call on the Father, who without respect of persons | judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." The venerable and aged bishop on this occasion observed to his audience that "it hath pleased the providence of my God so to contrive it, that this day, this very morning, fourscore years ago, I was born into the world. A great time since, ye are ready to say; and so indeed it seems to you that look at it forward; but to me that look at it past, it seems so short that it is gone like a tale that is told, or a dream by night, and looks but like yesterday. It can be no offence for me to say, that many of you who hear me this day are not like to see so many suns walk over your heads as I have done. There is not one of us that can assure himself of his continuance here one day. We are all tenants at will, and for ought we know may be turned out of these clay cottages at an hour's warning. O then, what should we do but, as wise husbandmen, carefully and seasonably provide ourselves a surer and more during tenure?" The minds of the audience could not fail to be impressed by such suitable remarks from so venerable and aged a pastor; indeed it was the bishop's endeavour in his last year to keep in view "that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," and to prepare others for that change by his last writings and sermons, which particularly treated upon the last things, death and judgment, heaven and hell. He spent much of his last years in devotion and meditation, lamenting the sufferings and calamities of church and state. Under all his sufferings he distributed a weekly charity to a certain number of poor widows out of the little which was left him. During his last illness he evinced extraordinary patience and submission to the divine will. He was afflicted with violent and acute pains, which he bore most patiently, till death put an end to all his sufferings and troubles. It is said that he punctually foretold the night of his death, and accordingly gave orders for the time and manner of his funeral. He was gathered to his fathers in a good old age. By his will he desired to be buried without any funeral pomp at the discretion of his executors, with this only monition, that he did not hold God's house a meet repository for the dead bodies of the greatest saints. On occasion of his wife's death, he wrote his treatise, entitled "Songs in the Night, or Cheerfulness under Affliction." In the letter addressed to a dear and worthy friend, prefixed to his treatise, the bishop observes, "Indeed it pleased my God lately to exercise me with a double affliction at once-pain of body and grief of mind for the sickness and death of my dear consort. I struggled with them both as I might, and by God's mercy attained to a meek and humble submission to that just and gracious hand, and a quiet composedness of thoughts; but yet methought I found myself wanting in that comfortable disposition of heart and lively elevation of spirit which some holy souls have professed to feel in their lowest depression, fetching that inward consolation from heaven, which can more than counterpoise their heaviest crosses. Upon this occasion you see here how I held fit to busy my thoughts, Jabouring by their holy agitation to work myself, through the blessing of the Almighty, to such a temper as might give an obedient welcome to so smarting an affliction, and that, even while I weep, I might yet smile upon the face of my beavenly Father, whose stripes I do so tenderly suf fer. If in some other discourses I have endea. voured to instruct others, in this I mean to teach myself, and to win my heart to a willing and contented acquiescence in the good pleasure of my God, how harsh soever it seems to rebellious nature." In one part of this excellent treatise, speaking of his heavy afflictions and losses, the pious and aged bishop says, "Come then, all ye earthly crosses, and muster up all your forces against me. Here is that which is able to make me more than conqueror over you all." (He had spoken before of that blessed eternity which he wished to keep in view). "Have I lost my goods, and foregone a fair estate? Had all the earth been mine, what is it to heaven? Had I been the lord of all the world, what were this to a kingdom of glory? Have I parted with a dear consort, the partner of my sorrows for these forty-eight years? She is but stept a little before me to happy rest, which I am panting for; and therein I shall speedily over. take her. In the mean time and ever, my soul is espoused to that glorious and immortal Husband, from whom it shall never be parted. Am I be reaved of some of my dear children, whose hopes promised me comfort in my declined age? Why am I not rather thankful it hath pleased my God out of my loins to furnish heaven with some happy guests? Why do I not, instead of mourning tor their loss, sing praises to God for preferring them to that eternal blessedness? Am I afflicted with bodily pain and sickness, which banisheth all sleep from eyes, and exercises me with a lingering tor ture? Ere long this momentary distemper sha end in an everlasting rest. Am I threatened by the sword of an enemy? Suppose that man be one of the guardians of paradise, and that sword as flaming as it is sharp, that one stroke shall let me into that place of inconceivable pleasure, and admit me to feed on the tree of life for ever. "Cheer up, then, O my soul; and upon the fixed apprehension of the glory to be revealed. while thy weak