ccasion *, son of man, in whom there is no help. eth forth, he returneth to the earth." who hath the God of Jacob for his help in the Lord his God." Put not your trust in princes, nor in the 66 His breath goHappy is he, whose hope is Having thus gone through with each verse, the follow-· ing is proposed as the proper rendering of the whole Psalm. "1. His foundation is in the holy mountains. 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion, more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. 4. I will mention Egypt and Babylon to them that know † E; behold the Philistine, and the Tyrian, with the Cushite; each one of these was born there. 5. Accordingly, of Zion it shall be said, that all these different men were born in her: and the Highest himself shall establish her. 6. The Lord shall count, when he registers the nations, that each one of these was born there. 7. But § princes are as slain men: all my springs are in ¶ thee." ♦ Of this reading the learned author thus speaks, "Whether the interpretation here given be in itself clear and satisfactory, and much more, whether it be the true one, must be left to the decision of others. Where so many learned men have failed, there must be great difficulties, and perfect satisfaction is scarcely to be expected. The sense, now ascribed to this Psalm, is doubtless consistent with what we find expressed in various other Psalms. This is evident even from the passages in these writings to which I have above appealed, on account of the allusions and declarations contained in them. "It may perhaps also be justly assumed, that the version here given of the Psalms, is both calculated to do away, as far as it extends, those scoffs of infidels, which arise from apparent inconsistencies, or from want of perspecuity, in the Holy Scriptures; and, at the same time, to enforce on the pious and devout reader, that admiration of the wonderful dispensations of the Almighty, and that confidence in him, and the church he has founded among men, which must raise us far above all human dependencies, and excite in us a portion of the same holy ardour in the worship of God, with that which formed so distinguished and so acceptable a part of the great Psalmist's chracter." Vol. X. Churchm. Mag. for May, 1806. 3 D We *Psal. xxxii. 8. See also Acts xvii. 26. Psal. cxlvi. We cannot discuss this article without observing, that we have derived uncommon satisfaction from a perusal of it; and on that account, it is we have given as full an account of it as we possibly could for the edification of onr readers. The Churchman's Confession, or an Appeal to the Liturgy. Being a Sermon preached before the University of Cambridge, Dec. 1, 1805. By the Rev. CHARLES SIMEON, M. A. Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. 8vo. pp. 30. THIS HIS is another attempt to prove the Calvinism of the Church of England; but it is one of the weakest we remember to have seen, and our acquaintance with works of this description has not been circumscribed. Mr. Simeon deals very much in general assertions and in scriptural quotations. He maintains that the doctrines commonly maintained by the evangelical clergy, as they call themselves, for so undoubtedly must be con sidered the frequent repetition of the pronoun WE in this discourse," are the doctrines contained in the articles, homilies, and liturgy of the Church of England, which are an authorised exposition of the sense in which_all her members profess to understand the Scriptures." But as the proof of this would occupy a considerable time, he contents himself with supporting the doctrines of himself and brethren, from a consideration of the General Confession. Now says he, "There are three things, which, as it is our duty, so also it is our continual labour, to make known; namely, our lost estate---the means of our recovery---and the path of duty." It is not our intention to dispute the preliminary position of the "fallen state of human nature." But when writers and preachers of this class go to the length of vilifying that nature in the abstract, and blackening it with the most odious epithets, we are well-persuaded that they neither speak the language of the church, nor advance the interests of genuine christianity. There is certainly here a line of distinction to be drawn between weakness weakness and criminality. But these teachers confound both, nay because by the fall of Adam, the faculties of the human mind have been perverted, and the actions of men in this sense are corrupt, every individual, let him be born wherever Providence has placed his lot, or however inoffensive his own conduct may be, is by this system condemned to everlasting punishment as a wilful sinner against God. We acknowlege that the whole world of mankind is by the fall of man considered in a lost state; but this is to be taken as meaning the loss of immortality to the race, the father of which having forfeited the principle, could communicate nothing but mortality, which is corruption to his posterity. This life and this immortality have been recovered for the whole race in the same nature by our blessed Saviour; and it cannot be individually forfeited by any, but through wilful and unrepented guilt. Mr. Simeon, in common with the divines of his persuasion, endeavours to fix upon every individual the criminality of Adam's fall, instead of representing him as only partaking the consequences of it. It is this criminality also which he supposes is made the subject of lamentation in the general confession of our liturgy. But he is grossly mistaken in this; and that part which he selects for his purpose, is the worst he could have chosen, "We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep." Mr. Simeon observes upon this, "WE apprehend it does not mean merely that we have departed from God, but also that we have never