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ing and religious education, that there never may be wanting a sup ply of fit and able men to serve God in the church as well as the state, the thanks of the public are eminently due to those members of the University who have contributed to the recent improvement of their system. If it be followed up with fidelity and spirit, it will certainly be productive of great benefit to the kingdom. We have reason to believe, that its advantages have already been felt; and we are not without a hope that the sister University will pay due respect to an example so worthy of imitation. Whether the Essay by Mr. Wilks is to be attributed in any degree to the encouragement, which is held ont with so much, real wisdom at Oxford, to theological pursuits, we are unable to state. We accept it, however, as the promise and indication of increasing regard to religious knowledge:-and without this knowledge, of how little service to the sacred profession are all other at tainments, however splendid and sublime!

The occasion, on which the Essay was written, is stated in the title page. The subject was proposed by a Society for promoting Christian Knowledge and Church Union, established under the sanction of the good Bishop of St. David's: and few questions can be proposed of greater importance to the Christian ministry. The Society as-, sumes, that some ministers of the church are in a state of conversion, and some of unconversion: and it also believes that there are certain marks or visible signs, by which we may form a probable judgment of their state. These assumptions we consider as perfectly just: and, if the subject be discussed in a proper spirit and upon scriptural grounds, the inquiry cannot fail to be of inestimable service to all that minister in holy things.

The Essay is preceded by an introduction on the use of technical CHRIST. OBSERV, No. 160.

terms, with a particular reference to the words "conversion and unconversion." Mr. Wilks enters upon a defence of them, and pleads with much force for the adoption generally of scriptural language in its plain unsophisticated meaning. There is danger lest we shrink from the phraseology of the Bible: there is also danger, lest, while we use' the terms of Scripture, we lower their dignity or pervert their signification. Both errors are carefully to be avoided. Every minister of Christ will "endeavour to preserve the language of the Bible, from oblivion on the one hand, and from misrepresentation on the other." p. 11.

The evidences of conversion or unconversion in a minister, are considered in the Essay under two points of view; as they relate to his preaching, and his conduct.

With respect to preaching, the author maintains, "that those features which characterised the discourses of Christian ministers in purer ages, will be visible also in the discourses of Christian ministers in modern times." p. 20. The essential doctrines of religion will therefore be constantly inculcated; they will be the great and prominent topics of instruction from the pulpit; and the preacher who omits to explain and enforce them must be accounted as in a state of unconversion.

But what are the doctrines, which we include under the term "essential?" Mr. Wilks enumerates the following:-original sin; justification solely and exclusively through the merits of Christ; the divinity of our Saviour; the divinity of the Holy Ghost. These he mentions among the "peculiarities" of the Christian Revelation; and adds, that " it is by such doctrines the Gospel is distinguished from other systems of ethics or religion, and by such chiefly that the preaching of its true disciples differs from merely nominal Christian ministers."

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p. 26.

But the preaching of the converted minister will not be confined to doctrines: he must feel that religion is a " practical and influential principle," and will esteem it his duty to describe its nature and effects." He will therefore take every opportunity to impress upon his hearers the absolute necessity of a holy life: and this he will do, not by representing holiness as the meritorious cause of human redemption, but as the proof and evidence of faith: as the necessary consequence of a real scriptural belief in Christ, and as indicating our meetness for heaven. He will be careful to shew the true nature of holiness, and adopt the full declarations of the word of God with respect to its extent. The good works which he enjoins, will be founded upon evangelical principles and all the essential doctrines of Christianity will be illustrated as truths of moral and practical importance.

With a view to form a correct Judgment of a minister's state, Mr. Wilks next proposes to consider the evidences of conversion or unconversion, as they appear in bis conduct, and the general tenor of bis life.

He mentions particularly Christian zeal, residence and a peaceful demeanour in his parish, pastoral visiting, religious instruction of the young, decorum in recreations, a solemn regard to the dignity of the ecclesiastical function, a devout manner of performing the service, ready attention to those that solicit religious advice, mildness and condescension to inferiors, self-denial, choice of friends, intercourse with general society, willingness to endure the reproach of Christ, In all these points, and others connected with them, Mr. Wilks endeavours to mark the distinction between a converted and an unconverted minister: and it cannot be doubted, that in most cases the difference is undeniable.

