In contemplating this state of religion the true Christian will not fail to bear in mind the happiness he enjoys in the liberty with which Christ has made him free. He is not at all entangled in the disputes of the world, which are occasioned by the mixture of worldly sentiments with the precepts of the Gospel. He will, indeed, lament the evils that this mixture has introduced, and will therefore be on his guard against every attempt to bring any thing of the same kind into the community to which he belongs, the community of holy men of all nations and countries, who in various times have acknowledged the Holy Jesus as their only Master and Teacher. Hence he will carefully watch every symptom of Rabbinism, the great fault in our Saviour's time, and which has since had so great a part in the affairs of what is vulgarly called the Church. To this spirit of dictation, this attempt to uphold the ark of God with unhallowed hands, to prop it up by vain shows of learning and human tradition, he will strenuously oppose himself, armed with the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit of God. He is then invincible, and the darts of the adversary fall without effect. The political state of Europe is far from being settled. In France, the election of representatives is over, and in many places it has been sharply contested. But in no place have those scenes of riot and confusion taken place, which are so common on such occasions in England. The election is in fewer hands upon the whole than with us: but in no place is there so small a body of constituents, as are known in this country; and the electors are taken from that class of life, which are not completely under the nod of any person, whether minister or private individual. Hence the minister has by no means obtained a decided superiority, and in many places the elections have gone contrary to his wishes. The representatives have to decide upon important matters, and the past scenes cannot fail to have produced a due effect. The ultra royalists seem to have but little influence, and the welfare of the country stands therefore a better chance of being consulted. Spanish America, but it is hardly likely that they should produce a warfare, for which Spain is so little prepared. It is said that these differences are to be settled by the holy alliance, and as this is the first matter of importance brought before this doubtful body, the public will be attentive to its actions. In America the mother-country seems to be upon the whole losing ground. In the Southern part its cause is apparently lost, but it is said to be more successful in Mexico. The rumour of a fleet from Russia, keeps alive the idea, that this mighty power may enter into a contest, which it will thus prolong, but most probably without effect. The States of the Netherlands have been assembled, and the speech from the throne was mild and conciliatory. They are there attending closely to their own affairs, and seem likely to form as good a government as circumstances will admit. The public has been alarmed with rumours of an attack on Portugal by Spain; differences are known to exist between the two courts, on account of proceedings in Germany employs its writers on constitutions, but the effect on the public is not very decisive. Various schemes are talked of to bring that immense country to act under one system; but it is evidently the interest of Russia, that it should be divided among independent states. Prussia has not given its subjects the constitution promised, and a considerable degree of jealousy prevails between the military and the real defenders of the country. It is lamentable to think that so great a portion of our fellow-creatures should dedicate themselves to the art of war; an employment never to be justified but in cases of extreme necessity. One of the cases not uncommon in despotical states has occurred in the assassination of the Dey of Algiers by his soldiers. As he reigned by the sword, it is no wonder that he should fall by the sword; and one would think that reflections on such an event would make every sovereign feel the insecurity of him who is at the head of a military government. There can be no security equal to that which rests in the confidence of the people; and the charms of despotical power are surely more than counterbalanced by the wretched dependence on the armed men with which it is surrounded. Yet the throne, wherever it is, and however mean it may appear, will dazzle the eyes of men; and the fate of the predecessor does not diminish the excitements of ambition. What effect this tu multuary act of the military will produce, respecting the treatment of Christians, time will discover: but it is to be feared, that the chastisement the barbarians lately received will not produce a change in their minds. It is melancholy to consider that a country formerly so rich, and so well cultivated, should have fallen into such wretched hands; but it is in the order of Providence, that fertile lands should become desolate for the wickedness of its inhabitants. NEW PUBLICATIONS IN THEOLOGY Sermons. Unitarianism the Essence of Vital Christianity: A Sermon preached at George's Meeting, Exeter, July 10, 1817, before the Western Unitarian Society and the Devon and Cornwall Association. By John Kenrick, M. A. 8vo. ls. A Series of Sermons on Various Subjects of Doctrine and Practice. By the Rev. George Mathew, A. M. Chaplain to the Right Hon. the Earl of Bristol; Alternate Morning Preacher of the Parish Church of St. James, Westminster; Alternate Evening Preacher at the Magdalen Hospital; and Vicar of Greenwich. 