up,

listen to a secret but irresistible | ends, and serve myself. In private monitor, assuring us, that our piety I serve the world, not with so strict is not powerful enough to sustain devotion, but with more delight, us in the hour of affliction, and to where fulfilling of her servants' lusts prepare us to undergo an exchange I work my end and serve myself. of worlds. There are, besides, The house of prayer, who more many other peculiarities, which frequents than I? I fast with those mark, at times, our religious cha- that fast, that I may eat with racter, the bare mention of which, those that eat; I mourn with those may easily account for the want that mourn. No hand more open of more substantial happiness. Yet to the cause than mine, and in their let it be remembered, there is families, none prays longer and ample provision in the gospel with louder zeal. Thus when the against every temptation, and that opinion of a holy life hath cried from whatever cause our joys are the goodness of my conscience feeble and transitory, we must, in my trade can lack no custom, my general, ascribe it to our failing wares can want no price, my words to exercise a prudent forethought can need no credit, my actions can in matters which so immensely lack no praise. If I am covetous, concern us. If we are conscious it is interpreted provident; if miall is not right, let us not calculate serable, it is counted temperance; on a more favourable season for if melancholy, it is construed godly the cultivation of piety; nor fondly sorrow; if merry, it is voted spiriimagine, though we remain in-tual joy. If I be rich, it is thought active, brighter visions from above still await us. These are, at best, but undefinable anticipations, and in the language of a celebrated orator,* "it is not required of us, to consider what may happen in the future; but to know with certainty, that unless we apply our minds to our affairs, and be willing to do that which is necessary, our case will be hopeless." Sheerness.

T. H.

THE HYPOCRITE'S PREVARICATION.
[Extracted from an old Author.]
THERE is no such stuff to make
a cloak of as religion, nothing so
fashionable, nothing so profitable:
it is a livery, wherein a wise man
may serve two masters, GOD and
the world, and make a gainful ser-
vice by either. I serve both, and
in both myself, in prevaricating
with both. Before man none serves
his GOD with more severe devo-
tion, for which I work
my own

*Demosthenes.

VOL. I. 3d Series.

the blessing of a godly life; if poor, supposed the fruit of conscionable dealing. If I be well spoken of, it is the merit of holy conversation; if ill, it is the malice of malignants. Thus I sail with every wind, and have my end in all conditions. This cloak in summer keeps me cool, in winter warm, and hides my nasty bag of all my secret lusts. Under this cloak I walk in public fairly, with applause, and in private sin securely without offence, and officiate wisely, without discovery. I compass sea and land to make a proselyte, and no sooner made, but he makes me. At a fast I cry Geneva, and at a feast I cry Rome. If I be poor, I counterfeit abundance to save my credit; if rich, I dissemble poverty to save charges. I use the help of a lie sometimes, as a religious stratagem to uphold the gospel; and I colour oppression with GoD's judgments executed upon the wicked. Charity I hold an extraordinary duty, therefore not ordinarily to be per

C

REVIEW.

Dr. Wardlaw's, we have been told,

1. A Letter to the Rev. Ralph Wardlaw, D.D. on some Passages in his Disser-" is an admirable pamphlet," and to us tation on Infant Baptism. By John Birt. 8vo. pp. 31.

2. A Reply to the Letter of the Rev. John Birt to Dr. Wardlaw. By Ralph Wardlaw, D.D. 8vo. pp. 32.

it is certainly quite satisfactory. We do not wish to notice the indications it betrays of extreme soreness; we shall observe only, that while he is perpetually exclaiming against the undue severity of the chastisement, there runs through the whole an entire acknowledgment of the offence. It is scarcely possible for a dispute of such a nature to be more satisfactorily concluded.

Having thus briefly characterized the correspondence before us, it remains for us to inquire how it has affected the controversy to which it relates. We do not pretend to say that any great practical results can be expected from so slight an encounter. But with respect to the sifting of theories and the discovery of truth, something almost inevitably arises from every collision of intellects; and the influence of this particular discussion is the more important, because it has been directed to topics which are in themselves of vital consequence, and on which pædobaptists have seldom been prevailed upon to speak.

