clearly, in his second epistle to Timothy. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God, it may not be laid to their charge. The same may also be inferred from his prayer for Onesiphorus, who oft refreshed him, and was not ashamed of his chain; but when he was at Rome sought him out diligently, and found him. That there should be so much difficulty as he here intimates, in finding out a man of his eminence, can only be accounted for from the unhappy state of the Roman church, where terror reigned, and produced general concealment. But notwithstanding he was deserted by his fearful brethren, yet the Lord stood with him, and he was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. This deliverance, however, he was sensible was only temporary, and that the hour of his departure was at hand. The sacrifice of his blood he had long expected, and ardently desired, to pay; and now he was prepared to complete it with all gladness. Looking back on his christian course, he is refreshed by the testimony of a good conscience. I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith; and looking forward, he rejoices in certain hope of the crown of righteousness. But while in the body, with calm undiscouraged zeal, his cares are those of an apostle. By means of Luke, the beloved physician, and the faithful companion of his travels, who was with him, he appears still to have superintended the concerns of the Roman church, and we find him summoning to his assistance his son Timothy, and requesting him to bring Mark with him, whom, notwithstanding his former cowardice, he deemed worthy of standing in this honourable post. Whether he lived to embrace Timothy and Mark is uncertain; but having now finished his course, in the last year of Nero, and the 68th of Christ, and on the 22d of February, as Clemens Romanus testifies, he changed mortality for life, and was crowned with martyrdom by decapitation. His death was such as became his life. The theatre selected for his suffering was the grandest which could be chosen; and we may be confident that the peculiar grace which had so eminently distinguished his life, would decorate its closing scene with every circumstance which could give interest to his dying testimony, and render it impressive and useful to the church, and to the world.

[To be concluded in our next.]

REVIEW.

A Sermon preached before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, by appointment of their Standing Committee of Missions, May 19, 1806. Published at their request. By Eliphalet Nott, D. D. President of Union College in the state of New-York.

[Continued from page 287.]

THE concluding part of this sermon has much force.

" And can it be that the tender mercies of such an auditory are exhausted? Have you, then, nothing more to lend to Jesus Christ: have you no longer any alms to bestow on your suffering brethren, and shall I tell them you have not; shall I recall the missionaries you have sent them, and extinguish the hopes with which your former charities have inspired them? Shall I pronounce on the savages their doom, shall I say to the pagan, just emerging from the gloom of nature, and directing his steps toward the hill of life, GO BACK INTO YOUR FOREST, COVER AGAIN YOUR ALTAR WITH VICTIMS, MUTTER YOUR NIGHTLY ORISONS TO THE STARS, AND BE SATISFIED WITH THE VAIN HOPE OF THE COUNTRY BEYOND THE HILLS? Are these the sentiments of christians-christians, whose hearts have been softened by redeeming love, whose immortal hopes rest on sovereign mercy, and whose unceasing song, through eternal ages will be, grace, rich grace? I was going to add, but the presence of that august personage, whose glory fills the place of our devotions, awes me. Open your eyes christians, and behold God-Emanuel in this assembly. Redeemer of our souls, who inhabitest eternity, and dwellest in the high and holy place, wherefore art thou present in this temple, made with hands? " I am present that I may witness the strength of the affection which my redeemed bear me; that I may in person record their charities, in that book of life, where their names already are recorded; charities, which I will publish to the universe at judgment, and reward, through eternity, in heaven."

Excellent as this discourse is, yet, like all the works of man, it has its imperfections. The sun has its spots. The eagle does not always soar. Whether we view it as a composition or as a sermon, we perceive in it blemishes.

Were we to be so minute as to remark upon the use of words, we might point out several improprieties. " Enjoying the joys," (p. 32) is an infelicity of speech. " Sink to nothing and be anni

hilated," is tautology. The words "repetition of;" (p. 17) are unnecessary and improper; for the author speaks of the idea expressed, not by the repetition of the figure, but by the figure itself. Leave out those two words, and you make the sentence correct. "And partakers we shall be if we truly aspire to it (p. 27); " and these missionaries will be the channels of your kindness," (p. 27) are both superfluous, and injure the sentences to which they are

attached.

" Motives are now unnecessary; a sense of that divinity which overshadows us, melts every heart to love, and swells every breast with mercy (p. 38): what shall we say of this sentence? Shall we call it rhetorical? Such liberty of speech it will be difficult to justify. The sentence is unnecessary, and rather weakens than strengthens the paragraph.

