when he writes thus to the Gala tians: "This only would I learn of you; received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" A safe appeal might also be made to the history of the Church of England, in support of the statements advanced in this discourse. To what was to be attributed that victory over the religion of forms, ceremonies, and "carnal ordinances," which was achieved at the period of the Reformation, but to the faithful and simple preaching of "Christ crucified?" To what again shall we ascribe that cold and comfortless state into which the religion of the Church of England must be acknowledged to have sunk from the age of the Protectorate until the dawn of the present century, but to the preaching of little more than a barren system of ethics, which, however it may have arisen from a dread of the excesses into which some of the Puritans had been betrayed, was abundantly demonstrated to be wholly unequal to the work of enlightening, converting, and saving the souls of men? When morality took the place of the doctrines of the Cross, what was the result? A second leaden slumber crept over both the ministers and the members of our communion, and soon settled down into a frigid indifference to the glory of God and the good of men. That was no age for the dispersion of the Scriptures, for the ardent prosecution of missionary labours, for the extensive education of the lower orders, and the thousand other charities which now refresh the eye as it gazes on the moral aspect of England. And what is it that has brought back the fertilizing tide from its lowest ebb, and made it to pour over its banks with every blessing in its stream? What but a return (would that it were universal!) to the principles and habits of the age of the Reformers, preaching as they preached, and discarding all the unfruitful schemes which man's wisdom teacheth, for Jesus Christ and him crucified? All other modes

of preaching, however adorned by the tropes of rhetoric, or the poetical beauties of imagination, are but as the mock suns in the firmament, which have indeed a shew of power, but possess neither light nor heat; while, in the preaching of the Cross, the actual Sun of Righteousness arises upon mankind "with healing in his wings."

The fifth sermon is on that fear

fully instructive incident in our Lord's history-the approach of the young ruler for his counsel, which counsel, amiable and teachable as he appeared, he yet rejected. The sermon is entitled, "Amiableness without Piety;" and it certainly demonstrates the possibility of an unqualified possession and display of the former of these characteristics, without any admixture of the latter. The narrative, as it appears in the Evangelist, is deeply affecting; and Mr. Cunningham compares it to the case of one on whom, at his first introduction to our notice, every eye is fixed with admiration, and to whom every ear listens with delight; but from whom all this delight is withdrawn suddenly, at the intelligence that he carries about with him the seeds of some disease which is conducting him painfully and rapidly to the grave. In the amiable ruler, this disease was a selfrighteous spirit,, exhibiting the entangling snare, which even the tice of moral obligation, if relied upon, will inevitably become. “All these moral duties he had observed from his youth."

prac

"And perhaps, in his view of the law of God, and looking only to the outward act, there may have been a measure of justice in his reply. He had never, perhaps, grossly and violently offended, especially against those laws which respect the conduct of man to man. It is even possible that, as in the case of St. Paul, touching the righteousness' that was in the ceremonial law,' he was blameless. But, looking at bis obedience in a scriptural point of view, it is evident that he was an offender as to

every one of those commandments on an implicit compliance with which he prided himself. His subsequent conduct sufficiently testifies that his obedience was

rather that of the letter than of the spirit; rather that of the conduct than of principle; rather that of the hand than of the heart; rather adjusted to his own taste, than framed upon the model of Scripture. Besides, every act of his obedience was vitiated by the foul blot of a spirit of selfjustification. He neither sought for pardon, nor, in his own esteem, needed it; for all these things' he had observed from his youth. And, my brethren, to this single offence of self-justification, what other need be added for the conviction of the sinner? That spirit, however lightly regarded by men, is a temper of mind of all others the most hostile to the peculiar office of the Saviour, and to the whole genius of the Gospel. It was the crime probably of Cain, when he offered the fruits of the earth in sacrifice instead of the firstlings of the flock. It was eminently the crime of the Pharisees, a body of men the most frequently and vehemently rebuked by our Lord. Nor can the offensiveness of this crime in the sight of God be a matter of surprise. The object of the Redeemer, and of his dispensation, is to humble; to exclude 'boasting;' to lead the sinner to a religion of free grace and unmerited compassion; to a deep conviction, on the one hand, of the insufficiency of man, and, on the other, of the all-sufficiency of Christ. The spirit of self-justification, on the contrary, springs from pride, and largely ministers to it; claims as a right, what must be received as a gift; transforms the man, from a lowly supplicant at the throne of compassion, to the proud artificer of his own happiness; and, in its ultimate effects, dethrones the Lord from his mercy-seat, and erects the sinner into his own redeemer." pp. 83, 84.