2 vols. 8vo. boards, 11. 1s. Sermons on the Doctrines and Duties of the Christian Life. By the late Mr. Archibald M'Lean, of Edinburgh. To which is prefixed, a Memoir of his Life, Ministry, and Writings, by W. Jones. 8vo. with Portrait, 10s 6d. boards. The Variation of Public Opinion and Feelings considered, as it respects Religion; a Sermon, preached before the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Sarum, on bis Visitation, held at Devizes, on Friday the 15th of August, 1817. By the Rev. G. Crabbe, LL.B. Rector of Trowbridge, in the Diocese of Sarum. 1s. 6d. Two Sermons on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. By the Rev. Charles Coleman, M. A. M.R.I.A. 1s. A Visitation Sermon, preached at Oxford, Aug. 29, 1817. By F. Haggett, D.D. Prebendary of Durham. 1s. 6d. The Nature and Tendency of Apostolical Preaching considered; a Sermon, preached at St. Michael's Church, Bath. By the Rev. W. Dealtry, B. D. Rector of Clapham, &c. 1s. 6d. National Distress. Suggestions for the Employment of the Poor of the Metropolis, and the Direction of their Labours to the Benefit of the Inhabitants; with Hints on Mendicity. By H. B. Gascoigne. Is. Man's Diguity, or the Rights of Conscience, briefly asserted: A Poem. With an Appendix, containing Extracts from the Writings of the late Robert Robinson. By Onesimus. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Collections towards a General History of the Systematic Relief of the Poor, &e. at all Periods, and in all Countries; with Observations on Charity, its proper Objects and Conduct, and its Influence on the Welfare of Nations. By J. S. Duncan, Fellow of New College, Oxford. 8vo. 7s. The Basis of National Welfare; considered in reference chiefly to the Prosperity of Britain, and Safety of the Church of England: with an Examination of the Parliamentary Reports on Education, the Police, the Population of Parishes and the Capacity of Churches and Chapels and a further Illustration of the chief Facts noticed in "The Church in Dauger:" in a Second Letter to the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, K. G. By the Rev. Richard Yates, B. D. F. S. A. Chaplain to his Majesty's Royal Hospital, Chelsea; Rector of Ashen; and Alternate Preacher to the Philauthropic Society. A Journal of the Proceedings of the British Embassy to the Emperor of China. By Henry Ellis, Esq. Secretary of Embassy and Third Commissioner. 4to. Maps and Plates. 21. 2s. Personal Observations made during the Progress of the British Embassy through China, and on its Voyage to and from that Country, in the years 1816 and 1817. By Clarke Abel, Physician and Naturalist to the Embassy. 4to. Maps and Engravings, CORRESPONDENCE. The EDITOR must make it an ABSOLUTE RULE that all communications to him shall be addressed to him at the PUBLISHERS; of communications sent in ANY OTHER WAY, the Editor does not pledge himself to take any notice. Some articles in Intelligence, as well as other departments of the Work, are again unavoidably postponed. W. B.'s Verses were received. The Criticism on John xii. 31 is received: we gladly accept the offer of the papers promised in continuation. Mr. Steward, late Unitarian Minister, now Trinitarian Minister, at Wolverhampton, has sent us a Vindication of his conduct, which will appear in the next Number, In our next we hope to be able to discharge a long-standing debt of justice by a brief Memoir of the late Rev. Jeremiah Joyce. that some one would send an account of the Assembly of Ministers held in the county of Devon. I very readily transmit to you what information I can collect of the formation and conduct of the Assembly. Most of your readers will recollect, that in the year 1653, Mr. Baxter and his brethren in Worcestershire formed an association of ministers. Their example was followed in Devonshire, and I have in my possession the minutes of their proceedings. The first meeting in this county was held Oct. 18, 1655. Thirty rules were laid down for the government of the Assembly, some of which breathe a very liberal spirit. At the Restoration this association was dissolved; but the good effects it produced led the Dissenters, in 1691, to form an Assembly, the minutes of which, from the year 1721 to the present time, are now before me. Mr. Saunders, M. A., ejected from Kentisbeer, presided as Moderator at the first meeting, and Mr. Caryl, another ejected minister who was then settled at Crediton, preached. In these Assemblies (and the custom is still continued), a Moderator was chosen, who opened the service with prayer, after which there was a public morning