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affix no certain or perfpicuous idea: for what can be the meaning of this phrafe, he "did not efteem it a prey to be like God?" or, as Dr. Clark fays, "Was not greedy to be honoured as God?" If it mean that Jefus did not defire to be honoured as God, it contradicts his own words, "That all men fhould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." Yet what else can it mean, or what virtue can it be intended to exhibit to the Philippians as a model for them to copy? for certainly it could be no inftance of humility in Jefus not to affume honours to which he had no claim. PHILOLOGUS./

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QUERY ON MARRIAGE.

HE judicious anfwer given in your December Magazine to the enquiry of Chriftiana, emboldens me to request a fimilar favour through the fame medium.

Though Providence has bereaved me of an invaluable husband, I am nevertheless greatly bleffed in feveral ami→ able children, and a property favourable to their respectable entrance into life. My eldeft fon has recently formed a promifing connection in trade, and fometimes intimates his wish to be united in a more clofe and endearing relation, when a fuitable object prefents.

From early youth he has been accustomed to hear the Gofpel, which he also approves his morals, I believe, are as untainted as any young man's within the circle of my acquaintance: nor do I conceive he could be induced by any confideration to utter an untruth; but I fear he is still a ftranger to renovating grace.

Two ladies have been mentioned to me by friends, nor have they escaped my ferious thoughts. Lucretia, like himfelf, attends the Gospel, and is a young lady of fedate and engaging manners; but Theodofia is an honourable member of a Chriftian church. Now I am free to confefs that I feel a decided preference to one of them; but what ought to be my conduct, irrefpective of my feelings, forms, my principal, if not my only difficulty. Should any of your numerous correfpondents point out which Lady I ought to recommend to my fon, it might remove a perplexity from

the mind of

Dec. 4, 1890.

AFOND MOTHER.
PER

PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER,

An Anecdote of the late Rev. J. JONES, of Newfoundland.

MR

R. JONES was a man of much prayer; few Chriftians have been fo frequent, or fo perfevering at a throne of grace. When the church of Chrift was first planted at St. John's under great perfecution, he told me that more than once he found his mind fo unufally drawn out in prayer for the converfion of individuals, then his bittereft perfecutors, that he could not reft till he had called the Church together, and appointed a day of prayer and fafting to folicit a throne of grace for their converfion, which he never failed of obtaining. An inftance of his perseverance in prayer I was witnefs to, while I had the pleasure of enjoying his company at St. John's. A member of his church, mafter of a floop that traded to America, in company with feveral others, was overtaken in a dreadful storm, in which fome of them foundered, and were never more heard of; among this unhappy number it was univerfally concluded Mr. Jones's friend had fuffered; notwithstanding this, the good man continued in public, in the family, and in private, to pray fervently for his fafe return. About this time I arrived in the island, and found my old friend. engaged in this pious work; at which he continued for a month or fix weeks longer, after the owners had given the veffet entirely up for loft. The widow had put on mourning, and not a fingle perfon in the harbour believed the veffel fafe, or one of the crew alive, except Mr. Jones, who never ceased his earnest interceffion at a throne of grace for him. One Sunday morning I took the liberty to ask him if he did not think it improper, if not prefumptuous, to pray for a man, who, in all probability, was fafe in glory?" He'll get there foon," replied he, " I make no doubt; but I cannot believe he is there yet." That forenoon, in his concluding prayer, he renewed with great fervour the ufual requeft for his Chriftian brother, and juft as the congregation were coming out of the Meeting, which stands on the brow of the hill, the veffel was efpied entering the harbour, known by the fignal the made. The joy expreffed by the pious paftor and his flock at this happy fight can better be conceived than expreffed. When we had learned that all were fafe on board, and were come into the house, Mr. Jones faid to me," Did not I tell you he was alive? I knew it by a fure token that never once deceived me; my foul was fo drawn out in prayer, and enjoyed fuch unufual liberty while

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addreffing a throne of grace in his behalf, that it was impoffible for me to cease praying."

The veffel it feems was difmafted in the form, and drove into an unfrequented river in Nova Scotia, where they were long detained for want of proper hands to make a new maft, and having no communication of any kind with Halifax, they had no poffible means of informing their friends of their diftreffed fituation.

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ANECDOTE ON CARD-PLAYING.

LTHOUGH Major Cartwright has been married nearly twenty years, he has never yet poffeffed fuch a piece of furniture as a card-table. His rejection of cards is not accompanied with any thing cynical, but from feeing and knowing the ill effects of habit. He was particularly pleafed with a paffage in a fermon of his friend George Walker, obferving, that "Cards were invented for the amufement of a royal ideot, and they bid fair to make ideots of us all." He was also much diverted with an infane nobleman he once fat down with to cards, in company with the relation who had the care of him. My Lord played very gravely until tired, which happening to be in the middle of a deal, he threw down his cards, and took his walk; and this the Major frequently calls the most rational game at cards he ever played."

SIR

Memoirs of Public Characters for 1799.

To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine.

Confident that the following Query is at leaft feasonable, I beg leave, through the medium of your Magazine, to invite an impartial difcuffion of it. With fentiments of refpect, I remain, your's,

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Bonner's Hall,

Dec. 11th, 1800.

