round on his hideous dwelling, and prefer being dissolved again; the idea of death again will be a thousand times more welcome than that of the Judge. Ah, what will be our state? How shall we quit our tomb? What sounds of joy or terror will fall on our ears? Will angels carry us to Jesus, or fiends be in waiting to drag us to his bar?

To answer those questions we must ask another, What are we now? What is our character-what our course? If unconverted, how awful the approach of death! for that fixes our character for ever. No change takes place in character, between death and the resurrection. All things belonging to that continue as they were, and shall appear exactly the same at the last day. How ought we to seek to be now what we wish to appear then! Shall our attention never be turned to this point? Are we always to be deaf to the warning, inviting, promising voice of Christ in the Scriptures? Divine charmer! thou charmest wisely; but we are deaf. Thou speakest, warnest, entreatest; but we hear not thy voice. O come then, and breathe upon us with thine own holy influence! Quicken us by thy grace; then shall we arise and follow thee. We shall leave the world to those who know thee not; and seek in the retreat of the closet, and the bosom of the church, the peace which the world cannot give. Then, when thou comest to judgment, we shall hail thy arrival. Thou wilt not be dreaded by all our race. While the wicked would stay thy descent, and avoid every approach to thee, we shall look up with joy, shall beckon thee forward, and fly to thine arms. While they would say now, "Lord Jesus, put off thy coming! Defer a period, the approach of which we cannot bear, even in thought;" we, were the achievement in our power, would turn all the years that are to intervene between this and the judgment into days, those days into hours, and those hours into moments. The purposes of God being accomplished, the skies should rend, the heaven open, and the Judge, with all his streaming myriads of attendants, descend. The spirits of the saints, enraptured, should stand by the side of the depositaries of their sleeping dust, see them break into life, clothed with their reanimated forms, and, running up with unwearied feet the hills of light, leaving the " weltering world on fire."

LEIFCHILD.

REVIEWS AND LITERARY NOTICES.

THE PULPIT CYCLOPÆDIA; and Christian Minister's Companion. By the Author of "Sketches and Skeletons of Sermons," "Christian's Daily Portion," "Sermons for Family Reading," &c. &c. Vol. 1. 344 pp. HOULSTON AND STONEMAN.

MANY of our brethren who are engaged, either statedly or occasionally, in preaching the Gospel of Christ, will be desirous of information respecting the plan and contents of this work.

In the Preface the author states, " The Pulpit Cyclopædia is

designed to assist the Christian preacher in his preparation for the public exercises of his ministry." Then immediately adds-"It has been judged by some that such works only tend to promote mental indolence and a neglectful inattention of their own powers and capacities." This remark is too comprehensive, and affirms more than its author intended. There are very few persons, if any, and certainly none worthy of notice who condemn the use of works adapted "to assist the Christian minister in his preparation for the public exercises of his ministry." In this category we include all those books from which a minister may obtain the various knowledge requisite to a right understanding, clear, impressive, and faithful declaration of the whole counsel of God.

The intention, however, of the author of the "Pulpit Cyclopædia," is only to refer to those persons who object to works designed to furnish such preparation for the pulpit, as is supposed, by the objectors, calculated to cause ministers to neglect the proper use of their own powers-so as to use crutches, when, by the use of proper means, they might not only do without such helps; but also thereby acquire vigour, and ability for more effective service. Hence the author remarks, But surely there is a legitimate use both of sermons, and skeletons of sermous, and it must be obvious that mere copyists, who depend entirely on the strength and tenacity of their memory, and their confidence in the exercise of that faculty, would prefer entire discourses, rather than skeletons, where both labour and tact are necessary to use them to advantage.”

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We do not now intend to enter upon a formal examination of the advantages or disadvantages resulting from the use of skeletons of sermons. We must however, say, that we regard it, as perfectly disgraceful and hypocritical, to learn another person's sermon and deliver it as though it were the production of him by whom it has only been committed to memory and pronounced. The man who can be guilty of such plagiarism must, we think, be sadly defective in his sense of moral honesty. A minister may with great advantage and propriety make considerable public use of the thoughts which he has either heard or read-but he ought first, carefully to examine and analyze them. Metaphorically speaking, he ought previously to melt them down and cast them into the mould of his own mind.

Strongly as we are disposed to condemn the, parrot like, repetition of sermons, which the repeaters have obtained by commiting to memory other men's productions, we regard the proper use of skeletons of sermons as a very different matter. To make good use of a skeleton, it must be well thought over, and the mind must be able to grasp the thoughts which it contains. They must be well understood, or they cannot be properly clothed with flesh; this is done by the process of amplifying, proving, and illustrating; and the heart of the speaker must also respond to the sentiments uttered, or, after all, the skeleton when clothed and expanded into a sermon will probably be only as a body destitute of life.

