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criterion, they might, in many cases, we fear, discover that they have mistaken accurate or inaccurate sentiments for actual principles; and that, in various instances, they suppose themselves to have believed when they have merely speculated. This delusion may long remain unsuspected. In the vernal season of life, and in that also of vigorous maturity, when no cloud as yet begins to gather in the bright horizon of our hopes, we seldom know either the power or the feebleness of our principles. We can afford leisure and spirits for the examination of rival theories, and are unwilling to be silent when the tide of religious debate flows fast and turbulent; we are anxious to gain the credit of having opinions on every question, and to keep intellectual pace with the talking world around us. But in the days when, from circumstances of sorrow or sickness, the mind begins to lose its elasticity; when the sufferer, in the loneliness occasioned either by the desertion or hostility of the "summer friend;" or by the absence or death of those whom he once supposed to be born for the time of adversity, finds himself driven back upon his own resources, or is summoned, as Burke expressed himself, " to pay his full contingent to the contributions levied on mortality;"-in such an interval of human helplessness, we gain no relief from the remembrance that once we theorized, and debated, and wrote with the same zeal now displayed by our successors in the polemical drama. Something more substantial is needed at such moments; something which may prove the "balm of hurt minds," and tranquillize the soul by hopes and assurances of purely celestial growth. It is then that men, in considering their spiritual state, find themselves returning to the plain elementary parts of the Gospel, which, in the eagerness and buoyancy of earlier days, had been neglected as affording less opportunity for intellectual prowess. It

is then that they stir an almost novel question, whether they are indeed believers in Jesus Christ, and in consequence have some credible evidence to bring forward, not of their former skill in controversy, but of " the hope that is in them;" for, we are saved by hope," and of a hope thus connected with salvation the foundation should be broad and deep.

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In reference to this simple view of Christianity, it cannot but gratify all serious minds to observe the manner in which Calvin himself, when treading on the very verge of eternity, considered his own state; and on what basis he placed the hopes of his own happiness in the In his last will, made life to come. on the 25th of April, 1564, (he died on the 24th of the succeeding month,) he thus writes:

"First I give thanks to God, that, taking pity on me, whom he hath created and placed in this world, he hath delivered me out of the thick darkness of idolatry into which I was plunged ; and hath brought me into the light of his Gospel, and made me a partaker of the doctrine of salvation, whereof I was most unworthy. And he hath not only gently and graciously borne with my faults and sins, for which I deserved to be rejected of him, and cast out, but hath vouchsafed to use my labours in preaching and publishing the truth of his Gospel. And I declare it is my wish and intention to continue in the same faith and religion, having no other hope or refuge but in his gratuitous adoption of me, upon which is founded all my salvation; embracing the grace which he has given me in Jesus Christ, and accepting the merit of his death and passion, that so all my sins may be buried; and beseeching Him so to wash and cleanse me in the blood of that great Redeemer, which was shed for all poor sinners, that in his image I may appear before his face. I declare also, that, according to the measure of grace bestowed upon me, I have endeavoured to teach his word in its purity, as well in sermons as in writings, and endeavoured

faithfully to expound the holy Scriptures; and that in all the disputes which I have had with the enemies of truth, I have never used either craftiness or so

phistry, but have fairly maintained the truth. But, alas! my zeal, if it deserve the name, has been so cold and unworthy, that I feel myself highly indebted in all, and through all and if it were not for his infinite bounty, all the zeal I have discovered would appear light as smoke, and the graces which he has bestowed upon me would only render me more guilty. So that my only refuge is, that He being the Father of mercy, I trust he will be, and appear the Father of so miserable a sinner." Mackenzie, pp. 121, 122.

It was thus that Calvin, when the shades of death began to thicken around him, bequeathed to mankind the last expressions of his reliance on Jesus Christ for everlasting salvation. It deserves consideration, that in this his dying confession of faith are to be discovered no traces of any doctrinal system, but such as is common to all devout members of the Protestant church. He ascribes his salvation simply to gratuitous mercy through the cross of Christ; and what is worthy of remark, by such as are familiar with his name only as designating a controversy, he unequivocally speaks of the shedding of our Saviour's blood "for all poor sinners" in common with himself. Had his death-bed been surrounded by persons hostile to the peculiar creed which is designated by his name, some plausible suspicion might have arisen that the commencement of his last will, in obedience to their persuasions or arguments, was in fact a recantation of earlier opinions; but in reality, he died in the midst of a circle formed by himself, and unreservedly devoted to his person and theology. We see, therefore, that when he was delivering his final sentiments, such delivery was in the highest sense his own act and deed. No opponent was present to suggest doubts; and on the other hand, as his attendant friends were entirely of his own school, their advice, whether asked for or offered, would in either case have imparted the colouring of their master's system to his last written act of faith; un

