suffer'd, that sinners might rise;
And borne on the fire of bright Seraphim's wing,
Unite with the host of redeem'd in the skies;
And talk of our path through this wilderness drear,
In those lands where unknown is a sigh or a tear!

STANZAS ON THE DEATH OF A
BELOVED DAUGHTER.

AND now 'tis night-the tranquil bour
Returns, and every fragrant flower

Reclines its drooping head;
Again the orbs of night display
Its sullen grandeur; while her sway
Pale Cynthia bears, with trembling ray,

Far o'er the ocean bed.

"Tis now the hour when cares and strife
Subside, and all the ills of life

Are merged in balmy sleep;
But keen remembrance of the past,
Sweet social hours, too sweet to last,
And varied feelings glowing fast,

Constrain my soul to weep.

The heart that feels a father's love,
That flame which bears him far above

All other joys of earth,
Would grieve to chide me while I mourn
The loss that makes me all forlorn,
The child that has the image borne
Of her that gave her birth.

So kind, so gentle, and so free,
So very dutiful to me,

So promising and fair;
And now my dreams of after years,
A father's hopes, a mother's fears,
Are gone; and all, but bitter tears,
Have vanished into air.

And shall my soul no farther go,
Nor seek to find, nor learn to know,
The sovereign will of heaven?

SARAH ELIZABETH,

To Him, who formed her infant frame,
Who taught her tongue to lisp his name,
And called her from a world of shame,
Be endless praises given.

Was there no kind assuring word,
Nor sign, nor look, that could afford
A father's heart relief?

Was there no voice of prayer or praise,
So early taught in childhood's days;
No cheering smile or wistful gaze,

To chase away his grief.

Did faith not raise her dying eyes?
Did hope not point them to the skies,

When she resigned her breath?
Did she not run the Christian race
With holy zeal, with rapid pace,
And tell, with victory in her face,
Her triumph over death?

She did and wished that all around
Might find the fortress she had found,
Through faith and hope above;
And reach those pure celestial spheres
Of heaven, where Christ himself appears,
And every saint his image wears,

And all is endless love.

'Tis this forbids my tears to flow,
Aud makes my faithless heart to know
The will of heaven divine;
"Tis this which opens to the sight
Of faith, her form in boundless light,
And tells my soul, this lonely night,
To trust and not repine.
Cloudesley Terrace.

T. P.

REVIEW OF BOOKS.

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The History of the Church of Christ, particularly in its Lytheran Branch, from the Diet of Augsburg, A. D. 1530, to the Death of Luther, A.D. 1546; intended as a Continuation of the Church History, brought down to the Commencement of that Period, by the Rev. Joseph Milner, M.A. Vicar of Holy Trinity, Hull: and the Very Rev. Isaac Milner, D.D. F.R.Š. Dean of Carlisle. By John Scott, M. A. Vicar of North Ferriby, and Minister of St. Mary's, Hull, &c. London: Seeley. 8vo. 12s.

History of the Progress and Suppression of the Reformation in Italy in the Sixteenth Century: including a Sketch of the History of the Reformation in the Grisons. By Thomas M'Crie, D. D. — Edinburgh: Blackwood. 8vo. 10s. 6d.

THE Reformation is still an inexhausted, and, we might almost say, an inexhaustible subject. The state of the church and the world which preceded it; the remote and proximate causes which promoted it; the men who were honoured to bring it about; the principles which it disclosed or brought into operation; and the long and splendid train of events which have resulted from it, present so many points of interest both to the Christian and the scholar, that we cannot wonder it has occupied many pens, and that it still continues to be the subject of extended and interesting discussion.

Much light has been thrown upon the characters and proceedings of its principal agents by the researches of modern historians. To the Milners, we have been indebted for a valuable history of N. S. No. 34.

the Church of Christ, or the state of real religion, which they were not privileged to finish. Differing from them, as we do, in our views of ecclesiastical polity, in our opinions of various characters too highly applauded, or too strongly reprobated in their work, and in our construction of several of the events which they detail, we nevertheless regard it as a most useful work, and, abating its high church prejudices, calculated to promote the interests of pure and undefiled religion. The individual who studies Milner for the progress, declension, and revival of the doctrines of the Gospel, Mosheim for the secular affairs of the church, and Campbell for the philosophy of its history, may consider himself well furnished with all that is essentially necessary to make him very respectably acquainted with ecclesiastical history.

To Dr. M'Crie we have been largely indebted for important contributions to the church history of our own country. His invaluable lives of Knox and Melville have stamped his character for laborious and patient investigation, and for masterly delineation of character and principle. From him also we differ, and his prejudices, (but who is free from them) we consider not less strong than those of the Milners; but we have derived so much profit and pleasure from his works, that we love to think only of their substantial excellences.

Our readers are probably aware that Dean Milner, the continuator of his brother's work, left off about the year 1530, when the Reformation had not arrived at its full strength or maturity.

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then Mr. Scott commences his narrative.

