ary of Jesus, she zealously aided the
work of missions by her exertions
and her prayers.
For some time
prior to her departure from Eng-
land, the salvation of the heathen
engaged her warmest thoughts, and
a world lying in wickedness drew
forth the commisseration and sym-
pathy of her benevolent mind. With
calm deliberation and composure
she viewed the difficulties and pri-
vations of a missionary life, and
when God in his providence pointed
out the way in which she was to
walk, she entered upon it with firm
reliance upon Him whe hath said,

66

day. Her husband, who was dangerously ill at the period of her death, has been mercifully restored, and promises to be a faithful and successful servant of Christ among the degraded African slaves Jamaica.

A

TRIBUTE OF AFFECTION

OCCASIONED BY THE

in

LAMENTED DEATH
OF MRS. M. A. COULTART.

"All flesh is grass," the voice proclaims aloud,
All human strength and beauty must decay,
The gay, the thoughtless, and the busy crowd,
"Must die forgotten, as the winter's day."
Blest saint of God! for ever freed from care,
No more a sufferer in this world of woe;

Lo I am with you always, even
to the end of the world." This ani-
mating declaration she realized in
the heart-rending separation with
her friends in her departure from
her native clime, while exposed to
the dangers of the deep, while en-
gaged in the work of the mission,
and in the solemn period while walk-Thy sad, thy quick removal to the tomb.
ing through the valley of death.
The state of her mind a little be-
fore her removal is best described
by her own words in a letter to a
friend in England, dated August
16: "I have lately anticipated with
real delight that time when I shall
see Him as he is-when I shall no
more grieve his Holy Spirit, but be
transformed to his glorious image."
She had long anticipated the period
when she should enter into rest, and
when seized with the disease that
terminated in death, she assured
her partner that she was confident
of the favour of her God. Her hus-
band observes, that during the in-
tervals of returning reason, which
were short, she seemed to have for-
gotten him and all that was mortal,
and to be wholly absorbed in the
joys of God's unfading kingdom.
She was seized with a violent fever
on Sept. 28, while attending public
worship, which occasioned delirium,
(except at intervals) in which state
she remained until October 8, when
her weary spirit left mortality, and
entered into the joy of her Lord.
Thus devotedly lived and gloriously
died Mary Ann Coultart. Her sun
has indeed gone down at noon, but
it has set only to rise more bril-
liantly, and to shine unobscured by
clouds in the regions of eternal

The heavy cross no longer call'd to bear,
Thy tears for ever now have ceas'd to flow.
The friends of missions must their loss deplore,
And western India mourn thy early doom;

While Ham's benighted progeny grieve o'er

Thy steps we've followed thro' the thorny way
Of tribulation, which thy feet have trod;
We now would trace thy flight to realms of day,
And view thee happy in thy Saviour God.
There while thy friends on earth their loss
bewail,

Jesus shall feed thee with immortal food:
Thy Lord Immanuel shall thy soul regale,
With joys which he has purchas'd with his blood.
Though in the silent dust unseen by those
Who shar'd thy love, thy faded form was laid,
Jamaica's land shall render up her dead.
Yet there's a truth should dissipate their woes→→
E'en now dear Mary's spirit reigns in bliss,

Yet, mighty God, her friends thine aid require;
Into their bosoms drop the balm of peace,
And may they join with her the heavenly choir,
With grace sustain the partner of her soul,
Bereav'd of her who was in mercy given;
O may thy Spirit his torn mind console,
And lead him forwards till he reaches heaven.
H. C.

REV. JOHN PENNY.

DIED, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 1818, at the house of his son, Mr. John Penny, of Scotland-yard, London, the Rev. John Penny, late pastor of the Baptist church in White's-row, Portsea. He had eaten his dinner on Wednesday in good health, but during the afternoon complained of a violent pain in his head, and after a few hours' pain died the next morning at seven o'clock. "Mark the perfect man and behold the upright; the end of that man is peace,"

109

Review.

Pastoral Letters on Nonconformity; addressed to a young Member of a Society of Protestant Dissenters. By the

Rev. Dr. Winter. Black and Son.

