6. The point of the calling of the Jews, being no fundamental point of Christian religion, to be over stiff in holding one thing or other therein, to the disturbance of the peace of the church, cometh near to schism.'

Mr. Gouge took his degree of Bachelor of Divinity in 1611, and in 1628, proceeded Doctor. In

the year 1616, he was chosen one of the trustees for Mr. Whetenhall's three Lectures, and in 1626, one of the trustees for Impropriation. The case of Impropriations was this. There was a select society of thirteen persons, who joined together to stir up such as were piously affected to contribute towards the buying in of impropriations, and giving them freely towards the maintenance of the ministers of the word. These were so faithful in their trust, that although they met frequently, and spent much time in consultation, they never spent one penny of what was given for their own refreshment; and though they employed sundry agents and messengers, yet they defrayed all the expenses from their own contributions; and when they had an opportunity of buying in a great impropriation, and had not money to do it, they gave or lent among themselves so much as was necessary. occasion Dr. Gouge lent himself three hundred pounds, without interest, for the work, besides giving a monthly contribution. By these means thirteen impropriations were bought in a few years at the expence of between five and six thousand pounds, which were supplied with able, orthodox, and conscientious ministers. The aim of the society was to plant a powerful ministry in cities and market towns in different parts of the country for the greater propagation of the gospel.

On one

This soon raised up envy against them, and led Doctor Laud, then Bishop of London, to consult with Noy, the Attorney General,

in order to break up this Society. Mr. Noy in consequence brought them all into the exchequer, on the ground that they illegally made themselves a body without any grant from the king. The court deemed that their proceedings were illegal, that the trust should be taken from them, aud that the impropriations they had purchased should be made over to the king. Thus the trust was wrested out of their hands; though as it appeared that they had expended a thousand pounds more than they had received, the court ordered that this sum should be paid from the revenues of the impropriations before they were disposed of to particular uses.

During all the troubles which ensued, Dr. Gouge appears stedfastly to have pursued his course. He usually spent the summer vacation with his family in the country, and employed those seasons of retirement in preparing his works for publication. He still, however, preached on the Lord's day, and acted a conscientious and courageous part in times of danger and difficulty. Thus when the Book of Sports and Recreations on the Lord's day was appointed by authority to be read in the several churches throughout the land, he utterly refused to comply with the unholy injunction, resolving to suffer the utmost rather than manifest the least approbation of such a wicked and ungodly thing, so contrary to the express letter of scripture.

When the assembly of divines was convened by authority of Parliament in 1642, Dr. Gouge was called to be a member, and attended assiduously. He was also appointed by a Committee of Parliament, together with others, to write annotations on the Bible, and completed the part allotted him, which was from the beginning of the first book of Kings to the book of Job. In proportion how

ever as ungodly and violent men proceeded to overturn both church and state Dr. G. gradually withdrew from public life, and confined himself to his parochial engagements. Amidst all his numerous engagements Dr. Gouge was conscientiously attentive to private and domestic duties: like his Lord and Master he rose a great while before day, and spent much time in studying the word of God, in fasting, and prayer. His charities were large and munificent. He poured the balm of consolation into the wounded spirit, and diligently improved the frequent opportunities which he had of associating with persons of rank and station to their spiritual welfare. In times of fear and danger, he and others had sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly fasts, which he observed with extraordinary reverence and awfulness of spirit. confessions were accompanied with much sense of sin, brokenness of heart, self-abhorrence, judging of the creature and justifying of God. His petitions were very pertinent, judicious, spiritual, seasonable, accompanied with faith and fervour, like a true son of Jacob wrestling with tears and supplications, as resolving not to let him without a blessing.

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His

But there was none like him in Thanksgiving; often when a man would think he had spent the last drop of his spirit in confession and prayer, oh how would he revive when he came to the work of thanksgiving, wherein he would be so large, particular, warm, and vigorous, that in the end of the day he would quicken the auditory as if then the work had been newly to begin, and that only had been the work of the day. Wherein he may be a pattern to all his surviving brethren in the ministry.