Such is the general outline of the

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plan. We shall endeavour to state the manner in which it has been completed, by leaving Mr. Wilks tą speak for himself.

Before he enters upon the main‹ subject of the Essay, he proposes a few rules, by which a minister may be enabled to judge of his own state. He concludes in these terms:

"Prejudice against the peculiar doe trines of the Gospel is one of the most sion; and to this prejudice a minister is common obstacles in the way of conver

more exposed than a layman, since he has not only the sources of prejudice and objection natural to the hearts of all men, but some which are peculiar to himself. An unbiassed person cannot easily withstand the plain statements of Scripture; but he who knows someeasily soften them down, till they be thing of religious controversies, may, by his prejudices, close every avenue come of no value; and in this manner, to conviction. A minister thus prepos sessed, instead of admitting the Serip ture doctrine of conversion, of a total renovation of heart, endeavours to neus tralize every text that explains its nature or inculcates its necessity,

"If, however, he be induced to a knowledge the necessity of this radical change, it surely becomes a question of it has been realized. The subject will paramount importance, whether or not now appear to him with a prominenco which it never before possessed. He will begin anxiously to examine whethez his religion be merely the decency of professional character, or whether it be in truth the energetic influence of vital. Christianity. He will inquire, if, commencing in a consciousness of the infi nite guilt of sin, and the incompetency of man to deserve salvation by the best obedience, which since the fall he is able to bestow, it have proceeded to self-renunciation, to faith in our Lord.: Jesus Christ, and love to God the Fa ther; and lastly, whether it evidences itself by a life of holiness, and a pro gressive conformity to the Divine image, His thoughts, his words, his actions, and, above all, his motives, will be sub jects of careful investigation. He wilt pray for the Divine guidance in ascer taining his own character. He will immediately perceive, that love to God and to holiness, hatred to sin, an earnest desire to obtain salvation himself, and ;

to be the hononted instrument of con. veying it to others, are characteristic features of a converted minister; and In proportion as these are visible in bin self, he may judge favourably of his religious state. Agitated spirits – and inexplicable emotions are not the evidences of piety, He must look rather for a heavenly principle, active in its tendency, purifying the affections, expanding the soul, elevating the hopes and desires, crucifying the corrupt inclinations, fixing the heart on God, moderating self love, exciting to universal benevolence, in a word, regenerating the whole man, and making him meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.' He must expect to see the efficacy of this principle most conspicuous in the subjugation of those sins to which he is naturally most inclined, and which, under any influence short of true religion, be would be desirous of retaining. He will learn to look not so much to his real or delight in the public services of religion, as to the sincerity of his private devotions, since the former may be in fuenced by social feelings, while the latter are seldom cordial but in a reno vated mind. To these characteristics may be added acquiescence in the Divine will, and filial eagerness to perform the Divine commands; which are dispositions of mind so exclusively appropriate to a genuine Christian, that where they exist, or are fervently implored, other evidences will not be sought in vain. If, in a word, to be a true Christian, be the pre-eminent desire of his soul, and if the sincerity of this desire be correspondently evinced in his life, he already possesses an invaluable evidence of the renovation of his nature." pp. 13-18.

In stating the doctrines, which ought to be inculeated from the pulpit, he thus speaks of Original Sin, Justification, and the Divinity of Christ :

"But what, it may be asked, are the peculiarities, the preaching of which is so important a test of a minister's piety? The most obvious is, that man has departed from original righteousness, and on account of sin is justly obnoxious to the Divine anger. This fact, and the Consequence deduced from it, form the hypothesis on which the preaching of every converted minister, and, indeed,

the whole scheme of Christianity, is founded; and which being denied, Christianity and preaching become inappropriate and useless. A minister who admits these truths fully and un equivocally, must, in consequence, admit the necessity of the atonement; and who, that admits its necessity, can be unconscious of its importance? Or who, that allows its importance, can fail to make it a prominent topic in his parochial addresses?

