the Deity, the incarnation, the humiliation, suffering, death, resurrection, and mediatorial exaltation of Jesus Christ. I cannot comprehend or explain these wonderful mysteries; but I fully believe them, because I fully believe the book which reveals them, the Bible, to be the word of God,―to come from Him, and that there is full and ample evidence to prove this. I thankfully, therefore, and gratefully rest in such a glorious scheme, so wonderfully provided for my salvation, and for that of my fellow-sinners of the human race, and I would only pray, for myself and others, that none of us may fall short of the salvation thus freely offered.

But then there is something more to be done. Having thus by faith taken Christ for a Saviour, my solemn vow which as a Christian I have taken upon myself, teaches me that I must walk worthy of that vocation wherewith I am called; that I must live as a Christian should, as a fallen, sinful creature should, so redeemed, so spared, so left under the covenant of grace "to work out my salvation, God by his Holy Spirit working in me to will and to do." pp. 270

-272.

But it is time that we turn, however unwillingly, to the circumstances connected with his decease, which took place on the 15th of April, 1825, in the 54th of his age. year

The following is an extract from a letter written by the gentleman who conveyed the afflicting tidings to his family and friends, and who attended St. Michael's church the day after the event was known in the parish. "On entering the church, Sunday morning, April 19th, I found it hung with black, and the countenances of the congregation indicated the grief which they felt. A solemn silence prevailed; numbers were weeping. The Psalms, Lessons, Gospel and Epistle for the day, were suited to the mournful occasion. When that passage was read, 'Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his; the congregation burst into tears, and, I believe, there was scarcely a tearless eye in the whole of the crowded audience."

As soon as the intelligence of his death reached Bath, it was resolved by his parishioners to request, what they affectionately termed the privilege of conveying to Bath, and interring at their own expense, the remains of their beloved pastor. A request so kind and gratifying could not be refused. His remains were removed to Bath, and on Friday the 29th, they were attended to the grave by the Archdeacon and other clergy of Bath, and by nearly three hundred of his friends, and most respectable of his parishioners. All the shops in the parish were closed, and never was there witnessed more unaffected grief; never more decency and solemnity of manner exhibited by such an immense concourse of spectators as were assembled on that occasion.

The sensation produced by his death was almost unexampled: each individua! to whom he was known, whatever their rank, seemed to feel as if a member of his own family had been taken; every one had some service to remember, some kind act to recollect, some word of his which they mentioned to his praise, and fondly dwelt on.

Not the least affecting tribute was offered to his memory in the attendance at the funeral, and on the following Sunday at the church, of many of his poorest parishioners habited in such mourning as they were enabled to procure. His death was noticed from most of the pulpits in Bath; and on the Sunday following the funeral, a very interesting sermon was delivered at St. Michael's on the subject of Mr. Richards's death, by his friend and successor in the curacy, Mr. Pears. His congregation and friends have further testified their sense of his worth, and their affection to him, by the erection of a handsome but plain monument to his memory within the church. pp. 42-44.

One extract more must close our quotations from this interesting volume. It appeals so directly to the best feelings of the Christian heart, and so admirably sums up the character of the deceased, that we cannot withhold it.

At a meeting of the parishioners of St. Michael's and other friends of the late Rev. John Richards, to take into consideration the best method of testifying their respect to the memory of their late revered minister: It was resolved unanimously,

1. That the expenses of conveying the remains of the late Reverend John Richards to this city, and of their interment, be defrayed by the parishioners: permission having been obtained from his family.

2. That a monument be erected to his memory in St. Michael's church by public subscription; and that the Rev. James Pears be requested to write the inscription.

Upon the latter proposition being made, J. S. Duncan, Esq. an old and intimate friend and companion in his benevolent labours, bore testimony to the worth of the departed in a few words, which came so evidently from the heart of the speaker, and so peculiarly affected the whole meeting, that the following imperfect report of them can hardly be unacceptable to the reader.

