among the followers of the late Mr. Wefley, in St. Edmund's Bury. Shortly after the removed to a confiderable distance from that place, and had very few opportunities of hearing the gospel preached: yet the grew furprisingly in fpiritual wifdom and understanding; and was established in the doctrines of difcriminating, effectual, and perfevering grace. In her laft illness, which was long and attended with complicated fufferings, The declared repeatedly, that it was near twelve months fince the had been fubje&t to any doubts concerning her intereft in Chrift, and the now found extraordinary fupport; her cup of fpiritual joy ran over, and her inward man was renewed day by day. Divine grace appeared to have in her the completeft triumph over ali evil. So ardent was her love to Chrift, that it was evident the languifhed after his prefence in heaven. Her feelings feemed most exa&ly to correspond with Cant. ii. 5. "Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples; for I am fick of love." The terrors of death were exchanged for a kind of rapturous expectation, which the conftantly expreffed, of being fhortly with her dear Lord. She would not confent that the minifter who visited her, fhould pray for her life; but pitied her husband, because he would perfift in doing it. Her lips, full of the praises of Jefus, "dropped as the honey-comb; honey and milk were under her tongue." Two days before he died, when exceedingly languid in body, fhe faid, in a low but cheerful tone of voice to the minifter who inquired into the state of her mind, "Bless the Lord! I am very comfortable. I have fuffered a great deal; but am a happy foul. The Lord has given me a hope full of affurance, and fealed my pardon. I am perfectly happy in the Lord. I know that Jefus is mine, and all the world fhall not make me think otherwife. I fhall foon be a glorified saint; and "not a wave of trouble roll across my peaceful breast."

"Jefus, my God! I know his name,

"His name is all my trust;

"Nor will he put my foul to fhame,

"Nor let my hope be loit,” &c.

She defired that a difcourfe might be delivered at her interment by the fame minifter, alledging as her only reason, that probably the Lord might render her death the occafion of life to fome precious foul, through his bleffing on the word. Some of her last words to her husband on the morning the expired were thefe; "I am just entering into heaven."

P. S. Her defire, with respect to the funeral difcourfe, was granted.

MISS SUSANNAH SPAULDING

DIED at Reading, June 4, 1798, after a long and very painful illness, which the bore with the greateft patience and refignation. Her disorder was a decline, occafioned by a cold the caught in London last autumn, after attending one evening at Orange ftreet chapel. She had been brought up very religioufly; and in her was manifefted, in a peculiar manner, the good effects of religion at thofe times, when we moft need its fupport,→→ when lying on the bed of fickness, and at the folemn hour of death. Though her fufferings were for feveral months extremely fevere, yet the was never heard to murmur or complain. And though he had, in addition to the general love of life, fome particular reafons to induce her to wish to live, yet he met "the last enemy" with that calmness and fortitude, which religion only can infpire.-She repeatedly asked her medical attendant whether he faw any fign of death in her; and, finding him backward in replying, from motives of fenfibility, "Tell me," faid the, "I

Mr. T. died very comfortable and happy. On being reminded, a little before his departure, that flesh and heart were about to fail, he replied, The fooner the better, for he enjoyed the best of comforts.

1

ON the 6th inftant, was alfo removed into the world of fpirits, the Rev. Mr. Savage, of Farnham. Mr. S. was author of the above obituary of Mrs. Moth. It is thus we record the mortality of our fellow Chriftians, and drop into eternity ourselves. An account of this amiable young minif ter is intended for a subsequent number.

LATELY died alfo, the Rev. Wm. Moore, paftor of the independant church at Tifbury, near Birdbush, Wilts. His remains were interred in his own place of worship. Mr. Edwards, of Wilton, delivered the funeral oration, and feveral other minifters engaged in prayer, &c. and supported the pall at the interment.

Mr. Moore had been fome time in declining health,-was aged 49,—and has left a widow and two children to lament his lofs.

REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS.

An Apology for the Do&rine of the Trinity: being a Chronological View of what is recorded concerning the Perfan of Chrift, the Holy Spirit, and the Bleed Trinity, whether in the facred Writings, or in Jewish, Chriftian, or Heathen Authors. By the Rev. David Simpson, A. M. 8vo. 660 pages. Macclesfield, Bailey; London, Dilly, &c. 1798.