"In addition to these points, justifica tion, solely and exclusively through the merits of Christ, has been always considered, among men of piety, as a doctrine plainly revealed in Scripture, and of essential value in the system of hu man redemption. They have viewed it, not as an appendage or corollary, much less as an excrescence, but as the sum, the substance, the life, the spirit, of the whole dispensation. On this only, their own hopes of pardon and acceptance have been founded, and on this only have they exhorted others to depend. Having learned from Revelation the nature of God and the extent of the Divine requisitions, and having at the same time discovered the utter incom petency of man, since the fall, to secure to himself a place in heaven by sinless obedience, they have acknowledged that nothing but a revelation of gratuitous mercy could relieve our wants, or be worth our acceptance. On these accounts, the doctrine in question has in every pure church been considered of supreme importance; and, whatever may be the prevailing sentiment of any particular age, the Gospel and its effects being always the same, the piety of that minister is undoubtedly suspicions, whose preaching is heretical or defective on this fundamental subject of justification by the merits of Christ.

"Intimately connected with the last

mentioned topic is that of the divinity of our Saviour, a doctrine which, beyond most others, has been ridiculed and impugned; but which is so explicitly taught in the Sacred Writings, and so necessarily implied in the whole economy of human salvation, that it would be difficult to imagine him a converted man who denies its truth, or him a faithful minister who forgets its importance. The disbelief of this doctrine, virtually implies a disbelief of Christianity (except so far as it is a system of ethics), and must, therefore, be the most fatal of mistakes." pp. 22-24."

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"After the experience of nearly two thousand years, it might without danger of mistake be admitted as a demonstrat

ed fact, that morality has always advanced or declined, in proportion as the Gospel has been preached in its genuine simplicity, or in a garbled form; and, consequently, that nothing but the un"disguised doctrines of Christianity can accomplish even that object which the worldling considers as the only end of the clerical establishment. But this ́object, great as it is, is far from being the utmost that a pious minister proposes to himself. His preaching is founded on the supposition, that a man, though outwardly moral, may fail of being a true Christian, and in consequence fail of the rewards of Christianity. Internal religion, a religion of motives and intentions, a religion corresponding to that which our Saviour taught in his Sermon on the Mount, he esteems necessary to make the most brilliant or useful action acceptable to that Being, whom without faith it is impossible to please,' He conceives, therefore, that the doctrinal parts of Christianity are essentially necessary in his preaching, Whether he argues from the practice of the inspired writers, or from the nature of the thing itself, he arrives at the same conclusion, that an exhibition of the moral precepts of the Gospel, without the doctrines on which they depend, is as contrary to the intention of its Author, as the opposite error of inculcating its doctrines and forgetting its commands. He insists, therefore, on the necessity of faith no less than of good works; the former as that which justifies, the latter as the indispensable evidences of our being in a state of grace,

"It has been shewn, that, even as far as relates to outward morality, the un sophisticated preaching of the Gospel is necessary to effect any considerable reform; but when to this circumstance, which, it should be observed, proves ply the political and moral expediency of such preaching, are added those higher considerations which shew its infinite importance, as connected with the awful responsibility of the preacher, and with the eternal interests of the hu

Iman soul, it ceases to be a question what manner of preaching a converted minister will feel it his duty to adopt." pp. 30-32.

The quotations which follow, relate to Christian zeal, and to the manner in which a true minister of the Gospel, ought to bear reproach in the service of his Lord.

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The most conspicuous aim of a pious

minister, and that to which his whole conduct may be reduced, is an ardent desire to save himself and those that hear him.' No powers of language can describe the intensity with which this feeling often glows in the bosom of a good man, Where such a feeling exists, it will always be evident to others. The natural disposition of a man, how. ever cold or reserved, will not be able to overcome its influence, Some meas sure of holy zeal is absolutely insepar able from the office and character of a pious Minister; it may vary with the different tempers of men, or with the degrees of their piety, but it will never be quite extinct. It is impossible that he who has imbibed even the smallest portion of the Christian spirit, that spirit which actuated Apostles, Confessors, and Martyrs, can remain an unconcerned spectator of the religious wants of those whose souls are intrusted to his care, He must of necessity bring into his ministerial functions something of that spirit which characterized the primitive ages, He will be anxious to know the state of his flock; his preaching will be cordial and affectionate; his private labours conscientious and unremitted; and in his whole conduct he will appear to value his bodily strength, and his mental attainments, only as they promote the cause of the Redeemer, and the eternal interests of the human soul." pp. 35, 36.

