"Whose heart is made of tenderness,

"

His bowels melt with love."

19

I wish I possessed the ability to set before your wondering eyes the unfading glories of the Prince of Life, the Lord of angels, the Friend of sinners; who, although exalted far above all heavens, is still saying to every tried and afflicted saint Let me hear thy voice, let me see thy countenance; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance comely." Yes, it is a sweet thought to my soul, that whilst angels are bowing down before the glories of the Lamb in the midst of the throne, he still waits to be gracious to every applicant, and never fails to speak a word in season to him that is weary and sure am I the glories of his name will never be tarnished by closing his ear to the cry of the mourner, or in withholding the blessing from the poor, and from him that hath no helper, even life for ever more. Remember, in every spiritual exercise you are not placing your confidence in one, who is frail and faithless, like sinning man but in Jesus, who has bound up his own glory with the common interest of his saints, so that Heaven and earth shall pass away, before one jot or tittle of his word shall fail; or the expectation of the poor perish for ever." In committing your cause into the hands of this dear Saviour, there is no fear of coming short of the promised blessing; for whilst we behold in him all the tenderness and compassion of afflicted humanity, we can at the same time discover all the authority and the glory of the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who will not only deliver his people out of the deep waters of affliction, but enable them to justify the work of his hands.

I would remind you that the saints of the Most High have in all ages January, 1842.]

ing discoveries of the glory of the person of the Lord Jesus; and that under circumstances the most painful to flesh and blood, and whilst gazing upon his beauty with feelings of the most devout admiration, even from the valley of humiliation, have felt something of the blessedness expressed by the apostle when he said, "We all with open face beholding, as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of Jehovah."

If any other testimony was wanting to confirm the hopes of my sister, and to strengthen her confidence in the Rock of salvation; I would condnct her, in spirit, to behold with the prophet in vision, the "Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filling the temple;" and whilst frail mortality withdraws from the wondrous scene, exclaiming with feelings of self-abasement, "Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell among a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the king the Lord of Hosts;" overpowering as must every revelation of the person of Christ be, as the Mighty God, and the everlasting Father; yet, the Holy Spirit is pleased to make him known in the hearts of his people as the Prince of peace. Methinks this two-fold view of the character of our adorable Jesus, is pregnant with the sweetest consolation to every poor sinner, who is looking for redemption in Israel; and sometimes imparts a joy to the trembling saint, that is unspeakable, and full of expectation of eternal glory. It is true the object of our eternal hopes, rules and reigns over all worlds; but in the assumption of our nature, he has condescended to come down to our lowest condition, even to feed his flock like a shepherd, to gather his lambs in his arms, and to gently lead those that are with

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young." These representations of the complex person of the Lord Jesus Christ, are, to my mind, the sweetest truths of the everlasting Gospel; and yet I fear that the soul of my afflicted sister may be so overpowered, and burthened with the great loss she has experienced, that her soul, through the influence of unbelief, may refuse to be comforted, and falsely conclude with one of old and say, "I am one that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath; he hath led me, and brought me into darkness. but not into light; surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day."

Perhaps when these hasty remarks reach you, you may be under the influence of despairing feelings; if so, I would again commend you to Him, who hath promised to give his angels charge over you, and keep you in all your ways: they shall bear you up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. And I do feel persuaded that in the midst of all your ways they shall bear you up in their hand, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. And I do feel persuaded, that in the midst of all vour future trials, you will experience proofs of his loving-kindness, and

tender merey which will ever prove a source of the purest joy. In one word, if I may have failed in administering comfort to your sinking spirit, blessed be my covenant-keeping God, with him there can be no failures, who in every season of greatest need, will open your heart to receive all the instruction and consolation which the gospel of the blessed God is designed to impart; and cause you with holy submission to say "Good is the will of the Lord concerning me;" and if at any time your fears and misgivings arise, and the difficulties of your path increase and abound, may you be favoured with hearing that well-known voice, which hushes the storm and the tempest into the sweetest repose, and who

hath said, "Fear not, I have redeemed thee, thou art mine: when thou passeth through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee: the fire shall not burn thee, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

Praying that the Lord will grant you the enjoyment of every new covenant blessing, I remain yours affectionately in the Lord,

the nation that honoureth me I will honour."