"THE author of this apology has often wifhed to find a complete treatise upon the doctrme of the Trinity. Various are the persons who have written upon different branches of the fubject, and faid all that seemed neceffary to establish their own particular views; but what he wished to fee, was a full, yet compendious digeft of the whole evidence, that every man might learn, at one view, what the Word of God, together with Heathen, Jewish, and Chriftian antiquity, actually contains on this great fubject, without having recourfe to many books.

"Not meeting with any work of this kind, which came up to the idea he had formed in his own mind, he refolved, as expeditiously as his other engagements and an infirm ftate of health would permit, to examine for "himself, and to purfue his own plan of investigation. His thoughts have proceeded in the following train. He hath first, made fome general obfervations upon the doctrines under confideration. Secondly, he hath traced the fcriptures concerning our LORD's perfon and character, chronologically, through every age, from the beginning of the world, till the clofe of the divine canon. Thirdly, the doctrine concerning the HOLY SPIRIT, is examined through the Old and New Teftaments, though not with that variety of obfervation as the former. This he did not conceive to be neceffary; becaufe, if the doctrine of a plurality of perfons in the Divine Nature can be fairly established, it will not admit of a difpute what perfons compofe that myfterious unity. Fourthly, the doctrine of the TRINITY is traced in the fame chronological manner as the divinity of Christ, and through the fame extent of duration. A chronological method of investigation feemed preferable to every other, because the divinity of Christ and Holy Spirit, together with the doctrine of the Sacred Trinity, have been in fome

measure

meafure, hidden from ages and generations; and were not at all once, but gradually, made known to the fons of men.

"In the courfe of this enquiry, he hath produced the opinions of various Jews and Heathens who lived both before and fince our Saviour's time. If they are found to have entertained fimilar fentiments with us upon these fubjects, it will afford a ftrong prefumption, that our interpretations of the Old Testament writings are juft, and a certain confirmation that our views of thefe great doctrines are not fo novel as fome zealous moderns would with mankind to believe.

"The Chriftian fathers alfo, who flourished in the three or four first centuries, are of great importance in this inquiry. They appear to him the very best and most authentic interpreters of holy fcripture fo far, at leaft, as they are confiftent one with the other. They lived near the age of our Saviour. Some of them knew him perfonally. Others were apof tles themselves, or converfed familiarly with the apostles. Several of them were great, most of them pious and learned men; they had accordingly much better opportunities of knowing in what fenfe the fcriptures were originally understood than we can have in thefe latter ages, unless we interpret them under the guidance of their writings. This is the method which has been purfued by the most judicious and fuccessful interpreters of fcripture in every period of the Chriftian church, and this therefore he lays down as a principle, from which we should cautiously depart, that the most reasonable and fafe mode of understanding the word of God, is to confult the general fenfe of the Chriftian writers, who lived in the first centuries after the birth of our Saviour. They are our beft human guides, at least fo far as facts are concerned; and what they have concurred to establish under the direction of the facred writings, bids fair to be the truth.

"In addition to the whole, he hath thrown into the notes the obfervations and reasonings of many of our first theologians, to corroborate and illuftrate what had been advanced in the text; and he makes no question but thefe will be confidered as the most valuable parts of the work. The opinions of the Fathers too have been frequently added, to illuftrate a variety of paffages-befide the general view of their opinions which is given in the 7th part. In fhort, the author has ufed every help within the compafs of a small library, in a country place, and without any advice or affiftance from the learned.-This he hath done for his own fatisfaction. The labour has been confiderable, but he hath reaped the confolation of finding that the divinity of CHRIST and the HOLY SPIRIT, together with the doctrine of the BLESSED TRINITY, are not only contained in the pages of divine revelation, but have pervaded all nations, and all times, with greater or lefs degrees of perfpicuity."

