Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren." This was not an ordinary, nor even merely an extraordinary, token of respect, given by an entertainer to a principal guest. It was the execution of the commission, which the Prophet Samuel had received of the Lord, in behalf of the church and kingdom, and in behalf of David in particular, now taken from the sheep-cote, and ordained to sit on the throne of Israel. "And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth lehemite for I have provided me a King among his sons.' high honour, surely, the Psalmist was thinking of, when, besides the circumstance of the prepared table, he said, "Thou anointest my head with oil." : This After stating that Samuel anointed David, the historian adds, " And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward." This permanent prophetic inspiration, which qualified the youngest son of Jesse to be, not only the King, but "the sweet Psalmist of Israel," was undoubtedly the greatest of all the marks of the Divine favour which he had received. He failed not to appreciate the sacred feast, and the anointing oil; but the abundant inspiration which followed, connected as it was with saving grace, was prized by him as his "exceeding joy." Feasts and kingdoms, were indeed splendid expressions of condescending regard to a shepherd boy; but this was the indwelling presence of God himself. In the 16th Psalm, he enlarges on this blessing, as the portion of his inheritance, and calls it his "cup." He could not say, that the Spirit was given, "not by a measure” to him; but he celebrates his influences as more than filling it. "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage, I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the night seasons." Although with greater brevity, it seems to be in the same sense, that he here makes the emphatic acknowledgment,“ my cup runneth over.” From the experience of the past, he anticipates that of the future. And now he exchanges his figurative language for plain terms; thereby furnishing a key to the meaning of all that had gone before. At this new era of his life, he deeply feels his weakness and sinfulness; but he draws ample encouragement from "the goodness and mercy" of God, which had been so wonderfully shown to him. And if the day of the anointing, and of the feast on the sacrifice at Bethlehem was so delightful, what would be the triumph, when in possession of the kingdom, he should be honoured to bring the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem! Then, indeed, would his throne be established; the promises to his family confirmed; the hopes of his enemies destroyed; and those of the Israel of God secured. In the hope of such glorious results, including the promise of the life which now is, and of that also which is to come, he closes this beautiful devotional soliloquy: "Surely goodness and mercy shall folly me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." In his consolations, and in his afflictions, David was not only a prophetical, but a typical person. In many things, he was an ensample to believers, on the one hand; and a figure of the Christ, on the other. This must have already occurred to the intelligent reader, from some of the quotations which we have had occasion to produce, especially that one which was taken from the 16th Psalm. Although the book of Psalms does not appear to have any precise general arrangement, yet it is observable, that parcels of the Psalms are, in various parts of the book, grouped together, from the similarity of their subjects. Agreeably to this observation, it may perhaps be affirmed, that, as the 22d Psalm describes the sufferings of the Christ, and the glory that should follow; and as the 24th Psalm celebrates his entrance into that glory; so the 23d Psalm represents him, notwithstanding his engagement to lay down his life for the sheep, as anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows." ONESIMUS. REPLY TO A QUERY ON (Gentlemen,-If you consider the following remarks at all calculated to elucidate the Query, (No. 1.) proposed by Minimus in your February Number, you are at liberty to insert them in your valuable miscellany. N.) QUERY." Does true Humility prevent us from discovering the real excellencies of our own character; rather does it not teach us to ascribe the glory of them to God-and if so, how was it that Paul could call himself less than the least of all saints,' when he must have been sensible that many were his inferiors in religious affections and holy character?" Among the Christian graces which adorned the exemplary character of the great Apostle Paul, it is generally admitted, and it appears pretty evident, that humility held a distinguished place. Not that strained caricature of humility, which disclaims the possession of any good, in order to procure the praise of all. Not that dejection of spirit, which a new convert not unfrequently feels on a survey of the unbounded depravity of his own heart, and which It is im causes him to exclaim, in bitterness of soul," Behold, I am vile!”