to other purposes, or occupied by other denominations. If the cause was unknown to him, he might be told that Arianism and Socinianism had driven them away."

Again,

"The tendencies of the new system (Unitarianism) became every day more painfully manifest in the skeptical coldness of its disciples, and their entire conformity to the spirit and manners of the world. For with the faith, they shook off the practices of the first founders of the dissent. The morality of the Sabbath was denied, and visiting on that day grew into fashion among wide dissenters. Theatres were represented as innocent scenes of amusement, and the card table, warmly recommended by Dr. Priestley's own example, was the constant resort of those who were withdrawn from the closet and from meetings for prayer by the denial of divine influences, which alone can render prayer a reasonable service. The complete amalgamation with the world, which prevailed among the Presbyterians, formed a disgraceful exception to the general truth of the remark, that the dissenters are a religious body. But every day rendered this deduction from their original excellence of character smaller for while the other denominations were rapidly increasing, the desolating effect of error, which has already been noticed, reduced the Presbyterians to a very small proportion of the whole. The departure of the Gospel annihilated many congregations, and left the high churchman to insult over their ruined walls, or write upon their closed doors, ' a meeting-house to let;' while the orthodox dissenter would inscribe, Ichabod, the glory is departed.'"

Speaking of Dr. Benson, the colleague of Lardner, our authors proceed thus:

"It is instructive though painful to remark, that while he and Dr. Lardner were writing very learned books, and gaining extensive fame, the congregation was gradually diminishing, till it scarcely was entitled to the name; and having received the deadly poison from their lips, after a precarious existence of twelve years, under Dr. Price, Mr. Radcliff, and Dr. Calder, (their successors,) it became extinct. The meeting-house was sometime afterwards opened by William Alldridge, a Calvinistic Methodist, from lady Huntingdon's college at Trevecca. The faith of the ancient nonconformists, which had sounded so clearly and so powerfully from the mouth of Mr. Cruso fourscore years before, and which had not been heard within the walls since the decease of Dr. Harris, was now heard again; and the place was filled anew with attentive and serious hearers. Let him that readeth understand.' As hewers of wood and drawers of water were required for the service of the temple, the writings of Lardner, Benson, and their fellows were useful for similar purposes; and for their ingenuity and learning let them have great praise, for it is due; but to officiate as ministers in the sanctuary, and lead the people to the holiest of all, by the blood of Jesus, in that new and living way which he has consecrated

through the veil of his flesh, they knew not how it was beyond their power."

We add but another extract, which is from a biographical notice of Dr. Langford, a Presbyterian minister of London, who continued to preach the truth as it is in Jesus.

"In this man, who, like Abdiel, stood alone in adherence to the truth, may be seen the happy and important effects of soundness in the faith. While many of the congregations of the Arian and Socinian Presbyterians have been, with few exceptions, reduced to a mere skeleton of their former size, and many more of them are annihilated, Dr. Langford's faithful preaching of the truth preserved the flock. At his death, they chose an evangelical minister as his successor; and under Mr. Clayton, who foliowed him, the congre gation retains the ancient faith of the nonconformists, and is one of the most flourishing in London, both for numbers and piety."

EXERCISES FOR THE CLOSET. By William Jay.

THIS work consists of nearly two hundred short, practical comments or reflections on different portions of Scripture, and is one of the most interesting devotional performances we have yet seen. It was published in London the present year, and will shortly be re-printed in this city. We anticipate its appearance by the following extracts. Our readers will recognize in them the ingenuity, the point, the free and spirited manner of the author.

"And shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. John xiv. 32.

"There is a relation between Christ and Christians, and a conformity founded upon it; so that what He says, they may subordinately adopt as their own language.

"There are cases in which they may be alone-and there are cases in which they ought to be alone-and there is one case in which they must be alone: and yet they are not alone, because the Father is with them.

They may be alone, by the dispensations of Providence. Joseph was separated from his family, and sold into Egypt, but the Lord was with Joseph. John was banished into the isle of Patmos ; but there he had the visions of the Almighty, and was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. At my first answer,' says Paul, 'no man stood by me, but all men forsook me; nothwithstanding the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me.''

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"They ought to be alone, by voluntary solitude. Not that they are to become recluses, by abandoning their stations, and shunning intercourse with their fellow-creatures. But occasional and frequent retirement for religious purposes, is a duty-and it will be found our privilege. We shall never be less alone, than when alone. "Go forth," says God to Ezekiel, "into the field, and there will I

talk with thee." Isaac, at eventide, was meditating in the field, when the Lord brought him Rebecca. Jacob was left alone, when he "obtained power with God," and with man, and prevailed. Nathaniel was seen and encouraged under the fig tree. Peter was

by himself praying upon the housetop when he received the Divine manifestation. If the twelve Patriarchs, or the twelve Apostles, lived near us, and their presence drew us off from our closets, their neighborhood would be a serious injury to us. No creature can be a substitute for God. And it is alone we hold the freest and fullest communion with him. It is there the secret of the Lord is with us, and he shows us his covenant. There we become acquainted with ourselves. There we shake off the influences of the world. It is good to be there.”

"Men may live in a crowd, but they must die alone. Friends and ministers can only accompany us to the entrance of the pass. But the Christian here, though alone, is not alone. Yea,' says David, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.'"

"Take up thy bed and walk." John v. 8.

"Our Saviour met with this man at the pool of Bethesda; but no sooner had he pronounced the word of healing, than he orders him to take up his bed, and walk. He has always reasons for his conduct, though they are not always perceptible. But I think we can see four reasons for this command.

