Page images
PDF
EPUB

7. We ought to love God with all our hearts, and our neighbour as ourselves, so as to be influenced and governed by this love in the whole of our conduct; and our obligations hereunto, as they originate from, so they are equal unto the infinite dignity of Him who requires this of us. Were this understood, and cordially acquiesced in, an end would soon be put to all the disputes about the divinity and satisfaction of Christ, and the eternity of hell torments; about the nature and necessity of regeneration; of repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ; of justification by free grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, &c. &c. $&c. But,

I

8. So long as we differ in our sentiments concerning morality, moral obligation, what qualifications are necessary to constitute a moral agent; i. e. in effect, concerning the moral character of God, and of man; we shall "Hot very readily agree in our understanding of any written rev elation relative to these matters, let the revelation be ever so full, or ever so plain. Since the increase of learning in Europe, religious disputes have increased, and the number of heretics and "infidels greatly multiplied; as if, in proportion to hight externally exhibited, the internal vices of the human mind were the more alarmed. The true reason we find in Rom. viii. 7, 8.; John iii. 19.

9. If we are not bound by the divine law, any farther than our inclination corresponds; then Pharaoh was not bound to let Israel go, 'notwithstanding the express command of the Al

[ocr errors]

mighty; and not the divine law, but every man's inclination, becomes the rule of his duty in all cases whatsoever. If the infinite worthiness of the Deity doth not infinitely oblige us to love and obey him, then sin is not an infinite evil; and an atonement of infinite value, in order to our pardon, is not needed, if any at all; nor is a Saviour of infinite dignity requisite; nor will the doctrines of the divinity and satisfaction of Christ, and the eternity of hell torments, be readily believed, how plainly soever revealed. The passions justify themselves; and if the feelings of each man's heart ought to be the rule of duty to each man, then it will come to pass, that every way of each man will be right in his own eyes; and the whole need not a physician. And in these views, and with these feelings, men will not readily understand the Bible, or believe it to contain a revelation from heaven; and it must be entirely new modeled or totally rejected.

" 10. When once the Bible is rejected by men, because they do not like to retain God in their knowledge, a new god will be formed, who will approve, a new system of morality invented, which will justify the moral character of man, without any need at all of any redeemer, or any sanctifier: and it may now even be said, that any atonement for sin, besides what the sinner himself can make, is inconsistent with the moral character of God; and that any sanctifier whatsoever, is inconsistent with the character of man, as a moral agent.

11. Miracles, they will say, are of no use to prove what by

their reason they know to be false. Natural religion is the only religion God ever gave to man; and it is sufficient to secure the welfare of every man, both here and hereafter.

12. Thus, having rejected the true God, and the true morality, from disaffection to both, and framed a system of religion to suit their hearts, they cry peace, peace to themselves, until sudden destruction cometh upon them.

PRINCE EUGENE'S PRAYER,

O God, I believe in thee: do thou strengthen my belief. I hope in thee: do thou confirm my hope.. I love thee: vouchsafe to redouble my love. I am sorry for my sins: O increase may repentance. I adore thee as my first principle; I desire thee as my last end: I thank thee as my perpetual benefactor; I call upon thee as my supreme defender. My God! be pleased to guide me by thy wisdom, rule me by thy justice, comfort me by thy mercy, and keep me by thy power. To thee I dedicate all my thoughts, words and actions, that henceforth I may think of thee, speak of thee, act according to thy will, and suffer for thy sake. Lord, my will is subject to thine, whatever thou willest, because it is thy will. I beseech thee to enlighten my understanding, to give bounds to my will, to purify my body, to sanctify my soul. Enable me, O my God, to reform my past offences, to conquer my future temptations, to reduce the passions that are too strong for me, and to practise the virtues that become me.

[ocr errors]

fill my heart with a tender re-, membrance of thy favours, an aversion for my infirmities, a love for my neighbour, and a contempt for the world. Let me also remember to be submissive, to my superiors, charitable to my, enemies, faithful to my friends, and indulgent to my inferiors. O God! help me to overcome, pleasure by mortification; covetousness by alms; anger by meekness; and lukewarmness by devotion. O my God! make me prudent in undertakings, courageous in danger, patient under, disappointment, and humble in success. Let me never forget, O Lord, to be fervent in prayer, temperate in food, exact in my employ, and constant in my. resolutions. Inspire me, O Lord, with a desire to have a quiet conscience, an outward as well as inward modesty, an edifying conversation, and a regular conduct. Let me always apply, myself to resist nature, to cherish grace, to keep thy commands, and to become meet for heaven, My God! do thou convince me of the meanness of the earth, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, and the length of eternity. Grant that I may be prepared for death, that I may fear thy judgment, avoid hell, and obtain paradise, for the sake and merits of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

A LETTER FROM JOHN CALVIN TO LELIUS SOCINUS.

You need not wait for my answer to those monstrous quest tions which you propose to me. If you are inclined to indulge in

such airy speculations; suffer me, I pray you, a humble disciple of Jesus Christ, to employ myself in those meditations, which tend to my edification in the faith of the gospel. And I shall certainly obtain by my silence, what I so much wish, that you may not trouble me in this way in future. I am truly grieved to perceive, that the noble talents which God has bestowed on you, are not merely misemployed about objects of no moment, but actual ly perverted by pernicious fancies. What I formerly declared to you, I seriously warn you of again, that unless you restrain in time this inquisitive pruriency of mind, there is reason to fear that you are preparing for yourself grievous punishments in a future world. Were I, under the pretence of indulgence, to encourage you in a fault which I judge so ruinous, I should certainly act toward you a treacherous and cruel part. Wherefore I am willing, that you should now for a little be offended by my seeming asperity, rather than that you should not be reclaimed from those curious and alluring speculations, by which you have been already captivated. The time will come, I hope, when you shall rejoice, that you have been awakened even in this violent manner, from your pleasing, but fatal dream. Yours,

JOHN CALVIN.

January 1, 1552.

Rel. Mon.

FRAGMENTS.

HEALTH OF NEW ZEALANDERS.

ONE circumstance peculiarly worthy of notice, is the perfect

and uninterrupted health of the inhabitants of New Zealand. In all the visits made to their towns, where old and young, men and women, crowded about our voya gers, they never observed a sin. gle person who appeared to have any bodily complaint ; nor among the numbers that were seen naked, was once perceived the slightest eruption upon the skin, or the least mark, which indicated that such an eruption had formerly existed. Another proof of the health of these people is the facility with which the wounds, they at any time receive, are healed.

An

In the man who had been shot with a musquetball through the fleshy part of his arm, the wound seemed to be so well digested, and in so fair a way of being perfectly healed, that if Mr. Cook had not known that no application had been made to it, he declared that he should certainly have inquired, with a very interested curiosity after the vulnerary herbs and surgical art of the country. additional evidence of human nature's being untainted with disease in New Zealand, is the great number of old men with whom it abounds. Many of them, by the loss of their hair and teeth, appeared to be very ancient, and yet none of them were decrepid. Although they were not equal to the young in muscular strength, they did not come in the least behind with regard to cheerfulness and vivacity. Water, as far as our navigators could discover, is the universal and only liquor of the New Zealanders. It is greatly to be wished that their happiness in this respect may never be destroyed by such a connexion

with the European nations, as shall introduce that fondness for spiritous liquors which has been so fatal to the Indians of North America.

Life of Capt. Cook.

nephew, to procure himself the pleasures of the field only once or twice a year, did so with every possible precaution, that the intelligence might not reach the ears of Frederic.

The butcher, said this monarch, even the butcher does not kill animals for his pleasure; but

OPINIONS OF FREDERIC 2d. Or does it for the necessities of man.

PRUSSIA ON FIELD SPORTS.

As to sporting, it was the ob ject of Frederic's abhorrence. Any gentleman known to be ad dicted to this passion would wholly have lost his esteem. His

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

IN MEMORY OF THE LATE JOHN THORNTON, ESQUIRE.
By William Cowper.

POETS attempt the noblest task they can,
Praising the Author of all good, in man;
And next, commemorating Worthies lost,
The dead, in whom that good abounded most.
Thee, therefore, of commercial fame, but more
Fam'd for thy probity from shore to shore;
Thee, Thornton! worthy in some page to shine,
As honest, and more eloquent, than mine,
I mourn: or, since thrice happy thou must be,
The world that has sustained the loss, not Thee.
Thee to deplore, were grief mispent indeed;
It were to weep that goodness has its meed;
That there is bliss prepar'd in yonder sky,
And glory for the virtuous, when they die.
What pleasure can the miser's fondled hoard,
Or spendthrift's prodigal excess, afford,
Sweet as the privilege of healing wo

By virtue suffer'd, combating below?

That privilege was thine! Heaven gave thee means
T'illumine with delight the saddest scenes,
Till thy appearance chas'd the gloom, forlorn
As midnight, and despairing of a morn.
Thou hadst an industry in doing good,
Keen as the peasant's toiling for his food.
Avarice, in thee, was the desire of wealth
By rust unperishable, or by stealth.
And if the genuine worth of gold depend
On application to its noblest end,

Thine had a value, in the scales of Heaven,
Surpassing all that mine or mint had given.
And though God made thee of a nature prone
To distribution boundless, of thy own,
And still, by motives of religious force,
Impell'd thee more to that heroic course!

Yet was thy liberality discreet,

Nice in its choice, and of a tempered heat:
And, though in act unwearied, secret still,
As in some solitude the summer rill
Refreshes, where it winds, the faded green,
And cheers the drooping flowers, unheard, unseen.
Such was thy charity; no sudden start,
After long sleep, of passion in the heart;
But purest principle; and, in its kind,
Of close relation to th' Eternal Mind:
Trac'd easily to its true source above,

To Him, whose works proclaim his nature, Love.!
Thy bounties all were Christian: and I make
This record of thee for the Gospel's sake;
That the incredulous themselves may see
How bright it shone, exemplified in thee!

Review of the Eclectic Review.

To the Editors of the Panoplist. In the ECLECTIC REVIEW for January, 1807, you will see some remarks on my COMPENDIOUS DICTIONAYY, which I desire you to insert in the Panoplist, with my reply. I make this request because I am willing my fellow-citizens should understand the opinions of English Gentlemen, con cerning that performance; and be cause I wish my reply to reach the Reviewers, in expectation that they will manifest their candour and love of justice by republishing my remarks. The Review contains some mistakes, which are the effect of misapprehension; some differences of opinion, which may be the effect of

1

T

The

has become prevalent in the West
and the East Indies, and has spread
from Hudson's Bay to Van Diemen's
land. It is possible, that, in the lapse
of ages, every colony formed by Brit-
ons may,
like those of North Ameri-
ther country; and if they do so, we
ca, assume independence of the mo-
hope that it will be readily acceded to
them. But ENGLISH, however re-
luctantly, they must remain,
bonds of customs and language can.
not be broken like those of political
authority. It gives us pleasure to ob-
serve, that, notwithstanding the vio-
lent prejudices against us, which are
absurdly cherished by our fellow-coun-
trymen beyond the Atlantic, they are
wise enough to aim at preserving the
use of our language with correctness
and propriety. Whether they are
likely to succeed in amending and im
proving it, the present article affords

us occasion to examine.

Mr. Webster, more than twenty years ago, published "Institutes of work, the present is proposed to the English language." With that

education and habit; and some er rors, which proceed probably from a want of minute attention to etymology, that difficult, and to most men, uninteresting branch of philology. But, with the exception of two or three observations, the criticisms manifest liberality of sentiment, and contain a greater portion of praise, than English Reviewers have gen. complete a system of elementary erally bestowed on American publications. Of the Compendious Dic. principles, for the instruction of youth in the English language." After this tionary the Eclectic Reviewers say; intimation, our readers will perhaps "THE heterogeneous materials of be surprised to find that the etymolo which the English language is com- gies of words are not included in Mr. posed had scarcely acquired consist, W.'s plan. These, indeed, were hard. ence and regularity of form, when they to be expected in a compend; but maritime spirit and growing commerce of our nation began to diffuse, its speech to the most distant parts of the world. Within two centuries, it

then, we should as little have expected that the system could be completed by a compend. The author, nevertheless, founds his orthographical

« PreviousContinue »