REVIEW.

The Works of the English and Scottish Reformers. Edited by Thos.
Russell, A. M. Vol. III. Ebenezer Palmer.

WE announce to the admirers of pure unadulterated truth, and to the public, that the Third Volume of the above work has made its appearance; and is ushered into notice under claims equally worthy of their attention as its predecessor.

It would be superfluous to add to our former remarks in commendation of the work. The names of the worthies whose labours Mr. Russell has selected expressly for this work, will be a sufficient recommendation to those who have a sublime relish for the good old wine of the Redeemer's kingdom.

These truths, which they did not shun to promulgate with a zeal and fervour adapted to the benighted times in which they lived, have proved immortal. They have outlived generations; and shall still survive the wreck of worlds. For these eternal realities our martyrs contended, and sealed them with their blood.

The advocates for fashionable divinity, will prefer modern productions of that character, to the lasting drops of blessedness which descend immediately from the antient hills. We bless God that we have not so learnt to estimate their value.

It is our ardent prayer that this enterprizing undertaking in the noble cause of truth may be blessed in a two-fold manner, that of increased patronage to the work, and that of witnessing the sovereign effects of illuminating grace accompanying their extension to the

hearts of the redeemed.

The Poor Man's Commentary. By R. Hawker, D. D. Palmer.

WE hail, with sincere pleasure, a second Edition of the late venerable Hawker's Concordance, which is arranged in alphabetical order, and designed especially for the readers of his Commentary on the Holy Bible. To that class particularly, and to others who are anxiously enquiring after truth, this spiritual lexicon will be found a valu able treasure.

The noble object which prompted the author to this labour of love, has been answered, perhaps, in a much greater degree than he had originally anticipated. In common with his other productions, it has been widely disseminated; and the sacred influences of the Holy Spirit, which gave utterance to its savoury contents, have extended the same delightful gales to the hearts of very many of the lovers of the meek and lowly Jesus. We know of no writings which discover more laudable ambition to exalt the Lamb of God, as the grand centre of Jehovah's glory, and the source of all blessedness to the church; and that exhibits more fully human nature in its real colours, than VOL. V.-No. 58.

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those of which he is the respected author. The present work, amongst their number, compresses much valuable matter in a limited space, with a conciseness and perspicuity, which, under the divine blessing, will tend greatly to promote, and still further extend its usefulness.

While we would speak in commendation of the work, and feel that any eulogy we may have to offer, would fall far short of expressing its merits truly, we have often felt surprised at its title; and have been left to indulge conjectures, without being able to ascertain our author's reason for calling it, the Poor Man's Concordance,' as though it were specially and exclusively intended for the poor of this world. If, by poverty, is intended outward privations, we conceive its grand truths are well received by those who have advanced to the mediocrity of life, and to others, to whom they have been made an equal blessing, under the same sanctifying influences; and, in fact, there is no sphere in life, in which the believer in Jesus may move, wherein immortal truth may not be rendered more sweet to his taste than honey, or the droppings of the honeycomb. If spiritual poverty be meant, such a state being the general and inalienable characteristic of the mystic members of our ever blessed Jesus, we conceive the distinction aimed at is lost. In our opinion, therefore, the term might have been dispensed with, especially in this edition, which is so much superior both in typographical execution and correctness, to that first published. While perusing this free-will offering to the church, our minds have been, as it were, insensibly drawn out into a train of meditations on the mysterious providences of God, connected with his militant church; of which church, the writer of this volume was once a distinguished member. They have regarded him individually, and the church of Christ collectively. With respect to him; if we refer to his private walks in life, to the circle in which he ranged, or to his ministerial qualifications; in either cases, and in all, we witness a uniformity of deportment, which not only recommends him to our esteem, but exalts and endears his name above many. His unostentatious labours in the pulpit, and those which have with equal ardour and affection teemed from the press, have obtained for him, in the hearts of the zealous advocates for the sterling doctrines of grace, a lasting monument of fame. Those precious truths which, like drops of immortal dew, descended from the heaven of heavens, through him; gently distilling with genial influence on the spirits of the just, have become too indelibly engraven in their memory, speedily to be forgotten by them. The blessed subjects of their unction, require not the memento of polished brass to emblazon the record of his worth, nor the refined surface of the sculptured marble, lettered with gold, to proclaim to society at large how much he was beloved, how highly he was esteemed, and how acceptable his labours have been to those who have been best able to appreciate their value.