As a general rule, we are of opinion, it is decidedly preferable for a minister of the Gospel to think out for himself the plans of his discourses. Considerable assistance, in acquiring a facility in

dividing and arranging the several parts of a discourse, may be derived from carefully studying such models as are contained in the volume now before us. Those of our brethren who are engaged in business, and who consequently, have not time for making all that preparation for the pulpit, which is required, or who may not have a talent for sketching plans of sermons, will certainly do well to avail themselves of such helps to thought and composition. Some persons would do much better to adopt such sketches, as this volume contains, than to rely on such as they may be able to make. This however is, in our judgment, an exception to the general rule.

It appears to be intended to give in "The Pulpit Cyclopædia a series of sketches of sermons comprising a complete body of divinity. The volume now before us contains seventy-eight sketches. The three first are introductory to the series. We have then two on the knowledge of God, and the world's ignorance of God-two on the reasonableness of religion, and on the use and abuse of reason-eleven on the necessity of Divine revelation, and other topics connected with the inspiration of the Scriptures, the nature and use of their contents, and the means of deriving benefits from them-thirteen on the existence and perfections of God-one on creation-one on angelsone on the immortality of the soul-two on the government and providence of God- -seven on man, his original state, his fall, his subjection to the law, his helplessness, and God's compassion towards him-and thirty-three on the nature, person, offices, and work of Jesus Christ. These sketches occupy 246 pages of the book. The remainder of the volume contains twenty valuable extracts, on Theological Study," from the works of celebrated men.

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We shall now lay before our readers one of the sketches of Sermons:

THE IMMEASURABLENESS OF CHRIST'S LOVE.

"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." EPHESIANS iii. 19. OUR text is part of a prayer offered by Paul on behalf of the Ephesian church. Its richness, sublimity, and comprehensiveness, make it one of the most striking passages in the writings of that distinguished apostle, ver. 14 to 19. You will at once see that there is nothing in the subject to limit it to the Christians at Ephesus. Every minister of the gospel would desire this on behalf of his people, and every Christian should earnestly long for this on behalf of himself. "To know the love of Christ." Let us advert, I. TO THE SURPASSING LOVE OF CHRIST.

II. To THAT KNOWLEDGE OF IT WE SHOULD BE ANXIOUS TO ATTAIN. "To know," &c.

I. To THE SURPASSING LOVE OF CHRIST. Every thing connected with Christ is great and extraordinary. His twofold nature-his glorious personhis divine perfections-his wondrous offices-his peerless titles-his amazing work, and his eternal immutability. But the subject of the text is his surpassing love. "The love of Christ which passeth knowledge.' That is, in all its greatness and comprehensiveness, &c. Like the sun we may enjoy its light and heat, yet all its magnificence, and glory, and power, has never been set forth or as the ocean which may be extensively known in the various shores by which it is surrounded, but which in its hidden depths and mysterious phenomena will remain a profound secret until the last day. Now the love of Christ in all its greatness and infinity is beyond the searching

out of created minds, and none can ever know it to perfection. It surpasses all our thoughts and range of knowledge.

1. In the eternity of its origin. When did it first move in the heart of the Son of God. The scriptures only record events as far back as the creation of our world; with that the love of Christ is evidently coeval. But there is one truly sublime passage which leads us back long ere God brought our world into being, Prov. viii. 23-31. Here then we have the compassionate regards of Christ delighting his spirit in those depths of unmeasured duration which were antecedent to the existence of our earth. "It surpasseth," &c.

2. In the undeserving character of its objects. Let this be fully considered. Try it even with finite love. Can you conceive of an intellectual person, of pure and lofty morals, of a strong, righteous precision of judgment, compassionating a creature of unmixed vileness, of self-procured misery, of deepest hate and malignity of spirit, and one who sought no elevation, desired no mercy, and cared for no deliverance. Yet the reality of this picture is far more striking. Think of the high and lofty One, clad in purity, of infinite equity and truth, yet fixing his regards on a self-ruined and totally polluted creation.

"He saw us ruined by the fall,

Yet loved us notwithstanding all." Nothwithstanding there were countless reasons for not loving us, &c. "It surpasseth," &c.

3. In the immensity of its cost. The love of God to us is free, gratuitous, but what did it cost the Saviour? His temporary abdication of the celestial throne-his descent from heaven-his advent into our world-his assumption of our nature-his deep humiliation and abasement in the flesh-his heart's deepest sorrows and heaviest griefs-his life—his blood-the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And with that the inexplicable travail of his soul. The immolation of his spirit on the altar of eternal justice. The gift of his entire self. To be the ransom-the sacrifice!! Well may we exclaim,

"Amazing love, how can it be,

That thou, my Lord, should'st die for me."

