private and public duties; he is the general object of esteem to all, except the malignant and the envious; and he has the happiness to observe, that, as he advances in life, the respectability of his character gives additional efficacy to his instructions, and both increases the honour and promotes the diffusion of his holy religion.

The imagined presence of a wise and good man has been recommended as a convenient guard to private conduct. How would this thought or action appear to Socrates, or Plato, or Aristides? The parochial minister may with equal advantage suppose the ocular inspection of his spiritual overseer, and anticipate with greater feeling his censure, or his approbation. If the fear of solitude, or vanity, or idleness, should draw him from the scene of his duty to the provincial town, to the camp, or the capital, he may seem to hear the voice of his older brother-With whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness ? The reproach may possibly vibrate in his ear, till it rise to the expostulation of a higher friend and monitor -Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Happy is the clergyman, who, under the impulse of all these motives, discharges with unabated diligence the sacred, useful, honourable office of a parish-priest; and blessed is the congregation, who receiveth and heareth him with a grateful and attentive mind.

"The day will come, when the Son of God, himself, the great teacher of christianity, will appear to judge the world in righteousness. His minister, who has thus been an example in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity, who hath taken heed unto himself and all his flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made him overseer, may then meet his congregation in pious hope, that his labours, through the mercy of an all-gracious Redeemer, will be accepted-and what tongue can describe, what imagination can conceive the ecstatic transports of him, who, because he has turned many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars of Heaven for ever and ever, and shall be welcomed to the realms of eternal glory with these gracious expressions of acceptance, well done, good • and faithful servant; enter thou into VOL. I.

the joy of thy Lord'?" p. 365367.

CLXXIII. NOTES ON THE BIBLE, by the late Rev. CHARLES BULKLEY. Published from the Author's MS. in 3 vols. 8vo. with Memoirs of the Author and his Works. By J. TOULMIN, D. D.

THE the notes themselves we give the following extracts as specimens.

HIS work is arranged in the order of the sacred volume. From

"GENESIS.

"Moses, says Justin Martyr, wrote his history by divine inspiration, in the Hebrew language. Ιστορία, ην εκ της θεας επιπνοιας Μωυσης γεγραφε τοις των Εβραίων γραμμασι.

Cohort. ad Græcos, p. 70. ed. Ox. "Judaicum ediscunt, et servant, ac metuunt jus,

Tradidit arcano quodcunque volumine Moses. Juvenal. Sat. xiv.

["They learn, and keep, and fear the Jewish law.

Whatsoever Moses hath delivered in the sacred volume."]

"The beginning of this book presents us with the most august and splendid scene that can possibly be exhibited to the mind of man; even that of creation itself: this fair world of ours rising into its beautiful existence, at the command of the Sovereign Deity-man made in the

image of his God.' It next calls up our attention to the preserving and all-sustaining providence of Heaven, as manifested in the succession of families and the gradual dissemination of mankind. After this we have an exhibition of Deity under the character of a moral governor, given us in the destruction of the world's inhabitants, a very few excepted, and the dreadful judgments that fell upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

"The remaining part of the book is mostly taken up with the narratives of private life in the persons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and in this series of domestic biography we have many an instructive anecdote; some of them serving as a directory to ourselves in the pursuit of piety and the virtuous path; others as warningpieces, pointing out to us what we are to avoid, My Funeral Sermon 4 Z

θες, ενωθήναι θέλεσα, ώσπερ παρθενος nais (nahn) #pos xxxov gara. Ennead. vi. lib. ix. cap. ix. p. 768. C.

"Ponite vobis ante oculos Solomonem illum sapientissimum, qui reruta divinarum mysteria scripturus meliore velo eadem adumbrare non posse putavit, quam dialogo quopiam inter duos amantes suaviter confecto. Nihil ille quidenr ad cælestia propius accedere putavit, quam sincerum ilJum amorem, qui a bonis omnibus mulieribus debetur: nibil, in quo divinam naturam, quam ille plus aliis mortalibus persenserat, reliquis hominibus facilius derivaret. Castilion. De Curiali, lib. iii. p. 212. Cantab.

"To this effect; that Solomon, amidst all his wisdom and knowledge of divine things, did not think that they could be better adumbrated, or that knowledge more easily conveyed into the minds of others, than by representing them in a sweetly contrived dialogue, under the image of that affection, which is subsisting between virtuous and honourable lovers.

"CHAP. I.

V.3. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

See Plotinus, as above. "V. 5. I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

"Neither say that Memnon's picture is black; for that intire blackness has I know not what of florid in it. Philostrat. Icon. lib. i. Op. Paris. p. 741. ad im.

« V. 6. But mine own vineyard have 1 not kept.

"By mine own vineyard; we are here to understand, according to Maimonides, every man's own soul, and by the others corporeal and outward things; a too great attention and attachment to which he supposes to be here reprehended. Noli te defatigare et laborare, tu qui animæ tuæ oblivisæris; ita ut albedo faciei ejus nigra reddatur, dum facultates corporales dominium in ea obtinent, sicut dicitur ab initio Cantici Canticorum. Filii matris meæ, &c. Mor. Nev. pa. iii. cap. liv. p. 530.

"V. 8. If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock;

and feed thy kids beside the shepherd's tents.

"Audit sponsa in Cantico mystico, Nisi cognoveris te O pulchra, &c. Idem Ecclesiastes suæ quisque animæ dictum existimet, nisi cognoveris quam sumpseris personam, noli esse dux gregis dominici, sed sequere magis gregarios homines. Ecclesiast. lib. i. p. 50. Bray.

