(in order,) the mission of the Son. The elect likewise are said even by Christ himself to be given unto him, John 17. They cannot therefore be said to be elected by his merit."-pp. 28, 29. The arrangement of the work is simple, but effective, and very much of the kind which was not unfrequent about a hundred or a hundred and fifty years ago. The subject under consideration is first stated and discussed, then follow "Pious Admonitions," or Holy Cautions," upon the preceding meditations, and each section is closed with a prayer. Of these devotional exercises, we shall insert an example.

"THE PRAYER.

"O Eternity, Eternity, Eternity, who ever wert, and art, and art to come, the ever blessed fountain of my Being, the quiet center of my rest, and happy end of my desires, how sweet is thy remembrance to my imprisoned soul! O since I cannot comprehend thee, let me be gratiously comprehended of thee. Let the height of thy mercy swallow up the depth of my misery; that so death may be swallowed up of victory, corruption of immortality, and humane frailty of eternal glory. Grant this, dear Father, for thine eternal love sake in Jesus Christ the righteous. Amen."-p. 19.

His statement of the a priori reasoning for the being of a God is exceedingly acute, and displays much conversance with the abstract considerations, and argumentative deductions, connected with that intricate question, while the subsequent appeal to the works of creation, and the intellectual nature of man, is written with great spirit.

"Look now upon the glorious fabrick of the universe, and thou shalt there see the footsteps of a Sacred Deity, even in the very least and despicable being; what creature canst thou behold attentively, and not discern the wisdom of the great Creatour?

"Consider next, I pray thee, the vast extent, incomparable beauty, constant motion, and regular courses of the heavens, adorned with innumerable stars, (most of them in magnitude surpassing the whole globe of the earth,) beautified with diversity of planets, (each of them placed at its several orb,) and these so qualified with divers and unequal mo

Now

tions, that they neither move together, nor are the least impediment each unto other. Consider likewise that these motions are not for themselves but for other more inferiour and subordinate bodies, which (as thou daily seest) are moved and altered by the air and other elements, those by the divers motions of the moon and influences of the superiour planets, and all these by that one and constant motion of that highest orb or sphear, beyond which thou canst not (in nature) place a farther being. philosophy will tell thee, that whatsoever is moved, must of necessity be moved of another: seeing, therefore, that the first motion cannot move itself, it must from thence follow that something else must move it; and if I shall farther ask thee (as in reason of necessity I must,) who moveth that which moveth this, thou must still be driven unto infinite of movers, until at last thou art compel'd to rest and terminate in One, who moveth all, and is not moved of another, and that is God."— pp. 8, 9.

The second chapter is intitled, "Of the ever blessed, sacred, and mysterious Trinity in Unity," and first section. The last paragraph concludes the didactic part of the is excellent.

"Hitherto I have led thee by the light of nature into those intricate and endless paths which lead thee to the

knowledge of an eternal Being, wherein satisfaction) so far walked as to behold him three in one: which is that sacred and eternal Fountain of Love, from whence do daily flow these rivulets of

I hope thou hast (both safely, and with

thee

comforts to the souls and bodies of the saints. It now remaineth that I lead thee yet farther, from this dimmer and more uncomfortable light (in which thou hast already onely seen a small glimps of what this blessed Being is in it self) unto that greater and far more blessed light of grace, wherein thou mayst behold him as he is to thee: that he is thy God, embracing thee from all eternity (in the bosome of his blessed Son, by the powerful operation of his ever blessed Spirit) as his beloved and adopted child: this is that truly blessed sight of this mysterious Trinity in Unity, which (in this thy pilgrimage on earth) will bring true rest and comfort to thy soul, and safely guide thee to the sweet fruition of eternity thou seest here darkly as in a glass; thou shalt there see as thou art seen, even face to face; the bright reflection of that ever blessed vision of God shall be all in all unto thee: to admire him, to adore him, to love him, to

enjoy him, and (in that blessed and eternal Son of his love) to rest in him for ever unto which eternity of blessedness the Lord in mercy bring both thee and me, and all that joyfully expect the blessed day of his appearing. Amen.”— pp. 14, 15.

Mr. Fettiplace then goes on to describe, The stupendous love of God in our election in ChristThe ineffable love of God unto man in the hypostatical unionThe sinner's ungodly distrust of God's mercy in Christ-The great danger of presuming too far upon the rich mercy of God in Christ Jesus-The sweetness, easiness, and pleasantness of the ways of God-The true repentance never to be repented of The inticing enemies of the soul.-In this chap. ter he suggests various " holy helps" for the prevention of sin, in a series of important considerations, which he closes in the following impressive exhortation.