less indeed, as was possibly the fact, they, as well as himself, lived and prepared to die, supported by the undisputed doctrines of the Gospel, and lost sight of their Calvinism in the near approaches of the eternal world. He chose, independently of both parties, ground common to each; namely, the one fundamental doctrine of salvation exclusively by grace through faith inChrist Jesus. The circumstance seems to prove, that when he was entering the valley of the shadow of death, and of course desirous of examining with more than ordinary seriousness the solidity of his immortal hopes, he reposed himself not on what the world, and especially the world of his adversaries, might suppose to be his only favourite and exclusive opinions, but on the same truths which supported not only Luther, Melancthon, and Cranmer, in his own age; but in succeeding periods Pascal and Fenelon,Baxter and Leighton, with men of various names and denominations, but who were all trusting to one gracious Redeemer, and interested in one common salvation. It is a subject of religious exultation to serious minds, that there is unquestionably a point where really pious individuals attached to creeds and communities very widely separated will always practically meet. It is a unity not of a few correct opinions held in common ; but a unity of spirit growing out of a unity of faith in Christ crucified. In this manner they have one faith, one Lord, one baptism; and so powerful is the influence of this communion of saints, that neither the consubstantiation of Luther, nor the relic-veneration of Pascal, nor the dogmas of Calvin, can dissolve their confederacy in relation to Him who, having laid down his life for his sheep, knows how to pardon their weakness, and forgive their Me errors. Out of this communion are, alas! to be found multitudes defying each other, now with argument, then with sophistry; with vehement truth, and unyielding

:

error; always conquering, and never subdued; and altogether forming so grotesque an exhibition of the waywardness of the world, as might tempt us to smile in scorn at the perverseness of human nature, were not every disposition to contempt restrained by the consideration, that the individuals playing this game of controversy are, in the most serious sense, losers to a heavy amount; since such religious inquirers may be pursued at the cost of their salvation. We all require to be reminded of the old remark, the quaintness of which does not derogate from its verity, that in scriptural truth "there are shallows where the lamb may wade, and depths where the elephant may swim ;" and need, in consequence, to be warned, lest we venture into the deeps, and, after much sanguine computation of our buoyancy, sink and perish for ever. It has been wisely said,

"Myst'ries are food for angels; they digest

With ease, and find them nutriment; but man,

While yet he dwells below, must stoop

to glean His manna from the ground, or starve, and die."

Cowper's Posthumous Poems.

In the closing paragraph, we are anxious to repeat the hope, that no individual of any party whatsoever will misuse the present recurrence to the name and writings of Calvin, by making it the occasion of reviving the evils of controversy. That our design throughout is pacific, and favourable to practical utility, is, we trust, evident from the execution, Zealous partisans, on every side, will probably be dissatisfied; not, it is presumed, by what has been said, but by what has been omitted; and in such a case, we know but too well that silence, in their view, merits condemnation. We request, however, that before sentence is passed, the judges on either side will themselves faithfully read those neutral parts of the

Institutes which have furnished the chief materials of this review, that they may pronounce their decisions with the legitimate authority of knowledge, derived from the accredited sources of information. We shall be satisfied, in the interval, if it can be impartially asserted, that we have drawn up a plain and useful article upon a subject bordering on the most restless and fiery regions of controversy, in the spirit of quietness and dispassionate sincerity.

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Narrative of a ten-years' Residence at Tripoli, in Africa, from the original Correspondence in the Possession of the Family of the late RICHARD TULLY, Esq. the British Consul; comprising authentic Memoirs and Anecdotes of the reigning Bashaw, his Family, and other Persons of Distinction : also, an Account of the domestic Manners of the Moors, Arabs, and Turks. London: Colburn. 1817. Second Edition. 4to. pp. xiv. 370.

IT is a trite observation, that, when we become accustomed to our blessings, we too often cease to be grateful for them. Of all the blessings, however, which we enjoy, those which awaken the least gratitude, while they often deserve the greatest, are our privileges and exemptions. This reflection, indeed, is not new: it has been frequently suggested, and is most feelingly enlarged upon, in the well-known apostrophe of Thomson

Ah! little think the gay, licentious proud, Whom pleasure, pow'r, and affluence surround,

They, who their thoughtless hours in
And wanton, often cruel, riot waste;
giddy mirth
Ah! little think they, while they dance
along,

How many feel this very moment death,
And all the sad variety of pain;
How many sink in the devouring flood
Or more devouring flame; how many

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This affecting thought has continually occurred to us, while reading the sprightly and interesting work, of which the title stands at the head of this article. It is an exposition of the manners, condition, and character of the Moors of Tripoli, and the other states of Barbary, and is well calculated to impress the feeling mind with a sense of the superior advantages which we enjoy in a higher state of civilization; and still more, we hope, with thankfulness for those invaluable improvements which Christianity has introduced even into the temporal, to say nothing here of the spiritual, condition of all classes of persons within the sphere of its influence.

The volume consists of a series of letters, written by a lady, who was sister to the British Consul at Tripoli, and who, during ten years, in which she resided with him at that place, enjoyed the closest intimacy with those commonly inaccessible personages the ladies of the bashaw's harem; and of course had constant access to all other Moors of distinction. The letters contain a description of facts as they occurred, and of manners as they presented themselves; and, as the period in question was a most eventful one at Tripoli, the result is a collection of interesting particulars, well selected, and elegantly, though too negligently written, and which throw considerable light on a corner of society which is generally involved in studied and impenetrable obscurity.