"Let every ecclesiastic, say's Erasmus, consider this as addressed to himself; q. d. if thou dost not understand and rightly consider what kind of an office thou hast undertaken, think no longer of being a leader of Christ's flock, but throw thyself into the common rank. Would to God, says he, ibid. that the sacerdotal order would hearken to the voice of Christ threatening in the mystic song; if thou knowest not, &c. suppose this to be addressed to the pastor in the church, who, forgetting the province he has undertaken, gives himself up to the pursuit of gain, to idleness, to pleasure. Such an one is here commanded to change his situation; and since he is become a seducer, instead of being a (faithful) leader of the flock, to make himself one of the flock, commencing disciple, instead of teacher; and learning to follow and obey, before he takes upon him to govern and to guide.

"Utinam sacerdotes audiant vocem Christi minitantis in Cantico mystico: Si ignoras te, O pulchra, &c. Hoc puta dictum animæ pastoris, qui, quum se ducem ecclesiarum profiteatur, oblitus susceptæ provinciæ ad quæstum, að otium, ad voluptates semet adjicit. Is nimirum jubet mutare locum, et, quoniam pro ductore gregis seductor est, abire post gregum vestigia ut ex doctore factus discipulus, parere discat priusquam imperet. p. 190." p. 517-520.

ROMANS VIII.

"V. 19-21. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God, &c.

"Asserebat Florentinus. vir consumptus in theologicis, quocum disserui olim, bestias omnes in fine seculi, sicut homines, re suscitatum iri ad præmium vel pœnam; propterea quod apostolus dicit omnem creaturam ingemiscere et pavere usque ad huc, expectareque redemptionem et libertatein à corruptione in gloriam

fistulam intestini contra ducum, ac potestatum iniquitates commonstrant, et ad successus, &c. . Ibid. cap. viii. P. 145. tom. iii.

Primum spondylum (draconis) aditus potestatum mulcere. (promittunt scil.) Ibid. lib. xxix. cap. iv. p. 203. ad summ.

8

"V. 37-39. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us, &c.

"Vide note at ver. 28.

"As for me, says Demosthenes, neither tempting opportunity, nor insinuating speech, nor great promises, nor hope, nor fear, nor favour, nor any other thing, has ever induced me to betray my country, or to forbear doing what I thought would contribute to its advancement and honour. De Corona, § 92. p. 170.

"Manent ergo renati Deo dilectissimi etiam a morte. Ehrenberger in loc. ap. lib. De Statu Anim. &c. sect. 3. p. 123." p. 45-49.

From the memoirs of Mr. Bulkley's life, we extract his literary character as drawn by the pen of Dr. Toul

min.

"The works of Mr. Bulkley are monuments of the strength of his judgment, the vigor of his mind, and the compass of his learning. His talents were of a superior kind. What he discussed either from the pulpit or the press, was not slightly touched, but thoroughly examined. His soul grasped what he contemplated. On every side he surveyed the subject of investigation. To him superficiality was not to be im'puted. He thought, and thought vigorously. He had diligently cultivated his intellectual powers, and enriched his mind with knowledge. There was not a branch of moral or theological truth, which he had not studiously investigated. He was well acquainted with the original languages, in which the Scriptures were written. He was thoroughly versed in the history of the christian church, and contemplated the rise and progress of its denominations with a disCriminating attention. His acquaintance with ancient and modern authors was very extensive: in the former especially he was deeply read. Of this and of the great compass of his reading his Notes on the Bible, afford abundant and irrefragable proofs. His knowledge was applied to the explication of the Scriptures

with the simplicity of a child. To theological studies he was wholly devoted. With respect to them he expressed himself in this decided manner, in a letter written to his sister, relative to the publication of his Notes, dated October, 1795: Your ' remark touching the unfavourable'ness of the times, reminds me of an intimation occuring in the Monthly Review for July last, under the ar'ticle (Michaelis) that our taste for theology is on the decline.' It may be so with some, with many, with the most but that is no reason why it should be so with me; rather the contrary.' He was also very strenuous and earnest in urging the study of religion on men in general.

"The result of Mr. Bulkley's attention to religious enquiries was his entertaining, enlarged, and amiable views of the Divine Being. His mind was impregnated with elevated sentiments of devotion, and the love of God was his favourite theme. It was observed, that, in the offices of the pulpit and of the Lord's table, he was borne away by the grandeur and sublimity of the divine perfections. The ways of providence were marked by him with a penetrative eye, and the events of life were converted in the course of his preaching into topics of religious improvement.

To a spirit of fervent devotion he united an enlarged benevolence of temper. No man ever cherished a greater degree of good-will to the whole human race. He was, uniformly, a firm and unshaken friend of civil and religious liberty. In religious matters no one better understood the right of private judgment; what redounds still more to his praise, no one more readily allowed the exercise of it to others. The benevolence of his heart gave a glow, animation, and fervor to his pulpit addresses, and, in daily life, expressed itself in a readiness to oblige, a politeness of manners, an affability of deportment, a disposition to communicate his thoughts to others, and gratitude to his relatives and friends. Mr. Bulkley marked his character for integrity, by refusing offers, notwithstanding the straitness of his circumstances, which clashed with the dic tates of his conscience; and by immediately availing himself on some accession of fortune, to discharge to the full amount the debts, for which