He was very inquisitive after the good and welfare of the church both at home and abroad, that he might order his prayers according

ly in their behalf, being ever mindful of them and when he heard of its going ill with the church in any place, like another Nehemiah, he sat him down and wept, and mourned, and fasted, and prayed unto the God of heaven in their behalf.

In his latter years he was severely tried with the stone, asthma, and other painful complaints under all which he manifested the most exemplary patience. Though often compelled to groan he was never heard to complain. His language was, 'Soul be silent, soul be patient, it is thy God and Father, that thus ordereth thy estate; thou art his clay, he may tread and triumph on thee as it pleaseth him ; thou hast deserved much more, it is enough that thou art kept out of hell; though thy pain be grievous it is yet tolerable; thy God affords some intermissions, he will turn it to thy good, and at length put an end to all, none of these can be expected in hell.' He would often say that obedience is not only to endeavour to do what God requireth, but patiently to bear what God's will is to lay upon his creature, as Christ himself, "though he were the Son yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered." In his greatest pangs he often said, "Shall we receive good from the hands of God, and not evil?" and was wont to commend his soul unto Christ, saying, "I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day." When any of his friends would comfort him by adverting to the mere gifts which God had bestowed on him, and the works he had wrought by them, he would answer, I dare not think of any such thing for comfort; Jesus Christ and what he hath done and endured is the only ground of my sure comfort.

Though the paroxysms of his pain were sharp and frequent, yet as soon as the bitterness of the anguish was over, he immediately

returned to his work being most desirous of finishing his commentary upon the Epistle to the Hebrews, which had been the subject of his Wednesday morning Lectures at Blackfriars for near thirty years; thus he continued till Tuesday Dec. 6. 1653, when as his natural strength was exceedingly decayed, so his intellect began to fail; and he was seized with such drowsiness, that he could no longer look up, but slumbered in his chair. On the Friday, asking what day it was, he exclaimed, Alas, I have lost three days.' The day following he had no desire or indeed ability to rise from his bed, saying, 'Now I have not long to live in this world, the time of my departure is at hand, I am going to my desired haven.' This apprehension was no little joy to him, for he had often said to his friends, I am most willing to die.' Indeed he seemed sometimes to be in St. Paul's strait between life and death, having a desire to depart that he might be with Christ, which was best, but yet very desirous to finish his Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, which he knew would be useful to the church of God, and in that respect he was willing to live; and God so far answered his desire in this res

pect, that he lived to finish it within half a chapter. But when he perceived that his time in the world could not be long, oh how sweet and joyful was the apprehension of death unto him, which he often termed his best friend next unto Jesus Christ!

the

On that Saturday, though he kept his bed through weakness, yet was he more wakeful, and his spirit more lively and cheerful than for many days before. His speeches were more than ordinarily heavenly, speaking much in admiration of the freeness of God's grace, and the riches of his mercy in Jesus Christ, so that by those comforts and joys which he found in his soul, he seemed to be in heaven while he was upon earth; and so continued full of sweet comfort and heavenly expressions to the last of his understanding and speech, which continued till Monday morning, when both failed him. When he lay breathing shorter and shorter till eight of the clock at night, when in the presence of all his children, and divers friends, he quietly slept in the Lord, making a happy change from earth to heaven, Dec. 12, 1653, being 79 years old, having served God faithfully and painfully in his generation.

L. H. S.

tion.

TO ADAM STEINMETZ KINNAIRD.

'MY DEAR GODCHILD,-I offer up the same fervent prayer for you now as I did kneeling before the altar, when you were baptized into Christ, and solemnly received as a living member of his spiritual body, the church. Years must pass before you will be able to read with an understanding heart what I now write. But I trust that the all-gracious God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, who by his only-begotten Son, (all mercies in one sovereign mercy!) has redeemed you from the evil ground, and willed you to be born out of darkness, but into light; out of death, but into life; out of sin, but into righteousness; even into the Lord our righteousness; I trust that he will graciously hear the prayers of your dear parents, and be with you as the spirit of health and growth in body and mind. My dear godchild! you received from Christ's minister, at the baptismal font, as your Christian name, the name of a most dear friend of your father's, and who was to me even as a son, the late Adam Steinmetz; whose frequent aspirations and ever-paramount aim, even from early youth, was to be a Christian in thought, word, and deed; in will, mind, and affections.