"In this volume," he says, "I have endeavoured to complete the history of Luther, and of the principal events pertaining to that branch of the church which was connected with him, to the period of his death. Dr. Milner had detailed the history of the first thirteen teen years of the Reformer's public life: that of sixteen more remained to be related. It seemed necessary thus to restrict the plan of the present volume chiefly to the Lutheran church, both because of the magnitude of the transactions in which that division of the Christian world was involved, and also in order to maintain a conformity between the commencement of my work and the latter part of that which it aspires to continue-where a like restriction is, in point of fact, observed. The same general principles, it is hoped, will be found to prevail here, as in the work of the Milners. What the junior of them said of his venerated brother, I trust I may apply to myself--that, in composing the work, he certainly believed himself to be employed in the service of his heavenly Master. I have laboured to cherish this feeling respecting it: and I hope I now send it forth with this as my first prayer concerning it--that it may be accepted as a humble offering to God,

and be blessed to the increase and the

edification of his church. I may adopt the words of the author to whom all students of the history of Luther are so deeply indebted, the excellent Seckendorf, and say of my publication, as he did of his, Prodit itaque, non tam meo quam amicorum arbitrio-utinam ad gloriam Dei et emolumentum ecclesia!' At least, with respect to my first engaging in the work, it was not my own inclination, but the importunity of my friends that prevailed. I will not deny that I have since become cordially attached to my employ ment, and am anxious to proceed in it." -pp. v. vi.

After explaining the particulars, in which an agreement will be found between his work and that of his predecessors, he proceeds in his preface to give some account of the authorities which he has chiefly followed.

He men

tions a scarce 8vo. volume by Pezelius, printed at Newstadt, 1600, entitled, Melancthonis Consilia Theologica, &c. We have in our possession another volume by Pezelius, to which we do not observe Mr. Scott to refer, "Me

lancthonis Epistolarum Liber, Continens praeclara multa cum Ecclesiastica tum Politica et Historica cognitione dignissima, Antehac nunquam editus. 1647." As this volume may contain matter, which would be useful to Mr. Scott in the farther prosecution of his work, should he not find it elsewhere, we shall be happy to communicate it to him through our bookseller.

We are exceedingly pleased that the Milners have found in Mr. Scott a continuator in all respects worthy both of them and their subject. The author of this volume is already well known to the public; and the present volume, we have no doubt, will establish his reputation for sound principle, accurate discrimination, and diligent research. considered principally as a life It may be of the great German Reformer; and we have no hesitation in saying, it is the only book in English worthy of this title. The account of Luther's works is drawn up with great care, and must have cost the author much labour. The work of Luther on the Galatians, we have long thought contains some unguarded expressions, which are capable of being applied in a manner which Luther never could have contemplated. In the following remarks of Mr. Scott we cordially agree.

"Perhaps the most exceptionable point in the whole work is, the dishonourable manner in which it often seems to speak of the law' of God; joining it with sin man's happiness. This has commended and Satan as almost equally opposed to

the work to certain modern antinomians, as if it really favoured their views, when nothing can be further from the fact. The following passage furnishes the true

explanation, always intended by the anthor, though not so often expressed as was necessary, unless he had reduced his language, of the kind referred to, to a more scriptural model. In the conflicts known or thought of, than Christ alone, of conscience nothing else ought to be and the law should be placed out of sight:

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"Accordingly in some lectures on the first chapter of St. John, delivered in the year 1537, he thus makes the law our

rule of life. Even the moral law loses its power so far as this, that it cannot condemn those who believe in Christ, and

are thus delivered from the curse of the law.

Yet the decalogue remains in force, and belongs to Christians that they may obey it. For the righteousness which the law requires is fulfilled by believers, through the grace and assistance of the Holy Spirit which they receive. Hence all the exhortations of the prophets, and likewise of Christ and his apostles, to piety and holiness, are so many excellent expositions of the ten commandments.'"-pp. 239, 240.

These, we have no doubt, were the real views of Luther; but still we must regret his employment of language respecting the law, which we think contrary both to the letter and the spirit of the word of God. The subject of justification by faith alone so entirely engrossed his mind, that he could scarcely think of any thing else as important in Christianity. Opposition to it, he considered the grand error of the apostacy. To himself, it was the principle of life, and holiness, and joy; and, therefore, for its purity and consequence, he contended and suffered to the last. Without these strong views, he would probably have failed in awakening the attention of the world to the subject; but since, in too many cases, not the subject itself, but Luther's manner of contending for it, and opposing its adversaries, has been retained. His keen and unguarded language has been imitated, and alleged to uphold and ramify a system to which he was in his heart opposed, instead of his, sober and better digested ex

planations. We fear the connection between justification and sanctification are not yet so well understood as they should be. They are too often regarded as separate states, and treated, as if they were entirely detached, instead of the former being regarded as the means to the enjoyment of the latter. Men are forgiven and accepted, in order that they be made holy. The one is deliverance from the curse, the other is preservation from it. As justified, we are the objects of divine compassion; as sanctified, we are the objects of complacency. In the one, we are treated as forgiven offenders; in the other, as cherished friends, How foolish it is for men to confound them together, or to set them in opposition.

