As a specimen we select No VI. not as being more excellent than the others, but because, from its brevity, it is better suited to our limits.

"THE GOOD COMMODORE. "I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." John x. 14.

"A good commodore is very anxious to bring all his fleet safe into port. If an enemy appears in sight, he places himself between the foe and his convoy, and determines, so long as he floats a gun above water, that not one of his friends shall be captured. For their protection he is ready to fight, and bleed, and die. Having driven off the adversary, he rejoices to rejoin his alarmed convoy, and to conduct them on the remainder of the voyage. They, on their parts, cheer him as their best friend and protector: and the more they observe the shot-holes in his sides and canvass, and the knots and splices in his rigging, the more

they venerate him, and determine to obey all his orders; not half so much from fear of his authority, which they know to be great, as from downright gratitude and love. He, on the other hand, is constantly noticing the state and situation of every vessel; shortening sail for the dull sailors, assisting the distressed, ordering the strong and fast ships to stay by the smaller, and himself, as necessity requires, taking one or two of the most teeble and crazy ones in tow. He loses none but such as, through obstinacy and disobedience, separate themselves, and quit convoy to pursue their own headstrong

course.

"Thus our gracious Leader, the Lord Jesus Christ, is anxious to bring safe into his heavenly Father's kingdom all who put themselves under his guidance, mercy, and protec tion. He contends with all our spiritual enemies; nor will he allow hell or earth to capture one soul that hangs on, and looks up to him for help. He was well content to suffer, bleed and die, that we might live. And now he has rejoined the hosts of heaven, and taken his seat at the right hand of power, he rejoices to protect, and conduct us throughout. When his humble, lo. contemplate the ving children wounds he received, and the agonies he endured for them, they feel their souls filled with fresh love and gratitude, and determine, through his grace and assistance, to follow and obey him with all their hearts. He, on the other hand, notices all their endeavours to do so. He compassionates the weak and trembling. He smiles encouragement on the timid. He assists and refreshes those in distress; takes the most feeble and desponding, as it were, in tow; carries them in his bosom, and patiently tarries for those who unfortunately drop behind. None will he leave but such as obstinately, and perseveringly grieve and resist his Holy Spirit, rebel against his known will, cease to abide in, or with him, and who, in short, determine that

"Many a soul may be found who has been taught this blessed lesson by happy experience. Let the world run after its idols and its empty bubbles if it pleases; the experienced Christian will follow Christ as his chief good, will esteem him as the Pearl of great price, the good Shepherd,-the Captain of his salvation. Hence, when such a character falls in with a poor sin-burthened fellow-creature, one who, having run far among the shoals of destruction, is at length become sensible of his danger, and begins to cry out, "What must I do to be saved?" the reply is, "Look unto Christ believe in the Lord Jesus Christ follow with an eye of faith, and with a spirit of humility and contrition, that Lamb of God, who died to redeem a lost world, and then rose for its justification." With such advice as this the experimental Christian lifts up the mourner's head, and bids him hope, since it is an unquestionable truth, that

"The Lord, who once on Calvary bled, And rose triumphant from the dead, Fursues in heaven his plan of grace, The friend of man's apostate race. "There, as our advocate, he reigns,

Touch'd with the feeling of our pains;
And still remembers in the skies,
His tears, and agonies, and cries.
"In every pang that rends the heart,

This man of sorrow bears a part:
In all our grief, our grief He shares,
And saves our souls from Satan's
snares."

"Well might this adorable Saviour say, "If any man loves father, or mother, or house, or land, more than me, he is not worthy of me." Well might he declare, "If any man is ashamed of me, and of my gospel, in this sinful and adulterous generation, of him I will be ashamed, when I come in the glory of my Father, with my holy angels, to gather my children from the four winds of the earth." Indeed, such is the value which all intelligent and

VOL. VI.

spiritually minded Christians put on Christ, as their leader, their friend and their sin atoning Saviour, that "Tho' men despise them and revile, They think the trial small; Whoever frowns, if Jesus smile, They gladly welcome all. "When cheer'd with faith's sublimer joys,

They mount on eagle's wings, And count as dross, and empty toys The pride and pomp of kings."

Narrative of a Private Soldier, in one of His Majesty's Regi ments of Foot. Written by himself. Detailing many Circumstances relative to the Irish Rebellion in 1798, the Expedi tion to Holland in 1799, and the Expedition to Egypt in 1801; and giving a particular account of his religious history and experience. With a Preface by the Rev. Ralph Wardlaw. pp. 188. 18mo. 2s. 6d.

