remind man of what he is, the flowery tribes, languish, droop, and die. But, alas! her friendly efforts to rouse a guilty world prove ineffectual; but to the subjects of grace, whose affections are set on things above, nature is as powerful in her rural charms, under the agency of the Lord the Spirit, to allure the soul into holy meditation, as the melodious notes played by the ruddy youth (the son of Jesse) were to expel the evil spirit from a prepossessed Saul. "Nature, thou great preceptor to the sons of God, Thou useful handmaid to a living faith."

To the heaven-born souls all the beauties of creation, together with all the unnumbered blessings of providence, as well as the soul-enriching blessings of grace, are precious incentives to raise in our hearts a grateful flame to our munificent and indulgent Parent. Treading the spacious lawn, I was charmed with the rich embroidery on which I stood. Well, thought I, how far does nature's carpet excel all human art. How profusely rich, varied, and numberless are all her brilliant tribes! Some, I perceived, were arrayed in milk-white robes, which I viewed to be emblematical of those who came "out of great tribulation, who had washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Others, appeared in scarlet and golden hue, (colors which far excel the Indian dyes ;) which I viewed to be a sweet emblem of that glorious raiment of needle-work and wrought gold, with which my soul is covered, even the spotless righteousness of the Lamb of God, (who is my elder brother, and precious head of influence) in which royal robe I shall one day enter the King's palace with gladness and rejoicing. Allured with the precious loadstone of a Saviour's love, I was led to a more strict observation of the flowery tribes: some I perceived were of a more diminutive kind than others, yet as richly mantled, and as perfectly happy in their station as those of greater magnitude; all appeared to be sovereigns in their little spheres, and lavish to disclose their given beauty to attract the contemplative eye, and feast the musing mind. These I viewed as a striking emblem of the children of the Bridegroom, some of which appear more feeble, and to have less understanding than others in the deep things of God, yet are they as comely in the immaculate robe of their elder Brother's righteousness, as those of greater magnitude in knowledge and understanding, and may be considered as sovereigns on account of their being under the reign of grace, and interested in that promise, namely, "sin shall not have dominion over you," and will, under the dews of heaven and genial showers of grace, disclose their beauties as the flowers of electing love by lisping forth the sweets of Jesus' name, and telling in Zion what the Lord hath done for their souls.

Just as I was about to return from so agreeable a situation, I lifted up mine eyes to the heavens, and looking towards the skirt

of the southern ský, I perceived a small ascending cloud, attended with a succession of others, which in a little time collected themselves into one. Carried with speed by zephyr's gales, they gained the mastery of the etherial azure, eclipsing from my sight bright Phoebus' golden rays. The sudden vicissitude seemed to cast a gloomy mantle on the embroidered meads; but, while I was musing, the gentle showers began to descend from the placid heavens on the flowery banks and meads, refreshing and strengthening them for greater growth. In my flow of thought, I perceived the weak and feeble, and those that were in a languishing condition lifted up their heads, as if they would acknowledge the beneficence of the Creator for the benign, refreshing, and seasonable showers. I viewed them as unnumbered witnesses of Jehovah's bounty, and with profound silence preaching to my soul his sovereignty, the doctrine of momentary dependence, and the great lesson of gratitude.

"

The preceding circumstances caused great reflections, and searchings of heart; also, were incentive, under sovereign influence to ejaculatory prayer. Oh! how did my soul begin to thirst for the refreshing showers of grace. I thought on these sweet promises, namely, "I will make them like a watered garden- I will water them every moment; there shall be showers of blessings. I will come down upon them like the early dew and the latter rain-and thou sendest a gracious rain, and refreshest thine heritage when it was weary.' I thought of the sounding of his bowels, and of his most tender compassion towards his feeble children, and of those pathetic, balmy, melting words," I will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax." Indulged with the sweet spring-tide of the preceding promises, my soul was humbled in the dust under a sense of the love and boundless goodness of the Lord, at the same time had an affecting sense of the great depths of the defection of my nature, and thought if my head were a river, I could weep it away in tears, on account of my vileness and sin: at the same time, tears of love, from a feeling sense that my Jesus (who was baptized in blood and sorrow for my soul on Calvary) has multiplied to pardon with virtual applications of his precious blood to my conscience.