We have not room in this review to shew how completely the history of the Establishment is against them; and how much more we owe to statesmen than to churchmen for the spread of liberal sentiments: but we will mention one observation of our author which deserves their serious attention. He remarks, that the Establishment "holds no communion with any other Protestant national church in Europe;"—and, it " allows the validity of Romish, but not of Presbyterian or Congregational ordination." Introd. p. xiv. We are not surprised that the Es

WE very much approve the design of these Letters. Their worthy author says, 66 for many years he had observed, that the Dissenters with whom he had been conversant, had greatly lost sight of the genuine reasons of nonconformity;" and he mentions various causes which have contributed to produce this effect. For the purpose of exciting the younger members of Protestant congregations to attend to this subject, he has published these "Pas-tablishment should look with too toral Letters." In the course of his work, he draws scenes, and refers to events, which, whether altogether imaginary or not, keep the attention alive, and illustrate his reasoning. The letters are in an easy, familiar style; the remarks, in general, we think important; and the author has our thanks for his services in a common cause. Many will read this little volume, who would not peruse works of a larger size; and we trust that they will read to good purpose. Though the expensive form in which these Letters are printed will prevent their circulation to any great extent, yet we doubt not they will be purchased and read, where a tract of equal value but of meaner appearance would never gain admittance.

Much pains is taken by churchmen to persuade us how tolerant and liberal the Establishment is. Far be it from us to say a single word against many worthy individuals who inculcate this sentiment. We are willing to hope, that they plead for the liberality of their church, because they feel liberal sentiments themselves. They are convinced of the injustice, the folly, and the irreligion of persecution; and therefore they believe, that the church of which they are members, and to which they are attached, cannot be less liberal than they are.

jealous an eye on any thing Congregational: this is natural. But when Presbyterian ordination is denounced, so that the ministers of the Scotch church, though it is established by our English legislation, are deemed laymen, while a Roman Catholic priestwho renouncesPopery is acknowledged to be a clergyman, the sentiments of the English Establishment are clearly avowed.

The first of these "Letters" shews the "occasion of their being written; the second is on "the importance of the subject;" the third and fourth are on "order and discipline;" and they all contain many observations which deserve attention. The fifth is on "the communion;" in this Letter the objections to the mode of receiving the Lord's supper in the Established Church are slightly mentioned, but not so strongly pressed as they might have been. We are surprised that the worthy author did not say more on the admission of communicants of various characters without discrimination, which is a general objection to every establishment, and particularly strong in the present instance. Indeed this is one of the turning points of the controversy.

Our author observes, that objections may be raised against the plans adopted by Dissenters as not

scriptural; for instance, against the | Yet they plead for infant baptism mode of "admitting members to on grounds which suppose that by communion by means of a declara- baptism they are either introduced tion of faith and experience." He into some relation to the church, or replies, we think very fairly,-that that some covenant relation before the rules for discipline in the New existing is then openly recognized. Testament are chiefly outlines;-that In consequence, they baptize first, a church has a right to expect some and then enquire, many years after, evidence of a person's faith; and whether those who were baptized, that the method in which this is and who have long had some relabest obtained, is left as a matter of tion to the church, are believers, and expedience. Farther,—that_when- ought to be admitted as churchever a church, consisting of a vo- members. Now this state of things, luntary society of professed believ- | which is the unavoidable conseers, perceives that it has adopted quence of infant baptism, is so difan objectionable plan, it is at perfect | ferent from any thing described in liberty to alter it; but in an esta- the New Testament, and puts such blishment every thing is fixed, no a new face on the Christian church, change can be admitted on any con- that we are surprised candid and sideration whatever, but by the au- thoughtful men should not see how thority which gives being and ope- greatly it differs from the original. ration to the whole system. We must, however, state, that we have no reason for being offended by anything which the worthy author has said in his letter on baptism: we only show our opinion.

"the

The sixth letter is on "Baptism;" in which our author makes many pertinent observations on the expressions used-in the xxvii article of the church-in the Liturgy-and Here we cannot help asking, in the Catechism. Of course, the What can be the reason that so few writer takes his own ground as a defences of Nonconformity begin Pædobaptist; for so doing we do with the inquiry, Who ought to be not blame him; but we see, or think the members of the church of Christ, we see, that our sentiments give us and how ought they to be admitted? a decided advantage over him in For if this single question is anthe controversy with churchmen. swered satisfactorily, every thing He says, "The doctrine of baptism, else can be arranged with ease. But as it may fairly be collected from we cannot now enter into the subthe Articles and Formularies of theject; nor ought wc, in a review, to church of England, forms in my trouble our readers with our own mind so strong a reason for dissent, speculations. that if there were no other, I must enter a protest and say, We must obey God rather than man," p. 71. So say we. We go farther: we also say, that the baptism of infants, on any of the theories on which it is popularly defended, connects them with the church by some species of membership. In the Establishment The two succeeding letters are on this is clearly avowed; and hence "Edification;" and present the read the church of England exhibits an er with many excellent remarks, appearance, which is widely differ-When persons go from Dissenting ent from that of the church of Christ in its primitive condition. Our Pædobaptist brethren do, in part, recognize a different system; they admit to communion those only who declare their faith in Jesus Christ, and consider them, till they have professed their faith, as not, strictly speaking, church members,

