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meither is there any that can deliver out of my Hand. Alas! to be cut off thus in his wrath would be followed with the second death, the torments of hell for ever, Rev. xx. 14. 15. Mark ix. 43 to the end, there to lament, that the Harvest is paffed, the fummer is ended, and we are not faved. Jer.

viii. 20.

V. Therefore once more confider, Harveft is an emblem of the end of the world, as connected with the judgment day. While you are employed in this work, think, think often of the parable of the tares and the wheat, Matt. xiii. 24-31-36-44. He answered and faid unto them-The Harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, fo fhall it be in the end of the world. The fon of man fhall fend forth his angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them who do iniquity; and shall caft them into a furnace of fire: there fhall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then Shall the righteous fhine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

May you entertain fuch thoughts amidft the labours and the joys of harveft! May you pray often, through the only mediator, for grace in your heart, and a blefling on your work, that inftead of being daring offenders while you are filling your bofom with the fheaves of God's fatherly goodnefs; inftead of being doomed at laft to everlasting burnings, you may be learning of Chrift, and ripening for the eternal HAR. VEST of heavenly joys, through His merits. Amen!

THE DYING CONFESSION.

THE minifter of — parish, in this metropolis, was fent for during the course of this month, to attend the couch of a man at the point of death; after fome previous converfation, and many fruitless efforts to speak diftinctly, the patient began as follows:-"I took the liberty of sending for you, Sir, that I might confult you on a fubject that lies heavy on my heart, and which is the only circumftance that makes my prefent fituation painful to me. By the care of my parents, I was educated a Christian, and imbued at an early age with religious principles- the duties I owed to my Creator and Redeemer were for many years my delight as well as my ftudy; and I cannot charge myself with any great offence or wilful neglect for the first thirty years of my life. At that period I became butler in a nobleman's family, and have fince ferved several different families in the fame capacity-my fituations have been good,-my profits have been great,—and my lot, as I always thought, until very lately, fortunate; but, Sir, it gives me no little difquietude to recollect, that I have not for more than twenty-five years once attended the service of God in his church-that I have neglected his facrament, and almost forgot to pray to him in private. At first my conscience cried out against such disrespect to the fervice of God; but I was not my own mafter-and what could I do-Sunday was always my bufy day, and the duties of my ftation engaged me entirely in preparations for dinners, concerts, and card parties, on that day which God appointed for other purposes. How far then is my neglect to be charged on myself ? and in what degree are my employers anfwerable for the fatal confequences of it? for forry am I to confefs, that when the image of God and futurity was no longer prefented to my mind, my morals became relaxed, and my habits depraved; and had it not pleased the Almighty to vifit me with a lingering

lingering diforder, and thereby given me some time to recollect, and, as I hope, to recover myfelf-I had affuredly been loft; and must have dated my destruction to that heathenish depravity which has fixed on God's holy day as a day of intemperate mirth or fcandalous levity."

Reader, the name of this man was Barrett; fhould that name meet the eye of any masters he ferved, it may convey a useful leffon to them: if the great and the wealthy think themselves in no need of inftruction, and despise a duty which their God has ordained,-they should at least recollect that their dependants may require reproof and exhortation, to prevent their lapfe into evil; and that if they encourage or authorise their servants to neglect their duties, either by bufinefs, by influence, or by example, they muft expect the reverse of that bleffing which is promised to such as vert a finner from the error of his way."

REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

con

T. T.

Lectures on the Gospel of St. Matthew, delivered in the Parish Church of St. James, Westminster, in the years 1798, 1799, 1800, and 1801, by the Right Rev. BEILBY PORTEUs, D. D. Bishop of London.

(Continued from page 43.)

IN the feventh lecture, we meet with a paraphrafe of the Lord's prayer, fo expreffive and beautiful, that we should be guilty of injuftice to our readers if we were not to extract it.

The full meaning of this admirable prayer, (fays his Lordship) and of the feveral petitions contained in it, may perhaps be not improperly expreffed in the following manner :

"O thou great parent of the univerfe, our creator, our preferver, and continual benefactor, grant that we and all reasonable creatures may entertain just and worthy notions of thy nature and attributes; may fear thy power, admire thy wisdom, adore thy goodness, rely upon thy truth; may reverence thy holy name; may blefs and praise thee; may worship and obey thee.

"Grant that all the nations of the earth may come to the knowledge and belief of thy holy religion; that it may every where produce the bleffed fruits of piety, righteousness, charity, and fobriety; that by a conftant endeavour to obey thy holy laws, we may approach, as near as the infirmity of our nature will allow, to the more perfect obedience of the angels that are in heaven; and thus qualify ourfelves for entering into thy kingdom of glory hereafter.

"Feed us, we beseech thee, with food convenient for us: we ask not for riches and honours; give us only what is neceffary for our comfortable fubfiftence in the feveral stations which thy providence has allotted to us; and, above all, give us

contented minds.

"We are all, O Lord, the very best of us, miferable finners. Be not extreme, we beseech thee, to mark what we have done amifs, but pity our infirmities, and pardon our offences. Yet let us not dare to implore forgivenefs from thee, unless we alfo from our hearts forgive our offending brethren.