We have no objection to its being supposed that we watch with some interest the progress of the baptismal controversy, even in a portion of it so small and subordinate as that which is occupied by the two pamphlets before ns. As to the importance of Mr. Birt's, we are very willing it should be estimated by the treatment it has received from the guides of public opinion on the adverse part. Immediately on its appearance it was met with a severe and unmitigated condemnation in the Evangelical Magazine, while the Congregational was more deliberate, apparently for the sole purpose of aiming a more deadly blow. Now the force of the rebound is a pretty correct indication of that of the original stroke'; and the public may be fully satisfied, therefore, that Mr. Birt's production is by no means insignificant. He has written In the first place, Mr. Isaiah Birt, of something which the pædobaptists feel Birmingham, whose strictures on a servery keenly, and, judging from the style mon by Mr. Henry Foster Burder have of their retort, he appears to have ap- produced this episode, laid great stress plied the scourge to a part unusually on the exclusively personal nature of tender. The design of this severe criti-religion, and objected to pædobaptism, cism is, of course, to prevent the book that it involved the idea of a relative from being read, which probably our religion. It is astonishing how shy brethren rightly judge to be best for our brethren have always shewn themthemselves; but we can assure our read-selves of this topic: but at length this ers, that the charges adduced against reserve, which was perhaps for them, as this spirited writer are much more re-partizans, true wisdom, is for a mosolvable into the dislike we all feel to ment laid aside, and the Congregational chastisement, than into his real offences. Magazine avows its belief in a relative With this very natural feeling we are religion, taking occasion at the same by no means disposed to be severe; and time to express its pity for the blindness we have no doubt that the castigation of the Baptists to this "beautiful" chiwill, notwithstanding, produce a salu- mæra. This avowal is certainly suffitary effect on all who may hereafter ciently astonishing, and can be supposed engage in this apparently interminable to have been made only under a convicdispute. tion of its necessity to the argument;

baptists in general" as believing in baptismal regeneration, a statement which Dr. Wardlaw has so far forgotten himself as to call" a rash and unfounded slander." Mr. John Birt, however, has triumphantly shewn that it is no “slander," nor in any degree unfounded;" and Dr. Wardlaw has only to reply, that when he wrote he was "not thinking" of "pædobaptists in general," but only of evangelical padobaptist dissenters from the churches of England and Scotland, who constitute a mere fragment of the immense masses concerned in the baptismal controversy. It remains, therefore, both asserted and proved, that the great majority of pædobaptists in general do believe in baptis

so that it may now be considered as | pædobaptism does establish a privileged established, that pædobaptism does in-order of dying babes, Mr. Isaiah Birt volve the hypothesis of a relative reli- represented "the majority of pædogion, among its very vitals. This is making a grand step, because it brings the advocates of that system fairly on this part of the controversial ground. Let it be now proved that religion is not | and cannot be relative, and, with these patrons of it, and all who are like minded, the cause of pædobaptism falls. Yet nothing is capable of more full and satisfactory proof. On all other occasions, all evangelical pædobaptists are among the staunchest advocates of this truth, and Mr. John Birt has well argued it in the production before us. We wait, however, to hear more from our brethren on this subject: for, as we have said, it is only for a moment that they have as yet thrown off their reserve; and the silence so carefully main-mal regeneration, and their system of tained upon it, in the review of Mr. John Birt's pamphlet in the magazine in which this frankness appeared, is somewhat ominous that this degree of incautiousness has been repented of and will not be repeated.

course does "establish a privileged order of dying babes, with an aspect partial, gloomy, and awful." Nor is it at all unfair to form a judgment of the system itself, by a majority so vast and overwhelming.