service, in which two or three ministers took a part. They met again in the afternoon to consult about the affairs of their respective societies, examine the testimonials of those who offered themselves as candidates for the ministry, and appoint the Ordainers. But as every human institution partakes of the imperfection of its origin, so this association being formed at a period when religious liberty was very imperfectly understood, it is no wonder that some of its rules should have breathed the contracted spirit of its pious but misjudging founders. have just observed, that the Assembly I monials of those who offered themselves for the ministry. In doing this, its members too often insisted on such qualifications as the Scriptures did not require. It was, therefore, chargeable with assuming an unlawful jurisdiction over the consciences of men. About the middle of the last century many members of the Assembly considered it in this light. They perceived that admitting one unscriptural test to be proposed by an order of the Assembly, as a necessary term of admission to the Christian ministry, was a matter of very serious moment, and drew after it consequences extremely important. For, one being admitted, two, ten, or thirty-nine, might, with equal right, be hereafter added, the consequences of which were too obvious not to be observed, and too formidable not to be the object of dread. It being, therefore, proposed to the Assembly, which met in May, 1753, to take into consideration, whether the Assembly will recommend any candidates who refuse to declare their faith in the Deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit, it was debated whether the question should be put, and decided by a majority in the negative. In consequence of this vote, it has since been left with the respective congregations to satisfy themselves of the qualifications of the persons they choose for their ministers. Since this question has been decided, nothing has occurred to destroy the peace and harmony of these meetings. During more than forty years in which I have resided in this county, I do not remember having been ouce absent, and am therefore a competent witness, and have no hesitation in declaring, that these meetings have always been conducted with great order, and have much conduced to the comfort and encouragement of the ministers, che rished mutual affection, and animated them to more zealous exertions in the duties of their profession. gonist. Mr. Towgood entered the same field, and occupied the same ground with Dr. Calamy. His letters to Mr. White are composed with a strength of argument, acuteness of discussion, and animation of language, which entitle them to a distinguished rank amongst controversial writings, and will, most probably, continue to be read and be appealed to, as a complete and unanswerable vindication of the rights of private judgment, and a dissent from all human authority whatever in matters of religion. Since these publications, the Dissenters have rested their dissent chiefly, on the natural right which every man pos sesses of framing his system of faith, and choosing his form of religious worship for himself. Among all the diversity of opinion, here is an object which ought to form an inseparable bond of union amongst us, and engage us to a zealous attentoin to our common interest. Were associations formed, throughout the kingdom, on these general principles, they would be attended, I am confident, with the most beneficial consequences. Such Assemblies bring Protestant Dissenters of each denomination acquainted with each other, soften the asperity which jarring interests are too apt to excite, deliver them from the sad effects of their present divided, unconnected state, and give them that share of influence and weight in every affair of consequence, relative to themselves or the interests of their country to which they are entitled. Were the Dissenting ministers, in every county, to form similar associations on their general principles, and if the transactions of these Assemblies were sent by deputies or by authenticated letters to a general Assembly of Dissenters, meeting at Dr. Williams's Library, we should then have a general sympathy, as a body should have with its parts; no member could be oppressed or injured without exciting the concern and indignation of the whole, and tyranny and persecution would see, that in their first steps to wards injustice and cruelty, they must encounter a whole body of people firmly united to each other and actuated by one general and noble principle. But it may be said, "Amidst the diversity of opinions and tastes which have prevailed among Protestant Dissenters, from their first separation from the Established Church to this day, it would be in vain to search for any one principle which all have admitted as the common ground of dissent and the common bond of union." This is partially true. When this Assembly was formed, the nonconformists seem, in general, to have had very contracted notions with respect to the right of private judgment, and little inclination to depart from the