me!' he said, I am a Devil! Well, it will be enough for me if I escape from Hell! The lowest place in Heaven will be far too good for He frequently interrupted the conversation by breaking out into fervent supplications, turning the Scriptures which occurred into matter of prayer, and earnestly pleading the declarations and promises of divine mercy. At the close of the interview, he appeared composed and very thankful. In the evening he was much changed; the hand of Death was evidently upon him. As soon as his friend entered the room, he sig mified his desire to have prayer. During the exercise, he was earnestly engaged with God, having his hands closed and lifted up. When asked if he continued to look to Christ, and to rely upon him alone for salvation, he signified that he did. His senses were quite correct for some time; but he was strug gling for life. He was seldom sensible through the night, and suffered much till two hours before his departure, which took place on Monday morning. The foregoing affecting case furBishes an admonitory word to such young men as have enjoyed the advantages of a religious and liberal education, that they tamper not with specious and dangerous error. Beware, favoured youths, of those books in which the blandishments of style, and the plausibilities of sophistry, are made the vehicles of that poison of error and sensuality of passion, that find too ready a reception in the heart unestablished in gospel-truth, unrenewed by regenerating grace! Presume not on the sufficiency of your powers of discrimination, where eternal in terests are involved, and where mistakes are so common and fatal! If you disbelieve your own weak ness, you will neglect to seek direction from the Father of Lights, who has said, If any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God.' If you neglect to pray, you will incur the charge alleged against the man who leans to his own understanding; and, in consequence of this fully, become the dupe of strong delusions. Let no proud contempt From the convictions, confessions, and bopes which mark the expres sions here detailed, let Christians learn more fully to appreciate, and resolutely to hold fast the distin guishing doctrines of the ever-blessed gospel. In such instances as the present, you see your principles brought to the test, and proving themselves to be of God by their application to the exigencies of man, Error, like the haughty, unfeeling Priest and Levite, passes by on the other side, and leaves the bleeding, perishing sinner to die unpitied and unrelieved! while Evangelical Hope, like the good Samaritan, extends her healing hand, pouring in oil and wine into those woun is which sin has inflicted, and which none but Jesus Christ can cure. Sheffield. FIGLINUS. MRS. COOPER DIED at Ipswich, April 27, 1809, in the 90th year of her age. In a visit to London, many years ago, the ministry of that eminent man of God, the Rev. George Whitfield, was greatly blessed to her soul; so that she became earnestly desirous of enjoying it permanently. The providence of God so ordered it, that her family removed to town, where she sat under the word with great delight. Sometime after wards, she joined the Baptist church under the care of the late Rev. W. Clarke. She made a profession of religion about 50 years, during which long period she adorned the doctrine of the Holy Jesus. During her illness, she was generally calm and comfortable; and, instead of being afraid of death, often expressed her desire for its approach, saying, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Thus "she came to her grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season." Her funeral discourse was preached by Mr. Cowell, from Rev. xxii. 20. 1 REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS, &c. Sermon, preached at Scarborough, at the Primary Visitation of the Most Rev. Edward Lord Archbishop of York, July 28, 1809. By the Rev. Francis Wrangham, M. A. F. R. S. of Trinity College, Cambridge. 3s. 6d. We are always happy to find genius and learning combined with solid piety and genuine Christian candour. Thus united, if they do not form the stamina, they embellish, at least, and perhaps extend the usefulness of the most estimable characters, We have been accustomed to view the author of this sermon as rising into this class. Mr. W. has distinguished himself by advocating the cause of Piety in sermons, which are now before the public, founded upon Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul; and of Christian zeal in its operations at home, in recommending the establishment of national schools; and abroad, by urg ing the translating of the sacred oracles into the oriental languages. From these things we were disposed to hope well; - nor will we suffer all our expectations to be merged, even by the performance now be fore us. It has two sides; the one dark and the other light. The second part is tolerably candid, with regard to the means which authorized teachers of Christianity should use in the discharge of their duty; though it is by no means free from clerical hauteur. But the first part, in which Mr. Wrangham has given his picture of Calvinism, we must esteem as the blackness of darkness, either of prejudice or ignorance. Had a bigotted Socinian, or a maJignant infidel, offered his pencil on the subject, with equal talents as to the disposition of his colouring, we might have expected something like what we see before us; but for a writer who ranks in a very different class, and who himself professes to disclaim the Pagan trick of clothing an opponent in the skin of a wild beast, for the purpose of devouring him to produce, on so man solemn an occasion too, a That God having decreed to make man in his own image, and pre-ordained his fall and subsequent depravation, converting the whole of his posterity into a mass of corruption and perdition, arbitrarily. and (if it may be uttered without irreverence) capriciously deter mined to bring a portion of that posterity to life eternal, and to consign the remainder to everlasting punishment: thus immutably fixing the fate of individuals before their birth, for ever and ever.' • That, in unavoidable conformity to this