sition to have my soul, and its eternal interests in the hands of Him who is able to save, even to the uttermost; and, in the exercise of this disposition, I enjoy a peace of mind which passeth all understanding.' The same sentiments he expressed on the day of his death.

In his last moments his accustomed tranquillity assumed the shape of joy and triumph. When the smile of death was visible in his pale countenance, a friend, anxious to receive additioual proofs of his dependence on the promises of the gospel, desired that he would press his hand if he felt their cheering influence in the prospect of eternity; which he did. He afterwards uttered some broken sentences, a few of which were interpreted. His honoured and revered parent had always, wished that his last moments might be those of exultation. He requested to see her in his departing hour, and, taking her by the hand, said, I am easy! God will never leave me! Hever, never forsake me! Christ is my all, and in all! I hope he will be a Friend to all who are now present. I wish that

Jesus

(mentioning the name of a person in the room, for whose conversion he felt concerned) may have a lesson from this scene, and that she may find a friend in Jesus Christ!' He soon afterwards expired. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace!'

On Lord's Day, July 14, his death was improved to a very crowded and attentive audience, from Job xiv. 2: 'He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down.' Newport.

MRS. IRWIN

J. B.

DIED on Friday, March 20, 1807, in the 27th year of her age. She was the wife of the Rev. Henry Irwin, late Curate of Castle Comer, in the county of Kilkenny; now Chaplain to the Royal Regiment of Artillery.

For six or seven months before her death, Mrs. Irwin had shewn evident symptoms of a consump

tion; and, though willing to try every means, she entertained no hopes of recovery. Death to her was an expected, but a subdued enemy. Modest, unobtrusive, diffident, her natural reserve, and a dread of every appearance of ostentation, deprived all her friends, except Mr. Irwin, of the power of tracing the progress of grace in her heart."

Though persuaded in her own mind as to the probability of her approaching end, yet while her sympathizing friends hoped, as it were, against Hope,' she evidenced the accustomed tenderness of her disposition in concealing the impression on her mind; but as soon as she perceived that, from her physician's opinion, her friends were also apprized of the rapid and awful approach of the event, then, indeed, she shone forth, and, instead of wanting comfort and support, she became their comforter.

As she approached the confines of the eternal world, her evidences became more clear, her confidence more firm, her joys more abundaut. Day by day she increased in deadness to the world; her conversation was literally in heaven, and, as her views of the glory to be revealed grew brighter, they added a surprizing animation to her manners, and an heavenly superiority to her sentiments. Every friend and acquaintance who approached her, she addressed with some suitable and persuasive exhortation, according to what she imagined to be the prevailing and besetting sin of their character; and, when scarcely able to speak, how has she fatigued and weakened herself in directing the views of the meanest and humblest visitor to Him, who alone is the way, and the truth, and the life! It was truly edifying to hear the pious extacy with which she would descant (while taking the air through the grounds of Lady W- -) in the simplest and most delightful manner, on the goodness of God, manifested even in the beautiful works of Nature; alluding to Isaiah lv. 12. The book of the prophet Isaiah, and the Psalms, peculiarly engaged her at

tention. The 63d Psalm often employed her thoughts; and she declared to Mr. Irwin what sweet communion she enjoyed with God in meditating on this divine song. The Bible was the only book which seemed peculiarly to interest her.

'

Those who knew her best can best testify the fondness and warmth of her affections as a wife, and her tender loving anxiety as a mother; but wonderfully indeed was she enabled to triumph over all her worldly attachments as she drew nearer her death. When she has noticed Mr. Irwin in tears, she sweetly endeavoured to support and comfort him; at all events (would she say) remember how David behaved: - when his child was sick, he mourned; but when dead, he rejoiced. Remember David as to our dear children; train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Keep them as far as possible from the manners and tempers of the world; often have we dedicated them, in our united prayers, to Him who gave them; cease not to do so still.'-About three days before she died, taking off her wedding ring, she desired Mr. Irwin to wear it, saying, 'I am now married to another husband, my Maker is my husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name!' When Mr. Irwin said, that ere long they should meet to part no more! Yes, yes!' (with the most rapturous emotions did she say) shall have rings on our hands, and shoes on our feet, and we shall be covered with the best robe!'

