and also for our other colonies; the important discussions relative to the doctrines of our Reformers and our Church; the points at issue with our Dissenting brethren, with the Church of Rome, and also those which divide the members of our own communion; the interpretation of the inspired prophecies (on which not a few of the chief writers who have turned their minds to this subject during the last thirty years have, anonymously or by rame, stated their views through the medium of the Christian Observer); obituaries and memoirs of persons eminent for piety in our own and former times, including many original notices, which have rendered this department of the work one of its most interesting and valuable portions; the painful, but ultimately useful, controversies which arose out of those plans of Christian benevolence which began about the period of the commencement of our publication (particularly the Bible Society, and the education of all classes of the poor);-these and similar topics of discussion have employed many a page-not, it is hoped, without benefitof this miscellany. Bad as is the world, defective as are our best institutions, far as our own clergy and laity are from perfec. tion, and dimly distant as still appears the prospect of a Millennium; much,very much, has been effected during the present century, in which the Christian and the philanthropist must greatly rejoice.-In the course of their labours, the conductors of the Christian Observer have had to record, among numerous other subjects of interest to all who are anxious for the glory of God and the welfare of mankind, the struggles and the triumph which signalized the abolition of the African slave-trade; the opening of the East to Christian instruction; the emancipation of Europe from a military usurpation; the wide diffusion of just principles of liberty; the increased attention devoted to moral and political economy, with a view to better the condition of mankind; the modern reviviscence and extension of several societies which had previously existed for the promotion of religious and benevolent objects throughout the world; and the origin and wonderful progress of those more recent Bible and Missionary Institutions which have now taken fast root in every quarter of the globe, all simultaneously operating to hasten on the time when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; the astonishing progress of education under the system of mutual instruction-the vast powers of which were unknown to Europe till long within the Christian Observer, which, whether in the examination of the productions on either side of the question, or in original communications, may justly claim a very considerable share of the praise which belongs to its successful termination.'" period of which we are speaking-and the societies formed to diffuse its benefits throughout the world, and the important results of their exertions: and, besides all this, societies for the conversion of the Jews, societies for promoting virtue and suppressing vice, societies literary and philosophical, mendicity societies, savings banks and friendly societies, anti-slavery societies, Prayer-book and Homily societies, prison discipline societies, churchbuilding societies, colonization societies for the outcasts of Africa, societies for assisting indigent clergymen, societies for improving the condition of the poor-to say nothing of numerous institutions of a more limited kind, which have for their object the relief of various calamities incident to our fallen humanity. Nor is it the least pleasing feature of the events which we have witnessed and recorded, that our own clergy are enlisting themselves in increasing numbers under those Scriptural banners which the Martyrs and Reformers of our church delighted to bear; and that of her laity, also, multitudes, influenced by Christian motives, aspire to assist in the general extension of religious knowledge. It is comparatively little, that any parti-\ cular publication may have been enabled to contribute towards these glorious results; but each has its own circle of influence; and the conductors of the Christian Observer would hope, that a work conscientiously, however feebly, devoted to these objects, could not have been so long continued and so widely circulated without conducing, by the blessing of God, in some humble measure, to the end proposed. Indeed, scarcely a month elapses without their receiving communications, many of them from persons now occupying eminent posts of usefulness in the public eye, which prove that their labours have not been in vain in the Lord.' This is their consolation; and this, it is trusted, will animate them to renewed and persevering exertion. "While this preface is passing through the press, the editor has received many communications approving of the design of publishing a selection from the Family Sermons, and expressing much interest in the Christian Observer. He has great pleasure in subjoining, with the kind permission of the writers, the two following, from two much esteemed and venerated friends,-Mr. Wilberforce and Mrs. Hannah More. "My dear sir,-I have heard, with very great pleasure, of your intention to collect into a volume a selection of the sermons dispersed throughout that very valuable periodical, the Christian Observer, thus rescuing from the mass those sound and excellent portions of divinity, and presenting them to the public in a compendium, which will be a real acquisition to it. The volume will be most acceptable to many of your readers, not only for their "My dear sir,—I have heard with great pleasure that you are about to publish a volume of the sermons that for a long period have constituted each