At all times advocating, therefore, the principle of a State Church, as our author terms it, it affects us but little to stretch before us, in long array, the catalogue of her many imperfections: it is because of these -because in its principles and practice England's hierarchy is not in our view according to the scripture model -that we are dissenters; but illustrations numberless might be adduced to manifest that man's folly, who argues, that because a thing is not perfect that therefore it ought to be destroyed.

To invalidate the principle of a State Church, our author should demonstrate that the Most High regards with greater approbation that people who, as a nation, reject and slight his authority, dwelling in a proud and haughty scepticism. Let him but scripturally do this, and we will at once give up the argument.

Our readers must bear in mind that the question has no connexion with personal godliness, or new covenant blessings: we hold, and scripture establishes the fact, that national acknowledgments of God,national repentance, and national prayers, have brought down, and do bring down from God, those nether-spring mercies which scripture, with equal plainness proves to have been withheld from those na. tions who in no way own the Lord as moral Governor of the universe. It will be of no weight to tell us of pagan nations who have attained high prosperity, and who yet continued pagan. Their prosperity was to effect the wise designs of Jehovah, and so soon as these were brought about, they were thrown aside and forgotten: but this has never been the case, and never will be the case with any peo ple, while they nationally acknowledge his authority and reverence his laws.

The history of the Jewish people may be brought forward in proof.

them on the condition of their obedience to the Lord's commands; and God's covenant with that nation was dependant upon and influenced by their keeping his laws. The case of Nineveh, again, and of Nebuchadnezzar, might be adduced, These instances prove the truth of our argument, while at the same time it must always be remembered, they have no reference whatever to that better covenant, ordered in all things and sure, which God, in behalf of his spiritual Israel, hath made with the Lord the Redeemer as the substitute and head of his elect family.

Entering now upon the numerous blemishes and various anomalies attaching to England's hierarchy, and which it is the design of this volume to render more apparent, we are compelled to acquiesce in almost every statement. England's hierarchy has blemishes which it were devoutly to be wished could be removed. it enforces anomalies which carry on their own foreheads their own absurdity: but when a reform of these things is talked about, we stop: and when we reflect that Cranmer and Latimer and Hooper, frustrated as they undoubtedly were, by secular-minded politicians, could not accomplish their own model of an establishment; and when we reflect that the lawn-sleeved dignitaries of our day are, most, if not all of them, secular-minded politicians themselves, we fear to entrust to such a sanhedrim the framing of a new discipline, or the revision of the present.

We have in the Thirty-nine Articles an admirable portraiture of scripture truth. We have in the services of the Church much of God's word puplicly read. We rejoice at this, while at the same time we lament that so much of popery has been suffered to remain in connection with the Establishment of Protestant England. May God in his own time raise up fit instruments for this most needful second reformation!

One remark more before entering upon the contents. It is avowedly the author's design to exhibit the Church of England with all its faults, and the inference he draws, and which he wishes his readers to draw therefrom, is that these faults result from its connection with the state. In one part, indeed, he seeks to impress this his opinion upon the clergy themselves, and coaxingly endeavours to persuade them how much to their own advantage it would be to dissever themselves from the government. But we were intending to observe, if it be true that this union of Church and State encrusts all the pollution on the former, surely we ought to find, in those sects which are not thus united, a sample of absolute perfection. But is it so? If some kind hand were to lift up the veil of other sects, as this author has done with the Church of England, should we find no schisms, no intolerance, no rapacity, no worldly mindedness? Alas! these things lie deeper than discipline: they spring from the fountain of the heart's depravity, and are to be found among Dissenters as well as Churchmen; Independents as well as Methodists.

