people, that he may send considerable sums to the Bible Society in London.

But of him we have said enough. His zeal may be honest, though too effervescent for us. From a society making such professions as the present, and assuming to itself so serious a name, a little more caution might have been expected; and they ought, in our judgment, before they received the collections, to have enquired into the authority of the apostle. St. Paul had a wild field of action as apostle of the Gentiles, and he, moreover, possessed a divine commission. But the case here is different. clergyman of the established church is circumscribed within limits and is bound by canonical rules. They therefore who countenance him in breaking over these limits and violating these rules, will have some difficulty in escaping from the charge of schism.

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The scriptures may be circulated; religious knowlege may be spread far and wide; the greatest exertions may be made to propagate the gospel, and to bring those who sit in darkness to the light of truth; and yet Christian order and church unity be all the while preserved. We grant, that in aiding our foreign brethren, it would be indecorous and illiberal in us to expect that they should conform to our mode of ecclesiastical government or form of worship. That they have deviated from the pri mitive order may excite our compassion, but should not break our friendship or narrow our sentiments. The ve nerable Society for promoting Christian Knowlege, have herein shewn their charity and their prudence in giving the right hand of fellowship and co-operating with them in the work of spreading religious truth among the heathen nations. But they have wisely stopped here. That which is Christian liberality with regard to our brethren abroad, would at home have been little else than a countenance of SCHISM. We are not ashamed in this age of Jatitudinarianism, or of indifference, to make use of this word as expressive of our abhorrence of a prevailing sin ; although we are well aware, that in so doing, we subject ourselves to be sneered at or reproached as being orthodox bigots. But the church of England is not to be supported by indifference; nor will she stand against her enemies, if her members are actuated by that which is called liberality of sentiment. Want of consistency, is want of zeal; and though every churchman should be

liberal,

liberal, open, and courteous, he should also be firm to his principles, and circumspect with regard to his religious connections. He ought, in fact, no more to sit down in a synod of disputing elders than in a conclave: being well assured, that even his presence, to say nothing of his language, will be made use of by the majority, to further the interests of their own, at the expense of his communion. Much depends upon association, and we have it in the annals of our own history, but it is of a period full of terrible caution, that when an assembly of divines consisting of various denominations with some laymen in the groupe, was couvened at Westminster for the establishment of peace and unity, it split into divisions and ended in the destruction of the church, and the production of innumerable errors.

Discourses on various Subjects and Occasions. With a Preface addressed to the congregation assembled in Christ's Church, Bath. By the Rev. CHARLES DAUBENY, Archdeacon of Sarum; and author of a Guide to the Church. Volume the second. 8vo. pp. 427 Rivingtons,

THIS volume of discourses is dedicated by the judicious author, who may on many accounts be called the Hooker of the present day, to the Lord Bishop of Sarum, as a testimony of grateful respect for the honour which his lordship was pleased to confer on him, and the handsome manner in which it was done. Mr. Daubeny is no panegyrist; he addresses his patron as Hooker did Whitgift, in language of respectful elegance, not of flattering eulogy, conscious that to a great mind plain truth is more acceptable than forward professions, and the honest effusion of the heart than studied phrases and accumulated epithets. This dedication in short is one of those few which may be read with pleasure, and taken as a model. In the preface, which is properly addressed to the author's congregation at Bath, as most of the discourses were delivered in their pulpit, Mr. Daubeny apologizes for publishing new sermons on the ground, that whilst nothing new is to be looked for on the general subject of christianity,

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christianity, the religion of Jesus being "the same yesterday, to day, and for ever!"-still what shall be said upon it, though inferior in kind, perhaps to what is to be produced from some old and established sources, by being differently said, and more peculiarly adapted to the actual state of things, in the world may tend to the more effectual advancement of the christian cause."

Mr. Daubeny cautions his readers not to expect in these discourses "those mere verbal distinctions and imaginary speculations which tend more to distract than to inform the mind." His leading object is to confine their thoughts as much as may be to the general subject of practical christianity; as what is best suited to the present condition of man, and promises to contribute most effectually to the design, for the promotion of which the gospel has been revealed: namely "that the man of God might become perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Tim. iii. 17.

The following observations are seasonable and of considerable importance. We know of no subject upon which the generality of people among us are so greatly deceived; and it were to be wished that the clergy in ge neral, instead of passing it over slightly, or with contempt, would take some pains frequently to make their hearers understand what real gospel-preaching is, that they might be guarded from the gross abuses which pass under that appellation.

