The succeeding chapter, which considers "whether the sentiments which ascribe power to men, does not pre-eminently humble the sinner and glorify God:- the argument from the tendency of the doctrine," we regard as singularly felicitous and forcible. It is adapted to make a deep and serious impression upon every devout and well constituted mind. We have only room for the following short extract. "It may be thought by some that power is an excellency; and that to ascribe power to man is to ascribe goodness to him, which, in his fallen state, cannot justly be done. pos "The error committed here lies in not observing the distinction between man as a creature, and man as a moral agent; or between natural and moral qualities. Looking at any creature, as such, the session of power, or the means of action, is an excellency; and every increase of power adds to its excellency, inasmuch as it confers an adaptation for some superior kind of action. So the power of performing moral actions is an excellency in man, enabling him to do what other creatures cannot. But when we regard man as a moral agent, and ask wherein his excellency as such consists, it is not in power, but in the right use of power; not in having means of action, but in well employing them. Power is a natural excellence, but not a moral one; an excellence of structure, but not of character. It is excellence, but not goodness: and therefore to ascribe power to man is not to ascribe to him any goodness at all."— pp 212, 213. an Other chapters succeed" swering objections," and the part concludes with "considerations for those who may not be convinced." The third part considers the "aspect of the work of the Spirit in relation to the ways of God," illustrating it principally under two views, viz. "as given in answer to prayer," and as "an unsolicited, effectual operation." Of this part, however, and of the "addresses" which follow, we cannot speak more particularly. We cordially recommend this volume to the very serious consi deration of persons who are either perplexed by imperfect and inaccurate views of the subject of which it treats; or who are deceiving themselves, and hardening themselves in sin, in consequence of unscriptural and false representations of it. We do conceive also, that both its contents and its spirit may be essentially useful to many in the ministry, especially the young, by teaching them to speak "wisely for God," by encouraging habits of independent thought, and by prompting them to the vigorous devotion of all their powers to the work of persuasion, exhortation, and exhibition of the truth, seeing that in the employment of means so adapted to the end they are to accomplish, they have a foundation for success as satisfactory to reason as it is encouraging to faith. An Essay on the Nature and Objects of the Course of Study, in the Class of the Philosophy of the Human Mind and Logic, in the University of London. By the Rev. John Hoppus, A. M. London: Taylor, 1830. As the early advocates and unshaken friends of the University of London, we cannot conceal our satisfaction on the appointment of the Professor of intellec tual and logical Philosophy, whose Introductory Essay is now before us. The project of a University without state creeds or coffers, that should leave religion to the private judgment of its sons, and depend alone for support upon the enlightened opinion of the public -was met by the witless sarcasms of some, and the sage vaticinations of others, who alternated their jokes and their prophecies to provoke mirth amidst the goodly fellowship of halls and colleges, or to inspire terror amongst the graver circles of old ladies every where. While these alarmists have con tinued to predict nothing less than the general diffusion of infidelity, if not of atheism, from the establishment of the University; we have witnessed the introduction of its successive Professors to their chairs of office, and have heard with satisfaction the references, broad and distinct, which they have made to the attributes of God, as displayed in his works, and to that Revelation on which our common hopes are built. And it is certainly a curious coincidence, that at the moment when some of these zealous churchmen are arraigning at the tribunal of public opinion, one of the Professors of the Christian and orthodox University of Oxford, on the serious charge of introducing a work of infidel principles to the families of England, that at that very time, the council of the infidel and atheistical school of Gower Street, for so its enemies have presumed to designate it, should appoint to one of its most important Professorships, a gentleman, who is not only a Christian minister by office, but by choice, and who has been called to suffer too, for his unflinching avowal of those peculiar doctrines of Christianity which evangelical dissenters hold in common with members of the endowed church. To those who know Mr. Hoppus, this appointment will not be a matter of surprise, and to those who have not that advantage, the essay before us will introduce him, if we mistake not, greatly to their satisfaction, and to the honour of the enlightened body, who have placed him in the Professor's chair. After a rapid, but interesting sketch of the rise and progress of mental philosophy, and some pointed remarks on the popular prejudice against what is usually denominated" metaphysics," Mr. Hoppus pleads for attention to the wondrous phenomena of mind in the following forcible passage. "Were we to limit the motives for inquiry into the intellectual part of human nature to those of rational curiosity and devout admiration, even these could not would present the study of the philosophy fail to prove highly advatageous, and of the mind as invested with attractions of no common order; for it must be acknowledged that, of all the familiar obthe Creator, the human mind, in many jects which display the power and skill of respects, stands the most conspicuous. Amidst all that is humiliating in the histual nature sublime traces of his real tory of man, there exist in his intellecgreatness. This nature is the only object, in that part of the creation with which we are conversant, that bears even the faintest image of its Maker; and it is a monument of far more exquisite and costly workmanship than the whole material universe. By means of the intellectual endowments it is given him to possess, man is enabled in some measure to subordinate all visible nature to his convenience and enjoyment. The earth, his