The work comprises thirteen chapters in the first the Church Magazine is rightly depictured, but the party it most injures is the church it professes to advocate. The author's

views of the church of England as a sect are then given; the popery of the church of England is next manifested. Puseyism in the succeeding chapter is exhibited in its true colours; this is indeed popery battening upon the very vitals of protestantism in the establishment, and preparing her with alarming celerity for a junction with the apostate at Rome : the absurd chimera of apostolical succession is ably exposed. The common prayer-book is plainly demonstrated to be of human origin, and in fact to be neither more nor less than an amended edition of the popish ritual. Episcopal conformity and

The volume is written in a style of considerable terseness and force, but withal with great severity; its facts are well arranged, and with much ability brought to bear upon the arguments they are adduced to enforce. Indeed we feel no hesitation in saying, that of the many attacks which have been of late made upon the church of England, this is undoubtedly the most formidable, and is one which imperatively requires her ablest champion successfully to repel. It may however remain unnoticed, in which case, unlike many unanswered books, the author may, without egotism, take to himself the praise of having produced a book which could not readily be replied to.

Letters addressed by the Rev. Henry James Prince, to his Christian Brethren at St. David's College Lampeter. 12mo. pp. 64. Llandovery. W. Rees.

dable anxiety. The first letter contains many judicious directions, first generally, and then particularly, on that temper of mind, that line of conduct, and that prayerful watchfulness, which shall tend to cherish that inward peace, which shall prepare them for all those trials and difficulties through which they may be called to pass.

In the second letter among many animated and well digested cautions to the young students at St. David's .there are several which are crude and very defective; we quote oneAgain, dear brethren, ye especially with whom it is but the day of small things, despise it not. Jesus is one who will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, until He shall have brought forth judgment unto truth. Give yourselves up to the grace of God, my beloved, and beseech of Him to water that which He hath sown. Let me pray you" to give the more earnest heed to the things which ye have heard, lest at any time ye let them slip." Know ye that your hearts, in respect to holy things, are like unto leaky vessels, and therefore, that unless ye are ever on the watch to find the holes and stop them, what good ye already have is in danger of becoming as the morning cloud, and as the early dew which goeth away." Lest at any time," &c. Ye may not have let them slip as yet, nor yesterday, nor yet to-day; but ye may to morrow, or next day."

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Now here is an address which is quite unscriptural, that blessed Spirit who quickens the dead sinner, will not fail to carry on and perfect that work which he hath begun, but can the believer, whatever be his standing in the divine life, himself watch all the inlets through which Satan will find access to his soul, and as this author says" Find the holes and stop them." Nor will the grace of God ever like the early dew, pass away or be lost. Oh, no, every spiritual

blessing is secured to the humblest member of the family, in Christ their Elder brother. The third and fourth letters are similar, and display that kindness of feeling and that deep interest in the soul prosperity of those to whom they are addressed, that the reader himself cannot but feel a glow of atachment to one, who evidently possesses so much that is amiable. The fifth letter is on the subject of justification by faith, here, while on the one hand, justification irrespective of all work and working is contended for, on the other, our author makes faith the procuring, or meritorious cause of the sinner's justification, nor does he scripturally show how the sinner is first convinced of his sinful state and condition, there is throughout a jargon which mars the whole and confuses the mind rather than instructs. Some good observations blended with many that are quite contrary to the experience of the Lord's family; we give a short extract

He

"Is He not a God wonderful in working? Hath He not done all things well? In all His dealings with His people, though often great and marvellous, yet is He a God of judgment. He worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will. Blessed indeed are all they that wait for him;-wait for him, whilst He is waiting for them. is waiting for them, till they are able to receive salvation by grace, and they must wait for Him till He hath made them able; for the whole work is God's work: it is He and He only who can fit the soul to receive salvation by grace: it is He who must make poor as well as afterwards make rich it is He who must empty the soul, as well as fill it when it has been emptied: it is He who must break the heart, as well as bind it up : and the means whereby God does these things is by keeping the soul waiting upon Him, in the midst of, and notwithstanding all its deadness,