Such is the author's own account of his defign, and we have the pleasure to add that he has executed it with great ability. The chain of argument he has adduced, is, in our opinion, indiffoluble, and the method in which it is arranged confiderably improves the effect; while the notes, which are numerous and copious, contain a great variety of curious and important extracts and obfervations. Upon the whole, we confider this as the most fcriptural, masterly, comprehenfive, and convincing treatise which we have feen upon the fubject: and with to recommend it in the strongest terms. The recapitulatory chapter is indeed valuable of itfelf, and we fhould be happy to fee it printed as a feparate tract in the cheapest form poflible, with the texts of fcripture, and a few enlargements, for the take of thofe who may not be equal to the purchase of the larger volume, which (we would not omit to add) is rendered the more complete and useful by copious indexes to the contents and texts of fcripture therein illuftrated.

Four Sermons preached in London, at the Fourth General Meeting of the Miffionary Society, May 9, 10, 11, 1798. By the Rev. J. Cockin, Hallifa -7. Breaver, Birmingham-R. B hour, Edinburgh-and G. Wel, Stoke: to which are prefixed the Proceedings of the Meeting and the Report of the Directors. 8vo. 186 pages. London. Chapman.

HAVING already given a general account of thefe fervices, we judge it unneceffary to enlarge upon the difcourfes individually now they are be fore the public. Mr. Cockin's Sermon, entitled, “God's declared Defigns, a Motive to human Endeavours," is founded on Ifa. ii. 2, 3. After a fuitable exordium, Mr. C. first confiders the paffage generally as a prediction of the extenfive (pread of the gospel, &c.; and 2d. The par ticular means by which the spread of the gospel is to he promoted.-Mr. C. conceives the present ftate of the world, calamitous and alarming as it is, as, in one view, highly favourable to the interefts of the Redeemer-as introductory to a state of univerfal peace and happiness, according to the language of the Prophet, "I will fhake all nations, and the defire of all nations thall come." By way of improvement, the preacher brings home the fubject to his defign, by urging the certainty of the universal spread of the gospel as an argument for Miffionary exertions.

This is alfo the argument of the next difcourfe, by Mr. Brewer, which is founded on Habak.ii. 3. and entitled, "The certain Accompl fament of the Divine Predictions.” In confidering this fubject, Mr. B. fhews, that for The accomplishment of all the divine purposes, there is an appointed time→ that God often proti acts the execution of his purposes beyond his people's expectation. That although God may thus protract the execution of his purposes, yet it is their duty to wait-and that whatever God has appoint ed fhall furely come to pals precifely as he hath promised at the end it fhall peak and fhall not lie."?

Mr. Balfour's difcourfe is founded on that interefting text, Col. i. 19, 20. and is entitled, "Heaven and Earth reconciled by the Mediation of Chrift." This fubje& Mr. B. difèulles, by contidering firft, the great plan of God as it refpects heaven and earth; on which Mr. B. obferves, that the great defign of God is the bringing finners to himself by Jefus ChriftThat this defign includes finners of a great variety of characters-That they are all to be gathered into one in love and communion That this union implies the exalted profpect of an intimate connection with the heavenly world-and, laftly, that The defign exhibited in the text, feems to inply fuch an extenfive communication of good, that the whole universe shall in fome measure partake of it, in having its feparate parts, or collected influence, employed to produce, or terminate in the highett poffibie perfection!"-In the fecond place, confidering the principles on which the accom plishment of this great plan is infured, we are directed to oblerve-the author of this defign, God hintelf-His perfonal worth and divine dignity to whom its accomplishment is intrufted—The perioction of his mediatoria! character and work on earth—and the authority and influence to which he is now railed in heaven. The inferences point out the encouragement to be derived from this fubject in the Miffionary work.

The laft difcourfe, by the rector of Stoke, forms a very proper and interefting conclufion to the whole. It is entitled, The Apoftolic Miffionary, exemplified in the Qualifications and Character of St. Paul," and is founded on Acts ix. 15, 16. From this text Mr. W. confiders-Sr. Paul's defignation to his office by Jens Chrift-His discharge of that office and his trials and oppofition, with his conduct under them.

We refrain from encomium on thefe difcourfes, on account of our known attachment to this excellent inflitution; yet we cannot deny ourfelves