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of the church, who have also shown themselves powerful defenders of ecclesiastical institutions; but the persons of this description have not usually been industrious, earnest, plain, and practical preachers of the essential articles of the Christian faith. They seem to have contented themselves with supporting the outworks of religion, and with occasional declarations of orthodoxy, and almost to have forgotten that whatever in its aim stops short of thoroughly awakening the consciences of men, of subduing their natural corruptions, and of producing a peculiar people zealous of good works, is not the gospel of Christ, that power of God unto salvation which St. Paul preached. He afterwards speaks of this as amounting on the part of many of the clergy to a DANGEROUS DEPARTURE from sound doctrine; but states that it prevailed some thirty or forty years ago, more than then.-Page cv.

Infidelity arose and flourished in the decline of gospel principles. The way in which infidels were met equally marks the decline. The best mode of opposing Hobbes and Shaftesbury, does not seem to have been adopted. They were answered mainly on the grounds of reason. Christ with all His blessings, as manifesting his divine glory, and alone meeting every varied want of fallen man, was little exhibited as the grand internal evidence of religion. The Bible was rather defended, than used and improved. This great deficiency is too much the characteristic of the admirable defences of the outworks in the able works of Leland.

It will be evident from the various testimonies thus given, that there was a serious falling away from p pure doctrine in the English Church. Whatever material,

or incidental and lesser excellencies, we may admit, there is a lack of the main spring of holy conduct. Christ is not the sum and substance; the doctrines which God eminently blesses to the conversion of sinners; the great and peculiar features of Christianity; man's apostacy, ruin, and inability; redemption by the blood of Christ, and salvation by grace, through faith; free justification, adoption, sanctification by the Holy Spirit, if not opposed, if implied, or if expressed, are still not prominently, urgently, and clearly exhibited, as in the scriptures. Religion was enforced by many of this class, rather on the ground of its reasonableness and excellence, than from its divine authority. Divines seemed to hope to prevail by argument, wisdom, and talent, rather than by simply exhibiting God's truths as His ordinance for our salvation, and His only remedy for our diseased and ruined souls. Their example had a farther bad effect, as it introduced very widely an unscriptural statement of divine truth. It was a statement little calculated to offend the natural man, and therefore gladly adopted by such as had not themselves experienced the grace of God, or aimed merely to discharge clerical duties respectably and creditably.

But still we would be far from denying the piety, or, to a certain extent, the usefulness of the writers to whom we have referred. Many of them were deeply religious. A little light may guide a man to heaven who follows that light, while he who neglects to do so, may perish in the full blaze of the gospel. Perhaps this class has been undervalued by some. A wise student will gladly avail himself of all real helps. To improve the mode of stating divine truth by a clearer and plainer style of writing, and by greater simplicity,

was very desirable. It was a praiseworthy effort to free religion from the trammels of a show of learning, and of merely human distinctions. The defence of the outworks of religion, and sacred criticism, have been much advanced by writers who have been of little use as practical divines. The writings of those who have but rarely refreshed the hearts with a fine glow of evangelical sentiment, are still exceedingly useful in these and many other respects. And though we must ever remember, other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, Jesus Christ, yet very different superstructures may be built upon it. Men of real piety have maintained very different sentiments on inferior, though important points in religion. We do not, as Protestants, claim infallibility on inferior points, though we all adhere to one standard-the Bible. We know in whom we have believed, and while with regard to our own sentiments, we say Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind; with regard to others, we say, Whereunto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. We gather useful lessons from the experience of past ages, and without harshly condemning in the mass or in particular, men who followed the system which we have reviewed; we may derive much instruction from having the opportunity of knowing the result of a system which does not make Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, the leading topic: it produced a general decay of vital religion, notwithstanding the piety, the talents, the wisdom, the superior eloquence, and the liberal sentiments of its leading advocates.

How insufficient every human scheme is, (however commended by all that is amiable and learned, and however designed to guard against real abuses) how

utterly ineffective every system, except the simple gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dying for sinners, to maintain and carry forward the Church of God! The merely rational system of religion without the peculiarities of the Bible, is both inefficient and injurious. Talk they of policy? the simplicity of scriptural truth is the best policy. See what it did in Luther. You may perhaps, by human wisdom, escape the reproach of the cross, gain the admiration of man, rise to the highest ranks of human honour and emolument, but you part with truth, you lose your usefulness, you deteriorate the gospel, and you injure the cause of God. You may have the star-light of a cold, frosty night, but you lose the cheering, enlivening, and fructifying warmth of the glorious sun. What if the outworks are defended, where is the advantage, if those within the citadel withhold from us the privileges and the blessings of the kingdom. May the witnesses for Christ never hand down to posterity a lifeless, inefficient, and human system, which thousands shall unprofitably follow, instead of the life-giving, and divine gospel, the power of God unto salvation !

There was a similar decline in SCOTLAND. Witherspoon, in his Ecclesiastical Characteristics, with a fine vein of irony and delicate humour, exposes this. His descriptions relate to the state of the Scotch church in the middle of the eighteenth century, and from this account, it appears to have been as low as the English church at that time. He observes that it was a necessary part of the character of a moderate man, never, but with a sneer, to speak of the Confession of Faith (the standard of divinity in the Scotch church); to confine his subjects to social duties,

recommend them only from rational consideration, and draw his authorities chiefly from heathen writers.'

Amidst declines on the CONTINENT, the Pietists seem to have been much honoured in promoting vital religion. The main instruments of this, were Arndt (who died in 1685) Spener (who died in 1705) and Franck (who died in 1727). They were instruments of effecting a partial revival of religion which produced considerable effect, and was connected with a purer tone of divinity. Particulars of this will be found in Gillies" Historical Collections, and the Pietas Hallensis of Franck. See also Pusey's Historical Inquiry.

Infidelity, however, under the mask of Christianity, greatly spread. It was exceedingly promoted on the Continent by Semler, of whom Conybeare says, "All, or nearly all the essential elements of his system, or rather of the objections which he made to the system usually acquiesced in by his countrymen, are drawn from Arian and Socinian writers of other nations; sometimes it should seem from sources yet more objectionable.' He mentions Professor Knapp and Storr, and the Moravian Brethren as opposing this infidel system.

.. In a review of the whole of this period, we cannot then say that the student will find no advantage from the various writers of whom we have been speaking. Admirable lessons, as we have seen, may be learnt from many of these authors, and especially those of the superior class; you have the reasonableness and beauty of Christian morality,

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. p. 28.

1 See Works, Vol. viii. p * Mr. Pusey gives a more favourable view of Semler.-See Historical Enquiry, pp. 137-147.