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REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS.

Practical Sermons, by the late Rev. Joseph Milner, Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Hull. By the Rev Isaac Milner, D. D. Dean of Carlisle, and Master of Queen s College, Cambridge. Two vols. Sro, Price £1. 4s.

THE inhabitants of Hull having expressed a desire to see some of Mr. Milner's sermons in print, his highly-respected brother, the Dean of Carlisle, felt it incumbent upon him to gratify that desire. Several years ago, the first volume of these discourses was published; and, nearly two years ago, the second was added. We are not surprized to learn, that those who enjoyed the personal ministry of Mr. M. have been heard to say, that while seading these sermons, they seemed to hear the voice of the author speaking to them from the pulpit. To them, therefore, at least, these volumes must have been interesting. Had we conceived, however, that their claims terminated here, we should have thought it sufficient to leave these good people in the peaceable and quiet possession of their pleasure.

The first volume has reached its fourth edition, and the other its second; a proof, we presume, that these volumes are diffusing their influence in a wider circle than that which was filled by the living voice of the preacher.

The editor has mentioned another object which he had in view, in the selection of such sermons as in the opinion of the author himself, had he been alive, would have appeared best adapted to the spiritual concerns and existing circumstances of his audience. He thought (the editor asserts) that he perceived a proud, worldly spirit, and the excessive love of gain eating out the love of Christ and of his cause, in many who had once seemed to walk humbly with their God, to be zealous for the truth as it is in Jesus, and to provoke one another to love and good works.'

- We are certainly incompetent judges of these local circumstances; but we readily admit that serinons adapted, by the divine blessing, to counteract such effects, are worthy of an extended circulation.

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Though Mr. Milner was a man of superior talents and of unquestion able learning, our readers must not expect to find, in these discourses, the ornaments of style, or a pompous display of literature. The language is always plain, and the plan entirely artless. He found time (says his editor) to forge and hammer, but never to file and polish his discourses.' Mr. M. has, on one. occasion (Vol. II, p. 150) explicitly stated his own reasons for this mode. His subjects, however, appear to have been well digested in his own mind. Some modern volumes of sermons te!! the fountain whence they come, without whispering whence they stole their sweets.' It would not be difficult, to use the expression of an antient, to say where they had dipped their pitcher: but the discourses of Mr. Milner are free from plagiarism; and, in most, there is a strong cast of an original mind. They powerfully impress the reader with the deep importance of true religion. The distinguishing doctrines of the gospel form a prominent, though not disproportioned feature:- The total Ruin of Man (Ser. I, vol. 1); the Operation of the Holy Spirit (Ser. XVI, vol. 2); the Doctrine of Election, or Privilege, and Duty stated (Ser. XVII, in the same vol.); the capital Doctrine of Justification by Faith in the Son of God (Ser. 111, vol. 2); though we do not find in this discourse such a luminous display of that important subject as Mr. M. gave in Two Essays, which our readers may recollect we reprinted in this work, from a full conviction that, in point of argu ment, nothing superior bad recently been said on the subject.

As a specimen of Mr. M.'s manner on doctrinal subjects, we quote,

Vol. xiv, p. 447, &

from the Sermon on Election, pages 225, 226, the following passage :

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41 have set forth the doctrine of Election at large. It is intended by the Father of mercies, to afford strong comforts to his tempted, yet sincere childrea. Let them take the comfort from it that is intended; and may the Lord bless it to them! Let those who cannot receive the doctrine, be quiet and patient at present, saying, What I see not, teach thou me! This is more proper than to cavil and dis'pute; but are any inclined to abuse the doctrine, and say I am one of God's elect? I may live in sin, and yet go to Heaven? let them know they are wresting the Scripture to their own destruction. These would take one inscription without the other, though both go together. The second is, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity that is, Let every one who professeth to look for salvation by Christ alone, see to it that he answer the character of his elect, that he be holy in all his life and conversation, and abstain from all sin, and hate and fight against it to the end of his life. This connection between election and holiness is very remarkable; they always go together in Scripture. One can scarcely recollect a passage which speaks of election, that does not also speak of holiness. One quotation shall serve instead of many. He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love.' He does not choose men because they are holy-on this plan none would be saved, because all are unholy; but by virtue of his choice of them, they are made holy. So far is his electing love from being an enemy to holiness, that it is the cause of all the holiness that is in the world. Take it away, and none will be left.'