The seventh, letter is on Liturgy," and contains a neat short view of the leading objections to an appointed form of prayer. Our author might have pressed the subject much farther, but probably he would say, this would have been inconsistent with his intended brevity.

congregations to the Establishment, for the professed purpose of edification, except they are impelled by imperious necessity, they either declare, that they think the constitution of the Christian church-its view of the ordinances of the gospel -its discipline-and the principles of its communion, are of no import

ance; of, at least, they cannot com- and has led others to amuse themplain of being injured, if others con- selves with imagining how churchsider this inference fairly deducible men would look, if a Dissenter were from their conduct. It may be said, to parody their speeches, and, by the temptation which draws them changing a few words, turn them in away to the church is sometimos praise of dissent. Whenever the two great. So it may: and the tempta- parties combine, may they each tion is doubtless great, that induces conscientiously keep in view the Africans to go to their richer neigh-leading principles which brought bours, and ask leave to put on their slave chain; (which travellers have asserted is not unfrequently the case.) In both instances the cause is the same: neither party have a just sense of the value of liberty.

them together; for nothing else can perinanently keep them together.

A Sermon occasioned by the lamented Death of her late Royal Highness the The two concluding letters are Princess Charlotte of Wales; preached called "Practical Results." We were at Harvey-lane, Leicester, November 16, much pleased with them. We ear- 1817, by Robert Hall, M. A. Seventh nestly wish that the attention of our Edition. pp. 63. Button. 2s. congregations, and particularly of ELOQUENCE is a rare production. our younger friends, was more fre- It requires so many, and such vaquently turned to a wise and tem-rious intellectual endowments, that perate view of the true state of the but few public speakers have been controversy between ourselves and able to display this excellence. the members of the Establishment. Some orators, however, have appearOur ancestors in the cause of Non-ed in the senate, at the bar, and in conformity laboured; we have en- the pulpit. Our own country has, tered into their labours; and we perhaps, given birth to the most frequently do not sufficiently esteem eminent. The names of Burke, of their exertions. With all their Sheridan, of Pitt, and Fox, stand on faults, they were a race of men" of an eminence to which but few have whom the world was not worthy." attained. It is the opinion of some We do not say, that they never ex-eminent judges, that the author of ceeded the just bounds of sound reasoning, and of proper feeling. A man who resists an attempt unjustly made to bind him with a shackle, is strongly induced to use a little unnecessary violence, both in his exertions and expressions. This is natural, and a powerful apology instantly arises in his favour, when we recollect the cause which aroused his ardour.

We perfectly agree with our author, on the propriety of co-operating with churchmen" in all plans of doing good, which require not the sacrifice of principle." p. 119. But we have often lamented, that members of the Establishment should have taken occasion, in meetings convened for common purposes, and of which a large proportion was composed of Dissenters, to launch forth in unnecessary praises of their 'excellent church!' This eloquence has been observed to excité a smile among some whose opinions were different from those of the speakers:

this sermon deserves to be classed with the" first three of these mighty men."

We are much deceived if there are not many passages in the sermon before us, which will bear a competition with any of their most distinguished speeches; while it is a subject for congratulation, that the piety and evangelical sentiments of our author are not at all inferior to his powers of oratory. The fires of his eloquence, which have been enkindled at the Christian altar, are constantly burning upon it, declaring at once their supernatural origin, and conveying the sacrifices. of a grateful heart to the Author of all, as the giver of every good and perfect gift.

We are highly gratified that Mr. Hall has availed himself of the circumstance of the death of her late lamented Royal Highness, for delivering some of the most important sentiments on the vanity of human distinctions and enjoyments, and on the nature and necessity of personal