MINIMUS.

RE Chriftians juftifiable, and if so, on what grounds, in dining expenfively in public, while the labouring poor are groaning under comparative famine?

ANEC

ANECDOTES.

RS..S, of Wendover, faid to a lady who objected

MRS.

to her religious profeffion, " I truft, Madam, I ain noť led by men as teachers, but by the Spirit of God."--" Spirit of God!" exclaimed the lady, "Oh we fhould not meddle with things fo deep."—He who never meddles with things fo deep, must needs be a fhallow Christian. "For if any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his."

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When J-S-, a young man at Alfriston, embraced the Gofpel, and made open profeffion of it, his father, not a little offended at his conduct herein, gave him this fage advice."James, you fhould firft get yourself established in a good trade, and then think of and determine about religion." "Father," replied James, "Chrift advifes me very differently. He fays, 'Seek ye firft the kingdom of Heaven and the righteoufnefs thereof, and all thefe things fhall be added unto you.' How many fathers differ from Jefus Chrift in their judgment about religion and its importance! Chrift fays firft, but many fay laft.

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HE Scripture is unto us, what the ftar was to the wife But if we fpend all our time in gazing upon it, obferving its motions and admiring its fplendor, without being led to Chrift by it, the use of it will be loft to us. Rev. T. Adam.

If I pleafed God, I am fure he would please me. Ibid. Human nature is like a bad clock. It may go right now and then, or be made to ftrike the hour; but its inward frame is to go wrong. Ibid.

Whenever I fpy a fault in another, I am determined to look for two in myself, and they will not be far to feek.Ibid.

Defire is love in motion, as a bird upon the wing; delight is love at reft, as a bird upon the neft. Rev. M. Henry. As the plain man only got up and walked to prove there was fuch a thing as motion, in answer to the philofopher who denied it: fo the plain Chriftian, when he is borne down with the affurance that there is no efficacy in prayer, requires no better argument to repel the affertion, than the good he finds in prayer itfelf. Mrs. H. More.

The fummer fhowers of mere fenfibility foon dry up, while the living fpring of Chriftian charity flows alike in al feafons. Ibid.

REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS:

Account of a late revival of Religion in a part of the Highlands of Scotland, by ALEX. STEWART, Minister of Moulin, in a Letter to the Rev. D. Black, of Edinburgh, p. 38. 1s. 6d. Ogle. 1800.

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WE have read this narrative with peculiar pleasure, and warmly recommend it to every lover of Jefus and of fouls. It contains an ac'count of a remarkable train of fuccefs which has for two years paft accompanied the ministry of the word in a parish in the Highlands of Scotland. Mr. Stewart, the highly honoured inftrument in this work, fpeaks of himself, at his entrance on the paftoral office. in the following terms: "I was fettled minifter of this parish in the year 1786, at the age of 22. Although I was not a defpiler of what was facred, I felt nothing of the power of religion on my foul. I had no relifh for its exercifes, nor any enjoyment in the duties of my office, either public or private." By the kindness of chriftian friends, who put good books into his hands, he received much benefit. He speaks of the works of Mr. Newton. and Mr. Scott, as being made eminently useful to him, and he adds:" The Biographical Sketches of the Evangelical Magazine were principal means of impreffing my heart, of opening my eyes to perceive the truth, of exciting a love to godlinefs and a defire after ufefulness." A vifit from Mr. Simeon of Cambridge was greatly bleffed to his foul. Through thefe means by the grace of God his views were altered, his preaching became entirely different: and the Spirit of God has been pleafed to blefs his labours with remarkable fuccels to the prefent hour. A more particular ac count of this will be found in our article of Religious Intelligence.

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The Narrative is well written: and is drawn up in a very judicious manner. We with it were generally known, and that there were a cheap edition for giving away, as it is calculated to do extenfive good. We cannot help adding one remark, namely, that the pouring out of the Spirit of God on the labours of a minifter of the Etablifhed Church of Scotland, teaches chriftians of all denominations, that God does not make so much account of their differences in modes and forms, as they do themselves : that the true difciples of Chrift should highly value good men, and especially good minifters of every name, who hold the Head, and fpeak the truth in love; and that, caiting away for ever the rotten bones and putrid flesh of buried bigotry, they thould all unite in the clofeft bands of endearing friendship, and chriftian affection. The church of Chrift would then appear in the eyes of all around, "Fair as the moon, clear as the fun, and terrible as an army with banners."

A familiar SURVEY of the Christian Religion, and of Htry as conneЯed with the Introduct on of Christianity, and with is Progress to the Prefent Time. By THOMAS GISBORNE, A. M. 8vo. pages 586, price 8s. Cadell, 1799.

THE contents, and the plan of this work, bear a confiderable refemblance to thofe of the Bishop of Lincoln's Elements of Theology, which preceded it a fhort time; but the two productions differ in the aim, and in their tyle; the latter being defigned for the ufe of candidates, while Mr. G. addrefles himself in a familiar, ferious, and impreffive manner, to young perfons of either fex, during their courfe of education; wishing to VOL. IX. furnish

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