dwelling-place, assumes new forms and is clothed with new beauties at his plastic genius, directing his manual labidding; and, under the guidance of his bour, the wilderness becomes a second Eden; and the creations of his fancy rise up to embellish it, like visions of enchantment, in the forms of solemn temples,' gorgeous palaces,' or 'cloudcapt towers.' The elements also are, to a considerable degree, brought under his control, and made to administer to his desires; and both the winds and the waves have become his servants. In vessels of huge bulk, and of the most surprising mechanism, he rides upon the storms of the ocean; and guided by that compass which he has invented, and and stars should be invisible, he is borne which points out his course though sun along even to the extent of the circumference of the globe. the scrutiny of his research, nor the powers of his arithmetic. Confined as he is to this earthly clod, his genius has taught him to invent instruments for the gratification of his curiosity and the adthe same effect as though his locomotive vancement of his knowledge, which have faculties were extended to a wider sphere. The heavenly bodies, which appear situated at so hopeless a distance invisible to the naked eye, he has viewed away from him, and of which some are with all the advantage of a nearer post "Nor have the heavens above escaped Obituary. THE REV. WILLIAM ORME is no more! This most afflictive, and, according to our short-sighted view, mysterious event took place on Saturday the 8th of May. Nearly two months he had been laid aside from his usual labours; and many and fervent were the supplications, presented on his behalf in private and in public, that a life so dear to all the interests of the Church of God might be spared. But the all-wise Disposer of events hath otherwise determined! "" Behold, he taketh away-and who can hinder, or say unto Him-' what doest thou?"" We feel confounded and overwhelmed by this affecting visitation! Scarcely six years have elapsed since his connexion with the metropolis; but if we measure life, not by time, but by actions, he lived long in the short space allotted him for service. During a great portion of the period referred to, he was intimately connected with the Editorship of this Magazine, and on all the subjects of theology, history, and criticism, which occupied his attention, he invariably displayed the characteristic features of his mind, and the rich and varied attainments by which it was distinguished. Long before his introduction to London, he had risen to high and distinguished eminence, as an "able minister of the New Covenant." By his brethren in the ministry he was much beloved; and the Churches of the Congregational order, regarded him with affectionate esteem and growing confidence. His celebrity as an author; his solid attainments as a theologian; his aptitude for every mode of public instruction; his bold and energetic address; his prudence in counsel; his energy in action; and the comprehensive and practical views he formed on every subject that came under his notice, were qualifications that raised him to just and merited distinction. As a Preacher of the Gospel, he was, in the most effective sense, eloquent and impressive. His discourses were fraught with scriptural knowledge, and unequivocally evangelical. The great truths of the Gospel were uniformly prominent; his sermons were argumentative and practical, yet blended with powerful appeals to the conscience and the heart. In the exposition of the Scriptures he was distinguished for accurate and enlarged views of divine truth, and the faithful exhibition of the whole counsel of God. The distinguishing feature of his mental character was strong manly sense. No one could know him in the intimacies of private life, or meet him in consultation, or hear him in public on any occasion, without feeling that his mind could be trusted. This arose from his comprehension and decision. He was as well qualified for despatch in business as for inquiry and discussion; and thus he was well fitted for the important station he was called to occupy as the Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary Society. It will not be in our power, in the present article, to present that minute and extended detail of the life, character, and writings of our beloved friend, which we hope, from more ample sources of information, to record in an early number of our Magazine. We cannot, however, allow the present opportunity to pass by, without a brief statement of some of the facts of his history, which we have been able to ascertain. Mr. Orme was born on the 3d of February, 1787, in the town of Falkirk. When little more than three months old, his parents removed to Edinburgh, in which place they remained till they both died. He went to school when between five and six years of age; and continued till his thirteenth year. The schoolmaster's name was Waugh, a respectable man, who long taught in the West Church Parish; and died about ten years ago. Under his tuition he made considerable progress in the ordinary branches of English education and the first principles of Latin. He evinced the greatest mental anxiety when he entered on any new branch of study, or commenced the reading of a new book; and his ardour was unremitting till he had mastered its difficulties. Any money he could obtain was laid out in books, among which was Haweis' Commentary on the Bible, with plates, for the Numbers of which he saved many a sixpence, and, to use his own language," greedily devoured them as soon as procured." His youthful days, however, were mostly spent in vanity. He had no knowledge or feeling of religion. His mind was naturally susceptible of strong impressions, and when once excited, could scarcely rest till the object in view was attained. He always felt the existence of this constitutional ardour, though many things afterwards tended to controul and subdue it. His religious education was very little attended to at home; but the neglect was in part supplied by his attendance at a Sabbath Evening School. On the 1st of July, 1800, he was bound apprentice, much against his will, to a business to which he was decidedly hostile; and though he completed the term of his servitude, he never prosecuted the business with pleasure, and would have followed it through life with reluctance and sorrow. Time stole away insensibly, and God was gradually preparing him for other and more important pursuits. In the month of October, 1803, he lost his father. Having