WE cannot introduce this little Work to the notice of our readers, with greater effect, than by transcribing a part of the Preface.

"The subject of the following Memoir has been connected with the church under my pastoral care, nearly since its formation, in the year 1803,-and, from this, as well as from a circumstance in his religious history, which the reader will discover towards the close of the Narrative,* it may perhaps be thought, that my recommendations some degree, dictated by feelings of partiality. I hope I shall never be so dead to Christian sensibility, as to feel nothing of the peculiar interest which the circumstance alluded to, is fitted to produce. Yet I may say with truth,

are, in

The writer acknowledges Mr W. as his "spiritual father," p. 172. ED. X x

that the very consciousness of this interest has made me the more jea. lous and scrupulous in giving the advice to publish; an advice which I never should have given, unless from a sincere conviction, that the Narrative is fitted both to please and to profit; to gratify curiosity, and, through the blessing of God, to impart instruction and spiritual be. nefit.

"The remarks of a private in the ranks, when he is a man of any shrewdness and observation, on the incidents that come within his notice, in the campaigns in which he is engaged, have in them a particular interest. Whilst we are pleased with the degree of intelligence which they discover, we at the same time, feel a satisfying confidence, that they contain a plain unvarnished tale;' unaffected by any temptation, either in aught to extenuate, or to set down aught in malice.'

"The religious experience of the writer, I consider as especially in structive. It sets before us, I believe, in honest simplicity, the workings of a sensible and thoughtful mind, and of a conscience, which had never entirely lost its early impressions; the convictions, and distresses, and reasonings,—the selfrighteous and self-confident resolutions, and the necessary failures and inconsistencies, of an awakened but unrenewed state;-the natural reluctance of man to part with self, to plead guilty, and to depend on grace; and yet the entire inefficacy of eve. ry thing but this grace, either to impart satisfactory and steadfast peace to the conscience, or to produce in the heart a principle of vigorous and cheerful, consistent and persevering obedience.

"Of this grace, although, like every other good thing, it has been too often perverted and abused by the self-deceiver and the hypocrite, the native tendency is, to "teach" all who receive it, to "deny ungodliness, and worldly desires, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."-I feel the

delicacy of saying any thing in praise of one, whose living eye the commendation is to meet, and who is still, like all others, the subject of remaining corruption, and in danger of injury from its evil propensities; yet, as it is not himself I commend, but the grace that made him what he is, and to which he owns himself an entire and humble debtor, I feel at liberty to say, that the subject of the following Narrative, since he was led to embrace the doctrine of the cross, has been enabled,-amidst imperfections and failures, no doubt, of which he himself has been much more sensible than others have been observant,—to “walk in newness of life," and to shew, that " the gospel of the grace of God" has been "the power of God unto salvation," when every thing else had failed, and had led only to despair.

"With the exception of occasional corrections in the use of words and in the structure of sentences, unavoidable in revising for the press the manuscript of one unaccustomed to composition, the style is the writer's own; the work, throughout, having been printed from his autograph, without transcription :—and I pledge my word to the reader, that a single additional sentiment has not been introduced.

"I commend the little volume to the candour of the reader, and to the blessing of God;-not without a pleasing hope, that while it may benefit, in a temporal view, the fa mily of one, whose wound, received in the service of his country, confined him again, even very recently, from his daily occupation, for nearly four months; it may, at the same time, produce higher and more valuable effects, in the instruction, admonition, and salvation of those who peruse it."

We would willingly subjoin some extracts from this interesting Volume; but as we hope, that of many our readers will procure the Work itself, we will not anticipate the pleasure they must derive from its perusal.

DOMESTIC.

CONGREGATIONAL UNION OF

SCOTLAND.

THE Seventh Report of this Institution is just published, and contains information of no common interest. The Committee state, that

66

owing to the liberality of the churches, and of individuals, they distributed, immediately after the last Annual Meeting, L. 394 among twenty-eight churches, besides L.35 among brethren who occupy stations where no church has yet been formed-in all L. 429; above L. 100 more than in the preceding year. How much your bounty has encouraged these churches; how far it has enabled their pastors to extend the sphere of their labours; and how much special benefit it has been the means of imparting to thousands of our countrymen-the following extracts of letters from the brethren to whom your aid has been imparted will shew."

Did our limits permit, we would willingly insert the whole of these extracts. But we can only find room for a specimen.

