The second section traces "the connexion of the Papal usurpation with ecclesiastical history. The third is on "the genius and characteristics of the Papal ascendancy," and is, in our judgment, the ablest of the series. Mr. Birt shows that the Romish rulers achieved their supremacy, 1. By enslaving the mental faculties to human authority-2. By giving to superstition the semblance and sanctions of religion-3. By administering the affairs of their government, in the corruptest principles of worldly policy. In connexion with the second head, it is observed that "The relation which our Lord Jesus Christ sustains to his church, may be referred to his prophetical, sacerdotal, and regal offices. There is no point of view in which he can be regarded, and there are no feelings which can be rightly entertained concerning him, but must accord with one of these. The first, applies to the understanding, the second, to the conscience, and the third, to the whole course of human action. As our misery and danger arise from ignorance, guilt, and the bondage of iniquity; so Christ effects the salvation of believers, by teaching, atoning, and reigning; while they, on their part, receive his doctrine, embrace his sacrifice, and submit to his government. This reciprocity is essential, equally to the existence of the church, and to the glory of the Saviour. Whoever, therefore, would dispossess him of these offices, or alienate from him the human heart, can be neither the friend of man, nor the disciple of Christ. This, however, is the true character of the Romish superstition; it is an usurpation over man, and against the Lord's anointed. For, as every thing which tends to supersede the offices of Christ, is destructive of human salvation, so every thing by which men are restrained from an exclusive and affectionate dependance on him, resists his government, and obscures his glory. So far, however, as the Roman Pontiffs have succeeded, Christ is no longer recognized as prophet, priest, or king. To the extent of their influence, he, on the one hand, is not suffered to teach, atone, or reign; and the people, on the other, are not permitted to learn, believe, or obey. They have virtually sealed the lips of Christ, abolished his sacrifice, and abrogated his royalty. What then is to become of the church?--and how is the world to be saved? They have made a Some provision, they have found a substitute. The church is still to enjoy her prophet, priest, and king: but where?" will tell you in the popes, others in councils, others again, in the union of popes and councils. Many will very gravely say the church.' But where fore is the Lord Jesus superseded and displaced? I will tell you, my brethren: Did they suffer his voice to be heard, the empire of ignorance would be overthrown; were his atonement superstition would fall to the ground; clearly and fully exhibited, the fabric of and were they to allow an appeal to the throne of Christ, they are well aware obedience to themselves would be out of the question. Therefore, as it is impossible for the influence of Christ and of the priesthood to exist together, he must give way to them."- pp. 85--87. There is in this lecture a slight error in ascribing the pusillanimous deference to the authority of the Pope, to the Emperor Henry the Third. It was Henry the Fourth who presented himself in abject guise at the fortress of Canosa, where, after having been admitted within the first wall, he days exposed to the inclemency of was compelled to remain for three a winter's sky, and to the jests and mockery of the ferocious Hildebrand and the Countess Matilda. The fourth discourse describes the Church of Rome, viewed with reference to the past.' The fifth appropriately concludes the course with a cheering exhibition of "the prospects unfolding to the Church of Christ," and closes with a glowing representation of the glories of the latter day. "In conclusion, I offer you one prediction; The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.' With this prediction you are all familiar; and of its fulfilment you entertain no doubt— what then does it include? Uudoubtedly, the abolition of every thing inconsistent with that fulfilment. Every plant which our heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up.' The pillars of the temple of Dagon, shaken by a mightier than Sampson, shall give way; the edifice shall fall, and bury in its ruins, every thing that offends, every thing that opposes the Gospel of Christ. The course of Divine Providence has invariably this direction; and therefore, to broach in mitigated and accomall kings and nations who refuse to sub-modating phrase. He has gone to mit, shall be overthrown and destroyed: these are they that make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb shall overcome them.' Anti-christianism in all its forms and degrees, whether of the palace or the temple, the throne or the altar, of the cottage or the conventicle, of the market or the senate, of the multitude or the few, shall disappear at the brightness of the rising of the Sun of Righteousness. Ignorance and superstition, persecution and violence, shall then be known no more. The heathen shall cast their idols of wood and stone to the moles and to the bats: Mahometans shall renounce the Impostor, and glory in the name of Christ: the poor outcast Jew shall look with compunction on Him whom he has pierced, and place a crown of glory, on that head which once wore a crown of thorns. The corruptions which disgrace and defile Christianity, shall be purged away; and Christ, and none but Christ, received as a Prophet, Priest, and King. "These are the prospects opening before us; rendered daily clearer by the progress of events, and confirmed by every page of holy writ. Does the Christian, while his heart glows with intense desire, exclaim, Ah, but when? O Lord, how long?' He which testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come `quickly; Amen.' Be ours the reply, Even so; come Lord Jesus.'". pp. 173-175. འ་་་་、 Strictures on the Plymouth Antinomians. By Joseph Cottle. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Cadell, 1823. Ir this is not a very profound theological treatise, it is a very amusing book, so far, at least, as amusement can be derived from the insane vagaries of the human mind when broken loose from the controul of discretion, and mingling its own rash and degrading reveries with the simplicity of pure and undefiled religion. Mr. Cottle has had frequent opportunities, which he has diligently cultivated, of making himself acquainted with the peculiarities of that pestilent sect which has indeed long infested the church of Christ, but now ventures on the unblushing avowal of opinions, which former schismatics were willing CONG. MAG. No. 73. the head-quarters of the delusion, and has given such a report of the enemy's camp, as will furnish a sufficiently correct view of his discipline and tactics. The Rev. Mr. Babb, Dr. Hawker's curate, enforced an argument in behalf of the sovereignty of God, by an illustration which shows clearly enough that we are not wrong in ascribing to the "Plymouth Antinomians" this fatal supremacy in delusion. "God sometimes sends rain on one field, and withholds it from another, and on what other principle can we account for it, that the Gospel should be preached with greater purity in this town (of Plymouth) than in any other town in the kingdom!!""" What will the Vaughans and Pierces say to this? We believe, however, that Mr. Babb is right, and that the pulpits of St. Martin's and of Shoe Lane, never resounded with absurdities quite so gross as some that are here given on the undeniable authority of Mr. Cottle, as the genuine expressions of Dr. Hawker and his son. The high doctrinalists of a former day were men of talent and piety; and, though they might occasionally use injudicious language, they were not reluctant to inforce the grounds and practice of moral obligation, and evangelical holiness. But if the description before us be accurate, we have now a set of men who are treating these matters with contempt, and dashing forward with a highhanded supersession of that special work of the Holy Spirit, which consists in the sanctification of the believer, his growth in grace, and his preparation for the society of the blessed, and the eternal presence of God. As far as we can understand their system, it gives unbounded license to the indulgence of all that the holy law of God condemns; opens a door to unlimited innovation on Christian F 34 in more Review of Books :-Cottle's Strictures doctrine, and permits a preacher, But there is a brand and a withering curse upon JANUARY, and consequent reasoning in support of his dogmas. Mr. Cottle has contrived, and it is really an evidence of no small ingenuity, to preserve an admirable specimen of the Doctor's oratory, and it is well worth citation. The "We hear a great deal about redemption in this day of profession, from one instructor and another, but when do you hear the church carried beyond time into the everlasting settlements of eternity? The Where do you hear of these things? All the world is running mad. Epistles of the apostles are directed to the church, not to the world. church that lives from one eternity to another! You are the delight of God. The Lord hath never writ a bill of divorcement against his church. We can fall no more; the church is safe. All Christ. What is grace? books might be burnt if we have found Lord himself. We cannot grow in the Lord. The Lord, in calling one and another amongst you, is performing a worlds. It is said, Grow in grace.' greater work than creating a thousand Ignorant preachers don't understand this, and misinterpret it. What says Paul? Paul had no experience of progressive holiness. Twenty-three years after his conversion, he said, O wretched man that I am. Grace is the I will tell you when God began to love his church-when God himself began! It is beautiful to see how God has loved the church, in their time-state, from generation to generation. A sixth finger shall as soon be added to my hand, as there shall one other member be added to the body of Christ. Who shall dare to add to the body of Christ? The Lord had a people before God is not constrained his incarnation. by merit, nor restrained by demerit. My brother! The Lord knows the names ven. We shall have no more nuptials. Shall the gospel mercies be put up to the highest bidder? Oh no, no, no, no. The Son of God hath married the church to all eternity. No one event can take place that was not ordained. Not death, nor sin, nor the grave can disturb our union with Christ. We are married to Christ from everlasting. Little saints, and great saints are equally acceptable to Christ. Small faith is sufficient. You calculate too much on what has been done in your own hearts, not what has been done from all eternity, those great ancient antiquities. We do not remember the original settlements of eternity. If there are but two or three of the called in this congregation, they are the church. They will be safe when the whole lump beside will be burnt.”—pp. 89–91. Antinomian divines are all famous hands at eliciting the hidden sense of scripture. Huntingdon, with all his absurdities and vulgarities, was a man of genius, in his way, and now and then managed to strike out an original thought. Chamberlain and others of the same stamp, were not the legitimate successors, but the apes of Huntingdon. Dr. Hawker's talents as a Bible expositor shall speak for themselves. "On one occasion he said, 'Recently, the Holy Spirit has taught me the meaning of this passage, To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. To do justly,' is to acknowledge the justice of God in the condemnation of the wicked. To love mercy,' as displayed in the atonement of Jesus Christ, and I defy any man to walk more humbly with God, than the man who acknowledges this.' "Dr. H.'s luminous view of the occult meaning of scripture was further evinced, in the explanation he gave of the 6th chapter of Isaiah, where the prophet says, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, send me.' Now observed Dr. H. I suppose you think the prophet is here meant, but no, no. It is the Lord Jesus who says, Here am 1, send me.'' "So also in the 28th chapter of Matthew, 6th verse, where the angel says to the women, Come, see the place where the Lord lay.' I suppose you think,' said Dr. H. the angel is recommending the women to look at the spot where the body of Christ lay. No, no, the angel means no such thing. He means to point out the Lord Jesus, as lying in the eternal bosom of the Father. That is where the Son lay.'"