In the second place, Mr. Isaiah Birt But let the evangelical pædobaptist referred pointedly to the subject of dissenters, strange as it is that they infant salvation, and asserted that pædo- should be pædobaptists, let them have baptism, "with a partial, gloomy, and the privilege of choosing their own awful aspect, establishes a privileged ground, and of departing from the oriorder of dying babes." This in parti-ginal and almost universal principles of cular has excited the indignation of the system, in order to call in question Dr. Wardlaw, who answers with some and disprove if they can this very objecwarmth, that he and many of his bre- tionable feature of it; and we will thren are exactly of the same opinion as bring Dr. Wardlaw himself, an unexMr. Birt and the baptists, and "esteem ceptionable witness we presume, to all children who die in infancy to be shew that the attempt is utterly futile. equally and certainly saved." This is He seems to triumph, indeed, on finding doubtless very gratifying, and deserves that, by the admission of infant salvato be specially noted. But as, on the tion on general grounds, he can evade one hand, it is no answer at all to Mr. the charge of a distinction which is Birt's assertion that pædobaptism, not "partial, gloomy, and awful," but in his pædobaptists, establishes a privileged elation he has forgotten, perhaps, how order of dying babes; so, on the other, completely with his own hand he has it is an acknowledgment that if pædo-established "a privileged order of dying baptism has such a tendency, it affords babes." These are his words :a powerful objection to the system. This also is a point gained, and fairly entitles us to the use of the argument, if any can justly be drawn from this quarter.

In confirmation of his position that

"Suppose now, in these circumstances, pædobaptists should fancy that, with respect to a particular class or description of children-those namely of the people of God-there are certain

intimations and promises in the Bible, all children dying in infancy to be such as seem to afford some additional equally and certainly saved;". -a deand more especial grounds of favourable claration which, after Mr. Isaiah Birt, persuasion on their behalf, than those for we repeat, you cannot sincerely make the salvation of all-is there any thing in and consistently hold, "without rethis that deserves to be stigmatized as nouncing pædobaptism itself." 'partial, gloomy, and awful?' If there is Such is the present aspect of the connothing on our part exclusive of a single troversy. Two objections are brought soul from aught that can be shewn to be against pædobaptism: the one, that it revealed; nothing that takes away or denies the essential spirituality of true diminishes any degree of probability or religion; the other, that it denies the of confidence afforded by general con- equal salvation of infants. These obsiderations- these still remaining the jections are admitted to be of consider. very same to us as to you; if the amount able, if not of decisive consequence, and of what we do is, retaining the common attempts have been made to repel them, reasons of hope for all, to add a spe- but hitherto without success. It is not cialty on behalf of some; - where is the presumptuous then to conclude, that, repulsive gloominess, where the merci- at present, "the argument is ours:"" the less austerity, from which, with a self-popular feeling,' doubtless, is still complacent satisfaction in the superior theirs; but the advocates of pædobapliberality and kindliness of your own tism, we should suppose, will scarcely system, you affect such a loathing recoil?" abandon so favourite a system in so for(Reply pp. 25, 26.)-In the system which lorn a situation. maintains baptismal regeneration, Dr. Wardlaw, which the vast majority of pædobaptists hold, though you do not; and after so much warmth, we shall be sure to remember that you do not, though no one ever thought that you did. But your sentence is obviously, and very singularly incomplete. You have asked "where is the repulsive gloominess, and where the merciless austerity?" but gloominess and austerity were not the only things you had to disprove. You should have gone on to ask, where is the "privileged order of dying babes?" and these you will find in your own system, as described by your own pen. You 66 see certain intimations and promises in the Bible, such as seem to afford some additional and more special grounds of favourable persuasion on their part (the children of the people of God), than those for the salvation of all;" "the amount of what you do is, retaining the common reasons of hope for all, to add a specialty on behalf of some ;" in other words, you establish "a privileged order of dying babes." And this comes out in your very attempt to prove that this allegation is falsely brought against the system you defend, and in the face of your recent declaration that you" esteem

Practical and Internal Evidence against Catholicism; in Six Letters to the impartial Roman Catholics of Great Britain and Ireland. By the Rev. Joseph Blanco White, A. M. B. D. &c. London, Murray Albemarle Street. 8vo. pp. ix. 296. 9s. 6d.

WE have read this book with great interest, and are glad to introduce it to our readers at the present time. The writer was once himself a Catholic, a Priest, high in office, and thoroughly acquainted with the nature and bearings of the system of Popery. He does not draw the picture of ages long since passed away, or of a system known only by the records of history: he displays the Popery of the present day, with the awful tendency of which he was at one time painfully acquainted.

The account he gives of himself is very striking. His grandfather was an Irish gentleman, who retired with his family and property to Spain. His father, though born in Spain, was early sent to Ireland, that he might gain an attachment to the land of his ancestors; and the present writer was the fruit of his marriage with a Spanish lady. At an