And while the grace of the Redeemer which shone so conspicuously in him excites our admiration, we are at the same moment constrained to exclaim, as Elisha did of Elijah, on a recollection of the fiery

chariot which parted us asunder, "my father, my father, the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof!"

In vain do we look within the boundaries of Zion for the humble spirit, and meekness, and ability, and spiritual mindedness of this departed saint. We must confess that our minds have often languished for Zion's welfare, in this dark and cloudy day, as we have witnessed the fragrant and illustrious flowers of the visible church transplanted into a richer, and more luxuriant soil; and our sorrow has only been softened down, and mitigated by the renewed consciousness, that the building up of the sacred temple of the Lord, and its support and welfare, are the sole results of his unaided efforts; and that, though Zion in this day of her calamity mourns over the severating stroke, and deplores the loss of her able, zealous, and humble votaries for purity of doctrine, and exemplary life and conversation, without realizing any counteraction of her griefs, by the immediate appointment and designation of successors into office, clothed with his sacred mantle; yet, when the end is accomplished, let it be remembered, the same sovereign power and love, can, and will be exercised, in ordaining and sending forth other instruments to rear the sacred pile. We again sound the alarm. The enemy is in our camps, and already in possession of our borders. The walls totter on their foundation. The divine plantation is enveloped in chilling fogs; and cheerless darkness, and the pestilence which walks abroad in darkness hangs brooding over these heavenly exotics, many of whom have imbibed the baneful malady, and painfully evince their decline, as to spiritual apprehensions, and knowledge of the glorious and distinguishing mysteries of our holy faith.

We pluck a flower from the work before us, amidst innumerable others, and exhibit to the reader's notice, that he may see what a rich vein of spirituality pervades the whole.

But

"FULL and FULNESS. These expressions, when spoken in scripture with an eye to the Lord Jesus Christ, imply more than language can convey, or the imagination conceive. Jesus Christ, as the glorious Head of his body the church, is the fulness that filleth all in all. So the apostle speaks, Eph. i. 23. And in the same epistle he saith, speaking of Christ, "that he ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things." (Eph. iv. 10.) when we have read those expressions, and pondered them to the utmost, what adequate conception have we of their meaning? So again, when it is said, that “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily:" (Col. ii. 9.) who shall undertake to say what that is? Not Jehovah dwelling in the God-man Christ Jesus, by filling that nature with grace and glory, as the Lord Jesus by his Holy Spirit dwells in the saints, and fills their hearts, and unites himself to them, and they to him, by grace here, and glory above. Not thus; but the Godhead dwells in Christ Jesus, and fills that nature of Christ Jesus in a personal bodily union; as fire fills the iron substantially that is in it, so that it becomes itself fire from that union. Who shall go farther, and determine what this is?

"And what endears all these precious views of our Lord in his fulness is, the interest his redeemed have in it. The apostle adds to this account of the Godhead in his fulness dwelling in Christ bodily, "and ye are complete in him." Here is the blessedness of the whole, as it concerns our happiness and security, and glory in him. Hence the church is called "the glory of

Christ." (2 Cor. viii. 33.) And so the church is; for it is, indeed, Christ's glory to give out of his fulness to his body the church, as the glorious Head of the church. And although his own personal glory is in himself, and to himself, in the Godhead of his nature and essence, being "one with the Father, over all, God blessed for ever;" yet in his Mediatorial glory, as the Head of his body the church, "of his fulness do all the members receive, and grace for grace." And it is the glory of the Lord Jesus to give out, and to make that body glorious like himself, and from himself, to be his glory for ever. Oh! the blessedness of thus beholding the fulness of the Lord Jesus. Oh! what encouragement to the faith of the Lord's poor, needy, empty people. In Jesus's fulness we are full; in Jesus's glory we are glorified; yea, it is Jesus's glory to receive me, to give out to me, and to be more glorious in thus receiving and giving. Hallelujah!"

