misery; and therefore, no favour could an absolute God evince towards man.

C. T. R. likewise affirms, that the justice of God was not largely illustrated till the fall of those who kept not their first estate.' Upon this point I have only to say, that I consider the justice of God was as much displayed prior to their lapse, in the continuation of their bliss, as afterwards in the requirement of their curse, through the corruption of their every faculty.

C. T. R. affirms, that all the perfections of God are not always manifested in his works;' and adds, that mercy not being evidenced in all his acts, will not prove that it is not essential to his nature.' Now I call upon C. T. R. to enumerate a single instance where all the perfections of God are not conspicuous in his works, whether it be Christ, angel, man, beast, or any substance whatever; and, therefore, mercy not being expressed in the den of damnation, cannot be an attribute essential to the nature of our God; for if it were, it must then be exemplified, as are all others.

C. T. R. also saith, if the attribute of mercy be a perfection, God is by necessity of nature possessed thereof.' This is supposing time to be eternal, beginning to be self-existent; since perfections are in God without commencement, attributes without beginning there are none; and, therefore, one cannot be synonimous with the other, as C. T. R. supposes.

6

Lastly.-C. T. R. declares, It cannot be advanced as an objection of any force, that God cannot be by nature a merciful God, because he is only a God of mercy in Christ Jesus; for the election of a medium in and through which alone to display his mercy, will never prove that he is not essentially possessed of such an attribute.' Here C. T. R. must excuse me in saying, this is cool reasoning; to speak figuratively, it is a Calvinistic bird in Socinian feathers. I speak it with reverence, but after Jehovah had determined upon the salvation of sinners, it was not then a matter of choice whether his Son should make atonement, fulfil the law, &c. or not, it was indispensably requisite that he should; and thus, while sovereignty determined to people the heavens, she could not do it as she pleased, since equity stepped forth, demanding payment of her account prior thereto. It was a matter of choice with God whether he would save the lost or not; but the justice in which his throne is established, positively demanded the appearance of a Mediator to fill its inexorable claims by servitude and sufferance. As a God of justice, he could have condemned sinners without his Son; and had he been essentially merciful, he could have saved them without him also: but the determination to effect that which was not binding, connected with it the harmonization of every eternal perfection; and thus God could not display his mercy out of his Son. Yea, I will venture to say, that he never entertained the idea, without the consideration of the satisfaction that should be paid, in the election of his Beloved to headship, and investing him with the sacerdotal office.

Thus have I aimed to establish the correctness of the expression, 'Mercy is not an attribute essential to the nature of our God, but one which he is pleased to display, thereby giving a large illustration of his sovereignty.' I have endeavoured to prove, that the perfections and attributes of Jehovah are as different as the two natures of Jehovah Jesus that the perfections are all eternal; that the attributes are sovereignly assumed and displayed, not adding to the personal completeness of the Deity, although they are possessions he once had not. And I consider the confounding of the terms, which has been the case with almost all writers on theological points, has arisen from the want of deliberate consideration of the derivation of the words, (same as baptize and sprinkled.) The roots of words must not be concealed beneath the mould of forgetfulness, if their meanings are to be properly applied. Looking into an English dictionary, and finding attribute,' a perfection, or vice versa, will not warrant us to admit such meaning as an aphorism, any more than examining Johnson's lexicon, and not finding the word 'mahogany,' will authorize us to say, there never was such wood discovered or imported. I trust C. T. R. will allow these few remarks to be more than unmeaning postulation. I hope I have not failed to add proof to every principle adduced; and wishing him all increase of spiritual knowledge, peace, and endowments, I bid my employment-adieu. J. M. D.

Marylebone.

Addendum.-Jehovah being essentially just, was bound by his justice to condemn sinners; and had he been essentially merciful, he would have been equally bound by his mercy to save them. Is it not natural, therefore, to conclude, that he is not both just and merciful by a necessity of nature, since the contrary not only implies an expletive, but likewise a contradiction within himself?

FRAGMENT.

THOUGH the sins and backslidings of a believer cannot destroy his interest in Christ, yet they may so far destroy his comfort, that even after he is delivered from the power of them, he may for a long time go bleeding under the wounds he has received from the commission of them. The promise indeed is sure, that God will not UTTERLY "take away his loving-kindness" from one individual of the seed of grace, yet the threat is no less certain, that " he will visit their iniquity with a rod, and their sins with scourges;" not in a way of vindictive wrath, for that was all spent upon Christ, but in a way of mercy and fatherly chastisement. And, they only who know what it is to lose the light of God's countenance, after having enjoyed it for any time, can tell how sad and bitter a thing it is to be without the presence of him whose favour is better than life. In such a state, however, it is a good sign when the soul is very earnest and importunate at the throne of grace to recover its former frames and feelings, and a very bad sign when sensible consolations are looked upon as nothing worth.

