REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. REES'S Practical Sermons. (Concluded from p. 52. ) picion and reproach, &c.;-a softness of censure but little adapted to so serious an omission, but which he was probably led to adopt by the unwillingness he states himself to feel," to form a very unfavourable opinion of the religious sentiments of the multitude;" though upon what ground, either of Scripture or experience, he has formed a favourable opinion of them, we must own ourselves at some loss even to conjecture. It is but justice to Dr. Rees, however, to add, that the same sermon contains the following important observation. THE second volume of these sermons resembles the former in its geDeral character. It may be considered as calculated to accredit revelation in general, in the eyes of reflecting persons, and it affords occasional intimations of the nature of Gospel doctrine; while in many instances it runs counter to it. Numerous, also, are the passages which, under the appearance of candor, liberality, prudence, or moderation, afford far too much indulgence to the modern Christian, both in estimating his state before God, and in determining what ought tranquillity and freedom, the attention of the to be the line of his practice. It is to this point that we wish now to direct the attention of our readers. Our author was stated by us to have limited himself, in his sermon on the Sabbath, to the inculcation of the single duty of joining in public worship; and we confess that we thought he meant to make a peremptory demand upon us for an attendance of at least once a day, But in the first sermon of his second volume we find the following obser-, vation, which, as we think, is but too indicative of the low standard both of moral practice and of devotional feeling with which the class of divines, to which Dr. Rees may be considered as belonging, are apt to be satisfied. "Candour inclines us to hope, that, mongst those who pay no regard to the external forms of religion, there are many who do not renounce its principles; and that they are Christians in their judgment and general practice, although, for reasons best known to themselves, and which it is beside our present purpose to investigate, they neglect to attend the public institutions, and to perfor the social duties of Christians." He adds, indeed, that the faith of such persons will be liable to sus "In the long enjoyment of unmolested multitude has not been sufficiently directed to moral and religious subjects. The principles that have been transmitted to them from their ancestors, they have not duly examined. The grounds of the profession assumed by them, they have not duly inves tigated. They have neglected to cultivate that sense of the importance of religion which is necessary to direct their determina ing never been called forth to any trial, they tion and to influence their conduct. Hav minds by just sentiments of religious truth have thought it needless to fortify their that zeal, which, though sometimes erroneous and duty; and dreading the reproach of and excessive, distinguished their progeni tors in former days, they have deviated into the other extreme of heedlessness and indifference. Every kind of profession, so unlimited and indiscriminating has been their liberality, has appeared to them of equal im portance; and from these lax sentiments they have, in some cases, been led altoge ther to renounce the profession of religion, it is exercised. Has not this been the prounder any of those forms or modes in which gress of declension in instances that must have fallen under our own observation, till it has terminated in utter apostacy? The of indifference, which has been succeeded want of discrimination has produced that kind by casual and inconstant attendance on the public institutions of religion, and which has gradually reconciled the mind to a total desertion of them." pp. 7, 8. We were glad to perceive, in this discourse, the mention of the "infallible directions of the word" of God; an expression which may, we hope, be construed to imply that there is not a disposition in Dr. Rees to adopt the licence so common with many other unitarians in respect to the sacred text. The uses of subordination in society, and the duty of being candid in our construction of the conduct of our rulers, are among the subjects which Dr. Rees has incidentally touched. In a sermon on Perseverance in the Profession of Christianity (at pp. 32 and 33), we were pleased to find a profession of the author's faith, approaching more nearly to the language of orthodox Christians than the general tenor of his sermons would lead us to expect. "Jesus Christ," he says, "is the way, the truth, and the life; or the true way to eter mal life.".." With Jesus Christ, endeared and honoured name! beloved and revered character! are the words of eternal life:With him, who admirably combines the offices of a Teacher and Saviour; who, by the expiation of his death, cancels the guilt of the pemitent transgressor; who, by the influence of a divine Spirit, imparts needful succour to the upright and humble; who annexes, by a covenant of mercy, sanctioned and sealed by his precious blood, the reward of eternal life to an imperfect obedience. To whom shall we go for complete satisfaction, notwithstanding our demerit and frailty, but to him who assures us of pardon and assistance; who rescues us from sin and death; and who confers a recompence on the believing and upright, to which innocence could have no claim? To whom, indeed, can we go, with confidence of success, and urged by our solicitude, to obtain eternal life, but to him, whom the Father of mergies has invested with the office of a Mediator, and whom he has ordained to be the resurrection and the life?" pp. 32, 33. Dr. Rees proceeds, in the next sermon, once more to bewail the prevailing neglect of Christian worship; but he is again so soft in his censures, and so lax and liberal in his admissions, that we fear his remarks would do but little to cure the evil of which he complains. The name, is not unlikely to fall upon Victory over the world," says our author, in his sermon on the text-" this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith""does not consist in abstinence from its innocent amusements and pleasures." Certainly not from its innocent amusements and pleasures; but