On the means of obtaining Satisfaction with regard to the Truth of Religious Sentiments: a Sermon delivered in the Meeting-house of the Rev. William Wall, at the Monthly Association of Ministers connected with the Academy at Homerton, on November 7, 1822. By John Pye Smith, D. D. Svo. 1s.-London: Holdsworth, 1822. THIS is a most difficult, and yet most important subject. When we throw a superficial glance upon the party-coloured map of human opinion, we cannot but be struck with its motley and grotesque appearance. There is no form or colour of absurdity and extravagance which has not been borrowed by the inventors of new sects for the shape and vesture of their idol. From the dark and sanguinary code of the offerer of human sacrifices, whether Druid or Inquisitor, down to the cap and bells of Emanuel Swedenborg, error has exhibited herself under every varied aspect of horror and of folly. It may suit the purpose of the Sceptic to treat all this jestingly, and to make it the ground of a sneering cavil against all revealed religion; but the prospect affects the Christian with anxiety and grief. Even the well-grounded believer may sometimes feel dismay and wavering when he looks on the various and hostile divisions which exist among those who call themselves the followers of Christ. Referring to the same rule of faith, we are at variance respecting its interpretation; and this, not merely on trivial matters, but concerning vital and essential truths. Though bearing, as our common appellation, the name of the same glorious Saviour, we are unable to come to any general agreement in relation to his person, his character, his offices. Deeply, however, as this is to be deplored, it will work for good to the humble and trusting child of God; it will confirm and increase his sense of his own infirmity, and his implicit reliance on divine light and strength: and while his steady appeal is to the Law and to the Testimony, he will look to a higher teaching for the right application of the word of truth. Nor will this supersede the exercise of his intellectual faculties; it will, on the contrary, direct and sanctify their diligent use. To search the Scriptures is the injunction of Him to whom they refer, and in whom they terminate; and he, who, in a spirit of simplicity and teachableness, gives obedience to that command, shall not err therein. We were happy to find, from the excellent discourses before us, that Dr. Smith had taken up this important subject, and that, notwithstanding the brevity which gives an air of meagreness to several of the points, he had treated it with his accustomed clearness of argument and arrangement. His sketch, indeed, is much too large for his canvas, and highly as we have been gratified by the sermon in its present state, we have felt regret that he had not taken larger scope, and followed out completely his comprehensive plan. After a suitable introduction, he points out as "the common and principal sources of error with regard to divine things"-"the weakness of our faculties; our taking up wrong subjects of investigation, and our being affected by the secret influence of sinful dispositions and habits." Under the last head we find the following impressive observa tions. "A scorner,' said the wise king of Israel, seeketh wisdom and findeth it not.' The entire want, or the great deficiency, of love, reverence, and devotedness to God, cannot but give a fatal obliquity to our professed researches after truth. Such a state of mind is also invariably connected with wrong affections in relation to ourselves. Instead of an humble, adoring, and delightful admiration of the universal perfection of the Most High, there will be pride, self-confidence, and a determination to think at all events favourably of our own dispositions and practices. The judgment of God will be little regarded, and its impression felt very slightly. His supremacy will be the object of secret murmur, or of virtual denial. The heart will rise in dislike against his glorious and unchangeable rectitude, and the necessary obligation of his rational creatures to love him with a perfect heart. His sole and sovereign competency to determine whether at all, to what extent, and in what way and manner, he may be pleased to pardon and bless sinners, will be met by a strong, though perhaps disguised, repugnance. And the duty of a cheerful and implicit reliance on the unsullied purity, righteousness, and benevolence of Jehovah, notwithstanding the perplexity of present appearances, may indeed be faintly acknowledged in words, but, as to practical effect, it will be treated with neglect, or even with disgust. These and all other movements of the heart which is under the power of revolt from God, will most certainly darken the understanding and mislead the judgment; 'evil will be put for good,' and good will be treated as evil." pp. 14, 15. The remedies of the erroneous tendencies of the human heart are stated to be, 1. The maintenance of right affections towards the great Author and Revealer of religious truth. 2. A habit of entire subjection to the authority of the Holy Scriptures. 3. The use of all proper methods of acquiring and improving the art of just reasoning. 4. Establishment in the evidence and influence of primary truths 5. Living under the benign and purifying influence of divine truth. 6. Cautious observations of the effect of particular sentiments upon ourselves or others. 7. Keeping in mind that what has been adopted on impartial inquiry and sufficient evidence, is not to be lightly given up on the mere occurrence of some new objection. 