— Many things appear essential to humility, of which a low opinion of ourselves is but one. impossible to experience this state of mind, until we have attained to some knowledge of the Divine nature and requisitions and even then we cannot feel the humility inculcated by the Gospel, until we know something of the " grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich." It must be a view of the infinite goodness of God, that shows us, in its true light, our own depravity-this view alone, would be accompanied by despair; but when we can look at the Divine goodness, engaged to raise us from our depths, and finally to assimilate us to its own glorious likeness, a sacred hope mingles with our feelings, that enables us to believe "we can do all things through Christ strengthening us," while we are equally convinced," that in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing.' Every Christian is supposed to know more of his own heart, than of his neighbour's. And, though we believe the hearts of all mankind are equally depraved, still there are sinful thoughts and desires in our own, which we cannot, we dare not attribute to another. Every one knows the mercies that have been individually bestowed upon him, and he only who has been the recipient, can be aware how far he has been the abuser, of them. That which is not metaphysically, may be morally true, and therefore, in this view of the subject, true humility would prompt every Christian to feel, if not to say, "I am less than the least of all saints." But St. Paul appears to have been actuated by a feeling peculiar to himself, when he penned the words alluded to by your Querist. The expression occurs only once, and in a connexion, which seems immediately to account for its use. "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." There is a parallel passage in 1 Cor. xv. 9. which may also serve to throw some light upon the subject, "I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle."-Why? not because he had not the gifts, or was not honoured with the usefulness of an apostle, but, "because he persecuted the church of God." It was not from a want of perception of the grace of God within him, or of the ardour and devotedness of his piety and zeal at the time he wrote, but from a remembrance of his former enmity to that compassionate Redeemer, whose unsearchable riches he now prized as much as he once contemned them, that his spirit seemed to shrink within him, when he contemplated the eminence to which he was raised, that he should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. The other apostles had companied with the Lord Jesus during the greatest part of his public ministry-they had borne for his sake all the taunts and persecutions which his enemies, and perhaps among them, Saul of Tarsus, had chosen to inflict. One eminent saint had become an innocent and forgiving martyr to his rage, and when he remembered all this, and compared it with the grace now given unto him, humility could say nothing, but "I am less than the least of all saints"-" I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, but by the grace of God, I am what I am." The bestowment of so rich a favour, made him feel more of his original poverty; and in different degrees, we still find the same effects following an extraordinary impartation of the sancNEW SERIES, No. 4. MR. COBBETT AND THE REFORMATION-MR. SOUTHEY AND THE EARLY BRITISH CHURCHES MR. BUTLER AND THE ROMAN CATHOLICS-MR. NICHOLS AND CALVINISM-THE QUARTERLY REVIEW AND PROGRESS OF DISSENT. [Whatever people may please to say, Gentlemen, about the want of originality in the moderns, there is in reality no ground whatever for this charge, as the following paper, containing a few of the most extraordinary discoveries lately made in the literary way, will amply testify. If indeed the moderns are unable to say many new thingsif their works do not teem with novelties, whose fault is it? Whose, but our ancestors, who have already written so much, that scarcely an idea can pass from brain to paper, that has not been anticipated! 'Pereant, qui ante nos nostra dixerunt.' If we had but been born before our fathers!] I.-MR. COBBETT, worthy man! has lately been proving, to the satisfaction of that liberal and enlightened class of people the Roman Catholics, that the REFORMATION has been of very evil tendency!! No doubt, in arriving at this, as well as at all his other conclusions, Mr. C. has been guided solely by the light of "REASON;" and that with him * "For I was not content unless I could reconcile every thing to reason."-Cobbett's Grammar, Fifth Edition, p. 118. 2 A has so long been in a deep eclipse, that the world must not wonder that it has sunk at last into the dead of night. Yet the cunning man sees light dawning. A speedy return to Popery in England, an increased sale of the Political Register, and a seat in the House of Commons for Mr. C., (if indeed his purity will allow him to occupy a seat in such an epitome of "national corruptions,") are the least advantages that can be expected from this important discovery. II. The early British Christians are now found to have maintained a system of church government very similar to the present Establishment in England; that is, a gorgeous display of cathedrals, bishops, and other ostentatious things of that sort!! This discovery, with all its attendant honours, appertaineth to Robert Southey, Esq., Poet-laureat and Ecclesiastical Annalist,* and is recorded in his work entitled, "The Book of the Church,” in which he moreover defends Archbishop Laud ("like to like") against the foul aspersions which he (Mr. S.) declares have been cast upon him, and proves him to have been a most pious, liberal, and saintly prelate!! + N. B.