to speak in terms of high praise of the last annual sermon, by the Rev. D. Wilson, from which also we gave copious extracts (see Christ. Obs. for 1819, pp. 854-858). We would not, indeed, identify the proceedings of the Society with

the character or the doctrines of its friends or agents; its object being simply and exclusively the distribution of the formularies of the Church without note or comment -an object not subject to vary with the opinions or predilections of its members. It is, however, highly satisfactory to find that those who have thus laid their hand upon the ark of the magnificent and awful cause" of the church of Christ established in these realms, are influenced by so much of the spirit which animated her reformers,-men as sober as they were pious; as conciliatory as they were decisive. We not only earnestly wish, but venture to predict, an increase of patronage to this institution, in proportion as the value of such discourses as the two we have named (we mention these as they happen to be the last, and not out of disparagement to others) is felt by the religious part of the public; and, what is of more importance still, we doubt not the blessing of God, and the gratitude of the friends of the Church, will rest upon a Society whose exertions are so beneficial to Religion, and so honourable to the Established Church. We would take this opportunity of recommending it to the patronage and support of every zealous friend of the Church of England. Its prospects of usefulness, not only at home, but abroad, are daily enlarging. But its funds are wholly inadequate to meet the increased demands upon them. The last Report of the Society, of which a brief abstract is given in our Number for June, and which may be obtained at the Society's office, in Salisbury-square, Fleet-street, will more fully exhibit its powerful

claims to assistance, than it would be possible for us to do on the present occasion; and to that Report we beg leave to refer our readers.

Sermons et Prières. Par J. I. S.

CELLERIER.

Discours familiers. Par le même Auteur.

(Concluded from p. 478.)

IT is so rarely that we have had occasion to call the attention of our readers to foreign divinity, and the language in which these sermons are written is so generally familiar, that we trust no apology can be necessary for occupying a part of the present Number with some additional notice of the vo lumes before us. Their intrinsic excellence, and the peculiar interest which has been excited respecting the church of Geneva, will, we are persuaded, amply justify us in thus extending our consideration of them.

The first sermon which occurs in the third volume, though preached on an ordinary Sunday, might with great propriety have been delivered on Christmas day. Its subject is Redemptiou, from the animated hymn of Zacharias, Luke i. 68, 69. The whole discourse was evidently composed under a lively impression of the importance and value of that unspeakable blessing to a lost world. Living in an age and in a country in which the spirit of a false and worldly philosophy has thrown contempt upon the great work of redemption, M. Cellerier felt that he could not prove its necessity in a more powerful and unanswerable manner, than by an appeal to the natural condition and wants of mankind. The true knowledge of ourselves is indeed indispensable to the formation of a right judgment concerning any thing which relates to our welfare; and this alone is sufficient to point out the necessity of the Gospel.

What, asks M. Cellerier, in reality is man? A being who presents a thousand contrarieties difficult to be reconciled. He carries within him the valuable consciousness of good and evil; but this internal counsellor, whose first suggestions are so just and so pure, suffers itself to be intimidated by exam ple, and to be seduced by the sophisms of passion; and the intelligence which was given to enlighten him, is more frequently employed in colouring error than in discerning truth. He seems equal to the angels by the energies of his sou, and on a level with the brutes by the force of his passions, without the sentiment of his greatness being extinguished by his degradation, or preserving him from sinking into it. The universe is too narrow for the immensity of his desires, yet he suffers himself to be captivated by the most frivolous and contemptible objects. We may observe him delighted in speculation with the charms of moral beauty, and in practice perpetually drawn aside by the deceitful attractions of vice. The image of virtue is with difficulty effaced from his soul*, but he cannot remain faithful to it for a single day.

The contrasts in the moral constitution of man, thus exhibited by M. Cellerier, reminded us of a similar train of thought in the Pensées de Pascal; and the inference of both writers is the same, that philosophy is utterly unable to explain and reconcile these contradictions. The Stoics, on the one hand, looking only at what is great and exalted in man, traced out an impracticable scheme of virtue, which tended only in reality to nourish pride; while the Epicureans, ou the other, seeing nothing in him but what was gross and terrestrial, degraded him below the level of

We presume, that in expressions of this kind, and in a preceding one, on the justness and purity of the suggestions of natural conscience, M. Cellerier speaks only comparatively.

humanity, and taught him to seek his happiness in sensual and transient pleasures. It is the Gospel of Christ which alone throws light upon these perplexities of human nature; which points out the introduction of sin into the world, recals us to our original destination, and furnishes us with the means of restoration to God and of a new creation "in righteousness and true holiness." It is our Divine Saviour, who, discovering to us an eternity of happiness, sympathizes with the extent of our desires, and by such a hope balances the impression of perishable objects. It is he who teaches us here, that love of God which is hereafter to constitute our felicity. It is in him that we find a Master full of grace and goodness, and who speaks to us, not as servants, but as friends. It is he, who, taking us such as we have become, incapable in ourselves of doing the will of God, and offering us the all-powerful aid of the Holy Spirit, preserves us at once from presumption and despair.