we have no definition of what is here meant by the word innocent, and little assistance in forming a Christian judgment on the point. We have sometimes indulged the hope that the philosophic world would, in a certain degree, unite with the Christian world, in denounc ing the system of dissipation and frivolity which characterises so many of the higher and richer order of men in the present day; and we have not been altogether disappointed. Dr. Rees, however, is, as usual, much too lax on this subject, or at least too little pointed and specific. Among persons reputed to be of what is called the evangelical school, who are by far the strictest men in matters of this sort, there is -we are sorry to remark it-a grow ing assimilation to the world. The younger part of them are desirous to see with their own eyes what is that pride of life which their parents had instructed them to renounce, and to purchase, by their own experience, a pretty ample acquaintance with that folly and vanity which one would think that either piety or good sense would quickly teach them to disdain. When Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, invited Plato to come and witness the splendor and festivity of his court, the Grecian sage replied," Philosophy will not allow Plato to visit Dionysius." He had before been betrayed into que visit, and had then been wearied with those exhibitions which were the delight of dull and ordinary minds. He had, moreover, his own pursuits at Athens; and in these he was most eagerly, as well as pleasantly, engaged. Now the true and consistent Christian has as little taste for frivolous amusement and gaudy shew as the philosopher; and he also has his Athens, his scene of useful and regular occupation, which he has too much dignity to quit at the call even of those kings and queens of the world of fashion who sometimes condescend, in acknowledgment of his merit, to invite him from his supposed obscurity into their shining circles. We object to the following words in this discourse: "Whatsoever is born of God, that is, every true Christian, overcometh the world." He that is born of God is undoubtedly a true Christian; but the expression, to be born of God," is one which demanded explanation. By disposing of it in this sententious manner, the strong doctrinal meaning which it was intended to convey is évaded. All classes of religionists are apt too easily to regard themselves as true Christians; and to substitute their assumption of this high and sacred name, for that "new creation," that renewal of the soul in the divine image, that resurrection from the death of sin to a life of righteousness, which the term "born of God" is meant in Scripture to imply, and without which no one is entitled to consider himself as a true Christian. The doctrinal system of Dr. Rees required, however, that this strong and pointed expression should be sunk in some "barren generality." It may be said, that our criticism on this point ought to be disarmed by a subsequent remark, that "Christianity assures us of divine succour in obtaining a victory over the world, and that a divine energy shall invigorate the feeble resolutions of the upright." We complain, however, that this observation also is extremely brief, and altogether unsatisfactory. It falls every way, short of the emphatical declaration of the apostle; a declaration which immediately precedes, and directly bears upon, the text prefixed to the sermon. In the beginning of the following passage of the sermon on Victory over Death, the preacher accredits himself to us as a fair interpreter of Scripture. He sadly falls off from his orthodoxy before he arrives at the conclusion of it; his mind evidently reverting to the unfounded distinction which we have already endeavoured to expose (see p. 46, et seq.) between those who are saved through repentance, and those whom he denominates the uniformly obedient. the law. This requires perfect obedience, “The strength of sin (says the apostle) is and makes no provision for the pardon of transgressors. Our blessed Lord delivers those who believe in and obey him from its condemning sentence; and he has esta blished a covenant of pardon and favour, which connects not only indemnity, but eternal life, with repentance and sincerity. For this purpose he offered up his life as a propitiatory sacrifice to God; and thus, maintained the authority and honour of the law, whilst those who could not be acquit ted from the violation of it were admitted to share the tokens of divine forgiveness and the glorious recompence of a happy immortality." p. 114. The sermon on the Conduct of Christ in declining Honour from Men, contains many good observations; but enfeebled, as usual, by the laxity of his admissions, and the largeness of his qualifications. For instance, the author, when pressing the example of our Lord, need not surely have said quite so much to us about "paying a due regard to the opinion of the world, &c." We are most of us sufficiently prone to err on that side. In page 170, it is fair to remark, that it is said to be the "declared object of our Saviour's divine mission to seek and to save them that were lost. Such," it is added, "is the humbling representation which the New Testament gives us of the general state of mankind; and it is no less just than abasing." He goes on to speak of our degeneracy and guilt, &c.; meaning, however, as we conceive, not that we have degenerated from that state in which Adam originally was created, but from that in which we ourselves naturally are. But putting even this construction on his expressions, we are still at a loss in reconciling the commencement of this passage with the general tenor of our author's language on this subject. In the sermon on Flattery, and indeed in various parts of these volumes, Dr. Rees assumes that much less opposition to the world is necessary than both Scripture and experience prove to be demanded of us. It is surely not enough to say, with our author, that "it is dangerous to be influenced by too warm an attachment to the good opinion and approbation of the multitude." "Ye adulterers and adulteresses," exclaimed the apostle, "know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity against God. Whosoever, therefore, will be the friend of the the sequel of this sermon, however, world, is the enemy of God."