"In the last place consider of the noble extract of thy soul, in whose most blessed image created, with what glorious sovereignty invested, with what divine faculties indued, with what sublime knowledge inlightened, unto whom most richly espoused, with what costly robes arrayed, with what rich jewels adorned, and unto what inheritance adopted: God is thy heavenly Father, in whose image of holiness and sovereignty thou wert happily created, that thou mightest be holy as he is holy, and thereby be also happy as he is happy; that thou mightest also be sovereign lord, both of the creature and thine own affections, to rule and govern them as · loyal and obedients subjects, that so reason might command passion, and grace over-rule nature: The supream excellency of thy sublime knowledge is to know God, and in him thine own eternal happiness, the blessed and the only end of thy creation: Christ Jesus is the blessed bridegroom of thy soul, with the pretious robe of whose own righteousness thou art most richly arrayed, with whose divine graces most costly adorned, unto whose most blessed and eternal inheritance (even those happy mansions of thy heavenly countrey most gloriously prepared for thee) most justly intitled: Wilt thou now (with prophane Esau) lose all this, for a mess of pottage, for a vain, short, sinful, seeming pleasure? whose beginning is folly,

and blemishes of sin and shame in

:

whose continuance shame, whose end misery: O consider, I earnestly beg of thee, and again I say consider (as a matter of the greatest moment to thee) how great a sin thou committest (in yielding to temptations) by dishonouring thy God, in defacing this his holy image, and in debasing this thine own sovereignty, to the slavery of sin and Satan : in darkening the bright beams of thine illuminated understanding, by the misty clouds of sensuality: in losing thy first love, and prostituting thy desires unto a stranger, the sinful pleasures and delights of worldly vanities: by defiling this thy wedding garment, with the spots pawning all thy pretious jewels of his heavenly graces, for the base counterfeits of carnal delights. And last of all, which is the summe of all, in losing Christ, the blessed bridegroom of thy soul, and all his heavenly treasures, for the vain and empty shadows of the false and sinful pleasures of this present world. Be strong therefore, and resist the fowlness of these close temptations; if the combat be sharp, the conquest will be sweet say therefore cheerfully with the spouse in the Canticles, Cant, 5. 3. I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I fowl them?' I have put off my filthy garment of sin and uncleanness, how I have shall I again return unto it? washed the feet of my carnal affections in the pretious blood of my blessed Saviour, by whose perfect obedience (which hath fully satisfied for my disobedience) they are now become white as snow; how shall I again fowl them with the filthy mire of sin and uncleanness? When thou art thus blessedly resolved, by this thy spiritual resistance, thy spiritual enemy will soon give ground, and thou shalt both have courage in the fight, and triumph in the victory.”— pp. 119-121.

He then sets forth, The blessed state of the righteous, in the safety of their foundation by faith, upon the blessed corner-stone, Christ Jesus; and in the honour, beauty, strength, and safety of their spiritual building-The sad and deplorable state of the wicked-The character and supports of the sincere Christian―The character and holy exercises of the true zealot.

"I am now come," he writes, "to shew thee the true zealot, whose fervency is in the spirit, whose conversation in heaven, whose only aim and end syncerely, and intirely Gods glory, di

rected and guided by Gods word, whose holy fervency is pretious in Gods eye, and whose praise is not of men but of

God.

"The true zealot is he, whose gratious heart, seriously considering of the stupendious and unutterable love of God in Christ Jesus unto him, is now (by Gods holy Spirit, sweetly working in him) seriously and fully resolved to forsake this evil world, and wholly and sincerely to give himself up a living sacrifice to Christ and his service, and with ardency of love and fervency of affection to indeavour daily to promote his glory.