-C. Butler, Esq. thinking that Mr. Southey, in the work called "The Book of the Church," hath traduced the Roman Ca Bayes." Sir, my first rule is the rule of transversion, or regula duplex, changing verse into prose or prose into verse alternately as you please." Mr. Southey seems to have adopted this rule of Bayes's, although it must be confessed, that in his metamorphoses he has not always sufficiently preserved the distinctive characters of either verse or prose; so that it is embarrassing to decide whether the transformation has been from prose into verse, or from verse into prose. There was a time when Archbishop Laud used to be considered (and, as people thought, with reason) a most cruel and tyrannical dignitary of the Church, "mais nous avons changè tout cela !"-He is become a martyr" now! 66 P.S. If you have any acquaintance with Mr. Southey, pray do get him to insert his authorities in the next edition; for really I have heard say that nobody believes him, that all parties are puzzled about answering him, and that his own party begin shrewdly to suspect that they have been gulled. III. The LEARNED** Mr.James Nichols hath just put forth two closely-printed volumes of quotations, to prove, that all that is intolerant in practice and principle is necessarily allied to Calvinism, and all that is liberal to Arminianism!! It is quite amusing to see how resolutely this erudite man of letters endeavours to esta blish this novel position, despite the voice of history, the evidence of facts, and-I was going to add, common sense; but that is a thing with which Mr. N. seems so little conversant, that it will be in vain to mention it. It is indeed that in which his books of extracts seem most deficient; for they have plenty of letter-press, plenty of abuse, plenty of erudition, but scarcely a particle of common sense. † IV. The Quarterly Reviewers, under the superintendance of their new editor, have made some very The Arabian physician Avicenna, or Ebn Sina, saith, "that if learning be introduced into a head unfit to receive it, the brain ferments, until it is utterly exhausted." We may reasonably suppose that the brains of Mr. James Nichols have been subjected to this process long ago! + Fourcroy calculates that less than a grain of gold may be spread over several hundred leaves of paper! Mr. Nichols has given us a very forcible illustration of the truth of this opinion of the great chemist! 66 important discoveries with regard to the progres of dissent. 1. They say that it is increased with the increase of population!! 2. From an unworthy spirit of commercial speculation," which leads to chapel-building, for the sake of filthy lucre. 3. From the little better than pauperism of the Establishment. 4. From our going to bed later than our forefathers!!! Here are discoveries for you, Gentlemen! Such things as these do credit to the age in which we live, and compel us to exclaim with Ovid, “Prisca juvent alios, ego me nunc denique “Dear Sister, "Tis not rashly, as the result of some casual or sudden thought, but with deliberation, and after. mature advice with myself, that I thus salute you, and chose by my pen to express my mind, rather than by word of mouth; the former way having some peculiar advantages attending it above the latter, for as 'twil be a more standing lasting monument of my sincere affection, and passionate desire after your universal prosperity, soe the things thus transmitted and "Quare facit opium dormire? Quia in eo est virtus dormitiva." + Let antiquity delight others: I congratulate myself that I was born in modern times. lain before you, will be more capable of frequent review, and may be oftner revolved in your serious thoughts, and by that means, through the blessing of God, make the deeper impression. I have not been an unconcern'd spectator of your former and latter trials, and your carriage and deportment under the hand of God; but as became an affectionate friend and brother, have born my part of your burden, and sympathiz'd with you in all your afflictions; my desire and prayer for you is, that you may be instructed and learn obedience by the things you suffer; and my endeavours shall not be wanting, as occasion offers, to afford my assistance for your due, becomming improvement of God's fatherly chastisements; 'twil be noe small comfort and satisfaction to me, to find myself, at any time, in a capacity of being serviceable to you on this account, if either by writing or converse I may contribute somewhat towards your spiritual and everlasting good, by minding you of your proper work and great duty, and directing and quicking you to an holy faithful performance of it; that by this means, as you have drank of the bitter cup, and smarted under the rod, soe you may tast of the love and partake of the consolations of God, while you reap the sweet and blessed fruits of those sharp and pungent trials with which you have been exercised. |