bed-gown, with a night-cap like the silk nets which hang down the back, as commonly seen on the beads of Italian postillions; and a pair of woollen stockings, with feet of coarse linen, fastened on with twine in an uncouth manner. He was without shoes, but a pair of yellow slippers lay at some dis. tance. By his side, on the bank, was placed his broad-brimmed hat, such as is worn by the shepherdesses of the Alps; and in the hat-band, to complete the resemblance, was stuck a bunch of withered flowers. His white beard, and that mildness and animation of countenance which distinguished him, gave to his features a most pleasing expression. He desired to know who we were: and being answered, Englishmen; "What!" said he; "all English? "all English? I wonder what your countrymen can find sufficiently interesting in Russia, to bring you so far from home; and in such times as these?" But having made this observation in French, he looked cautiously around him, and began to ask the monks, severally, whether they understood French. Finding them perfectly ignorant of that language, he bade me sit by him; while the rest forming a circle, he entertained us with a conversation, in which there was science, wit, and freedom, sufficient to astonish any traveller, in such a country, and at such a period. Memory has scarcely retained even that part of it which concerned the manners of bis countrymen.

"Well,' said he, you thought me perhaps a curiosity; and you find me as naturally disposed for observation as you could wish' (pointing to his woollen stockings and his strange dress), an old man bending with years and infirmities.' I replied, that I had the honour to see him in his greatest splendour, on the night of the ceremony of the Resurrection, in the cathedral of the Kremlin. And what did you think of that ceremony?' said he. I answered, that

I considered, it as one of the most solemn I had ever witnessed, not excepting even that of the Benediction at Rome;' - and interesting?' added his Grace. Very much so,' said I: at which he burst into a fit of laughter, holding his sides, and saying, I had lost a night's rest to attend the ceremony of a religion I did not profess, and called it interesting."

"We accompanied him round the garden, admiring the beauty of the situation, and the serenity of the climate. But do you,' said he, prefer our climate to yours?' I told him, that I had found the Rus➡ sian climate severe, but the cold weather in winter not attended by so much humidity as in England; that the atmosphere was clear and dry. dry. Oh yes,' said he, very dry indeed! and it has, in consequence, dried up all our fruit trees.'

Afterwards, he inquired where we were going: and being told to Kuban Tartary and to Constantinople;- 'God preserve me!' he exclaimed, what a journey! but nothing is difficult to Englishmen : they traverse all the regions of the earth. My brothier,' continued he was a traveller, and educated in your country, at Oxford; but I have never been any where, except at Petersburgh and Moscow. I should have been delighted in travelling, if I had enjoyed the opportunity; for books of travels are my favourite reading. I have lately read,' and the significant smile by which the words were accompanied could not be misunderstood, the Voyage of Lord Macartney."

He laughed, however, at the result of his brother's education. The English,' said he, taught him to declaim, in their way he used to preach his fine flourishing sermons to us Russians; very fine sermons! but they were all translated from the English. Some of your divines write beautifully; but with inconceivable freedom. It was once discussed in an English sermon, Whe

ther a people had power to dethrone their king.' Your Grace may say more, said I; we had once a prelate, who, preaching before his Sovereign, felt himself at liberty to discuss his conduct to his face.' I wish,' said he, ‹ we had such a fellow here!'-But, aware of the interpretation which might be put upon his words, and perhaps not daring to end with them, he added, after a pause, 'we would send him, to enjoy the full liberty of preaching in the free air of Siberia.' He was much amused at a reply he once received from an English clergyman, of the factory at Petersburg, when asked if he intended to marry. If I am fortunate enough to become a bishop, I shall marry some rich citizen's daughter, and live at my ease*.'

"Mr. Heber, with his friend Mr. Thornton, paid him a visit in the convent of Befania; and, in his description of the monastery, I find the following account of the Archbishop. The space beneath the rocks is occupied by a small chapel, furnished with a stove for winter devotion; and on the right hand is a little narrow cell, containing two coffins; one of which is empty, and destined for the present Archbishop; the other contains the bones of the founder of the monastery, who is regarded as a saint. The oak coffin was almost bit to pieces by different persons afflicted with the tooth-ache; for which a rub on this board is a specific. Plato laughed as he told us this; but said, As they do it de bon cœur, I would not undeceive them.' This prelate has been long very famous in Russia, as a man of ability. His piety has been questioned; but from his conversation we drew a very favourable idea of him. Some of his expressions would have rather singed the whiskers of a very orthodox man; but the frankness

"The priests in the Greek Church are "allowed to marry; but not the bishops.""

and openness of his manners, and the liberality of his sentiments, pleased us highly."

The treatise consists of three parts. Part I. Of the Knowledge of God as derived from Nature, being subservient to the Belief of the Gospel.

Pas

Part II. Of the Faith of the Gospel. Part III. Of the Law of God. Each of these general subjects is divided into chapters; and at the head of each chapter stands an enunciation or syllabus of the articles to be proved. The enunciation is clear, and the chapters concise: so as easily to be understood and remembered by a person of very ordinary attainments. sages of Scripture are frequently introduced, and with considerable judgment and effect, as tending eis ther to confirm or illustrate the point under discussion. The whole treatise is composed in a simple and unaffected style, and seems to imply in the author a familiar acquaintance with the writers of the three first centuries. Our limits will neither allow us to give an accurate analysis of the work, nor to furnish very numerous quotations; we can do little more than supply a general, but, as we hope, a correct idea of it.