"This is that holy fire, that both kindles his affections, and inflames his actions ; that makes those happy souls that are acquainted with it, an holy people unto God, and zealous of good works; that makes them spiritual, as God is spiritual; that burns up all the hay and stubble, the dross and filth of their corrupt natures, and leaves nothing remaining, but what is suitable to its self. This was that holy fire, that made David's heart wax hot within him, Psal. 39. 4. and so gratiously inflam'd the hearts of Gods elect in all ages of the world, that it cheerfully, and joyfully, and thankfully, carried them through the strongest of temptations, and fiercest of afflictions: and, which is the summe of all, this is that which eateth up Gods children, and makes them of terrestrial, coelestial, angelical, seraphical, of all the divine graces approaching nearest to the divine nature, from whose refulgent raies, his blessed angels have both light and heat, whereby their glorious natures are inflam'd with holy ardency to love him, and joyfully and fervently to execute his holy will."-pp. 218, 219.

After having dwelt on the "shortness and uncertainty of life, the terrors and amazements of an unprepared death, and the severity and eternity of punish ment after death," he closes with offering certain "heavenly helps," to" weak, doubting, and disconsolate Christians." Liberal as our citations have been from this interesting little volume, we shall

venture on one more.

"In the first place then, here thou mayst with joy and safety spiritually behold this blessed corner-sone Christ Jesus (on whom by faith thou raisest up thy spiritual building) thy God blessed for evermore (whom before thou couldest not behold and live) now so entirely loving and so highly honouring thee, as to be clothed with thy frail and infirm flesh,

and in all things to be made like unto thee (sin only excepted) that thou mayst thereby cast off thy filthy garment of corruption and mortality, and be richlyclothed upon with incorruption and glory; that so hereafter thou mayst both safely and joyfully see him face to face, of which thou hast a sweet and safe assurance by the blessed earnest of his holy Spirit in thee, which witnesseth unto thee, that thou art his beloved child, and one of those blessed ones that is belonging to his spiritual building.

This is that stone of value, that pretious stone of most inestimable price, (infinitely transcending all the pretious stones of highest value and of richest ornament) that lieth hid in this our spiritual building, even in the broken and the contrite hearts of us his spiritual people, whereby we are internally most highly honoured: the King's daughter(the truly regenerate soul) is all glorious within; which inward glory S. Peter tells us, 1 Pet. 3. 4. is the hidden man ofthe heart.' Now consider to thine endless comfort, how great an honour thou receivest by this inward entertainment of thy Saviour. Every heart of man that hath not Christ Jesus hid in it is a stony heart, and thereby utterly incapable of the least impression of mercy; wherely it becomes the vessel of wrath, and so wofully subjected to eternal ruine. Now (to thy souls refreshment) by this inward honour which Christ confers upon thee, in taking from thee thy stony heart, and giving thee an heart of flesh; (an humble, contrite and obedient heart) thou art yet farther honoured in this thy spiritual building, by these following ornaments bestowed on his elect. He finds us walls of clay, frail and momentary, and leaves us walls of marble, strong and durable, even lasting to eternity; he finds us bare and naked walls pilled and broken by the flaws and breaches sin hath made in us, and leaves

us clothed walls, hang'd with the rich robes of his own righteousness; he finds us dead, and leavs us living walls; he finds us weak and tottering walls, not only falling, but already fallen, even unto hell it self, and leaves us standing and upright walls, aspiring to the highest heavens and such high honour have all his saints in relation to themselves, as they are true believers, and so belonging to this spiritual building.

"Secondly, Christ in an honour to thee in respect of others that are true believers, all of them exhibiting mutual honour each unto other; insomuch as they are all living stones digged out of the same spiritual rock Christ Jesus, sent into one and the same foundation, for the joint raising up of one and the

same spiritual building: In each of which lieth a magnetick vertue of drawing and inviting a mutual honour to the whole, which is an honour likewise unto every true believer, in respect of his blessed fellowship and communion with the saints, those excellent ones of the earth, the sweetest and the choicest of all company amongst the sons of men. "Thirdly, Christ is an honour to thee in respect of unbelievers themselves, imposing heavy burthens on the shoulders of the faithful, by wrongs and injuries, by cruelty and oppression, by persecution, and other most unjust vexation;

how great is their honour then, in Christ's owning of them to belong to him, in his protecting, comforting and acknowledging of them to be his honourable members, his chosen jewels, who is the King of glory."--pp. 137-139.

There are two or three passages against which we might be disposed to raise objections, but where we have found so much of genuine excellence, we had rather praise

than blame.