few companions, and possessing no great love of company, he was in the habit of spending the Lord's-days by taking long solitary walks into the country, or by the sea-side, indulging in gloomy reflections on the past, or in dismal forebodings of future sorrow. On the evenings of such days, he frequently dropped into the Tabernacle at the head of Leith Walk, partly to pass away the time, and partly to indulge a sinful curiosity. To the ministers of that place, he was indebted for his first religious impressions, and his earliest views of the Gospel of Christ. He now felt the benefit of his Sabbath School instructions, and the Scriptures which he had committed to memory camé with an ease and power to his mind, that he could not otherwise have experienced. He read every thing he could procure relating to religion, began to teach a Sabbath Evening School, and sometimes spoke a little at a meeting on the Lord's-day mornings at the Village of Stockbridge. In the month of October, 1805, in his 19th year, he gladly bade a final adieu to secular pursuits, and joined Mr. Haldane's class of students. After eight months' instruction, to fit him for preaching the Gospel, Mr. Haldane proposed to him, to spend the summer in Fife. He returned to the class in the month of October, where he remained the short space of four months, and then received his final dismission. The period of his academical studies was thus little more than a year. He left Edinburgh and arrived at Perth on the 11th of March, 1807, and preached three times the following Lord's-day, having just completed his twentieth year! In this sphere of pastoral labour he continued till the year 1824, when he accepted an invitation to succeed the Rev. J. B. Innes, at Camberwell. By his previous attainments he had laid the solid and enduring basis of that honourable reputation in which he will long continue to be held; and his subsequent labours and distinguished success as a preacher, an author, and a public character, raised him to a high elevation in the confidence and esteem of the Christian church. In every department of theological and biblical literature, he was a most diligent and laborious student, and the constancy and intensity with which he engaged in all his pursuits, were often injurious to his health, and ultimately shortened his life. He was active, energetic, decided, and persevering in every part of his ministerial duties. As a pastor and preacher he was eminently successful, and long his memory will be blessed in both the spheres of ministerial labour he was called to occupy. Many, in Perth especially, were the instances of usefulness by which he was encouraged in his work. His writings on various subjects will remain as a lasting memorial of his diligent research, his comprehensive views of truth, his manly discrimination, his powerful and most effective exhibition of all the great and distinguishing principles of pure and undefiled religion. His removal from the important station he occupied, in the meridian of his day, in the midst of usefulness and honourable service, is to us an inexplicable dispensation. But it is the prerogative of the Great Head of the Church, to raise up the most valued and useful instruments; to fit them to accomplish great and important objects, by a course of discipline and moral culture, that secures the most valuable results, and then to lay them aside at his pleasure! Thus he teaches us, that it is "not by might, nor by power, but by his Spirit," that the cause of truth is preserved, and the designs of sovereign mercy accomplished. It is one of the mournful advantages of a protracted illness and a lingering death, that opportunity is afforded for a more full exhibition of the believer's dying testimony to the preciousness of the Gospel, and the value of its consolations. These he richly experienced; and a minute record of the last illness of our beloved friend we shall reserve for a future number. Thus died in the faith and hope of Jesus, the Rev. William Orme, in the 44th year of his age, and the twenty-third of his ministry! It is not possible for us to describe the powerful sensation produced by his death, and the affecting circumstance of its having transpired just before the services of the Annual Meeting of the London Missionary Society! Had it not been for the sombre shade thrown over these sacred engagements, the encouraging circumstances and animating prospects of the Society, might have called forth unmingled exhilaration. But there was a deep and solemn tone of profitable reflection produced in the mind of each successive speaker, and of those who engaged in the religious services of the Anniversary; and it is well, when feelings thus chastened and salutary are blended with the ardour and animating excitement of such associations. We need to be often and habitually reminded, that even "in the garden there is a sepulchre ;" and that the attractions of the cross, the glories of immortality, and the ineffable value of the Gospel, are never more precious and more effective than when we stand within the shadows of the grave, and listen to that voice which says, amidst the scenes of change and death"Work while it is called to-day!" 66 The interment of our beloved friend took place on Monday, the 17th of May, at Bunhill Fields. The friends of the deceased were kindly accommodated with the use of the Wesleyan Chapel, in the City Road, and there an immense concourse assembled to pay their last tribute of affection and esteem! The deacons and a large body of the members of the bereaved church; the ministers of the Congregational body; a considerable number of ministers of other denominations, and the Treasurer, the surviving Secretary, and Directors of the London Missionary Society followed his remains to the " narrow house appointed for all living," amidst the tears and deeplyexcited sympathies of a most numerous assemblage. The Rev. Dr. Winter delivered an appropriate address in the chapel; and the Rev. John Morison closed the solemnities of this affecting service by the prayer at the grave. On the following Sabbath, the funeral sermon was preached at Camberwell, by the Rev. Joseph Fletcher, to a crowded and deeply affected auditory, from Colossians iii. 11. "Christ is all, and in all !"-These words were selected by the preacher, because they were the last words he heard from the lips of his dying friend a few days before his death. "MAY WE DIE THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS, AND OUR LAST END BE LIKE HIS." |