"We are furrounded on every fide with temptations to fin; and fuch is the corruption and frailty of our nature, that without thy powerful fuccour we cannot always ftand upright. Take us then, O gracious God, under thy almighty protection, and amidst all the dangers and difficulties of our Chriftian warfare, be thou our refuge and fupport. Suffer us not to be tempted above what we are able to bear, but fend thy Holy Spirit to ftrengthen our own weak endeavours, and enable us to escape, or to fubdue all the enemies of our falvation.

"Preferve us alfo, if it be thy bleffed will, not only from fpiritual, but from temporal evil. Keep us ever by thy watchful providence, both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our fouls; that thou, being in all cafes our ruler and

guide, we may fo pass through things temporal, as finally to lose not the things eternal.

"Hear us O, Lord our governor, from heaven, thy dwelling place; and when thou heareft, have regard to our petitions. They are offered up to thee in the fulleft confidence that thy goodnefs will difpofe, and thy power enable thee to grant whatever thy wisdom feeft to be convenient for us, and conducive to our final happiness.”

In the eighth lecture are confidered the miraculous cure of the leper, as related in Matthew viii.-and the character of the Centurion, whofe feryant our Lord healed of the palfy. On the occafion of mentioning the generous conduct of this worthy Roman, in building a fynagogue for the Jews, the bishop fubjoins the following note on the neceflity of erecting places of worship where they are wanted.

"There is a moft dreadful want of this nature in the western part of this great metropolis. From St. Martin's in the Fields to Mary-le-bone church inclufive, a Ipace containing perhaps 200,000 fouls, there are only five parish churches, St. Martin's, St. Anne's Soho, St. James's, St. George's, Hanover-fquare, and the very small church of Mary-le-bone. There are, it is true, a few chapels interfperfed in this space, but what they can contain is a mere trifle, compared to the whole number of inhabitants in those parts, and the lowest claffes are almost entirely excluded from them. The only measure that can be of any effential fervice, is the erection of feveral fpacious parish churches, capable of receiving very large congregations, and affording decent accommodations for the lower and inferior, as well as the higher orders of the people. In the reign of Queen Anne, a confiderable fum of money was voted by parliament for fifty new churches. It is molt devoutly to be wished that the prefent parliament would, to a certain extent at least, follow fo honourable an example. It is, I am fure, in every point of view, political, moral, and religious, well worthy the attention of the British legiflature. A fufficient number of new parish churches, erected both in the capital, and in other parts of the kingdom where they are wanted, for the ufe of the members of the church of England of all conditions, would very effentially conduce to the interests of religion, and the fecurity and welfare of the eftablished church."

The ninth lecture is principally taken up in confidering the commiffion given by our Lord to his disciples; and here we have a most admirable illuftration of the comfortable doctrine of a particular providence.

Various fubjects are difcuffed in a perfpicuous manner in the fourth lecture, which embraces the whole twelfth chapter of St. Matthew. The firft is the fanctity of the Sabbath; the fecond is on the cafting out of devils, in which the literal meaning of the gospel narratives in oppofition to those who suppose that mere terrifying diseases only are to be understood, is ftrongly maintained; the next point confidered is, that obfcure and alarming paffage refpecting the fin against the Holy Ghoft, on which, however, we find nothing new. On the fubject of idle words there are many ftriking and excellent remarks; and this fubject closes the lecture. Lecture eleventh is occupied by a variety of curious and very instructive obfervations on the parabolical mode of teaching, introductory to a particular difcuffion of the parables of the Sower and of the Tares, which are the fubjects of the two following lectures: in the laft, is a very found and fatisfactory confideration of that much agitated question-“ How came moral evil into the world?"

This clofes the first volume; and in our next number we fhall take a brief view of the contents of the fecond,

THANKS

THANKSGIVING SERMONS.

A Sermon preached before the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in the Abbey Church of Westminster, on Tuesday, June 1, 1802, By HENRY WIL LIAM, Lord Bishop of Chefter.

FROM the hiftory of David, and the interpofitions of Providence in favour of the children of Ifrael, the right reverend prelate obferves— "That at whatever time, and in whatever country it fhall pleafe the Almighty Ruler of the univerfe, although not by miraculous interpofitions of power, yet by the concurrence of his bleffing on fecondary causes, to establish the fecurity and happiness of a people, to fubdue the angry animofities of contending powers, and to restore public tranquility, the first application of the mind which duty and gratitude enjoin is to feek God, not by a fingle effufion of Praife and Thanksgiving, but by an earnest dedication of the faculties, and a conftant fubmiffion of the will and conduct to his holy laws. And to this duty the mind will apply itfelf more zealously in proportion as it is impreffed with a fenfe of the importance of the bleffings derived from the bounty of Heaven."