REVIEW.

A Word for God, against certain Blasphemies reported to have been recently uttered in the House of Commons: a Sermon, preached before the Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor, on Sunday, Feb. 26, 1832, at the Parish Church of the Holy Sepulchre, London. By Thomas Mortimer, B. D. 8vo. pp. 24. London, Seeley.

THE occasion of this Sermon, whose title attracted our attention, as it will doubtless the attention of our readers, is some remarks made by Mr. Joseph Hume, M. P. for Middlesex, during a discussion in the House of Commons relative to the appointment of the recent fast-day. Certainly they were deserving of the severest reprehension, and we thank Mr. Mortimer for acting the reprover. Too few of his brethren, in the face of anticipated and longed-for preferment, can be found honest enough to rebuke" iniquity in high places;" to wield the thunder of Jehovah's word against those who presume on high station to secure them from the frown of man. The discourse, founded on the 9th Luke, verses 23 to 26, is not, in any other respects, deserving particular attention.

The Prospects of Britain. By James Douglas, Esq. of Cavers 8vo. pp. 101. Edinburgh, Black; London, Longman and Co. THE prospects of Britain is a subject which must be interesting to every British heart, but it is doubly dear to every regenerated one. The latter can not only sympathize with all those ardent and generous feelings which animate a patriot's bosom; but, touched with a live coal from an altar holier than patriotism dreams of, and being illuminated with knowledge from a source which the statesman seldom comes to, whereby he learns, that Britain, as the theatre whereon God's church will experience many vicissitudes, will doubtless display many and wondrous spectacles in these "the latter days." He is ever looking out, eagle-eyed and watchful, marking "the signs of the times," and gathering therefrom an indication of the future fate of the land, and of God's church therein.

Alas!" the signs of the times" now awaken gloomy forebodings: they tell us, that God is angry with us, that his frown is over us, that his arm is upraised in indignation, and will ere long fall with overwhelming destruction upon all those who fear not his name. Happy is the man who can without dread regard the pestilence which walketh in darkness, who can hear of wars and rumours of wars umoved, but by the tear of pity; his place of defence being the munitions of rocks, his home in the heavens, and his God the Lord.

Mr. Douglas's survey of England's prospects, seems the result of very careful observation. It will, doubtless, be perused by many with much gratification ; but as the author enters more politically into the subject than our readers would perhaps be careful to follow him, we shall make no extracts; and conclude only by adding, that those who may be disposed after this observation to peruse it, will be such as we think will rise well-pleased at their labour.

:

PRAISE ye the Lord! your glad hosannas raise;
Praise him, my soul, for thou hast cause to praise :
Praise the great Founder of earth, sea, and air,
Praise the Creator of all creatures there.
Praise him for life for every fleeting breath,
Praise for deliverance from the sting of death;
Praise for the blessings thou hast known on earth,
Praise for revealing those of richer worth.
Praise Him the sojourners in Zion's road
Praise without ceasing should their Father God.
Praise for direction in life's 'wildering way,
Praise for the flame by night, the cloud by day;
Praise shrouded 'neath adversity's dark gloom,
Praise should prosperity to cheer thee come.
Praise when thy pathway is a vale of tears,
Praise Him who silences your doubts and fears.
Praise when the radiant sunshine gilds your soul,
Praise, for the sun-beams shine at his control.
Praise Him who stayed you in sin's dang'rous road,
Praise Him who told you of yon bright abode;
Praise Him who breathed the first desires which rose,
Praise Him, the fount, whence every good wish flows.
Praise Him, the only God-acknowledg'd way,
Praise for the blessings of the gospel day:

Praise for the faith's view thou hast gain'd of heaven,
Praise for the hope of a bright entrance given.

Praise for the palm branch and the crown above,
Praise for the mansions in the land of love.
Praise when you enter Jordan's border wave,
Praise Him who died on Calvary to save.
Praise when you anchor on the further shore,
Praise Him who wafted you in safety o'er:
Praise when heaven's convoy meet to lead you on,
Praise when you bend before the eternal throne.
Praise! louder than archangel be your song,
Praise higher than the white-robed seraph throng.
Praise rapturous! they redemption never knew;
Praise, ecstacies of praise should rise from you.
Praise bursting from the harp-string, timbrel, voice,
Praise till heaven's arches echo with your joys.

March 20, 1832.

JOSEPH.

THE VILLAGE FUNERAL.

FROM her surviving friends,
And from observers round,
The glistening tear descends

Upon the hallowed ground:
And I too wept when Catherine B-
Reclin'd beneath the churchyard tree.

Had pass'd her latter days
In a retir'd abode,

Whence oft the song of praise

Had soar'd away to God:
And frequent too by grief unstrung,
Her harp upon the willows hung.