pre-ordinance, Adam fell, and became in consequence, with all his progeny, not only deserving of, but actually doomed to, Hell, with the exception of the favoured tew whom the Deity has been cqnstantly taking to himself, abandoning those whom he passes by to the vengeance of eternal fire, without any regard to superior merit in the Elect, or demerit in the Reprobate, present or future; and solely to display in the one his goodness and mercy; in the other his power and glory. The first, however they may act in this life, being (under the protection of Christ) incapable of forfeiting final felicity; and the latter, hindered and repelied by God, being equally incapable, in spite of all their exertion, of attaining it, of their fates, throughout their respective lives, are at any moment in any degree doubtful. as neither That the best purposes, altempts, and acts of the Elect, are at no time even preparatory to their salvation, that being exclusively the work of the Almighty, who himself fits them for Heaven by the preaching of his word and the communications of his Spirit, forming in them a new understanding and a new will; giving them every good Lastly, to close this dismal procession of opinions, that the num, ber of the Elect is very small, while the reprobate are of course innumerable; YET, THIS IS CALVINISM !' Calvinism must mean, we suppose, either, generally, the sentiments of those who distinguish themselves by the term; or it must mean, peculiarly, the sentiments espoused by that learned Reformer himself. We intend, therefore, to examine Mr. W.'s charge in both lights. This sermon, we shall take it for granted, was preached, as quoted above, without the matter contained in the notes, which are now appended to it. Consequently the picture given of Calvinism to the audience and to the Clergy, was as we have now stated it. 1. We apprehend it will be admitted by every competent judge, that Calvinsits are as well acquainted with their own principles as Mr. W. can possibly be. If, therefore (to use his words) we may be permitted to know our own sentiments, we beg leave to contrast the following acknowledged portraiture of Calvinism with his caricature. Modern Calvinism asserts, That mankind, though created in the moral image of God, are universally depraved, in consequence of the fall of Adam, whose sin, as their federal head, involve. the corruption of all his po-teacy; which corruption, they believe, is universal, extending over all the powers of the soul, and tola'; i. e. the human heart is, by nature, totally destitute of love to God, or man as his creature, and consequently of alf true virtue; and yet capable of adding iniquity to iniquity. Modern Calvinists think this repre sentation is established by experi ence, by observation, by history, and by scripture-testimony.. 2. That this fallen depraved condition of mankind can be counteracted only by the interposition of sovereign grace in Christ Jesus. They view his death as a most perfeci sacrifice and satisfaction for sin, of infinite value, and abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world. That on this ground the gospel is to be preached to all mankind indiscriminately; that it is the indispensable duty of all who hear this gospel to believe it, to repent of sin, renounce it for ever, and devote themselves entirely to the Redeemer as his faithful sub jects; yet, they also believe that it was the will of God that Christ, by the blood of his Cross, should effica ciously redeem all those, and those only, who were from eternity elected to salvation, and given to him by the Father! They maintain that God, who, from all eternity, foreknew all the impiety and obduracy of men, still determined that his grace should not be frustrated, la forming, therefore, the great plan of salvation, the Father, from eternity, chose in Christ an innumerable multitude of the fallen race of Adam unto holiness and eternal life, of his free grace and love, without the least foresight of faith, good works, or any condition to be performed by the creature! They do not consider Predestination or Election as affecting the agency or accountableness of creatures, or as being to them any rule of conduct! On the contrary, they suppose them to act as freely, and to be as much the proper subjects of calls, warnings, exhortations, promises, and threatenings, as if no decree existed. The connection in which the doctrine is generally introduced by their preachers and writers is, to shew the source of salvation to be of mere grace, to account for one sinners believing and being saved rather than ang her to shew the certain success of Christ's utler taking, and as a powerful motive to personal holiness, as well as a source of comfort to the consistent Christian. 4, They maintain, That all whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased, in his appointed time, effectually to call by his word and Spirit, out of a state of sin and death, into that of grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. In the successive periods of time, the Holy Spirit rationally convinces them of the amiable glory of God, the infinite vileness of sin, and the equit able, fitness of its eternal panish ment. He induces them, by the most effectual motives, to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their King and Saviour; and to live a life of dependence on his grace, and sincere dedication to his holy service. They admit that the Holy Spirit, as calling men by theministry of the gospel, may be resisted; and that when this is the case, the fault is not in the gospel, nor in Christ offered by the gospel, nor in God calling by the gospel, but in themselves; they contend, however, that where mea obey the divine call, and are converted, it is not to be ascribed to them: selves, as though by their own freewill they made themselves to differ, but entirely to him who quickens them when dead in trespasses and sins. Finally, They maintain that those whom God has effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, shall never finally fall from a state of grace: they admit that believers may fall partially, and wou'd fall totally and finally, but for the mercy and faithfulness of God; and they also