Never could

First, it was to evince the perfection of the cure. anything have been more remote from imposition, than the miracles recorded in the Gospel. Examine them. They were many-they were public-they were performed before witnesses interested in their detection, had they been false. The circumstances, too, were always corroborative. Does he raise the dead? The young man was carrying to his burial, attended with much people. Lazarus was in his grave, and had been dead four days. Does he recover the infirm and the diseased? The man, whose eyes he opened, was born blind. And this paralytic had been afflicted thirty-eight years; and in a moment he was made whole, and was seen by all going home with his bed upon his shoulders.

"Secondly, it was to teach him to be careful, and to waste nothing. The bed probably was not very valuable, but he was not to throw it away. In correspondence with this, after the miracle of the loaves and fishes, even then, when he had shown with what ease he could multiply resources, and support his creatures, he said, 'Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.' Christians should avoid closeness and meanness, lest their good be evil spoken of; but there is another extreme they should be anxious to avoid it is profusion-yea, negligence and carelessness. They ought not to love money; but they should know the use and worth of it; and remember that they are responsible for all they have." "Thirdly, as a memento of his deliverance and duty. When at

home, and looking on this bed, he would say Ah! there I lay, a poor enfeebled creature; and said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord, remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall: my soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled within me. This I call to mind, therefore have I hope.'

Fourthly, to try his obedience. Carrying his bed was a servile work; and it was now the Sabbath, on which day no burden was to be borne. He seemed therefore to oppose the law of Moses; and accordingly the Pharisees were offended, and murmured. We are not to judge the Lord's commands, but to follow them.-His orders may be trying, and in obeying them we may give offence; but we need not mind the revilings of men, while we can plead his authority."

"Let him know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." James v. 20.

"And can we convert the sinner from the error of his way! Yes-or the language would be futile. But how can we do this? Not meritoriously-this would invade the office and glory of the Lord Jesus for He only delivers us from the wrath to come: He only saves his people from their sins. Not efficiently-this would invade the work and honor of the Holy Spirit: for we are saved by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. There is therefore only one way in which we can convert a sinner; and that is instrumentally. But this does not detract from divine agency there is no inconsistency between agency and instrumentality. A pen is nothing without a hand to use it. An instrument always supposes and requires an agent. But is the converse of this proposition true? Does an agent always require an instrument? It is so with us; but not with a Being whose will is efficiency; and who said, Let there be light, and there was light. Yet what God is not compelled to do from weakness, he chooses to do from wisdom. He therefore works by means. We know of nothing that he does immediately. He fans us by the breeze, and warms us by the sun, and refreshes us by sleep, and sustains us by food. And as it is in nature, so it is in grace. Among the Corinthians God gave the increase, but Paul planted, and Apollos watered. Their faith came not from them; but Paul and Apollos were ministers by whom they believed. We mean not, however, by this reference, to confine this work to ministers. James alludes not only or chiefly to them; but to Christians at large. All may be useful here; and in a thousand ways exert themselves to accomplish this blessed and glorious design. All cannot be Luthers, to reform countries; or Whitfields, to preach to thousands; or Careys, to translate the Scriptures into other tongues. But can we do nothing? Surely some one soul is thrown in our way to whom we may be useful-a child-a servant-a relative-a neighbor."

"He hath done all things well."

Mark vii. 37.

"A great commendation; but deserved. Human excellencies are rare and individual. One man does one thing well; another does another thing well-but He does all things well. The little men do well, is only comparatively well; all He does, is absolutely And this will appear, whether we consider him as the Creator -and survey the works of Nature: or as the Saviour-and contemplate the wonders of grace: or as the Governor-and examine the dispensations of his Providence.

so.

"Whence, then, is it, that we cannot really and readily, with regard to his concern in our affairs, and especially those of a trying nature, adopt the acknowledgment, and say, He hath done all things well?

"The reason is, we judge atheistically. Every unregenerate sinner lives without God in the world. But does a Christian? Is not he made to differ from others; and from himself? He is. Yet his sanctification is not complete. Something is left in him of all the old kinds of leaven; and, therefore, something of this atheism. 'Oh, it was that unlucky accident; it was that heedless servant; it was that perfidious neighbor; it was that cruel enemy.'-No wonder He does not all things well, when He is not acknowledged as doing anything.

"We judge selfishly. We are not to view ourselves as detached individuals. We are parts of a whole; and variously connected with others and what is not good for us personally, may be good for us relatively. Suppose a trying dispensation makes us more tender and compassionate towards our fellow-creatures and our fellow Christians; suppose a distressing experience gives us the tongue of the learned, and enables us to speak a word in season to him that is weary: suppose, as witnesses and examples of the power and excellency of the Gospel, we arouse the careless, and confirm the wavering: is there not enough here to call for resignation and praise ?

"We judge carnally. What is not pleasing may yet be beneficial and natural evil may be moral good. When things are agreeable to our wishes, we never think of any difficulty in the Divine proceedings. While we have ease, and health, and friends, and success in business, we never complain of the darkness of Providence. But as soon as there is any reverse, O then we groan out, 'His way is in the sea, his path in the deep waters, and his footsteps are not known'-as if everything was to be estimated by our accommodation and convenience-as if God acted wisely or unwisely, righteously or unrighteously, just as his doings affect us -and affect, too, not our best interests, but our present and temporal! Is it wonderful that we, who deserve stripes, should feel the rod that we, who need correction, should meet with chastisement? Is it mysterious that the vine should be pruned? the ground ploughed the gold tried in the fire?

"We judge prematurely. You would not judge of the abilities of the limner from the unfinished sketch, but you would wait till