That Luther's sentiments were at the widest possible distance from Antinomianism, appears from his opposition to Agricola. Mr. Scott's account of the sentiments and conduct of that early propagator of this moral and destructive pestilence, and Luther's opposition to them, we think deserving of attention from our readers.

"A work of Luther's against antinomianism connects with the history a person whose name has already appeared in

this work, and from whom better things might have been hoped. This was John Agricola Islebius, that is Agricola of Eisleben,--the same place of which Luble origin, but, having obtained some previous education, he had studied at Wittemberg under Luther and Melancthon, whose tenets he professed to embrace. He afterwards became master of the school in his native town, and was admitted a preacher; in the discharge of which office he appears to have poshe was taken by Albert Count Mansfeld, sessed a degree of popular talent. Hence in the train of the elector of Saxony, to the Diet of Spires in 1526, and to that of Augsburg in 1530; and it is in the latter

ther was a native. This man was of hum

connexion that we have heard of him as one of the Protestant preachers. He appears to have been a vain and inconstant man, prone to innovation, but without

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firmness to adhere to his own dogmas: and we accordingly read of his repeatedly recanting them. Elated with his honours, he ventured to animadvert on Melancthon, for the form of ecclesiastical visitation which he had drawn up in 1527. afterwards removed to Wittemberg, and was allowed to preach, and read lectures in the university. He broached opinions, however, which Luther felt himself called upon to refute, and which their author then abandoned. About the year 1538, he circulated, anonymously, some theses maintaining that the law is not to be preached for the purpose of bringing sinners to repentance, and condemning what Luther had advanced in his com mentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, concerning the use of the law in awakening the consciences of men. With these theses others were connected, whether written by Agricola or by some of his followers is uncertain, in which S. Peter was charged with not understanding Christian liberty, and his exhortation to Christians, to give diligence to make their calling and election sure,' was openly reprehended.

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"Against these pernicious dogmas, Luther, without naming their author, maintained and published six academical disputations; in which he affirmed it to be the proper office of the law, as given to sinners, to discover to them the wrath of God against their offences, and thus to lead them to conviction and repentance of sin so that repentance, properly so called, may be said to take its beginning from the law: and he shews this to be the plan and doctrine of Scripture, even according to the very texts which had been adduced on the other side. He particularly insists on S. Paul's method in the Epistle to the Romans, which begins with the revelation of wrath;' and it is silly trifling,' he says, to talk of preaching that revelation of wrath, and yet not preaching the law--which, in fact, is the self-same thing.' Moreover the law (be asserts,) was to be set forth, not only to the ungodly, for the purposes just mentioned, but also to godly persons, to admonish them of the duty of crucifying the flesh and their various evil propensities and passions. To talk, therefore, of taking away the preaching and use of the law out of the church would be a blasphemous impiety. He then points out the consequences to which antinomian principles lead; one of which is the subversion of the doctrine of grace itself: for, 'where there is no law there is no

he says,

transgression, and, where there is no knowledge of sin, there can be none of its forgiveness, or of grace; and the result will be, that men will live careless and unconcerned except about the present world.' --' These men,' he remarks, pretend to

preach finely about grace and the remission of sins, but they avoid the doctrine of sanctification and newness of life in Christ;-forsooth that men may not be rendered uneasy, but may enjoy uninterrupted consolation. For, whereas they ought to say, If you be an adulterer, a fornicator, drunken, proud, covetous, an usurer, you can be no Christian; [instead of this they say,] Though you be such, only believe in Christ, and you will have no need to fear the law; Christ hath fulfilled it all!-They see not how sanctification follows upon justification; so that a Christian must necessarily be a partaker of the Holy Spirit, and lead a new life and, if he does not do that, let him know that he has no part in Christ.'

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"Concerning himself, Luther made an observation which has by no means met with the regard to which it was entitled;

That, if at any time he had taught that the law was not to be preached in the church, it was unjust to impute to him a sentiment long ago discarded, when he had since clearly and frequently laid down the contrary. He had taught many other things under the papacy with great sin cerity; and indeed there was scarcely now to be found so miserable and burdened a papist as, from conscience and the fear of God, he had once been no wonder then if he had need to grow in the knowledge of Christ.'

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"After this publication of Luther's, Agricola again professed to renounce his errors; but his conduct was very unsteady and inconsistent. He afterwards withdrew into the dominions of the elector of Brandenburg, and insinuated himself into his favour. Luther congratulated himself on his removal from Wittemberg, and complained bitterly of the trouble he suffered from such airy and conceited spirits, calling themselves his disciples. The account of this man may suggest useful admonition; and he gave occasion to discussions, the result of which, even as here briefly exhibited, may not be unimportant."-pp. 327--331.

Mr. Scott, instead of drawing the character of Luther himself, which we wish he had done, gives that of Dr. Robertson; which, though written with all the vigour and felicity of that distinguished historian, fails to do full justice to the Reformer.

Robertson was too secular a churchman to do justice to the religious principles and feelings of such men as Luther. He did

not

intentionally misrepresent them; but he could not sympa

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