dispensations therein recorded. Our God hath done, is doing and will do all things well. It is altogether fit he should govern his own world, and bow the rebellious nations to his sway. The present degenerate state of Christendom is too disgraceful to his government, to be permitted to continue beyond the predicted period. He will, therefore, arise and plead his own

millions of human beings. Such is the family of the Great Father here upon earth! And when it is considered that the earth itself, with all its furniture, is no more, when compared with the whole system of things, than a single grain of sand, when compared with a huge mountain, we are lost in the immensity of God's works, and constrained to cry out, Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him! And if to this immensity of the works of creation, we add the admirable structure of the whole, and the exquisite perfection of every part, we shall not fail of being exceedingly affected with the ineffable wisdom of the Divine Architect. To bring this consideration more within the grasp of human comprehension, let us take, as it were, to pieces, and examine the several parts of any one creature which God hath made; and we shall find a perfection among its several powers, and an adaptation to its situation in the grand scale of existence, far surpassing human skill. Let the most perfect anatomist, that ever existed, make his observations upon the human frame; let him examine with the greatest possible attention the tout ensemble of the structure; then let him proceed to the several parts, of which the microcosm is composed; first, the powers of the mind; the understanding, the will, the memory, the conscience, and the various affections: next the five senses; the touch, the taste, the smell, the hearing, and the sight: afterwards let him proceed to the several fluids of the body; and then to the 300 bones, the 40 different sorts of glands, the 466 muscles, the 40 pair of nerves, the fibres, the membranes, the arteries, the veins, the lymphæducts, the excretory vessels, the tendons, the ligaments, the cartilages; and let him explore the whole and every part with the greatest degree of accuracy, knowledge and judgment, that ever centered in man; and then let him honestly say whether he could suggest the smallest improvement in any one respect. If he were an Atheist before such investigation, like the celebrated Galen, he would be converted to the belief of the Divine Existence, would compose a hymn in praise of the Creator of the world, and sing with the great Progenitor of mankind:

"These are thy glorious works, Parent of good;
Almighty, thine this universal frame,

Thus wondrous fair; Thyself how wondrous then!
Unspeakable! who sitt'st above these heav'ns,
To us invisible, or dimly seen

In these thy lowest works; yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r divine."

cause, and all the wickedness of men, and the convulsions and distress of nations, shall wind up to his eternal credit. The Lord is King, be the people never so impatient; he sitteth between the Cherubim, be the earth never so unquiet. His Gospel is no other than the plan devised by infinite wisdom for the melioration of mankind. The immortal seed is sown; the principle of life has vegetated; the little leaven is diffusing itself far and wide. Much has been done; much is doing; much shall be done. Millions of reasonable creatures have already found eternal rest in consequence of the Redeemer's dying love: multitudes of souls at this moment are happy in their own bosoms under a sense of the divine favour: and innumerable myriads of men shall arise, believing in his name, trusting in his mediation, and rejoicing in his salvation, maugre all the opposition of fallen Christians and apostate spirits. Wise and gracious is the Divine Being in all his ways, and I rejoice that he is the Governour among the people. To his service I avowedly devote my feeble powers, as long as he shall vouchsafe me the exercise of them; nor will I cease to speak the honours of his Majesty while the breath continues to actuate this mortal frame. And,

"When even at last the solemn hour shall come,
And wing my mystic flight to future worlds,
I cheerful will obey; there, with new powers,
Will rising wonders sing: I cannot go
Where universal love not smiles around,
Sustaining all yon orbs, and all their suns,
From seeming evil still educing good,
And better thence again, and better still
In infinite progression.-But I lose
Myself in Him, in light ineffable!

Come then, expressive silence, muse his praise."

THE Reformation contended for in these papers is a peaceable reform, begun and carried on by the wisdom of the three branches of the Constitution, as far as the Constitution is concerned; and by the Bishops and Clergy, of every denomination, so far as the moral and religious conduct of the people is concerned. The absolute necessity of such reformation is founded on the prophetic declarations of Daniel before repeatedly mentioned. The nature of the reformation which I conceive to be necessary to our lasting preservation as a kingdom, is, that whatever militates against the genuine spirit of Christ's religion in the establishment should be removed; and that all orders of clerical characters, especially, should set themselves, with the utmost zeal and determination, first to reform themselves, and then to stop the torrent of iniquity, which threatens to involve the country in the most complete destruction. The Dissenters and Methodists are moving heaven and earth to promote the cause of religion in their respective ways. If the 18,000 Clergymen in the establishment would exert themselves for the good of souls with equal zeal and fervour, the established church would not only be the safer, as an establishment, but the divine protection would be more effectually engaged on our behalf. Righteous nations never fall. Unfortunately, however, numbers of our order

But

* Among other unfavourable signs of the times, the vast number of bankruptcies in this kingdom is none of the least. I suppose we average six or seven hundred every year, besides all the composition businesses, which are still more numerous. what I here chiefly refer to, as a proof of depraved morals, is, that, of all the instances of fraud, intentional or otherwise, practised upon the public, an instance of after payment is rarely recorded; and, whenever such an instance occurs, it is always spoken of with astonishment, as a thing not to be expected. If a man goes into the high road, or breaks into your house, and robs you of a few pounds, he is infamous; and if he can be caught and arraign

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of men are the greatest enemies to the country and to religion. We promote the interest of Satan more effectually by our indolence, worldly-mindedness, lukewarmness, and misconduct, than all the wicked and immoral characters in the kingdom put together. Only think! Eighteen thousand men, led on by six and twenty Bishops, all filled with faith and the Holy Ghost, with an ardent love to Jesus Christ, and with a judicious, but warm and affectionate zeal for the salvation of souls, paid by the State, and sent out into every corner of the land to preach the everlasting Gospel! What a glorious consideration! How should we make the ungodly and profane skulk into corners, and hide their impious heads! But, alas! how is the gold become dim, how is the most fine gold changed! for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. Dissenters are increasing, Methodists are multiplying, wickedness is spreading, our churches are emptying, infidelity is pervading all orders of society, and the daughter of Zion is like to be left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. We may look at the neighbouring nations, and learn, at their expence, what our own fate will assuredly be ere long. Who is so blind? who is so ignorant? who is so selfish and secure? who is so unread in history? who is so unacquainted with the prophecies, as not to see, that the salvation of Europe is suspended on its wisdom, in correcting what is amiss in its morals, and unevangelical in its ecclesiastical constitutions?

It should seem, however, notwithstanding the growing immorality of the age, and the other alarming symptoms of our

ed, and the thing proved, he atones for his offence at the expence of his life. But a man, in a way of trade, shall cheat you of hundreds and thousands, shall pay you ten, five, or even only two shillings in the pound, yet he is a good fellow, a man of honour. He begins again, keeps it up, cuts a dash, cracks again, and all is well. He never dreams, that upon every principle of justice, honour, and conscience, he is as much a debtor for all his deficiencies as though the law had never acquitted him. What an accumulation of guilt is upon this land on these accounts? Of the many thousands in this country, who fall short in their payments, how few, how extremely few do we meet with, or hear of, who, afterwards, like the most worthy Reyner, call their creditors together, and pay them, what, indeed, is justly due, but what they never could demand?