one article in every Number of the Christian Observer; for with such of the sermons as have been "Yours, very sincerely, "The great augmentation of the number of the religious charitable societies forbidding the detail of their important transactions, at the length they deserve, in the body of the work, a plan was adopted in 1828 of appending some of the chief documents in full, as published by the societies themselves. This plan has given great satisfaction to all parties. At the mere cost of the paper and print, societies are thus enabled to communicate very widely with the public; many of the readers being their own subscribers, who would never otherwise see their occasional or periodical papers; and others, persons not connected with the society, who thus become interested in its proceedings. The papers are also thus preserved, after being read, and at the end of the year may be bound up by themselves, a title-page being given for the purpose. The documents thus rescued will form an interesting series for future reference. New subscribers wishing to begin with the volumes commencing with these documents (namely, 1828 and 1829), may, for the present, obtain copies complete: but should it ever be necessary to reprint the whole or part of these volumes, the appended papers cannot, of course, be inserted." pp.v-xix. Having extracted this preface, we forbear adding further than that the publication of this volume has alCHRIST. OBSERV. No. 341. ready brought us many encouraging testimonies-some quite unexpected of the religious benefit, which, by the blessing of God has attended the perusal, in private or in the family, of the discourses which for many years have appeared in our work. From the circumstances pointed out in the preface, we would trust that this volume may be found useful for presenting to families in which discourses written on a different plan might not gain access. Our object throughout has been to "the truth" speak so far as we know it, "in love," endeavouring not to excite needless prejudices by those over-statements of doctrine, or peculiarities of phraseology, which the world is ever ready to catch at, to disguise their hostility to the cross of Christ. We rejoice to witness the rapid diffusion in our church, of plain, practical, scriptural preaching; sermons for spiritual instruction and edification; for though mere moral discourses may best suit the taste of some, and high-flown speculations that of others, yet after all "faith, hope, and charity" are the cardinal graces of our holy profession, and the inculcation of them is the constant effort of the pastoral care. They spring from the cross of Christ, and to the cross of Christ they lead; nor will they ever be neglected in the ministry of those who are really anxious for the spiritual and eternal interests of their fellow-creatures. Discourses on the most important Doctrines and Duties of the Christian Religion. By ALEXANDER GRISWOLD, D.D. Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. 1 vol. 8vo. Philadelphia. 1830. THIS pious and active prelate has been long known to us by name 2 S and character; and having received from America, an early copy of a volume of sermons which he has just published, we feel much pleasure in making our readers on this side of the Atlantic acquainted with him, by transcribing one of them. for a family sermon. Bishops Griswold and Hobart were consecrated in 1811; and are therefore, with the exception of the venerable Bishop White, who is the link between English and American Episcopacy, the oldest in standing of the eleven United-States prelates. In the Protestant Episcopal church in the United States, as our readers are aware, there prevail the same differences of opinion as unhappily in our own. The question of "high churchmanship," the baptismal-regeneration controversy, the Bible society, and some even of" the five points" have been as warmly discussed in our sister, or daughter, church, as on her parent shores. We are happy in believing that these controversies are rapidly dying away; not however bythe stagnation of religious indifference, but by an increased infusion of pure doctrine and zealous piety, and also by the wide extension of a serious spirit of inquiry, accompanied with great moderation of spirit in many quarters where there still exist many remaining prejudices against what their brethren consider the plenitude of church doctrine and evangelical truth. Such serious discords as we had lately to lament in reference to two episcopal elections, we are per suaded are not likely to occur again: they have been the early workings of an untried engine; the steam was not properly set on and adjusted, but burst out in irregular action; it has now a regular and silent but powerful action, with due safety valves, and well-oiled machinery, and we doubt not will work safely and efficiently. We have lamented that our sister church should have been subjected to those mournful controversies which have riven our own; her vine, as we have before remarked, seemed too tender to bear so rude a storm, especially as on every side there were those who would have gladly seen it wither, or have rooted it up. But these tempests, as we trust, have well nigh past: let our valued brethren now rather beware of a deceitful calm. The recent choice of Dr. Meade to be assistant bishop of Virginia was conducted with a piety and Christian cordiality, that would almost reconcile us, if a similar spirit always prevailed, to popular elections to ecclesiastical offices. With the exception of perhaps two dioceses in which (if we must unwillingly use exceptionable terms of distinction among members of the same church) what are called the orthodox and