Mr. Milner was a characteristic preacher. The various means of self-deception are laid open by the hand of a master in Israel. The man of the world, the careless siner, the self-righteous formalist,

the designing hypocrite, and the evangelical religionist, are each presented in his true colours. We select the following example:

Of a Religionist. By hearing the word of the gospel, he has, in a crude manner, acquired superficial knowledge of the doctrines of truth; and, though a stranger to the faith and hope of the gospel, fancies that, because he holds the doctrines of the fall and of salvation by Christ alone, through grace, he must be right. His orthodox opinions he takes for faith, though he never came as a lost sinner to Christ; and his decent morality, though it flows not at all from Christian principles, he mistakes for the fruits of the Spirit. Thus he is doubly armed with a false hope. He thinks he has both faith and good works, though in reality he has neither. How is he to be tried? Turn not away in anger, I beseech you, from the charitable work which is before me, of attempting to undeceive you, and thus to save your precious soul from destruction; - but if any are unwilling to give me a fair hearing, if any are so vainly confident that they are saved by grace, as to fancy that they need not try what manner of spirit they are of, their very un willingness to be probed, is itself a suspicious circumstance against them. Bring your state to the test: you cannot stand the test: your very fruits are even contrary to those of a sound Christian. You may expect to be honoured and looked upon as a person of considerable consequence in religion;-you are infallible as a pope, and cannot mistake; - you bear not the least contradiction with patience; - you are ever apt to imagine your attain. ments in religion to be greater than those of others; and no one understands so well as you. Is this lowliness of mind? Is this esteeming others better than yourself?

Blow off the thin varnish of Christian phrases and outward observances, and you see nothing but what a Pagan moralist might assent to.'

(To be concluded in our next.)

An Essay on the Identity and General Resurrection of the Human Body; in which the Evidences in Favour of these important Subjects are considered, in Relation both to Philosophy and Scripture. By Samuel Drew. 8vo, 10s. 6d.

THE subjects of this Essay, tho' involved in considerable obscurity, must not, therefore, be considered either as uninteresting or unimportant. Philosophic enquiries and reasonings, when conducted by a devotional mind, in reference to the Identity and Resurrection of the Human Body, may tend powerfully to confirm the sacred Scriptures, to confound the Infidel, and to establish the faith of the humble belever. As the doctrines of Revelation, and the conclusions of right reason, where the latter can be legitimately employed, are never at variance, we are always glad to observe the advocates of Christianity employ Reason and Philosophy in demolishing the objections of its opponents, and in eliciting truths acknowledged as matters of faith, and placing them on the basis of scientific principles, beyond the cavils of the sceptic, or the contempt of the profane. Mr. Drew deserves our best acknowledgements for his attempt in the Essay before us.

The following is the general view of the contents of the work. Of the seven chapters under which our author has arranged his subjects, the first three, which may be considered as introductory, treat of the State of Man before the Introduction of Moral Evil; - its Introduction and Influence on the Human Body; and the Result of the Annihilation of Moral Evil, as highly favourable to the Resurrection of the Human Body. The fourth chapter considers Identity in general;-the fifth is on the Analogy between Vegetation and the Resurrection of the Human Body; the sixth consists of Arguments, to prove that the Identity of the Human Body must consist of some Germ or Stamen which remains immoveable; - the last chapter professes to prove, both from Philosophy and Scripture, that

the Resurrection of the Human Body is possible, probable, and cer

tain.