partner, my body, droops ar languishes under the sad load of years and infirmities, sing thou to thy God even in the mi night of thy sorrows, and in the deepest darknes of death itself, songs of confidence, songs of spiritual joy, songs of praise and thanksgiving, say ing with all the glorified ones, Blessing, honour, glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upos the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen' Of bishop Hall, Dr. Whitefoot thus observes: "He is now silent; and so must I be; for the time will not allow me to protract my speech. A angel from heaven hath translated the soul of this angel of the church, and placed it among the twenty-four elders which St. John saw about the throne of God, attired with a white robe of glory, instead of his earthly rochet; and, instead of his crosier, he hath a branch of the peaceful and vic torious palm put into his hands; and for his mitre, which fell with the royal crown, he hath a crown of glory set upon his head.” Life of bishop Hall, by the rev. John Jones, and bp. Hall's works. Reflection: However severe our sufferings or bitter our bereavements, let us ever comfort ourselves with the truth, that to all God's servants, though sorrow endureth for a night, joy cometh in the morning (Ps. xxx. 5). NOTICE OF BOOKS. WE have received soul. For this does England send forth her bibles and "Earlswood; or, Lights and Shadows of the Anglican Church;" by Charlotte Anley. London: Hatchard. 1852. The object of this tale is to exhibit the dangers resulting from Romish influence. A principal character is that of an English clergyman who apostatizes to Rome, and in his progress thither inflicts mischief and grief upon those over whom he has gained an influence, and through them upon others also. The persons introduced are well described, and the interest of the story does not flag. We must, however, in the exercise of our duty, point out certain defects which are prominent in this volume. There is, especially in the earlier part, an attempt at fine writing, which Miss Anley should carefully eschew. Her language really sometimes borders on the ridiculous. Thus, when she wishes to tell us that an event took place prior to the present reign, she says, "The star had not yet risen above the horizon of sovereignty which now shines upon the British throne." Some of the conversations too are intricate, and we could not help feeling that we should have cut a poor figure had we been obliged to take part in them. We must also say a word on the punctuation. We never saw a book so strangely disfigured with stops. They are placed between the nominative and the verb, between the verb and the objective case, in utter defiance of the rules of sense and grammar. But we have still more serious defects to point out. Some Romish doctrines are controversially discussed. Now no one should venture, without a competent knowledge of the question, to engage publicly in controversy. We have had occasion repeatedly to utter this warning, and sometimes to express our gravest censure of those who by their ignorance were doing fearful injury to a good cause. We are grieved to see that Miss Anley has ventured out of her depth. Thus she produces as genuine the epistle of Eleutherius to king Lucius, and astounds us with the information that "about the eleventh century comes the prohibition against the marriage of the clergy, imposed by the council of Trent." It is painful to us to point out errors of this kind; and we gladly turn to a more agreeable part of our duty. There are some observations so forcible in refutation of the charge got up by Roman-catholic demagogues against protestants of persecution, that we shall quote them: "Look at England, where liberty of conscience is proverbially a charter. Her treasury has ever opened to the claims of her Roman-catholic subjects without regard to difference of religious creed. She has fed and clothed and educated the sons of an adverse communion, with the same fostering care which she bestows upon the children of her own faith and soil. If famine and sickness appeal for sympathy, where are hearts found to respond more freely than those of Eng-spirit, and with a sincere desire that the work may be lish blood and protestant faith, let the appeal come from what source it may? How often has every purse of rich and poor, aye, of the poorest, poured forth its gold and silver, and its copper mite, every hand stretching forth to aid Irish [Roman] catholics in their calamity, without a thought of religious vari ance. Is this persecution? In the same spirit of Christian sympathy with which we thus desire to relieve the diseased in body, do we at any cost distribute the bread of life, to feed and renovate the perishing "The Journal of Sacred Literature;" edited by John Kitto, D.D., F.S.A. No. IV. July, 1852. London: Blackader. This number opens with an interesting article entitled "The Religion of Geology." We have next the conclusion of "the Rephaim," a series of valuable papers begun a year ago. Afterwards succeeds a dissertation on "the nature of our Lord's Resurrection Body," by an American professor, Dr. Robinson. It will repay perusal, though there are certain palpable defects. The writer is not well versed in the fathers, and ventures somewhat rashly on statements which could not be borne out on examination. He seems also puzzled by the fact, "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more: death hath no more dominion over