6

we

When that restlessness which generally precedes dissolution came on, she often requested Mr. Irwin to pray that 'patience might have its perfect work' in her. Blessed be God, the prayer was heard and answered; and it was truly edifying and comforting to witness how prayer and reading of the Scriptures, like the Saviour's voice to the troubled waves, uniformly calmed every tendency to restlessness. 'Oh! this vile, vile body, when shall I shake it off!-Take, O my God, and my Saviour (she would often say) take thine own breath which thou didst breathe into me; but,

Lord! not my will, but thine be done!' Indeed, she appeared to have an uninterrupted lively hope of an interest in Christ. She then composed a little hymn, which she sung with much native simplicity, the burden of which was, Take, O take me, Lord of Glory!' and while Mr. Irwin was one day sitting by her bed-side, she intreated him to sing her favourite hymn, ‘All hail the power of Jesu's name;' and whenever he came to the concluding line of every verse, And crown him Lord of all!' she joined him in singing it with a transport of joy, which words can never adequately describe.

In ordinary cases of consumption the patient passes from time to eternity as it were imperceptibly, but in this instance the Lord was pleased, in a singular manner, to try her faith. For nearly four days she was in the agonies of death, her chamber more like a vault than a sleeping-room; her hands, with an icy death-like coldness, so weighty, that she frequently had Mr. Irwin to hold them up, saying, upon one occasion, While Moses's hands were lifted up by Aaron and Hur, his prayers prevailed; and oh! may mine! There, indeed, her friends witnessed the efficacy and excellency of the religion of Jesus! How were their hearts comforted in beholding her endure the most convulsive spasms, without a murmuring word! but when she was asked if, while her body was thus agonized, her mind was distressed,

No, no!' with a placid smile, she would reply; He keeps me in perfect peace!'

6

March 20, 1807, after having continued for some time with every symptom of dissolution, kindled, as it were, into raptures with visions of glory, she broke into a shout of holy triumph, and with a faint voice cried, Salvation, salvation! Shout for joy, shout for joy!' desiring to be raised up to declare the sacred manifestations she enjoyed. The words died on her lips, and, with a countenance which indicated how sweetly she was engaged in the contemplation of eter nal joys, she fell asleep in Jesus.

ADOLESCENS

Remarks on the Refutation of Calvinism. By George Tomline, D. D. F. R. S. Lord Bishop of Lincoln, &c. By Thomas Scott, Rector of Aston Sandford, Bucks. In Two Vols. 8vo, £ 1.-18.

WERE it not for the consideration of the guilt contracted by the authors of disingenuous opposition to the essentials of Christianity, and of the extensive injury which they may too probably occasion to the souls of men, we should rejoice in the occurrence of such opposition. It generally calls forth some able advocate of the truths impugned; misrepresentations are corrected, presuming ignorance is chastised, and the interests of the genuine gospel are eventually served. Such, we trust, will be the result of the Bishop of Lincoln's pretended Refutation of Calvinism. Under that name, so ill understood and so grossly misapplied, his Lordship has aimed his thrusts at the most vital truths of both doctrinal and practical religion;—but so far as his unholy labour has operated to be the occasion of the volumes before us, the real church of Christ, existing both in and out of the establishment of our country, has reason to rejoice.

With a meekness of wisdom which, in no slight degree, casts a truly Christian and amiable lustre upon his triumph, the judicious and venerable Mr. Scott has demonstrated the Bishop's boasted book to be a farrago of misapprehensions or misrepresentations, of great inconsistencies, of flagrant injustice in argument, and of tonets equally contrary to the holy Scriptures, and to the genuine doctrines of the Church of England.