-In as in many other places, partial, though certainly very inadequate, compensation is made for the fault which is committed; and the severity of the orthodox critic is thus continually softened, if not disarmed. We wish that this writer had not only touched, as he does in treating of a placable temper, " on the barbarous practice of duels, which," he says, "is a disgrace to modern manners in a polished and Christian nation;" but had also laid the axe to the root of this evil, by exposing the weakness of that argument by which the generality of men now defend their own disposition to countenance and continue this unchristian and absurd method of terminating disputes. They profess to lament the custom, and to dislike the barbarity of it. But, they add, it is necessary to comply, for the sake of our reputation. We shall be degraded in society, say they, if we decline the combat, when the laws of honour call us forth; and if thus dishonoured, we shall become both miserable and useless. We fight, therefore, not because we are of an implacable temper, but in defence of our reputation, the protection of which is a part of general self-preservation. It is obvious, from this statement, that the true practical mode of inducing any individual to decline a duel, is to deliver him from his subjection to the opinion of his fellow-creatures.-That sermon of Dr. Rees, in which he speaks of our Saviour as not seeking honour from men, and exhorts us (though, as we before remarked, too feebly and guardedly) to follow his example, might have afforded no improper place for an answer to the plea of the modern duellist. But it is time to conclude this long ing, spiritual or material, and of his action on matter, without any common properties, we are all convinced; and whilst we allow the Deity to be immaterial, many of the difficulties that attend the doctrine of a separate spirit in man are capable of being satisfactorily resolved.” pp. 396, 397. review. There is, however, one discourse, towards the end of the second volume, to which, before we close this article, we feel ourselves called upon particularly to advert. The title is, "the Excellence of the Human Frame and Faculties." Man is here contemplated "in his. corporeal frame; in his intellectual faculties; in his moral principles; in his social affections; in his capacity of progressive improvement, and in his destination for immortality." The text is, "For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." We select, first, the following passage, which occurs under the second head; and which, though it contains nothing that is new, will furnish an example of the author's method of philosophising on some parts of this interesting subject. me, "It is needless now to enter into any discussion concerning the nature of the human soul. Whilst others, however, strenu ously contend, that it is no distinct principle of the human frame; that it results from peculiar organization of matter; and that the doctrine of the soul has been the source of many errors among philosophers and divines: we may be allowed to say, that these assertions are much more easily made than proved; and that both reason and Scripture seem to furnish very decisive and satisfactery evidence in favour of the doctrine, which some consider as almost antiquated, and which it is very fashionable to exclude. To indeed, the existence of spirit is as easily conceivable as that of matter: and we might as readily dispense with the one as the other. Both are known alike, merely by their properties; their properties are equally discernible; and they seem to be perfectly distinct, and indeed incompatible with each other. That the thinking principle should be material is, I confess, a dogma in philosophy, which surpasses my comprebension. That thought, and will, and consciousness should be properties of matter, which is an inert, inactive, and divisible as itself incapable of beginning, contiing, or changing motion; and that any modification or refinement of matter should produce mental powers and exercises, are propositions, which, however allowed by others, cannot command my assent. sistence of one spirit, the source of all be Of the Our readers will also be pleased with the following quotation: sive improvement which pertains to our in"Consider again the capacity of progres tellectual and moral nature. That man possesses such a capacity needs no proof. Other creatures arrive much sooner at maturity; but the progress of human beings, though more slow and gradual, indicates gradations of improvement, that have no limit and no end. Compare then the plant that springs up, and buds, and blossoms, and withers in a short period, with the monarch of the fo rest, the pride of Britain, the long-lived oak; or the insect of a day, with animals of of these the preference is due? Judging of a much longer duration; and say, to which excellence by analogy, is not man, who is progressive in mental and moral improvement whilst he lives, and who does not arrive at maturity within the term of the most prolonged life, proportionably excellent and eminent? At what attainments in knowledge and even in religious virtue have some distinguished characters arrived? What angelic spirits have inhabited some human bodies? And if men, eminent for their knowledge and goodness, are even now but little lower than the angels: what may we conceive them to be? How high their rank! how illustrious their improvement! and how proportionably signal their honour and felicity, in that scene of unlimited progress and advancement which lies before them? If in the school of the world, where they occupy, as it were, the lowest form of education and discipline; where they are in a state of minority; where they meet with many hindrances, and where they labour under many disadvantages, they make so considerable a proficiency: what may not be expected, when mortality is swallowed up of lije; when their faculties have acquired vigour: when their graces are matured and established; and where, among kindred spirits, they will have every motive to excite their emulation, and every advantage for advanc ing from one degree of excellence to another through unceasing ages? In this capacity of boundless improvement more than in any improvement actually made; in these earnests and promises of unknown and inconceivable proficiency in knowledge and |