"But one of the strongest tests of a minister, and one which should by no means be forgotten, is his willingness or unwillingness to bear the reproach of the cross of Christ; for, even in this happy country, where Christianity in its purest form is the national religion, something of this reproach still remains. The excellency of our political and ecclesiastical regulations cannot prevent the accomplishment of that pro phecy, that all who live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.

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sent to endure., No regularity of deportment, no consistency with the doctrines and discipline of the Establishment, no amiableness of manners and disposition, nothing, in short, but an unholy compliance with the world, can entirely prevent the reproach which every minister of Christ is appointed to sustain." pp. 60–62.

He concludes this part of the Essay, with the following paragraph:

It is not possible for the Gospel to be professed in its unsophisticated energy and spirit, without exciting the opposition of mankind. Let us imagine that au individual among the lower orders of society, from a course of life overtly Bagitious, should become a reformed and exemplary character. This change, being imputed to merely moral causes, or to motives of expediency, would most certainly procure him a degree of respect and encouragement which he could not otherwise have enjoyed. It is evident, therefore, that morality, simply considered, is far from being an ob"These, then, appear to be some of ject of contempt or persecution. But the chief evidences by which a convertIf the individual under consideration ed minister may be distinguished from should openly avow that it was the dean unconverted one. But to delineate nunciations of the Bible against sin, the ministerial character adequately is that first excited his alarm; that, des- impossible; for who can fully conceive pairing of salvation by his own merits, what that man ought to be, who is sent he had learned to trust wholly and im- by the Sovereign of the Universe as his plicitly to the merits of Him who came herald to a world in arms, with denunto take away the sins of the world; and ciations of wrath which the tongue of that, in correspondence to his new angels might faulter to proclaim; and nature, and as a proof of his sincerity, with tidings of love and mercy so inhe had solemnly resolved to live no effable and divine, that even imprisoned longer to himself, but to Him who had demons, were they interested in them, bought him with the price of his own would melt with contrition, and rejoice blood; and if in future he were to make once more to employ the golden harps it his undivided aim, to fulfil his baptis. of heaven in singing songs of glory and mal engagements, to confess the faith of praise to their beneficent Creator? Christ crucified, to fight manfully under Were a minister to walk altogether his banners, and to continue his faithful worthy of his high vocation, it would servant and soldier unto his life's end, be impossible to mistake his character. and were to exemplify in his conduct He would appear among men as an inthat holiness, spirituality, and self-habitant of a superior world. His condenial, which such resolutions were calculated to inspire,--would the same result take place as in the former instance? Would he not rather be censured than applauded by the world around him? Would not his name be often heard in connexion with the terms hy pocrite, enthusiast, and others of similar import? In a word, would he not be one instance among many, that the offence of the cross has not ceased; but that, wherever our holy religion appears, in its genuine form, the hatred of mankind is sure to be excited against it? The sarcastic hint, the retorted sneer, the malice of the tongue, the annoying vexations of petty insult, are still employed, in place of more formidable weapons, to oppose the Gospel, as often as it is seen in its natural energy and spirit; and the wounds inflicted by these poisoned arrows, though not worthy to be compared with the persecutions of the first Christians, are yet usually far more than an unconverted Minister will con

versation would be in heaven. Elevated above earth, he would learn to look down with equal eye on its honours and its frowns, its sorrows and its enjoy. ments. His spotless garments would be uncontaminated with its pollutions. Employed in the same, or even a higher work than that of angels, he would participate their spirit. His manners would be celestial. Like the Redeemer himself, he would appear on earth but as one come to do good; and when his course was finished, would quit it with "a hope full of immortality and glory.' p. 64.

After the citations, which have now been presented to our readers, it is almost superfluous for us to, say any thing by way of commendpassages will recomation. These mend themselves: and we consider them as fair specimens of the work. It will be evident, even on the most

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