Part I. consists of eighteen chapters, relating chiefly to the existence, attributes, and providence of God; the immortality of the soul; the worship of the Supreme Being; the guilt of man, and the means of his recovery. The corruption of human nature is stated in the strongest terms; and the views of the Metropolitan on the essentials of Christianity are decidedly of that sort which would in this country be called evangelical:not, however, of the Calvinistic, but of the Arminian school. The following extracts will shew the justice of this observation.

the trier of the reins, and the judge of the thoughts of the heart. The foreknowledge of God is certain: however, it doth not in fringe the liberty of man's will; that is, we ought not to suppose that we are obliged by some fatal necessity to do good or evil; for God seeth the future as he beholdeth the present, consequently, from eternity itself, he seeth the actions of men just as they are to happen in time, according to the law of free-will. But the free act of God's foreknowledge does not infringe on man's liberty." p. 44.

There is nothing impossible for God. And this Divine Omnipotence becomes more conspicuous when we reflect, that he can create; nay, create out of nothing, by the word of his power, without the smallest difficulty. However, God doth not do all that he could; but he doth what he will: and he willeth that alone which is agreeable to his in fmite wisdom. Thus, for example, God could by force keep men from simming: but were he to do so, then the freedom of man's will would be infringed, and in so doing he would have acted contrary to his infinite wisdom, which requireth man to be free in all his acts. Moreover, were man withheld from sin by the power of another, even then he would not be less blameable or unrighteous than if he were permitted to sin as he would. But God, as more beneficent, hath given us sufficient warnings against evil, without violating the freedom of our will. Of the omnipotence of God, the Scriptures reason in the same manner. • I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee,' Isa. xliii. 2." pp. 46, 47.

"The Word of God, in a number of passages, speaks of man as weak, and blind, and forlorn, and ruined, and dead, and in such a state, that, without the blessings of revelation he is accounted altogether unable to do good, and needs to be spiritually born again. From these considerations, it without doubt follows, that man, by his own power, is unable to render unto a spotless and holy God an acceptable' service;-by his own power, Isay; for we shall see afterwards what view we ought to take of evangelical worship; and we shall also speak of the -origin of this corruption, when we come to treat of the symbol of faith. But we have been the more particular on the weakness and corruption of human nature, because these considerations pave the way for the Gospel,

2. Before man can be justified at the bar of Eternal Equity, h emust appear with wut the least siu. But who among the

children of men can say this of himself? All of us are guilty of committing sin every moment, either in thoughts, words, or actions: none was ever yet found so boly, as not to have been the servant of sin. Every individual of the human race has bowed down to this Babylonish idol; and the Holy Scriptures most powerfully bear testimony to this truth. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us,' 1 John i, 8. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,' Isa. Ixiv. 6. • Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified,' Psalm clxiii. 2." pp. 69, 70.

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On the means of reconciliation with God, and of recovery out of our natural state;" after shewing that the hope of effecting this, either by the fulfilling of the Divine law" or by "repentance," is altogether vain; he remarks, that, though "such sentiments are very consonant with the reason of man,” yet

"the Holy Scriptures more particularly put us in remembrance, that man of himself has not sufficient power to reconcile God, and that he every moment provokes him to anger. For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin,' Rom. iii. 9.; that is, that all mankind are fallen into the abyss of iniquity, and are unable to deliver themselves out of it. This truth ought to be strongly impressed on the mind of every one; because it points out to man how much he stands in need of the faith of the Gospel; and hence the Apostle Paul arranged his reasonings, in the Epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, in the same order which we have here taken, to prove that man is in a helpless state, And indeed no one will seek for a physician till once he be convinced of his being in great distress.

"However, some will perhaps say; What, are we then to fall into despair? Certainly, if you continue to look up to yourselves for help. But when we reflect on the inexhaustible goodness of God, and on his infinite wisdom, then we are comforted by hope, and our fears are dispelled; and in this hope we ought frequently to join in the words of Isaiah: Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodoin, and we should have been like unto Gommorrah; i. 9, also Gal. iii. 16. And we ought to

keep in remembrance these words of Paul to the Romans: 'But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe.' Rom. iii. 21, 22." pp. 76-78.

In the First Part of his work, the author considers himself as drawing his conclusions according to sound reason, with occasional illustrations from the Holy Scriptures. The Second Part, Of the Faith of the Gospel," is founded entirely on the Word of God.

This part is divided into 41 chapters. The principal subjects areDivine Revelation; Justification by Faith; the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity; the Condition of Man; the Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ; the Descent of the Holy Ghost; the Mysteries of the New Testament, and the Resurrection of the Dead.

