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who has a predominant love to sin, be at the same time heartily disposed to deny it? In a word, how can a man act from principles, which he has not? These hints are sufficient to show the necessity of a divine operation to implant in our souls a new, supernatural principle." VII. The belief of gospel doc

trines.

"Would we remain steadfast in the true doctrines of the gospel, let us love them for their transcendent excellence and purity; let us not only confess them with our mouths to be truths, but believe them with our hearts; let us be cordially willing they should be true; let us rejoice with the greatest complacency in the whole system of revealed truth. If our wills and affections do thus embrace and cleave to the truth, our understandings will be prepared to see more and more of its reality and beauty."

"There may be some very plausible arguments brought a gainst the truth; but a truly pious heart would quickly solve all difficulties, and remove all objections. The weakest christian, that has an upright, sanctifired temper, can readily and certainly distinguish between the voice of Christ and his truth, and the voice of hirelings and hereticks, in every point that is essential to true religion. For he has a spiritual taste, which discerns, relishes, and feeds upon the vital, saving truths of christianity, and so has the witness in himself, that these doctrines are true and

divine, and that every thing contrary to them is dangerous errour and delusion."

"Whatever article of christian faith has a plain and neces sary connection with the great object of christianity, viz. the glory of God in the salvation of men, as exhibiting a necessary cause, condition, or means of it, is to be esteemed essential to christianity. For instance, those truths, which exhibit the free grace of God the Father, the mediation, infinite atonement, and justifying righteousness of God the Son in our nature, and the effectual influences of the Holy Spirit in bringing home to particular souls the grace of the one, and the redemption of the other. These doctrines are eminently fundamental objects of belief." He asserts the same of the doctrines, which exhibit the conditions, and the means of our salvation.

In showing the unreasonableness of an unsettled temper in religious matters, he observes; "God has given us all needful helps to determine us; the clear and bright sunshine of his word to inform us what is truth, duty, interest, and the grounds and evidences of each."

VIII. Practical and experimental views.

"Let every man consider seriously the transcendent evil of sin, which is no less than a direct affront to our infinite Creator and Governor, by violating the law which he values, as a transcript of his own holy nature, and enforces by the

penalty of eternal death. Let us read the nature of sin in the dismal history of its effects and consequences. Let us first see the fall and ruin of a whole species effected by a single act of sin. See the deluge. See the only Son of God suffering and dying. To add a finishing picture of the malignity of sin; when we shall see the elements melting with fervent heat, and the heavens passing away with a great noise; when we shall see the judgment set, the books opened, the irreversible sentence pronounced on the impenitent; then we shall understand, that it was sin, that made all these desolations, that kindled all these fires, and will still be kindling a much greater, even the fire of hell, which shall burn for ever. Consider, oh sinner, all these scenes of horror; and know that there is unspeakably more evil in sin, than in all these."

"I grant that to love any object merely for the reward or happiness of loving, is not so properly to love, as to traffick, and flows not from pure affection to the object, but from selfish regard to our own interest. But on the other side, to love a worthless thing, to embrace a cloud, or cling about a bramble, in short, to place our affection where we can expect nothing but disappointment and misery, is very absurd, phrensical, and

ruinous."

The following passage is quoted from a sermon, which he wrote just before his death.

"As christianity is the relig

ion of sinners; so a cordial reception of it must presuppose and powerfully cherish a humbling sense of personal guilt and depravity, and a disposition to ascribe the needed blessings of pardon, holiness, and eternal life to the infinite mercy of God operating through the perfect atonement of his Son. Accordingly the habitual views and exercises of every real christian harmonize with the prayer of the publican, God be merciful to me a sinner; with the acknowledgment of our a postle, by the grace of God I am what I am; and with the song of the heavenly hosts, salvation to our God, who sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb. Whoever cordially repents of sin and embraces the gospel, will readily unite with our apostle in esteeming himself less than the least of all saints, and in ascribing all his privileges and hopes to the riches of divine mercy."

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"The reason of things, as well as the arrangement of the Lord's prayer, instructs us to ask our daily bread, or needed external good, not merely as an instrument of animal, much less of sinful gratification, but as requisite or conducive to our serving the purposes of his kingdom; yea, to beg the forgiveness of our sins, and deliv erance from temptation and all evil, not barely for selfish ends, but that God's honour and kingdom may be promoted by our pardon, sanctification, and final happiness, and by our corres pondent, everlasting returns service and praise.'

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These quotations may serve as a specimen of the Professor's sentiments on doctrinal and practical subjects. We rejoice to find that a divine so universally beloved, and so highly celebrated by all descriptions of men for his candour, knowledge, and piety, harmonized in sentiment with the fathers of New England, with the framers of the excellent catechism, and with the host of worthies, who have blessed the church of God in different ages.

From the Christian Observer. THE annexed Memoir of that eminently pious woman, Mrs. SAVAGE, is extracted chiefly from her Diary, and though in an imperfect state, I transmit it to you, that you may judge whether its probable utility gives it any claim to insertion in the Christian Observer. The well known character of both her father and brother (Philip and Matthew Henry) may render it interesting to your readYours,

ers.

