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gospel. Why, it is not the bare declaration "Ye must be born again," nor the insisting Christ himself spake these words, is opening and explaining the grace of regeneration. Nor is it the insisting upon the necessity of conversion to God, is preaching the gospel. No, that it is not. No man can know Christ until he is born again of the Spirit; yet his new birth does not give him the knowledge of Christ. Regeneration is the first act of God upon the mind of an elect vessel of mercy. The Holy Ghost opens the faculty produced by him in regeneration, and conveys to the same a true spiritual knowledge of Christ, and the Father's love in him; before which we cannot be converted unto the Lord. This is wholly and altogether impossible, because we must first know Christ. Then faith in him is the fruit of the true scriptural knowledge of him, and of the Father's everlasting love to our persons in him; this draws our whole minds, and converts all our spiritual affections to the Lord. It is hereby we are converted in heart and soul to him, and cannot but say to ourselves, in the language of the prophet, "Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." Sirs, positive assertions concerning this and that truth, should be distinguished, as being quite distinct from opening and explaining this, that, and the other truth. And also, it should be clearly stated the differences between causes and effects. The originality of truth should be searched out. The truth as it is in Jesus should be stated, and the statement should be agreeable to the account given of the same in the record which the Lord God hath given us of it in the sacred page. It would then be clearly expressed what the great doctrines of the gospel are, and what is contained in them. We should have the doctrine of the three in Jehovah, and their acts and transactions in Christ, with their mutual love towards the persons of the elect, set forth; together with the person of Christ— his relation to God-to the elect-and to the creation: together with his Headship and Saviourship on behalf of the elect, with the perfection of his most precious salvation, with the scriptural revelation of the office of the Holy Ghost, and his acts of grace in regeneration, and also in his revealing Christ, and shedding abroad his Father's love in the heart, and leading into actual communion with the Father and the Son: these are the subjects which constitute that pure, simple, unadulterated revelation of divine truth, set forth in the gospel of Christ. As we cannot have the cause but we must have the effects, so we cannot have the effects without the cause. The matter, therefore, of present complaining, and from which scarce any but are to be complained of, is this there is too much preached of the effects, and scarcely any thing about the doctrine which alone can produce these. So that the result is, there is looking for the effects, as of far greater consequence than the cause, which only can pro

duce them.

Yea, give me leave to speak out the whole truth, such is the want of judgment in the preachers in this our present day, they preach up what they style a principle of inherent grace in the soul, and lay the whole stress of interest in Christ thereupon; so that they give more glory to it, and make much more of it, than they do of the person, blood, and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet there are who will have it, in the heart, as they phrase it, that this is to preach Christ and the gospel, This is most assuredly a real effrontery to the gospel itself. The apostle, in this very epistle, overthrows this: for to these Galatian churches, "Christ is become of no effect unto you; whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace," chap. v. ver. 4. What can be the genuine sense of these words, if this be not? That these persons who were looking at, and living on a work of grace wrought within, could but have so lived, if Christ had not been incarnate, and finished salvation in his own

person. And is not the inference equally as just and applicable, that such as preach, teach, and look at any work, quality, or grace, wrought within them for salvation, and live on the same, and derive joy, strength, and confidence, in the Lord from thence, are living in the neglect of Christ? Surely, it must be so; because neither the person, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ, are set in their proper place. If the apostle himself had one day preached Christ alone, for the sole foundation of a sinner's hope in God, and the next day preached the necessity of the Spirit's work inherently, as the only true ground of our confidence in the Lord, he had brought himself under the curse he here denounces against those who corrupted the form of sound words, whereby the gospel of Christ is expressed in the scriptures of truth. says, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

(To be concluded in our next.)

He

LETTER FROM THE LATE REV. THOMAS DAVIES TO MISS A. H.

DEAR FRIEND, LAST post brought me your's; was very glad to hear from you, and that dear Mr. D. is so hearty. I always answered your letters, and all others, except I was uncommonly hurried and forgot it.

I find you have ministers from far, come to London: O may all ambassadors be made successful by the King of kings. I heartily wish all my London friends success in the heavenly warfare. We shall soon meet never to part, and incessantly cry, and that with united voices, "worthy is the Lamb that was VOL. XIII.-No. 165.] 20

slain," &c. I trust that I am beginning to fall in love with Him from the bottom of my heart: he wonderfully supports the unworthiest of all. But you say you are loath to complain at this distance: indeed I felt my heart, though too, too hard, sympathise with you; but O the loving, tender heart of Christ Jesus, unto all that call after him. Your language is not a strange one to those that are bound Zionward. I hope the Lord is beginning to shew you more clearly, that you are a miracle of free grace. You will sing louder and sweeter when delivered from both fire and water, and kept alive through all. friend, we must bear the cross, though grievous-deny self, though ever so near. You have your burdens, they extract groans on account of your feebleness, but a little more faith and you will triumph through all. I would rather hear that you are in the battle, than wholly at ease in Zion. Jesus will assuredly come and help you. Wait, wait on him, he never disappoints any; a present help; but we never repair to him, but in great need * * * * Remember me to your whole

*

family and all friends, that enquire for

Your most affectionate soul's well-wisher,

Come, my

March 25, 1766.

