times of these coaches are so conveniently arranged, that places distant about fifty miles from the metropolis, and from the place to which the coaches travel, are entered at the hour of morning and evening service, and the men who are employed in keeping the horses are absolutely precluded from the public worship; and if they leave their services in disgust, there are always found others ready to succeed them. Now, if each of these coaches carries but twelve passengers, if the horses are changed but ten times, and two men attend to the change, there will hardly be less than 100 persons, and probably more than 160 horses, engaged in violation of the fourth commandment: and the case is remediless. We should dwell on the subject at greater length if it was not our intention, in a short time, to enter into an examination of the doctrine and law of the Sabbath. Sermon XV. "On the Hope of future Happiness as an effectual Motive to Purity of Heart and Manners." The preacher enters into a calm and dispassionate statement of the necessity of purity, from a sense of innate depravity, as a condition of life and an act of charity he shows, in a perspicuous argument, that this doctrine is opposed to the doctrine of assurance, and concludes with exhibiting the method of purification. Sermon XVI. "On public and private Mercies, as loud Calls to religious Gatitude:" occasional, on the victory obtained over the French forces near Leipsig. Thanks are due to God for our creation, preservation, and redemption; and the benefits which might be expected from the recent victory are also from God, and deserve praise. Sermon XVII. "On religious Dissension as a Source of Error, Doubt, and Scepticism." If the Sermon does not quite fulfil the promise of its title, it is, nevertheless, very able; and the subject can hardly be treated without effect in these times of "false doctrine, heresy, and schism." Sermon XVIII. "On Repentance, Faith, and Obedience, as essential to Salvation." An able exposition of the necessity of believing in Christ as the Son of God, our Prophet, Priest, and King; with a copious scriptural illustration of these several offices of the Redeemer. The equal necessity of obedience is also insisted upon. In this Sermon the preacher calls repentance "the first step towards propitiating God," an expression which we are persuaded that Mr. Snowden would have corrected if he had not overlooked. Propitiation is the peculiar act of the priesthood of Christ, altogether distinct from the repentance of man. Sermon XIX. "On the Causes and Effects of Infidelity." "It shall be my business in this discourse to demonstrate more particularly; 1. that unbelief originates in evil; 2. that it is abundantly productive of evil; 3. that the arguments by which Christianity is supported, are strong and irresistible; 4. that its doctrines are altogether worthy of our grateful and unreserved acceptance." This Discourse is not called occasional, but although its manner is general and worthy of attention at all times and in all places, we apprehend that it was suggested by the late prevalence of scepticism and infidelity, which it was one of Mr. Snowden's useful efforts to counteract. The two first parts are of very superior execution, the third is a more popular argument, and the conclusion is very earnest. ing doctrines of the religion of Christ, and such the evidences in support of its divine original. And shall we foolishly reject them, that we may enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season? Shall we exchange the honours, the privileges, the glorious prospects of Christianity, for the melancholy, unfriended, and hopeless condition of unbelievers? Shall we purchase earth at the expense of heaven? And for the shortlived, unsatisfactory indulgencies of this mortal state, renounce all title to that "Such, in short, are some of the lead future felicity, which is perfect, pure, and immortal? Wherefore 'take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.' Christianity, we should remember, if true, is to us the most important of all truths it points the way to endless happiness. Christianity is assuredly true, and, therefore, the rejection of it, whether wholly, or in part, may be fatal to our salvation. For he that believeth not,' (the words are plain and alarming) he that believeth not shall be damned. Consider also (for a more affecting consideration it were impossible to suggest) that your unbelief may involve in it the most dreadful consequences to others; may lead to the utter ruin and destruction of your families, your children, your connexions; yea, that the direful mischiefs originating in your impiety, may extend to generations yet unborn. Beware then, I beseech you, lest you become the authors of an infidel posterity; the cruel destroyers of the souls of your descendants. Take heed therefore lest there be in any of your an evil heart of unbelief.' Remember also, that your faith must be a lively, active, and vigorous principle, which worketh by love, which is productive of good works, which evidenceth its strength and sincerity by