These general divisions are ramified into an extensive variety of subordinate particulars; but in such a manner as to make the arrangement at once perspicuous and sufficiently scientific.

As might be expected, in a work of this nature, several of the topics are remote, and but indirectly tend to support the author's main argument; and if some of his positions and deductions are purely hypothetical, and others of them arbitrary or fanciful, we are neither surprized, nor, on that account, disposed to undervalue the superior merits of the work in general. Probable arguments, derived from the analogy of nature, if they do not mathematically demonstrate the points at issue, must at least often put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.'

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The doctrine of personal identity is confessedly among the most abstruse within the sphere of Christian philosophy. On this branch of his subject, Mr. Drew has discovered very considerable acuteness, in distinguishing between the nature and the evidence of identity. Were it not that we were in want of room, we should furnish our readers with an extract on this topic, which would both exhibit a specimen of our author's general manner, and tend to justify our commendation of the work; but we can only refer them to the passage in pages 145, 146.

We were, however, somewhat disappointed to find, that our discerning author, though he has described minutely what is included in the different species of identity, as the identity of substance, of parts,' &c. has not defined the abstract notion of identity itself; or, in other words, shewn, Why the things thus described, confer on their subject the denomination of Identity. Our own views on this point are well expressed in the following words:Identity seems to be a simple idea, no less than unity and essence; therefore, a definition of it is extremely difficult;

but, perhaps, it may be best de-
scribed by saying, It is that which
differs, in some respect, from every
other: for, if we suppose two things,
in certain respects the same, then,
in proportion as the thought pro-
ceeds in discarding difference, they
will become idem, the same thing or
person.
Were the writer to ha-
zard a definition of Identity, it
should be, That existence, or mode
of existence, which excludes all dif-
ference.

Publications respecting the Bible

Society.

[Continued from p. 64.]

OUR author next considers the objections against the Bible Society pretty much at large, enumerating eighteen of them.

1. its constitution embraces a novel combination of Churchmen and Dissenters. A Dissenter giving away a Bible, will make a proselyte. Were this true, the duty is paramount; and the influence which the distribution produces, relates equally to hospitais, &c.

From the attention we have given to this Essay, we cannot withhold our warm admiration of the author's manner, which is firm, argumentative, and often convincing, though softened by a modesty exceedingly prepossessing. ile every-The where discovers a bold and independent mode of thinking, and a degree of acuteness not common in modern publications. The design and general strain of the performance are uniformly excellent. The style is lucid, correct, and energe tic; and, therefore, well adapted to the subject.

2. That a less good is received, where greater might be obtained, by subscribing to the Old-Society. multiplicity -The multiplicity of objects embraced by the Old Society is proved to enervate their exertions. He shews, from their own Report in 1805, that but for the fortuitous assistance of an individual, their Missionaries in India would have been half-starved, and the Mission resigned; and on this being represented to them, they suspended its consideration to a future time. Their assiduity in distributing the Scriptures in foreign parts, we have seen above.

To the work is prefixed a brief, but modest and interesting sketch of the Author's Life. His parents, it seems, lived in creditable poverty. All his school education 3. That the New has injured the consisted in a mere knowledge of funds of the Old Society. A nomihis letters; and, at the age of a lit-nal error in Mr. D.'s former statetle more than 10, he was appren- ment is admitted; but the negative ticed to a shoemaker. He then be- of the proposition is shewn to be came a superintendent of shoe- the fact. The Auxiliary Societies makers. At last he arrived at the of the Old have been stimulated enstate of mastership; and resolved tirely by the New Society. to study. His mind, after remaining for a while in a state of oscillation, fixed on metaphysical pursuits. In the Works he has already laid before the public, he has presented a striking and encouraging example of the successful efforts of genius, in combating the difficulLies arising from a want of early education.