"Perhaps no earthly circumstance could be more soothing to the feelings of the friends of the good man to whose memory we wish to show our respect, than the sight of so large and so highly respectable a meeting as that which I here witness. He is beyond the reach of earthly honour: and what monument either of brass or of stone can be more deeply graven than is the memory of his virtues on the hearts of all his congregation of the rich and the poor, not only of his parish but of all Bath! The fleshly monument may be wholly perishable; but it contains that which is eternal;-it contains that which will bear witness of his virtues when souls ascending to their Lord may say, 'By thy grace, O Lord, and by means of his ministry, we were reclaimed and drawn to thee.'His utterance of God's word was most holy,-his manners were holy,-his conversation holy-his preaching holy--all his conduct through life, after the pattern of his Master, Jesus, holy-and his death most exemplarily holy. We sorrow not therefore as men without hope: we are assured that he has heard the voice all-merciful from the Throne of Holiness, amidst angels and archangels, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.'-I doubt not that the rich and poor throughout Bath will rejoice to contribute to any mode which may be deemed most effectual to shew reverence for the memory of one who may be almost said to have given his life for the good of all. I have known him for full forty years-beloved in boyhood, respected in manhood, exemplary in all the relations of life; blessed by all." pp. 426,427.

We now turn to the Memorials of Dr. Ryland. The decease of this excellent man has called forth from the pen of Mr. Robert Hall a sermon, of which we shall express our high opinion by saying, that it is worthy of its author. The contrast which he draws between the friendships of the worldly minded and those of the real Christian, is peculiarly striking.

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Friendship, founded on the principles of worldly morality, recognised by virtuous heathens, such as that which subsisted between Atticus and Cicero, which the last of these illustrious men has rendered immortal, is fitted to survive through all the vicissitudes of life; but it belongs only to a union founded on

religion, to continue through an endless duration. The former of these stood the shock of conflicting opinions, and of a revolution that shook the world; the latter is destined to survive when the heavens are no more, and to spring fresh from the ashes of the universe. The former possessed all the stability which is possible to sublunary things; the latter partakes of the eternity of God. Friendship founded on worldly principles is natural, and, thongh composed of the best elements of nature, is not exempt from its mutability and frailty; the latter is spiritual, and therefore unchanging and imperishable. The friendship which is founded on kindred tastes, and congenial habits, apart from piety, is permitted by the benignity of Providence to embellish a world, which, with all its magnificence and beauty, will shortly pass away; that which has religion for its basis, will ere long be transplanted, in order to adorn the paradise of God."

A few pages onward in the same sermon, he thus prepares the way for what he had to deliver respecting his deceased friend. "It is a homage due to departed worth, whenever it rises to such a height as to render its possessor an object of general attention, to endeavour to rescue it from oblivion; that when it is removed from the observation of men, it may still live in their memory, and transmit through the shades of the sepulchre some reflection, however faint, of its living lustre. By enlarging the cloud of witnesses by which we are encompassed, it is calculated to give a fresh impulse to the desire of imitation; and even the despair of reaching it is not without its use, by checking the levity and correcting the pride and presumption of the human heart."

Mr. Hall then proceeds to give a brief statement of the principal events in his life, from his birth to his death, and at the same time to pourtray his character. May all our clerical readers, who peruse the account here given of so laborious a minister, be induced to follow his example; and to be instant in season, out of season, in the preaching of that Gospel which is power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth! "Dr. Ryland was born, A. D. 1753, January 29, at Warwick, where his venerable father exercised his ministry for some years; from whence he removed to Northampton.