maintain, that he who bestows the grace of perseverance; bestows it by the means of grace, by exhortations, threatenings, and promises; but, that none of these imply the possibility of a believer's falling from a state of justification. THIS IS CALVINISM *.: If there are a few anomalies of an Antinomian kind under the general name of Calvinism: anomalies are avow. (to use the words of the late Bishop We look only to Calvinism Horsley) such as the venerable Calvia would himself have owned, not enriched and embellished with the extravagancies of visionaries since his day.' Mr. W. doubtless felt himself a littie awkward in facing the public from the press, without softening down the pictures which he had given from the pulpit. And, therefore, he makes some sort of conthis we shalt notice in its proper ced ng explanation in his notes :--place. Here we have to remark, that as those explanations were not introduced into the body of the sermon, either Mr. W. did not when he preached know of the Calvinism to which his notes refer; or, that he did know of it. If he did not know, he was incompetent to his subject: if he did know and not adduce it, he was a prejudiced and partial witness.. In his notes, Mr. W. says, that his picture does not apply to modern Calvinism, it only to the rigors of Calvin as found in his own. writings: we proceed, therefore, to investigate his charge as applied to that learned and pious Reformer. (To be continued.) Two Letters to a Barrister. By A Ox perusing this pamphlet, we could not help feeling regret in common, probably, with most of its readers, that it should not have made its appearance at an earlier period of this controversy. In his Preface, however, the author has offered same satisfactory reasons for the delay; and as the Barrister has recently threatened a renewal of See Adams's View of Religion (art. Calvinism); Fuller's Essays and Letters; Rev. Thos. Scott's Sermon on Election and Final Perseverance; Dr. Pye Smith's Letters to Belsham; Dr. Ebward Williams's Essay on Divine Government and Sovereignty of Divize Grace; and Overton's True Churchman. XVII. hostilities, the Strictures of the Looker-on will not, we apprehend, be regarded as unseasonable. We give the author credit for his candour, when he declares that though his sentiments are not those of Calvinism, yet he takes pleasure in avowing, that among no class of believers has he met with individuals of more sterling or exemplary virtue.' The Looker-on appears to us to be a sincere enquirer after truth. Till lately, averse from Evangelical sentiments at large, he now frankly avows his belief in the leading tenets of this system; and declares himself to be conscious of their salutary influence.' Proceeding in the same path of humble and diligent investigation, we doubt not that "increasing years and extended means of observation" will induce him to regard with a more favourable eye the writings of his Calvinistic brethren; with which we venture to suggest he is at present but imperfectly acquainted. 1 After taking paius to prove that the Barrister's assertions respecting the practical influence of evangelical preaching, are not only unsupported, but plainly contradicted by fact, he communicates the result of his own observation, in p. 12: It is with me no uncommon thing to see these poor deluded fanatics (as you, in the plenitude of your wis dom, would account them) even among the lower orders of society, leading lives of unblemished sobriety, devoting most conscientiously to the support of their families the earnings of their industry: I see them solicitous to train up their children in the paths of virtue and piety: - nor has it been without emotion that I have witnessed these honest Christians resigning their souls to their Maker with a humble, yet firm persuasion of a life to come, a bright believing hope of eternal felicity, of which you might have envied them the assurance.' important truths. On the subject of the Atonement we meet with the following passage (p. 20): That we can make atonement for the sins of our lives by any acts of contrition and reformation, is a doctrine which I cannot read my Bible and believe. To a poor erring mortal, oppressed with a sense of moral transgression, conscious of his inability to make reparation for those transgressions for which he is amenable to the bar of Divine Justice, the assurance that Jesus Christ died for his sins must be glad tidings of great joy! Woe indeed to the false teacher, who would represent this sublime doctrine as dispensing with purity of heart and holiness of life; or who would, in any way, make it subservient to a scheme of Antinomian profligacy! and woe also to the cold-blooded sophist, who would take from the repentant sinner this blessed hope!" The admirers of the Pilgrim's Progress will thank the Looker-on, for successfully defending the me mory of its author from the foul imputations of the Barrister, in reference to this excellent writer, he observes (p. 24)To the genius evinced by the author of the Pilgrim, the mighty mind of Samuel Johnson paid a tribute of applause; and would venture to predict, That, when time shail have forever ob literated the remembrance of the Barrister and his writings, the Pilgrim's Progress will continue to be read and admired; - will still be the solace of many a way worn traveller, who, in this instructive allegory, will recognize a faithful picture of the difficulties and dis couragements, the joys and consolations of a religious life.' In reply to the Third Part of the Hints,' the author notices, with just severity, the total want of ani mation, which is apparent in the ministerial labours of the 'moral clergy;' and insists on the neces sary connection between the docThe Barrister, it is well known, trines and the morality of the gos has virulently opposed the doctrines pel. After some pointed ridicule of Human Depravity, the Atone-(which our limits forbid us to quote) went, and the Influences of the of the Barrister's preposterous pol Holy Spirit. The Looker on has fico-religious speculations, the Lockthe honour to be ranked amongst er-on takes leave of his readers and the vindicators of these great and his opponent in the following terms: |