4

age and dress he seemed to be an apprentice, or, at the best, a foreman of a shop, but we never heard more of him. I asked the doctor, what he thought, when he saw the congregation running away from him?" I thought,' said he," they did not like me, or my sermon, and I have no reason to be angry with them for that."-" But what was your opinion," said I, " of the apprentice?"-" [ I," I take him," replied he, " to be a very civil person, and if I could meet with him I'd present him with a bottle of wine." There were then in that parish a company of formal, grave, and wealthy citizens, who having been many years under famous ministers, as Dr. Wilkins, Bishop Ward, Bishop Reynolds, Mr. Vines, &c. had a great opinion of their skill in divinity, and their ability to judge of the goodness and badness of sermons: Many of them came in a body to Dr. Wilkins, to expostulate with him, why he suffered such an ignorant, scandalous fellow, meaning Dr. Barrow, to have the use of his pulpit. I cannot precisely tell, whether it was the same day, or some time after in that week, but I am certain it happened to be when Mr. Baxter was with Dr. Wilkins. They came, as I said before, in full cry, saying, they wondered he should permit such a man to preach before them, who looked like a starved cavalier who had been long sequestered, and out of his living for delinquency, and came up to London to beg, now the king was restored; and much more to this purpose. He let them run themselves out of breath, and when they had done speaking, and expected an humble submissive answer, he replied to them in this manner: "The person you thus despise, I assure you, is a pious man, an eminent scholar, and an excellent preacher: for the truth of the last I appeal to Mr. Baxter here present, who heard the sermon you so vilify: I am sure you believe Mr. Baxter is a competent judge, and will pronounce according to truth:" then turning to him, "pray, Sir," said he, "do me the favour to declare your opinion concerning the sermon now in controversy, which you heard at our church the last Sunday." Then did Mr. Baxter very candidly give the sermon the praise it deserved; nay more, he said, “ that Dr. Barrow preached so well, that he could willingly have been his auditor all day long." When they heard Mr. Baxter give him this high encomium, they were pricked in their hearts, and all of them became ashamed, confounded, and speechless: for though they had a good

opinion

opinion of themselves, yet they durst not pretend to be equal to Mr. Baxter, but at length, after some pause, they all, one after another, confessed," they did not hear one word of the sermon, but were carried to mislike it, by his unpromising garb, and mien, the reading of his prayer, and the going away of the congregation:"-for they would not have it thought by any means, if they had beard the sermon, they should not have concurred with the judgment of Mr. Baxter. After this shame was a little over, they earnestly desired Dr. Wilkins to procure Dr. Barrow to preach again, engaging themselves to make him amends by bringing to his sermon their wives and children, men servants, and maid servants, in a word, their whole families, and to enjoin them not to leave the church till the blessing was pronounced.-Dr. Wilkins promised them to use his utmost endeavour for their satisfaction, and accordingly solicited Dr. Barrow to appear once more upon that stage, but all in vain; for he would not by any persuasions be prevailed upon to comply with the request of such conceited, hypocritical coxcombs.

A LETTER WRITTEN BY BISHOP HOUGH* TO MRS.

KNIGHTLEY.

[From Memoirs of the Right Hon. Sir JOHN EARDLEY WILMOT.]

MADAM,

TO MRS. KNIGHTLY +.

SHOULD not have been altogether silent upon a subject that has set heavy upon my own thoughts, much more upon your's, were I not sure that your better sense suggests all, and more than I am able to say. You know very well, that the true character of a man does not lie in the length of his days, but in the measure of his good qualities; and when that measure is complete, the Almighty, whose eye is always upon him, sees him fitly prepared for a more exalted state, and graciously admits him into it; others advance more slowly to perfection, and are suffered to have their course, as some sorts of fruits are longer in

"Then Bishop of Worcester.

+ Aunt to Sir Eardley; this lady's son, a most promising young man, Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, died in the flower of his age.