l'homme un langage parfaitement con"Ainsi M. F. Jésus seul parle à forme à sa nature. Il le conduit par un lien qui repond au ciel et à la terre. Il l'élève, sans l'énorgueillir-il le fait descendre, sans l'avilir-et, par un charme qui n'appartient qu'à lui, et qui se fait sentir au cœur qu'il dirige, il tempère son élévation par le sentiment de sa foiblesse ; il ennoblit son humiliation par le sentiment de sa grandeur. "Et dès lors quel repos, quelle harmonie dans l'âme de celui qui s'attache à ce céleste Doctenr! La convenance qu'il trouve entre les leçons de l'Evangile et ses propres sentimens, ses désirs, ses besoins, sa foiblesse; cette convenance qu'il sent toutes les fois qu'il se replie sur lui-même, lui donne une intime, une ravissante persuasion de la

divinité de cette doctriue. Non, il ne sauroit douter qu'une telle religion ne vienne de Celui qui a fait notre cœur, et qui sait ce qu'il lui faut. Il sent que ni les hommes, ni les anges ne pouvoient lui en donner une plus utile, plus néces. saire, plus propre à nous garantir de l'erreur et du pêché.”

But it is not merely, M. Cellerier proceeds to observe, when man looks into himself, that he beholds his need of a Saviour: that need becomes still more urgent when he considers himself with reference to an infinitely great and holy God. This thought opens a vast field, upon which M. Cellerier has ably and impressively expatiated. It is in Christ Jesus, he continues, that we find all that we need, to tranquillize the alarms which our own unworthiness and the Divine perfections are calculated to excite in us: and the provision of a Saviour so perfectly adapted to our wants, is an additional proof of the divinity of the Gospel.

"L'idée d'un Sauveur est à la religion, à la morale, ce que l'idée d'un Dieu est à l'univers, le point central par lequel tout s'explique, tout s'or. donne, tout se concilie; et par conséquent cette idée est de toutes la plus belle, la plus vraie, la plus philosophique, puisqu'elle s'accorde le mieux avec ce que nous connoissons de Dieu et de l'homme; puisqu'elle est la plus conforme à notre nature, et la plus appropriée à nos besoins."

How, then, does it come to pass, that a doctrine at once so sublime and so reasonable, so suited to the nature of man, and so necessary to his happiness, should sometimes be either attacked with bitterness, or rejected with disdain? The cause, says M. Cellerier, of such irrational and ungrateful conduct, is pride; the pride which, among other sins, and indeed as the primeval one, made a Redeemer necessary, and which renders him useless by shutting the eyes of many to their need of his assistance. Multitudes, indeed, have in all ages desired and received him; and if a false philosophy glories in rejecting him, it is because it is consistent neither with nature nor with truth. The vain confidence which it mspires, is not, as its votaries assert, the effect of the progress of knowledge; it is rather the deplorable fruit of self ignorance and levity. It is one

of those diseases in which the excitement of fever is mistaken for strength; which, instead of announcing life and health, presages death. It is that spiritual blindness with which pride is threatened in Scripture: "Thou hast bidden these things from the wise and prudent" the pretended wise-" and hast revealed them unto babes"—to the simple and upright in heart. "The preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God."

M. Cellerier, in the sequel of this discourse, complains in strong and energetic language of those who, even in the very bosom of the church, presume to oppose these vital truths of the Gospel, and to discard from their system of religion the doctrine of a Redeemer ; and concludes with a fervent prayer, that it may please God to enlighten,' and to visit with his powerful grace, those who are thus deceived, and to dispose them to acknowledge and embrace the only method of salvation which has been revealed, even Jesus Christ, who came" to seek and to save that which was lost."

One of the most beautiful and interesting in the whole series of these discourses, is that which immediately follows in this volume, on the Peace of God from the expressive words of our Lord, Jobn xiv. 27. The subject is one which seems peculiarly adapted to the genius and the feelings of M. Cellerier, and which affords at once a fine specimen of his piety and his talents. He describes that divine blessing which with such inimitable tenderness our Saviour bequeathed to his disciples, as consisting of peace with God, with mankind, and with ourselves. In either view, it is Christ only who can bestow it; who alone can address the sinner in these consoling words, "Thy sins are forgiven thee: go in peace;"-who only can reconcile us to our fellowcreatures, by proposing to us his own example: "that ye should

love one another, as I have loved you;"-who alone can give us peace with ourselves, by rescuing us from the slavery of our passions. The contrast between the peace which the world offers and that which Christ bestows, is next exhibited. Shall I speak, asks M. Cellerier, of the false peace which is sought in luxury and dissipation? It is mere delirium, and not tranquillity. It is a palliative insufficient to cure the disorder, and which is contented with deceiving for a few moments the uneasiness of the patient. Does the peace of the world consist in the enjoyment of its advantages, the gratification of passion, and the accomplishment of our desires? But is it not an acknowledged truth, that the world is an ungrateful, capricious, and inconstant master, which does not always requite those who serve it? And, even if successful in the struggle for its favours, is happiness the necessary result? Or if it bestow something of this nature, is it not altogether uncertain and transient ? How different from every thing like this is the peace which Christ bestows! how much better founded; how substantial and durable! Descended from heaven, it carries with it the impress of that blessed region; it at once fills the heart with God, and disengages it from earthly objects; it extinguishes the ardour of its natural desires, by kindling in it a desire of a nobler kind; it detaches it from the little interests of the world, by occupying it with the greater concerns of eternity. The Christian drinks at the source of that living water, of which the Saviour declares, that whoso tasteth it shall thirst no more; and what is the crowning excellence of his happiness is, the certainty that it can never be taken from him.