THOMAS DAVIES.

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FRAGMENT.

It is not to be wondered that Hazael, who knew nothing of his own heart, should say, Is thy servant a dog that he should do this thing?" but the self-confidence of Peter was extraordinary, when he said, "Lord, though all men shall deny thee, yet will not I." O how little do many of the Lord's dearest people know what will befall them before they reach the end of their pilgrimage! When temptation is at a distance, and all goes on smoothly, we are apt to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think; but let a strong temptation work upon a suitable corruption in the heart, (Satan and opportunity blowing up the flame) and there is no saying what may happen. It was well observed by that evangelical divine, Mr. John Hill, that "heed ought to be taken by the best of saints against the worst of sins." Watch and pray, therefore, that ye enter not into temptation.' And let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." But if thou hast fallen, let not thy sin drive thee to despair, but to Christ, that thou mayest be delivered both from its guilt and power.

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REVIEW.

Sketches from Life; Lyrics from the Pentateuch and other Poems. By Thomas Ragg, 12mo. pp. 238. London, Longman and Co. Nottingham, Dearden.

THE Poems of Mr. Ragg have been before noticed by us with approbation; and this volume, which is of a more miscellaneous character than any of the former, will not deteriorate from his fame. The two longest are entitled Night, which is a very sweet poem in blank verse; and Carodoc, an historical sketch in octagon measure.

One or two of the minor pieces have been already published in this Magazine and Zion's Casket, chiefly of the sketches from life, which are very touching; but we give the preference to the Lyrics from the Pentateuch, one of which we extract. The volume is very neatly printed; and we sincerely hope that the sale will more than realize the esteemed author's best expectations, and remove those pecuniary straits caused by a long train of domestic afflictions, which our author assigns as one chief inducing motive for issuing it.

ADAM, WHERE ART THOU?

ADAM, where art thou? monarch!
where?

It is thy Maker calls;
What means that look of wild despair?
What anguish now enthrals?

Why in the wood's embowering shade,
Dost thou attempt to hide
From Him, whose hands thy kingdom
made,

And all thy wants supplied?
Go, hide again, thou fallen one,
The crown has left thy brow;
Thy robe of purity is gone,

And thou art naked now.

Adam, where art thou? monarch! where?

Assert thy high command; Call forth the tiger from his lair, To lick thy kingly hand.

Control the air, control the earth,

Control the foaming sea;
They own no more thy heav'nly birth,
Or heaven-stamp'd royalty.

The brutes no longer will caress,
But share with thee thy reign;
For the sceptre of thy righteousness,
Thy hands have snapp'd in twain.
Adam, where art thou? monarch!
where ?

Thou woudrous thing of clay!
Ah! let the earth-worm now declare,
Who claims thee as his prey.

Thy mother, oh thou mighty one,
For thee re-opes her womb;
Thou to the narrow house art gone,
Thy kingdom is thy tomb.

The truth from Godhead's lips that

came,

There in thy darkness learn;
Of dust was form'd thy beauteous frame,
And shall to dust return.

Adam, where art thou? where! ah!
where ?

Behold him raised above;
An everlasting life to share,
In the bright world above.

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Three Sermons on Marriage, with reference to its Divine Appointment. By W. J. Bennett, 12mo, pp, 60. London, Cleaver. Now that those who were discontented amongst the dissenters on the subject of marriage, and its compulsive celebration within the parish church have obtained their desire, so that it may now be performed almost anywhere, even in a police office, if religion is wished to be forgotten entirely in the act-the Clergy of the established church are busying themselves, and very properly so, in setting before the people the details of the new law, shewing them that while hitherto there was no possible way by which marriage could be esteemed lawful, except by the ceremony of the Church of England, as laid down in the book of the Common Prayer; and all persons, of whatever religious persuasion they might happen to be, (with one or two exceptions) were compelled to use that form, henceforward it will be left optional. Those that please, may use it; those who are offended by it, may reject it; and for all such persons as dissent from the doctrines or discipline of the Church of England, other ways by which they may contract marriage are provided. But this is not all in these days of liberalism and infidelity; there may be some who would enter into the state of matrimony without any religious ceremony at all, and provision must likewise be made for them; and for these our accommodating legislature have enacted that religion may be forgotten-christianity set at nought-marriage may be considered a civil contract-a business to be brought and performed before a magistrate, or a registrar, in the same way as you may purchase a house, or convey an estate. Truly, not only churchmen, who it may be said have an interest in regretting the change, but tender-conscienced dissenters will weep over this desecration of an ordinance which ought always to be considered, as indeed it is, a sacred mystery, setting forth the union of Christ and his church, and the most religious act which a man in his social character can perform.

These three sermons we have read with some pleasure; there is too much bigotry in them ; too much of " our church," and

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