One of the most interesting of these sermons is that on the statement of the Apostle to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. x. 2, "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh," which Mr. Cunningham explains (we are not clear that his exposition is critically correct) of the points in which the true Christian resembles, and those in which he differs from, the men of this world. He takes it up as a useful consideration to oppose to the common but inconclusive apology, which the latter are constantly urging to cover their own delinquencies. If we sin, say they, are we the only offenders? Do not the professed servants of Christ also transgress? To this he replies by marking the important distinctions which exist between the

respective characters of those who only "walk in the flesh," and therefore are liable to its infirmities and occasionally successful assaults, and those who not only "walk in," but also "war after," or according to, its tastes, and principles, and habits.

In the following correctly descriptive passage, the writer shews, that, besides being liable to the infirmities of body and of temper, of trial and temptation, the Christian is also subject to considerable fluctuations in the influence of those great principles, which are nevertheless the governing powers of his soul.

"What infirmity, for instance, is there at times in his faith!-Sometimes, indeed, it is clear and strong, like the full and deep tide of the mighty river: at others, perhaps it is shallow, irregular, and disturbed, like the scanty waters of the summer stream. Such, indeed, may be its variations, that the startled Christian, in some cases, scarcely knows what to conclude as to the real state of his own soul; and even in his best moments is disposed to pray, 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!'

"Look, again, at the love of the real servant of Christ. At times, how ardent and active are his feelings; and at other times how cold and sluggish! Such is frequently the rapid descent of the corrupt heart, that the man prepared to become a martyr at one moment, at another is apparently immoveable and heartless, indisposed to make the smallest sacrifice of self for God or for human nature.

"Thus, also, the hope of the real Christian is often characterized by much infirand bright in his eyes; the voice of God mity.-To-day every promise is intelligible is, in a sense, audible; and a strong ray of expectation, and even of assurance, is shed over the prospect before him: the his guilt seizes upon his mind; his sky is next day, perhaps, the consciousness of clouded; he walketh in darkness, and hath no light;' in the expressive language of the Scriptures, he goes mourning all the day long.'

"In short, my Christian brethren, it is not too much to affirm, that there is no faculty of the inner man, no power, or disposition, or temper, or taste of the feel the burden of the body. The flesh renewed soul, which does not at times lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other.' How powerfully the soul! To will is present with me, does St. Paul describe this conflict of but how to perform that which is good I

find not.' 'I delight in the law of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.""-pp. 101-103.

But then the Christian is not left here there is a very determinate line of demarcation drawn between him and the men of this world, and the very obvious distinction is pointed out, that

"Holiness in a servant of God is habitual, whilst sin is occasional and rare. The real Christian is ordinarily right, and only occasionally wrong; whereas others are habitually wrong, and only occasionally right. The faults of a Christian are exceptions to the general rule of his life; the faults of others are conformity to the rule itself. Hezekiah was betrayed into an act of vanity; Herod was habitually vain." p. 105.

The view of the Christian mourning over sin is truly and affectingly depicted, and also his increasing power over it. We quote both pas

sages.

"It is almost a folly to speak of the man of the world as mourning for sin at all; but if he does grieve it is rather for property consumed, for character forfeited, for health destroyed, than for his resistance to the will of God. He stands in the midst of this garden of the Lord, feeds on his hand, walks in his presence, rests under the wings of his tenderness, and yet sins against Him without a single pang of beart. The real servant of God, On the contrary, when he offends, mourns, and mourns deeply; and the chief cause of his grief is the sense of his ingratitude to the Lord who made him, and to the Saviour who has redeemed him by his blood: Against Thee, Thee only, have! sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.' The sense of his baseness to such a Benefactor, the fear of separation from the Lord of light and love and glory, are to him intolerable burdens. Mine eye poureth out tears unto God;' 'I water my couch with tears;' 'My tears have been my meat night and day!' 'I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me; I go mourning all the day." What language is this, my brethren! And when did any other penitents approach the Lord with language full of such pathos and meaning, with tears drawn from a fountain of sorrow as deep and as bitter? O the anguish of a soul thus rent by the arrow of contrition! O the joy which the promises of God impart to a heart thus troubled! How natural to the man thus comforted, is the language, I will be

glad and rejoice in thy mercy, for thou hast considered my trouble:'The Lord is my strength and shield: My heart trusted in him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth: I will go unto the altar of God, of God my exceeding joy.'” pp. 106, 107. Again;

“The Christian is obtaining a daily and visible conquest over his corruptions. He is daily pressing toward the mark; 'going on unto perfection; abounding more and more;' approaching nearer to the 'measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;' rescuing at every step of his progress a new portion of his character from the waste, and clothing it with verdure and fruitfulness. The corruptions of the men of the world, because left to themselves, or nursed up in the cradle of selfindulgence, are daily gaining strength, and, like the cloud seen by the prophet, if at first the size of a man's hand, at length cover and darken the whole sky. The corruptions of the Christian, on the contrary, are like the fig-tree withering under the curse of the Redeemer. Every day sees the servant of the world fitter riper for glory: till, at last, the voice of for perdition; every day sees the believer judgment is heard, and the one passes away to misery, and the other to unchangeable triumph and joy.” p. 109.