"One of the pastors, in answer to a letter from the Secretary, says,

I received your kind communication in due time, with the enclosed bill. I can assure you, my dear brother, that it produced heartfelt gratitude to God, and to the Congrega. tional Union under Him, for thus relieving my wants, and putting me in a situation whereby I might more extensively make known the great salvation to my fellow-sinners. I communicated the joyful tidings to the church here, which caused the thanksgivings of many for your a bundant liberality. It is truly strengthening to know, that we en joy the kind sympathy of our dear brethren at a distance, who take a

deep intérest in our wellbeing. Next to enjoying the favour of God, this affords us the sweetest satisfaction on this side the grave, and is to us an earnest of that perfect love that shall reign in the church triumphant for ever. I am laid under peculiar obligations to be diligent and faith. ful in making known the savour of the knowledge of Christ in this destitute neighbourhood, being now free from embarrassing cares of a pecuniary nature. Oh, that the Lord may enable me to improve the talent with which I am entrusted, in the prospect of ere long giving in my account!'

"A pastor of a church in one of the Western Isles, in a letter to a member of the Corresponding Committee, says, This morning I received your very acceptable letter, of the 18th instant, accompanying L.- from the Committee of the Congregational Union. What shall I render unto the Lord for this very seasonable and abundant supply? Your bounty was received when all my resources were more than exhausted; but my anxiety on this head is now completely relieved. This has brought me and my dear partner to the throne of grace, with gratitude to our God for his continued care of us, and of his cause among us. This is loving us in deed and in truth. This is a proof of love to the Redeemer and his cause. This is of God, and augurs much good to immortal souls. Were I even above all need of receiving any of the bounty of the Congregational Union, I would speak of it as a most valuable Institution, having the manifest stamp of Divine authority, and would consider myself bound by the law of love to promote its prosperity by every possible means. When I consider the benefit resulting from it to so many families and individuals-to so many perish

ing in their sins-it must indeed be dear to my heart. But when I consider, in connexion with all this, the many prayers and thanksgivings presented to the throne of grace on account of it, and the blessed effects resulting from it, in the way of promoting love, unity and Christian sympathy among the churches, I am constrained to say, that the Congregational Union is of God, in its principles, operations, and blessed effects.'

"It has been surmised, that the donations of the Union to the churches have relaxed their exertions in the support of their pastors. This seems by no means to be the case: several instances might be brought forward proving the reverse. Some churches, knowing it to be the desire of the Union to have all the pastors relieved from secular engagements, that they might devote themselves wholly to the work of the ministry, gave to their utmost ability, that they might, with your assistance, see them without carefulness while engaged in furthering the interests of the kingdom of Christ. So far from desiring the silver and the gold of their brethren that they might be eased, their letters express much re. luctance, while they feel themselves under the necessity of making application for assistance. The senti inents and feelings of the churches on this head may be considered as expressed in the following extract of a letter to the Secretary. We should be found unfaithful and ungrateful, if the liberality of the Union should make us relax our exertions in the support of our pastor. No, Sir; we should gladly experience that it is more blessed to give than to receive but while we wait, and with some reason hope, for better days, when our spiritual and temporal strength shall be increased, we look in the mean time for the countenance and support of our more wealthy brethren, that having an open door set before us, and a little strength, we may be enabled to hold fast the truth, for our own spiritual good, and that of the generation to

come.

6

"Of the extended usefulness of our brethren in their excursive efforts to disseminate the gospel, the following extracts afford ample and pleasing proof. My brother and I were engaged about nine weeks during the past summer, and travelled between 700 and 800 miles. We visited Sutherland three times, once together, and once each of us separately. In the course of our journey we preached repeatedly in 16 parishes. In all these places, the people came remarkably well out to hear, and the oftener we visited them, the more numerous the audiences, and the more anxiety they expressed for a speedy repetition of our visits; and appearances indicated, that the word of the Lord did not return to him void.''It is not at all an uncommon thing to see from 300 to 800 met on the side of a hill, listening with deep attention to the voice of love and mercy, which publishes peace by the blood of atonement.' In another communication, he says, that they had preached to several who had not heard a sermon for twelve years: and that some followed them for three days, who, when they returned home. wards, wept bitterly, saying, that they feared the impressions they had received would be effaced before they could hear another sermon.'

"A preacher in Kintyre says, 'I have nine places that I preach at on the week nights, besides the stated places at which I preach on the Lord's days. Some of these places are sixteen miles distant from home. It would astonish you to see the number who assemble on the winter evenings, chiefly by moon light.'

After I received your very liberal and seasonable assistance, brother M. and I visited Islay. Upon our arrival, we found it necessary to sepa rate. He laboured in the south, and I in the west. We experienced the kindest reception from the people. They got us horses that we might be more useful to them; and as our visit was to be but short, each of us preached in general two sermons every day.'