popular system of religious faith. They dissented from the Church of England rather from a dislike of its rites and ceremonies, and an aversion to every address to the senses in the forms of religion, than from enlarged principles of toleration or a liberal spirit of inquiry. Dr. Calamy's "Defence of Moderate Nonconformity," published at the beginning of the last century, was probably the first publication which coutained the merits of the cause; and Mr. Locke assured the author, it was such a defence as could not be answered, and that on these The communications here promised principles he need not fear any anta- will be thankfully received. ED." Should this history of the Devon and Cornwall Assembly be proper for admission into your Repository, it will probably be followed with some extracts from the minutes of the Assembly. I have also in my possession a list of the students educated at the Academies of Taunton, Exeter and Tiverton, a copy of which shall be much at your service. J. MANNING. ORIGINAL LETTERS. 1. From Rev. Thomas Newman to Mr. Paice, on his going into Business. DEAR JOSEPH, UNDE NDERSTANDING that you are now actually engaging in business and entering upon the world, my affection to you, and concern for your real welfare, put me upon lending you my best assistance towards your liappiness, which I wish as heartily as I do my own. It is not in my power to instruct you in business, nor to secure you one correspondent if you live to the end of your apprenticeship. All I can propose is to assist you in maintaining a reputation with God, with yourself and the world, whereby you will bid fairest for safety and comfort, and for that degree of success as shall render you more happy than the greatest wealth without such a reputation will do. Accordingly, I would recommend the following counsels to you, which have been tried and have never yet failed of procuring happiness, which is what, I presume, you desire, and what your tender parent and affectionate relations wish you. 1. Remember that the providence of God hath a supreme and sovereign influence upon all causes and events. He can blast what is most promising, or he can prosper what is very unlikely to succeed; he can deprive you of the most valuable friends, or he can render those friends to you from whom you expect nothing: hereupon as you now set out in the world, set out with God, I mean by serious daily applications to him. Before you enter upon business, recommend yourself to his guidance, protection and blessing, and act as under his continual inspection all the day. Be sure to make him your friend, who is the Author of all your blessings, upon whom all your hopes and happiness have a dependence, Minister of the Presbyterian Congregation in Carter Lane, London: born in the year 1692; died Dec. 6, 1758. He was the Author of Sermons on Happiness, two volumes, 8vo. and of other Sermous. For a pleasing proof of the conformity of Mr. Paice's life to the directions of his faithful preceptor, see the accounts of him, Mon. Repos. V. 458, 602, 640. VI. 640. infinitely beyond what they can have upon all other friendships and causes put together that friendship you are more sure to obtain by a desire of pleasing him in all you do, than you are of obtaining any that are human, and there is infinitely more in it when obtained. 2. Whatever business your place and relation call upon you to attend to, discharge it with that diligence and faithfulness as if it was your own, and do it in obedience to God, or because he requires it: therein you will be as acceptable to him as in any acts of devotion and worship, but still look upon this as your most important business, and therefore to be regarded, whatever degree of other business you have to attend to. Whilst you express all dutiful regards to a father and master on earth, remember there is an honour due to your Father, and a service due to your Master in heaven, which nothing can justify the neglect of. Let these then go together. 3. Set it down with yourself, as a certain truth, that religion was designed for your happiness: whatever pleasures that forbids you to gratify, are only those that would entail misery and pain upon you, and will be found bitterness in the latter end; and this consequence can no more be prevented, than you can prevent the fire burning any thing that is thrown into it. There is no one law or rule of religion that you violate, but is attended with proportionable mischief to yourself in this world. 4. Place your happiness in the approbation of your Maker, and in the peace of your own mind. If your own heart condemns you for doing any thing amiss, you will have no satisfaction in what others say or think of you; for what doth it signify to be thought well of by the world, whilst your conscience tells you, you do not deserve it? There is nothing so hard to bear as your own accusing mind or your own reproaches of yourself. Inuocence is attended with peace, guilt is followed sooner or later with torment and terror, and no external circumstance can make up the loss of peace, no advantage can be a gain under that |