8. Fervent prayer. "The constant, serious, and affectionate practice of this great and necessary duty will have the most happy effect in obtaining and preserving the rational and scriptural satisfaction of the truth of our sentiments, if they be indeed true; and, if otherwise, of leading us to the timely and beneficial discovery of our errors. Prayer elevates the soul above the mists and darkness of this revolted world, and places us under the very shining of the EVERLASTING LIGHT, It tends to exterminate the greatest obstruction to the entrance of that light, the prepossessions of sin in the heart. It gives vigour and delicacy to the sanctified perceptions. It guides that holy mental sense which is the characteristic of the real Christian, to the quick discrimination, and the delighted reception of truth and goodness. Through prayer, the hallowed medium of intercourse with heaven, the devout mind ascends to its closest enjoyment of communion with the Lord God of truth: and from him descend the returns of prayer, every good gift and every perfect gift.' pp. 29, 30. We cannot take leave of this able sermon without extracting from it the following spirited reprobation of all violent methods for the vindication of gospel truth. "Here may I pause, to give utterance to deep and bitter lamentation, that the propagation and defence of divine truth has not been always carried on in the spirit of its legitimate discovery! Gloomy ages past have shewn us kings and emperors, popes, bishops, and presbyters, councils and synods, dictating what they and sword their often ignorant and procalled religion, and enforcing with fire fane decisions as the standards of unhesitating belief. Reason is shocked, and the heart of humanity is broken, in looking back upon the miseries which these impious usurpations have inflicted on mankind. Infatuated oppressors! Could they not understand that there is no connexion between the threatenings of human power, confiscations, tortures, and executions, and the proof of propositions which respect the thoughts and inward feelings of men, their accountableness to God, and their condition in the eternal world? Could they not discern that far more congenial, to the aid of impossuch means were equally applicable, and ture, than to the support of benignant and lovely truth? Could they not see that error and impiety, when persecuted, have their evil varnished over, and stand forth as objects of pity and tenderness? Alas, alas! That, even in our age and country, the truths of heaven should be vindicated (no, not vindicated, -outraged, degraded, insulted!)-by means abhorent from the character and the word of Christ, the genius of the gospel, and even the dictates of common sense! That the doctrine whose OWN energies will vanquish the world, should be held forth as crying for help to indictments and condemnations, fines and dungeons ! -Measures which go near to place the martyr's crown on the loathsome hydra of infidelity!"-pp. 20, 21. Literaria Rediviva; or, The Book Worm. Divine Fancies, digested into Epi- Divine Poemes. Revised and cor- for D. Midwinter, 1736. We have more lying before and The hero William, and the martyr One knighted Blackmore, and one pen- It is probable that many of our readers have formed their estimate of Francis Quarles, from Pope's bitter sarcasm, and they may be surprised to learn, that he was a writer, not only popular in his day, but entitled to a somewhat more favourable treatment than he has met with from posterity. The main particulars of his life are preserved to us by "Ursula Quarles, his sorrowful widow," who has given us a brief narrative, somewhat quaint and mincing in its composition, but valuable as the feeling testimony of the individual who knew him best, to the He piety and consistency of his character. He was by birth and education a gentleman. After the usual training of a respectable country school, he matriculated at Christ's College, Cambridge, and subsequently entered himself a law student at Lincoln's Inn, rather, it should seem, by way of distinction, as the member of a liberal profession, than with a view to practice in the courts. qualified himself for the Bar, “not so much," is the statement of his relict, "out of desire to benefit himself thereby, as his friends and neighbours, but, shewing therein his continuall inclination to peace, to compose suits and differences among them." It would be injustice both to Quarles and his widow, to describe his personal and domestic character in any other words than those of the latter, and we shall proceed with the quotation. "After he came to maturity, he was not desirous to put himselfe into the world, otherwise he might have had greater preferments then he had. He was neither so unfit for Court preferment, nor so ill-beloved there, but that he might have raised his fortunes thereby, if he had had any inclination that way. But his mind was chiefly set upon his devotion and study; yet not altogether so much place of Cup-bearer to the Queen of Bobut that he faithfully discharged the hemia, and the office of Secretary to the reverend and learned Lord Primate of Ireland, that now is, and of Chronologer place he held to his death, and would to the famous city of London; which have given that city (and the world) a testimony that he was their faithfull servant therein, if it had pleased God to blesse him with life to perfect what he had begun. He was the husband of one wife, by whom he was the father of eighteen children, and how faithfull and loving a husband and father he was, the joynt tears of his widow and fatherlesse children will better expresse then my pen is able to doe. "In all his duties to God