He then proceeds to confider, from a retrospect of fome of the principal features in the hiftory of this country in general, and a more particular attention to the circumstances in which we have been lately involved and now ftand, whether there refult not abundant proofs of God's providential care and favour towards us. In the retrofpect, and in the enumerations of these proofs, he first notices the special favour of God towards this country, by the eftablishment of the faith in the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift; by the vindication of spiritual freedom among us from papal tyranny; by the caufes, apparently foreign to the effect produced, of the reformation of our religion from the errors and fuperftition of the church of Rome; by abundant additional inftances of the gracious agency of the Supreme Being, at fubfequent periods, of important public benefits, and furprising deliverances vouchfafed to us ;-fuch as the re-establishment of our ancient, civil, and religious conftitution, after the great inteftine war and ufurpations, the peaceable eftablishment of the throne of the British empire in a line of proteftant princes; and though last to be enumerated, what every good fubject in this kingdom will devoutly and affectionately acknowledge, by the prefervation of the life of our most exemplary and moft beloved monarch.

The Bishop then fpeaks of the late moft critical ftate of our public affairs, and argues, from the events which have happened, that by his agency on fecondary causes, there is fufficient evidence of God's interpofition in our behalf.

"We know that, during half a century, there exifted on the Continent a fyftematic and impious defign of employing the prefs for the deftruction of the faith in Chrift Jefus.. Sophiftry and ridicule were indefatigably engaged to overthrow or to invalidate the evidences of Divine Revelation; to remove the apprehenfion of a future ftate; to set the mind free from the obligations of morality. What engine could be devifed more fatally fuccessful than the diffemination of fuch principles? What caufe more efficient for the deftruction of every civil conftitution? What more fruitful parent of anarchy and bloodfhed? The nation with whom we are now at peace look back with horror, it is prefumed, on the exceffes to which thefe infidel opinions had hurried them: The delirium of apoftacy and revolutionary difcafe has fubfided: Ten years experience of their defolating effects has at length taught this people that, without religion, neither private happinefs, nor public or

der

der can exift, and urged them to endeavour to counteract the poifon of their former principles on the rifing generation: But while they were eager to propagate these principles, and threatened fubjugation to thofe who oppofed them, from the good fenfe and fpirit of this country they could not but meet with the most magnaui. mous and inflexible oppofition. We felt the value of our pure religion and excellent conftitution, not the lefs, probably, on account of the convulfions we had ourfelves experienced in former ages. We engaged in the war for the defence and prefervation of thefe, which, on the ftricteft Chriftian principles, are justifiable, and even commendable motives of warfare; and it has pleafed the Supreme Ruler of kingdoms to blefs us in the profecution of it by feveral efpecial marks of his favour." His Lordship concludes with a fuitable exhortation, seriously reminding us of the duty of thankfulness, and amendment of life; guarding us against the deftructive effects of irreligion and impiety, of the prevailing neglect of the public worship of God, the difufe of private and family prayers, and of domeftic religious inftruction.

To the truth contained in the following quotation we shall readily fubfcribe, and heartily join our prayers in the petition with which it concludes.

"For the noble defence, then, this country has made in the cause of Chriftianity and focial order, and for the honourable condition of fecurity in which it is now placed, we look with gratitude to thofe heroic men, who, with an unexampled ardor, hazarded their lives in the conteft; to that numerous body among us, who moft beneficially combined commercial engagements with military fervice; to the order of the Clergy, who, on the late trying occafion, both by their lives and doctrines, were eminently inftrumental in exciting to public virtue on Christian principles. But, in a more especial manner, and next to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, let our thanks be referred to the beloved monarch whom God, in his great mercy, hath long continued the Protector of our Church and State. To his piety and magnanimity, to his approved love of our Civil Conftitution, and his inflexible determination to preferve the Protestant Etablishment as it was folemnly committed to his care, are we deeply indebted for the happiness we now enjoy. May the reft of his reign be undisturbed by hoftile aggreffion or inteftine difcontent! Protect him, O Lord, from all dangers! Keep him as the apple of an eye; hide him under the fhadow of thy wings! Sooth all his cares, and profper his benevolent exertions for the welfare of his people! And, when it fhall be thy good pleasure to remove him from his earthly throne, grant that, full of years and good works, he may receive a crown of glory, incorruptible, that fadeth not away, eternal in the Hea

vens!"

A Sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, at the Church of St. Margaret, Westminster, on Tuesday, June 1, 1802, being the day appointed for a general Thanksgiving. By WILLIAM VINCENT, D. D. Sub-Almoner to his Majefty, and Prebendary of Westminster. THE Doctor fets out with obferving, that the late war was a war of principles, and not of the fword, and that in the iffue of it we have been completely fuccefsful. He then proceeds to examine thofe principles as they affect the religion, the morals, and the political exiftence of fociety. "And if in port of religion, the fame nation which tolerated Atheism, has been forced to acknowledge that there is a God that judgeth the earth; if in regard to morals, they have been compelled to recal the law of divorce: if in their political capacity, they have been driven to declare in one of their laft* public documents, equality of rights is an equality of mifery; what farther evidence can be Dupuy, counfelier of State, in his addrefs to the legislative body on the fate of the Negroes, May 17th, 1802.

that an

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Vol. III, Churchman's Mag. Aug. 1802.

required

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