ceive the comparative nothingness has given you; namely, that you of worldly honours. It hath been give him back his prebend; for, formerly judged, that the domestic George, it is not for your weak servants of the King of heaven body and empty purse to undertake should be of the noblest families to build churches. He desired a on earth. And though the iniquity day's consideration of the matter; of the late times have made clergy. when he returned, and having remen meanly valued, and the sacred quested her blessing, he asked, name of priest contemptible, yet I ' that she would, at the age of will labour to make it honourable, thirty-three years, allow him to by consecrating all my learning become an undutiful son; for he and all my poor abilities to advance had made a vow to God, that if he the glory of that God that gave were able, he would rebuild that them, knowing that I can never do church. She soon became a contoo much for Him, who hath done vert to his design, became a subso much for me as to make me a scriber, and engaged' to solicit Christian. And I will labour to be William Earl of Pembroke to belike my Saviour, by making humi- come another, who, on, her reprelity lovely in the eyes of all men, sentation, contributed fifty pounds, and by following the merciful and and not long after, receiving a meek example of my dear Jesus. persuasive letter from Herbert

Having been ordained, he was himself, gave fifty more. The made prebendary of Layton Eccle. Duke of Lennox, and his brother sia, in the diocese of Lincoln. This Sir Henry Herbert, with Mr. village is near Spalden, in the county Nicholas Farrer his neighbour, and of Huntingdon. Its church was in Mr. Arthur Woodnot, a goldsmith so dilapidated a condition, as to have in Foster Lane, London, made been unfit for the performance of handsome donations to the, same divine service for the last twenty purpose. years. There bad some faint endea- About the year 1629, he was vour been made for its repair, but seized with a sharp quotidian ague, without success. He undertook and for change of air and the saluhowever, with the aid of his con- tary enjoyment of beloved society nexions, to rebuild it in a fair and in the circle of his friends and decent manner, with good wain. relatives, went to Woodford in scotting; and by his direction the Essex, where his brother resided. reading-desk and the pulpit were a After a lapse of a year, by good little distant from each other, and regimen and diet, he was cured of equal height; for he was accus- of this disorder. In its sharpest tomed to observe, that “neither paroxysms he used to say, “Lord! of them should have a precedency abate my great affliction, or inor priority of the other; but that crease my patience; but, Lord, I prayer and preaching, being equally repive not! I am dumb, Lord, useful, might agree like brethren, before thee, because thou doest it!! and have an equal honour and He then removed to Dauntsey in estimation.'

Wiltshire, the seat of Lord Danvers, His mother, aware of his inten- Earl of Danby, who was much attion, when he first thought of this tached to him. Recovering his undertaking, and apprehensive of health and spirits, he declared his the trouble and expense in wbich resolution both to marry and take he might be involved, sent for him priest's orders. Mr. Charles Dan, to Chelsea, and, on his arrival, said, vers of Baynton in Wiltshire, a • George, I sent for you to persuade kinsman of the Earl, had been so you to commit simony, by giving partial to him, as openly to declare your patron as good a gift as he his wish that he would take one of his nine daughters especially his he was introduced to the young favourite Jane. He told Herbert, lady on this visit to Dauntsey; but that if the union took place, Jane her father did not live to witness should bave a double blessing, while the event which he so much dehe spake in such terms of him be- sired. Lady Magdalen also had fore the young lady, as to prepossess departed in 1627, and in conseher in his favour. This may ac- quence of her decease, he relincount in some measure for the quished his situation as Orator, suddenness of the union itself, which he had retained in conformity which took place three days after to her wish.

ON PSALM CXLV. 1, 2.

I will extol thee, my God, O King; through the wilderness. Thy good

and I will bless thy name for ever ness has supplied my every want; and ever. Every day will I bless Thy arm has shielded me in thee, and I will praise thy name the hour of danger; Thy tender for ever and ever.-Psalm cxlv. mercy has smoothed my pillow in 1, 2.