E. P. A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF MRS. SAVAGE, ELDEST DAUGHTER OF THE REV. PHILIP HENRY, OF BROAD OAK, IN FLINTSHIRE.

also taught her to write, and at ten years old she used to write the sermons which he preached with tolerable exactness. She mentions in her Diary, that she afterwards read these sermons with great comfort and edification at the distant period of sixty years. She was remarkably happy in her natural temper, which was cheerful, easy, and affectionate. She was piously disposed even from her childhood, and very sensible of the religious advantages which she enjoyed in the instructions and example of her excellent parents; and she was careful to profit by them. She continued to write down the sermons of the ministers whom she attended, even to old age; and she was in the habit of care. fully reading over what she had written, endeavouring to fix on her memory such particulars as related to practice, and frequently praying over them in her closet.

In her fifteenth year she partook, for the first time, of the Lord's Supper, and on that occasion she devoted herself to God with a sincerity and solemnity which proved a source of satisfaction to her in after life.

She was accustomed to take an exact account of her frame and temper, whenever she joined in that ordinance, a circumstance which fully evinced the high value, and esteem she entertained for it.

THIS excellent woman was born August 7th, 1664. At the early age of seven years she could readily construe a psalm in the Hebrew Bible. The disposition which she manifested to engage in the pursuit. At the age of twenty three of Hebrew literature, induced she was married to Mr. John her father to compile an Eng- Savage, of Wrenbury Wood, in lish grammar for her use. He the county of Salop. In this Vol. I. No. 5. Bb

relation it was her uniform desire and endeavour to discharge its peculiar duties as well as to adorn, in all things, the doct rine of God her Saviour. She and her husband made it their constant practice to pray with each other morning and evening, beside engaging in family and private devotion. Providence continued them long together, no less than forty years, blessings to each other and to all around them, so far as their influence and ability extended. Mrs. Savage was the mother of nine children, many of whom died in their infancy : four daughters survived her, who rose up to call her blessed. She was remarkable for her care and tenderness toward her children in their infancy, but still more for the concern which she manifested for their souls as they grew up and became capable of receiving instruction. Not only was a considerable part of the sabbath evenings devoted to the important duty of instructing them, but it was her daily endeavour, both by precept and example, to train them in the way wherein they ought to go. She had a happy method of rendering religion interesting to young people, by encouraging them to ask questions and to converse freely on the subject; and she was careful not to represent it in a forbidding light by any thing harsh or severe in her manners or temper: and to these means of improving their minds she daily added the most affectionate prayers

both with them and for them. Many instances might be adduced of her pious care over them, both in the serious advice which she gave them, and in the letters which she wrote to them when abroad. Whenever she saw it needful to give them reproof it was al ways done in a manner which shewed that she had nothing in view but their real welfare.

Mrs. Savage had much pleasure in the company and converse of her friends, and particularly of pious ministers; but her chief delight was in her closet: she was constant in her retirements morning and evening, and in the latter part of her life at noon also; in reading the Scriptures; singing a psalm or hymn and praying; and though these exercises were so frequent and fervent, yet she suffered them not to interfere with her domestic duties. She had recourse also to the duty of prayer upon any remarkable tidings, or occurrence, either merciful or afflictive, usually retiring to her closet on such occasions, to pour out her heart before God: and in her old age she was still more abundant in this duty. If left alone at her work she was often found by her family on their return in a praying posture. Her first words when she awoke in the morning consisted generally of some petition or ejaculation, and in the same manner did she close the day. Her love to the word of God was no less remarkable than her spirit of prayer. She

might truly be said "to meditate therein day and night." She had treasured in her memory psalms, hymns, and catechisms which she could repeat to herself with pleasure and profit during the waking hours of night; and by frequent reading of the book of Psalms, she had learned the greatest part of them by heart. In some of the last years of her life, she usually kept her Bible within her reach while she was at work, that she might readily turn to such texts as were the subjects of her thoughts and meditations. She also delight ed much in reading books of practical divinity, as "Bennett's Christian Oratory, Rowe's Derout Exercises, Watts's Sermons, and Baxter's Saint's Rest; but especially her father's Expositions of Scripture, with the reading of which she usually began the day. Biographical accounts of eminently pious persons were likewise a favourite study with her: from these it was her practice to make extracts for the use of herself and her family. Not withstanding the variety of those occupations which have been already mentioned, she was remarkably diligent in business, carefully redeeming the time,so that those who lived the longest with her think she was scarcely chargeable with the loss of an hour. The pleasure with which she gave alms, or did any kind offices to the poor or afflicted, is not to be described. She willingly employed herself in making

garments for them, and she always gratefully acknowledged the goodness of God in giving her ability to supply their. wants. She was observed to be most cheerful on those days. in which she had most calls upon her charity.

The submission to the will of God manifested by this lady on the death of her only son, was extraordinary, and satisfactorily evinced the excellency and reality of her religious principles. She received on that melancholy occasion, many consolatory letters from her friends, particularly one from the Rev. Mr, Finch, of Warwick; a part of her answer to that gentleman is as follows;

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

"I esteem it a high favour that you should take so much time from your weighty employments to write to me and for all your kind expressions of tender sympathy; it is a demonstration that monstration that you are qual ified (as every minister should be) to bind up broken hearts, and to speak a word in season to them that need it. It has pleased our heavenly Father,in wisdom to chastise us, by taking away the desire of our eyes with a stroke; yet I desire to justify him in all his dealings. From his good hand nothing can come amiss. I was ready to say this same shall comfort us, and that he would be serving God on earth, when we are silent in the dust; but infinite wisdom hath ordered otherwise, and shall human. folly dispute? Our wise and

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