and man he was conscionable and orderly. He preferred God and religion to the first place in his thoughts, his king and country to the second, his family and studies he reserved to the last. As for God, he was frequent in his devotions and prayers to him, and almost constant in reading or meditating on his holy word, as his "Divine Fancies,' ," and other parts of his works will sufficiently testifie. For his religion, he was a true sonne of the Church of England, an even Protestant, not in the least degree biassed to this hand of superstition, or that of schisme, though both those factions were ready to cry him down for his inclination to the contrary. His love to his king and country in these late unhappy times of distraction, was manifest, in that he used his pen and poured out his continuall prayers and tears to quench this miserable fire of dissention, while too many others added daily fewell unto it. And for his family, his care was very great over that, even when his occasions caused his absence from it. And when he was at home, his exhortations to us, to continue in vertue and godly life, were so pious and frehis admonitions so grave and pierquent; cing; his reprehensions so mild and gentle; and (above all) his own example in every religious and morall duty, so constant and manifest, that his equall may be desired, but can hardly be met withall. pp. xi, xii. There is something beautiful in the very partiality of all this. In the eyes of the affectionate Ursula, her husband was qualified for the highest posts; and "preferments" only waited for his asking. We much question, however, whether this was exactly the case; we have a shrewd suspicion that the worthy cup-bearer would have willingly borne the more weighty insignia of a higher office; that the trusty amanuensis of Usher would not have declined the responsibilities and emoluments of a state-secretaryship; and that the civic chronologer would cheerfully have relinquished that honourable title, had the temptation of a more lucrative sinecure been fairly held out to him. Be this as it may; whether Quarles was contented or ambitious, he never rose above this inferior level, and instead of pursuing great men with hungry and servile clamours, he wisely sought indemnification in the bosom of his family, and the delights of his study. He was at his desk usually by three o'clock in the morning," and, observes dame Ursula, with a little pardonable affectation of unseasonable modesty, "The fruits thereof are best tasted by those who have most perused his works, and therefore I shall be silent in that particular. For though it had been necessary in any other to have spoken somewhat of his writings, yet, I hope it will not be expected from me; seeing that neither the judgement of my sex can be thought competent, nor (if it were) would the nearness of my relation to him suffer me to praise that, at commendations whereof, from others, I have often blushed."-p. xiii. As we have "tasted" pretty largely of these abundant "fruits," we may as well avail ourselves of the present opportunity, to introduce our critical estimate of the literary merits of Quarles. If we were called upon to state it in brief, we should say that he was a man of excellent fancy, but execrable taste. With a liberal endowment of admirable faculties, he was miserably wanting in that which should control the rest. His judgment was incurably defective, and we find the traces of this deficiency through the whole of his poetical works. It may be easy to account for the heavy and unreadable mediocrity which sometimes creeps on, page after page, without a redeeming flash of vigour or beauty, by recollecting the unthinking and unblotting fluency with which he wrote; but we can only explain the sheer imbecility of occasional expressions, by imputing to him a complete absence of all correct discrimination. There are, in his "Divine Fancies," some lines on the infancy of our Saviour, which, from their irreverent silliness, we forbear to cite; and perhaps it may be best, on the whole, not to make sport with the infirmities of a man of genius: it will be a pleasanter, as well as a more profitable task, to exhibit some of his happier efforts. There is a most impressive character in several of the "funeral elegies on" the death of Dr. Aylmer. "ELEGY XXI. "Wouldst thou, when death had done, deserve a story Wouldst thou subdue more kingdoms, gain more crowns Then conquer death; example be thy guide; Then conquer heaven; example be thy guide; "ELEGY IX. Divine Poems, pp. 453, 454. "I wondred not to hear so brave an end : That he which dy'd so oft, once dy'd so well. Made man, whom death had conquer'd, conquer death!" There is some felicity, but more singularity, in the following; the artificial and affected construction p. 449. of the verse is miserably out of place. "Thus to the world, and to the spacious ears I offer up my joy, my love, my heart: That earth may know, and every ear that hears, That earth may know thy Dust, thy Urn, thy Herse, "Sion's Sonnets" are founded on the Canticles, and among many stanzas of little merit, and some of fantastic character, they contain a few rich specimens of beauty and melody. The two following extracts must p. 453. close our selections from this volume; we have paused over several passages of great power, but much still lies before us, and we can only spare room for the following samples, both of them characteristic of the peculiarities of Quarles. "FRAUS MUNDI. "What is the world? a great Exchange of ware, There's goodly choice, down weight, and flowing measure, Upon the Death-bed, on the dying day. CONG. MAG. No. 61. G |