sickness ; Thy love has calmed my The works of creation bear the sorrows, suppressed my sighs, and impress of their Maker's hand, and wiped away my tears. Past mercies eloquently, though silently pro- have been succeeded by present claim his praise : “ The heavens blessings; temporal and spiritual, declare the glory of God, and the renewed, and increasing every firmament showeth his handy moment. 0, what a debt of work. Day unto day uttereth gratitude is mine--a debt which I speech, and night unto night can never pay! “I will extol thee, sheweth knowledge;" they have God, my king. I will bless no speech nor language, but they thy name for ever; every day will have a voice for thee, O God, I give thanks unto thee, and I will and universally make known thy praise thy name for ever and ever.” wisdom, power, and love. All thy I would praise thee, but my praises works praise thee, O Lord; and are poor. I would love thee, but can I, thy spiritual workmanship my love is cold. Yet such as they in Christ, be silent ? Surely, if a are, O Lord, accept them; take sinner such as I, redeemed so not only the weak expressions of wondrously, so graciously, should my gratitude, but take the offering hold my peace, the stones, and all of my heart; consecrate me to thy inanimate nature would cry out. service, and form me for thyself, “I will extol thee, my God.” that I may show forth thy praise. Thou hast called me out of nothing O make me what thou wouldest into life, and the light of this world; have me to be; blot out my iniand more than this, thou hast called quities ; cover me with thy righme out of spiritual darkness into teousness; and as thou hast begun thy marvellous light. Thou bast the work of grace in my soul, carry not cut me off in thy just anger, it on, and perfect it, O Lord, my but hast converted my soul; and God. I praise thee now, though notwithstanding all my dullness most unworthily, on earth-in and ignorance, my wanderings and nobler strains I hope to sing thy provocations, thy long-suffering is praise in heaven. Every day will still exercised towards me, and I bless thee here, and I shall praise thou bearest with me. Thy hand thee there for ever and ever. has led me these many years

A. R-E.

SERMON ON THE DEATH OF MRS. B. SCOTT.

EXTRACT FROM A SERMON, OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF ANNE, WIFE OF THE

REV. B. SCOTT, A. M. VICAR OF BIDFORD AND SALFORD PRIORS, WARWICKSHIRE ; WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE DECEMBER 24TH, 1828, AGED 39 YEARS. BY TUE REV, THOMAS SCOTT, A.M. PERPETUAL CURATE OF GAWCOTT, BUCKS.

"I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”-Rev. xiv. 13.

You are aware of the reasons son, without our thoughts imme. which induce me to call your atten- diately recurring to the question tion to these words, on the present was he ready, or was he not ? occasion. You know the loss which Thus do we acknowledge the conwe bave sustained, the breach which viction we feel, that death cannot has been made in our family. I be happy ;-that it cannot be other made some allusion to it in a former than inost fearful, if some, and discourse ; but it has been deemed that sufficient preparation, be not right, that I should give a more made for it ere its arrival. Now full and decided testimony to our that full, that sufficient preparation, dear departed sister. When I whatever it be, is the very thing reflect on the long friendship, the referred to in the expression of my close family connection, and the text : “ Blessed are the dead which cordial attachment that has sub- die in the Lord : " importing that sisted between us, which is now no such blessedness can await him, suddenly closed by the hand of who doth not “ die in the Lord.” death:—when I think on the anguish The death here described, stands of the bereaved husband, on the in direct opposition to another seven motherless children, and the which was spoken of by our Savi. distress of all the family of our our, when he said to the Jews, lamented sister; I should feel the “ If ye believe not that I am he, subject far too painful to be thus ye shall die in your sins; and where publicly touched upon, had I not I am, thither ye cannot come.” such a passage as the text before Between these two there is no me. But this sheds a light upon alternative : each of us must either our deepest gloom : and while we “die in our sins," or we must “die mourn over the desolation death in the Lord.” has made, we are enabled to thank We scarcely need to inquire what God, for his saint and servant is meant by“ dying in our sins :" departed this life in his faith and the thing presents itself at once fear;' and to pray for grace so to to our view. So soon as the words follow her good example, that with strike on our ears, conscience beher we may be partakers of the comes the interpreter. It tells us heavenly kingdom.'

that to“ die in our sins," is to die, I. Let us inquire into the import as alas! most men live-impeniof the remarkable expression of tent, unpardoned, unchanged : it is the text.

to meet God as a sinner will meet Whatever may be the state of our him, who has “ neglected his great own souls; whether we are living salvation," and never fled to the in habitual preparation for eternity, Lord Jesus Christ by humble but or whether we are thoughtless of living faith; never “ laid hold on our prospects beyond the grave, the hope set before him ;” never certain it is, that we scarcely ever « worked out his salvation with hear of the death of any other per- fear and trembling ;” and who

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Sermon on the Death of Mrs. B. Scott. will therefore appear before God Allow me, then, my brethren, to clothed only in the “ filthy rags," call your attention to this point of his own righteousness, and be with relation to yourselves. A few judged unfit for heaven, and a meet there may be in the congregation companion for the devil and his who can never think of sin, without angels. Such an explanation do a host of gross and black enormiour consciences at once give of the ties which they have committed, awful expression. If we are not presenting themselves to their reimpressed with it, it is not because membrance. They have “neither we do not understand it, but it is feared God, nor regarded man.” “ because of the hardness of our Such, however, is not the character hearts." .