him ;" and speculates about a change of physical organization." He should have remembered that Christ's body was never subject to death, except by his own voluntary act, when he put himself to suffer in our place. When sin was atoned for, death could not again touch him. The author of the next article, on "Solomon's Temple," is a careless man. He tells us that David was of the tribe of Benjamin! and treats us with bad Hebrew, bad Greek, and bad Latin. "The Pulpit of the Church of England," which follows, may be read with advantage: it contains some very valuable suggestions. But we need not go on to enumerate all the papers in the number before us: our readers will gather from what we have said a sufficient notion of the contents. We highly approve on the whole of this "Journal," and, if we point out faults, it is, the conductors may be assured, in a friendly conducted as efficiently as possible. We know of no publication which occupies the ground it has taken, and we think that it ought to have encouragement from all biblical students. It is offered, we are given to understand, at a considerable reduction in price to those who subscribe in advance. We hope, therefore, that it will receive adequate support; and we would especially recommend it to the country clergy, as furnishing them with much information which, unless they have extensive libraries of their own, is not very likely to reach them. We will conclude our notice with extracting a wish which we heartily re-echo: "We cannot refrain from expressing a wish that some competent scholar would take up and thoroughly discuss the whole subject of the Old Testament canon. We should like to see the various questions which such a discussion would embrace, handled by a mind which, though familiar with German theological literature, had not become tinged with a German mania, but could look at the subject from a genuine English point of view, and discuss it after the fashion of one who had been disciplined in the school of Bacon and Butler and Paley, to the scrutiny of questions of evidence and the proper management of hypotheses." We have also received "The Donthorpe Boys." Stamford Sharp 1852. An useful tract for a school library. One or two other books have reached us since the above lines were in type: we shall notice them next month. Poetry. LAYS OF A PILGRIM. BY MRS. H. W. RICHter. No. LXIX. (For the Church of England Magazine.) TRIBUTARY STANZAS. "But minds there are to whom the dead are dear." MONTGOMERY. ERE past life's morning thou wast laid, And the sighing winds of eve Let no ruder sounds intrude Than the bird of dawn awakes In that holy solitude, Soaring upward from the brakes, Or the thrush or blackbird's note, From the alder vale remote. Never more on thy young brow Can one sorrow cast a shade: Never more the tear will flow Joys are thine that never fade: In atoning love to share, Lo, along the narrow way, In the soft and starry hours, When each sound of day is gone, When upon the sleeping flowers Moonlight's tender hue is thrown, Memories linger round the dead, Picturing many a treasure fled. But a voice seems whispering ever, Through the silence where she lies, "Who would happy spirits sever From their rest beyond the skies Mourner, let thy grief forbearSeek to join thy Ellen there. THE LATE CELEBRATED WELSH BARD, "TEGID." [The rev. John Jones, of Nevern, slept by his fireside on the night of Monday, the 29th of March, 1852, and he dreamt that he was going from his land to America. In his sleep be composed some lines, which on awaking he wrote down After his death they were found in his study. The following is a faithful translation of them] BY MRS. PENderel Llewelyn. HITHER come, ye loved companions, Bound to me in heart and hand, List to words of deepest import, Ere I seek a distant land. Flee, O flee from every evil, While upon this earth ye stay, Practise every holy duty, And the laws of God obey. Miscellaneous. THE PREACHER TO PREACH THE WORD AND NOTHING BUT THE WORD.-Gregory, bishop of Nazianzum in the fourth century, possessed by nature the various gifts which constitute eloquence, and to an eminent piety united all the secular attainments with which long years of severe application in the schools of Athens could enrich his mind. But it was the bent and resolve of his soul to devote every talen: he had received or gained to the service of God and his truth. "Thus" (he says beautifully of his oratorical gifts)" these I consecrate to him, over all that is left to me, and in which alone I am rich. Everything else I have relinquished at the command of the Spirit, in order to get possession of the pearl of price, and to be the merchant who barters the small and perishable for the great and everlasting. But the word,' and the art of preaching it, I still hold fast as a 'minister of the word;' and this possession I will never deliberately neglect. And as I set little value on all earthly delights, so, after God, all my love is confined to this, or rather to him alone; for the 'spoken word' exalts the soul to God by a sort of insight: through it alone is God rightly apprehended, and the knowledge of him preserved and made to grow in us." (Cox's translation of professor Ullmann's Gregory of Nazianzum. London: J. W. Parker. 1851.) London: Published for the Proprietors, by JOHN HUGHES, 12, Ave-Maria Lane, St. Paul's; and to be procured, by order, of all Booksellers in Town and Country. PRINTED BY ROGERSON AND TUXFORD, 246, STRAND, LONDON. |