Of the powers of this lady in description, we offer the following specimen to our readers; premising, however, that we are not responsible for the grammatical inaccura

cies which deform this and the succeeding extracts.

"It was one of those clear still nights known only in the Mediterranean : the bright beams of the moon from a brilliant sky, distinctly discovered to us the greatest part of the Messeah with every object in it. The silence in the town was striking nothing denoted a night of cheerful relaxation after a long day's fast in Ramadan, at which time the Moors are seen in their yards, and on their terraces, profiting by the few hours' relief they can enjoy from sunset to day's abstinence. The greatest part of sunrise, to prepare them for another the inhabitants were without the ramparts guarding the town; and the rest of the Moors, instead of being seen sitting on their terraces, were, by their fears, their houses. and the Bashaw's orders, retired within

In the streets no objects were visible but the town guard with their hungry pack of dogs, prowling about in vain for some strolling victim to repay them for their vigilance. Near

us,

not a sound broke upon the ear but
that of the slow-swelling wave that
washed the walls of the town; while,
at a great distance on a calm sea, the
white sails of the passing vessels were
distinctly visible by the clearness of the
night.
Opposed to this calm, were the

confused screams and the incessant fir-
ing in the Pianura and in the country
round, accompanied by the loud song
of war, and the continual beating of
the tambura, or drum, to call the Moors
and Arabs to arms.
of Moorish horsemen and foot soldiers
Frequent parties
we distinctly saw, by the light of the
moon, passing with swiftness over the
sands in pursuit of the Arabs. The
death song breaking from different
parts of the country, often announced
person on either side, who at that mo-
to us the loss of some distinguished
ment was numbered with the slain."
p. 289.

We subjoin another passage, in which many persons will recognise a striking similarity to the account of the ostrich in Xenophon's Expedition of the younger Cyrus.

"The Venetian galliots sailed hence some weeks since, carrying ostriches, antelopes, and parrots, as presents from the Consul for the Doge of Venice. It is asserted that the ostrich will eat iron. ways digest what they eat, we have had That they may, but that they do not ala recent and singular proof. While the above-mentioned ostriches were at the

Venetian house, some days previous to their being embarked, a silver snuff-box was missing. One of the ostriches died soon after it was on board; and the captain of the frigate, regretting the loss of the ostrich consigned to his care for the Doge, had the bird opened on board, to ascertain the cause of its death. Within the stomach was found some pieces of a broken lantern, nails, keys, and the identical snuff-box, which, from its size and shape, proved too much for the ostrich to digest, and consequently caused its death.

"The Arabs, when they go to hunt these birds, carry with them no other provision than wheat wetted with water. They take no other nourishment than this sorry food till they find an ostrich, which they roast and feed on, while enjoying the thought of the treasures its feathers will yield them. The Arabs will follow an ostrich for six or seven

days successively, by which time it is so fatigued for want of food and rest,

that it easily suffers itself to be taken,

and the feathers are considered as a full

reward for the laborious trouble of taking it. The prime feathers, in the first state they are taken from the bird, will fetch from one to three sequins here." p. 297.

we

The use, however, which we propose to make of this volume, is to select from it some striking facts, detailed with an easy felicity of manner, and which may serve, by God's blessing, to make us more thankful than we are apt to be, for the climate in which live, the national habits in which we are educated, the temperate government by which we are protected, and above all for the sound and enlightened religion which is every where professed, and which sheds an indisputably beneficial lustre around both individuals and the community.

It is commonly observed of Englishmen, that their comfort depends more upon weather than that of most other nations; that it enters more into their conversation and calculations, and more immediately affects their spirits and engagements. If this be a true report, we ought not to repine at a climate, which with all its changeableness affords perhaps more days,

as one of our own kings observed of it, in which it is possible to go abroad with comfort, than almost any other under the sun.

There all around the gentlest breezes stray;

There gentle music melts on every spray,

Creation's mildest charms are there

combined.

And, perhaps, had we space to detail the accounts given in this volume of the deserts of Barca, the Campsing winds and the dangers from wild beasts in the caravans of Africa, they would make us better satisfied than we are wont to be with these mild and gentle recommendations. To all which we are happily exempted, this we might add the plague, from but which raged for a long while at Tripoli, during the residence of our authoress in that city.

Again; with regard to national customs, is it not an unquestionable cause of thankfulness, to an all-wise Providence, that we have not to effect of habits such as contend against the pernicious those which are described in the following extracts, and to which many others equally revolting might be added.

"The Moors marry so extremely young, that the mother and her first born are often seen together as playmates, equally anxious and angry in an infantine game. The women here are often grandmothers at twenty-six or twenty-seven years of age; and it is therefore no wonder they live frequently to see the children of many of their generation." p. 31.

“The Moorish ladies are in general occupied in overlooking a numerous set of slaves, who make their sweetmeats and cakes, clean and grind their wheat, spin, and, in short, are set about whatever seems necessary to be done. The ladies inspect by turns the dressing of the victuals, and during the time spent in this way, two sets of slaves are in attendance; one set perform the culinary operations, while another station themselves round their mistress, removing instantly from her sight any thing that

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