the abundance as well as excellency of the harvest it produceth. And that this divine principle may be deeply rooted and established in your hearts, be it your earnest care at all times, to abstain from what is evil, from evil actions, evil associates, and from evil, that is, loose, profane, and immoral publications: offering to Almighty God your constant prayers, that by his good Spirit he would encrease your faith and dispose you to every good work, until that blissful period arrives when your faith shall be converted into vision, and your hope shall be crowned with actual enjoyment; when you shall no longer see a through a glass darkly, but even face to face,' when your knowledge shall be perfect and complete, and your bliss indescribable and full of glory."" P. 373. Sermon XX. "On the Punishment awaiting those who presumptuously neglect their Christian Duties:" a plain Discourse. There is one strong impression which this volume has left upon our minds, that Mr. Snowden's ministry is marked by moderation, judgment, zeal, and usefulness; that he is ever upon the watch for opportunities to recommend with new force the lessons of true patriotism, virtue, faith, REMEMBRANCER, No. 37. and piety; and that he watches not in vain. The character of his mi. nistry is indelibly stamped upon his that some of the occasional Sermons Sermons; and although we think might have been confined to the pulpit, or divested of their occasional character before they were committed to the press, there is in and good principle, as cannot fail to this volume so much of good sense produce their effect in the meditations of the individual and the instructions of the family. A Charge delivered by the Right THE primary Charge of a newly therefore, without delay, to the con- It happens somewhat unfortunately that this plan should be first adopted in the consideration of a G Charge which embraces a variety of The second point to which his Lordship calls our attention is the relation in which we stand to Dissenters from the Established Church. And having admitted the propriety of conceding to Christians of every denomination full liberty to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience, he proceeds to lament the very erroneous notions respecting the nature of the sin of Schism which this toleration has introduced. "The praise of candour and liberality ought not," says his Lordship, "to be sought at the risk of weakening the interests of that Church which we have solemnly bound ourselves to support with our most strenuous exertions." He then briefly adverts to the difference be tween our separation from the Church of Rome and the Dissenter's separation from the Church of England; and proceeds in the following terms. "But it is not only by the desire of obtaining a reputation for candour and liberality that we are liable to be betrayed into conduct, that may appear to countenance the erroneous notions respecting Schism on which I have now been animadverting. There exists in the minds of many men a persuasion that the advancement of the Church of Christ, as contra-distinguished to the Church of England or any other Part of the Visible Church, should be the great aim of the sincere Believer. One effect of this persuasion upon the opinions of those by whom it is adopted is, that Agreement in public Worship constitutes in their estimation a feeble principle of connexion, in comparison with that complete identity of hearts and affections by which the Members of the Mystical Church of Christ are bound together. Where that identity is conceived to exist, all difference with respect to outward Religious Profession, to points that relate only to the Administration of the Visible Church, is easily overlooked. The persons who are under the influence of the persuasion just described forget, that there are no certain marks by which the Members of the Mystical Church of Christ can be distinguished during their residence on earth. They forget too that the very constitution of man's nature requires that he should unite himself to some Visible Church. It is only by such an union that he can obtain the benefits of Social Worship, or avail himself of all the means which God has appointed for the communication of his Grace.-With reference, therefore, to differences of Religious Profession the Minister of the Establishment will see, that his surest mode of advancing the interests of the Church of Christ is zealously to enforce the obligation, under which all men are placed, of surrendering their own opinions in matters that cannot be conscientiously deemed of essential moment, and of thus hastening, as far as in them lies, the approach of that time, when the promise of our Blessed Lord shall be accomplished, and there shall be, both in appearance and in reality, one fold and one Shepherd ".' "In the suggestions which I have thought it my duty to offer upon this subject, there will, I trust, be found nothing in the slightest degree at variance with that spirit of Christian Charity, which ought to influence our whole behaviour towards those who differ from us in a matter