"Much has been said in the present day, about what is emphatically, and by way of distinction, called Gospel preaching. But whilst, among christian divines, there can be no difference of opinion with respect to the necessity of the thing itself; there still may exist a very considerable difference of opinion among them, relative to the proper application of the term here adverted By gospel preaching we understand, preaching the truth, as it is in Christ Jesus, according to the revelation of it in the sacred' writings; containing that connected system of faith and practice, which must be preserved whole and complete in all its parts, to become effectual unto salvation.

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But that grand deceiver, whose employment it is at all times, so far at least as he is permitted, to counteract God's gracious plan in favour of his fallen creature, hath, from the first publication of the gospel to the present day, been industrious in drawing men into those opposite extremes, which are equally calcu lated to defeat the object the gospel hath in view. Hence it is that faith and christian practice, which, as necessarily dependant on each other, were designed to travel on at all times amicably

cably together, have so often been set at variance. Whilst the consequences, which have at times been derived from the preva lence of an undue extreme on either side, have too often sought their remedy in the propagation of the opposite error. As if it was the settled scheme of the grand enemy of man to prevent him (as far as may be) from finding out, or at least continuing in that middle golden road of faith and righteousness, marked down in the gospel for the purpose of conducting him in safety to the end of his Christian journey."

Mr. Daubeny then proceeds to state in a very perspi cuous manner the true principles of gospel faith and practice, such as have a mutual connection with each other, and resting exclusively upon Jesus Christ, as the foundation of the superstructure of christianity. On the much agitated question of justification by faith and works it is justly observed that,

"In fact, wherever these two terms are made use of in the gospel, they are considered, in their reference to the christian disciple, as mutually comprehensive of each other. Where the excellence of the tree is mentioned, it is always understood to be a tree bearing its proper fruit: where that of the fruit is spoken of, it is as necessarily connected with the quality of the tree that produces it. "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit: neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." Matth. vii. 18.And hence it is, that the same example is brought forward by St. Paul, for magnifying the efficacy of faith, which St. James produces to shew the equal necessity of works of righteousness.— "Abraham believed in God," says St. Paul," and it was imputed unto him for righteousness."-"Was not our father Abraham," says St. James, "justified by works and by works was his faith made perfect."-The obvious conclusion deducible from which premises, is, that Abraham was justified by faith; because, the effect of his faith was, an implicit obedience to the divine commands; and he was "justified by works;" because his works proceeded from the proper principle; being the result of the patriarch's implicit reliance on the word and promises of God."

From a consideration of the preface, to which we have done but meagre justice for fear of extending this article to an immoderate length, we proceed to an account of the discourses themselves.

The first was preached in 1800, and occasioned by the desperate attempt made on the life of his Majesty by a soldier of the name of Hatfield. Mr. Daubeny, from 1 Pet. xi. 17, Fear God; Honour the King, deduces the genuine scriptural theory of government and the conse

quent

quent duty of obedience in a very clear and masterly inanner. This is a discourse of very considerable merit, as it possesses strong and clear reasoning; but there is no part of it that we could well extract without doing injustice to the whole. We beleive this sermon was printed separately, soon after its delivery, and this indeed appears to have been the case with some others in the present volume.

The second discourse is on John vii. 37. In the last day, that great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. This sermon was preached on the opening of the Free Church in Bath, in the year 1798, and must be confessed to have been extremely well suited to the occasion. The author has discussed the subject in a truly evangelical manner, and explained with great clearness and force. the special blessings of the gospel covenant; and the consequent obligations of christians to make a due use of them is stated with much strength of reasoning and power of persuasion. Before we dismiss this discourse we cannot help congratulating Mr. Daubeny in having had the high honour of setting so excellent an example as that of opening a Free Church for the accommodation of the poor; and at the same time of expressing our astonishment that the plan has not been acted upon in a general and liberal manner in the western part of the metropolis, where above all places such buildings are so much wanted.

Discourse III. is on Dan. x. 12. Then said he unto me, fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard. This sermon was preached in Lent; and contains some excellent observations on the prevailing laxity of manners among the professors of christianity. The conduct of the primitive christians is well contrasted with what is but too generally to be observed in those who make a profession of the same faith.

"In the first ages of the church vain, unsatisfactory, temporal enjoyments in possession, were readily sacrificed to real, substantial, eternal happiness in reversion. And that light af fiction which, comparatively speaking, was but for a moment, was cheerfully submitted to, in consideration of that exceeding and eternal weight of glory, to which it was known to minister. “Now, either man is a different being at present from what hẹ was in those days, when severity of discipline was judged neces

sary