"FAITH. This is the great and momentous word in scripture, which hath given rise to endless disputes, and employed the minds of men in all ages to explain; and yet to thousands still remains as obscure as ever. But notwithstanding all that the bewildered and erroneous mind of man may say on faith, the scriptural account of faith is the plainest thing in the world. Faith is no more than the sincere and hearty assent and consent of the mind to the belief of the being and promises of God, as especially revealed to the church in the person and redemption-work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jehovah, in his threefold character of person, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, hath mercifully been pleased to reveal himself as forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin," and giving eternal life to the church in Christ Jesus. And these blessings are all declared to be in the person, and procured to the church by the sole undertaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the glorious Head of his body the church," the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

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"The hearty, cordial, and sincere belief in these blessed truths of God is called faith, because it is giving credit to the testimony of God, and relying upon his faithfulness for the fulfilment of them. The apostle John, in his first epistle, fifth chapter, and ninth and following verses, puts this doctrine in so clear a point of view, that, under divine teaching, if attended to, it would be impossible to mistake it. "If we receive (saith John) the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record that God hath given to us, eternal life; and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life."

"No form of words could have been more happily chosen to state what is the act of faith, and to put it in a clear and full light. Immense and unspeakable blessings are promised by God. It is not the greatness of the blessings which demands our faith, but the greatness of the Being promising. Indeed, the greater the blessings are, the greater would be the difficulty of believing, unless some other warrant and authority become the foundation for belief. The bottom, therefore, of all faith is, that what we are called upon to believe is founded in Jehovah himself:-Jehovah that cannot lie; Jehovah that will not lie. An Almighty Promiser that can never out-promise himself. Hence, when Moses at the bush desired a confirmation of the truth, the Lord gave him to deliver to Israel, by knowing his name, and having such assurances to make to them as might silence every doubt. "Behold (said he) when I come to the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say unto me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? Moses, I AM THAT I AM." That is, I AM a being self-existing and eterAnd God said unto nal; and which, therefore, gives a being to all my promises. So that this is the sure ground of faith. Not the greatness and blessedness of the promise; but the greatness, blessedness and faithfulness of the Promiser. And to be-

lieve in the Almighty Promiser in his assurances in Christ, is faith. I only add, however, under this article, that though faith is the simplest and plainest act of the mind, yet both the possession and the exercise of it is the gift of God. "Unto you, (saith an apostle) it is given to believe." (Phil. i. 29.) And hence every truly awakened and regenerated believer finds daily reason to cry out, as the apostle did to Christ, "Lord, increase our faith!" (Luke xvii. 5.)"

We cannot applaud too highly the praiseworthy object of the publisher of this posthumous edition, convinced as we are, that a desire to perpetuate the memory of this holy man of God, and to foster the well-being of the church collectively, are among the chief and prevailing motives which have induced its appearance in its present shape. Cheerfully and heartily do we, therefore, recommend it to the spiritually taught reader, as a graceful and valuable appendage to his library, and as a requisite auxiliary to the author's Commentary on the Bible, which ought ever to accompany each other, as being alike suited to the young, and will be held in general estimation by all who hold Jesus as supremely precious; who are breathing after more enlarged discoveries of his beauty.

Twelve Lectures on Ecclesiastical History, and Nonconformity. By Isaac Mann, A.M. Palmer.

WE are in the nineteenth century of the christian era, and are without a standard history of the church of Christ, to which all parties might refer, as to a faithful record of the characters of the church's members and her enemies, her doctrine and discipline, the errors and superstitions with which she has been infested from the dawn of her existence to the present day.

This is the first compendium of Ecclesiastical History and Nonconformity which has appeared in our language; and because it is the first, it will be imperfect. Yet, so far as we can judge, it has all the requisites of a compendium. Like a good map it is full and accurate. There is in the composition a simplicity, an hastiness, a rapidity, a decision, and an ardour that interests the reader, and forms within him a spirit similar to that of the author.

The following passages containing the author's design in printing this work, is worthy the serious consideration of our readers.

"When this business was first brought before me, it was stated, that many young people were growing up around us, who might be supposed to be but very imperfectly acquainted with the reasons of our dissent from the communion of the church of England; and it was exceedingly desirable that they should have correct information on that subject. Not a few who were of more mature age, it was added, appeared to treat nonconformity with apparent levity, and seemed to imagine that humour and caprice governed many of our movements in retiring from the church of England. If they could hear the gospel preached in that church, other things were regarded as of very inferior moment. Even the liturgy was extolled by many as so excellent, that it was too edifying to admit of their absence from established worship. Nor are we disposed to censure the book of common prayer as a whole; we know that very many of the collects breathe a spirit of ardent piety. Still, while we have the new testament in our hands, we cannot but