-pp. 85, 86. Dr. H. however, falls short of the talent displayed in this branch of exegetical divinity, by the author of the following luminous explanation. "An Antinomian preacher of Manchester, distinguished for his ignorance, as most of such men are, and that profoundly, some time ago, was discoursing on the text, The hairs of your head are all numbered,' when he thus proceeded.— "Most ministers would apply this passage to the providential care of God. But it is one of the strongest proofs in scripture of the doctrines of election and final perseverance. First: It is the Head— the head of his body. Secondly: His people are the Hairs, for this the Apostle and if children Heirs!"—p. 86. declares, They are the children of God, The Doctor's son, the Rev. John Hawker, follows in his father's wake, but we have no disposition to rake into the profanations, which are here quoted, as having fallen from his lips. We recoil from all contact with the man who could say, from his pulpit, "If there be an individual present, who disbelieves, or who entertains a doubt, of the truth of every word contained in the Bible, I would not go outside that porch, to convince him of the truth, as it is in Jesus." Of course, these men are avowed contemners of every effort that is made to preach among the gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ. "These societies," quoth the Rev. Mr. Babb, adverting to the different institutions for the furtherance of the gospel, "are all hastening the reign of the man of sin, and the sooner this reign umphs of Satan may be over, and comes, the better, that the trithe true Christianity universally prevail !" Mr. Cottle's rebuke of this inexcusable apathy towards the noble work that is now going forward, is just and eloquent, and we shall close our extracts with a section of it. "The very form and features of Christianity are lost in the exhibitions of this minister. Here are triumphs for infidelity! and here is affliction for the devout! What! are all the institutions which exalt and adorn our country, not only not salutary, but pernicious, and hastening the full reign of the Man of Sin! The prophets of old wept over the prevalence of iniquity, but at such a prospect these spirits would have rejoiced! "If ever pity should find its way to the heart, it would be felt for those who could behold with indifference the vast engine which the Almighty, in our day, has called into exercise :-if ever compassion should arise in the human breast, it would be awakened for those who could coldly survey the grand movement which at present urges on the moral world; when immediate vistas are opened to the Christian's eye, with remoter prospects, still more animating; such as excite his tears, and call forth and combine the praises of men, with the exultations of angels. At this auspicious moment, when heathenism trembles; when superstition is yielding up her longusurped dominion; when missionaries (as organs of the noblest societies that ever appeared in the tide of time') with almost miraculous gifts, and graces, are furnishing the bread of life to all the nations of the carth, and who go forth with their lives in their hands,' as living epistles,' and exemplars of the holy religion they profess; at this moment, not to feel a glow in the heart, is treachery to God and man. But if to be neutral in such a season, when the powers of light and darkness are in hostile array; if to preserve apathy in such a Our extracts, and comments, will have furnished our readers with the means of forming an accurate estimate of the general character of Mr. Cottle's pamphlet. We shall only say, in addition, that it is agreeably written, and exhibits the author in a favorable light, as a man of sense and piety. Before, however, we close this article, we must be permitted to make one observation, on the most effectual means of opposing Antinomianism. We have heard persons, for whose authority we entertain the highest reverence, maintain, that a strain of preaching, almost exclusively practical, is the most effectual remedy. Literaria Rediviva; or, The Book Worm. Light from Heaven, discovering the Fountain opened the Angels' Acclamations the Churches Riches the Rich Povertie. In Four Treatises. By the late Learned and Reverend Divine, Richard Sibs, Doctor in Divinitie, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne. Pub lished according to the Author's owne appointment, subscribed with his hand, to prevent imperfect copies. Small quarto. London, 1638. THE name of Sibs associates itself in our minds with the "immortal memory" of some of the brightest characters in the ecclesiastical history of our country. Perkins was his contemporary, Dr. Thomas. Goodwin resigned in his favour the vicarage of Trinity Church, Cambridge, and Dr. Wm. Gouge, himself a popular divine, was among his hearers at Grays-Inn chapel. Neale, in his History of the Puritans, says of him that he was one of the most celebrated preachers of his time, and well known in the learned world. He was a divine of good learning, thoroughly acquainted with the Scriptures; a burning and shining light, of a most humble, charitable disposition. His works discover him to have been of a heavenly evangelical spirit, the comforts of which he enjoyed at his death." And Job Orton writes of his "Bruised Reed and smoaking Flax," it " cost me three-pence, and I would not take three pounds |