After the unnumbered millions of commissioned drops from the cloudy vessels had faithfully performed their Sovereign's will, the pleasing rainbow appeared in the cloud (how wonderful its form, and admirable its radiant colours) which I admire as the confirming sign of God's covenanting with Noah, which prefigured the spiritual and eternal covenant of peace made with Jehovah-Jesus in behalf of all his elect. My covenant was with him of life and peace: "with everlasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee," saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

W.

REVIEW.

Reasons for Rejecting the Hypothesis of the Pre-existence of the Human Soul of the Lord Jesus Christ, in a Series of Letters addressed to the Great Modern Advocate of that Sentiment, Mr. JOHN STEVENS, Minister of Salem Chapel, Meard's Court, Wardour Street, London. By W. H. COLYER, 8vo. pp. 109. London, Westley and Davis.

CONTROVERSY is like a barren heath, which the humble and spiritually-minded christian who is favoured with sweet intercourse with his most glorious Redeemer, will ever avoid traversing, if it be possible, convinced that it is a region where he will soon lose sight of his best enjoyments, if not ensnared in his judgment by the cunning wiliness of the great enemy of souls, who is ever on the alert to annoy the child of God in this militant state of being on this account did not our duty call we would avoid in our Review department all polemical writings, but as this cannot be, we must persevere in our comfortless employment.

Unprofitable and irksome, however, as controversy is to those engaged therein, the great Head of the church has frequently enabled his servants whom he has called to the work, so to examine and confute the errors propagated by men of erroneous principles that most of the masterly productions of our ablest divines have originated from this cause, and it would be well if disputants of the present day would direct their energies and confine their exertions to the opposing of those heresies which are destructive to immortal souls, rather than spend their talents and their time in opposing sentiments which are admitted to be non-essential.

We are led to the above observations from the work now before us, for Mr. Colyer has, on page 7, given a short epitome of Mr. Stevens's views of truth, which we have here inserted. Mr. C. thus observes:

"I think it belioves me to say, that I hope you, dear Sir, will well keep in mind, and what I trust the reader of these pages will not let slip, that I have no controversy with you, because you so sincerely believe, and so ably defend, as you have done, the divine authority of the holy scriptures against the carnal cavils of unbelievers: neither because you declare as the scriptures avow, the all-important doctrines of the eternal Trinity in essential Unity, or the Unity of the Divine Nature in the three distinctly Divine Persons, "the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:" neither because you prove from the scriptures of truth the personal divinity and unoriginated glory of the God-man Mediator, Christ Jesus, Jehovah, my Lord and my God: neither because you advocate the supremacy and eternity of the love of God to his church in Christ before time: neither because you so manfulk VOL. XI.-No. 132.] I

plead from the same sacred source of light and truth, the full, free, finished, present and everlasting salvation of all the objects of everlasting love through the obedience unto death of the Prince of Life: neither because you advocate from the same holy page of divine inspiration, the person, Godhead, and ministry of the Holy Ghost, manifested in his almighty operations, in fitting or making ready all the vessels of mercy afore prepared unto glory: neither because you avow from the same holy book of Gad many other great and important parts of christian doctrine, of christian experience, and christian practice, and regret those things which have been introduced by man into the professing church of God, from mere human motives, or by human means, and unto human ends, because they are not noted in the scriptures of truth neither have any controversy with you here, because you cry aloud and spare not, but lift up your voice like a trumpet (as every faithful watchman upon the walls of Zion ought to do) against those crying evils, which in one or other of the serpentine ways of the spirit of error do, but like Judas, kiss the Holy One of Israel, whom they design to betray.”