The intrinsic merits of this voJume certainly deserve a more extended consideration than the limits of this Work will admit; and to those who are accustomed to close inquiry, we cordially recommend it, as that which will afford them a rich repast.

4. That the New has impaired the relative importance and ascendency of the Old Society; and so it ought, if the Old be voluntarily retiring from the field, and leaving it uncultivated. Its advocates identify the Old Society with the Church of England; and though they accordingly contend for an absolute criterion from the declared small number of the bishops, clergy, &c. who patronize and support the New Society, not even a seventh part of the clergy are found among their own Subscribers.

5. They have disgusted some persons, who have thus joined the Old Society from improper feelings!

6. The New Society injures the cause of Christian charity. It seems to be quite forgotten, how fully the experiment has already been tried; and that it has exhibited neither explosions, animosities, nor a theatre of perpetual squabbles for the preeminence. On the other hand, the utmost Christian cordiality has pervaded all their acts and delibera

tions.

7. There are seeds of decay in its constitution. If true, then its opponents may have the satisfaction of knowing the evil to be so much the

smaller.

8. It makes a great noise in the world! Admitted.

9. The object of its Members is to overturn the Establishment. By Messrs. Sikes and Spry they are, as we have shown, decidedly charged with sinister intentions; and so are they by Dr. W. The Doctor has, however, furnished for them a very commodious shelter from such senseless imputations.

10. There is no test for the ad

mission of Members. Nor is any test necessary, where the object is so certain and simple; and, therefore, the Naval and Military Bible Society, over which even the Archbishop of Canterbury presides, of fers no barrier against the Dissenters obtaining an absolute controul in that Institution.

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11. Their Bibles pass through unfriendly and noxious channels;' and are given to the poor! other words, through their means, some Bibles are given to the poor by Dissenters. Mr. D. demon. strates, that this is flatly opposed to the present and former opinions and practices of the archbishops, and of the Old Society, and to the practice of the University of Cambridge. One of the ludicrous retorts on Dr. W. here is, that the Dissenting Book Society, in 1770, bought Bibles of the Old Society at the cost price; and that by their own offer. Another is, That some of their Missionaries have never been episcopally ordained; and in preached by one of them an indian and prefaced by Dr. Gaskin, their Secretary, augther of these

sermon,

unfriendly and noxious' persons is styled (mangre the Country Clergyman) The Reverend; and, to crown the whole, they actually publish the Songs for Children, of the unfriendly and noxious' Dr. Watts! What erring and ridiculous advocates are these!

12. It has no law to secure the exclusive distribution of the Scriptures. See Law I.

13. It arose from a love of novelty and contempt of order; and,

14. Was founded in a spirit of rivalry and hostility; which are both fully answered by the history which he has given of its origin.

The 15th and 16th relate to the patronage. Mr. Sikes states, with his usual accuracy, that five bishops approve of the New Society, instead of saying thirteen.

17. That this general association tends to produce indifference to the genuine doctrines of Christianity, in the minds of rustics, &c. who may contemplate the heterogeneous varieties of its structure! Mr. Spry, p. 22.

18th Relates to the relations and dependencies of the Bible Society; where Dr. W. strives to connect it with almost every religious esta. blishment, on a liberal basis. throughout the metropolis; insinuating, that there is among them all a sort of black conspiracy, to blow intą atoms' the church of England. Mr. D. has followed him through his. mazes of suspicion. The mistakes in fact, or fallacies in reasoning, rising upon one's view, in every page, and almost in every line,' it would be quite useless to develope, did our limits permit it. To which enumeration, we think we may add another objection from Mr. Spry (p. 34) which comes with tolerably sweeping force: it is, That God and his word are now in fact very well known among us, even in the re motest corners of our land!'

VI. The remedies proposed to stop these baneful proceedings are three: That the churchmen should secede,

That the Society should contine itselfto foreign objects, That they either refuse all Non-Subscribers to the Old society, or recommend the,

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