so deeply interesting as Religion. The circumspection, which I recommend to you, implies no want of respect or kindness for the persons of our Dissenting Brethren, no blind or illiberal prejudice against their opinions, no unreasonable jealousy of their designs. It implies only a predilection for the Church of England; a predilection founded upon a careful and dispassionate comparison of its rites and John x. 16 doctrines with those of other Churches. So far am I from regarding the want of this predilection as a subject on which a Clergyman of the Church of England is justified in priding himself, that I am at a loss to understand how a man, who does not entertain such a preference, can conscientiously solicit admission into the Ministry." P. 10. The drift of this excellent passage leads naturally to the consideration of the benefits and even the neces sity of Uniformity-and a just cen sure is pronounced against those who are induced to deviate from an established form, by the hope of securing some immediate advantage to the cause of Religion. celebration of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, the Bishop says, On the "Had the importance of this scrupulous attention to the prescribed Ritual been at all times duly appreciated, I am inclined to think that the low and unworthy notions at present too prevalent respecting the Rite of Baptism would never have obtained so wide a circulation. So long as Baptism was celebrated in the mode and at the time appointed by the Liturgy, in a place set apart to the worship of God, and in the face of a Congregation assembled together to offer to him their prayers and thanksgivings, every circumstance contributed to impress the mind with a deep sense of the exalted and solemn character of the Rite, and men felt a ready disposition to believe that the Divine blessing would attend a ceremony administered with every external mark of seriousness and devotion. But when, through the false pride or indolence of parents on the one hand, and the too easy compliance of the Ministers of the Establishment on the other, the practice of baptising children in private houses began generally to prevail; when the Rite was no longer celebrated in the Temple of God, where every object is associated with devout feelings, but in the rooms of a private mansion, the place of our constant abode, and consequently connected in our minds with the cares, the interests, and the follies of the world,-not in the presence of a large assembly met together for the purposes of Social Worship, but of a few persons, less intent perhaps upon the ceremony itself than upon the festive merriment by which it was to be succeeded: when so complete a departure from the views of the framers of our Liturgy had taken place, can we wonder that the Rite ceased to be regarded with the same veneration, and that men began to doubt whether it were in truth the sign of an inward and spiritual Grace? The careless and negligent administration of Baptism, which may in no small degree be traced to the practice of performing the rite in private houses, has, I am convinced, made more converts to the opinion, that Regeneration does not take place in Baptisin, than all the arguments which learned and ingenions men have been able to produce in its support. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is still regarded by the great body of the Members of our Church with that reve rence, which is due to an ordinance, instituted by our Blessed Redeemer himself as one of the appointed means of communicating his Grace to man. The very excuses which men are accustomed to make for absenting themselves from the Holy Communion, weak and unsatisfactory as they must appear to the eye of Reason, clearly prove the importance which those who urge them attach to a participation in that Sacred Rite. Although they are unwilling to adopt that course of life which will fit them to approach the Altar of the Lord, yet by their conduct they manifest their conviction that to approach it is a solemn act, requiring a previous and diligent preparation of the heart. Great then will be our responsibility if, through any carelessness or remissness on our part, or through any desire of substituting our own fancies in the place of the forms which have been prescribed by the Authority of the Church, we impair the dignified Solemnity which attends this Holy Mystery, or weaken those feelings of awe and veneration, with which it continues to be regarded. If on the one hand it is our duty to guard our Hearers from the error of supposing that the Ceremonies of Religion possess in themselves any intrinsic force and efficacy; so is it no less our duty on the other to take care, that we do not by a careless administration of its outward forms, lead men to believe that we lightly esteem the spiritual benefits, with which by the ordinance of God himself those forms are connected." P. 13. The last topic discussed is that of the limits which the Minister of the Church of England ought to prescribe to himself in his intercourse with the world. Nothing can be better than the Bishop