ripening,

fipening, others make haste to maturity, and both are gathered accordingly. It has of old, been so frequently observed, as to make it proverbial, that the lustre of those accomplishments which breaks out to our amazement, when we apprehended it only to be in the dawn, shews in the world but a little while; we gaze, and it disappears. Some people finish their part quickly, and with full applause the scene closes upon them; how infinitely valuable are they above those, who in a long life never distinguish themselves! They are no sooner out of sight than they are forgotten; but the memory of the others is immortal. We think doubtfully of some that are gone, and uncomfortably of others; but of the good and virtuous we can only have our pleasing reflections; for will it be allowed a reasonable cause of grief, that one whom I love is promoted out of my reach, to the heighth of his most laudable ambition? Would it be friendly in me to keep him back, and postpone his happiness to my inelinations? I can easily answer, no, by no means; I know he is happy and I rejoice at it; but he is taken from mne, his conversation was extremely endearing; and I lament my own loss: this will not be denied me in a moderate manner; some allowance is due to human frailty; but if I carry my grief to excess, I must bear to be told, that my natural affection is too strong for my reason, much more for my faith. Reason by a thousand undeniable arguments is ready to prove, that what cannot be remedied must be submitted to with the utmost magnanimity; and faith, were it lively and active, would open the regions of eternal bliss, and discover those who have been bright examples in this world, in so glorious a state there, as would animate my hope, abate my regret for their absence, and invigorate my endeavours to follow them. Who can conceive that transport of joy which will attend such a meeting, and how insignificant will the former short separation appear! Indeed, Madam, there was a time, when I possessed one, who was the desire of my eyes and the delight of my heart, I relished every thing with her, and nothing without her: we both knew the common fate of mankind, that a parting was unavoidable; it was very often the subject of our discourse, and I will not say what convulsions attended it; but, I thank God! I had the hope of a Christian, and that supported me: and let you and me keep up our spirits, in this confidence, that the variable and transitory state in which we now

live,

live, will soon pass over, when we and our friend shall find ourselves together again, inseparable, and unalter ably happy for evermore!

I am,

Madam,

Your affectionate and faithful

Jo. WORCESTER.

REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

First Principles of Christian Knowledge: consisting of 1. An Explanation of the more difficult Terms and Doc trines of the Church Catechism, and Office of Confirmation. 2. The Three Church Creeds exemplified and proved from the Scriptures, to which is prefixed an Introduc tion on the Duty of conforming to the Established Church, as good Subjects and good Christians. By the Right Rev. THOMAS BURGESS, D.D. Bishop of St. David's, 12mo. pp. 124.

THE

HE Lord Jesus Christ "preached the Gospel to the poor," and seized every opportunity of instructing the ignorant, and removing the prejudices of the Jews. Divine Condescension! He, the Word and Wisdom, the brightness of God's Glory, and the express image of his person, the everlasting Son of the Father, combats the errors of his mistaken countrymen; and answers the inquiries, and informs the minds of those humble men, who, commissioned by him, and invigorated by the influence of the Spirit which proceedeth from the Father and the Son, were to propagate throughout the world, the religion he taught them.

66

When men of great learning and pregnant talents stoop to the task of talking in terms intelligible to the illite rate; and open to the young and the uneducated, the principles of Christian knowledge;" we distinguish in them a spark of that spirit which characterized their heavenly Master; and we count those good and faithful servants of their Lord, "worthy of double honour." Many such men have graced our Church, from

the

We

the era of setting forth the "Necessary Doctrine and an erudition for any Christian man," and the Church Catechism; down to the present day. For a list of the names of those who have eminently distinguished themselves in this blessed" work and labour that proceedeth of love," we refer to the Catalogue of Tracts published by the venerable"Society for promoting Christian Knowledge." In that catalogue we hope soon to see the excellent little book now before us.-Notwithstanding its bulk is small, and its price proportionable, we shall take the liberty to allow ourselves a little more room than, generally speaking, we can appropriate to tracts of this sort. feel a peculiar attachment to the Bishop of St. David's; we almost envy him the honour of being the editor of Mr. Granville Sharp's "Remarks on the Uses of the Greek definitive Article in the New Testament;" at all events we honour the profound Greek scholar, who, able to contend with literati, sits down to compare an elementary work for the young and uninformed.-We have long admired the Bishop's happy mode of composing catechetical instructions. His "plain argument from the Gospel History for the Divinity of Christ," annexed to Mr. Sharp's "Remarks," is uncommonly well drawn up, and leads the mind, step by step, to a most decisive and irrefragable conclusion. His "first Principles," are com-. posed with equal plainness and felicity; and we hardly know a book of the kind which is more fit to be put into the hands of young people. Give a young person the Bishop of London's "Summary of the principal Evidences for the Truth and Divine Origin of the Christian Revelation," and the Bishop of St. David's Tract, and if he has any ingenuousness, any love of truth in his heart, he can hardly fail of being fixed in his religious opinions, so as never to be moved at any time." The former will supply all useful arguments respecting Christianity in general; and the latter will teach him the duty of conforming to the established Church in par

ticular.

We shall now present our readers with the Preface of the Right Rev. Author. It is addressed to the Clergy of his Diocese.

To the Clergy of the Diocese of St. David's.

REVEREND BRETHREN.

"In the following Tract I present you with a manual of First Principles of Christian Knowledge, containing an explanation of Vol, VII, Churchm. Mag. Oct. 1804.

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