The Memory of the Just. A Sermon, delivered at Trevor Chapel, Brompton, Oct. 19, 1823, on occasion of the Death of Edward Powell, Esq. of Knightsbridge. By John Morisun.-London: Holdsworth, 1823. MR POWELL was a man, in the words of Mr. Morison, of "singular piety, and remarkable benevolence," and we have been much interested by the spirited sketch of his life and character, which forms a part of the sermon before us. his early life, he had to struggle with considerable difficulties, and with strong temptations to deviate from strict integrity, arising from the embarrassing circumstances in which he was placed. He with

In

stood, however, every seduction, and surmounted, by patient and honest industry, all the obstacles to the acquisition of moderate but sufficient fortune; the blessing of God was upon his servant, and it was never forfeited by that species of rebellion against Him, which consists in an undue attachment to earthly possessions. Mr. Powell held his property with the feelings of a steward, and discharged his trust with eminent fidelity and liberality. He expended large sums in the republication of valuable works for gratuitous distribution; he was ever ready for the effectual, though unostentatious relief of distress, and, though a member of the Established Church, contributed largely to the erection of Trevor

Chapel. An interesting anecdote is given by Mr. Morison, in illustration of the secret munificence of this admirable man.

"A notable instance of this kind took

place a few years ago. The author had mentioned to him the case of a respectable minister who was then suffering considerable privations. No application, indeed, was made at the time for assistance, nor did the author hear any more

of the matter for several months. At last, however, the minister, unable any longer to retain the secret in his own breast, waited on the author, and told him that a gentleman, of whom he had no previous knowledge, had sent a note to him, requesting him to call at his house when first he came to town; he did so, and after being asked a few delicate questions about his circumstances, his unexpected benefactor put a sealed note into his hand, requesting him to conceal the fact from Mr. M. who had informed him of his case.

When the note was

opened, it was found to contain a cheque on a London banker, for twenty-five pounds."-pp. 33, 34, note.

From Proverbs x. 7. Mr. Morison has given an animated and eloquent discourse. He 1. Describes the character of the just man.-2. Exhibits the claims of the just man to posthumous renown.- -3. Shows how far the mind and habits of the deceased were formed on the sacred model of the text. On all these points much interesting illustration and impressive instruction occur. The following extract is a fair specimen of the composition as well as of the senti

ment, and it will fully justify our praise.

"In vain, my brethren, do we rank ourselves among the just,' according to the divine estimate, if sin is yet the element of our minds; if holiness to the Lord' is not distinctly written upon the whole of our deportment. What! shall we be the temple of the Holy Ghost,' and yet consecrated to the god of this world?' Shall we be the subject of that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,' and yet remain under the bondage of an unreclaimed apostacy? Shall we live under the smile of a reconciled God, be permitted to call him our Father, and taste the infinite sweets of fellowship with him, and yet be wanting in any branch of outward morality,—in justice, in purity, in a dauntless resistance of the concupiscence of a world that lieth in the wicked one? It surely cannot be ! If there be any element in which not only godliness,' but an elevated and pure morality may be cultivated with success, it is, beyond question, the element of faith in the Son of God. Here it is that all the motives, and all the agencies, from which an unequivocal boliness may spring, are amply supplied. And where, I ask, have such specimens of all that is 'lovely and of good report' been seen, as among the humble followers of the Lamb? Our enemies themselves being judges, some of the most luxuriant plants of righteousness, and purity, and beneficence, have sprung up and flourished in this consecrated soil. And could we but conceive of a man, in every particular, formed on

6

the model of the everlasting gospel,' what an object of admiration would he present! But, oh, if amidst so many those stupendous effects which we daily disadvantages, Christianity can produce see attending its march, what will be its ultimate triumph in the world of spirits, where it alone will be the element of

every heart, and the burden of every umphs, let us rejoice in the thought, song! Till we shall witness these trithat no system teaches such a lofty morality as the gospel, and that no one has succeeded to an equal extent, in implanting the lessons which it taught. To the characters of the just,' of sincere believers, we invite attention. Are they not the living epistles of Christ?' And may they not be known and read of all men?' In every moral, and social, and religious point of view, are they not a reproach alike to the selfrighteous and profane ? And although they sound not the trumpet of their own deeds, yet their works' praise them in the gate,' and conscience yields to their many virtues an involuntary homage."-pp. 10-12.

A poem, by Mr. Josiah Conder, "to the memory" of Mr. Powell, is distinguished by that gentleman's well-known talent. The piety and high poetic feeling by which it is pervaded, would have induced us to transfer it entire to our pages, had such a step been perfectly fair. We shall only venture on the concluding section.