M. Cellerier, finally, examines and refutes the claims of human philosophy to impart true and solid peace, more particularly under the calamities and afflictions of life,

and points out the infinite superiority of that which is graciously offered by the Gospel. In conclusion, he inquires why this Divine and heavenly peace is not more generally the portion of modern as it was of the primitive believers; and he replies, because some seek it where it is not to be found, and neglect Him who alone can bestow it; while others come indeed to the Saviour, but approach him not with sufficient sincerity and earnestness; and hence their peace is imperfect, because their faith is not strong and their submission is not entire.

The preceding brief sketch affords but a very inadequate idea of the beauty of this sermon; but we abstain from any extracts, both on account of the difficulty of doing justice to it, and because we are unwilling to trespass upon the patience of our readers by immoderately extending the present article.

Similar motives induce us to afford only a cursory notice of the three succeeding discourses, on the interesting Visit of our Lord to the Family at Bethany, recorded Luke x. 38--42. The first represents Mary sitting at the feet of Christ and hearing his word, as a model for religious conversation; and is intended to recommend that duty, as contributing to the edification of the church, to personal holiness, and to social and domestic happiness. In opposition to that worldly intercourse, which, instead of being friendly, is manifestly injurious to the interests of piety and virtue, M. Cellerier considers religious conversation as affording peculiar advantages for instructing, consoling, and edifying Christians, for strengthening pious resolutions, and for imparting to human life an interest and pleasures of which the irreligious can form no conception. What in general, he asks, are our conversations? With few exceptions, frivolous, insipid, and often even painful; where the parties engaged are wearied in sustain.

ing it, and prefer talking, without in reality saying any thing worth communicating, to absolute silence; while the magnificent spectacle of the creation, the ways of Providence, the Scriptures of truth, that adorable Saviour who gave himself for us, that Heavenly Father, whose presence and whose love surround us, and that world to come, which opens so vast a field to our hopes and desires, and which ought to obtain possession of our minds by the mysterious veil itself which conceals it from our view, though too frequently neglected, afford the noblest objects of contemplation, and an inexhaustible source of elevated thought and reflection. In conversations upon such elevated topics as these, the Divine presence may be justly expected, and the delight arising from the application of the prophetic promise (Mal. iii. 16, 17), will doubtless be experienced.

M. Cellerier is far from urging Christians to introduce spiritual subjects either unseasonably or imprudently, but to choose suitable times and occasions for religious conversation, after the example of Christ himself.

"Et si le monde, après tout, ne peut s'accoutumer au langage du Chrétien, il vous reste une ressource également précieuse et douce: renfermez-vous dans un cercle plus étroit, mieux choisi, où vous gouterez cette satisfaction attachée à la conformité de principes et de sentimens. Cherchez, comme Jésus, dans les maisons où vous avez accès, quelque Marie qui se plaise à s'occuper avec vous du monde à venir. Qu'une sainte amitié vous unisse à des persounes religieuses, dont la piété serve à la vôtre d'appui. Faites de vos maisons une retraite où vous donniez l'essor à vos sentimens, loin d'un monde corrompu. Nourissez dans l'asile domestique ce feu sacré destiné à vivifier

votre âme, à échauffer celle de vos

frères. Puissons-nous ainsi sanctifier, embellir ces relations intimes formées par la nature !"

We feel compelled to pass over the next two sermons, on the One Thing needful, and the Choice of

that good Part which shall never be taken away-in the former of which, the supreme importance of the salvation of the soul, and in the latter, the happiness of sincere and decided piety, are admirably exhibited and enforced-in order to notice the succeeding one, on the excellence of the Worship of the Reformed Church, from that Divine aphorism of our Lord, John iv. 24, "God is a spirit; and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth." This discourse. is by no means of a controversial nature, but was solely intended, as its pious and candid author informs us, to reply to some vague complaints which at a certain period had arisen in the church of Geneva. Without entering, therefore, formally into any invidious comparison with the worship of the Romish church, M. Cellerier proposes to point out in this sermon the beauty and excellence of the Reformed, and to remind Protestants of the regard which they owe to it, and of their obligation to cherish and watch over this precious deposit. The first proof of the excellence of the Reformed worship, which M. Cellerier mentions, is, that it is the very worship established by Christ and his apostles. The primitive believers "continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." The infant church, therefore, served God substantially as Protestants in general now do; and all the ceremonies, which in another church form so large a part of religion, were added by degrees; history accurately informing us at what times and on what occasions. The Reformed worship possesses another most important advantage, of referring in every part of it to the Divine Being; of offering nothing to the attention, of exacting nothing from the worshipper, which is not calculated to afford us just and elevated ideas of His nature, perfections, and will. The senses,