intemperance, any more than by violence; which he illuf trates by a fuggeftion by no means common. "If the fabric of our mortal bodies is fo conftructed, as that, by care and management, they may reasonably be expected to last "threefcore years and ten", fo much we may conceive to be the common term affigned for our trial and probation; and what right can we have to abridge it?" P. 185. Time is next confidered, as among the things which are by no means our own, to difpose of as we will; our families are alfo trufts committed to our care*; nor are even the animals which we breed or purchase so far our own, as to authorize us to treat them with cruelty. This is a topic peculiarly fuited to the inftruction of farmers and their domeflics, who fometimes make a dreadful abuse of their power over what can hardly be called, in other refpects, the inferior creation. The admonition is here urged with equal force and humanity. is followed by a caution refpecting our worldly goods, which are not our own to waste or abufe; and the difcourfe concludes by showing that, in a fublimer fenfe alfo, we are not our own, fince we have been purchased by the blood of Chrift, according to the words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20, with which this ufeful Sermon very ftrikingly concludes. In the Sermon on Chriftmas-Day (Sermon 20) Mr. N. touches upon the ground which formed the fubject of his differtation above-mentioned, and he proceeds upon it with good effect. As the one work is thus connected with the other, we fhall cite this paffage. Jefus Chrift came down from heaven to be "the propitiation for our fins, and not for our's only, but also for the fins of the whole world." This is St. John's account of the miffion of our Lord. And St. Peter, we know, affirmed before the rulers of the Jews, Acts iv. 12, " that there is falvation in none other except Jefus of Nazareth; for there is none other name given among men whereby we must be saved." Now it is often an enquiry made, how are thofe holy patriarchs and virtuous heathens, who lived before the coming of our blessed Saviour, to receive the benefits of his redemption? There might be fome reafon in the enquiry, if Christ had been mere man. If he had come merely to fet us an example of a good moral life, or even to fatisfy our doubts as to our future refurrection by his own refurrection from the grave. For how could thefe benefits be reflected back upon those who had finished their courfe of life long before his appearance? But when we come to confider that Chrift was in existence. before all worlás”, that he was" in the very beginning with God", that " by him all * In tra&. n p. 191 is a remarkable error of the prefs, 1 9, condua for con 46 things were made, and that without him was not any thing made that was made, which is the account the Evangelift St. John further gives us of him, then we my afily conceive tha, in fact, all the generations of men, that have ever lived on the face of the whole earth, lived fubfequently to the great fcheme of Chriftian redemption. That long before A rah m was, Chrift exifted in the glory of his Father, as he himself intimated in his reply to the Jews, John viii. 58:-he existed before the tempter, through whofe feductions our first parents fell. This alfo, in no obfcure terms, he intimates himfelf; " I beheld Satan”, fays he, as lightning fall from heaven," Luke x. 18. He exifted before David, for David himself called him his Lord-(See Matth. xxii. 43. 44. 45). He was before John the Baptift, if we may believe the teftim ny of the Baptift himself; though, as to his earthly miniftry, the latter was emphatically denominated the forerunner of the Meffiah; and as to cur Lord's actual coming in the flesh, he was not before the Baptift in this inftance, nor yet in his character of a Prophet. Here then we get a glorious view of the method of God's difpenfations. We know nothing of the bounds and extent of the creation. The globe we dwell upon may perhaps be but one out of millions of millions, all inhabited, for what we know, by beings like ourselves. We must not be too bold in our conjeures; but what a scene does it open to us, if we may but conceive that he who became manifeft in the flesh here, may have been the Saviour and Redeemer of all thefe worlds! One mytery is no greater than another. That only is a mystery which we have not at pref nt powers to penetrate and comprehend; but when, with becomi g humility, we are tempted to cry out, "Lord, what is man, that thou should'ft fo regard him", as to fend thy own Son into the world to redeem us from fin and mifery ?-it is well at leaft to gather confi tence from the dignity of him who condescended to take Our nature upon him. The affumption of the fleth united the creature with its Creator; fin was vanquished; and death deftroyed; and if we may at all fuppofe that the everlafting Son of God has been the Redeemer of other worlds, the great fcheme of redemption will appear to have been intima ely connected throughout with the creation of the univerfe. We know of a certainty, without any laboured or intricate difcullion of the matter, that it has pleafed God to create a race of beings, endowed with reafon, and, as to ali moral purpo es, unqueftionably tree agents; capable, ther fore, of falling; capable of difobedi-` ence, fin, tranfgreflion. But to have created fuch a race, without providing in fome way for their after recovery, though the power and will of God know no limits, yet we may prefume to fay, fuch a difpenfation of things would have appeared inconfiftent, with fome of his brighet attribu es. The Gospel of our bluffed Saviour then seems to fit the whole in its proper light. Creation and redemption weat hand in hand. He by whom all things were made, the fecond perfon of the Godhead, was, in the intentions of Providence, the Lamb fain from the foundation of the world.” When (as at this time, this folemn featon of our commemoration) he really came into the world, was miraculoudly born of a pure Virgin, and took our nature upon him, then the great act of redemption was vifibly accomplished-then "God was manifeft in the fish"; for, as we read elfewhere," Gad 66 was was in Chrift, reconciling the world to himself." Great is the mystery of godliness! that is, it is grand in all its parts, magnificent in all its purpofes, ftupendously above our comprehenfion at prefent, and far exceeding our utmoft merits and deferts; yet no greater a mystery, as to its poflibility, than a thousand natural effects that pats before our eyes." P. 351. The Sermon preached at Oxford (Serm. 21) has fome original ideas in it; and has merit alfo, in bringing forward to obfervation the cogent argument of Browne, in the Religio Medici, recommending the offering up of our devotions before we go to rest. "Sleep", fays that writer, "is fo like death, that we fhould not dare to truft it without our prayers. This", fays the preacher," is an elegant obfervation, and as juft as it is elegant." P. 367. Without dwelling further on the characteristics of thefe difcourfes, we shall recommend the volume, not as the fruit of learned labour, nor as containing faultlefs models of compofition, but as conveying much good, and fome new advice, in language generally clear and pleafing. ART. XI. The Raifing of Jairus's Daughter. A Poem. By Francis Wrangham, M. A. To which is annexed, a Short Memoir, inte fperfed with a few poetical Productions, of the late Caroline Symmons. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Mawman. 1804. WE are induced to give this publication a place among our principal articles, from emotions of refpect to a very great favourite of the Mufes, prematurely taken from the world, in the bloom of youth and beauty. The first part of the tract contains a poem on the Raifing of Jairus's Daughter, by Mr. Wrangham, which was intended to enter the competition for Seaton's Prize Poem at Cambridge, which prize the author had before, and more than once, obtained. From fome error or accident, in point of time, it failed of its object; and is now printed principally, as it fhould feem, for the opportunity of introducing to the public notice, fome interefting anecdotes, and fome fpecimens of the poetical talents, of Mifs Caroline Symmons, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Symmons. The fubject of Mr. Wrangham's poem is peculiarly appofite, as this young lady, at the early age of fourteen, fell a victim to a pulmonary complaint. The Raifing of Jairus's Daughter is an animated effufion, and contains fome very happy thoughts, expreffed with claffical taste and great energy. The following is particularly happy. "Borne "Borne on that figh, her gentle fpirit rofe, Floats on light plume amid the liquid noon." It were eafy to give other pleafing fpecimens from this poem, but we haften to the Memoir at the end. Mifs Symmons from her infancy exhibited proofs of very extraordinary powers of intellect. At the age of eleven, the produced a compofition which, as the production of a child, we think, with the editor, really wonderful. When yet fhort of the age of Jairus's daughter, fhe compofed a ftory, in the heroic measure, of more than five hundred harmonious lines. The following pathetic verfes were written in the year 1800, in the author's twelfth year. "THE FLOWER GIRL'S CRY. "Come buy my wood hare-bells, my cowflips come buy; Left their beauties fhould wither, their perfumes fhould die, "O ye who in pleasure and luxury live, Whofe bofoms would fink beneath half my fad woes; Ah! deign to my cry a kind answer to give, And shed a folt tear for the fate of poor Rose. "Yet once were my days happy, sweet, and ferene, But now on my cheek meagre famine is feen, "Then buy my wood hare-bells, my cowflips come buy; Left their beauties fhould wither, their perfumes fhould die, At this period her health began to decline, and to give her parents and friends serious caufe of alarm; but she still continued to exercife her fine powers, of which two more short fpecimens fhall be inserted. "TO MEMORY. Hail Memory! celeftial maid, O thou, O thou, my mingled joy and woe, My friend's foft figh, her smile ferene, "THE HARE-BELL. In fpring's green lap there blooms a flower, Though hid from the broad eye of day; In defert air thy fweets to fhed, The flaunting fun, th' embroidered green; And bloom and fade, with chafte referve unfeen." In February, 1803, a cough, accompanied with fever, requced this excellent young lady to the laft ftage of human debility; on the firft of June fhe died. She was not alone.diftinguished by her talents, but was in every other respect entitled to admiration and love. She poffelfed the molt active benevolence, a refined fenfibility, and the greatness goodness of heart. |