the evangelical party * are nearly We always admit these, or similar popular phrases, unwillingly, and only for the sake of intelligible specification, without admitting that any "party," if parties they must be called, ought to use terms of invidious assumption. Such appellations, especially as applied to matters of church doctrine and discipline, are becoming increasingly equivocal. Bishop Hobart, for example, lately published several official addresses, entitled "The High Churchman Vindicated." The bishop's test of a high, or, as he considers, a sound churchman, is, that the episcopal church is the sole divinely-appointed medium of spiritual blessing to mankind, and also that it has no connexion with any civil patronage or institution. Now it appears to us that in England our "orthodox and "evangelical" friends would be very Bishop Hobart would consider the Chrisinconveniently marshalled by this test. tian Observer as low church, because we do not consign all our dissenting brethren practically we rise far higher in our views to the uncovenanted mercies of God; but of episcopal obligation than those "vicars of Bray," who, however they may denounce Dissenters, mix up the church with the state, and would cease to be churchfathers, and queens its nursing mothers. men if kings ceased to be its nursing Among our lay acquaintance we have almost uniformly found that those who assumed the highest claim to high churchnotion of the church as a spiritual instimanship were persons who had no true tution; who had never studied the question of primitive episcopacy; who in fact bad never got beyond the low and secular notion of an Established Church, a dominant church, a church lifting its mitred head in courts and parliaments; and who would be the first to despise it, if they balanced, we know not any portion of the Protestant American Church, in which even a contested election for a bishop would be likely to occasion unseemly heats. We bless God for this increase of Christian sentiment and Christian love. Our brethren have very much land before them to be possessed: may they be effectually guarded against the wiles of the common enemy, the enemy not of their or our church only, but of all the churches of Christ of every name. Let them beware that they fall not out by the way; and believing as they do that their church is built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, let them strive to build upon it, not a fabric of human found it a small, scattered, despised, and persecuted remnant amidst a rich and haughty community. Our American episcopalian friends are high, or rather we would say, true, churchmen; they adhere to episcopal discipline where episcopacy has no civil privileges, no secular patronage, no numerical distinction, no cathedrals, no tithes, no endowments, no splendour; nothing but pure, primitive, scriptural authority. We honour them for their deed; and if a similar state of things should ever unhappily occur amongst ourselves (we say "unhappily" advisedly, and from deep consideration of the vast religious benefits of an established church, even with some attendant evils), it will be seen who are the true churchmen, the conscientious adherents to episcopacy as a scriptural institution. And here, if we must again allude to the invidious designations above specified, we have greatly rejoiced at the affectionate zeal with which what are called the evangelical clergy have, of late years especially, rallied round the bulwarks of our church, and evinced their attachment to even its minuter ordinances, proving by their regularity in lesser matters, how powerfully they felt in greater. We delight to witness the same spirit in the United States. On a late occasion, when our high-church orthodox friend, Bishop Hobart, strongly urged some curtailment of the service, not because he himself wished it, but because unauthorised curtailments had often been made, and he thought it better to give discretionary permission than to allow of irregularity, what are called the evangelical party, both in the house of bishops and in the diocesan and general conventions, almost to a man opposed the measure, and it seems not likely to be carried. structure, but a holy temple to the Lord; rising peacefully and majestically without the sound of the axe or the hammer, without strife or contention; not with the wood, hay, and stubble, either of unsound doctrine or worthless members, but with the gold, silver, and precious stones of hallowed converts and scriptural faith. What we wish and pray for our brethren, may the Great Head of his church also in his mercy afford to ourselves; a prayer, which in no quarter will, we are persuaded, be more cordially re-echoed than by the Right Reverend friend whose discourses we have introduced to our readers. Introduced them we have, in the most advantageous manner, by extracting a whole discourse; but neither our limits, nor the impatience with which, we grieve to say, sermon-reading and sermonreviewing are regarded by the majority of readers, will allow of our analyzing the whole volume. We shall therefore merely turn to here and there a passage which may serve to shew to what school we are to refer the Right Reverend author. The first discourse is entitled "the Corruption of Human Nature." We copy two or three detached passages which explicate the bishop's general view of the subject. "The object of this discourse is not so much to prove this doctrine, which is evi, dently taught throughout the Scriptures, as to explain it; and if the Lord vouchsafe his blessing, to direct your thoughts to the proper inference. This doctrine, which is so essential to Christianity, and so decidedly viewed and taught by our church, is, when rightly understood, agreeable to our reason, and confirmed by our daily experience. The more true the doctrine is, the stronger and more general, of course, will be the prejudice of mankind against it. By very many it is not candidly examined, and therefore not well understood." p. 13. "We know that to those who are not well taught in this doctrine, it seems strange, and to those who are unrenewed, it is offensive to be taught, that their natural mind is enmity against God, and that, without the sanctifying influence of God's grace, in them there is no good thing. We see in those who make no profession of religion, and do not pretend to believe in Christ, many amiable qualities. Among pagans of ancient times, as also among modern unbelievers, we sometimes meet with shining virtues, noble sentiments, and generous principles, such as ought to make some Christians, and indeed most Christians ashamed. In teaching the doctrines of Christ we have no desire, and we have no occasion, to deny, or to misrepresent what is matter of fact, or evidently true. But we desire that what we do teach may be fairly understood." p. 14. "But still, after all these concessions, it may be true, as the Scriptures teach, that in our flesh there is no good thing. What we do from selfishness or pride ;to give ourselves pleasure, or to advance our interest or fame, however generous, or noble, or good, it may seem to men, and though it is according to worldly wisdom in a religious view, or in God's sight, is 'not good.' The best works so done, not being according to the will, or revealed word of God, have in them the nature of sin. The doctrine of Christ is, To be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.' And this last, to be spiritually minded, is that which by nature we cannot have.' It is a new principle infused into the heart by the operation of Divine grace. Nature can give us but one heart or one spirit, and that evidently is worldly and selfish." pp. 16, 17....." Without the grace of God, we do not love him, nor live to his glory. We have not from nature any desire to commune with God, nor to be conformed to his will. Pride and vanity, self-love and self-will, are natural to all the human race. Who can deny that in our flesh dwelleth an aversion to spiritual things? Or, as the Apostle elsewhere expresses it, that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God? Who does not know and daily see that the hearts of men must be changed before they can relish, or with satisfaction converse, on such momentous and most interesting subjects, as God, and Christ, and the doctrines of his cross? The grace of God, and the aid and operation of his Holy Spirit, and the salvation of our own souls by faith in Christ, are subjects which we naturally dislike. And what is the cause of this aversion to things which ought of all things most to interest our hearts? We have not the like anti pathy to any other subjects; not even to things the most fanciful and absurd; not even to things the most horrid and vile. We are naturally pleased with improbable, inconsistent and romantic tales: we delight to read and to hear of battles and murder, and the most abominable arts of human wickedness. It is only to spiritual things revealed from God, that we have this strange distaste. And is not this evident fact, a clear proof, that 'the carnal mind is enmity against God?' "This natural enmity is, we know, more evident in some than in others. Some people are possessed of such liberal sentiments, and such amiable dispositions, as gain our admiration, and merit praise. But such, however much by men admired, cannot receive the things of God' without his grace. The seeds of pride and enmity lie buried in our fallen nature. In different people, the growth is different, depending on a thousand circumstances; but the same radical nature is common to all, and the most amiable infidel needs a change of heart, no less than the notorious sinner. When a man, who has lived what we call a good moral life, is converted to the Christian faith, the change, to worldly people may be scarcely visible; yet to himself and to all experienced Christians, it is very obvious. He now perceives that he has been blind and sinful, and that his best deeds need forgiveness. He is now sensible that the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.' Motives and deeds, in which he once gloried, he now views with shame. He feels a change: his motives, his views, his hopes, are different: Old things are done away: behold all things are become new.' "The sanctification of the heart is, however, a progressive, and too often a very slow work. It sometimes dawns for a season, and then seems almost to expire: at others it is wavering and scarce discernible. Some Christians are too ignorant of the doctrines of Christ, and others too neglectful of their duty. The lives of some worldly people will rise in judgment, and condemn many who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come.' There may, however, be the root of a right faith, when the fruits are shamefully deficient. Many who do not wholly fall away from their stedfastness, by their careless living, give occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.'" pp. 18-20 Our readers will infer from these passages, the general character of our respected prelate's preaching. The doctrine of conversion to God, of the atonement of Christ, of the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit, of gratuitous pardon, of justification by faith, and the whole scheme of practical religion, are intimately connected with scriptural views of the fallen and helpless condition of human nature; and we feel indebted to our pious author |