"

I too, your godfather, have known what the enjoyments and advantages of this life are, and what the more refined pleasures

which learning and intellectual power can bestow, and with all the experience that more than threescore years can give, I now, on the eve of my departure, declare to you (and earnestly pray that you may hereafter live and act on the conviction) that health is a great blessing; competence, obtained by honourable industry, a great blessing; and a great blessing it is to have kind, faithful, and loving friends and relatives — but that the greatest of all blessings, as it is the most ennobling of all privileges, is to be indeed a Christian. But I have been likewise, through a large portion of my latter life, a sufferer, sorely afflicted with bodily pains, languor, and manifold infirmities; and for the last three or four years have, with few and brief intervals, been confined to a sick room, and at this moment, in great weakness and heaviness, write from a sick bed, hopeless of recovery, yet without prospect of a speedy removal. And I thus, on the brink of the grave, solemnly bear witness to you, that the Almighty Redeemer, most gracious in his promises to them that truly seek him, is faithful to perform what he promised; and has reserved, under all my infirmities, the inward peace that passeth all understanding, with the supporting assurance of a reconciled God, who will not withdraw his Spirit from me in the conflict, and in his own time will deliver me from the evil one. Oh, my dear godchild! eminently blessed are they who begin early to seek, fear, and love their God, trusting wholly in the righteousness and mediation of their Lord, Redeemer, Saviour, and everlasting High Priest, Jesus Christ. Oh, preserve this as a legacy and bequest from your unseen godfather and friend,

S. T. COLERidge.

THE world in which we live abounds with so many errors that it were not to be wondered if the Ichild of God should too often manifest deplorable ignorance on some points of Christian doctrine and Christian practice. Mixing, necessarily in every day life, with those, who if they have troubled themselves at all with the question of religious devotedness, have taken extremely superficial views of its real requirements, they are liable to frequent backslidings in faith and in the performance of known duty. The mistakes which men make concerning religion originating from one source, they have, in the end the same result on the heart and mind; if not in the care of others within their influence, at least they have that tendency as far as the individual himself is concerned. What are the motives which prevail in society at large on the subject of man's duty to his Maker? Are they not made up of various inconsistencies which represent the Most High as a dreaded being who commands at the peril of eternal perdition obedience which man can never make good, and to which the motive of fear is the only incentive. The obedience of a bondslave to an all-powerful taskmaster is that which is set forth as the great requirement. It is only natural that so it should be; the mistake is only to be corrected by an understanding of the "truth as it is in Jesus." Out of Christ a man must ever find a broken law that worketh wrath; must ever find the great God who made him, and who still upholds him, a consuming fire. It is perfectly consonant with what we read in God's word, that men should so dread God in a way that precludes any better spirit. Can men who are open violaters of God's

DECEMBER 1838.

law, who set up other gods before him, who take his name in vain, break his sabbaths, and despise his ordinances, can they possibly love God in the sense in which his word commands? What is there to make them love God? Will gratitude do it? It is certainly true that gratitude for every blessing (but I must only name it in passing) ought to compel us to serve our Maker in the true spirit of Christian devotedness. But what is the fact? Do we see that it does; are men rendered good and faithful servants to the God that made them, and who is shewing mercy to the most abandoned of his creatures does the remembrance of God's goodness make men love God?

I fear, brethren, this is only one more of the mistakes to which we are liable. The whole world is full of mercies, and yet men remain obdurately fighting against God instead of entering on his service with all their heart and soul, as is their bounden duty and highest privilege too. Still it is the case, (and how much longer it shall be so, who can say,) that the carnal mind is enmity against God; still men "walk as Gentiles," (v. 18.) in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God.

It is not the truth that a sense of gratitude has that influence on the stubborn heart of man. Naturally, indeed, he might be susceptible of that feeling as far as a creature, sent as he is, may be concerned; but he wants faith to be able to raise his thoughts to the High and Holy One who being a Spirit must be Spirit must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. In telling him therefore to let gratitude prompt him to obedience, you bid him do that which is morally impossible.

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