sought to return to him for other animals will find their way back when they have wandered from their home; but it is rarely, if ever, known, that the sheep traces back its footsteps to the fold from whence it has strayed: if it return at all, it returns by chance, and not by any foresight of its own. How just a picture does this exhibit of our fallen race! That we have departed from God is too plainly to be denied; but in how few do we behold any solicitude to return to him! How few are there who search the Scriptures daily, in order to find their way back! How few who implore help and direction from their God with an earnestness at all proportioned to the urgency of their case!" To what is here said on the inattention or thoughtlessness of men in general, we certainly have no objection. But all this exclamation does not well comport with the aforegoing reasoning from the metaphor of "lost sheep.' The idea as adopted by our reformers is good and scrip 3 D 2 tural tural. It is our Saviour's own when under the parabolical representation of a wandering sheep, he drew a beautiful picture of human nature in general, and in the kind sympathising sedulity of the good shepherd, he gave an affecting portrait of his own divine care and compassion in "seeking and saving that which was lost." But the sheep is not exhibited as in the Calvinistic daubing in a guilty criminal character; on the contrary, it is drawn as an object of commiseration. When, however, our liturgy makes use of the metaphor, it unquestionably intends that we should therein confess as well our own individual thoughtlessness as the weakness of our nature. It should be remembered that the persons who make use of this confession have been admitted into Christ's fold by regenerating use of baptism; therefore, as notwithstanding this privilege, every one has many errors to repent of, and those too continually arising from the present the imperfect state of this nature, he may still justly compare himself to the "straying sheep," who does not rightly appreciate and duly improve the blessing which has been conferred on him. The texts of scripture here profusely collected to prove the criminality of human nature, have a very different meaning, and relate wholly to national guilt, or the lowly confession of pious persons in particular cases. Thus when St. Paul speaks in such humiliating terms of his past character and condition, who does not perceive that he alludes to the deep share which he had in the persecution of the saints, and to the violent enmity which before his conversion he bore to the church of Christ? And though Mr. Simeon quotes that strong passage of Isaiah, as an illustration of his notion; " From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in us, but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores," is it possible that any sober-minded divine, or any rational inan, can extend that to human nature in general, which is only spoken of the degeneracy and corruption of the Jewish people? The prophet reproaches his nation for their iniquity and rebellion against God, notwithstanding the many heavy judgments which had been inflicted upon them to produce a reformation. And he goes on in the anguish of his soul, to lament over them as a people given up to such obduracy as to render all further visitations of no avail. "Why should you be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot, &c.". Yet the fellow of a college gravely produces this passage before a learned university, as a scriptural proof of the criminality of human nature. On the subject of our recovery from this wretched and miserable state, we meet with the following cloud of images and expressions, through which for our own parts we can perceive nothing to guide us out of the mazes of darkness in which we are involved. "As it is not our good works and meritorious life that will save us, so neither will our repentance save us. If we could shed rivers of tears, they never would avail to cleanse us from one single sin. It is the blood of Christ, and that alone that can atone for moral guilt: that is "the fountain that was opened for sin and uncleanness ;" and as long as the world shall stand, we must require of sinners to wash in it, in order that they may be clean. And, forasmuch as men are with great difficulty turned from endeavouring "to establish their own righteousness," or to unite their own fancied merits with the merits of Christ, we guard them strongly against this fatal error; we declare to them, that if they do this they will invalidate the whole gospel: and that ifever they be saved at all, it must be by a humble, simple reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ. That there are blessings promised to the penitent, and to the obedient, we very willingly allow; and on proper occasions we are glad to bring forward those promises in order to encourage men to repent and obey: but that men are justified by their repentance or obedience, or in any other way than by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we utterly deny. And we declare, that if men seek to be justified in any other way, "Christ shall profit them nothing." This passage we have quoted at length, because it seems to be intended as a statement of the doctrine and preaching of the Evangelical ministers. When it proceeds trippingly from the tongue, it may appear to be all very well; but if closely analyzed perhaps it will be found quite another thing. The expression that "rivers of tears cannot wash away a single sin" is a very common one among the old and new sectarists: but what does it amount to? no more than this, that mere crying is not godly sorrow. In this we are agreed. But as we can only judge of the movements of the mind from outward expressions, we may certainly consider that man to be a true penitent, and consequently |