4. In the comprehensiveness of its extent. The apostle refers to the extent in four respects:

Its breadth, comprising in its range the whole world and every creature. "For Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man.'

Its length, reaching from eternity to eternity. The stream took its rise in the ages of eternity, flowed into our world in the first promise, has increased in magnitude, it has rolled parallel with succeeding ages, and will lose itself in the ocean of that eternity before us.

Its depth is to be measured only by the unknown depths of sin, and the still deeper misery from which it has redeemed us. None too low for its embrace, even brands from the burning.

Its height is that of the glories of the beatific vision. The celestial dignity and elevation of the glorified who have washed their robes and made them white, &c. Such then, briefly, is the surpassing love of Christ. Notice,

II. TO THAT KNOWLEDGE OF IT WE SHOULD BE ANXIOUS TO ATTAIN. We should seek,

1. A gracious personal knowledge of it. A theoretical scriptural knowledge is very important, but the apostle in one fragment of a sentence has exhibited that which we should covet, "He loved me, and gave himself for me." Now no person in his natural state can experimentally say this. We can say it when the love of God is shed abroad it our hearts, &c. When we have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

2. To know it in its influences on our own hearts. The love of Christ is a vehement principle-an exciting constraining principle. It cannot be inoperative, "We love him," &c. And this love will breathe the atmosphere of peace, and be followed by joy. "Whom having not seen, ye love, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice," &c.

3. To know it in the holy fruits of our lives. This love begets love. And

love to Christ will trust in Christ-honour Christ-obey Christ-deny the world and forsake sin for Christ-surrender all to Christ.

"Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my life, my soul, my all."

4. To know it by an increasing experimental knowledge. To know it more clearly-fully-sweetly, to know it more in its sway over our hearts and souls. To the attainment of this knowledge,

(1.) Greater regard to the scriptures is necessary. Here this love is detailed-here it is set forth-here are the counsels, purposes, promises, and ratifications of his love. This is the golden mine; this the celestial atmosphere, &c.

(2.) Closer communion is necessary. Spiritual intimacy will invariably increase it. Distant from Christ and this knowledge cannot thrive. By speaking to Christ-by meditating on Christ-by setting him before us, we shall increase in the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.

(3.) More fervent prayer is necessary, " If any man lack," &c. Paul thus prayed for the Ephesians. God the Father honoured Christ most generally when Christ was in the act of prayer. So it was at his baptism. On the mount, and when he prayed, "Glorify thy name,' and the voice said, "I have both glorified it, and I will glorify it again," John xiii. 28.

(4.) Greater zeal for his glory is necessary. Those who honour Christ he will honour, and he has engaged that he will come unto them, and manifest When the heart and life are fully devoted to Christ, enlarged in the knowledge and love of Jesus.

himself unto them, &c. the soul shall be greatly

APPLICATION.

1. This knowledge of the love of Christ is essential. No salvation without it. 2. The gospel reveals this knowledge. Oh read and listen to that revelation. Here the tree of knowledge grows.

3. Ignorance of the love of Christ will be the soul's eternal ruin.

From what we have written, and from the preceding sketch, our readers may form, we trust, a sufficiently accurate judgment of the work itself. We only need add that it is a work which most, if not all ministers of the Gospel, may consult with advantage; many of the sketches are admirable, and the extracts from Essays on " Theological Study," are, we believe, as to originality, power, and beauty, equal to any that have ever been published.

We are informed that the Essays to be published in the succeeding volume" will refer to the composition of sermons, pulpit elocution, &c."

DERRY: A Tale of the Revolution. By CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH. Eighth Edition. 16mo. 371 pp. J. NISBET AND Co.

DERRY, generally called the city of Londonderry, is justly celebrated in the history of the revolution which dethroned James II, and placed William, Prince of Orange, on the throne of the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland. The inhabitants of Derry being chiefly Protestants, declared themselves in favour of King William; in consequence of which, King James resolved to lay siege to the city. The siege commenced under the direction of King James, in December, 1688, and the place was vigorously defended until it was relieved in the month of August following.

At the commencement of the siege, Lundy was the governor, and he was suspected of secret attachment to James. He refused to defend the city. There were 20,000 troops laying siege to the place, the garrison consisting only of 7361 and the city containing about 30,000 inhabitants. When the besieging army was within three hundred yards of the Ferry-gate, a few apprentice

men,