Viewed as a sermon, we perceive imperfections in this discourse. The author has been unhappy in the choice of his text, which by no means embraces the topics discussed, and is also an incomplete sentence. In sermonizing it is a good rule, that the text should be a complete sentence, and comprise all the topics on which the preacher speaks. This rule has been violated by our author. Probably he experienced a difficulty in selecting a text; and, unable to find one that would comprehend those particulars which he judged proper to make the component part of a sermon for the particular occasion in view, he determined to choose this text as a motto, agreeably to the practice of some good writers. We regret that the petition, "Thy kingdom come" occurred not to his thoughts. This text would have suited his purpose, and have afforded him a fair opportunity to discuss each topic in his sermon.

We are inclined to believe, that had the application of the discourse been contracted, it would have produced greater effect when delivered. Cheerfully, however, we acknowledge, in justice to the author's talents, that it is so excellent and impressive as it stands, that had the parts we refer to been omitted, we should have lost a proportionable gratification in the perusal.

We are constrained to differ from our author in one point of doctrine. With respect to the Redeemer's reign on earth, he argues in favour of an opinion which we think cannot be supported by revelation. It is, that the thousand years of which prophecy speaks as the period of the greatest prosperity to the church, and which is usually denominated the millenial age, must be reckoned as intending a thousand years of days, each of which days must be considered as a year; so that the millenium, according to this VOL. II.

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computation, will, in fact, continue through the very extended space of three hundred and sixty-five thousand years. If we mistake not, holy scripture affords no example of such a mode of interpretation, unless it be in the very instance in question: and to say that this is the true interpretation in the instance questioned, without being able to cite a parallel, seems to us to be begging the whole question. Nor do the arguments which our author endeavours to derive collaterally from the quotations he makes, and the positions he lays down, at all convince us that his statement is correct. On such a subject, a subject which relates to the plans of a sovereign God, and which may appear to us defective only because we perceive but a part of them, we believe that nothing but clear scripture warrant, should be the ground of our conclusions.

On the whole, the discourse before us must, we think, be considered as exhibiting a specimen of truly evangelical thought and eloquent address, but yet, when critically considered, defective as a discourse founded on the text which the author selected, and its excellence somewhat abated by a few occasional blemishes.

RELIGIOUS AND MORAL DISCUSSIONS.

THE question, Whether a man may lawfully marry his brother's widow, or wife's sister, has been frequently referred to the consideration of the synod of New-York and Philadelphia, and to the general assembly of the presbyterian church. Much time has been spent in discussing it, and frequent decisions have been made about it; yet the case still recurs, and there are few meetings, without some reference of that kind brought forward. This circumstance is remarkable, and deserves attention. It may be owing, in some measure, to the different decisions, which have been made; but principally, I apprehend, to a common persuasion, in the minds of christians, that the law, in Lev. xviii. forbidding such connexions, is obligatory on all men.

This appears to have been the persuasion of the christian church, in almost all its branches, since the beginning, until, of late, some have been disposed to reject the authority of that law; and while this persuasion remains in the minds of christians, it will be in vain to expect to silence the question, by public decision or authority. It will still remain a troublesome case of conscience, demanding a serious and scriptural resolution.

The resolution of the case will depend on the views which we ought to have of the law above mentioned, viz. whether we should consider it, as of a moral nature, and binding on all men; or merely ceremonial, and binding only on the Jews.

In support of its general obligation, the following observations are suggested.

I. The law itself, from its general complexion, appears to carry in it sufficient evidence of this. It was given by divine authority, and stands in the sacred record, making one entire section by itself. It relates to one subject, of a general nature and of great importance; viz. the right direction and government of those propensities, which God has implanted in human nature. It contains several precepts, which are indisputably of a moral nature. Nothing appears, in the whole section, which can be said to be merely ceremonial, or so adapted to the Jewish peculiarity, as to confine it to that nation only. And, as if on purpose to guard against its being accounted merely ceremonial, the violations of it are called " abominations, and abominable customs; the doings of the land of Egypt, and of the land of Canaan;" for which they were punished, v. 3, 26, 27. Yet every one knows that ceremonial abominations, were not applicable to the Egyptians and Canaanites.

This being the character which is given by God himself to the breaches of this law by nations who never were subjected to any ceremonial usages, and which, (from v. 27.) may be considered as having a respect to all the precepts in the same section, is sufficient to shew that the law is not to be regarded as merely ceremonial. And notwithstanding it was delivered to the Jews, incorporated with their other laws, and made subservient to their constitution; yet this will not be sufficient to disprove its general obligation, when we consider,

1. That to them were committed the oracles of God; those scriptures, of which it is said, that they " are divinely inspired, and profitable for doctrine; for reproof; for correction; for instruction in righteousness." It may be a familiar way with some, to call the scriptures of the old testament, Jewish scriptures, and to consider them as no way obligatory on christians; but this notion ought to be utterly rejected. God chose and separated that people, not with a partial respect to themselves, but to be the repositories of light and instruction for the benefit of the world. That this law therefore is found among those early revelations, is not an argument against, but rather in favour of its general obligation; and especially, if it is found to contain nothing which