of most: the greater part of you To “ die in the Lord,” is the are what are considered good and reverse of all this. Yet we must moral persons. You discharge still remember that what we are many of the relative duties in an speaking of, is

irreproachable manner; and exhibit 1. The death of a sinner : not many amiable qualities which endear of one who has escaped the pollu. you to your families and contion that has spread itself over our nections : but notwithstanding all race: not of one, who by nature this, you will find that you are was possessed of so many and so greatly deceived, if on no better exalted virtues that she was enabled ground, you expect the blessedness to overcome the evil dispositions, of them that “ die in the Lord." which the fall of our first parents Amidst all that constitutes you a introduced among us; and who on valuable member of society, and a this ground, might be entitled to treasure to your family circle, there expect deliverance from the sen- lies concealed, and perhaps unheedtence which renders death so terri- ed by you, a native corruption ble to us all. No! nor are we even of heart; an habitual disregard to to suppose that the high privilege, God; and a fearless neglect of such referred to in my text is vouchsafed of his commandments, as may be to such only as have been distin violated without incurring the cenguished by the general excellency sure of the world. This is ungodand strict morality of their lives. liness ; that sin which will leave Such indeed was in a very high thousands speechless before the bar degree the case of our departed of their Creator. Had you only to sister : but though she would cor- meet the charges of your fellowdially join in thanking God for the creatures, you might rebut them restraints of his providence, whereby all; but what will you answer when she had been kept from outward God shall rise to judgment ? when evil, yet this was not her confidence; He, whose eye penetrates the inthis was not the basis of her hopes, most recesses of your soul, shall or the source of her happiness. ask why you did not give him your She knew that she had “ departed heart? why the first and great from God;" that she was very commandinent of his law was far gone from original righteous. uniformly neglected by you? why ness, and of her own nature in- “ the God, in whose band thy clined to evil, and was therefore breath is, and whose are all thy deserving of God's wrath and dam, ways, thou hast not glorified ?" nation. These doctrines of Scrip. If you will candidly and imparti. ture, and this language of our ally put such questions as these to church, she cordially admitted with yourselves, you will see why we reference to herself; and in con- assert that the death of the most sequence “ walked humbly with her righteous and exemplary Christian, God.”

is, after all, the death of a sinner.

As on approaching the altar of the the work of excluding true repentLord, we are taught to say, “We ance, even at the very last. I do not presume to come to this thay mention this, my friends, because I table, 0 merciful Lord, trusting know the delusion to which you in our own righteousness, but in are exposed, and the vain hopes thy manifold and great mercy :' so you are apt to entertain, upon this shall we feel, only in an immensely subject; and I wish to impress you, higher degree, when we are depart. while you are in health, and possess ing from this life to nieet our God your mental powers unimpaired, upon his judgment throne.

with the danger there is of deferring I therefore remark again,

to a death-bed, that work on which 2. That to die in the Lord, is to your everlasting happiness depends; die as a penitent sinner.

and which, both the scriptures · Though we often hear persons and your own consciences declare, boasting of their excellencies; and ought to be done without a momultitudes have in reality an over- ment's delay. weenjog idea of the goodness of But we are sometimes privileged their hearts and lives; and it be to witness a widely different scene, comes, in consequence, a part of when standing by the bed of a dying our ministerial duty to show them Christian. With him, repentance the sandy foundation on which they had been the work of his life, and are building; yet I believe few not put off to the most unfit mopersons are habitually satisfied with ment of his earthly existence. But their own state. It requires a con- though he has long possessed the stant effort to keep up a good feelings of a penitent sinner, never opinion of themselves; and when has the view of sin been so impresthat effort is relaxed, conscience sive, never has the humiliation for becomes troublesome, and its voice it been so deep, or the tears shed is not easily quieted. If that voice on account of it so abundant, as were attentively listened to, when when the happy man is just going instigated by God's own Spirit it to be delivered for ever from its takes his part against the singer, guilt and power. The more cheerrepentance must follow; self-flattery ing the views of divine mercy, the would cease; the man would find more does the heart melt in conhis sins so numerous and so ma trition at the remembrance of its lignant, that he would stand ashamed transgressions. and confounded before God:-" He But important as it is to feel the would not lift up so much as his heart broken in penitential sorrow, eyes unto heaven, but would smite yet even this is not the foundation upon his breast, saying, God be on which the dying Christian rests merciful to me a sinner.” At such his hopes. It is right that the a sight, angels rejoice. But, alas! tears of repentance should flow : the voice of conscience is too nay, it is necessary that the spirit generally disregarded. The efforts should become contrite and humble; used to quiet it prove successful. yet these tears cannot wash away And from what I have witnessed our sins: this contrition cannot when attending the beds of the merit forgiveness. Another founsick and dying, I am led to appre- dation must be laid; another hope hend that the efforts to keep out must be afforded; or the penitent fear, and allay the feelings of com. sinner cannot die in peace. I therepunction, are sometimes stronger fore remark, and more successful than at any 3. That the death bere spoken other period: while, at the same of, is the death of a Believer in the time, the force of disease blunts the Lord Jesus Christ. feelings of the mind, and aids in “Him, hath God set forth to be

MAY 1829.