of Bristol's remarks upon the various branches of this important subject. "The first suggestion then which I shall venture to offer upon this subject, is that we be careful not to put a harsh construction on the conduct of our Brother, nor to fancy that, because his Religion does not wear precisely the same appear ance as our own, he is not therefore impressed with a due sense of the paramount importance of Religion, and of the awful responsibility which attaches to the discharge of the Ministerial Functions. To prescribe a general standard of manners and demeanor, the slightest deviation from which shall be regarded as a proof of deficiency in Religious Feeling, is not more reasonable than to require that all men shall frame their countenances precisely according to the same Model. Religion is not of this exclusive character; it will combine itself with all tempers and dispositions; with the lively, as well as the sedate; with the cheerful, as well as the grave. "I shall observe in the second place that, in determining to what extent it is lawful for the Christian Minister to mix in the business or in the pleasures of the World, the error against which he should be most careful to guard is that of excess. When we were admitted into the Priesthood, we bound ourselves, if not by an express, yet by an implied promise, "to give ourselves wholly to that Office whereunto it had pleased God to call us, so that, as much as lay in us, we would apply ourselves wholly to that one thing and draw all our cares and studies that way. *" The mode in which we discharge the obligation thus contracted is the criterion, by which men of all classes, but especially those in the inferior ranks of life, estimate our sincerity. If at the very time that we are in our discourses enlarging upon the infinite superiority of Heavenly to Earthly Interests, and inculcating the necessity of constant and earnest endeavours to abstract the thoughts from the present scene and to fix them upon Eternity-if at this very time we shew in our conduct a restless anxiety for worldly riches and distinction, or an immoderate eagerness in the pursuit of worldly pleasures, can we be surprised that our Hearers, observing how much our behaviour is at variance with our exhortations, begin to suspect that we are not ourselves in reality persuaded of the truth of doctrines, to which we allow so slight an influence over our practice? "It must indeed be admitted that the World is not unfrequently most unreasonable in its expectations; it requires from Service for Ordering Priests. the Clergy sacrifices of their worldly interests wholly incompatible with the obligation under which they, no less than the rest of the Community, are placed of making a suitable provision for their families; it requires from them such an entire dedication both of their mental and bodily powers to the duties of their Profession, as would allow them no opportunities of relaxation, and preclude them from every amusement, however innocent and blameless in its nature. Is it incumbent upon them to comply with these extravagant expectations? By no means. In our concessions to the feelings and opinions of the World we must not exceed certain limits, nor allow them to interfere with any positive duty which we owe either to ourselves or others. It can scarcely be necessary for me to remark that the suggestions, which I am now offering, have reference solely to that class of actions which are by Moralists termed indifferent. The "Actions, however, which considered in themselves are indifferent, may assume a character of positive good or evil, when viewed in connexion with the effects produced by them on the minds of others. Whether I shall enforce a particular right, or engage in certain amusements and pursuits, may, as far as regards the nature of the acts themselves, be a matter of indifference. But it ceases to be so, if the World has attached to the enforcement of that right a notion of harshness and oppression, or has connected with those amusements and pursuits an idea of levity and dissipation. The influence, which Religion possesses among the Members of any Community, must in a great measure depend upon the respect and affection with which they regard its Teachers. Christian Minister will pause, therefore, before he does any act which can have even a remote tendency to excite feelings of an opposite description; or which, by inducing men to doubt the sincerity of his belief in the Doctrines which he teaches, may indispose them to the cordial reception of the Doctrines themselves. Knowing that it is his first Duty to win all men to the cause of Righteousness, he will not be too nice in weighing the reasonableness of the sacrifices either of interest. or inclination which they require from him, but will be ready to condescend to their infirmities and prejudices. In perusing the Writings of the New Testament no circumstance appears to me more clearly to evince the Divine Inspiration of the Authors, than their intimate acquaintance with human nature, and the admirable adaptation of the rules, which they lay 動 |