After admitting the above, which so fully establishes Mr. Stevens as a man of sound truth, even in Mr. Colyer's own views, we doubt whether much good will accrue to the church of Christ from the publication of this gentleman's Reasons," so far as they are given in the present Letter for his rejecting the doctrine of the pre-existence; and we shall not we think be charged with being ourselves pre-existerians in making these remarks, having in a former number of our work declared our belief that pre-existence is unsupported by the word of God, and liable to lead to Sabellianism, although we know and love many who hold the sentiment with a tenacious grasp, and yet are equally sound in the faith with any of their opposers.

Mr. Colyer in the present pamphlet has evinced much research and diligence in examining the various writings of Mr. Stevens, as well as other earlier writers on the subject of pre-existence, and he has taken considerable pains to discover the various discrepancies which are to be found among them; particularly he has investigated the writings of Mr. Stevens, and shews that the phraseology has not been the same in every publication; but it seems he has erred in attributing some pieces which appeared in the Gospel Magazine to Mr. Stevens, which were not written by that author. Certainly Mr. C. should not thus rashly have concluded that those anonymous pieces were by Mr. Stevens without good grounds, he should rather have written to Mr. S. who would we doubt not, have given him the fullest information. In a postscript added in consequence of a letter received by him from Mr. Stevens, Mr. Colyer seems to persist in his blunder, which we perceive with regret and surprise, as it of necessity disputes Mr. Stevens's veracity, which we never before heard called in question.

As the present work is entitled an Introductory Letter, we may expect a very full and explicit statement in the forthcoming Letters, should they ever appear. Mr. Colyer, in our opinion, would have done much more to purpose had he taken those pas

sages of sacred scripture which are brought forward by Mr. Stevers, and other pre-existerians, in defence of their sentiment; and shown that those very scriptures if taken in their true and proper import, and in connection with other parts of God's word are no proof of it, than by adopting his present course. It is of small moment whether Mr. Stevens defends his favorite hypothesis in the precise language which he did twenty years ago, "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this rule." But we must close, waiting the future Letters, which we shall notice when they appear.

DISSENT NOT SCHISM. A Discourse delivered in the Poultry Chapel, December 12, 1834, at the Monthly Meeting of the Associated Ministers and Churches of the London Congregational Union, and printed at their request. By T. BINNEY. 8vo. pp. 98. London, Robinson.

The preacher has selected Mark ix. 38-40. for his text, and after adverting to the subject allotted to him, viz. " Dissent not Schism," proceeds to make some observations in reference to a work recently published, and recommended by the Bishop of London in a charge delivered by his Lordship, and which applies to dissenters the epithet of Schismatics.

Mr. B. then proceeds to examine the meaning of the term Schism, the nature of it, and the description given of it in the scriptures; he then briefly surveys the rise and progress of dissent, as gleaned from the history of the church; shews that dissenting from the National Church is not to be fairly designated schism, and concludes with some general remarks.

The discourse throughout displays considerable talent and research: there is nothing to edify the believer in Jesus, or help the enquiring christian in his way Zion-ward; but, perhaps, the associated ministers of the congregational union considered the attainment of their political privileges of greater importance than attending to the command of Him whom they profess to serve. Be instant in season and out of season;" but the wisdom of this world, in which most of our evangelical dissenters excel, will ever lead from the simplicity of the gospel. Keep us, O Lord, we pray thee, with all thy dear family, from the snares of this world, and grant that our highest aim may be to live near to thyself, and enjoy the light of thy

He says, "Feed my sheep"

countenance.

There are some notes appended at the end of the discourse. THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. Four Sermons by JAMES HARRINGTON EVANS, Minister of John Street Chapel, 12mo. pp. 168. London, T. Griffiths.

In taking up the volume before us we anticipated both pleasure and profit, and we were not disappointed. The sermous are