With respect to the Trinity, it is to be observed, that the Holy Ghost is represented as proceeding not from the Father and the Son, according to the Nicene Faith, but from the Father alone. The title of the 9th chapter, Of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity," is in these

terms:

"The most holy faith of the Gospel first teaches us, that God is one in essence, but in three persons: The Father, uncreated; the Son, inexplicably, and from eternity, begotten of the Father; and the Holy Ghost from the same Father, incomprehensibly proceeding, served, reverenced, and glorified in one indivisible worship." p. 109. We select one passage from the body of the chapter.

"The Holy Faith reveals to us the most exalted mystery of the Holy Trinity; that is, that God is one in essence in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: yet not three Gods but one God, because one in essence. The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Ghost is Lord: yet not three Lords, but one Lord. The Father is Almighty, the Son is Almighty, and the Holy Ghost is A mighty yet not three Almightics, but one CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 150.

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Almighty God. I believe in God the Fa.. ther, 1 believe in God the Son, I believe in God the Holy Ghost: yet not three faiths, but one faith. I worship God the Father, I worship God the Son, I worship God the Holy Ghost: yet not three worships, but one worship, one reverence, one adoration, one glorifying of the Holy Trinity." pp.

1PO, 111.

The peculiarity of this great man's opinion, with respect to the procession of the Holy Ghost, tends in no degree to lower his estimate of the influence of the Spirit. The 26th chapter," Of the Descent of the Holy Ghost," is clear upon this point, and no apology will be wanted for inserting an extract from it.

"The Lord Jesus Christ, after his ascen

sion, sent to the apostles, and to all believers, the Holy Ghost, by whose blessed influence man is saved." p. 156.

"The operations of the Holy Spirit, by which the salvation of men is perfected, are various. The man who is wandering in error, and hardened in sin, or rather dead in sins, he calleth to the faith by the word, from his evil ways. By his internal operagranting him different opportunities to turn tions, he softens the heart, kindles in the mind the light of the knowledge of God, regenerates and cleanseth from sin in baptism, renews in repentance, and unites unto Christ mysteriously in the communion; and spiritually, through stedfast continuance in the faith, he directs to every work of godliness; comforts and supports in temptations and trials, and internally assures us of that great love wherewith our heavenly Father encompasseth us." pp. 157, 158.

According to the apostle Paul, the following graces are the signs and fruits of the Holy Spirit dwelling in man. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.' Gal. v. 22. pp. 158, 159.

Under the head Mysteries" are enumerated" Baptism, the Chrism, the Eucharist, Repentance, Ordination, Marriage, and the Sanctified Oil."

"The two chief and most eminent mysteries in the New Testament are, Baptism, and the Eucharist or the Communion. Of the rest, the Chrism and Repentance belong to every Christian; but Ordination, Marriage, and the Sanctified Oil, are not binding on all." p. 173.

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The account of Baptism, p. 175, is far more correct than that which some zealous persons have recently given among ourselves:-Platon never substitutes baptism for regeneration.

The Chrism is administered immediately after baptism, and is the Confirmation of the Greek Church. The Confirmation of the Church of England requires a more advanced age, and a knowledge of Christian principles. The Chrism appears to be a superstitious ceremony: it is performed

by the priest anointing the baptized person with holy ointment, with which he makes the sign of the Cross on his forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, breast, hands and feet, repeating these words at each sign: The seal of the gift of the

Holy Ghost. This ointment is composed of upwards of twenty different ingredients, and is prepared and consecrated with great ceremony, once a year, at Moscow, by a bishop, on Thursday, in Passion Week." p. 179.

187), as it affords opportunity of advice from the servant of Christ, and of the assurance of remission of sins in his name; and this confession, according to Platon, should not be general, but particular. Formerly the priests made very minute inquiries of the person who came to confess; but he now only recites the Ten Commandments, and asks the offender which he has been guilty of breaking. The common people confess in the church, one by one: the rich at home, After confession, the priest prays that Jesus Christ would forgive the person all his sins; and he then absolves him in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the hands "Ordination is a mystery in which the

of his servants, consecrateth the worthy person chosen, to dispense the ordinances, and feed the flock of Christ." p. 188.

“This ordination is performed through the invocation of the Holy Ghost, and the

the superstitious Pope for having, in evident opposition to the words of the Lord, taken away the cop of communion from the common people, and for giving them the communion only in unleavened wafers." p. 181.

But the doctrine of Transubstantiation, probably" introduced by the Roman Catholic priests of the middle ages" (p. 3), is admitted both in the Russian and the Eastern Churches. The,communicants receive the elements of both kinds standing: a little warm water is mixed with the wine, perhaps “in reference to the blood and water which flowed from the side of our Saviour."

"Repentance is a mystery in which the believer, on the sincere confession of his sins, and in a firm reliance on the merits of Christ, receiveth the remission of his sins from God, through the servant of Christ." F. 186.

bled church, who confirm the choice made, by exclaiming, He is worthy."" p. 189.

"Marriage is a holy rite, in which the servant of the church unites two marriageable persons, and prayeth for the blessing of God to fall upon them.” p. 191.

We are informed in a note, that the author

"has been censured for departing from the orthodox faith; for in place of calling marriage a tain or mystery, he uses quite a

different word, and denominates it an obriad,

which literally signifies a rite or ceremony.”

p. 191.