In the sermon on "the invisible world," Mr. Cunningham has allowed his fine imagination freely to soar on the wings of a Scriptural faith, and to refresh his sight with a view of those joys which fill the abodes of the redeemed. With the path that conducts upwards to that world he has shewn in these discourses that he is well acquainted. After the glowing language in which he describes the probable joy of a saint when actually finding himself disencumbered of "the burden of the flesh," we cannot but hope that our author may be able to feel more of sacred delight than distress, in recording such allusions as are doubtless the following.

"If any one of those we loved the best, and who has paid the debt of nature, is not now reserved in chains for the anguish of the last day; if in reply to the question, Your parent, your child, your husband, your wife, where are they?' we may venture confidently to answer, In the porch of heaven, and only awaiting the judgment of the great day to establish them in all its joys and glories;' it is to

but as a scheme by which the extreme classes of society are brought together upon terms of reciprocal comfort and advantage, by which one pays with the strength of the body for the benefit of the soul, that the mutual obligations of master and servant are likely to be properly fulfilled. We particularly

recommend this sermon to the attention of our readers; such of them especially as are called to sustain the responsible post of masters of families and we think they must rise from the perusal with a deeper conviction of this fact, that when the Bible admonishes masters to "give unto their servants that which is just and due," it means much more than the faithful payment of their wages, and binds closely upon them the duty of embracing all possible opportunities of instructing and enlightening their souls.

In the remaining sermons we have found much which we think likely to minister to the edification as well as consolation of the reader. Indeed there is a far less proportion of the solemn and alarming, than of the peaceful and persuasive character of writing in this volume.— The sermon entitled, "Hopelessness of Improvement exposed and condemned," and those also on "Christian membership," "the desire of the servant of God," and the "prisoner of hope," are very excellent: but in that on Heb. xiii. 20, 21, entitled, "The God of Peace," we have dwelt with delight on some passages written in Mr. Cunningham's best style: it seems to be a subject peculiarly congenial to his mind.

In the concluding sermon, on the promise of the Redeemer, in John xiv. 2, Mr. Cunningham has amplified, in a very beautiful manner, that consolatory declaration, "Where I am, there ye shall be also."

"It adds much to our satisfaction in this

state of being to know that some dear and intimate friend has prepared the abode in which we are to dwell. We remember that he is familiar with our tastes and

habits, and are sure that his large and liberal hand will spare nothing that may contribute to our happiness. Consider, then, the fact which is recorded in this Not only is the expression of our text. world of glory the palace of the great King;' not only is it the garden of the Lord, and therefore adapted to the nature of its great Proprietor; but it is an abode constructed by one familiar with your own nature, wants, and capacities, devised by the mind and formed by the hand of Him who loved you and gave himself for you. He built the heavenly temple; he called the river of life from its everlasting fountains; he planted the tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nations: and, when nothing of created objects remained to add splendour or worth to this invisible world, he added Himself, as the proper joy of his creatures, to that bright habitation. I go to prepare a place for you.' I go, myself, to shine in that temple; to walk by those fountains; to dwell in those be fulness of joy, and at my right hand mansions; and in my presence shall there pleasures for evermore." pp. 427, 428.

Such are the forcible and excellent sermons contained in this second volume of Mr. Cunningham. They are certainly most sound, practical discourses, and are enriched with many and great beauties; and we heartily commend them to the perusal of our readers, and doubt not that the Divine blessing will accompany them.

GREAT BRITAIN. PREPARING for publication :-Memoirs of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, Sister of Charles I.; by Miss Benger; -The History of the Pelham Administration; by Archdeacon Coxe;-the Sydney Papers; by R. Blencowe ;-Memoirs

of the Chevalier Bayard;-A Letter to a Sceptic;-Discourses on the Lord's Prayer; by the Rev. S. Saunders;The "No Popery," to be continued monthly, price 2d.; designed to expose, in a familiar manner, the fallacious principles and prejudicial institutions of Popery,