the

"The most remarkable particular recorded of his infancy, is his early progress in the Hebrew language, which was such, that he read a chapter of the Hebrew Bible to the celebrated Hervey, before he was five years old.. About his thirteenth year he became deeply impressed with religious concern; and, without any thing very singular in his experience, his convic

tions ripened into genuine conversion, and he was baptized on a profession of his faith in his fourteenth year. At the request of the church, he began to exercise his ministerial gifts in his seventeeth year; and after continuing to assist his father for some years, he was ordained co-pastor with him in the year 1781. In this situation he remained for some time; when, on his father's removal from Northampton, he became sole pastor, until the year 1793, when he received an unanimous invitation to the joint offices of president of the Bristol Education Society, and pastor of Broadmead. How he conducted himself in the first scene of his labours, many living witnesses can attest; suffice it to say, that his ministry during that period was eminently acceptable and useful. During his residence at Northampton, he was "in labours more abundant;" far from confining his ministry to a single spot, he diffused its benefits over a wide circle, preaching much in the surrounding villages; and though, on his removal to Bristol, his numerous avocations rendered his ministerial exertions less frequent, he may justly be considered, on the whole, as one of the most laborious of pastors. He preached, during his whole career, not less than eight thousand six hundred and ninety-one sermons, and at two hundred and eighty-six distinct places.

"If, as a preacher, he never attained the highest summit of popularity, he was always heard with attention. His ministry was replete with instruction, and not unfrequently accompanied with an unction which rendered it irresistible. As he possessed none of those graces of elocution and manner which secure superficial applause, he was always most esteemed by those who heard him the oftenest; and his stated hearers rarely if ever wished to exchange the voice of their pastor for that of a stranger. His address was such as produced an instantaneous conviction of his sincerity. It displayed, even to most superficial observer, a mind infinitely above being actuated by the lust of applause; a spirit deeply imbued with a sense of eternal realities, and ready to pour itself forth as a libation on the sacrifice of the faith and obedience of his converts. The effect of his discourses, excellent as they were in themselves, was prodigiously heightened by the veneration universally felt for his character, and the just and high estimation entertained of his piety. Piety, indeed, was his distinguished characteristic, which he possessed to a degree that raised him inconceivably above the level of ordinary Christians. Devotion appeared to be the principal element of his being: it was next to impossible to converse with him without perceiving how entirely it pervaded his mind, and imparted to his whole deportment an

air of purity, innocence, and sanctity, difficult for words to express. His piety did not display itself in a profusion of religious discourse, nor in frequently alluding to the interior exercises of his mind on spiritual subjects. He was seldom known to speak of his religious joys or sorrows: his devotional feelings were too deep and too sacred to suffer themselves to evaporate in ordinary conversation. His religion appeared in its fruits; in gentleness, humility, and benevolence; in a steady, conscientious performance of every duty; and a careful abstinence from every appearance of evil. As little did his character partake of the ascetic. It never entered into his thoughts that religion was an enemy to the innocent pleasures and social endearments of human life, of which he entertained a high relish, and which his constant regard to the Deity rendered subservient to piety, by the gratitude which they inspired, and the conviction which they deepened of the Divine benignity. His love to the Great Supreme was equally exempt from slavish timidity and presumptuous familiarity: it was an awful love, such as the beatific vision may be supposed to inspire, where the worshippers veil their faces in that presence in which they rejoice with ecstatic joy."

The same able writer bears testimony to the humility of his deceased friend; humility, which" neither prompted him to depreciate his talents, nor to disclaim his virtues; to speak in debasing terms of himself, nor to exaggerate his imperfections and failings. It taught him the rarer art of forgetting himself."

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Giving none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully," is an Apostolic direction which is sometimes overlooked by professors, and even by ministers of the Gospel. On this point Mr. Hall furnishes us with some striking remarks.

"Though religion in its ordinary mode of exhibition commands but little respect; when it rises to the sublime, and is perceived to tincture and pervade the whole character, it seldom fails to draw forth the homage of mankind. The most hardened impiety and daring profligacy will find it difficult to despise the man who manifestly appears to walk with God, whose whole system of life is evidently influenced and directed by the powers of the world to come. The ridicule cast on religious characters is not always directed towards their religion, but more often perhaps to the little it performs, contrasted with the loftiness of its pretensions-a ridicule which derives its force from the very sublimity of the principles which the profession of piety assumes. It may be doubted whether the character of Dr. Ryland provoked, on any occasion, the sneer of the infidel, or the scorn of the ungodly."

Nor can we omit the description of his temper and spirit