In one respect our excellent author appears to have been unhappy, -the adoption of a plan for his work. The Bishop's book is so disgracefully confused and destitute of all lucid order, that it would have been less fatiguing for Mr. S. and more pleasant to his readers, had he taken the trouble of mar

--

shalling the disorderly forces of his antagonist into such form and arrangement as would have. kept the substance of each argument together, and have precluded the necesssity of frequent repetitions. -It is, however, a proof of Mr. S.'s patience and goodness of disposition that he has chosen to follow his Lordship, page. by page, through all his ramblings and doublings. Occasionally, however, he has been compelled to collect the scattered members belonging to a singularly important or difficult subject, and to form them into a kind of dissertation on each topic. Thus we are favoured with instructive and masterly disquisitions on Experiences,―on Religious Distresses, -on Regeneration and Baptism,-on the Necessity and Use of Good Works,— on Final Perseverance, - on the Characters of those who composed the Apostolic Churches, on the Seventeenth Article,- -on the Theological Character and the right Use of the. Fathers, &c. On account of these most valuable portions, as well as for general reference, we feel the want of an alphabetical index, or a large and methodized table of contents. We hope that a speedy call for a second edition will enable the author to supply this defect.

By the artful and able writings of Dr. John Taylor, formerly of Norwich, the Socinian scheme of doctrine with regard to Election, Redemption, Justification, the New Birth, Sanctification, and whatever else he called antecedent blessings, was presented in a very imposing form. Had the Bishop been as good a theologian and logician as Dr. Taylor, his Refutation would have been a much more plausible and pernicious performance ;-but happily the mitred dignitary is far inferior to the dissenting teacher in knowledge, in diligence, in all the qualities requisite for the production of a dangerous book. Little, perhaps, does his Lordship know under whose banners he is fighting. It would be well, for his

own sake, if he would read Taylor's Works on Original Sin and the Atonement, and his Key to the Apostolic Writings, he might then become aware of the tendency of his own principles; his mind might recoil from the brink of the gulph into which he is pressing; and his conscience might be alarmed at the certain consequences. The volumes before us carry abundant evidences to convict the Bishop of radical Socinianism. O that he would read and ponder them with impartiality and prayer!

From what we have said, our readers will perceive that this work does not admit of analysis: and when we find so much to approve, and so little from which we can dissent, it is not easy to express our honest sentiments without getting into the dull monotony of praise. Mr. Scott is a Calvinist, in the fair and honourable sense, the sense in which we believe many of the Evangelical Clergy, and the general body of serious Dissenters are Calvinists; that is, they are fully convinced that the great and leading sentiments which were so ably supported by the illustrious Reformer of Geneva, are the doctrines of the holy Scriptures; but they do not coincide with him in every explication and minor particular, nor can approve of all his expressions.

• an

posed them to be those of the Au thor, and so produced them as a specimen of our doctrine: → and such indeed they are, and ought to be, considering our subscriptions and solemn engagements to God in this behalf. A genuine controversialist might make further use of this extraordinary inadvertency in so important a matter; but I shall only add my sincere desire and prayer, that all our Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, may become so familiarly acquainted with the language of the Homilies, as to be effectuallysecured from falling into such mistakes in future. It may also be a caution to writers in general, when they quote words with marked disapprobation, to ascertain previously from what source they are derived; lest, in aiming a deadly blow at an adversary, they should inadvertently smite a friend or a parent.'-Vol. I. p. 106, 107.

This is not the only instance which shews the tenderness and forbearance of Mr. S. in declining to expose the inconsistencies and crudities of his Diocesan.

In many places our worthy and pious Author evinces, by the most complete evidences, the direct tendency and efficacious influence of the sytem called Calvinistic, when particularly believed and enjoyed, to produce all good works, in the most true and extensive sense. At the same time, it is very observable that, though the enemies of Calvinism have long and loudly accused it of being unfavourable to the practice of virtue, their own system presents a wretched contrast of lowness and weakness, as to the first requisite towards Christian obedience,- Rule, Motives, and Meuns. Among many other and excellent observations, Mr. S. says, It seems to me wonderful that no other necessity of good works is expressly mentioned by our opponents, except that which is connected immediately with self-love; as if, were it possible for us to be justified and preserved in a justified state, and thus get to heaven without them, though we might not prefer this, we should at least, have little objection to it: