that he cannot help his unregeneracy. This, ther from his thoughts than the idea of the Spirit however, he will pretend, whilst the work of the designing or desiring to comfort him. The SaSpirit is oftener presented to him as a work of viour knew that this suspicion is "in man;" and, power than as a work of love. Calling it even "a therefore, he calls the attention of the world to work of grace" will not cure him; for he under-"what the Spirit saith unto the churches;" that stands by grace, not sovereign favor, in the scrip- whoever had an ear to hear," should hear for tural sense of that expression, but favoritism-themselves both the promises and warnings adand, therefore, regards the Spirit rather as a dressed to the churches. This was a fine meamighty eagle, sailing and alighting arbitrarily, than sure for commending the love of the Spirit to the as a gentle dove, fond of the habitations of men, world, and for securing attention to his impartialiand for ever hovering around them. Take any ty. So much had been said to the churches in the man who is halting between two opinions, and try apostolic epistles, about the care, and kindness, him upon this point, and you will find that it is and tenderness of the Comforter towards them, not as the dove of love, but as the eagle of power and so little, comparatively, of the breathings or he is resisting the Holy Ghost. I mean, he does bearings of his love to the world, that the apoca. not think that he is standing out against a heart lyptic epistles were added to prevent the very full of love, and a hand full of grace, to himself. suspicion of partiality. Hence, whilst each of He does not believe that the Spirit loves him at them is addressed to a specified church by Christ all. He may have some idea that the Holy Ghost himself, all of them are re-addressed to the world has designs upon him in the way of alarming, thus," he that hath an ear, let him hear what the humbling, and checking him; but nothing is fur-Spirit saith unto the churches." THE END. THE REASONABLENESS OF CHRISTIANITY, AS DELIVERED IN THE SCRIPTURES. TO WHICH ARE ADDED AN ESSAY ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES; AND A DISCOURSE ON MIRACLES BY JOHN LOCKE. WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY, AN APPENDIX, AND NOTES BY A LAYMAN. NEW-YORK: THOMAS GEORGE, JR., SPRUCE STREET. INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. THOUGH it is by no means our design to present the reader, on the present occasion, with a complete biography of Locke, it may perhaps be useful, before we come to a consideration of the reasonableness of Christianity, to glance, in a cursory manner, at the principal circumstances of his life, which was strikingly marked by sudden vicissitudes and mutations of fortune. This distinguished philosopher, the elder of two sons, was born at Wrington, in Somersetshire, on the 29th of August, 1632. He probably imbibed from his earliest years a hatred of arbitrary power, his father having, during the civil wars, been an officer in the republican army; which, on the restoration, caused considerable detriment to his fortunes. Locke, received from the beginning, a very superior education; and, though treated with much strictness while a boy, was gradually, as he grew up, permitted so share the friendship of his father, whom he loved with more than ordinary affection. He was sent, at an early age, to Westminster school; from whence, in 1651, he removed to Christ-church, Oxford, of which the celebrated independent, Dr. Owen, was then dean. The scholastic philosophy, based upon an imperfect interpretation of the works of Aristotle, which, at that period, prevailed in our universities, excited his aversion. He therefore, for some time, directed his studies into a different channel, and employed himself in acquiring that intimate knowledge of classical literature, which afterwards, when he came to write, enabled him to rival the first authors of modern times in the perspicuity and masculine beauties of his style. Contrary to what might have been expected, his university friends were not selected from among those of learned and studious habits; he preferred, it is said, the lively and agreeable; and his early manner of writing is not free from those sallies of affectation, mistaken by the vulgar for wit, which may be supposed best to have pleased such companions; indeed his recent biographer, Lord King, compares the style of his youthful correspondence to that of Voiture. The love of philosophy was at length awakened in his mind by the works of Descartes; but, instead of adopting the ingenious system of that writer, then exceedingly popular among the learned, he betook himself to the assiduous study of the sciences, more particularly of medicine, in which he made so great a proficiency that, but for the feebleness of his constitution, it is probable he would ultimately have practised as a physician. Sydenham, in physic the greatest name perhaps of modern times, speaks of him, in the dedication prefixed to his "Observations on the History and Cure of Acute Diseases," as his most intimate friend, and as a man who, for genius, penetration, and exact judgment, had scarcely any superior, and few equals, among his contemporaries. It was not without reason, therefore, that he valued the approbation bestowed by Locke on his method of cure, which still continues to be regarded as a model; but from this circumstance to infer, as Dugald Stewart has done, that the merit of this method belonged in part to the philosopher, hardly appears to be warranted. On the restoration, in 1660, Locke, then in his twenty-eighth year, wrote a political work, not wholly unimbued with the spirit of the times, which his maturer judgment condemned to oblivion. His merit having now procured him many friends, he was chosen, in 1664, to accompany, as secretary, Sir Walter Vane, envoy to the elector of Brandenburgh; and from Cleves, where he chiefly resided during his stay abroad, amused his friends with lively descriptions of the Christmas mummeries of the Roman Catholics, of Calvinistic logicians, and Dutch poets; in which he exhibited more vivacity than good taste. Returning to England early in the spring of 1665, he rejected an offer, the accepting of which might have permanently engaged him in the career of diplomacy; nor could an invitation to enter the church, with very flattering prospects made in the following year, by a friend, prevail on him to relinquish his personal freedom and independence, which he regarded as the first of blessings. Emancipated from all professional pursuits, he continued the study of medicine, and entered with his characteristic enthusiasm for knowledge, into a course of experimental philosophy. At this period he would appear to have been sometimes consulted by his friends and others as a physician; and to his knowledge of medicine he owed his introduction to the earl of Shaftesbury, then lord Ashley, with whom, notwithstanding the veering politics of that celebrated man, he maintained a friendship interrupted only by death. Lord Ashley, who was suffering from an abscess in his breast, came to drink the waters of Astrop at Oxford, where Locke then resided. He had written to Dr. Thomas to procure the waters for him on his arrival, but this physician happening to be called away, requested Locke to execute the commission. Through the negligence of the messenger sent to procure them, the waters however were not ready, and Locke waited upon his lordship to explain. Satisfied with the apology, and charmed by his conversation, lord Ashley expressed his desire to improve an acquaintance thus accidentally commenced; and the friendship with which he was honored by Locke, is perhaps the strongest presumptive proof existing that his character contained the elements of many good and excellent qualities. From Oxford, Locke accompanied lord Ashley to Sunning-hill Wells, and afterwards resided some time with him at Exeter-house in the Strand, but my lord Lauderdale knows it will agree with where he occasionally enjoyed the society of the their present constitution; but surely he was duke of Buckingham, lord Halifax, and other dis much mistaken when he administered the covetinguished men, who appeared to delight in his nant to England; but we shall see how the trisuperior style of conversation. From an anecdote podes and the holy altar will agree. My lord of related by Le Clerc, however, it would seem that Ormond is said to be dying, so that you have Irish those noblemen sometimes took refuge from phi- and Scotch news; and for English, you make as losophy in the most frivolous pastimes: for se- much at Bristol as in any part of England. Thus veral of their number once meeting at lord Ash-recommending you to the protection of the bishop ley's, sat down somewhat abruptly at the card- of Bath and Wells, (whose strong beer is the table; upon which Locke, taking out his tablets, only spiritual thing any Somersetshire gentleman began attentively to write, lifting up his eyes, and knows,) I rest your very affectionate and assured regarding them from time to time. Observing him friend." thus occupied, one of the party inquired what he Locke had from the beginning been afflicted was writing? To which Locke replied, that being with ill-health; but in 1675, his asthma grew so greatly desirous of profiting by their lordships' troublesome, that it was judged necessary he discourse, he supposed he could not be better em- should remove to a warmer and less changeable ployed than in registering the wise sayings which climate. He therefore crossed over into France; dropped from persons who were esteemed the and on the way to Montpellier, which had been greatest wits of the age. And thereupon he read fixed on for his residence, kept a journal, in which the notes he had been making. Finding they ap-he very minutely described whatever he considerpeared to no great advantage in the philosopher's ed worthy of notice. Some portions of this jourreport, the card-table was abandoned, and the nal, after it had lain upwards of a century and a remainder of the evening given up to conversa-half in obscurity, lord King has communicated to tion; an amusement more worthy of rational the public; and notwithstanding, nay, perhaps, in consequence of the extraordinary changes which have taken place in France, the interest of these specimens is so great that few, we believe, can fail to regret the not being put in possession of the whole. creatures. of an ignorant and bigoted populace, he also inquired with persevering sympathy, and has recorded many curious facts, which ought not to be overlooked in a history of the church. It must at the same time be confessed, that even the Huguenots themselves were not wholly free from the persecuting spirit; for not long before Locke's arrival, an Arian was apprehended, seemingly at their instigation; and had he not, upon his trial at Toulouse, denied the truth of the accusation, and made profession of orthodoxy, would have been burnt alive. Lord Ashley was not without reason attached to his illustrious guest, by whose advice he submitted to the operation-the opening of an abscess in the breast-which saved his life; after which he omitted no occasion of consulting him, From several parts of this journal it is abuneven in the closest and most intimate concerns of dantly apparent, that in all his travels nothing so his family. And in 1672, when, after filling the deeply interested Locke as what concerned relioffice of chancellor of the exchequer, he was cre- gion generally. Into the condition of the Proated earl of Shaftesbury, and declared lord chan-testants in France, exposed to the oppression of a cellor of England, he appointed Locke his secre- persecuting government, and the wanton insults tary for the presentation of benefices; which, with another office in the council of trade, the philosopher resigned in the following year, when his friend, abandoning the court party, placed himself at the head of the opposition. Lord King, whose work, however, contains much fewer original documents than might have been desired, brings forward several letters and other evidences of the intimate friendship that existed between these celebrated individuals. Shaftesbury, it is clear, personally loved the man ; this appears from the tone of their correspondence, where we discover, on all occasions, not merely great freedom The early opening of spring in the south, where and mutual confidence, but an indication that he experienced considerable warmth even in Jatheir friendship was far stricter and more intimate nuary, seems to have afforded our philosopher than would seem to be implied in their language. very particular pleasure. Picturesque descrip"We long to see you here," says the earl, in tions of external nature were not at that time in 1679," and hope you have almost ended your tra- fashion; but his concise allusion to the beautiful vels. Somersetshire, no doubt, will perfect your orange-groves of Hyeres forcibly reminds us of the breeding; after France and Oxford, you could not far more luxuriant paradises of Rosetta and the go to a more proper place. My wife finds you Land of Goshen, where the banana, the citron, profit much there, for you have recovered your the lime, and the orange, intermingle in charming skill in Chedder cheese, and for a demonstration confusion with the graceful palm and the majestic have sent us one of the best we have seen. I sycamore. "Below the town," says he, "the thank you for your care about my grandchild, but side of the hill is covered with orange-gardens ; having wearied myself with consideration every ripe China oranges in incredible plenty, someway, I resolve to have him in my house; I long times nine or ten in a bunch. These gardens to speak with you about it. For news we have form the most deligtful wood I had ever seen; little, only our government here are so truly zea- there are little rivulets conveyed through it to lous for the advancement of the Protestant reli- water the trees in summer, without which there gion, as it is established in the church of Eng-would be but little fruit." land, that they are sending the common prayer- Having remained fourteen months in the south book the second time into Scotland. No doubt of France, Locke proceeded, in March, 1677, to |